Database Users

Rooting I9505 with newest 4.3 official update/remove bloatware?!?

I bought a samsung galaxy i9505 device two days ago and directly updated it to official 4.3 release.
Now i was supposed to root my phone for the trulycleanscript and remove the bloatwere. But when i investigate in rooting 4.3, i can only find a solution for the leaked 4.3 rom google play edition. Is it actually possible for me to root official samsung 4.3 without triggering knox void to 1?
There are many tutorials und methods and they spread all about this forum, but im unsure which one to follow and if its still possible for me with the new 4.3 official update. Also now with the new update, i have seen there might be issues with the truly clean script, due that its discontinued.
Im getting beat down by all the information given in this forum and im not able to associate them properly, because i think i might do something wrong and brick my device or trigger varanty void.
I just want to have a clean, bloatware-free, OS which is compatible with kies and official updating methods. What can i do for it? Which Steps do i have to follow?
Can anyone help?
My Device info
Model Number: GT-I9505
Android version: 4.3
Baseband version: I9505XXUEMJ5
Kernel Version: 3.4.0-1869009 [email protected] #1
Build number: JSS15J.I9505XXUEMJ5
SELinux status: Enforcing SEPF_GT-I9505_4.3_0010
Usually im not a noob to gaining root access or flashing roms and stuff like that, i had many many many roms installed on my sony xperia x10 mini, but when it comes to the s4 and all of its security mechanics, given circumstances and how information is spread out on this matter, i really have to surrender.
Greetings People!

unleashedgamer said:
I bought a samsung galaxy i9505 device two days ago and directly updated it to official 4.3 release.
Now i was supposed to root my phone for the trulycleanscript and remove the bloatwere. But when i investigate in rooting 4.3, i can only find a solution for the leaked 4.3 rom google play edition. Is it actually possible for me to root official samsung 4.3 without triggering knox void to 1?
There are many tutorials und methods and they spread all about this forum, but im unsure which one to follow and if its still possible for me with the new 4.3 official update. Also now with the new update, i have seen there might be issues with the truly clean script, due that its discontinued.
Im getting beat down by all the information given in this forum and im not able to associate them properly, because i think i might do something wrong and brick my device or trigger varanty void.
I just want to have a clean, bloatware-free, OS which is compatible with kies and official updating methods. What can i do for it? Which Steps do i have to follow?
Can anyone help?
Usually im not a noob to gaining root access or flashing roms and stuff like that, i had many many many roms installed on my sony xperia x10 mini, but when it comes to the s4 and all of its security mechanics, given circumstances and how information is spread out on this matter, i really have to surrender.
Greetings People!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a root method to avoid 0x1 but you'll have to remove the bloat ware yourself, root De LA Vega is the method you can use to avoid the counter to be increased. How this helps. but you won't be able to flash custom recovery without increasing the Knox counter
I'm not a fan of Samsung making this move, but still I don't judge them for trying to make the device secure, if you still want warranty I should say stay away from flashing custom ROMs until you actually know that your warranty has ended or wait and see if there's a solution made to get everything working without increasing the flag/counter. It may not be possible but it's still being some research about that,
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

LastStandingDroid said:
There's a root method to avoid 0x1 but you'll have to remove the bloat ware yourself, root De LA Vega is the method you can use to avoid the counter to be increased. How this helps. but you won't be able to flash custom recovery without increasing the Knox counter
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasnt there a alternate method to root de la vega, which worked somehow better? i thought ive read something like that somewhere...

unleashedgamer said:
Wasnt there a alternate method to root de la vega, which worked somehow better? i thought ive read something like that somewhere...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not what I've seen, I'm thinking on however to leave Samsung. I want a device we can work with without having to mess the warranty. Really sad to see Samsung starting to disrespect developers to evolve a better system that they've made somehow boring, if there's a better way to root the device you should use that one. Just see if it will trigger the counter or not
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

LastStandingDroid said:
Not what I've seen, I'm thinking on however to leave Samsung. I want a device we can work with without having to mess the warranty. Really sad to see Samsung starting to disrespect developers to evolve a better system that they've made somehow boring, if there's a better way to root the device you should use that one. Just see if it will trigger the counter or not
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx for your answers man,
i already regret that i buyed the s4, just because everybody hyped it. guess i have to stick to it now. ill try the root de la vega.

Just saw that de la vega is now called megarom 0x0, looks a little bit difficult to set up but ill give it a shot:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2250824
just in case someone is in the same desperate situation as me^^

To root or not to root the s5?

Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?

I'm curious to know this also, unless some way is ever discovered to root without tripping Knox, or somehow reset Knox.
The one thing I'd love to do is enable more apps in multi-window. Does anyone know an easy way to do that without root?
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Hi,
I had my device rooted a couple days ago and I could'n be happier. I flashed a custom light ROM and IO have an amazing battery life now. I could last up to 24 hours with 7 hours screen on.
On more thing, you could experience more Android OS when you have your device rooted.
So what is the reason for not rooting your device?

Void warranty, that's really all.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

I'm still unsure if knox is tripped on rooting or if it's when a kernel/rom is flashed. I'd be happy to run a rooted stock rom for adblock and a few other apps that need root.
Very hesitant to lose the warranty on this even though I've beta tested and flashed hundreds of times in the past with other phones and never really worried about warranty as they were pretty much all used handsets.
sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

Prof Peach said:
I'm still unsure if knox is tripped on rooting or if it's when a kernel/rom is flashed. I'd be happy to run a rooted stock rom for adblock and a few other apps that need root.
Very hesitant to lose the warranty on this even though I've beta tested and flashed hundreds of times in the past with other phones and never really worried about warranty as they were pretty much all used handsets.
sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that's a good question because I remember being asked a question when I rooted my first s5 about knox. Maybe someone else could answer that one.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

mrnovanova said:
You know that's a good question because I remember being asked a question when I rooted my first s5 about knox. Maybe someone else could answer that one.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to root, is to remove knox completely if possible, its a stupid POS spyware app, that eats battery and has no purpose for the end user on the Galaxy S5. There is an app called Triangle away or something of the similar sort that can "trick" the phone into appearing that it has not been tampered with if you need to do a warranty.
I am not sure about your specific model, but if the bootloader is unlocked, why dont you flash AllianceROM, or one of the others which by default has knox removed, and root.

solrazr said:
The best way to root, is to remove knox completely if possible, its a stupid POS spyware app, that eats battery and has no purpose for the end user on the Galaxy S5. There is an app called Triangle away or something of the similar sort that can "trick" the phone into appearing that it has not been tampered with if you need to do a warranty.
I am not sure about your specific model, but if the bootloader is unlocked, why dont you flash AllianceROM, or one of the others which by default has knox removed, and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, good point. Triangle away doesn't reset the knox counter not yet anyway. The thing is I have nothing against knox I appreciate the extra level of security I like the private mode and I like the fact that I can stop the phone from being rooted or reset should it fall into the wrong hands. That's a plus in my book. Furthermore none of the ROMs out that this moment make me wanna root I find that samsung has come a long way since my s2 customization wise. The phone is awesome out of the box IMHO.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

mrnovanova said:
Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Some other opinions can be found in his thread (also my answer): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2724257
Cheers!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

zeldavn said:
Hi,
I had my device rooted a couple days ago and I could'n be happier. I flashed a custom light ROM and IO have an amazing battery life now. I could last up to 24 hours with 7 hours screen on.
On more thing, you could experience more Android OS when you have your device rooted.
So what is the reason for not rooting your device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting the device might prevent some native apps from functioning such as allshare, screen cast etc...

Root is so good! believe me.:laugh:

hfs1314 said:
Root is so good! believe me.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. I know. I'm actually convinced now. Screw the warranty LOL...:silly:

As long as you know what you're doing and you're voiding the phone's 1 year waranty with it. Think before you do it because it could never be undone (KNOX 0x1).
I'm leaving my S5 unrooted.

Root! No root, no fun!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I think as of right now there is no good reason to root the S5....none of the current ROMs are worth breaking the warranty for and we aren't lagging behind the android OS versions that we want urgently catch up to. My advice would be to wait until more advanced rooting methods come around that bypass the knox tripping or until CM, AOKP, AOSP etc ROMS start rolling out or if we get a couple of Android OS versions behind, whichever comes first

mrnovanova said:
Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
today i ended up rooting because i was going criminally insane not having root, but i ran into a problem where the play store got deleted so i had to go a bit further and flash a new rom. ive had root on every android i have had besides the htc my touch. the features you get with root are so wonderful apps like adaway (most useful app in the history of apps), xposed installer, root browser, and many more that i cant think of yet are so useful that i couldnt live without them any longer. plus you can flash different roms if you love the s5 but hate touchwiz there is a rom for that. you have cm11 aokp crdroid paranoid and aosp to give you a stock experience. true at the moment you can not reset knox and if that is an issue for you then dont root. or.... dunk your phone in water without the cover on lol just kidding i do not recommend doing that. the choice is yours though i know others and i love having root and cant live without it. but there are just as many people who love root but dont want to trip knox. for me i ended up rooting because i found out my carrier does not check if the device is modified or not when you trade in so i just said screw it.take all counts into consideration is root something you need or do you not need some of the features you get with root. simple question is are you a hardcore user or basic user?

IMO, if not rooted, ROMed etc, why come to XDA Developers website, you know what I mean?
I do it first day on all devices, have'nt bricked one yet :silly: not!
I love to tweak the hell out of the device, rid it of bloat, block adds, not to mention the advantages of more regular updates and fixes.
Also if using custom ROM you're getting a ROM that has had many man/team hours spent on it rather than a ROM developed for a commercial mass production, theres a comment above that states "no ROM is worthy of flashing on S5 yet" well I'd like to ask you, how the hell do you know if you have'nt flashed anything yet?

I root my S5 first day and I didn't face any problem with Knox Can someone explain to me why Knox is problem ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app

Mohannad-K said:
I root my S5 first day and I didn't face any problem with Knox Can someone explain to me why Knox is problem ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Triggering knox will void your warranty without possibility to undo it.
Skickat från min SM-G900F via Tapatalk

There are also certain features that may not function after tripping Knox. Additionally most companies won't let you BYOD after Knox trips. Unless they "forget" to check
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

$1 Best Buy GS5 is rootable with towelroot

Just verified after getting one about 4 hours ago.
The kernel version block is:
3.4.0-1750661
[email protected] #1
Fri May 30 21 23-48 KST 2014
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw the date was before June 2014 so I gave towelroot a shot. It worked like a gem. Hands down the best root I have ever had the privilege to use. Big ups to geohot.
I installed superSU from play and verified it worked. It had no issue installing the new binary. When trying to disable knox, the first time it hung. I did a restart, and the next time it attempted it completed in about 5 seconds.
Knox counter wasn't tripped.
I'm waiting until after I go in to the Sprint store to check over my plan before I install a custom recovery.

I can confirm the above! I picked up my S5 from Best Buy mobile last night and had it rooted using towelroot in less than 5 minutes with no problems. The same thing happened to me when I installed SuperSU - the first time it tried disabling KNOX, it hung so I rebooted and it worked perfectly the second time.
I have also installed TWRP using Mobile Odin Pro by following the instructions found in THIS thread, however it DID trip the KNOX counter unfortunately but that's OK... Where I'm from, they only have Sprint affiliates and I have NEVER seen them check for tripped counters. In fact, I would tend to believe that they don't even know how. So I'm not worried about it!
All in all, I was rooted, with my custom recovery in less than 5 minutes and didn't even have to bust out the USB cable to do it. That's exactly why I stick with Sammy's and Sprint!
Now, it's time to get rid of this crappy TouchWiz and get a real ROM put on this baby! I was very happy to see that this device is supported on CarbonROM!

Awesome. I just got home with my $1 S5 & notice the same build/date info. Time to rooty toot toot.

:good: I can confirm that towel root worked on both my $1 S5 from amazon.com. Now question, if I update to the new os (4.4.4) which i've downloaded but not installed, will I still be able to use towelroot?

cheeb said:
:good: I can confirm that towel root worked on both my $1 S5 from amazon.com. Now question, if I update to the new os (4.4.4) which i've downloaded but not installed, will I still be able to use towelroot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you will have to root via odin by using CF auto root or odin custom recovery and flashing supersu with will trip knox. Sprint representatives dont care if they even know how to tell so you will be good. I've replaced several devices all tripped (flashaholic ?) without a problem. If you need to bring it in just flash a stock rom with odin and you're golden
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

banccalif said:
No you will have to root via odin by using CF auto root or odin custom recovery and flashing supersu with will trip knox. Sprint representatives dont care if they even know how to tell so you will be good. I've replaced several devices all tripped (flashaholic ?) without a problem. If you need to bring it in just flash a stock rom with odin and you're golden
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good looking out! I definitely don't care about "being caught flashing". This is my first samsung phone so I'm trying to figure things out. Thanks for the info! Got any suggestion on a good rom?

cheeb said:
Good looking out! I definitely don't care about "being caught flashing". This is my first samsung phone so I'm trying to figure things out. Thanks for the info! Got any suggestion on a good rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TW I gotta say MOAR ROM, hands down A1, lots of mods, great battery and active dev. If aosp I've only tried unofficial cm12, love the look and feel of the rom but not the battery
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

banccalif said:
TW I gotta say MOAR ROM, hands down A1, lots of mods, great battery and active dev. If aosp I've only tried unofficial cm12, love the look and feel of the rom but not the battery
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

Just got an AT&T Android 5.0 warranty replacement for my rooted 4.4.2; options?

So I just got a 5.0 Lollipop SM-G900A, Baseband G900AUCU4B0F3 warranty replacement for my old rooted 4.4.2 SM-G900A AT&T S5.
I want to get root back. I don't care about warranty since I'm technically out of warranty now and they replaced my phone past warranty (I was really nice to the friendly female CSR I got on the phone). I believe my options are:
Live without root
downgrade to 4.4.2 and root with towelroot without tripping knox
root 5.0 but trip knox
I'd like to do number 3, but I don't know what the best method is at this point. I haven't kept up on any developments in root area since I rooted my 4.4.2 and was supremely happy with it ever since. I know that flashing an already rooted ROM is one of the options but honestly I've gone down the custom ROMs road before on previous phones and I know if I start that again I'll be going through tons of ROMs looking for the one I like best and I've been so happy with rooted vanilla stock that I don't want to take the time to go down that path right now if I can help it. Is there a way to root 5.0 directly if you don't care about Knox/warranty?
I fully realize that I could RTFF and figure out what my answer is but I'm hoping someone who is current will take pity on me and point me in the right direction and cut my RTFF down from hours to minutes. TIA for any help.

https://twitter.com/srsroot/status/634952981960597504
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using XDA Free mobile app

I don't believe it's possible to root 0F3 at this time. Sorry bro...
If root is achieved once again, I would highly recommend sticking to Muniz_ri's rooted stock roms which can be found in the "General" section of each carrier-specific S5 Thread, then running his debloat script (and installing google now launcher) to have a very clean android.

Has there been any updates on this? the "SRSroot" site seems sketchy. Google is not showing me results that I want to hear.

Frankbot said:
Has there been any updates on this? the "SRSroot" site seems sketchy. Google is not showing me results that I want to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No update, still unrootable.
Sent from my Galaxy S5 using XDA Labs

Which ROM should I opt for?

Hey there
I am basically fixing my sister's Galaxy S5 (G900H) by just completely formatting the device and installing the latest software since it has slowed down considerably. The only experience I ever had with Samsung devices was with my old Galaxy S3 so I'm kind of familiar with the whole process or at least I'll do some reading to catch up, but my question is, which ROM should I go for? What is the latest and most stable? I know this is a difficult question to answer because it is subjective and based on personal preference (I'm a HTC addict so I know all about that), however I cannot really see any of the familiar ROMs like Android Revolution HD, Venom/Viper ROM, etc. so I am having a hard time deciding. I want a ROM that is as stock as possible like Android Revolution HD on many devices.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you guys!
EDIT: On a side note, I know the best thing to do would be to go to SamMobile and download the latest official firmware, but from my experience with many Android devices I believe that custom ROMs are the best since they are debloated and customized for optimum performance and battery life, especially since Samsung seems to enjoy bloating their devices with so many unnecessary things.

Latest stock lollipop is great IMO, no need for custom at least for mine
Custom always come with problems from experience, better speed and smaller size at the expense of stability, Id opt for stability every time

Thank you for your reply. I decided I should install the latest official ROM then root the device and debloat it myself. It'll take a bit more time but it's worth it, I suppose. Thanks again!

That's what I've done, the stock ROMs are great IMO, apart from the bloat of course

Just be advised that some people are finding it impossible (or very difficult) to root the latest Lollipop firmwares......
If you have KitKat on the device, a better option would be to root that, then retain root access through and during the upgrade process.....The way to do that (so I believe) is.....
Root KitKat. ...
Use Mobile Odin or Flashfire (both apps by Chainfire) to upgrade to Lollipop while injecting root at the time of flashing.
For info......Flashfire is the newer, more up to date of the two.....
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

I know this is a late reply but I recently acquired my sister's S5 after giving her my other phone, an iPhone 5S (stupid move by her, I know, but good for me), and the device is currently on Android KitKat. I already downloaded the latest Lollipop firmware from SamMobile, so from my understanding I should root KitKat using Flashfire, then upgrade and at the same time include the root file using Flashfire?
Thanks!

TarekElsakka said:
I know this is a late reply but I recently acquired my sister's S5 after giving her my other phone, an iPhone 5S (stupid move by her, I know, but good for me), and the device is currently on Android KitKat. I already downloaded the latest Lollipop firmware from SamMobile, so from my understanding I should root KitKat using Flashfire, then upgrade and at the same time include the root file using Flashfire?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No fella.....not quite.....
You can't use Flashfire unless you already have root access.....
If you are on KitKat, you have 2 options for root.......
1) Towelroot......This will give you root without tripping Knox
2) CF Root......will give you root but WILL trip Knox.
Once you have got root THEN use Flashfire to upgrade to Lollipop and retain root.....
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

Awesome, @keithross39, thank you for the helpful information. This is a stupid question but what is Knox?

Knox is an eFuse that gets unalterably tripped if a custom software package is installed.......
It's primary use is to ensure that a device is safe for connection to enterprise (business) networks.....
But Samsung are also using it as a warranty flag.....
Once Knox is tripped, they refuse to supply any form of warranty repair......even if the software modifications had absolutely nothing to do with the fault......
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

Thanks again, keith, you've been a great help. The device's warranty has already ended quite some time ago because it was only for one year, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry in case a factory problem comes up somehow. Thanks again!

No problem fella....too true...better safe than sorry..
I think I read some time back that Samsung refused to repair a knox tripped device even though the phone owner offered to pay in full for the repair.....
Shows you how serious Samsung is about Knox.....
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

I agree you can always run into issues with custom ROM's. Although I prefer them over stock to be honest. The inner tech nerd in me.

DigitalCorrosion said:
I agree you can always run into issues with custom ROM's. Although I prefer them over stock to be honest. The inner tech nerd in me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.....it's fair to say that we wouldn't be here if we didn't care for the benefits of custom roms.....
But for me at least, knox has (temporarily) removed that option. When my warranty has expired, I guess I'll start to experiment.....but that's not for another 15 months yet.......
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

I just tried rooting using TowelRoot but it kept giving me an error "this phone isn't currently supported". I went on Google and tried changing the code strings by tapping the "welcome" sign three times and changing the codes, but none of them worked. I guess my only option is to root using CF-Auto-Root, huh?

TarekElsakka said:
I just tried rooting using TowelRoot but it kept giving me an error "this phone isn't currently supported". I went on Google and tried changing the code strings by tapping the "welcome" sign three times and changing the codes, but none of them worked. I guess my only option is to root using CF-Auto-Root, huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device probably *is* supported but the kitkat build may be too recent.....
Go to settings >> about device and check the build date.....
If it was compiled on or after July 1st 2014, then you need to download an older kernel and Odin flash it before attempting to towelroot.....
The exact steps are as follows.
1) source a copy of your current kernel and an older (device specific) Kernel.
2) odin flash the older kernel.
3) Reboot, install towelroot and run it
4) odin flash your current kernel.
5) Reboot and enjoy root access.
At stage 3, your phone will appear to be unstable, don't worry about this, it is to be expected.
For information, which build of kitkat is installed on your device as of now?
Edit.....This is the guide I followed to root....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2843044
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

Okay, let's see:
Model number: SM-G900H
Android version: 4.4.2
Kernel version: 3.10.9-2109283
[email protected] #1
Wed Jul 9 14:56:51 KST 2014
By looking at the information, I don't think I am running a recent version at all!

Ah.....900 "H"......exynos version right?
I don't have experience of that model, and I think I read that the H variant isn't compatible with Towelroot. ......
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.....
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

I am not sure which version it is, to be honest. I've tried Googling but I couldn't find anything related to official kernels, just custom ones. If I were to take a wild guess, I'd have to assume that I could extract the kernel from an old firmware on SamMobile? This seems to be the oldest one for my device:
2014-04-01 Egypt 4.4.2 G900HXXU1ANCI G900HOJV1ANCH
But then again is extracting the kernel from it even possible?

Just done a bit of Googling.......
http://www.droidviews.com/root-att-and-verizon-galaxy-s5-without-voiding-knox-warranty/
If you decide to try and towelroot, you are going to go down a long and unsuccessful road....
From what I've read, CF Root is the only option.....
Sent from my rooted, debloated stocKK kn0x0 SM-G900F

It seems like I am going to go the custom ROM route since I will be tripping the knox system at any case. Thanks for all your help, man, I truly appreciate it.
I have been a HTC user for a long, long time now and my main recovery is TWRP, should I go for that on my S5? I only see Philz (CWM) recovery mentioned around here, though, so I'm not too sure. I'm also going for this ROM: AbhiDroid S6 port for S5[SM-G900H].