The information about rooting in recent weeks has gotten rather splintered on XDA. I've read what I can find here on the forums. I've searched and read this forum for several hours. Much of the information is spread out & difficult to fully understand for that reason.
I've read what I can understand from the "experimental" systemless root posts
I've read http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-style/general/guides-how-to-guides-beginners-t3200808
I've read http://forum.xda-developers.com/mot...t-moto-x-style-xt1572-br-marshmallow-t3259380
I've read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63197935&postcount=2
I want to ask a really simple question: Can I boot (but NOT flash) from a custom recovery like TWRP or CM or whatever & then use the systemless install version of Super-SU? Can this be done without using Motorola's unlock system & thereby cancelling my warranty?
I want to end up with the regular Motorola-provided version of Android 6.0 that is installed right now, except with root access, preferably without wiping my system. The developments above interest me for that reason. From what I understand, I SHOULD, in theory, be able to boot from the custom recovery (so I shouldn't have to unlock because I don't want to overwrite the installed recovery) & then install via the systemless method the newest stable version of Super-SU.
Bear in mind:
I don't think I will ever want to install a custom ROM.
I really only want to make minor changes to my device
Can I boot (but NOT flash) from a custom recovery like TWRP or CM or whatever & then use the systemless install version of Super-SU? Can this be done without using Motorola's unlock system & thereby cancelling my warranty?
I've searched and read this forum for several hours.
Good luck. Honestly you should unlock if you are going to mess with system. Your warranty will be void for tampering with the phone anyway.
Hello the Wonderful and Fantastic Members of the XDA Community,
I'm in the process of researching on how to unlock bootloader, install magix and ultimately root the phone, and I hope that someone can point me to the right guides to accomplish these steps. I have been trying to figure it out but would feel much better if someone can point me to the right guide as opposed to me blindly guessing which guide I should follow. This is what I know so far:
1. I believe that in order to use Magix, I need to have a "Custom Recovery" which requires I unlock phone's "bootloader". But before I can do that, I need to have a stock system, which DrakenFX had gracious posted but I'm not too sure how to find. Can someone point me to the right forum to obtain the stock system image from DrakenFX and the guide to unlocking the bootloader for this phone? What are some precautions I should take prior to attempting to unlock the bootloader? And what do I need to do with the stock system if everything goes south with my attempt? I'm currently on A2017UV1.0.0B27 (after the latest update). Will the stock system work with that?
2. I believe that after I unlock the bootloader, I have to install the Custom Recovery, which I think I should use TWRP - is it compatible with magix? After I install TWRP, I need to use TWRP to "flash" magix onto my phone? How can I install TWRP and use it to flash magix? What are some of the precautions I need to take before my attempt to complete step 2?
3. I think after I installed the customer recovery and flash magix, rooting "should" be easier for me, but please point me to the appropriate guide to accomplish that.
Extra Question: I read in one of the forums that after I unlock the bootloader, I will no longer able to receive On The Air updates, how can I continue to receive these updates after bootloader is unlocked and what happens when ZTE roll out Android N for the Axon 7? Will I be able to update to that version?
Here are all the facts about my phone:
Model: ZTE A2017U
Android Version: 6.0.1
Kernel Version: 3.18.20
Build Number: A2017UV1.0.0B27
Thank you all so very much for your patience, understanding, and kind help, I'm forever grateful!
First flash TWRP by following this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/wip-axon-7-root-bootloader-unlokced-t3441204
Then unlock your bootloader by following this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/guide-how-to-unlock-bootloader-stay-t3461165
I've never used Magisk before (I just stick with SuperSU), so I'll leave that part to someone else.
As for the extra question:
If you used ZTE's official bootloader unlock method (which required you to submit a form with your IMEI), you'll no longer get OTAs, but if you do it all unofficially (like these guides), you'll still get OTAs. HOWEVER, the OTAs will not install if you make changes to the device besides bootloader unlock. If you have a custom recovery it won't apply. If you have systemless root (which modifies the boot image) it won't apply. If you use Magisk (which modifies the boot image) it won't apply. If you make changes to /system it won't apply. So basically, besides having an unlocked bootloader, you have to be full and complete stock to install OTAs.
However, after an OTA comes out, I suspect that someone will make a TWRP-flashable version.
@xtermmin Thank you so much for your reply, I greatly appreciate it!
Quick question, Is there a way to install TWRP without having to root first? The reason I ask was according to Magix, it must be flashed prior to the system being rooted.
@xtermmin Thank you so much for your reply, I greatly appreciate it!
Quick question, Is there a way to install TWRP without having to root first? The reason I ask was according to Magix, it must be flashed prior to the system being rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to root to flash TWRP.
I was wondering if someone could give me a direct answer because i cant seem to find one sifting through the forums.
I originally rooted with root master back when i got the phone. it is still on mje/4.3 stock build. things look a little more complicated then i remember, since my phone hasn't seen an update in over 3 years. I originally froze the verizon ota updates with tibackup, along with all the other bloatware.
My main questions are:
1. I would like to get a 6.0 Rom that looks like the note 7 did, can i do it all with odin and just flash a bunch of files?
2. Do I need a custom recovery like twrp or cwm?
3. I've read about an activation lock but can't find it in my menus, did it not exist yet on 4.3?
If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it, I really dont wanna brick my phone.
I'm still on MJE firmware, but using an older CM13 (temasek) ROM. So it's marshmallow but no Touchwiz or other Samsung add-ons.
Here are the MJE-specific issues:
1) You can't boot N* or O* stock kernels because of differences in the way that DTB (device tree blobs) are packed into the boot image. I've played with re-packing the boot images, but the kernels seem to run off into the weeds after a few tens of seconds.
2) TowelRoot works on MI9 through NC2(leak) but I think not thereafter - if you wanted to avoid a bootloader firmware upgrade but re-flash via Odin the MJE firmware for "starting from scratch" purposes, you have a means to re-root that does not require a PC.
3) If you retain the MJE bootloader, use the TWRP (hltevzw) -4.3 recovery; the -4.4 recovery will not boot, presumably due to issues similar to (1) above.
4) Not specific to MJE - but important - is the fact that if you want to boot either a custom kernel or custom recovery, you need to unlock your bootloader first. You can unlock your bootloader from any rooted ROM, but be aware that flashing stock firmware with Odin thereafter will re-lock the bootloader.
If you were to "start from scratch" but upgrade to more recent stock software before rooting, be aware that there is no publicly available root for NC4 or NK1; you would need to install stock OB6 or OF1, and follow that by using those "yemen" rooting tools. (Are they safe to use? I don't know frankly)
I am assuming that the N* and O* series bootloaders are backwards compatible with regard to device tree booting issues (see #1 above), because the temasek CM13 roms (having a custom kernel) boot on both OF1- and (my) MJE- bootloader phone. I guess that means it uses a "4.3" DTB packing in the boot image.
You are probably going to want to use TiBu to make important backups, and also copy everything off the phone that is important to you. You should assume that if anything goes wrong, an Odin re-install and factory reset are in the device's future.
Having said all this, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a ROM which "looks like Note7" - this is an old phone with almost no ROM developers left. There might have been more, but the bootloader unlock was achieved 2+ years after the phone's release, and most of the active developers moved on to new phones before that happened.
good luck
Some background on what I've done with the phone:
It came with B29 on it.
I used DrakenFX's BootStack and System files to downgrade it to B27
From there, I tried the steps in Tenfar's thread to root the phone without unlocking the boot loader.
I screwed something up along the way and after many hours, got my phone booting properly again and downgraded to B20.
From there, I followed the steps posted by mmamedov in tenfar's thread to actually get my phone rooted properly.
I'm pretty new to rooting and all this stuff since I'm jumping ship from iPhone, but I've done a bit of tinkering.
I don't quite understand where the "root" part resides and what updates would affect it.
Now, I'm on B20 but would like to upgrade to some of the newer versions. What are my options for doing that and would I have to wipe the phone to update?
Could I use the backup tool to flash the stock recovery instead of TWRP, and use the built in update through settings?
Or should I use TWRP and DrakenFX's newer BootStack/System files to update?
or something else?
Thanks
- Android Newbie
mozerxdaven said:
Some background on what I've done with the phone:
It came with B29 on it.
I used DrakenFX's BootStack and System files to downgrade it to B27
From there, I tried the steps in Tenfar's thread to root the phone without unlocking the boot loader.
I screwed something up along the way and after many hours, got my phone booting properly again and downgraded to B20.
From there, I followed the steps posted by mmamedov in tenfar's thread to actually get my phone rooted properly.
I'm pretty new to rooting and all this stuff since I'm jumping ship from iPhone, but I've done a bit of tinkering.
I don't quite understand where the "root" part resides and what updates would affect it.
Now, I'm on B20 but would like to upgrade to some of the newer versions. What are my options for doing that and would I have to wipe the phone to update?
Could I use the backup tool to flash the stock recovery instead of TWRP, and use the built in update through settings?
Or should I use TWRP and DrakenFX's newer BootStack/System files to update?
or something else?
Thanks
- Android Newbie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=68873482&postcount=2 rooting makes the OTA from ZTE not work
I've been going through a similar learning curve as you I think.
I recommend @DrakenFX's nearly stock rom.
You will need to unlock the bootloader (I'm pretty certain) I believe that is covered and/or linked in the rom's page.
If it doesn't make sense keep reading until it does, is the advice I gave to myself.
I'm pretty new to certain parts of all the options involved in rooting and bootloaders etc. but I believe that the bootloader can be relocked if you don't get it officially unlocked and you do it yourself, I haven't confirmed that yet so don't take my word for it.
I ran into confusion when I unlocked and had driver issues with fastboot but I got there.
DrakenFX had a few posts that are really helpful. I used his B29 image and bootstack after I had TWRP installed.
He has another TWRP unlock zip that allows unlocking with ADB and then fastboot.
I ran into issues like I said and posted in his bootstack thread if you'd like to see if my problems might shed some light. My post didn't prompt any meaningful conversation but my driver issues sorted themselves out so I didn't have to pursue it much further.
Sorry for the lack of links but I hope this helps in some way.
Here's the ROM from DrakenFX that is close to stock B29, it looks like it will evolve into Nougat, can't wait for that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/rom-zaxon-dmix7-stock-base-rom-t3495970
Hi there,
I have a rooted Verizon S5 Developer Edition (CID 15, if it matters) running Android 4.4.4 (NK2, bootloader NCG). I am trying to get this phone up-to-date, with root, on at least the newest VZW stock Android release for now, and probably LineageOS in the future.
I’ve been spending hours searching through the forums trying to understand what is the deal with the bootloader requirements for these newer Android versions, and I’m stumped. In this QL1 thread it’s said that the bootloader doesn’t ever need to be changed to install a newer OS version, and LineageOS doesn’t mention anything about needing to do bootloader updates in its installation instructions. However, the ROMs from jrkruse with full installation instructions, like their QA1 ROM, clearly state that the bootloader “MUST BE ON PD1+”.
Can someone please clarify this apparent contradiction for me, so I know the correct way to proceed? I’ve tried reading through the hundreds of pages of comments on those threads as well as the bootloader unlocking thread, and there’s so much noise that I’ve been unable to find the answer, if it already exists.
Also, I know this is kind of an academic point, but if it’s true that the bootloader does need updating, is there a way to get an updated bootloader without changing the phone’s CID, since it is already an unlocked Dev Edition phone? (Search results are absolutely overwhelmed with people talking about “make your S5 a Dev Edition S5” so I have been unable to find any information about the actual Dev Edition phones.) The SamsungCID code seems to append a hard-coded blob of data onto the end of any bootloader; is this really all that needs to be done? The extra data at the end of my original NCG bootloader is 668 bytes, not 256 bytes, so it’s not obvious to me if it really is enough to just copy it straight over.
Thank you!
1CDT said:
Hi there, I have a rooted Verizon S5 Developer Edition (CID 15, if it matters) running Android 4.4.4 (NK2, bootloader NCG)..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you've got a G900V device, with a CID15, you are able to unlock the bootloader. The following threads OP provides the instructions for unlocking the bootloader.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3561529
From there you will be able to install TWRP Recovery and thus install a Custom Firmware like LineageOS.
Regarding the updates, the G900V is the only GS5 variant that doesn't require the Bootloader to be updated. Regarding the Firmware Baseband Modem Updates, the following thread provides them all that you can flash via Odin.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3926673
Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless asked to do so, PLEASE don't PM me regarding support. Sent using The ClaRetoX2 Forum App on my Sanyo Juno device.
Hi Ibuprophen,
Thank you for your help!
Ibuprophen said:
Since you've got a G900V device, with a CID15, you are able to unlock the bootloader. The following threads OP provides the instructions for unlocking the bootloader. […]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone already has a TWRP recovery installed, and is a Dev Edition phone so the bootloader is factory unlocked. As such, my understanding is that those unlocking instructions don’t apply unless I need a newer bootloader. Is this correct?
Ibuprophen said:
Regarding the updates, the G900V is the only GS5 variant that doesn't require the Bootloader to be updated. […]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s interesting to hear that the G900V is the only variant which doesn’t require the bootloader to be updated along with the system and baseband software, since the other threads I linked with the bootloader requirement are also G900V-specific. Do you know it’s not the case because you’ve personally used an Android 6+ ROM with a pre-PD1 bootloader? I know I could just flash the new ROM to Try It And See, but I’m hoping to avoid wasting time and energy on something that other experienced people know won’t work.
Thanks again!
1CDT said:
Hi Ibuprophen, Thank you for your help! The phone already has a TWRP recovery installed, and is a Dev Edition phone so the bootloader is factory unlocked..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only stated that the Bootloader doesn't have to be updated for the G900V device.
The Baseband Modem Firmware does require updates (as their released).
Though, it's not harmful to this device to flash the Bootloader, it won't do anything different and you'll actually end up locking the bootloader again and have to go through the process of unlocking it.
The Verizon variant just passes on the same Bootloader image from one Firmware to the next one. This is just a Verizon thing and they don't make sense for allot of what they do.
If you want to update the Bootloader, that's, of course, up to you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless asked to do so, PLEASE don't PM me regarding support. Sent using The ClaRetoX2 Forum App on my Sanyo Juno device.
So I will keep working on this, but I can’t currently verify that the bootloader doesn’t need to be updated on SM-G900V, based on the work I did today. So far I can only verify that LineageOS will boot and work with an NCG bootloader, except for some bug where it destroys data in the EFS partition which I suppose is not actually bootloader-related
First, after backing everything up in TWRP, I started with the baseband modem and firmware updates to QL1. The steps for this were:
1. Boot into download mode (vol dn + home + power)
2. Run heimdall flash --RECOVERY recovery.img --BOOT boot.img --no-reboot using the files from the stock QL1 image (any of them will do)
3. Hold power button to turn off phone
4. Pull battery
5. Boot into download mode
6. Verify that “Current Binary” is ”Samsung Official”
7. Run heimdall flash --MODEM modem.bin --APNHLOS NON-HLOS.bin --RPM rpm.mbn --SBL1 sbl1.mbn --DBI sdi.mbn --TZ tz.mbn using the files from the stock QL1 image (or from the baseband firmware thread, they are the same)
8. Hold power button to turn off phone
9. Pull battery
10. Boot phone back into download mode
11. Run heimdall flash --RECOVERY twrp.img to reinstall TWRP
12. Hold power button to turn off phone
13. Boot into recovery (vol up + home + power) to verify the flash and to ensure it doesn’t get erased
14. Reboot to system
This caused every application to crash on boot in the already-installed NK2 system ROM. I don’t know if I did something wrong, or if they are just incompatible; I did wipe cache and dalvik cache from TWRP, but that didn’t make things work. (I had the same problem when I had to roll back everything later; more on that in a bit.)
Since everything suddenly was broken, I assumed that the baseband update must have been successful (I later verified in LineageOS that it was indeed successful), so I followed the LineageOS instructions to sideload LineageOS and Open GApps from TWRP. This was successful and the OS installed and booted to the setup wizard.
The first problem I encountered at this point was that the mobile network wasn’t connecting during the setup wizard. I skipped this step of the wizard and continued on to configuring the OS settings. Eventually the mobile network connected while I was doing that.
When I started installing apps, I noticed that it took a very long time to receive SMS from the network. Upon investigation I discovered that LineageOS was using legacy CDMA for voice and SMS. I did research and discovered that LineageOS does not, and apparently never will, support VoLTE on klte. Since this is a non-starter for me (Verizon will be LTE-only by the end of next year, so I have no idea how LineageOS klte will exist at that point) I opted to wipe and load stock QL1.
While preparing to load stock QL1, I restarted the phone accidentally, and noticed that I’d permanently lost mobile network connectivity. I tried restoring my EFS backup from TWRP; this didn’t seem to fix the problem. I was going to install stock QL1 system anyway due to the VoLTE problem so I didn’t think about it any more.
At this point I followed these steps to flash stock QL1:
1. Boot to download mode
2. Run heimdall --BOOT boot.img --SYSTEM system.img --no-reboot using files from the stock QL1 image
3. Turn off phone
4. Reboot to recovery
5. Wipe data, cache, dalvik cache
6. Reboot to system
After 15 minutes at the Verizon logo while the dalvik cache was built, the setup wizard started and mobile network connection was working and I was able to complete initial setup for stock QL1. However, the system was not OK:
1. Wifi would not enable
2. The back and menu buttons did not work
3. When the phone locked, after a while, the notification LED turned red and the phone wouldn’t respond to any button presses (I had to pull the battery; this happened multiple times)
At this point I needed a working phone, so I found an NK2 stock image (this was difficult because all the links on xda-developers are dead and sammobile wants money for these old versions, so someone might want to reupload these!) and ran these steps to roll back:
1. The same steps above for installing the baseband modem and firmware, except using NK2 images and firmware
2. Boot to recovery
3. Wipe data, cache, dalvik cache
4. Restore NK2 TWRP backups of System, Boot, Data, EFS
5. Reboot to system
Instead of being fully restored, every app was crashing on boot again, like when I had updated the QL1 firmware and rebooted into the old NK2 system. I was finally able to get my full backup restored successfully by following these extra steps:
1. Boot to TWRP
2. Wipe Data
3. Reboot to system, until the setup wizard starts
4. Turn off the phone without running the wizard
5. Boot to TWRP
6. Restore Data
7. Reboot to system, everything is OK now
The hard buttons and wifi problem are noted by @jrkruse on the unlocking the bootloader thread. I had to get my phone back in a working state for tomorrow so I didn’t try the instructions to reflash the PD1 boot+recovery+firmware. I’m not actually sure if it’s correct today to reflash PD1 firmware instead of QL1 firmware; clarity here would be helpful. If anyone also sees a clear mistake in the steps I outlined above, I would be grateful to know that.
If I can’t get stock QL1 to not be broken, and it’s due to the bootloader requirement, then I guess I am stuck unless I start messing with the bootloader (given the “We still are unsure if changing the CID causes app store, verification, activation, provision, or other issues, everything you do is at your own risk!” warning, this means me trying to transplant my dev signature onto the EMMC 15 bootloaders even though my signature is a different size). I’m pretty terrified of doing that since there’s conflicting information about whether it’s possible to flash an old bootloader once you’ve upgraded past certain versions, and I haven’t learned yet how bricked the phone becomes if a bad bootloader is flashed. I know it’s not possible to flash old bootloaders on a retail device; is that true on Dev Edition devices too?
Thanks again for your help! I wish I had more positive news.
1CDT said:
Hi there,
I have a rooted Verizon S5 Developer Edition (CID 15, if it matters) running Android 4.4.4 (NK2, bootloader NCG). I am trying to get this phone up-to-date, with root, on at least the newest VZW stock Android release for now, and probably LineageOS in the future.
I’ve been spending hours searching through the forums trying to understand what is the deal with the bootloader requirements for these newer Android versions, and I’m stumped. In this QL1 thread it’s said that the bootloader doesn’t ever need to be changed to install a newer OS version, and LineageOS doesn’t mention anything about needing to do bootloader updates in its installation instructions. However, the ROMs from jrkruse with full installation instructions, like their QA1 ROM, clearly state that the bootloader “MUST BE ON PD1+”.
Can someone please clarify this apparent contradiction for me, so I know the correct way to proceed? I’ve tried reading through the hundreds of pages of comments on those threads as well as the bootloader unlocking thread, and there’s so much noise that I’ve been unable to find the answer, if it already exists.
Also, I know this is kind of an academic point, but if it’s true that the bootloader does need updating, is there a way to get an updated bootloader without changing the phone’s CID, since it is already an unlocked Dev Edition phone? (Search results are absolutely overwhelmed with people talking about “make your S5 a Dev Edition S5” so I have been unable to find any information about the actual Dev Edition phones.) The SamsungCID code seems to append a hard-coded blob of data onto the end of any bootloader; is this really all that needs to be done? The extra data at the end of my original NCG bootloader is 668 bytes, not 256 bytes, so it’s not obvious to me if it really is enough to just copy it straight over.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm the guy who did the bootloader unlock. It's kind of a complicated situation, upgrading bootloaders after having an unlocked retail bootloader. The issue is that once you have a dev device (CID + matching RSA signature, the extra 256 bytes), the bootloader write-protects the eMMC where aboot lives. Normally, if we wanted to upgrade the bootloader and maintain our unlocked bootloader, we'd grab the new bootloader, append our dev blob/signature, and just flash to the aboot partition.
The only way to get the newest bootloader is to flash the latest stock ROM (which locks your bootloader), and then unlock it again by rooting and appending the dev blob. I'm not sure if the latest ROMs can be rooted or not since I don't play with my S5 very often. You don't have to change the CID ever again. If you have a real dev device (you purchased it from Samsung as unlocked, not using our exploit), you will want to back up your device signature by just making a copy of the aboot partition. If this is the case for you, you can feel free to send me your aboot partition, and I'll carve out the signature that you need.
It's more so a limitation of the bootloader trying to prevent people from accidentally re-locking the bootloader. When Samsung signs the real dev device bootloaders, the dev blob/sig is apart of the code being signed, which means we can flash that in Odin while retaining your unlocked bootloader. We don't want to use an ancient bootloader, so this isn't useful. You can PM me if you want and I can walk you through the process, but it's pretty complicated so I feel better not posting the whole process and having people possibly brick their devices.
TL;DR
Just send me a PM and I'll walk you through everything. Don't flash or change anything if you have Developer Edition device that you purchased directly from Samsung. We want to preserve your device-unique "key".