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I just ordered my Sprint Hero online and it should be here by Monday. I have read all the Tutorials on how to root and how to Flash the custom ROMs. But I have two questions which I may have missed in all that reading.
1) Is there a possibility where further down the road an official update will not allow anyone to root their phone?
2) Can I root and do a nandroid backup. And not install any ROM for a while?
My goal is to play with the Stock Sprint Hero for atleast a month or so before I feel the need to try Custom ROMs.
- DroidD
Answers below!
1) If you update via an RUU, there is always a chance that HTC will replace the SPL with something that is uncrackable (or at least currently uncrackable). This occurred with later RUUs, and this is why the Goldcard method is often needed in order to root the phone.
When I had my G1 and received push updates, you needed to effectively "switch off" the auto-update routines to avoid getting a stock update that could prevent rooting further down the line. Since Sprint seem to push OTA updates out to CDMA Hero's so it is always possible that this could cause an issue for rooted ROMs, but I'd have though most custom ROMs would've switched off OTA updates anyway.
2) Yes
Regards,
Dave
Thanks Dave.
Dave,
I rooted my Sprint Hero, not necessarily for speed, more so I dont have to look at those horrible apps that Sprint doesnt want to let anyone remove.
I successfully rooted, nandroid backed up and removed the Sprint ware and installed THIS OPTIMIZER FILE (love the lockscreen) but have not decided whether I'm going to take the plunge into custom ROM world. I am actually impressed with how this phone runs (for now) and dont yet need to free up internal drive space.
My question is this: Essentially having the stock rom, is the fact my phone is rooted likely to cause a problem with future Sprint updates?
If so, can you unroot and leave the Sprint-crap out or do you have to go back to 100% absolute stock?
Thanks
Hi.
I bought my X10 for about 2 weeks ago.
I needed rooting to get ridd off some links and apps installed by Telenor(my subscriber in Norway)
My question is, do i need to unroot it if i want to send it to service?
I used a guide on this forum to root it. with id : 717949
Maybe that rooting process dosen't take backup of my old ROM?
And when 2.1 or 2.2 come from Sony Ericsson is there any problems with my rooted phone, or can i just use Sony's updater to get my phone unrooted at that point?
Thanks for all reply's
Use this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740240
Unbelieveably easy.
But first update your phone to 026 with SEUS, Sony Ericsson Update Service.
Ha dé.
Forgot this, rooting does not make backups of your ROM.
But the "One click root" just requires one more click to be unrooted.
Dead easy. (but the first time I ran it, I had to run it twice... )
It seemed that it rooted and unrooted the first time I tried it.
So I just ran it again.
All is fine now.
thanks
I know about this one click rooting program.
but when i have used the method on this forum called (Newbies guide to rooting) i don't have a backup of my Branded ROM?
Can i use a Generic-Nordic ROM to make my X10i unrooted again? for service purposes?
I don't need my phone subscriber's ROM, I just wan't a way to get my phone ready for service if i need it
arrtoo said:
thanks
I know about this one click rooting program.
but when i have used the method on this forum called (Newbies guide to rooting) i don't have a backup of my Branded ROM?
Can i use a Generic-Nordic ROM to make my X10i unrooted again? for service purposes?
I don't need my phone subscriber's ROM, I just wan't a way to get my phone ready for service if i need it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont worry , be happy.
Why do you worry about servicing, have you EVER serviced an SE phone that often before?
BTW, by the way, the root method I referred to has a button called Unroot.
If your phone needs servicing, do you think you will be able to reflash it before sending it to to service ?
you've got a point
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
goodmedic said:
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see its been a few days and no one has replied so I will do my best to share what knowledge I have. I've been heavily flashing custom ROMs on my ASUS tablet now for the better part of a year and just got my Verizon GS4, so I have alot of the same questions as you.
1) I'm going to answer this in two parts.
Nandroid, in my experience, refers to the type of backup, not necessarily the process by which to backup. Most common recoveries, including ClockworkMod and TWRP have a feature to create a 'nandroid backup'. This can take some time and files can be quite large, as they copy pretty much every single file on your device; almost like creating a snapshot of your device in that moment in time.
To answer the later part of this question, (typically speaking) once you unlock a bootloader you cannot re-lock it, but that could be different for phones (my knowledge in phones is limited). And yes, using a nandroid backup will back up your device with root access, but using a tool such as Rom Toolbox, you can easily un-root (the program features a 'permanent unroot option'). For one, I would imagine that flashing the stock kernel would overwrite the root, as like you said earlier in the post the current root exploit works by flashing a pre-release kernel, applying root to the device, then re-flashing the current stock kernel. Another way to lose root is to get an over-the-air (OTA) update. You will see programs like OTA Rootkeeper that work to circumvent this, but in your case that may be a valid way to cover your arse in case you need to return it under VZW warranty (it is for this reason that I always buy Best Buy protection plans, because they could care less about the software state about your device [Disclaimer: I worked for Geek Squad so I have /somewhat/ intimate knowledge in this matter])
2) I just rooted my GS4 a few days ago, and nothing I read indicated that the all-in-one tool would unlock the bootloader. If you read the documentation about Loki, he explains this fact. I just found a good video (although it uses TWRP and GooManager instead of ROMManager and CWM) explaining that there isn't a bootloader "unlock" just yet; rather its a workaround to the bootloader that allows us to get custom ROMs on our devices (video is here)
3) "Bricking" a device means rendering the device useless; it won't operate to any fashion that it is useful to you, so its no better than a brick or a paper weight, etc. I would imagine you can re-flash a stock verizon ROM/kernel to restore any screw-ups, but keep in mind this device was released less than three months ago and any development is relatively new. Yes, we have had other Galaxy S series phones, but the S4 has this whole KNOX nonsense that is specifically designed to prevent the kinds of activities we do here on this forum
I really hope that helps. If I said anything that is incorrect, please please feel free to correct it so that at least we can all learn the proper information.
Thanks,
Opethfan89
goodmedic said:
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 link in my signature has a few stock images to pick from. It will restore it to the original stock Verizon software that came with your phone.
DarkMenace said:
The S4 link in my signature has a few stock images to pick from. It will restore it to the original stock Verizon software that came with your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the 'Ad-Free' APK I see available on that website work better than jRummy's AdBlocker? I installed it and it detects ads (like in ASTRO, Zedge, and a few others) but doesn't block them even though I have all the settings turned ON and have rebooted when requested.
That said, thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference and its good to know there are backups available in case anything goes bad.
Are you able to elaborate on how these are flashed? Via ODIN, or can you flash it via CWM/TWRP?
Thanks,
Opethfan89
opethfan89 said:
Does the 'Ad-Free' APK I see available on that website work better than jRummy's AdBlocker? I installed it and it detects ads (like in ASTRO, Zedge, and a few others) but doesn't block them even though I have all the settings turned ON and have rebooted when requested.
That said, thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference and its good to know there are backups available in case anything goes bad.
Are you able to elaborate on how these are flashed? Via ODIN, or can you flash it via CWM/TWRP?
Thanks,
Opethfan89
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not n sure. It's the only one I ever used for banner blocking. You use the files with Odin as well after they are extracted.
Sent from my Rooted Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 using xda premium
Hi,
I rooted my Z2 tablet a few days ago and have found that I don't really need the advantages it brings (from what I can tell). SO - I want to get it back to the way it was when I first opened the box.
I have seen threads about different devices and how to restore them to factory or stock (??), but they seem to call for specific files or flash software. So that brings me once again to this forum to figure out whether anyone can direct me to some instructions on how to do this. I figure it shouldn't be too hard. Just being careful.
Thanks very much for the advice once again.
I think if you flash the rootable kernel again, you could use an unrooting tool to undo the root. I'm also aware that there are files that you can flash to re-lock the bootloader (I once did this with an Xperia mini pro, although I'm not sure if such file exists for this tablet) but the DRM keys are lost forever a.f.a.i.k. But at least if you manage to re-lock the bootloader you will be able to install F/W upgrades through official ways again.
degraaff said:
I think if you flash the rootable kernel again, you could use an unrooting tool to undo the root. I'm also aware that there are files that you can flash to re-lock the bootloader (I once did this with an Xperia mini pro, although I'm not sure if such file exists for this tablet) but the DRM keys are lost forever a.f.a.i.k. But at least if you manage to re-lock the bootloader you will be able to install F/W upgrades through official ways again. Anyhow, you won't be able to restore to (more or less) factory status without at least flashing a couple of files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THank you for the response. Unfortunately i'm not even sure how I would go about flashing 'the rootable kernel'.... Feeling a bit foolish for getting into this actually.
From what i'm reading, it seems like I need to get the stock software and start again. So i'm looking for the 'FTF' for my tablet, which is a SGP511. Not having any luck though.
Which was the process that you followed to root it?
degraaff said:
Which was the process that you followed to root it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was on another site - can't remember which. It got the clockwork mod installed. I think? Or was that just a recovery thing? No idea.
I'm actually now just doing a factory reset to see what happens, and it said 'root access possibly lost' in the process, which I thought was a good sign. Guess i'll keep tinkering with enough caution to eventually get the warranty back in tact.
Hopefully the loss of DRM doesn't effect the warranty.
In that case I guess you will have to download a firmware ftf file of an official unmodded firmware (preferably one of your region but I think especially if you have the wifi-only version it doesn't matter much as long as it contains the interface and input languages that you need), and install (or "flash") that using Flashtool. After that the root will certainly be gone and if you could then find a file to relock your bootloader I think your warrenty will be fine. I honestly don't think that Sony service and repair personel will check for DRM keys every time before repairing a device.
UPDATE
Factory reset appears to have gotten things back to normal. My plan is now just to unroot using an unroot tool (app i guess?) and then to lock the bootloader some how as well.
fearofbirds said:
Factory reset appears to have gotten things back to normal. My plan is now just to unroot using an unroot tool (app i guess?) and then to lock the bootloader some how as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it's certain that the tablet is still rooted at this moment? Some superuser apps have an option to do a full unroot, such as SuperSU, you could try that
That's great. I think that's sorted it out. SuperSU had the full unroot option and it looks like it's all sorted.
Thanks for the help.
Long story short:
I ended up getting upgraded from VRUFNK4 to the VRUGOF1 thanks to my good friend, now my question is can I root and/or install any custom ROMs via Odin/SS/CC (or whatever that other thing is),etc.?
Right now, as far as I know, it is full stock (not even rooted considering she used Kies for an "Emergency download and initialization" for the upgrade, needless to say that's the last time I let her use my phone while I'm in work for 8 hours!) but I really am not too keen of this "Lollipop" crap!
Even if I have to remain Lollipop, I think it would be better on a custom ROM and that's ONLY if I can NOT, what-so-ever downgrade to a custom or stock!
Ok, never mind that last question about rooting considering I found this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/general/samsung-s4-i545-verizon-of1-root-t3254434) which did it fine for me, I was hoping for a root aside from KingRoot which was found, now for a means of custom ROMs is all that remains, anything please?
Hi, were you able to root F1 using those steps? I'm new to flashing, i think rooting this version means you can install other firmware?