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Lately I have read many posts with wrong assumptions about S-OFF. I am writing this post in General to clear up to many of you what S-OFF is and isn't.
To start off, S-OFF has nothing to do with your phone being rooted. I've seen people post that S-OFF means a "full" root, or "permanent" root. Those terms aren't even correct, root is just another user on the linux system, and you either have access to it or you don't. Rooting your phone and what that entails is out of the scope of this writeup.
When your device is shipped, your bootloader will show the flag S-ON. This stands for Security-On. What this security does is protect the NAND partitions (ie: the boot partition, the recovery partition, the radio, the system partition...) from being permanently modified at all. Basically, all changes made to these partitions while the phone is running is not permanent, and will be reset upon a reboot. Also, while your phone is S-ON, all firmware zips (ie: PJ75IMG.zip) must be digitally signed by HTC in order to be flashed through the bootloader.
When your device is set to S-OFF, the security is turned off. This allows you to modify any partition on the device, and changes will not be reset upon a reboot. Also, the signature checking of the firmware zips (ie: PJ75IMG.zip) is disabled, allowing users to flash unsigned firmware zips containing the separate images of the partitions. S-OFF gives the user great power over the device, but also comes with much responsibility to be careful.
I have seen many posts stating the term "S-OFF root". As I stated earlier, S-OFF and root are completely different things. When you have S-OFF in the bootloader, you then can flash a package containing Superuser.apk and the su binary, which in turn will give you root in the file system when the device is booted. Again, S-OFF does not mean you have root. You can have S-OFF set (if there was an S-OFF exploit released) on the stock phone running the stock unchanged ROM, and not have root in the file system because you haven't pushed/flashed the Superuser.apk and su binaries on your phone yet.
I have also seen many posts about people not "trusting" the bootloader unlock at HTCdev. Yes, we all know that it does not set the bootloader to S-OFF, but it does unlock the partitions that are needed to flash a custom recovery, and through that flash a custom ROM. This is probably the most trustworthy way to "unlock" the bootloader. Any S-OFF method released here in the future will most likely be a hack to make it work. Imagine if HTC gave out the radio S-OFF unlock. That would mean ANYONE (specifically people who are very flash happy) could find a random radio firmware zip which.. oops.. isn't for the correct device, flash it through the S-OFF bootloader, and brick their device. Releasing the limited unlocking was very smart by HTC, and will definitely save many phones from ending up in the graveyard.
Now I am not saying I do not want S-OFF haha. As a developer, S-OFF is well needed and is extremely useful. It's definitely being worked on. But for the average flasher, (of ROMs, not human parts ) radio S-OFF is not needed.
Hope this clears up confusion about what S-ON and S-OFF is. I will add to this as I feel necessary, and to clear up some of my sentences (Sometimes I start typing before I finish thinking of what I'm going to type).
Thank you.
Thank you soooo much haha so many people were confused about it...
A good example is my moms phone. She has an evo 3d and I made it s-off with eng hboot in case I sell it at a later time. Currently it's not rooted at all, but if I want to considering my bootloader's unlocked I could easily flash a recovery and then flash superuser which in turn gives me root
make the subject a bit more clearer
cuz when i saw it i thought that you had s-off for us lol
please sticky this!
If I may add to this discussion ...
If you do not already know these terms and what they mean you should probably not be attempting to root your phone yet
You should instead invest some time reading and learning first.
Unreasnbl said:
If I may add to this discussion ...
If you do not already know these terms and what they mean you should probably not be attempting to root your phone yet
You should instead invest some time reading and learning first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or, rather, you should not be attempting to gain access to the root user / superuser account and privileges on your phone.
Updated the title just for clarity. If there's anything someone disagrees with or would like to add to the OP, let me know here and I'll see what I can do. And I definitely agree with Unreasnbl. It may be a pain in the a$$ to read before jumping into things, but seriously, it will help so much when it comes understanding.
Unreasnbl said:
If I may add to this discussion ...
If you do not already know these terms and what they mean you should probably not be attempting to root your phone yet
You should instead invest some time reading and learning first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted, with S-off, and flashed my phone before I understood any of these terms lol. Just by following instructions clearly.
But then later I learned all of these things.
But yes, you are absolutely correct.
edit: this is a good, valuable post op. Thank you.
arozer said:
I rooted, with S-off, and flashed my phone before I understood any of these terms lol. Just by following instructions clearly.
But then later I learned all of these things.
But yes, you are absolutely correct.
edit: this is a good, valuable post op. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you just prooved the OP correct, you shouldn't have S-OFF, because it doesn't exist yet and you don't need it and that's probably good for person that thinks they rooted with S-off.
Thank you
Thank you for the great info! While not a noob(have had rooted, s-off OG 4G, and 3D, just rooted EVO LTE), I don't understand, nor want to, at an advanced level, Linux, ADB,FASTBOOT, etc. I like making my phone my own, and like flashing ROM's. I tried to use the HTC method of unlocking, but am just not comfortable with my skills to try and use SDK/ADB/FASTBOOT. Perhaps I can find someone in San Antonio to show me, but unless/until, I'll wait for someone such as yourself to provide a "dumbed-down" method. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
Update: Couldn't stand it..went ahead, carefully reading and following instructions, and did HTC unlock. Had a few issues with TWRP, and flashing ViperROM, due to internal/sd configuration, but moved things to their proper place with ROM toolbox. Everything in it's place, and my phone running like I like it for almost 24 hours with no issues, other than the hilarious HTC warning at boot screen.
Thanks regaw for taking your time with this. If you don't end up with 500 thanks ill be shocked lol
I personally want S-Off.
Mainly because I prefer not notify HTC that I'm unlocked.
Occasionally it's fun to dabble in trying newer radios and is sometimes required for later releases of the OS. Radio firmware can add or take away some functionality as well (like VPN).
Yes, we know it's dangerous, it's pretty rare folks dork their phones because they had s-off. But one of the worst examples is the flash happy folks on the EVO 3D that flashed Virgin Mobile firmware and should not have (myself included).
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------
dongarritas said:
Thank you for the great info! While not a noob(have had rooted, s-off OG 4G, and 3D, just rooted EVO LTE), I don't understand, nor want to, at an advanced level, Linux, ADB,FASTBOOT, etc. I like making my phone my own, and like flashing ROM's. I tried to use the HTC method of unlocking, but am just not comfortable with my skills to try and use SDK/ADB/FASTBOOT. Perhaps I can find someone in San Antonio to show me, but unless/until, I'll wait for someone such as yourself to provide a "dumbed-down" method. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's really not that hard. No harder than figuring out how to use recovery, bootloader etc.. The current root procedure you just did on the LTE used ADB !! Just follow procedures.
Unreasnbl said:
If I may add to this discussion ...
If you do not already know these terms and what they mean you should probably not be attempting to root your phone yet
You should instead invest some time reading and learning first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you could direct them to some good reading material -- like the first post.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Great thread, Daniel.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
mswlogo said:
I think you just prooved the OP correct, you shouldn't have S-OFF, because it doesn't exist yet and you don't need it and that's probably good for person that thinks they rooted with S-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice try at being a smart ass bro, but I was talking about when I first started, on the htc Evo 4G.
Before that I had the incredible and droid 1 and I just used the one click roots.
Great post. I don't like it when people use the incorrect terms either, and have made similar posts on other forums, specifically relating to the OG. I usually recommend that noobs that "want to root" use the HTC unlocker because, as you pointed out, it's a safer solution for those that don't really know what they're doing.
Unfortunately, because that process is somewhat involved, many users new to Android or just not technically inclined prefer to use what this community has to offer. That's good, I suppose, as that's one of the reasons this community exists, but I strongly feel like it takes away some user responsibility to get to know their device. If people would take the time to learn about adb and fastboot and find out what an RUU is and what the /misc partition is, I feel like there would a lot more contributors on this forum than whining leechers.
I've personally never been one to follow instructions without first at least trying to understand what I'm doing, but I guess not everyone is like that.
At any rate, thanks for the post, and I'm sure I'll see everyone around a bit more once Amazon finally delivers my phone.
Very informational.But just to clarify:
If I were to have S-OFF, I can repartition the onboard storage so that instead of having 2gb of app storage, I can have say 6 or 10gb? That's what I really want to do.
Thanks for clarifying this OP. I personally knew what S-OFF meant but alot of folks on this phone are obviously new to roooting and had no idea about any of this.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Thank you for the clarification
Ok since we have a few out there which is the best way to root.
Im sure this will be a personal preference, but im wondering what everyone thinks on this.
Also do any of these not leave the bootloader "tampered"?
butterbuns said:
Ok since we have a few out there which is the best way to root.
Im sure this will be a personal preference, but im wondering what everyone thinks on this.
Also do any of these not leave the bootloader "tampered"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For rooting I used this method: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671577
Now that one doesn't include the unlock for the bootloader, I yet have to go threw this process because as of right now I prefer my phone to be stock. But if I were to unlock then I would use the HTC method, I did it in the past with my 3D and it worked out great that way.
megabiteg said:
For rooting I used this method: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671577
Now that one doesn't include the unlock for the bootloader, I yet have to go threw this process because as of right now I prefer my phone to be stock. But if I were to unlock then I would use the HTC method, I did it in the past with my 3D and it worked out great that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this method. Just make sure you exit out of HTC Sync (if you have it installed) before you start or you will get weird errors in the script and the rooting will not work. Make sure you enable usb debugging too before you start.
The second time I rooted I did neither of these things because I was trying to do it really fast while my wife was waiting for me to come upstairs after taking a shower I was really getting pissed off but was trying to hide the fact I was playing with my new phone yet again...
I guess the question is do you just want root or do you want to unlock the bootloader as well?
megabiteg said:
For rooting I used this method: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671577
Now that one doesn't include the unlock for the bootloader, I yet have to go threw this process because as of right now I prefer my phone to be stock. But if I were to unlock then I would use the HTC method, I did it in the past with my 3D and it worked out great that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used this method as well to root my phone. It was actually the very first thing I did after I powered it up from charging. Everything went smoothly. I have not unlocked as of yet either.
Simple...I want to root this thing and get s= off...but I swear HTC and their bootloaders suck at rooting in my opinion and I am very confused on how to root this guy..can someone explain what to do first...I'm guessing unlocking first but idk..
I am on HBoot 1.5 and the latest firmware...any help would be greatly appreciated and appreciate your time at least reading this
Sent from my "not so 3D, Evo 3D" using XDA Premium
Phantomg93 said:
Simple...I want to root this thing and get s= off...but I swear HTC and their bootloaders suck at rooting in my opinion and I am very confused on how to root this guy..can someone explain what to do first...I'm guessing unlocking first but idk..
I am on HBoot 1.5 and the latest firmware...any help would be greatly appreciated and appreciate your time at least reading this
Sent from my "not so 3D, Evo 3D" using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first you unlock your bootloader using HTC's method for , next youll want to flash the recovery to a new verson and then boot into it and load your phone as a usb device and then copy over the super user zip and run it...;reboot then youre rootedafter that you look up Unknownforce's method to dpwngrade and obtain s-off or you can do the new "wire trick"
wloftus said:
first you unlock your bootloader using HTC's method for , next youll want to flash the recovery to a new verson and then boot into it and load your phone as a usb device and then copy over the super user zip and run it...;reboot then youre rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tried that method but i found this method to work very well..http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563342
Let me be totally honest the easiest way to hboot s off is to perform the wiretrick it is the easiest fastest way to do it.... its all about the wire timing and having a root on your phone with a pc with the program and adb and fastboot drivers
you can obtain the adb and fastboot drivers by searching rootevo3dnew.zip via google and dll that once done go into the folder or zip file and obtain A file Called HTC Driver.exe click it and install after that use jeuponut bears wiretrick
For me, its easier to use boot cd or boot flashdisk...
I also a new user of shooter, my phone just arrived 36 hours ago but I'm success downgrade to 1.4 hboot, S-off,rooted,custom recovery, and custom ROM..
Just follow this:
Http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563342
Sorry for my bad English.
Sent from my PG86100
Thanks guys for the replies..I heard of a way that requires the need to brick your phone and I was not doing that at all haha. I know how to use adb so I will look into your suggestions to see if it works out for me. This sucks I have never had a stock phone always rooted and flashed to get the best in life..need to get this darn s unlocked!!lol
Phantomg93 said:
Thanks guys for the replies..I heard of a way that requires the need to brick your phone and I was not doing that at all haha. I know how to use adb so I will look into your suggestions to see if it works out for me. This sucks I have never had a stock phone always rooted and flashed to get the best in life..need to get this darn s unlocked!!lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you follow the directions in the stickies in the development forum, you will be fine. I bricked mine following their directions and had no issues. Either way (using the wire trick or bricking), you will bee so glad you are s-off.
Sent from my ICS 3VO with Tapatalk 2
Phantomg93 said:
Thanks guys for the replies..I heard of a way that requires the need to brick your phone and I was not doing that at all haha. I know how to use adb so I will look into your suggestions to see if it works out for me. This sucks I have never had a stock phone always rooted and flashed to get the best in life..need to get this darn s unlocked!!lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The brick is only a temp-brick. Think of it more as putting it into a "recovery mode" in which you're recovering to a lower hboot. It's simple enough to do once you get it into that mode. Plus you don't have to use HTC Unlock and hand over your warranty to HTC.
For me, its easier to use boot cd or boot flashdisk...
I also a new user of shooter, my phone just arrived 36 hours ago but I'm success downgrade to 1.4 hboot, S-off,rooted,custom recovery, and custom ROM..
Just follow this:
Http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563342
Sorry for my bad English.
Sent from my PG86100
__________________
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Last edited by cupliz; Yesterday at 10:18 AM.
+1
i just followed this link to unlock:
http://androidforums.com/evo-3d-all...shing-evo-3d-roms-kernels-using-fastboot.html
then to downgrade and s-off:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1471246
as iam new to this when i tried it... i am really nervous of bricking my phone... but eventually... i succeeded after several tries of doing the same thing over and over again..... and its pretty exiting....you try it...you'll be fine
Dont use htcdev for these reasons:
1.Warranty void aka re-locked
2. Its a lot of mess
3.You need to flash the boot.img once you flash a new rom again.
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using XDA
With htc thunderbolts out of stock, verizon has sent me rezound as a replacement! Before it comes I would just like to be in the know on how flashing roms on the rezound goes. I am not new to rooting (since htc hero) but i have never ventured far from what's safe. I've already looked around the forums and found potential roms as well as and found tools for rooting/unlocking the bootloader. I also noticed that getting s-off is way to difficult and time consuming for me at the moment.
So I just have a few questions. Answer one or all anything helps:
1. can i root and unlock the bootloader easily? (which ways do you recommend?)
2. with s-on can i still flash any rom of my choice, and if so how do i make sure i can do it safely?
3. with s-on do i still have a permanent root?
If you would like to give me any additional information about how flashing roms, rooting, etc works on the rezound it is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tommy
toomie05 said:
With htc thunderbolts out of stock, verizon has sent me rezound as a replacement! Before it comes I would just like to be in the know on how flashing roms on the rezound goes. I am not new to rooting (since htc hero) but i have never ventured far from what's safe. I've already looked around the forums and found potential roms as well as and found tools for rooting/unlocking the bootloader. I also noticed that getting s-off is way to difficult and time consuming for me at the moment.
So I just have a few questions. Answer one or all anything helps:
1. can i root and unlock the bootloader easily? (which ways do you recommend?)
2. with s-on can i still flash any rom of my choice, and if so how do i make sure i can do it safely?
3. with s-on do i still have a permanent root?
If you would like to give me any additional information about how flashing roms, rooting, etc works on the rezound it is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tommy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes...find the "all in one" tool and follow the steps.
2. Yes... safely? Just do it, nothing to worry about.
3. Yes....
All the answers to your question are in the threads. Google and the search feature are your best friends. :cyclops:
1.visit the htc dev website to unlock bootloader its pretty simple do a search for hasoon2000's all in one toolkit it's noob friendly.
1.5 flash amon ra recovery
2. S-on is fine but the kernel won't auto install it will place a ph98img.zip on your sd that will automatically flash when you boot back to bootloader
3. Permanent root is never a bad thing when I comes to flashing custom roms
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Squirrel1620 said:
1.visit the htc dev website to unlock bootloader its pretty simple do a search for hasoon2000's all in one toolkit it's noob friendly.
1.5 flash amon ra recovery
2. S-on is fine but the kernel won't auto install it will place a ph98img.zip on your sd that will automatically flash when you boot back to bootloader
3. Permanent root is never a bad thing when I comes to flashing custom roms
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the quick replies...seems pretty straighforward then :good:
we still recomend you read up on how to s-off its simple as long as you read and follow the directions
Dont be intimidated by thee S-Off procedure. its actually much easier then it seems.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1790625
kind of a record of my bumbling, if I managed to do it anyone can lol
S-off is optional, only needed if you plan on flashing different roms frequently it makes some process easier/convenient.
Seeing as how you're concerned about obtaining permanent root and flashing ROMs, S-OFF is a must. Like others have said, the process is not as intimidating as it seems. It just takes a lot of patience. I failed many times before finally getting it right and nothing happened to my phone. Good luck.
Can the s-off procedure be done at any time? And does it wipe anything?
I am considering doing it. I've been s-on for a few weeks and flashing roms
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
bond32 said:
Can the s-off procedure be done at any time? And does it wipe anything?
I am considering doing it. I've been s-on for a few weeks and flashing roms
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do it at any time, and just make sure to drag the contents of your sd onto your desktop before you do it, I've read about people losing all the stuff on it (didnt happen to me personally) otherwise, it doesn't wipe anything
Ok. Just got my Verizon Rezound and I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader with the guide at HTCdev.
I was wondering what the real risks are involved here? Ive never done this before but I'm not a moron. I will follow everything correctly.
I guess Im asking what is the average percentage of feedback on the forum of people who bricked their phone or complained about issues AFTER DOING THIS CORRECTLY?
Thanks!
dukestravels07 said:
Ok. Just got my Verizon Rezound and I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader with the guide at HTCdev.
I was wondering what the real risks are involved here? Ive never done this before but I'm not a moron. I will follow everything correctly.
I guess Im asking what is the average percentage of feedback on the forum of people who bricked their phone or complained about issues AFTER DOING THIS CORRECTLY?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and welcome to the rezound community! I have great news unlocking your phone comes with almost 0 risk at all! You see, HTC has a security flag that acts as kind of a line of defense when it comes to bricking your phone. This security flag is referred to as s-on and s-off. By default when you unlock your phone, you will be s-on and your chance of bricking, even if you mess up, is almost none. Becoming s-off comes with more risk and it is easier to brick, but it is not necessary to become s-off to reap the benefits of being unlocked! What being s-off allows you to do is write to the boot and radio partitions. You can still do this while s-on, you will just need a computer there are guides about flashing recoverys and custom ROMs around the forums... but if you get stuck, don't be afraid to ask as the community here is very helpful. in fact you can use this thread for any questions you may have. good luck and welcome!
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
There is only one risk.. you may become a flashoholic!
cslingerland said:
Hello and welcome to the rezound community! I have great news unlocking your phone comes with almost 0 risk at all! You see, HTC has a security flag that acts as kind of a line of defense when it comes to bricking your phone. This security flag is referred to as s-on and s-off. By default when you unlock your phone, you will be s-on and your chance of bricking, even if you mess up, is almost none. Becoming s-off comes with more risk and it is easier to brick, but it is not necessary to become s-off to reap the benefits of being unlocked! What being s-off allows you to do is write to the boot and radio partitions. You can still do this while s-on, you will just need a computer there are guides about flashing recoverys and custom ROMs around the forums... but if you get stuck, don't be afraid to ask as the community here is very helpful. in fact you can use this thread for any questions you may have. good luck and welcome!
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the speedy response and helpful info!
I'm actually pretty familiar with installing roms. I am going from a rooted thunderbolt. I bought the thunderbolt already rooted, which is why I'm a novice at that part.
So I really just need to do unlock the bootloader (s-off) in order to have all the benefits of an unlocked (rooted etc) phone?
I think you've pretty much answered that though, just making sure. All I need is to be able to install roms and any custom apk's like game emulators etc.
Thanks again
dukestravels07 said:
Thanks for the speedy response and helpful info!
I'm actually pretty familiar with installing roms. I am going from a rooted thunderbolt. I bought the thunderbolt already rooted, which is why I'm a novice at that part.
So I really just need to do unlock the bootloader (s-off) in order to have all the benefits of an unlocked (rooted etc) phone?
I think you've pretty much answered that though, just making sure. All I need is to be able to install roms and any custom apk's like game emulators etc.
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to unlock with HTC dev,yes but you won't be s-off. To become s-off there is a procedure you have to do to your phone ( surgery)lol. But being s-on is not a bad thing at all. You still get every feature and can do anything that someone s-off can do... the main difference is that being s-on will require you to be with a computer to flash the kernel as opposed to being able to do it without a computer if you are s-off. Personally, I'm always around my computer when I'm flashing and I do testing occasionally for people so I have stayed s-on just to be safe. I've been unlocked and s-on for several months and I never felt the need to go s-off
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
cslingerland said:
You need to unlock with HTC dev,yes but you won't be s-off. To become s-off there is a procedure you have to do to your phone ( surgery)lol. But being s-on is not a bad thing at all. You still get every feature and can do anything that someone s-off can do... the main difference is that being s-on will require you to be with a computer to flash the kernel as opposed to being able to do it without a computer if you are s-off. Personally, I'm always around my computer when I'm flashing and I do testing occasionally for people so I have stayed s-on just to be safe. I've been unlocked and s-on for several months and I never felt the need to go s-off
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are ways around needing a PC to flash your kernel while s-on also, you can use a PH98IMG.zip via the bootloader to do it. That's what most roms/kernel installers that support s-on do for you now.
thanks guys. got it unlocked!