Related
So I've had my Atrix for a few months now, and it's mostly awesome. I'm coming from having owned an iPhone before, and it's just fantastic. I've stayed away from modding it too much however, since I knew the bootloader was locked and not a lot could really be done. But, according to several posts I see here, the bootloader seems to have been unlocked recently. Yay?
So, I ask that you forgive my ignorance. What does this mean? Does a given ROM need to be modified to work with every model of phone? If so, which ones presently work with the Atrix? Any? (It looks like the unlock was found very recently.) How does that process work exactly? Is there any way to ensure a recovery path if something were to go wrong, so that I don't brick my phone?
I'm just curious here. Presently, my phone is on the stock firmware without any upgrades at all, and I've simply rooted it and installed the webtop mod so I could play games on my TV. Other than that, it's been lots of Android Market for me. I'd like to branch out, and I don't even know where to begin.
There aren't any custom rom's for this yet, there's work being done, so it's just a matter of time. However, there is a developer build from Asia that can be flashed. There are a few issues with it, so if you are averse to troubleshooting or dealing with issues then just wait a few days.
One of the good things you can do right now though is to Unlock it, and then install the Clockwork Mod recovery port in the developer's section. You can use that to make full system backup that you can flash.
Can I flash the UK Firmware on a unlocked ATT Atrix now?
Pretty sure you can at least fastboot flash the CG from the SBF (need system and boot) not sure about flashing the whole SBF. You can try though.
schlupp88 said:
Can I flash the UK Firmware on a unlocked ATT Atrix now?
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Click to collapse
_Dennis_ said:
Pretty sure you can at least fastboot flash the CG from the SBF (need system and boot) not sure about flashing the whole SBF. You can try though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
_Dennis_ is right. You should sbf_flash -x to extract the UK firmware and use fastboot to flash just boot.img (CG56 in Froyo) and system.img (CG57 in Froyo). If you want to flash the radio, use a custom .sbf (for AT&T) with only the radio. We don't yet know whether you can replace your bootloader with a UK bootloader. We still flashed a signed bootloader to our phone. In the worst case, if you flash a UK signed bootloader and your boot ROM is looking to find an AT&T signature in your bootloader: BAD! It is fairly unclear that the unlock ALSO tells boot ROM not to care about signatures, it may very well still care. And the order of RSD: erase,write,verify is a little dangerous...
I as well, don't know much about this... but as far as I know, this will mean that developers will be able to create real operating systems for the phone and not have to wait for att/moto to do that...
in the past it was an OS from att/moto, and all the "roms" in xda were actually the same OS but with some skins and mods added to them...
Yes, if you look at the development forums for just about any other android phone, you will see full customized ROMs that can be installed. That's where we are headed.
_Dennis_ said:
Pretty sure you can at least fastboot flash the CG from the SBF (need system and boot) not sure about flashing the whole SBF. You can try though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a test with this.
I flashed 1.8.3 SBF over my unlocked bootloader to see if I could use moto-fastboot to flash over a 'stock' bootloader. It works to flash system (since it is still technically unlocked) but fails to flash boot.
So DO NOT TRY TO SBF FLASH A INTERNATIONAL VERSION unless you want to be stuck on the version with no way to get your phone back off.
I also would not flash the boot.img of a international version for the same reason.
beatphreek said:
One of the good things you can do right now though is to Unlock it, and then install the Clockwork Mod recovery port in the developer's section. You can use that to make full system backup that you can flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just finished unlocking and installed the new CWM recovery, just waiting for some roms! About the full system backup with CWM, does is deposit a folder to the SD card I can remove for safe keeping like TIBu? I never used CWM to backup or restore.
climo said:
I just finished unlocking and installed the new CWM recovery, just waiting for some roms! About the full system backup with CWM, does is deposit a folder to the SD card I can remove for safe keeping like TIBu? I never used CWM to backup or restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the backup will be found in a Clockwork folder on your sd card. I also think that when you do the backup you will get to choose the destination. Either sd or external sd.
I haven't used the bl unlock or the new ClockworkMod (Just waiting on a nice rom). But that is how it went for me on the previous CWM that didn't require the unlocked bootloader.
Maybe someone who has this newer stuff can shed a little more light on it.
beatphreek said:
One of the good things you can do right now though is to Unlock it, and then install the Clockwork Mod recovery port in the developer's section. You can use that to make full system backup that you can flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this essentially create an image of your device? Or does it just back up the firmware?
When CWM backs up ur files it creates a image file of
Boot.img
Cache.img
Data.img
recovery.img
system.img
so yes it does use a image.
Y'all talking about custom ROM's and such, no one seems to care about overcloking.. no one seems to realize what a beast a 1.4ghz Atrix would be.
Viamonte said:
Y'all talking about custom ROM's and such, no one seems to care about overcloking.. no one seems to realize what a beast a 1.4ghz Atrix would be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1.
ROMs will sometimes require you to have the custom kernel associated with them. CM7 for the Captivate comes to mind. With custom kernels, the Captivate was a beast. We had the VooDoo lagfix, which actually made the device usable on bootup. We were able to convert all partitions to ext4, and kind-of make the GPS work.
Overclocking is a possibility too. There's so much that is able to be done. It's a bit difficult coming from an iPhone where customization was limited, even with jailbreaking. But you'll soon get the hang of it.
GPS. Nice point too, but Moto itself promisses improvements on the 2.3.4 OTA. This is the most sorely needed fix for me, since my gps SUCKS. It can take anywhere up to 30 minutos to find my locations. Yes, you read that right.
Viamonte said:
GPS. Nice point too, but Moto itself promisses improvements on the 2.3.4 OTA. This is the most sorely needed fix for me, since my gps SUCKS. It can take anywhere up to 30 minutos to find my locations. Yes, you read that right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine works great. You may have a hardware issue?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
JayRolla said:
Mine works great. You may have a hardware issue?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+2
It shouldn't take that long to lock on. Mine locks on instantly.
ROM newbie here, but I wanted to know how the pros figure out which ROMs they can safely install.
Over on the development board, I see all sorts of references to hard bricking phones as a result of installing the wrong ROM.
I'd really like to update my rooted/gingerblur'd (I believe, how can I check?) phone to Gingerbread.
Thanks for any tips y'all can give me!
Start here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1154600
For the rom safety installs ... just read the all information about the rom and understand what you need to have and if it fits to your phone.
Its rare a rom bricks a phone. Hard brick that is. Its the pre rom stuff required that's gets people into trouble. Soft bricks usually have an easy escape route. Its the panic and the omg I bricked my phone because I didn't read the instructions threads that confuses people.
Sent from the coolest voided warranty phone ever.
the only way you'll hard brick a phone is if you use RSDlite to flash an SBF file.
Specifically, if you did the OTA gingerbread upgrade, then flash a pre-gingerbread SBF.
If you do everything through clockwork recovery, then you'll be able to recover in one way or another.
Have you unlocked your bootloader? If not I recommend doing so, check the pudding thread, unfortunately this does involve using an SBF file (no other way I believe?). But thats just once, after you unlock, flash recovery via moto-fastboot, then do everything through moto-fastboot or recovery, 0% chance of bricking. After you unlock your bootloader its pretty straightforwards.
Roms don't usually brick phones. Most ppl tend to brick by messing up on rooting/unlocking.
I used the Automatic Root/Unlocker/CWM installer (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871) to do the setup and it all went fine.
Hi,
I have a Motorola atrix 4g. The phone will not boot up. It turns on and the Motorola logo come then the red light stars blinking. after a minute or so the phone restarts and repeats the process. I tryed factory hard reset but no luck.
i fount this on the web http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=966405 but has no idea how to do this.
Pleas help me
thank you
Pgeorge
It happens if there is somthing wrong when you install a rom
try to find another rom and flash it if you unlocked the bootloader
or flash ATT 4.5.91 Rom via RSD Lite ONLY IF YOU HAVE LOCKED BOOTLOADER
Jack Krauser said:
It happens if there is somthing wrong when you install a rom
try to find another rom and flash it if you unlocked the bootloader
or flash ATT 4.5.91 Rom via RSD Lite ONLY IF YOU HAVE LOCKED BOOTLOADER
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi,
thank you for the fast replay. I have rsd installed, but where can i find this rom
Softbrick
Is bootloader unlocked? Says on m logo?
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
stevendeb25 said:
Softbrick
Is bootloader unlocked? Says on m logo?
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not unlocked. There is nothing on the logo. Only the m
help
kinggeorge3287 said:
It is not unlocked. There is nothing on the logo. Only the m
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
help please
go here to download any atrix related files
visit that site, it contains everything for the atrix and the best place to get roms, tools, utilities, mods, tweaks, and so forth....
but first download the zip file below this message. I uploaded the zip file for you that has adb, fastboot & moto-fastboot(lets you install .img over 100mb), the necessary dll files & atrix recovery image & command.bat which just opens the command prompt window for you and puts you into the folder so you dont have to navigate anywhere in command prompt to located folders.
first try this, download the zip file, extract to any folder like c:\fastboot
then run the command.bat file to quickly bring up a command prompt and type these commands
Code:
fastboot -w
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot reboot
that may solve your issue if your kernel installed properly and the boot.img file was properly written to the boot partition. If it doesn't solve your problem, go to that link above to find the kernel for whatever rom you're on, att, cm7 or cm9. Get the correct kernel thats compatible, pull out the boot.img from that zip file and also place it into your fastboot folder, then go to fastboot mode again and type "fastboot flash boot boot.img" and then fastboot reboot.
android-DEP said:
go here to download any atrix related files
visit that site, it contains everything for the atrix and the best place to get roms, tools, utilities, mods, tweaks, and so forth....
but first download the zip file below this message. I uploaded the zip file for you that has adb, fastboot & moto-fastboot(lets you install .img over 100mb), the necessary dll files & atrix recovery image & command.bat which just opens the command prompt window for you and puts you into the folder so you dont have to navigate anywhere in command prompt to located folders.
first try this, download the zip file, extract to any folder like c:\fastboot
then run the command.bat file to quickly bring up a command prompt and type these commands
Code:
fastboot -w
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot reboot
that may solve your issue if your kernel installed properly and the boot.img file was properly written to the boot partition. If it doesn't solve your problem, go to that link above to find the kernel for whatever rom you're on, att, cm7 or cm9. Get the correct kernel thats compatible, pull out the boot.img from that zip file and also place it into your fastboot folder, then go to fastboot mode again and type "fastboot flash boot boot.img" and then fastboot reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I tryed doing this, but i get a error " Failed to process command flash: recovery error (0x180002)
I think when i tried to flash rom with RSD LIght may have done something to the files. and it was no help. I dont get a flashing red light now. only the phone stops booting at M logo.
Now How do i flash new rome ? Do i use RSD Light or something else. I know that RSB Requires .sbf file but all the files i see in the site you gave me are .zip.
i also tryed the fastboot flash boot boot.img and no luck, it gvies me the error "Failed to process command flash: recovery error (0x180002)"
thank you for the replay
Pgeorge
do you have clockworkmod recovery installed or any custom recovery installed? if not, then thats why it wont flash, your bootloader is locked.
the whole idea behind using clockworkmod recovery is to avoid using RSD to flash sbf files which can brick the phone easily. Its best to avoid using RSD to flash sbf files on your phone at all costs and leave only as a last resort method if you just cannot recover the phone.
Flashing a new rom would normally be done by already having your phone rooted and unlocked with clockworkmod recovery or some other custom recovery installed so you can boot into recovery and choose "install from zip" and point to the zip file that has the rom. The custom recovery does the flashing for you and its a safer method of flashing roms on the phone than RSD.
If you got no other choice and I know what thats like, i been there too. Download RSD Lite v5.6, should be a free download online somewhere, and then search online for "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf", then use RSD to flash that sbf onto phone.
Before trying that, goto http://samcripp.com/files/ and in the folder OTA Updates, download the first file named Blur_Version_91.4.5.141.MB860.ATT.en.US.zip and put it into the fastboot folder, boot into fastboot again and try "fastboot update Blur_Version_91.4.5.141.MB860.ATT.en.US.zip" and you may be able to get away with just using fastboot to flash that update onto the phone to restore corrupt files. I would try this before using RSD to flash the phone
android-DEP said:
do you have clockworkmod recovery installed or any custom recovery installed? if not, then thats why it wont flash, your bootloader is locked.
the whole idea behind using clockworkmod recovery is to avoid using RSD to flash sbf files which can brick the phone easily. Its best to avoid using RSD to flash sbf files on your phone at all costs and leave only as a last resort method if you just cannot recover the phone.
Flashing a new rom would normally be done by already having your phone rooted and unlocked with clockworkmod recovery or some other custom recovery installed so you can boot into recovery and choose "install from zip" and point to the zip file that has the rom. The custom recovery does the flashing for you and its a safer method of flashing roms on the phone than RSD.
If you got no other choice and I know what thats like, i been there too. Download RSD Lite v5.6, should be a free download online somewhere, and then search online for "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf", then use RSD to flash that sbf onto phone.
Before trying that, goto http://samcripp.com/files/ and in the folder OTA Updates, download the first file named Blur_Version_91.4.5.141.MB860.ATT.en.US.zip and put it into the fastboot folder, boot into fastboot again and try "fastboot update Blur_Version_91.4.5.141.MB860.ATT.en.US.zip" and you may be able to get away with just using fastboot to flash that update onto the phone to restore corrupt files. I would try this before using RSD to flash the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i tryed everything you provided, but no luck. I tryed the RSD but it dont go past the M logo after flash. any other way you know?
thnak you
pgeorge
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1163342
you said that site doesnt have any SBF files to download, this is a good example of why the owner decided against posting the sbf files online. A lot of people from what I heard, were either soft bricking their phones into temporary hat weights or going full out hard into brick city on a one way ticket joy ride. Flashing sbf files is very risky and RSD tool isn't really meant for the public to be downloading to use at home and flash full roms over their devices. Thats a Motorola utility and it's not exactly a risk-free method of flashing the rom inside these phones. Plus getting SBF files online, you rarely know 100% if its compatible with your model phone or where came from exactly and that it's integrity can be checked for 100% consistency that nothing half-way through the file is missing any chunks of code or is corrupt. Try sticking to only using fastboot & adb & get clockworkmod recovery to make FULL and complete devices backups.
Now that I learned my lesson a few times, no matter what, first thing I always do in recovery is make a backup before I flash anything at all, just in case of just in case, its better to measure twice and cut once.
try that link above and restore stock gingerbread 2.3.4, phone doesnt need to be unlocked or root, and make sure to use "moto-fastboot.exe" it lets you push\pull & install files larger than 200MB onto phone through fastboot, the regular fastboot has some limit on file sizes
Hi,
to give you a update noting worked. The link you provided dont have any working lnks to download. I tryed some other once and no luck. It gave me "failed to boot 1". so i flashed this file "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf" it went away, but no boot after the logo. I don't know what i am doing wrong. Any other ideas?
Thank you
Pgeorge
android-DEP said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1163342
you said that site doesnt have any SBF files to download, this is a good example of why the owner decided against posting the sbf files online. A lot of people from what I heard, were either soft bricking their phones into temporary hat weights or going full out hard into brick city on a one way ticket joy ride. Flashing sbf files is very risky and RSD tool isn't really meant for the public to be downloading to use at home and flash full roms over their devices. Thats a Motorola utility and it's not exactly a risk-free method of flashing the rom inside these phones. Plus getting SBF files online, you rarely know 100% if its compatible with your model phone or where came from exactly and that it's integrity can be checked for 100% consistency that nothing half-way through the file is missing any chunks of code or is corrupt. Try sticking to only using fastboot & adb & get clockworkmod recovery to make FULL and complete devices backups.
Now that I learned my lesson a few times, no matter what, first thing I always do in recovery is make a backup before I flash anything at all, just in case of just in case, its better to measure twice and cut once.
try that link above and restore stock gingerbread 2.3.4, phone doesnt need to be unlocked or root, and make sure to use "moto-fastboot.exe" it lets you push\pull & install files larger than 200MB onto phone through fastboot, the regular fastboot has some limit on file sizes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kinggeorge3287 said:
Hi,
to give you a update noting worked. The link you provided dont have any working lnks to download. I tryed some other once and no luck. It gave me "failed to boot 1". so i flashed this file "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf" it went away, but no boot after the logo. I don't know what i am doing wrong. Any other ideas?
Thank you
Pgeorge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when rds end flashing the sbf the phone gets a bootlop or failed to boot error again?
lucamibel said:
when rds end flashing the sbf the phone gets a bootlop or failed to boot error again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it starts up, the M logo comes and it freezes there. To turn the phone off i have to pull the battery.
thank you
Pgeorge
Restore Your Motorola Atrix 4G Back to 4.5.91 Stock Firmware
it helps to remove any problem related to rom..
With so many Android phones literally flooding the market these days, it’s no wonder that there are also so many firmware upgrades and custom firmware being developed and released every now and then. A superior device with great stuff neatly packed into it, the Motorola Atrix 4G is one of the devices for whom developers have devoted significant firmware love.
One reason for the attention that devs give to the Atrix 4G is that it is a fantastic device with a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and robust ability for handling impressive graphics and video without choking. Together with its powerful processor and 1 GB of RAM, the Atrix 4G is a mean powerhouse that can be further exploited with the use of third-party applications and custom ROMs.
In an age where technology is constantly changing at an alarming pace it is important to always have a trusted source to get your updates in a timely fashion. Custom ROMs and factory firmware updates have played a crucial role in the development in many of our devices.
For those of you who have rooted your Atrix 4G and already have installed custom ROMs, then you might already have some bad experiences with regards to unofficial firmware sources. Unofficial firmware such as custom ROMs are literally filled with many bugs and disabled features. In many cases, these ROMs are not stable for daily use.
Luckily for owners of the Motorola Atrix 4G, there’s an escape hatch for reverting to stock, functioning firmware and return the phone to its factory state.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to roll back your Motorola Atrix 4G to the official firmware version 4.5.91, regardless of your current firmware
HERE IS THE LINK FOR YOUR PROBLEM....BEST OF LUCK
kinggeorge3287 said:
it starts up, the M logo comes and it freezes there. To turn the phone off i have to pull the battery.
thank you
Pgeorge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then you can now try unlocking and flashing cwm recovery and flash a custom rom to avoid using rds again
sikkijazz said:
Restore Your Motorola Atrix 4G Back to 4.5.91 Stock Firmware
it helps to remove any problem related to rom..
With so many Android phones literally flooding the market these days, it’s no wonder that there are also so many firmware upgrades and custom firmware being developed and released every now and then. A superior device with great stuff neatly packed into it, the Motorola Atrix 4G is one of the devices for whom developers have devoted significant firmware love.
One reason for the attention that devs give to the Atrix 4G is that it is a fantastic device with a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and robust ability for handling impressive graphics and video without choking. Together with its powerful processor and 1 GB of RAM, the Atrix 4G is a mean powerhouse that can be further exploited with the use of third-party applications and custom ROMs.
In an age where technology is constantly changing at an alarming pace it is important to always have a trusted source to get your updates in a timely fashion. Custom ROMs and factory firmware updates have played a crucial role in the development in many of our devices.
For those of you who have rooted your Atrix 4G and already have installed custom ROMs, then you might already have some bad experiences with regards to unofficial firmware sources. Unofficial firmware such as custom ROMs are literally filled with many bugs and disabled features. In many cases, these ROMs are not stable for daily use.
Luckily for owners of the Motorola Atrix 4G, there’s an escape hatch for reverting to stock, functioning firmware and return the phone to its factory state.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to roll back your Motorola Atrix 4G to the official firmware version 4.5.91, regardless of your current firmware
HERE IS THE LINK FOR YOUR PROBLEM....BEST OF LUCK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
doing this gave me SVF:108:1:2
fail to boot 3
starting rsd mode
lucamibel said:
then you can now try unlocking and flashing cwm recovery and flash a custom rom to avoid using rds again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how do i go about doing this? is there a link i can use?
thank you
Pgeorge
kinggeorge3287 said:
So how do i go about doing this? is there a link i can use?
thank you
Pgeorge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
help please
kinggeorge3287 said:
help please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am able to get into android recovery. It has a option to update from sdcard. Can i do something with this?
Pleas help
Pgeorge
Hey all. I am actually from the Samsung Galaxy W community and since I'm gonna get the Atrix from my mom soon, I thought I should get a little heads up on how to root it and all. However, the guides here (no offense) freaked me out cuz they had lots of warnings and since the phone I use now is really simple to root (flash update.zip and you're rooted), I realised that rooting the Atrix isn't as easy as rooting the W. Thus I consulted my best friend, Google. He gave me this link: http://www.android-advice.com/2012/root-the-motorola-atrix-4g-running-4-5-141/
Is this the proper way to root? If so, then what do I do next? Because my motive for this phone is to install a custom recovery (ClockworkMod if possible) and (50% chance) stop it right there... I will really appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you, Atrix community.
---EDIT---
I got the method of installing the recovery. Now I just need you guys to verify if that is the proper way.
This looks like the well-known preinstall method. Yes, this is the most common (and IMO the most reliable) way to root the Atrix.
However, a common misconception when it comes to the Atrix is that you need root to get custom recovery. Those two probably couldn't be farther apart - one has nothing to do with the other. You not only don't need root to get custom recovery, it is in fact completely irrelevant because it operates on a much lower level. Instead, you need to unlock the bootloader (because fastboot is implemented in the bootloader, and because you need fastboot that isn't locked down), and then you simply flash your custom recovery via fastboot.
Now here's the problem. First, unlocking the bootloader is by far the most risky step of all. To do that you need to flash a piece of code (the unlocked bootloader, also known as pudding) in the most sensitive part of the phone. You screw this up and you got yourself a brick. Second, when you finally do unlock the bootloader, sometimes you'll be left in an unbootable state (the infamous Failed to boot XXX error). No worries, there's a fix for that too (it is called a softbrick btw). Point is, in that case you cannot just install the custom recovery and then "stop there", you'll need to install an OS too. If you prefer to stick to stock firmware, you should go with so-called fruitcakes, which is just stock firmware prepared to be flashed through custom recovery.
Nothing much to worry about though, everything is explained in detail here. You don't need to google or search in other places, everything you need is right here on XDA (in fact it is probably preferred that you stay within XDA instead of trying to follow random procedures from random places). I suggest you start with some basic noob stuff like this and this. (Some of the stuff in there is somewhat outdated, take any version info mentioned with a grain of salt.)
One big point. You will inevitably come across "SBFs" and advices to flash them. SBFs are inherently dangerous because they contain full complete systems (bootloader, radio, pds, and all the other very sensitive parts of the system), and they are flashed without any error checking, so it's very easy to brick (also known as hardbrick) your phone if you don't know exactly what you're doing. (That is also why all SBFs have been removed from XDA.) Unlocking the bootloader is the only time you should ever be dealing with a SBF, it should be avoided any other time if at all possible.
What I want to do is to get root and at the same time, get a custom recovery. Which means, I want to stick to stock ROM (again 50% chance of sticking to it). And that exactly what I meant by scary warnings... I have no idea what SBFs are (are they like .zip files that Galaxy W users use to flash files?). Anyway, the PUDDING thread was really, and I mean really, scary. Considering the fact that if I screw this phone, my mom will make me own the Galaxy W again...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy W (GT-I8150) with CM9 RC 6
Yes, it can be scary, and for a reason. It is not for the faint hearted, although it goes without a hitch at least 95% of the time. The idea is that you get familiar with the process until the point where you feel comfortable with doing it.
SBFs are nothing like flashable ZIPs (well, except that both are used to flash stuff onto a device). Fruitcakes and custom ROMs come in flashable ZIPs. SBF stands for "single binary file" and is a proprietary Motorola file. It is created and signed by Motorola. Other than the pudding SBF which is the hacked unlocked bootloader, not much is known about them really, except that in some cases they can easily brick a device if misused.
There's another thing. If your atrix is too new, you might have a newer, non-unlockable bootloader. In that case all you can do is root the phone, no way to get custom recovery on it. Good news is, trying to unlock a non-unlockable BL won't do any harm, it just won't work.
If your goal is to have a custom recovery and root, I suggest you first deal with the recovery and then do the rooting. If you end up having to flash a fruitcake, by doing so you might get root anyway, depending on the fruitcake you choose (some are completely untouched, meaning no root, while some are completely stock but also rooted).
There is also an automated unlock method which you can try if you want. It should be slightly less scary to deal with. Personally, I dislike automated anything, I prefer to do the whole process myself (that way I also learn a bunch of stuff in the process), but to each their own.
ravilov said:
Yes, it can be scary, and for a reason. It is not for the faint hearted, although it goes without a hitch at least 95% of the time. The idea is that you get familiar with the process until the point where you feel comfortable with doing it.
SBFs are nothing like flashable ZIPs (well, except that both are used to flash stuff onto a device). Fruitcakes and custom ROMs come in flashable ZIPs. SBF stands for "single binary file" and is a proprietary Motorola file. It is created and signed by Motorola. Other than the pudding SBF which is the hacked unlocked bootloader, not much is known about them really, except that in some cases they can easily brick a device if misused.
There's another thing. If your atrix is too new, you might have a newer, non-unlockable bootloader. In that case all you can do is root the phone, no way to get custom recovery on it. Good news is, trying to unlock a non-unlockable BL won't do any harm, it just won't work.
If your goal is to have a custom recovery and root, I suggest you first deal with the recovery and then do the rooting. If you end up having to flash a fruitcake, by doing so you might get root anyway, depending on the fruitcake you choose (some are completely untouched, meaning no root, while some are completely stock but also rooted).
There is also an automated unlock method which you can try if you want. It should be slightly less scary to deal with. Personally, I dislike automated anything, I prefer to do the whole process myself (that way I also learn a bunch of stuff in the process), but to each their own.
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So I was looking through the threads of the QnA section. And I came across this. Should I use the method mentioned in post #2 and #3? It looks pretty straightforward to me...
No, you cannot. The procedure you found assumes you have an unlocked bootloader.
I told you clearly what you need to do. Do not try to short-circuit the procedure. You need to go through ALL of those steps, there is no skipping ahead. It might seem scary, but either deal with it or give up on it. Do or do not, there is no try.
Oh, so is it like, you need to unlock bootlkader then root? If so, then I've finally got it!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy W (GT-I8150) with CM9 RC 6
i rooted then was forced to unlock the boot loader when i screwed up my phone un-installing apps
used rescue root to one click root my atrix 4g (http://rescueroot.com/)
download clockwork mod recovery (http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager)
i installed clockwork mod recovery from fastboot (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_olympus)
unlock the boot loader following this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423)
as an added bonus here how to bypass that stupid motoblur crap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXDj-h1DEAM)... not nessicery for anything other then turning off the blur social media thing that comes installed with the phone
now i'm rooted, got the boot loader unlocked and running neutrino rom 2.91 GT+ for the last week, and so far i couldn't be happier
also it helped me to have a second computer, one to have all the how to running on and another to do all the work with
Hello
I have Redmi Note 4 (MTK) with locked bootloader. My question is can I flash system.img and boot.img, that I would unzip from AOSP ROM .zip ready for twrp flashing. AOSP ROM is for RN4 with unlocked bootloader.
I would flash extracted system.img and boot.img with SPflash tools. Is this possible?
It'd be best to unlock your phone. You can only flash the AOSP with an unlocked bootloader. I don't think you'd be able to flash the .img files without bricking your device.
TheSorton said:
It'd be best to unlock your phone. You can only flash the AOSP with an unlocked bootloader. I don't think you'd be able to flash the .img files without bricking your device.
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Using the SPflash tool you cannot brick your device. If anything goes wrong you can always reflash one of the official ROMs.
Thank you both for answer.
ulev said:
Using the SPflash tool you cannot brick your device. If anything goes wrong you can always reflash one of the official ROMs.
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He's talking about flashing certain images though, everything should be fine with full firmware. But I wouldnt like to mess about with only flashing bits and pieces in case a partition gets corrupted. In theory you should be able to just fully flash everything again with the SP tool, but who knows if there may be issues if something is undetected/unresponsive and the flash tool cant complete leaving you bricked. Not something I would mess about with unless you're happy to experiment and fully except the risks.
gsmyth said:
He's talking about flashing certain images though, everything should be fine with full firmware. But I wouldnt like to mess about with only flashing bits and pieces in case a partition gets corrupted. In theory you should be able to just fully flash everything again with the SP tool, but who knows if there may be issues if something is undetected/unresponsive and the flash tool cant complete leaving you bricked. Not something I would mess about with unless you're happy to experiment and fully except the risks.
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There is no "in theory" here. MTK and SPflash are very straightforward. They flash what you tell them to flash at the designated memory location. Again and again. It is practically impossible to brick an MTK device even if you think you did.
On the other hand, if you got yourself an MTK phone and you want to play around with the firmware you better get ready for some studying. There are some serious conceptual differences (and that's why Snapdragon so many "experts" have problems to adopt). As a 35 year IT veteran I tend to prefer the concepts driven by MTK, if they would only publish their sources as required.