Some Root Thoughts - HTC Rezound

You would think there would be similarities from 1 device to another on the same OS, but there isn't, lol. I was just reading and I was curious if we could engineer a form of 2nd-init for this phone like the Moto phones have to get passed the locked BL after the initial boot? Obviously we wouldn't have custom kernels, but it would give us a temporary way to get the devs a working ground to build/test roms, and other tweaks.
Any ideas from the guys who have been on HTC for a while?
Edit: This would also gives us the ability to build/use a custom recovery.

Also, Moto has an engineering program called RadioCOMM, do we have anything like this I can poke around in?

Moto has an encrypted boot.img. Issue is, we can't write to /system because of the write lock. So in order to get this to work, we need the write lock turned off. At this point though, it would pretty much defeat the purpose.

This write lock basically prevents the system partition from being mounted in R/W mode right?
That is the only reason why perm root is so hard...

So in actuality our problem is less of a problem than moto's? Or, are you saying the 2nd-init method wont work due to the write lock?

It is less of a problem. They can NEVER have a custom boot.img or a full custom rom. Once S-Off is achieved, we can do whatever we want. You could flash a picture of a horse as your system partition if you wanted (not advisable though). Even though moto has root and roms, they are still stuck with 2nd init and the performance is not nearly as good as it could be from what I have heard.

Hmm, ok. So anyone know of any software like RadioCOMM or CDMA Workshop we could use to work on S-Off?

con247 said:
It is less of a problem. They can NEVER have a custom boot.img or a full custom rom. Once S-Off is achieved, we can do whatever we want. You could flash a picture of a horse as your system partition if you wanted (not advisable though). Even though moto has root and roms, they are still stuck with 2nd init and the performance is not nearly as good as it could be from what I have heard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true. I was using a lot of 2nd init Roms on my droid x. Some were ok, but most completely DESTROYED battery life. Overclocking worked (some of the time), but I miss the freedom flashing whatever I wanted. I guess we just have to wait for S-off and Perm root.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk

AtLemacks said:
Hmm, ok. So anyone know of any software like RadioCOMM or CDMA Workshop we could use to work on S-Off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if this would have anything to do with working on s-off but there is QPST, I believe its called. It's some sort of Qualcomm diagnostic program if I remember correctly.
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt

Cool, I will check it out.

con247 said:
It is less of a problem. They can NEVER have a custom boot.img or a full custom rom. Once S-Off is achieved, we can do whatever we want. You could flash a picture of a horse as your system partition if you wanted (not advisable though). Even though moto has root and roms, they are still stuck with 2nd init and the performance is not nearly as good as it could be from what I have heard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's it, I'm going to start work on HorseROM immediately.

My root thought: They're showing! Time to go color my hair.
(sorry... I'm in a goofy mood this morning. Can't help myself.)

feralicious said:
My root thought: They're showing! Time to go color my hair.
(sorry... I'm in a goofy mood this morning. Can't help myself.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until you said go color my hair I was lost...
I haven't been able to find an up to date version of the software, or even one compatible with Windows 8 Dev Preview. I hate Windows 7 so much, but too many things we can't do until February!
I have 4 HDD's and 3 SSD's with 9 total partitions. I am sure I can restore a Win7 backup, lol. I will keep you guys posted tomorrow night.

Related

Hero-er to be.

Update: The ebay seller took my money, lied about sending the phone which I wanted in time for christmas as a present, then when nothing arrived on the day claimed (24th dec) i contacted them to be told they "tried" to email me to say it had a fault when packing it and will give a refund, for which I am still waiting.
Long story short, I have given up now on wanting to buy a Hero, I was cautious about the seller to start, and they have now ruined my mood over christmas.
Hey Welcome to Android...
Hero's don't need to be HardSPL'd, once you learn to 'Flashrecover/One Click Root' you can just store multiple ROM's on your SD card, wipe and flash whenever it suits you
Hopefully your Hero comes with a Stock ROM so there is no need to Goldcard bypass it!
Amon-Ra is just a recovery image for when you enter recovery mode after rooting... There are many more to choose from and you will learn all about these after rooting.
Rooting is useful for tethering, themes, storing applications to SD card and (most importantly for me being on t-mobile) getting updates before they are officially released!
The resolution is extremely clear and I'm sure you will be pleased with it
Regards
Thanks
OGC313 said:
Hey Welcome to Android...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Hero's don't need to be HardSPL'd, once you learn to 'Flashrecover/One Click Root' you can just store multiple ROM's on your SD card, wipe and flash whenever it suits you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good, where do I look for a tutorial and the files to get started with this? I'd like to have a thorough read before hte phone gets here so i won't hastily do as my friend did and brick his phone by not reading the instructions first.
Hopefully your Hero comes with a Stock ROM so there is no need to Goldcard bypass it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I can tell, it's a HTC generic Hero with no modifications made, so it should be stock ROM. What does this mean to me and what is Goldcard? I noticed a site where you have to go to get some code using CID? Means nothing to me really.
Amon-Ra is just a recovery image for when you enter recovery mode after rooting... There are many more to choose from and you will learn all about these after rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw a video of this or something similar, it's some what of a recovery menu with various recovery options as well as the abilility to install modifications or some sort from zip files?!.
Rooting is useful for tethering, themes, storing applications to SD card and (most importantly for me being on t-mobile) getting updates before they are officially released!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious, on a phone designed for user customizability, why has it been made so difficult for us to flash custom user modifications?
The resolution is extremely clear and I'm sure you will be pleased with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good enough for me, not like I intend on playing videos or games on this thing.
Thanks
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-root-your-htc-hero-in-one-click/
- Thats probably the easiest tutorial for Flashrec.
If your Hero is Generic it should be fine and you won't need to create a Goldcard, you can just root straight away. In short a goldcard is editing your SD card to reverse the CID (Customer Identification) code so any RUU/ROM can be installed onto the phone. This is a hardcore method to root and only needs to be done for phones on certain carriers e.g. t-mobile, some Asian carriers.
Yea the recovery menu varies depending on what recovery image you are using (the most popular being Cyanogen, Amon-RA and Modaco). All ROM's are installed as a .zip file, but using the above site will make that clearer, its all simple enough.
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-your-htc-hero/
- A tutorial on how to install ROM's after rooting.
There were problems with Cyanogen's custom ROM as he was using Google apps that were only supposed to be used on 'with Google' phones. Maybe for reasons like this rooting has become so difficult?
Regards
OGC313 said:
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-root-your-htc-hero-in-one-click/
- Thats probably the easiest tutorial for Flashrec.
If your Hero is Generic it should be fine and you won't need to create a Goldcard, you can just root straight away. In short a goldcard is editing your SD card to reverse the CID (Customer Identification) code so any RUU/ROM can be installed onto the phone. This is a hardcore method to root and only needs to be done for phones on certain carriers e.g. t-mobile, some Asian carriers.
Yea the recovery menu varies depending on what recovery image you are using (the most popular being Cyanogen, Amon-RA and Modaco). All ROM's are installed as a .zip file, but using the above site will make that clearer, its all simple enough.
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-your-htc-hero/
- A tutorial on how to install ROM's after rooting.
There were problems with Cyanogen's custom ROM as he was using Google apps that were only supposed to be used on 'with Google' phones. Maybe for reasons like this rooting has become so difficult?
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, well hopefully it's not anything like that, I'm slightly concerned because the seller claims the phone is black, but in the picture it doesn't seem to have T-mobile written, across the top, and as far as I'm aware black is exclusive to them. I am hoping it's actually brown and hence no branding, but either way doesn't matter as long as it's unbranded.
As for recovery images, I noticed the One-click rooting uses a specific recovery menu, it's that the one I'm recommended to use or should I switch?
As for ROMs, I'm happy to stick either with stock ROM and make some personal modifications, or I have heard good things about the MoDaCo ROM, although I'm concerned with one small post there, that BT OBEX is planned for a future release, does that mean the current version doesn't have BT OBEX, so I can't send files? I rely on this feature regularly.
As for "comes with Google" I thought all Android phones were "comes with Google", I guess I was mistaken here.
To be honest the recovery image used makes no difference, its just a preference of how you'd prefer the recovery menu to look... I'm currently using the Amon-RA, running the Modaco 3.0 ROM and it does the job for me. I think the video tutorial on unlockr is showing an older recorvery image than the one it suggests you use.
The Modaco ROM currently doesn't support BT as the Hero doesn't have the components needed until the 2.1 Eclair/Flan release. You could always try and flash the 2.1 ROM which isn't fully optimised yet and see if any applications work on that?
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?p=30418&posted=1#post30418 - 2.1 ROM
Not all Android phones are Google branded, I think its only the G1/Dream and Magic/my Touch, the ones with the Google logo on the back. This is why HTC were able to intergrate Sense UI onto their phone.
OGC313 said:
To be honest the recovery image used makes no difference, its just a preference of how you'd prefer the recovery menu to look... I'm currently using the Amon-RA, running the Modaco 3.0 ROM and it does the job for me. I think the video tutorial on unlockr is showing an older recorvery image than the one it suggests you use.
The Modaco ROM currently doesn't support BT as the Hero doesn't have the components needed until the 2.1 Eclair/Flan release. You could always try and flash the 2.1 ROM which isn't fully optimised yet and see if any applications work on that?
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?p=30418&posted=1#post30418 - 2.1 ROM
Not all Android phones are Google branded, I think its only the G1/Dream and Magic/my Touch, the ones with the Google logo on the back. This is why HTC were able to intergrate Sense UI onto their phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, so I take it this is based on an unreleased BETA version? Kinda like the winMo6.5 we were flashing on the Xperia. I guess I will stick with the official ROM for now then.
Is there still some customising that can be done if I root my phone and keep the stock ROM? I require bluetooth regularly for sending V-Cards and files so I can't do without it for the sake of customizability.
If you decide to root, you may aswell flash the Mocado 3.0 ROM which is much faster and less laggy.
No version of the Hero currently supports bluetooth file transfer, unless it works on the 2.1 ROM. Even the stock does not support it, wasn't this mentioned in the specs. when you bought the phone? The 2.1 update which will give the Hero bluetooth support isn't scheduled for release until 1Q/H 2010. Sorry to disappoint
OGC313 said:
If you decide to root, you may aswell flash the Mocado 3.0 ROM which is much faster and less laggy.
No version of the Hero currently supports bluetooth file transfer, unless it works on the 2.1 ROM. Even the stock does not support it, wasn't this mentioned in the specs. when you bought the phone? The 2.1 update which will give the Hero bluetooth support isn't scheduled for release until 1Q/H 2010. Sorry to disappoint
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yikes, that is a major let down, something I didn't think possible from anyone but Apple. This means I'm going to have to carry a second phone which is irritating and part of my reason for switching.
In this case, I suppose there really is no reason not to switch to the MoDaCo ROM.
So, when I root, I noticed two methods, one is a pack on the pc with some batch files and recovery images. Should I use this method, or downloaded the latest Amon-Ra and use FlashRec, I noticed Amon-Ra builds of v1.5.1 which is much higher than the ones given in the tutorials.
Yea but at least support is on its way where as Apple aren't even considering it.
For the easiest method the files you'll need to download are:
Flashrec
Amon-RA Recovery image
Modaco 3.0 ROM
Latest Radio (ends in .26)
Basically put all these files into the root of your SD card, and install Flashrec using a file manager found in the market (I find Astro the best).
Open up Flashrec once its installed and click Back-up recovery image, it will then say 'Working do not interupt'.
Once that is done, type the name of the recovery image in the empty box ( I think Amon-RA's is something like /sdcard/Recovery-RA-HERO-v1.2.3.img) and then click Flash new recovery image.
Turn off your phone and reboot into recovery mode by hold down the HOME and POWER buttons, which will then bring up the recovery menu which you have seen before.
Scroll down to nandroid back-up and click that so if anyone goes wrong you can restore everything. Once done click Wipe Date/ Factory Reset and wate for that to finish.
Then scroll up to install .zip file (Not install update.zip) and click the Radio file. This should be relatively quick.
Once that is finished click on install .zip file again and click the Modaco ROM, which should take a far bit longer to install. Scroll to the top of the menu and reboot system.
If it seems to take a while to reboot do not worry!
OGC313 said:
Yea but at least support is on its way where as Apple aren't even considering it.
For the easiest method the files you'll need to download are:
Flashrec
Amon-RA Recovery image
Modaco 3.0 ROM
Latest Radio (ends in .26)
Basically put all these files into the root of your SD card, and install Flashrec using a file manager found in the market (I find Astro the best).
Open up Flashrec once its installed and click Back-up recovery image, it will then say 'Working do not interupt'.
Once that is done, type the name of the recovery image in the empty box ( I think Amon-RA's is something like /sdcard/Recovery-RA-HERO-v1.2.3.img) and then click Flash new recovery image.
Turn off your phone and reboot into recovery mode by hold down the HOME and POWER buttons, which will then bring up the recovery menu which you have seen before.
Scroll down to nandroid back-up and click that so if anyone goes wrong you can restore everything. Once done click Wipe Date/ Factory Reset and wate for that to finish.
Then scroll up to install .zip file (Not install update.zip) and click the Radio file. This should be relatively quick.
Once that is finished click on install .zip file again and click the Modaco ROM, which should take a far bit longer to install. Scroll to the top of the menu and reboot system.
If it seems to take a while to reboot do not worry!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds simple enough, just one questions, I found this version of Amon-Ra's Recovery v1.5.2, should I use this instead since it's later?
alias_neo said:
Sounds simple enough, just one questions, I found this version of Amon-Ra's Recovery v1.5.2, should I use this instead since it's later?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, always use the newest version from the official thread here.
kendong2 said:
yes, always use the newest version from the official thread here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, got that downloaded now, so I'm good to go. Now just to sit patiently twiddling my thumbs until my Hero arrives.
Anything I can do in the meantime? Hero related I mean.
One question, as an Engineer myself, I'm curious why HTC has has made this device not only with so little ROM, but also not able to install apps to the SD card by standard(assumption based on the A2SD hack I am assuming enables something that couldn't be done before), is it not a given that we might want to install over the ROMs capacity worth of apps?
I'm just feeling a little disappointed at the moment considering all that Android was supposed to be, I followed it's progress intently as an Engineer and a curious gadgeteer, it seems things are being made a little more difficult than they should be (perhaps by HTC?) in order for us to have the customisability we desire for our OS, which, given the ability we should, technically be able to re-write from the ground up.
Someone tell me I'm wrong, and the worst I'll have to deal with for hte time being is having no BT OBEX. (I have come from an N95->iPhone->Xperia, and a rocky road it was.)
Thanks, for all the help so far guys, it is appreciated.
alias_neo said:
Thanks, got that downloaded now, so I'm good to go. Now just to sit patiently twiddling my thumbs until my Hero arrives.
Anything I can do in the meantime? Hero related I mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read these forums but i guess you know/did that already.
alias_neo said:
One question, as an Engineer myself, I'm curious why HTC has has made this device not only with so little ROM, but also not able to install apps to the SD card by standard(assumption based on the A2SD hack I am assuming enables something that couldn't be done before), is it not a given that we might want to install over the ROMs capacity worth of apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, for example it will most probably give you errors and problems when you eject the sdcard while the phone is powered up... what i would complain about is why the hell does such a phone only have 512mb of flash of flash memory? flash memory is as cheap as sand, just put some 8gb in there and nobody would have a problem. make it 10$ cheaper, who cares when you can write "8GB!" on the box?
alias_neo said:
I'm just feeling a little disappointed at the moment considering all that Android was supposed to be, I followed it's progress intently as an Engineer and a curious gadgeteer, it seems things are being made a little more difficult than they should be (perhaps by HTC?) in order for us to have the customisability we desire for our OS, which, given the ability we should, technically be able to re-write from the ground up.
Someone tell me I'm wrong, and the worst I'll have to deal with for hte time being is having no BT OBEX. (I have come from an N95->iPhone->Xperia, and a rocky road it was.)
Thanks, for all the help so far guys, it is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well in fact it seems to be harder to customize the hero, but that is mainly due to its htc sense ui. if you want the fullblown modding phone you should get a g1, at least that is how i see it. just have a look at the g1 threads, they're flooded with roms and themes. tbh i don't miss it, i like when i have the feeling that i know all my options. then i take the best (in this case mcr), mod it to my needs and then use it. imho the hero is a way cooler device than the g1, i find it ugly and bulky. thought this about the hero too, until the day i had my coworker's in my hands, at that point it was only a matter of time until i could extend my contract and get the hero
Well
Well, my getting a Hero is a funny story, I had my Xperia which I was happy with along with the custom ROMs running TouchFlo until one day I was in the Phones4U shop talking to them and they mentioned that the Satio had been recalled.
So, being the good friend I am, I went to my friend who wasn't at all happy with the Satio and told him he could swap it for something else because it's recalled.
My friend of course asks what I would recommend, and having been a WinMo user, I knew he wasn't the type to want to customize a device in that way, I mentioned HTC and android, so he had a look, we weighed up each one briefly and I basically said go for the Hero, I'v heard a lot of good things about it.
So, lo and behold, the next day he turns up with a Hero, which I then get to hold for the first time and am amazed.
Being the gadgeteer I am, it just would not do for a friend not even interested in gadgets to have the phone I now want!
So, I got myself one, and am now waiting impatiently for the ebay seller to deliver it.
Personally, I would never have considered the G1, it was ugly, and the specs were horrible, and the keyboard slide method wasn't nice at all.
When I first saw it, I was thinking, smaller, soft keyboard, slightly better camera and what not, and i'll buy it, and here we have it, the Hero.
As for customization, I'm not hugely bothered, as long as I can theme the thing myself.
The main thing that is non-stock I'm interested in are tethering by USB or Wifi to my 3G connection, other than that and theming, I can't think of anything off the top of my head I would need to do, only a phone that doesn't do everything it should, needs customizing so much as my Xperia did.
you will be happy with the hero
even theming is doable, though not in a few clicks. i tried, had a proof-of-concept and then it got too complicated for my unpatient being...
kendong2 said:
you will be happy with the hero
even theming is doable, though not in a few clicks. i tried, had a proof-of-concept and then it got too complicated for my unpatient being...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I used to theme for the iPhone, which included SSHing to the phone, downloading .artwork files, unpacking, converting the PNGs, editing, repacking and uploading again followed by a reset.
Assuming it's not too much more difficult than that, I should have no problem theming, on the plus side, I'm a perfectionist and a minimalist, so in terms of the graphics, the editing in Photoshop shouldn't be too great, and my skills are adequate anyway.
I'm very anti-clutter and anti-glass and anything of the like as can be seen from one of my old iphone themes here.
My main focus usually is on retaining functionality while being able to clearly see the wallpapers unhindered.
Although in the iPhone case, my removal of the slide to unlock bar at the bottom was for pure novelty and was done to purposely hinder unlocking the device.
alias_neo said:
Well, I used to theme for the iPhone, which included SSHing to the phone, downloading .artwork files, unpacking, converting the PNGs, editing, repacking and uploading again followed by a reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
add a little signing and you have the process for the hero though i prefer using adb and the usb cable. never actually hacked an iphone (my friends who own one are all wusses ), but i would think it is even easier on the hero.
kendong2 said:
add a little signing and you have the process for the hero though i prefer using adb and the usb cable. never actually hacked an iphone (my friends who own one are all wusses ), but i would think it is even easier on the hero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, from what I can find through searching, I assume ADB to be the Android Debug Bridge?
Something to do with the development mode connection of the phone, does this not connect the SD card to USB though rather than the Internal?
And how difficult is the signing process for the files, I have no problems with command prompts as a programmer.

2.1 OTA Leak question

I tried searching for a how-to on this but apparently I'm searching inclined.
From what I can gather is it as simple as just dumping the zip onto the root of your SD card and doing:
3. Make sure phone is off then hold Power button and Call Button.
4. The menu opens quickly press the power key over the hboot option.
5. Follow onscreen instructions to install the update. the phone will reboot a few times.
you dont even need to search. go to the development section and then look at the top few, it will have very detailed instructions.
I guess I should have elaborated more and said I don't have my phone rooted and really don't want to go that route. I was just getting confused because everything i was finding on here was people running root but I came across a few things where people said the 2.1OTA Leak was just a straight upgrade, so that is my confusion.
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
rheally said:
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but if you have root you can do the downgrade back to 1.5
Android22 said:
but if you have root you can do the downgrade back to 1.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, I forgot about that, duh It just seems like root would be a better choice.
But to each his own.
rheally said:
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that is my question, can 2.1OTA just be flashed or does your phone need to be rooted?
I just feel like with root I'll be more likely to kill the phone but I'm going to check into it more again.
If you flash the 2.1 OTA leak onto your phone you CANNOT root your phone. It hasn't been figured out yet.
Root really isn't that hard to do. There are several threads over in the development forum.
rheally said:
If you flash the 2.1 OTA leak onto your phone you CANNOT root your phone. It hasn't been figured out yet.
Root really isn't that hard to do. There are several threads over in the development forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I was just reading the thread on going from stock 1.5 to rooted 2.1. Can you give me some of the major benefits of rooting? I'm trying to find really practical stuff, not just the "Well it's cool cause it's like being root in Linux".
And just to clarify you can just flash to 2.1OTA? I'm skeptical of doing that now because I was reading some people think 2.1OTA has a time sensitive date on it.
Future developments will likely be easier to impliment if you root. The ability to run different (and potentially more stable) ROMs. Support for future software not designed for the Eris. Post rooting you can also make Nandroid backups and as long as you don't somehow screw your bootloader you can actually fix your phone.
Also, and this is pure speculation, should Verison decide to discontinue support for the Eris entirely, non-rooters may have issue getting new Android versions since they're limited to signed code.
EDIT: there is also little reason NOT to root. It does everything that you can do unrooted and more. All this plus the fact that you may never be able to root again but could always unroot at your leisure.
Marisa said:
Future developments will likely be easier to impliment if you root. The ability to run different (and potentially more stable) ROMs. Support for future software not designed for the Eris. Post rooting you can also make Nandroid backups and as long as you don't somehow screw your bootloader you can actually fix your phone.
Also, and this is pure speculation, should Verison decide to discontinue support for the Eris entirely, non-rooters may have issue getting new Android versions since they're limited to signed code.
EDIT: there is also little reason NOT to root. It does everything that you can do unrooted and more. All this plus the fact that you may never be able to root again but could always unroot at your leisure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you point me to a good nandroid tutorial? tried searching for one but if you know of a good one I'd appreciate it.
I was trying to find a nandroid guide when I did it the first time, but once I discovered that Amon_RA's recovery has it built-in, I decided to wing it and see what happened. It was a lot easier than I expected to be honest.
Reboot your phone into recovery (VOL UP + Power), you should have a short list of options, one of which should be Backup/Restore. Trackball into it and select to make a backup. Let it do it's thing, should take a few minutes. Congratulations, you've made a backup of your phone. You can make as many as you like, they're given names based on the date and time they're created, but you can rename without harm (barring a few characters keep it A-Z a-z 0-9 and you should be good)
Restoring to that backup is as easy as entering the same menu but picking restore instead. You need to have made a backup first in order to restore something.
NOTE: I've written all this by memory, and while it should be fairly accurate, I can't turn my phone off currently to double check that the wording is all correct.
I'm a bit confused on the Amon thing. I found the the link here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=648025
Do I just dump that IMG file onto the root of my SD card and that's it? Will it know to always use his recovery or do I need to do more?
I have an application that I write to make going from 1.5 to root a lot easier with a gui application. It will be released very soon for everyone to use. Take a look at my thread for more info. Link is at the top of my signature.
Sent from my Eris using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
frankspin said:
I'm a bit confused on the Amon thing. I found the the link here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=648025
Do I just dump that IMG file onto the root of my SD card and that's it? Will it know to always use his recovery or do I need to do more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you followed Ivan's guide to the very end, you already flashed Amon_RA's recovery to your phone. To enter it, shutdown your phone and then hold volume up and the call end button (power), you should boot into the recovery.
Marisa said:
If you followed Ivan's guide to the very end, you already flashed Amon_RA's recovery to your phone. To enter it, shutdown your phone and then hold volume up and the call end button (power), you should boot into the recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AWESOME! Thank you I am doing it right now.
NM: got it
Well I got 2.1 on but I did something wrong and can't load rooted 2.1. I get "signature verification failed" message when I load the zip file.

[Q] Atrix: Bootloader unlocked? What can I do with that?

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?
Click to expand...
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.

[Q] Android Noobs

Hi.
I'm a bit of a noob to Android, and as such, I'm a bit lost with some of the terminology.
I know I can find most of the answers I'm looking for on the forum, but trawling posts can lead to confusion.
I thought it would be good to have a thread discussing the terminology for these devices for noobs such as myself to use as a quick reference guide.
I've been with HTC, and Winmob for a number of years, but I will soon be getting a Flyer, so time to learn.
Questions:
1 What is S-off/S-on, and what does it do?
2 What is Rooting/Perma-Rooting, the differences, and why are they needed?
3 What is Clockworkmod?
4 Any other terminology that needs an explanation for an Android noob.
If somebody would like to create a thread that can be stickied, and post a link here, I think that would be the best route to take.
Thanks.
Steve.
stabloid said:
Questions:
1 What is S-off/S-on, and what does it do?
2 What is Rooting/Perma-Rooting, the differences, and why are they needed?
3 What is Clockworkmod?
4 Any other terminology that needs an explanation for an Android noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. S-off/on are the terms used to tell if the security feature that prevents you from rooting is on or off. This is found under your bootloader, or hboot. To check and see if your device is s-off or s-on simply turn the device off, hold down the vol - button and turn the device back on while holding it. That will bring up your bootloader (hboot) and will show you what version it is as well as if your device has security on or off.
2. Rooting/Perma-Rooting are basically the same thing. Perma just stands for permanent. Rooting is gaining SuperUser (Admin) permissions for your device.
3. ClockWorkMod is a custom recovery tool that replaces the stock recovery tool in your bootloader. It allows you to flash(install) new roms.
4. A rom is basically your operating syatem. It is what you interact with when you power the device on.
If I missed anything or if I got something wrong someone feel free to add to it or correct me.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
I think you covered most of the stuff that trips up people coming from WinMo to Android.
Two other little things I have come across:
GoldCard = Special SD card that lets you flash ROMs to locked phones (not rooted / S-ON)
De-odex = Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
I was one step away from being a ROM cooker on WinMo and felt like a total idiot when I switched to Android. Had to learn everything all over again...but that's the fun, right?
StormMcCloud said:
1. S-off/on are the terms used to tell if the security feature that prevents you from rooting is on or off. This is found under your bootloader, or hboot. To check and see if your device is s-off or s-on simply turn the device off, hold down the vol - button and turn the device back on while holding it. That will bring up your bootloader (hboot) and will show you what version it is as well as if your device has security on or off.
2. Rooting/Perma-Rooting are basically the same thing. Perma just stands for permanent. Rooting is gaining SuperUser (Admin) permissions for your device.
3. ClockWorkMod is a custom recovery tool that replaces the stock recovery tool in your bootloader. It allows you to flash(install) new roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just expanding a bit, as I understand the terms:
1. With S-On, there is a security check on the signature of a ROM, before it is allowed to be flashed. It also protects the NAND flash memory, where the ROM is stored. Basically, with S-Off, you can flash just about any ROM meant for the device, including user-made "custom" ROMs. With S-Off, you can only flash "official" ROMs.
While related to root, they are not always co-dependent. On some devices, its possible to root, but still have S-On. You have SuperUser access (at least most things), but you can't flash custom ROMs. With root plus S-Off, you have access to just about everything.
HTC is constantly changing their security, so for the Flyer, it seems that S-Off was instrumental in achieving permanent root.
2) Rooting an Android device gives you "root" or "super user" access to system files, which are normally protected. There are a variety of things this allows you to do. You can change system fonts, and make other theme customizations. You may be able to overclock the CPU (depending on the device and kernal) or make other performance enhancements. You can remove system apps (like bloatware) that you don't need. Some apps require root to work, such as Titanium Backup and Clockworkmod for creating backups of app data or your entire ROM.
One thing to remember, is that the system files are normally protected for a reason. Don't modify or change anything, unless you have a good understanding what you are doing, otherwise you can really mess up your device.
The distinction between rooting (or perma-root) and temp rooting is made, due to the increased security HTC has applied to the NAND flash memory on their more recent devices. Basically the NAND protection means that a temp root will be wiped out when the device is rebooted. But some root functions can still be accessed during the temp root. But it also means you have to temp root every time you want super user access (if the phone was restarted since your last temp root).
Once the NAND protection on the Flyer was bypassed, it made a perm root possible. But on other devices, I know some users actually prefer temp root over perm root. You still have access to super user privileges while temp rooted. But if something goes wrong with your phone, its less risky, as a reboot will wipe any trace of the temp root (technically, rooting voids HTC's warranty . . . but its often possible to unroot for warranty purposes).
3. Clockworkmod will also make a full backup of your entire ROM (including user data) , so you can return to it any time. Handy if you have some catastrophic failure, or just want to switch back to the current ROM.
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
bdgdl08 said:
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flyer/View owners are nicer then most xda posters, lol. Especially when the person asking the question is smart enough to do it in the correct section.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
bdgdl08 said:
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all had to start somewhere, right? Be sure to click the "Thanks" button for the posts you found helpful!
redpoint73 said:
We all had to start somewhere, right? Be sure to click the "Thanks" button for the posts you found helpful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you definitely went more in depth then I did. I just jotted down quick basics of each while I was getting ready for work. Yours are definitely more helpful.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
There's a pretty expansive dictionary at Android Central: http://www.androidcentral.com/dictionary
Hope it helps, and welcome!
Thank You!
HUGE thanks to all who posted.
I'm starting to understand a bit more now.
This area defo has more of the feel XDA Devs had when I first joined.
The HD2 section is just FLAME "SEARCH" FLAME "SEARCH" FLAME! lol.
I'll probably have loads more questions soon, as we're looking at getting Flyers for work, and I'm gonna need to customize them a fair bit.
At least now I know I can ask semi-stupid questions here, or not have to read every single post in the Flyer section, without getting flamed/shunned completely.
Keep up the good work guys.
It really is appreciated.

Question Moto G Pure - XT2163-4 vs XT2163-2 - LTE bands

New here. Didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure XT2163. Mods - I am sorry. Please move wherever's best.
Discovered that the version Verizon is selling (notably the slickdeals thread on the one from Visible) is different. It's -2 vs. -4.
Looks like VZW disabled most of the bands that T-Mobile/Sprint use - 25, 41, 71, for example.
Looking to see if it's possible to enable those bands. One report on SD thread says they bricked their device trying RETUS version but IDK if the bootloader needs to be unlocked first, or if it would even help. Probably more work to unlock these bands if it's even possible.
Downloads look available here https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/ellis/official/
Haven't messed with flashing a phone in years. May be able to try later but hoping anyone else here can look into this.
I'm going to guess as is the case with most other Android devices branded by Verizon that the bootloader will be restricted from being unlocked. There is really no way around this as it's an OEM based policy. If you want to play with custom ROMs or root based modding, I would highly recommend ditching the Verizon or any other carrier branded variant with the exception of T-Mobile/Metro and Google Fi (there are others) that actually allow OEM unlock. Not only that, but if you're looking for certain connectivity bands, you don't want to settle for a carrier device variant designed to use a particular set of bands which don't include the ones you need. No sense getting a Verizon variant to run on T-Mobile/Sprint bands when you can, you know, get the T-Mobile variant in the first place. Get the global unlocked variant model if you can and start from there. Far easier than the headaches you'll get trying to transform VZW to TMUS.
Cross-flashing is not going to unlock bands, you need to change modem configuration. Throw your SoC(Mediatek) followed by "unlock bands" into Google and see if you have any luck.
I also didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure and was wondering if anyone knows of a custom bootloader like TWRP or CWM for it? I think I have enough understanding of how to sideload the app, I just need something to send the phone. I tried using a random TWRP mod on it but it fails, invalid signature. I haven't tried doing the phone rooting thing in years now, but I have this Moto G Pure phone without any service on it that I'm willing to experiment on. It can be used as a test bed or data extraction device to put code from it on the internet if someone needs it to help custom rom makers for example by testing stuff on it. Perhaps that's why no one has a custom recovery for it yet.
I don't know exactly how to extract the phones current ROM data so all I've done so far is unlock the bootloader. The phone's carrier based on the unactivated sim card shows it's a T-Mobile branded device, but the T-Mobile and other carrier software is inactive other than the few Moto apps. An article on XDA say's the phone's suck, but that's just not true at least not to me. It's a fine phone like it is, but if I can format it's SSD and only install what I want it to have on it that would be great. It's just a spare sim locked phone that I can't use my active sim card in. So with that it's now a project phone. I would like to mainly just unbloat it and free up all that used space occupied by the recovery partition. I don't necessarily need a whole new ROM, just want to root it. That's the only way to erase those factory files that I know of.
For me unlocking the bootloader wasn't to hard to do. You have to make sure the drivers from Motorola are installed and have a current version of ADB available on a computer. I still had a version of ADB tools that was almost a decade old now so I had to update that for the fastboot oem_unlock_unlockcode (automated code from Motorola support) command to work. To find out if it can be unlocked or not go here:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone%2Fbootloader%2Funlock-your-device-b
At the Moto site they will guide you on how to generate the code they want you to send them. You have to sign in to their site to use that function though. After I finally figured out what to type in the CMD window it generated that code and I edited it down to one long line of numbers and give it to the page. In seconds I had an email with the unlock code inside.
Unlocking it seems to help with uninstalling some of the built in stuff, before I could only disable most of the apps that come with it. The apps are still probably on there I just have to factory reset it and they'll come back. Now however the removed apps don't show as using any internal storage, all the apps info numbers go to 0 bytes, but still even doing that it's still over 10GB of unmovable data. When it should really be more like 2-3 GB for the entire system. I hate how Google just inserts itself in your life even when you don't want it at all.
I anyone passing by reading this post needs more details please let me know and I'll try to get the information or even data files from the phone. Would a copy of it's stock firmware be of any help? If so let me know how I would go about saving a copy of it. I'll keep looking for answers but it seems this phone is not high on the priority list or is new or something. So there is only scam guides trying to tell you "How to unlock your phone" or "Install TWRP on Motorola devices" and other clearly click bait sites. I can't even find the stock rom for it on Motorola's site, just outdated versions from 2016, with different build numbers, that can't be right.
All I know is unlocking the bootloader was the first step on all the guides and I've done that. Got a warranty voided notice and everything. There currently isn't a custom recovery mod for this model as far I can tell. If I can ever find that then I can try Linage or just debloat Android 11 which is probably the safer and easier option provided I can find that Custom Covery'.
When it boots up now, it has to tell me it's unlocked and all the dangers it poses. Dangerous if you cared about what was on it I suppose. There is nothing on it I can't just copy back over to it, other than the stock operating system.
Oh yeah, it's model number and other side of the box information is:
Model Name: Moto G PURE
SKU: MO-XT21634-AJB (MOXT21634AJB)
Software Version RRH31.Q3-46-20
Production date was 12/15/2021
I'm not sure what other information to include.
BrittonCBurton said:
I also didn't see a forum for the Moto G Pure and was wondering if anyone knows of a custom bootloader like TWRP or CWM for it? I think I have enough understanding of how to sideload the app, I just need something to send the phone. I tried using a random TWRP mod on it but it fails, invalid signature. I haven't tried doing the phone rooting thing in years now, but I have this Moto G Pure phone without any service on it that I'm willing to experiment on. It can be used as a test bed or data extraction device to put code from it on the internet if someone needs it to help custom rom makers for example by testing stuff on it. Perhaps that's why no one has a custom recovery for it yet.
I don't know exactly how to extract the phones current ROM data so all I've done so far is unlock the bootloader. The phone's carrier based on the unactivated sim card shows it's a T-Mobile branded device, but the T-Mobile and other carrier software is inactive other than the few Moto apps. An article on XDA say's the phone's suck, but that's just not true at least not to me. It's a fine phone like it is, but if I can format it's SSD and only install what I want it to have on it that would be great. It's just a spare sim locked phone that I can't use my active sim card in. So with that it's now a project phone. I would like to mainly just unbloat it and free up all that used space occupied by the recovery partition. I don't necessarily need a whole new ROM, just want to root it. That's the only way to erase those factory files that I know of.
For me unlocking the bootloader wasn't to hard to do. You have to make sure the drivers from Motorola are installed and have a current version of ADB available on a computer. I still had a version of ADB tools that was almost a decade old now so I had to update that for the fastboot oem_unlock_unlockcode (automated code from Motorola support) command to work. To find out if it can be unlocked or not go here:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone%2Fbootloader%2Funlock-your-device-b
At the Moto site they will guide you on how to generate the code they want you to send them. You have to sign in to their site to use that function though. After I finally figured out what to type in the CMD window it generated that code and I edited it down to one long line of numbers and give it to the page. In seconds I had an email with the unlock code inside.
Unlocking it seems to help with uninstalling some of the built in stuff, before I could only disable most of the apps that come with it. The apps are still probably on there I just have to factory reset it and they'll come back. Now however the removed apps don't show as using any internal storage, all the apps info numbers go to 0 bytes, but still even doing that it's still over 10GB of unmovable data. When it should really be more like 2-3 GB for the entire system. I hate how Google just inserts itself in your life even when you don't want it at all.
I anyone passing by reading this post needs more details please let me know and I'll try to get the information or even data files from the phone. Would a copy of it's stock firmware be of any help? If so let me know how I would go about saving a copy of it. I'll keep looking for answers but it seems this phone is not high on the priority list or is new or something. So there is only scam guides trying to tell you "How to unlock your phone" or "Install TWRP on Motorola devices" and other clearly click bait sites. I can't even find the stock rom for it on Motorola's site, just outdated versions from 2016, with different build numbers, that can't be right.
All I know is unlocking the bootloader was the first step on all the guides and I've done that. Got a warranty voided notice and everything. There currently isn't a custom recovery mod for this model as far I can tell. If I can ever find that then I can try Linage or just debloat Android 11 which is probably the safer and easier option provided I can find that Custom Covery'.
When it boots up now, it has to tell me it's unlocked and all the dangers it poses. Dangerous if you cared about what was on it I suppose. There is nothing on it I can't just copy back over to it, other than the stock operating system.
Oh yeah, it's model number and other side of the box information is:
Model Name: Moto G PURE
SKU: MO-XT21634-AJB (MOXT21634AJB)
Software Version RRH31.Q3-46-20
Production date was 12/15/2021
I'm not sure what other information to include.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey i just came up on one of these today, nice phone considering... Any luck with trying to find a custom recovery? I have been looking as well but development seems pretty sparse right now. I am in the same boat as you, unlocked bootloader, locked everything else lol. I cant even find a way to root it without TWRP! I am curious if one of the other moto G series phones would have the same TWRP? Also check this out. It sounds legit but IDK...https://www.getdroidtips.com/root-motorola-g-pure-xt2163/
Agent_Orange1488 said:
hey i just came up on one of these today, nice phone considering... Any luck with trying to find a custom recovery? I have been looking as well but development seems pretty sparse right now. I am in the same boat as you, unlocked bootloader, locked everything else lol. I cant even find a way to root it without TWRP! I am curious if one of the other moto G series phones would have the same TWRP? Also check this out. It sounds legit but IDK...https://www.getdroidtips.com/root-motorola-g-pure-xt2163/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I was able to use Magisk to "root" it with the patched boot file trick, but still that's not the same thing as I did before with a Samsung phone and the CWM recovery deal. That gave the user all the control they wanted. Even though the phone claims I have root access, I'm not sure what to do with Magisk's root trick. I still don't see a way to backup or install a different operating system or just a blank Android 11 OS. My knowledge there is limited and there isn't a custom recovery for this model as far as I can tell.
So I still can't wipe the drive or remove the OEM partition that contains the installers for the bundled stuff. I'd still need some form of interface that has more features than the stock Fastboot and Bootloader modes offer I guess, or I just don't know how to use the software tools correctly. It's still locked even with root as far as I can tell but if there is something more I'm missing or an additional app to install for example, like SU. Is that still a thing? If I'm on the right track let me know.
BrittonCBurton said:
Well I was able to use Magisk to "root" it with the patched boot file trick, but still that's not the same thing as I did before with a Samsung phone and the CWM recovery deal. That gave the user all the control they wanted. Even though the phone claims I have root access, I'm not sure what to do with Magisk's root trick. I still don't see a way to backup or install a different operating system or just a blank Android 11 OS. My knowledge there is limited and there isn't a custom recovery for this model as far as I can tell.
So I still can't wipe the drive or remove the OEM partition that contains the installers for the bundled stuff. I'd still need some form of interface that has more features than the stock Fastboot and Bootloader modes offer I guess, or I just don't know how to use the software tools correctly. It's still locked even with root as far as I can tell but if there is something more I'm missing or an additional app to install for example, like SU. Is that still a thing? If I'm on the right track let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!!! I am speaking from a place of semi-ignorance here but I would thing that you could install SuperSU from inside the system, right? As long as the root binary is there...idk though and from what I hear, chainfire is not responsible for SuperSU anymore so it has become somewhat sketchy. I saw a post (about this phone, I think) that mentioned having to install terminal emulator and running root command from there to achieve legit root after flashing the patched boot.img. I will see if I can find the post again and update you. Is there anyway you could post the boot.img? Or give me a link for it?
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Thanks for the reply!!! I am speaking from a place of semi-ignorance here but I would thing that you could install SuperSU from inside the system, right? As long as the root binary is there...idk though and from what I hear, chainfire is not responsible for SuperSU anymore so it has become somewhat sketchy. I saw a post (about this phone, I think) that mentioned having to install terminal emulator and running root command from there to achieve legit root after flashing the patched boot.img. I will see if I can find the post again and update you. Is there anyway you could post the boot.img? Or give me a link for it?
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Click to collapse
Well I can try and learn how to extract the phones information to my computer. I don't know how to do that exactly. The way I was able to get a hold of the phones stock firmware data was by using Lenovo's Smart Rescue and Recovery software.
You have to enable usb debugging mode, attach the phone to the computer with the software running and make sure that you didn't disable/delete Device Help. That app is what makes the Lenovo software work, otherwise the Recovery software fails to see the phone. If it sees the phone correctly then you can see the preselected target firmware it wants you to download under the Rescue tab along the top.
So I did that and grabbed the files it created without actually applying them to the device. The whole thing is a little over 2GB and difficult to host but I put the stock boot.img file here for anyone who needs it. If anyone wants all the files I can try to upload the whole thing one file at at time. That's the way it was sent to me, an uncompressed folder. If I zip it all up and try to upload it most sites will say file size exceeded. Anyway here's the link...
boot
MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.
www.mediafire.com
Thanks I was able to patch it with Magisk and achieve root. It looks like Magisk is an SU manager anyway. I have never used it before so this is a first for me. The root and bootloader unlock seem a little pointless without any recovery or ROM though....I guess it's time to learn how to compile one lol
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Thanks I was able to patch it with Magisk and achieve root. It looks like Magisk is an SU manager anyway. I have never used it before so this is a first for me. The root and bootloader unlock seem a little pointless without any recovery or ROM though....I guess it's time to learn how to compile one lol
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Click to collapse
Yeah now we're on the same page then. I thought the same thing, not much use to have an unlocked boot loader and root access without software to make use of it. I gave the phone to my nieces to play with for now, but it's with in arms reach if I need it for instructions yet to be defined. I should receive updates to this post if anyone else responds.
Gamekeeper408 said:
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah appears it was produced in late 2021 or sold at that time so it's new and no one has made any custom firmware's or recoveries for it as far as I know. I don't know how to do that, requires computer programming skills. I don't have any of those.
Gamekeeper408 said:
I just picked up the Moto G Pure (XT2163-4) Android 11 aka Red Velvet Cake *sounds yummy lol*....I've been searching around and not seen any info about any rooting method for this device....besides the "Root All Motorola Phones" crap...and I don't feel like risking making a paper weight with it. Even on here it doesn't show up in the...add device list....was going to add to my profile...but can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
BrittonCBurton said:
Yeah now we're on the same page then. I thought the same thing, not much use to have an unlocked boot loader and root access without software to make use of it. I gave the phone to my nieces to play with for now, but it's with in arms reach if I need it for instructions yet to be defined. I should receive updates to this post if anyone else responds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, it's nice to be caught up with everyone else haha!! I am going to do some digging and posting and whatnot to try to find some info on porting a recovery for this model. I feel like it can't be too different from at least one or two of the other G series phones. I will see updates as well so please post if you come up with anything!!
BTW does anyone know the process of creating a device page for this joint?! I think this phone is definitely worth some development...
Agent_Orange1488 said:
Excellent, it's nice to be caught up with everyone else haha!! I am going to do some digging and posting and whatnot to try to find some info on porting a recovery for this model. I feel like it can't be too different from at least one or two of the other G series phones. I will see updates as well so please post if you come up with anything!!
BTW does anyone know the process of creating a device page for this joint?! I think this phone is definitely worth some development...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck finding anything that will load onto the phone. Seems like it would be possible to install LineageOS on it if nothing else. You'd think by now installing a phone's operating system would be similar to how operating systems are installed on other computers. All I get is invalid signature, way to much security (for them) on phone OS'es. With phones and PDA's apparently you can't just find the OS you want to use and install it. Where's the generic and bloat free Andriod 11 stock OS/firmware at? No such thing? It's either "Gaggles" way or nothing apparently. (It's ok if you don't know either, maybe someone else has more information about that.)
BrittonCBurton said:
Good luck finding anything that will load onto the phone. Seems like it would be possible to install LineageOS on it if nothing else. You'd think by now installing a phone's operating system would be similar to how operating systems are installed on other computers. All I get is invalid signature, way to much security (for them) on phone OS'es. With phones and PDA's apparently you can't just find the OS you want to use and install it. Where's the generic and bloat free Andriod 11 stock OS/firmware at? No such thing? It's either "Gaggles" way or nothing apparently. (It's ok if you don't know either, maybe someone else has more information about that.)
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Click to collapse
Ya I'm definitely not going to try anything on the actual device, (ESPECIALLY if I am trying to put it together myself) but I am pretty sure you can test that stuff on a virtual system. Some kind of android emulator or whatever. As for a stock/debloated/de-odexed ROM, I haven't seen one but that couldn't be all that difficult to put together, right? I mean as long as the patched boot.img is included anyway. I feel like a recovery would be a higher priority though...? BTW, I have never used Lineage before, how is it?
Agent_Orange1488 said:
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be great if you could share that patched boot.img......it is for the XT2163-4 MOTO G PURE correct?
Gamekeeper408 said:
That would be great if you could share that patched boot.img......it is for the XT2163-4 MOTO G PURE correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agent_Orange1488 said:
I feel your pain! Had mine a few days and of course came to XDA immediately to find the DL on this joint but no luck... Ya I definitely don't recommend one click root method for this. If you want, I can post/link the patched boot.img i made with magisk. Mine boots with it and have confirmed root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also like the patched boot.img if it is for the XT2163-4. Thanks
Hey boys I actually got rid of the moto g pure...for now at least lol! GREAT phone and I would be willing to get it back once there is some dev work done on it...will definitely be watching the threads on it. Good luck boys!!!
Hi
I read the above posts, and it seems like even if I am able to root it using Magisk, I won't be able to flash it with custom rom?
Thank you Agent_Orange1488 for the posts.

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