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In regards to obtaining root, where does the unlocking of the bootloader come into play? I'm assuming that with a locked bootloader we will not be able to ever root our devices without some leak from HTC. But with the bootloader unlocked we still need to find an exploit in order to get root.
What I don't fully understand is why HTC would unlock the bootloader for us. Is there some sort of legitimate/developmental reason, beyond obtaining root, for us to demand that they unlock?
I guess the real question is, is locking the bootloader the ultimate block of root, and HTC is capitulating because they only want to make discovering a root exploit difficult, but not impossible, to appease the carriers?
Has this been explained ad nauseam and I'm late to the party?
tstack77 said:
In regards to obtaining root, where does the unlocking of the bootloader come into play? I'm assuming that with a locked bootloader we will not be able to ever root our devices without some leak from HTC. But with the bootloader unlocked we still need to find an exploit in order to get root.
What I don't fully understand is why HTC would unlock the bootloader for us. Is there some sort of legitimate/developmental reason, beyond obtaining root, for us to demand that they unlock?
I guess the real question is, is locking the bootloader the ultimate block of root, and HTC is capitulating because they only want to make discovering a root exploit difficult, but not impossible, to appease the carriers?
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Click to collapse
I'm not the best to explain it... But, lets give it a go.
A locked bootloader prevents the loading of custom ROMS. If we had that ability, we could bake in root. You can still root with a locked bootloader, but it then becomes an issue of finding an exploit to gain root.
As for a legitimate reason... It's our phone, and we should have the right to do what we will with it. Yes, dev is another legitimate reason.. but ultimately it's about freedom to use own devices as we want.
tstack77 said:
In regards to obtaining root, where does the unlocking of the bootloader come into play? I'm assuming that with a locked bootloader we will not be able to ever root our devices without some leak from HTC. But with the bootloader unlocked we still need to find an exploit in order to get root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated above, I believe that we can technically root our phones even with a locked bootloader. The problem with it being locked is that we cannot use a custom recovery to flash custom roms etc. In order for root to work properly we also need Superuser permission, and being locked or S-ON blocks us from doing so. Basically, a locked bootloader takes away from the full benefits of rooting in the first place.
tstack77 said:
What I don't fully understand is why HTC would unlock the bootloader for us. Is there some sort of legitimate/developmental reason, beyond obtaining root, for us to demand that they unlock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My reply above explains this for the most part. But why would they or should they unlock the bootloader? They stated in a press release that all of their phones would have an unlocked bootloader. Ofcourse, this was shortly before the Evo 3D launched so they were producing the phones for quite some time before they made this decision or as many see it as a promise. So really, they should unlock in order to prevent themselves from losing many loyal customers but also to avoid class action lawsuits for not following through with something people would see as false advertisement. (Class action lawsuits are a whole different story, but we won't go into that)
tstack77 said:
I guess the real question is, is locking the bootloader the ultimate block of root, and HTC is capitulating because they only want to make discovering a root exploit difficult, but not impossible, to appease the carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it is not the ultimate block of root but it will take a lot longer for us to obtain root. I am confident that our dev's will find a way eventually to unlock the damn thing, especially if HTC takes forever to unlock it. Think about it... that would be a huge slap in the face to HTC if we obtain root before they give us the update to unlock the bootloader. I think that a big factor in this war is in fact carriers pressuring them to keep the phone locked down because of the things that we can do with root. Sprint want's us to pay for their tethering services, so why would they want us to be able to do it for free with root.
Hope this helps you understand things a little bit better. I think I covered my bases and I am not entirely sure that it is all correct, but to my understanding this is how things work.
Thank you. That does explain the issue quite well . It's not that we cannot get root, but that we cannot write our own recovery image.
I still see it as them finally figuring out a way to block the community, but I am truly amazed that we have become such a power that we can sway HTC to "allow" all our fun.
I would not even think of buying the E3d if we couldn't apply custom roms. Everyone here ROCKS
I recently unlocked my phone and rooted, I tried to flash CM7 Beta everything went well except when i rebooted it got stuck at the dual core screen. After trying everything, I decided to flash back to stock since cm7 wouldn't boot. My question is now that I flashed back to stock do I need to re-unlock my device? Does it stay unlocked? Can I just root it and retry CM7 again?
it happens to me too im reading on the forum but i dont think the bootloaders remain unlock cuz when u do the process it say that in the warnings
No one knows?
I read that once you unlocked you are unlocked forever because when you unlock it kills a fuse but you can cover up the 'unlocked' message so the average joe (such as ATT or Best Buy employee) wouldn't know you unlocked for insurance purposes.
I've also read posts though, like you, that state that it does re-lock the bootloader, so I am confused! I dont want to try flashing again though and end up with a hard-brick!
only installing official roms after unlocking will re-lock your phone or brick it. so if you can no longer see 'unlocked' when you turn your phone on then you will need to re-unlock the bootloader.
before installing any custom roms you need to do a backup. after that, do a full wipe/factory reset, wipe cache & wipe dalvik cache. then install your custom rom, reboot, wait anything up to 10 minutes, and voila!
theres no 'fuse' that needs blowing to unlock the phone, by the way. its all software based, and it can be re-locked providing that there is freely available software that allows you to do so!
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
konna280 said:
only installing official roms after unlocking will re-lock your phone or brick it. so if you can no longer see 'unlocked' when you turn your phone on then you will need to re-unlock the bootloader.
theres no 'fuse' that needs blowing to unlock the phone, by the way. its all software based, and it can be re-locked providing that there is freely available software that allows you to do so!
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might want to do some reading and research. This has all been discussed previously in a couple of threads with links supporting a hardware unlock. Nobody has provided any proof of a software only unlock as of yet. Would appreciate if you posted where you got your information.
Cheers!
konna280 said:
only installing official roms after unlocking will re-lock your phone or brick it. so if you can no longer see 'unlocked' when you turn your phone on then you will need to re-unlock the bootloader.
before installing any custom roms you need to do a backup. after that, do a full wipe/factory reset, wipe cache & wipe dalvik cache. then install your custom rom, reboot, wait anything up to 10 minutes, and voila!
theres no 'fuse' that needs blowing to unlock the phone, by the way. its all software based, and it can be re-locked providing that there is freely available software that allows you to do so!
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Can you provide a link that this is indeed a software lock?...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
CaelanT said:
Might want to do some reading and research. This has all been discussed previously in a couple of threads with links supporting a hardware unlock. Nobody has provided any proof of a software only unlock as of yet. Would appreciate if you posted where you got your information.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, when i say software based i mean the use of software (using programs to flash files) to modify hardware. hardware based unlocking would mean having to modify hardware, such as soldering or other means of modifying/replacing components.
konna280 said:
Sorry, when i say software based i mean the use of software (using programs to flash files) to modify hardware. hardware based unlocking would mean having to modify hardware, such as soldering or other means of modifying/replacing components.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soo..
You start a new thread about a topic that already has 17 threads dedicated to it.
You clearly dont understand how the current unlocking process works.
You claim to know of a new sw unlock, but even after being asked a few times will not elaborate or give a link or other info about it.
And your making up your own terms depending on what makes sence to you.
That settles it. You win the lolthread of the day, and were not laughing with you.
let's simplify:
http://briefmobile.com/how-to-unlock-the-atrix-4g-bootloader
This unlocks the bootloader through the use of software, does it not?
http://tinyurl.com/6gwycaq (explains what a bootloader is)
Plus... I didn't start the thread. You might need to do a little reading on that.
I've clearly unlocked, rooted, and installed a new ROM on my atrix (i initially used the gingerbreak app to root it, but decided to change the ROM at a later date, so unlocked it fully)
I don't claim to know of a sw unlock. I merely stated that software is used (RSD lite, drivers etc) to carry out the unlocking procedure.
Oh, by the way, it's "WE'RE not laughing with you" (not very nice ) and "YOU'RE making up your own terms". Little bit of research for you, if you want
konna280 said:
...
theres no 'fuse' that needs blowing to unlock the phone, by the way. its all software based, and it can be re-locked providing that there is freely available software that allows you to do so!
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're mistaken, it's a hardware lock. There has not been a software only solution shown. Since I have gone through the steps you described, and then re-unlocked my bootloader, the two processes were different (unlocking vs. re-unlocking), meaning that something changed when I unlocked the bootloader.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifuse#Antifuses_in_integrated_circuits
Trust me, this stuff is in all the ICs that you use.
Ok then, i apologize for not doing my research
I just ASS-U-MEd that if it can be re-locked then there is no modification taking place to the hardware itself (such as blown fuses - I'll admit though I only recently heard about eFuse's/Antifuse's as I've never dealt with them before, and therefore didn't know that the Atrix had them)
Thanks for the info.
lockety lock lock lock Lmfao
Im still laughing. No apostraphes needed.
WiredPirate said:
Im still laughing. No apostraphes needed.
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Click to collapse
nvm lol
10char
reunlocking is the same presedure which you did before. just you dont need to do the fastboot unlock oem.i did it and reunlock 2.3.4 telstra
How do I tell if my bootloader is unlocked?
I just got the pone and haven't done anything to it yet but I'm seeing options I wasn't expecting in a locked phone like the ability to enable USB debugging and the ability to instanll non-market apps. So could that mean my phone already has an unlocked bootloader? How do I check?
No - the phones all have that. These have nothing to do with unlocked B/L. The ADB connectivity doesn't function as root though.
Standard Android settings...
Thanks. Guess that means I still have root the phone sometime. At least I'm on 2.3.3 and not 2.3.4 so I should be able to avoid the battery issue.
No battery issue here...
There is no battery issue with 2.3.4 it only happens when you try downgrading to 2.3.2 I believe (which I am not going to test myself, there is already enough people who have fallen into this trap), you can still root 2.3.4 too with rootxperia, the only thing that's not possible (yet) is doomlords kernel for overclocking and that's it, everything else is good, and 2.3.4 is so much better over 2.3.3. quicker, panorama pictures, and lots more including swipe inbuilt into the firmware
I can only root with rootXperia if I have an unlocked bootloader. And to me the process for unlocking the bootloader looks trickier than the process for rooting. So yeah I meant the issue when downgrading to 2.3.2.
It's not too tricky, get alejandrissimo to help you out or you can try the offical sony way. but yeah, I forgot that you couldn't use rootxperia without a unlocked bootloader, my bad. it's worth doing though to be honest.
I don't think I can keep a stable enough connection to Mexico for Alejandrissimo to help me out. Also as far as I know SE hasn't made that site yet that they wanted to allow bootloader unlocking (and even if they did it was gonna be region based so my region most likely won't be supported till 2020 or something like that).
At this point however I'm not noticing much I'd like to have and don't that a root would provide me with. I don't want to try custom roms, I'm perfectly happy with stock and my need for a better battery icon is taken care of by a widget so that just leaves better backups (since to full back everything up these apps needs root access)...but the thing is I probably would only need a backup if I wanted to root or flash something in the first place.
Okay fair enough then, yeah I didn't think about the stable connection. well you don't need a real stable connection to get the IMEI code to sony to get the unlock code, the bootloader unlock is here for the neo -> http://unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com/instructions I don't think it is based on regions, however if the phone is locked to a provider, (from experience) I don't think it will work, (is why I couldn't use this method) up to you if you want to give it a shot though. good luck.
Oh wow thanks. I didn't know about that all. Does the bootloader get relocked upon doing a PC Companion update just like the root is lost? Because I notice that says not to do an OTA update after the bootloader has been unlocked that way.
The BL will remain unlocked whatever you do. Only deliberately relocking using a specific flash regime (available on XDA) will work.
The OTA warning is because once the BL is unlocked, OTA updates may/can fail badly. PC C is fine.
BTW, all this information is already on this forum...
Yeah sorry. I admit I haven't looked around enough. But I thought it was slightly different for every phone.
Search is your friend mate, do a bit of research and enjoy using your phone.
I'm 99.9% sold on the Amaze, I will probably be ordering this weekend.
One niggling doubt is the s-off issue. I see that it hasn't been achieved yet, though you can unlock the bootloader via the HTC.com dev code, and that allows perma-rooting and Custom Roms to be installed.
My questions are:
What would S-off achieve? Would there be more impressive roms that use the space and/or resources from /system or somewhere else that can't be touched without S-off? Is a CM 9 possible for the Amaze without S-off? In the CM forums, the "last" word so far is that it hasn't been included on the official list because "it doesn't even have S-off yet".
Is there a difference warranty-wise? I understand the _possible_ implication of asking HTC for the code, they have you in some database that says you unlocked the bootloader. But as for the device itself, is one undoable and the other not?
I understand that flashing kernels would be harder without s-off because it would have to be done via adb, I think I understood. This is no big deal in itself.
Finally: if you unlock the bootloader via the HTC code, and weeks or months down the road an exploit is found to gain S-Off, are you hosed because you used the code and didn't wait?
I'd like to know so I can make my decision before getting the phone. If it's very disadvantageous to use the code rather than wait for S-off, for one reason or another, then I'd have to decide if I can live with only temp-rooting the device.
I am not going to use it on T-Mobile, I'm in Venezuela and will use it with my carrier here, so the unnecessary bloat will be even more of an annoyance, because on top of it sucking, it won't even work; so it would be important for me to at least root to get rid of it.
I'm sorry if my questions are too expansive, I picked up bits and pieces of information in other posts, but none of them answered these questions clearly. Thank you very much to all those who can help me answer them.
el_ochito said:
I'm 99.9% sold on the Amaze, I will probably be ordering this weekend.
One niggling doubt is the s-off issue. I see that it hasn't been achieved yet, though you can unlock the bootloader via the HTC.com dev code, and that allows perma-rooting and Custom Roms to be installed.
My questions are:
What would S-off achieve? Would there be more impressive roms that use the space and/or resources from /system or somewhere else that can't be touched without S-off? Is a CM 9 possible for the Amaze without S-off? In the CM forums, the "last" word so far is that it hasn't been included on the official list because "it doesn't even have S-off yet".
Is there a difference warranty-wise? I understand the _possible_ implication of asking HTC for the code, they have you in some database that says you unlocked the bootloader. But as for the device itself, is one undoable and the other not?
I understand that flashing kernels would be harder without s-off because it would have to be done via adb, I think I understood. This is no big deal in itself.
Finally: if you unlock the bootloader via the HTC code, and weeks or months down the road an exploit is found to gain S-Off, are you hosed because you used the code and didn't wait?
I'd like to know so I can make my decision before getting the phone. If it's very disadvantageous to use the code rather than wait for S-off, for one reason or another, then I'd have to decide if I can live with only temp-rooting the device.
I am not going to use it on T-Mobile, I'm in Venezuela and will use it with my carrier here, so the unnecessary bloat will be even more of an annoyance, because on top of it sucking, it won't even work; so it would be important for me to at least root to get rid of it.
I'm sorry if my questions are too expansive, I picked up bits and pieces of information in other posts, but none of them answered these questions clearly. Thank you very much to all those who can help me answer them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know where to start with all of your questions but I will do my best.
The difference between S-OFF and Unlocked bootloader is that with S-OFF you can flash anything including a radio and supposedly it would give us the ability to update the kernel by recovery. With an unlocked bootloader we cannot update the radio or kernel but can pretty much change everything else. An unlocked bootloader is required to root your device and remove all the bloat that you don't like. You can temp root the device to remove that bloatware however they will re-appear after a reboot. It has been under some debate if in fact using the unlock_code.bin file provided by htcdev is going to void your warranty if your device would require servicing. If it's vital to know that information then call HTC to inquire before unlocking.
Regarding CM9, it is possible but slightly inconvenient since CM9 would almost certainly require a different kernel and since we cannot flash kernels by recovery it would have to be done in a very certain order. Is it currently in the works? To my understanding, yes! Any idea when you can see it as a download here in the forums? Not at this time. Check back daily because things change frequently!
Thanks a lot for your response, Binary. I see you have an Amaze and have indeed unlocked its bootloader, so I guess the real question would be: when and if s-off is achieved, will you be able to do it even though you've already unlocked the bootloader with the .bin file?
Warranty would be terribly hard for me to take advantage of anyways after the initial check. If I don't RMA the unit, then I'm pretty much gambling on the fact that it will work well no matter what, since sending it back to the US from Venezuela would be a major PITA, so I don't really care much about voiding it.
el_ochito said:
Thanks a lot for your response, Binary. I see you have an Amaze and have indeed unlocked its bootloader, so I guess the real question would be: when and if s-off is achieved, will you be able to do it even though you've already unlocked the bootloader with the .bin file?
Warranty would be terribly hard for me to take advantage of anyways after the initial check. If I don't RMA the unit, then I'm pretty much gambling on the fact that it will work well no matter what, since sending it back to the US from Venezuela would be a major PITA, so I don't really care much about voiding it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no reason that having an unlocked bootloader will interfere with being able to obtain s-off in the future because we can always relock the bootloader when (or if) it comes down to it.
Binary100100 said:
I don't know where to start with all of your questions but I will do my best.
The difference between S-OFF and Unlocked bootloader is that with S-OFF you can flash anything including a radio and supposedly it would give us the ability to update the kernel by recovery. With an unlocked bootloader we cannot update the radio or kernel but can pretty much change everything else. An unlocked bootloader is required to root your device and remove all the bloat that you don't like. You can temp root the device to remove that bloatware however they will re-appear after a reboot. It has been under some debate if in fact using the unlock_code.bin file provided by htcdev is going to void your warranty if your device would require servicing. If it's vital to know that information then call HTC to inquire before unlocking.
Regarding CM9, it is possible but slightly inconvenient since CM9 would almost certainly require a different kernel and since we cannot flash kernels by recovery it would have to be done in a very certain order. Is it currently in the works? To my understanding, yes! Any idea when you can see it as a download here in the forums? Not at this time. Check back daily because things change frequently!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your words helped me a lot. I was thinking about the diff between s-on/off and lock.unlock bootloader for long. Thanks so much
Greetings, _I have a AT&T atrix 4g, with 2.3.6. OTA updated to 4.5.145 so i can´t unlock the boot loader, is there a way i can install TWRP to my phone, the only thing i've been able to do is to root it, but not unlocking the boot loader, so i'm trying to ake a nandroid backup to use freely the pimp my rom utility, and restore the backup in case something goes wrong, Thanks in advance!!!!
Well why do you think unlocking the bootloader is even needed? You cannot do anything but root if you don't unlock the BL. No way to install any recovery.
However, where did you get this that .145 cannot be unlocked? Unlockability has nothing to do with the firmware version. If you really cannot unlock (tried and failed), it is for different reasons.
Svereal people has told me that this update came with many security fixes, and one of them is for unlocking the boot, that if i try, mos likely it's gonna end in hard bricking my phone via RSD lite that i guess is the only way to flash the unlock sbf..... the point is that soooo many people has told me this, that now i'm very afraid to do it, everyone's has said that this compilation and because it's a AT&T phone, it can't be unlocked the boot.....
Wich could be the consequences if i try to unlock the boot and fail??? (Please, i know that you guys know a lot about this, so i want to be very sure that there's no really high risk of bricking just for the firm, or for the fact that is AT&T)
I'm trying to unlock the BL to put th CM7.....
Here you go.
diablogomez said:
Svereal people has told me that this update came with many security fixes, and one of them is for unlocking the boot, that if i try, mos likely it's gonna end in hard bricking my phone via RSD lite that i guess is the only way to flash the unlock sbf..... the point is that soooo many people has told me this, that now i'm very afraid to do it, everyone's has said that this compilation and because it's a AT&T phone, it can't be unlocked the boot.....
Wich could be the consequences if i try to unlock the boot and fail??? (Please, i know that you guys know a lot about this, so i want to be very sure that there's no really high risk of bricking just for the firm, or for the fact that is AT&T)
I'm trying to unlock the BL to put th CM7.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Old post, but here you go. I installed the 4.5.145 OTA update, then followed the guide written by "thekooliest" over on the atrixforums.com to unlock the bootloader after rooting. As always, no responsibility blah, blah. Make sure you post any further basic questions on that forum instead of here. They are better at dealing with new people. Good luck. As for a ROM, I'd recommend Epinter's 10.1 or NottAch if you want to have full functionality. If you want to overclock epinter's rom, use fech's 1.2 Kernel. Faux's 1.3 and 1.45 are on the Aroma Installer included in Nottach.