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I have had my new at&t atrix a few weeks now after replacing my htc aria that I modded with cm7 thanks to these forums. I have been reading like crazy and have only gotten more and more unsure of my best course of action. If someone could nudge me in the right direction, I sure would appreciate it.
My atrix came with 4.1.57 on it and I have been getting a notice for the 4.1.83 ota update which I have postponed until I understand how to keep my device hackable and unbricked. I ultimately want to accomplish the following:
I want to root the atrix.
I want to have the ability to backup/restore my phone with a recovery option like cwm.
I want the webtop/hdmi hack.
I want sideloading ability.
I want the the wifi hotspot hack.
I want the option to install other roms as they become available (so I guess that means I want the option to unlock the bootloader as needed for this purpose)
I also would like to get to Gingerbread at some point.
My major questions are:
Should I install any OTA updates?
Should I accomplish a backup/recovery capability as a first step?
Should I root or bl unlock before or after I upgrade the android version?
Do I need to do the webtop, hotspot, sideload mods before or after the android upgrades?
I'm not asking for a hand holding here. If someone could just give me the order I should do things in, I can research how to do the steps (links would be especially kind however). Now that there is an official OTA of Gingerbread available (which I think unlocks the BL), I am unsure what I need to do....in what order.....to accomplish the stated goals while also preserving my options for the future goodies that might come along. I feel bad asking but I really have tried to figure it out on my own and just need the advice of someone who has the big picture...please! Thanks in advance
OTA to 1.8.3 It's a good place to start. Will also fix a few issues people had with 1.5.7. Easy to root and enable sideloading with Gingerbreak and gladenable (I think was the sideloading one...someone correct me if I'm wrong). The webtop hack, hotspot mod, and (older style)CWM from Tenfar work great. Can flash back and for between and 1.x.x build as much as you want. It's when you get to the GingerBread build that you can't flash back to older versions...(unless special exceptions are made and I'm not going into that here...search is your friend)
I'd OTA to 1.8.3 and then start playing...but that's just me.
Sorry no links to give...search for gingerbreak and (I think) gladenable.
Hi, this is the first time i try to help someone here so i hope this is what you want.
I Search a lot here and they send me to a page and also to a youtube video of how
Can you do it. I don't know if i can put the link here but very easy just do
A google search for "atrix4ghacks" and go to that page over there you find how to do it
It works very great for me, know i'm looking the best way to get the gingerbread 2.3.4
The first step it to OTA to 1.83 then unlock the bootloader
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1136261
- use the unlocker sbf
The second step it to install CWM Recovery Mod
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1138541
Now that you have the bootloader unlocked you have support for installing custom roms later just make sure you DONT DO THE OTA UPDATE TO GB it will hard brick your device with boot error.
now that you have CWM you can backup all your data and system files the next step is to ROOT and enable sideloading you can do that using GladiAtrix
Then you can install Webtop mod from here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1015630 webtop
i dont know how to do the Wifi Hotspot hack but im pretty sure you have to edit the build.prop in sys and you have to be rooted in order to acces those files, so that's it that should leave you with a rooted unlocked phone and with all the other features you want if you want to move to GB later you can flash a GB sfb with the unlocked bootloader integrated in the sbf from here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182526
Just remember if you are on 1.83 with unlocked bootloader dont OTA to GB it will hard brick your device.
Hope this helps and btw i take no credit for the links, that's somebody elses job.
Thanks a ton. Thats exactly what I needed. One question....if I do the last step (sbf to gbread), will I still be able to have root, cwm, and the webtop/sideload hacks? Or is that premature?
Slightly stuck.....
solidsebazz said:
The first step it to OTA to 1.83 then unlock the bootloader
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1136261
- use the unlocker sbf
I did this and was surprised to find that all my apps and settings were wiped. I did see that /data needed to be backed up but no matter how I tried, I did not find any /data partition that had anything in it. Assuming that was my mistake, how would I have accessed and backed up that partition? Spilt milk but I am still curious.
The second step it to install CWM Recovery Mod
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1138541
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The /system/etc/install-recover.sh file is read only and so cannot be removed...I am assuming I need root to change the permissions. I was able to boot into recovery the first time but then the subsequent boots would give me the exclamation. I guess I have a backup and now I can go root.
You must root in order to be able to write over the original files, you can use Gladiatrix to root then you can use root explorer to overwrite the previous files in the system folder,
you mean you cant go into cwm?
sorry for the late reply im having a hard time keeping track of all my posts besause i changed my email adress and i can figure out how to change it from xda account if you need any more help pm me
winsall said:
Thanks a ton. Thats exactly what I needed. One question....if I do the last step (sbf to gbread), will I still be able to have root, cwm, and the webtop/sideload hacks? Or is that premature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i actually have rooted GB on my phone and CWM flashed, you can enable sideload on GB without rooting or doing anything, thats the new policy about sideloading from at&t yada yada yada... webtom hack over hdmi is still in development we should have that in no time
Hey all. I am actually from the Samsung Galaxy W community and since I'm gonna get the Atrix from my mom soon, I thought I should get a little heads up on how to root it and all. However, the guides here (no offense) freaked me out cuz they had lots of warnings and since the phone I use now is really simple to root (flash update.zip and you're rooted), I realised that rooting the Atrix isn't as easy as rooting the W. Thus I consulted my best friend, Google. He gave me this link: http://www.android-advice.com/2012/root-the-motorola-atrix-4g-running-4-5-141/
Is this the proper way to root? If so, then what do I do next? Because my motive for this phone is to install a custom recovery (ClockworkMod if possible) and (50% chance) stop it right there... I will really appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you, Atrix community.
---EDIT---
I got the method of installing the recovery. Now I just need you guys to verify if that is the proper way.
This looks like the well-known preinstall method. Yes, this is the most common (and IMO the most reliable) way to root the Atrix.
However, a common misconception when it comes to the Atrix is that you need root to get custom recovery. Those two probably couldn't be farther apart - one has nothing to do with the other. You not only don't need root to get custom recovery, it is in fact completely irrelevant because it operates on a much lower level. Instead, you need to unlock the bootloader (because fastboot is implemented in the bootloader, and because you need fastboot that isn't locked down), and then you simply flash your custom recovery via fastboot.
Now here's the problem. First, unlocking the bootloader is by far the most risky step of all. To do that you need to flash a piece of code (the unlocked bootloader, also known as pudding) in the most sensitive part of the phone. You screw this up and you got yourself a brick. Second, when you finally do unlock the bootloader, sometimes you'll be left in an unbootable state (the infamous Failed to boot XXX error). No worries, there's a fix for that too (it is called a softbrick btw). Point is, in that case you cannot just install the custom recovery and then "stop there", you'll need to install an OS too. If you prefer to stick to stock firmware, you should go with so-called fruitcakes, which is just stock firmware prepared to be flashed through custom recovery.
Nothing much to worry about though, everything is explained in detail here. You don't need to google or search in other places, everything you need is right here on XDA (in fact it is probably preferred that you stay within XDA instead of trying to follow random procedures from random places). I suggest you start with some basic noob stuff like this and this. (Some of the stuff in there is somewhat outdated, take any version info mentioned with a grain of salt.)
One big point. You will inevitably come across "SBFs" and advices to flash them. SBFs are inherently dangerous because they contain full complete systems (bootloader, radio, pds, and all the other very sensitive parts of the system), and they are flashed without any error checking, so it's very easy to brick (also known as hardbrick) your phone if you don't know exactly what you're doing. (That is also why all SBFs have been removed from XDA.) Unlocking the bootloader is the only time you should ever be dealing with a SBF, it should be avoided any other time if at all possible.
What I want to do is to get root and at the same time, get a custom recovery. Which means, I want to stick to stock ROM (again 50% chance of sticking to it). And that exactly what I meant by scary warnings... I have no idea what SBFs are (are they like .zip files that Galaxy W users use to flash files?). Anyway, the PUDDING thread was really, and I mean really, scary. Considering the fact that if I screw this phone, my mom will make me own the Galaxy W again...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy W (GT-I8150) with CM9 RC 6
Yes, it can be scary, and for a reason. It is not for the faint hearted, although it goes without a hitch at least 95% of the time. The idea is that you get familiar with the process until the point where you feel comfortable with doing it.
SBFs are nothing like flashable ZIPs (well, except that both are used to flash stuff onto a device). Fruitcakes and custom ROMs come in flashable ZIPs. SBF stands for "single binary file" and is a proprietary Motorola file. It is created and signed by Motorola. Other than the pudding SBF which is the hacked unlocked bootloader, not much is known about them really, except that in some cases they can easily brick a device if misused.
There's another thing. If your atrix is too new, you might have a newer, non-unlockable bootloader. In that case all you can do is root the phone, no way to get custom recovery on it. Good news is, trying to unlock a non-unlockable BL won't do any harm, it just won't work.
If your goal is to have a custom recovery and root, I suggest you first deal with the recovery and then do the rooting. If you end up having to flash a fruitcake, by doing so you might get root anyway, depending on the fruitcake you choose (some are completely untouched, meaning no root, while some are completely stock but also rooted).
There is also an automated unlock method which you can try if you want. It should be slightly less scary to deal with. Personally, I dislike automated anything, I prefer to do the whole process myself (that way I also learn a bunch of stuff in the process), but to each their own.
ravilov said:
Yes, it can be scary, and for a reason. It is not for the faint hearted, although it goes without a hitch at least 95% of the time. The idea is that you get familiar with the process until the point where you feel comfortable with doing it.
SBFs are nothing like flashable ZIPs (well, except that both are used to flash stuff onto a device). Fruitcakes and custom ROMs come in flashable ZIPs. SBF stands for "single binary file" and is a proprietary Motorola file. It is created and signed by Motorola. Other than the pudding SBF which is the hacked unlocked bootloader, not much is known about them really, except that in some cases they can easily brick a device if misused.
There's another thing. If your atrix is too new, you might have a newer, non-unlockable bootloader. In that case all you can do is root the phone, no way to get custom recovery on it. Good news is, trying to unlock a non-unlockable BL won't do any harm, it just won't work.
If your goal is to have a custom recovery and root, I suggest you first deal with the recovery and then do the rooting. If you end up having to flash a fruitcake, by doing so you might get root anyway, depending on the fruitcake you choose (some are completely untouched, meaning no root, while some are completely stock but also rooted).
There is also an automated unlock method which you can try if you want. It should be slightly less scary to deal with. Personally, I dislike automated anything, I prefer to do the whole process myself (that way I also learn a bunch of stuff in the process), but to each their own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I was looking through the threads of the QnA section. And I came across this. Should I use the method mentioned in post #2 and #3? It looks pretty straightforward to me...
No, you cannot. The procedure you found assumes you have an unlocked bootloader.
I told you clearly what you need to do. Do not try to short-circuit the procedure. You need to go through ALL of those steps, there is no skipping ahead. It might seem scary, but either deal with it or give up on it. Do or do not, there is no try.
Oh, so is it like, you need to unlock bootlkader then root? If so, then I've finally got it!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy W (GT-I8150) with CM9 RC 6
i rooted then was forced to unlock the boot loader when i screwed up my phone un-installing apps
used rescue root to one click root my atrix 4g (http://rescueroot.com/)
download clockwork mod recovery (http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager)
i installed clockwork mod recovery from fastboot (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_olympus)
unlock the boot loader following this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423)
as an added bonus here how to bypass that stupid motoblur crap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXDj-h1DEAM)... not nessicery for anything other then turning off the blur social media thing that comes installed with the phone
now i'm rooted, got the boot loader unlocked and running neutrino rom 2.91 GT+ for the last week, and so far i couldn't be happier
also it helped me to have a second computer, one to have all the how to running on and another to do all the work with
I have an at&t variant HTC m8, I recently stitched to cricket wireless. SIM swap went fine. I've been wanting to gain root to remove att bloatware. I'm on android version 5.0.2. My main issue is I've gotten nowhere unlocking boot loader using a pc. Tonight I resorted to using kingroot from Google play,which worked on third attempt. However supersu said it needs an update.
So basically I'm lost and trying to find away to gain root without a computer if possible.
I've never used kingroot. What happens if you try to update the root binary?
May be a bit irrelevant. I think you'll need to unlock the bootloader to do what you want (delete bloatware). I don't think kingroot alone will get it done. Reason being, you can't modify the system partition with root alone. You need kernel mod wp_mod, which is flashed with custom recovery TWRP. And you need an unlocked bootloader to flash custom recovery.
What issues did you have exactly when trying to unlock the bootloader?
I believe my main issue was that my pc is out of date running an unauthorized widows 7 lol. I was unable to obtain adb or any twrp files to unlock boot loader hence my attempt at a one click type solution. I think I'm going to read up more and try the whole process over this weekend, but any tips guides or instructions would be helpful. The more I have looked into this the more conflicted things have become.
Lewis715 said:
I was unable to obtain adb or any twrp files to unlock boot loader hence my attempt at a one click type solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what "unable to obtain adb" means if you don't explain what happens exactly, where you are trying to get the files, etc. So all I can do is assume, and hope that I don't suggest you do things you already tried.
If you want an adb/fastboot installer, the following should work, and decently up to date: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790
Otherwise, there are other adb installers if you just type "easy adb" into the XDA search function.
No such thing as TWRP files that can help you unlock the bootloader. By definition, you can't install custom recovery until the bootloader is unlocked, and TWRP is a custom recovery. So nothing can be done with or by any TWRP files until you unlock the bootloader.
Lewis715 said:
I think I'm going to read up more and try the whole process over this weekend, but any tips guides or instructions would be helpful. The more I have looked into this the more conflicted things have become.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, can't really help with what is "conflicted" unless you give some specific details.
Its understandable that a lot of the threads may be confusing, as the info is often outdated. This is getting to be an old device, and a lot of folks that wrote the various guides have moved on, and not updating the guides.
The following is a pretty good AT&T specific guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2799796
But as mentioned, some things are outdated:
1) The driver package is old. You can get updated drivers by downloading HTC Sync from the HTC website. After installing (which will also install HTC drivers) you can uninstall Sync, but keep the drivers; if you don't want Sync (but I haven't had any problems keeping it).
2) I believe the Dropbox link for adb installer is dead, but I already gave an alternative above.
3) The TWRP version is really old, don't use it! Get TWRP 3.0.2 from here: https://dl.twrp.me/m8/
The exception might be in the stock Android version on your phone is old, but if you tell me what it says for OS number on the bootloader screen, I can advise more specifically.
4) TWRP version is old, again, don't use it! v2.76 is the latest "stable" version, and you can get it here: https://download.chainfire.eu/969/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.76-20160630161323.zip
Everything else in the guide should still apply.
Vomer's guide is also a good one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/vomerguides-m8-bootldr-unlock-s-off-t2800727
Again, the TWRP version is out of date (use the current one linked above).
You only need to do Sections 0 and 1, as the remainder of the guide (S-off, SuperCID) doesn't apply for what you are doing (unlock bootloader, custom recovery, and root).
Also, highly recommended to make a TWRP backup of the stock ROM, before you root.
After root, flash wp_mod with TWRP to enable system partition changes to stick (and deleting bloatware is a system change). What wp_mod depends on your Android version. But for Marshallow, the wp_mod can be found here (you just need the zip wp_mod, not the whole ROM): http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/development/rom-stock-unlocked-developer-sense-7-t3262894
Thanks for the help I'll give it another try, honestly have no real need to mess with device. I know the phone is old but I still have it and it works better than others I've had.
Lewis715 said:
Thanks for the help I'll give it another try, honestly have no real need to mess with device. I know the phone is old but I still have it and it works better than others I've had.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course, the vast majority of us don't have any real need to mess with the device. But we do, nonetheless!
ok so please be gentle here, coming back here after 7 years, from old Windows Mobile days!
I am a newbie to Android and want to root my Z5 compact. The only reason I want to root it is to enable some apps like Greenify and GSam battery monitor to work with all their features enabled. I do not want to flash a new ROM. I am happy with Sony's stock ROM.
Is it possible to get root access without installing / flashing a new ROM?
I have searched the internet but people talk about flashing every time I read about rooting. Then I also saw this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development/root-automatic-repack-stock-kernel-dm-t3301605
Lots of geeky stuff there which is fine, but again, it seems to talk about flashing the ROM, which I really do not want to do or do not see the need (yet).
Unlock boot loader:
I see that Sony lets me unlock the boot loader from their dev site. I am willing to unlock the boot loader. (Not sure if I want to do that first. Maybe unlocking BL is all I need?)
rajdude said:
ok so please be gentle here, coming back here after 7 years, from old Windows Mobile days!
I am a newbie to Android and want to root my Z5 compact. The only reason I want to root it is to enable some apps like Greenify and GSam battery monitor to work with all their features enabled. I do not want to flash a new ROM. I am happy with Sony's stock ROM.
Is it possible to get root access without installing / flashing a new ROM?
I have searched the internet but people talk about flashing every time I read about rooting. Then I also saw this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development/root-automatic-repack-stock-kernel-dm-t3301605
Lots of geeky stuff there which is fine, but again, it seems to talk about flashing the ROM, which I really do not want to do or do not see the need (yet).
Unlock boot loader:
I see that Sony lets me unlock the boot loader from their dev site. I am willing to unlock the boot loader. (Not sure if I want to do that first. Maybe unlocking BL is all I need?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason to use that guide is to backup ta keys for whatever reason you'd want to do that.
If you're after root on stock ROM the single easiest way is to unlock bootloader, flash twrp 3.0.2, flash xpower 3.0, and that's it. Solid marshmallow with root goodies. Xpower has everything and is deodexed and ready for xposed framework.
just a little more clarification please?
civicsr2cool said:
.....easiest way is to unlock bootloader, flash twrp 3.0.2, flash xpower 3.0, and that's it. ......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks.....that sounds straight forward.....but isn't TWRP a ROM? (sorry, the moment I hear flashing...I think ROM)
And I am looking up xpower...not sure what that is (yet) and why do I need it
I do want xposed framework though.
I wish there was a simple straightforward answer
rajdude said:
Ok thanks.....that sounds straight forward.....but isn't TWRP a ROM? (sorry, the moment I hear flashing...I think ROM)
And I am looking up xpower...not sure what that is (yet) and why do I need it
I do want xposed framework though.
I wish there was a simple straightforward answer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twrp is your recovery,you flash through fastboot, xpower 3.0 is the ROM, just a pre-modded stock ROM with options of xperia x addons. Use lite and stock kernel for xpower and you'll be set.
still a little confused
civicsr2cool said:
Twrp is your recovery,you flash through fastboot, xpower 3.0 is the ROM, just a pre-modded stock ROM with options of xperia x addons. Use lite and stock kernel for xpower and you'll be set.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks! So my understanding (so far) is :
We "must" flash a ROM in order to root a phone. Did I get that correct?
Since I said I like the stock Sony ROM, you recommended the xpower 3.0 ROM.........but the point is.....I still have to flash ROM.
A little confused here...
I am a systems engineer (my day job). In Linux or Windows OS, if we want root access (to run some software or a low level command, like partitioning a disk etc), we either run SU command and put root's password OR right click and run as administrator......
We never have to install a brand new Operating System to get root access.
Just a total newbie question.....Why do we have do install a whole new OS (flash new ROM) on our Android phones to get root access?
rajdude said:
Ok thanks! So my understanding (so far) is :
We "must" flash a ROM in order to root a phone. Did I get that correct?
Since I said I like the stock Sony ROM, you recommended the xpower 3.0 ROM.........but the point is.....I still have to flash ROM.
A little confused here...
I am a systems engineer (my d Linux or Windows OS, if we want root access (to run some software or a low level command, like partitioning a disk etc), we either run SU command and put root's password OR right click and run as administrator......
We never have to install a brand new Operating System to get root access.
Just a total newbie question.....Why do we have do install a whole new OS (flash new ROM) on our Android phones to get root access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android is Linux, to gain root in the ROM you have on your phone currently all you need is an unlocked bootloader to run SU, but then you'll be left with a phone that still needs a customized kernel to keep root and a DRM fix for the camera. Xpower 3.0 is that package.
You could really benefit from reading more. Google up on dm-verity and Sony Ric, and fastboot/adb for a little better understanding of what you're getting into without a pre compiled ROM. Messing around with any Android you'll have the majority of the same steps, unlock bootloader with fastboot, flash Supersu, customized kernel.. Etc
Why use a stable compiled ROM?
Let me list down and explain to you why it's best to use a stable compiled ROM. But first you need to understand these few things before you decide to unlock your bootloader and root.
Before Sony Z models kicked in, every rooted Sony device are still able to retain all the features that came together with the phone before it was rooted. When Sony introduce the first Z model, they start to create these things called DRM keys. DRM keys are unique algorithm (i guess i should put it that way) which is attached to every phone the same way an IMEI number is attached to every phone. In short, my DRM keys cannot be used on your phone and vice versa.
DRM key: It's a unique algorithm that holds all the unique features that an unrooted Sony phone boast such as camera quality, X-reality, High Res Audio etc etc.
The moment you unlock your bootloader, that's the moment your DRM keys will be lost. But don't panic, the wonderful devs on XDA have prepared a tool to backup your TA partition (a partition that contains your DRM key) for your own convenience if you want to relock your bootloader.
Then recently Sony/Android come up with new features called Sony RIC and dm-verity. (You may Google what these are all about but to my understanding it is placing limitations to people who root their phones to meddle around with the system settings of thier phone)
With all these "hurdles", it have taken some time for devs here to find a work around and like every fairytale ending, they manage to find a way.
Now you're wondering if you can actually root without flashing another rom. Good news for you: you can! There's a guide that will teach you how to actually root and apply the work around after unlocking your bootloader and rooting.
.. But ask yourself what's the point of going through the hassle of rooting and your phone is not tweaked for performance or for theming purposes?
That's when people flash roms and in Z5 compact's case, XPower is the best rom there is. It gives you all the performance tweak you need to make your phone lag free, it has a lite version that removes all the unnecessary system apps you can't delete without root, it gives you an option to add themes and framework from Xperia X with all those work around in place.
For your second question: why is there a need to install TWRP?
TWRP is a recovery tool which is a need for all rooted phone. It's also a tool for you to backup and restore your current rom so that you can rollback to the last working configuration if your phone went into a bootloop etc. Plus i believe all these guides require you to actually use TWRP to flash the SuperSU to successfully root your phone.
I hope this explains your doubts.
Thanks a lot but...
firdyRAY, thanks a lot for the comprehensive reply to my questions. And yes, it has shed a LOT of light on my doubts.
I googled Sony RIC and dm-verity:
I could not get find much on ric
Dm-verity seems to me a way to check if the boot image has been modified from the last boot, and if it has, stop from booting. Sounds like a good idea until we understand that to flash a ROM dm-verity needs to be bypassed/turned off.
So to compile what I have understood so far:
By unlocking bootloader, you lose DRM keys. There is a way to backup DRM keys which are in the TA partition, but this is to be done BEFORE you unlock bootloader. Good that I have not done anything to my X5c yet.
The next steps for me would be to look into XPower 3 ROM…which I did and here is what I found out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/rom-xpower-v1-0-aroma-debloat-custom-t3371100
First, what's up with the scary looking warning in RED right at the top of the first thread. I did read the OP and the second post, I did not see anything in there which IF I missed will cause my phone to explode! That is probably posted to make noobs read all instructions, right?
Second, I do not see any step in there to backup the DRM / TA partition. I guess the dev is assuming the phone already has lost the DRM, right? So I gotta find instructions on how to backup DRM / TA
Then I searched for problems in this ROM and seems to me that the fingerprint sensor is reported by many to be not working and/or buggy. I rely on the fingerprint sensor day and night. I have many apps which rely on that, like lastpass. That would be a major deal breaker for me.
So going back to stock ROM option…I remember you said "There's a guide that will teach you how to actually root and apply the work around after unlocking your bootloader and rooting."
Could you please post a link to that?
Thanks again!
I think this is a pretty great thread rajdude. It's getting people to spell out a lot of information to noobs like us that it seems most posters have taken for granted over time.
I'm a complete novice at all of this. Sort of gleaning information as I go along, but I used this guide: http://twigstechtips.blogspot.hk/2016/04/sony-z5-compact-root-without-losing-ta.html?m=0
Along with this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/general/guide-rooting-unlocking-bootloader-t3354307
The first guide is pretty basic step-by-step instructions. It unfortunately occasionally kind of skips over a couple very small things (that will be clear as you go along), or occasionally words things in such a way that might not be completely intuitive, but maybe that's cause I need things explained to me like I'm five sometimes. Any time I might have had a question about something in the the first guide, I went to the other and found the answer. It didn't take me long to get the gist of the whole thing though, and overall, it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. It'd be fantastic if someone created a video walkthrough, but so far as I know, no one has done that yet.
The guide will help you back up your TA Partition where your DRM keys are stored, unlock your bootloader, root your device, and then restore your DRM keys. In order to do this you need to downgrade to Lollipop (if you're not already on it), and then upgrade back up to Marshmallow. It will also install TWRP (which I had no clue was installed until I went into "recovery mode" by pressing UP when I saw the LED flash yellow during boot). There may be an easier way to go about this whole process, but this is the process I used.
Before jumping into anything, I'd hold off until you heard more from firdyRAY or someone more experienced. They may look at the guide I linked and be horrified.
And yeah, I haven't installed xpower yet for the same reasons you haven't. Sounds like there's even an xpower 4.0 that was released recently, but still seems kinda buggy. Being rooted with stock I've been able to give Greenify access to root. Install Adaway (which was worth getting root to begin with). Install sound/music mods like DiVA-X, Viper4Android and Dolby Atmos. Install Titanium Backup. And make a few other minor tweaks (that I've since reversed). I still don't know much about custom ROMs and all that jazz, so I'm holding off until I get more understanding. I'd love to install the xpower ROM (when the bugs are worked out), and maybe some sort of sound ROM. I also need to get more understanding on some of the other vernacular like what exactly a "dirty flash" is.
rajdude said:
firdyRAY, thanks a lot for the comprehensive reply to my questions. And yes, it has shed a LOT of light on my doubts.
I googled Sony RIC and dm-verity:
I could not get find much on ric
Dm-verity seems to me a way to check if the boot image has been modified from the last boot, and if it has, stop from booting. Sounds like a good idea until we understand that to flash a ROM dm-verity needs to be bypassed/turned off.
So to compile what I have understood so far:
By unlocking bootloader, you lose DRM keys. There is a way to backup DRM keys which are in the TA partition, but this is to be done BEFORE you unlock bootloader. Good that I have not done anything to my X5c yet.
The next steps for me would be to look into XPower 3 ROM…which I did and here is what I found out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/rom-xpower-v1-0-aroma-debloat-custom-t3371100
First, what's up with the scary looking warning in RED right at the top of the first thread. I did read the OP and the second post, I did not see anything in there which IF I missed will cause my phone to explode! That is probably posted to make noobs read all instructions, right?
Second, I do not see any step in there to backup the DRM / TA partition. I guess the dev is assuming the phone already has lost the DRM, right? So I gotta find instructions on how to backup DRM / TA
Then I searched for problems in this ROM and seems to me that the fingerprint sensor is reported by many to be not working and/or buggy. I rely on the fingerprint sensor day and night. I have many apps which rely on that, like lastpass. That would be a major deal breaker for me.
So going back to stock ROM option…I remember you said "There's a guide that will teach you how to actually root and apply the work around after unlocking your bootloader and rooting."
Could you please post a link to that?
Thanks again!
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sony ric is a layer of security for sony roms so that they can protect nfc and fingerprint stuff. samsung and htc have there own variants as well.
yes lol the big red lettering is there to make you read, although hes not far off on the melting your phone part, the s810 is ridiculously hot.
the xpower thread doesnt not include the drm backup instructions because: 1) you need bootloader unlocked to flash it. and 2) because it includes the drm fix in it so you dont have to backup your ta keys.
the fingerprint sensor bug is on any bootloader unlocked phone, the hardware fails after x amount of hours and requires a reboot to work again. xpower is a stock rom, the only thing different is its pre-rooted, de-bloated, and deodexed for xposed to work. we have a separate thread for the fingerprint sensor bug and its been solved.
rajdude said:
firdyRAY, thanks a lot for the comprehensive reply to my questions. And yes, it has shed a LOT of light on my doubts.
I googled Sony RIC and dm-verity:
I could not get find much on ric
Dm-verity seems to me a way to check if the boot image has been modified from the last boot, and if it has, stop from booting. Sounds like a good idea until we understand that to flash a ROM dm-verity needs to be bypassed/turned off.
So to compile what I have understood so far:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony RIC main function is to disable /system write even you got root permission(you still able to do /system write but after a reboot will restore to original). There is a workaround but very trouble, TWRP recovery file manager can bypass Sony RIC(it works in the old day for me, not sure about now). BTW, all 3rd kernel should be disabled RIC nowadays. For any regular computer, there is no hardware or software lock to prevent you gain root access in linux but there are many such trouble stuffs in the android world... lol
I'm running XPower 3.0 Full as a daily driver since June and been very happy. Battery life, stability and speed is good.
Please note, that you MAY lose your warranty when you lose your DRM keys. That's why I didn't unlocked my phone before there was a way to backup TA partition. Now I'm after warranty repair, and before it I was able to fully restore stock ROM with DRM and all features fully functional. In my country, there is only one Sony approved repair center and they check DRM keys before repairing anything - even if it's mechanical fault.
When I had Z1c in KitKat days, it didn't had dm-verity and Sony RIC. It was possible to gain permanent root with bootloader locked, so I was happily using stock ROM and kernel. In Z5c case, first thing I tried was to do the same and it was possible (just backup TA, unlock bootloader, and flash TWRP with patched kernel (dm-verity and Sony RIC disabled) to begin with), but going XPower way was much more confident - I didn't had to think about removing every bloat app. I just flashed lite version in June and I'm using it till this day without any problems at all
Another thing is that you lose OTA (Over-The-Air Update) functionality when you unlock bootloader and disable Sony RIC and dm-verity. Updating to newer versions of firmware, even on stock ROM is problematic when you modify it.
michuroztocz said:
Another thing is that you lose OTA (Over-The-Air Update) functionality when you unlock bootloader and disable Sony RIC and dm-verity. Updating to newer versions of firmware, even on stock ROM is problematic when you modify it.
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It's simply not possible. If you are rooted you can't apply OTA updates and neither should you.
flopower1996 said:
It's simply not possible. If you are rooted you can't apply OTA updates and neither should you.
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That's just what I wrote - just put it in another words
Hello, until now I avoided to root my device (SGP612 / Stock Marshmallow), because I did not want to risk to lose the drm-keys or do other damage.
Besides that, there some apps, which will not run on rooted devices as netflix (at least I suppose so).
Now working on Tasker and other tools the demand of root is increasing more and more. But still I want to take it restrained and looking for a way to limit the root via ADB. I'm not sure, if that is possible, but I think, that would be a good compromise. Online I found a huge amount of guides and threads "how to root", but all of them, at least it looks like that, ending with an unlocked bootloader, TPRP, SuperSU and so on. I did not read all of them, because that would take years and these guides may also be outdated or even worse incorrect.
Therefor I'm here to ask you about yours assessment.
My main goal would be to:
- Make a full backup
- Protect the DRM-Keys and other irreversible stuff
- No app should be able to detect that the device has been rooted respectively modified on system-level
- Void a reset of the current setup
- Install some apps to system via adb and grant some permissions, uninstall few oem-apps
- Tweak a few settings via adb
Is that possible? And if so, are there some good and simplified guides, which I should read?
Wrong forum. This is for Z3 Compact phone. What you want is https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-tablet-compact
You can root the phone without unlocking the bootloader, so I would assume that you can do the same with the tablet. You have to flash with an older ROM/kernel first, though, but it is doable.
temporary2010 said:
Wrong forum. This is for Z3 Compact phone. What you want is https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-tablet-compact
You can root the phone without unlocking the bootloader, so I would assume that you can do the same with the tablet. You have to flash with an older ROM/kernel first, though, but it is doable.
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I will ask the moderation to move my thread, thanks for the hint.
That sounds complicated to flash an older ROM, especially if no suitable instructions are known to me.
BTW. I prefer to stay at stock.
I am pretty sure you posted in the right forum. Everything you mention is possible, except making a full backup. I wouldn't know how without root or twrp. You can backup your TA partition with a special tool to save your drm keys. It uses the 'dirty cow' exploit so you may need to downgrade first (which wipes your data).
I think root via ADB requires a custom rom. You need to unlock your bootloader, which wipes all data. Alternatively, you can root your device with Magisk. It can hide itself from detection for a set of apps that you select.
M1chiel said:
I am pretty sure you posted in the right forum. Everything you mention is possible, except making a full backup. I wouldn't know how without root or twrp. You can backup your TA partition with a special tool to save your drm keys. It uses the 'dirty cow' exploit so you may need to downgrade first (which wipes your data).
I think root via ADB requires a custom rom. You need to unlock your bootloader, which wipes all data. Alternatively, you can root your device with Magisk. It can hide itself from detection for a set of apps that you select.
Click to expand...
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The thread has been moved by now, so that should be ok.
But still, I do not want any custom-rom. My experience with such on other devices in the past was very frustrating and a waste of time. Had always stability issues on driver-level and other misbehavior. On one samsung device I tested around ten or more roms and all of them was quite ****ty...
And until now it sounds like, I need to install a custom before I even can start to make backups and such. But I want a backup of the status quo, to which I could always rollback, if things gets ugly.
I like the current stock, is a good and stable base, a few tweaks and it would be perfect for me. Of course, I did not test any customs on my current device to be able to make some substantiated conclusion on that but I'm to distrustful to follow this path, especially not when there is no way back.
I miss any imagination what is possible and what is not, or what effect a particular measure entails. Therefor I can't estimate the accuracy of any guide and there are hundreds of them out there, and it looks like the approach is sometimes different. I started reading some of them, but stopped it because I could not retrace the content.
Can you recommend a good guide, which could work out for me and whats the name of the tool to backup the drm-keys? Thanks...
Check here for the TA backup https://forum.xda-developers.com/cr...rsal-dirtycow-based-ta-backup-t3514236/page47
I am very happy with this rom, the developer recently issued a Pie alpha (which I haven't tried yet)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3...m-aicp-android-ice-cold-project-o8-1-t3731197
There's a guide for rooting + recovery @ https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3...to-rooted-lollipop-locked-bootloader-t3083980
Be sure you follow the instructions very carefully, since you are flashing (the system partition) with the ROM from a Z3 phone.
The process is similar to the Z3 phones:
- flash to an older ROM
- root
- install custom recovery
- using custom recovery, flash with a prerooted, updated ROM
No need to unlock bootloader and no need for custom ROMs.
Asides from that, I don't know how to do the rest of the stuff in your list.
(I'm debating on getting a used Z3t, which is why I'm researching root possibilities .)