Related
ROM newbie here, but I wanted to know how the pros figure out which ROMs they can safely install.
Over on the development board, I see all sorts of references to hard bricking phones as a result of installing the wrong ROM.
I'd really like to update my rooted/gingerblur'd (I believe, how can I check?) phone to Gingerbread.
Thanks for any tips y'all can give me!
Start here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1154600
For the rom safety installs ... just read the all information about the rom and understand what you need to have and if it fits to your phone.
Its rare a rom bricks a phone. Hard brick that is. Its the pre rom stuff required that's gets people into trouble. Soft bricks usually have an easy escape route. Its the panic and the omg I bricked my phone because I didn't read the instructions threads that confuses people.
Sent from the coolest voided warranty phone ever.
the only way you'll hard brick a phone is if you use RSDlite to flash an SBF file.
Specifically, if you did the OTA gingerbread upgrade, then flash a pre-gingerbread SBF.
If you do everything through clockwork recovery, then you'll be able to recover in one way or another.
Have you unlocked your bootloader? If not I recommend doing so, check the pudding thread, unfortunately this does involve using an SBF file (no other way I believe?). But thats just once, after you unlock, flash recovery via moto-fastboot, then do everything through moto-fastboot or recovery, 0% chance of bricking. After you unlock your bootloader its pretty straightforwards.
Roms don't usually brick phones. Most ppl tend to brick by messing up on rooting/unlocking.
I used the Automatic Root/Unlocker/CWM installer (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1182871) to do the setup and it all went fine.
Hello, all!
I ran through lots of threads, but I cannot find a remedy for my problematic rooting.
Firstly, maybe I have to warn you that I'm noob in rooting devices, I promise I'll catch up!
I very much would like to root my Dell Streak, I chose SuperOneClick 2.3.1 to do so.
I got SuperOneClick, turned my phone in USB debugging mode, allowed unknown apps, unmounted SD card.
Connected all cables...press Root and SuperOneClick gets non-responding after:
(see attached picture)
In this situation if I run adb devices I see mine listed.
Have you had similar situation? Have you got any ideas how to finish rooting my phone?
Ok. Forget SuperOneclick Go to this link and read, absorb, read again, read once or twice more then, absorb. Finally read over many more times and once you think you've taken it all in, read it again. Honestly. Rooting is great if you get it right but it's what nightmares are made off if you brick your phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Dell_Streak_5/Flashing_Guide#Rooting_your_phone
Basically, you need to install Streakmod (a custom recovery) using "Fastboot". This will enable you to install "Superuser. zip". This will "Root" your phone. Best of luck.
You're nicer to him than I would have been. All I will add to what you said is that the search engine is his best friend and he might want to learn how to use it.
Yeah, but if the OP comes back with the same question i'll send em back to the same link. As you know, there is probably an answer to every "Android" related question within this forum. People just need to look. I'm just being nice cos back in February i was a noob asking the same question. What i quickly learned was, if you bother to look, you find and you learn loads of other valuable stuff along the way.
I had simialar issue and solved it
my dell streak was not able to fastboot dellstreakMOD because after reboot the system auto overwrite mod file. So I need Root first to trick/disable auto overwrite function.
Then I run into SupperOneClick 2.3.1 issue. I solved problem by using much older version supper One Click 1.55.
Good Luck!
One-click root solutions aren't recommended for the Streak because as you found out, they don't always work. However, the method on the wiki has a success rate of 100%. So what I don't understand is, why in the heck would anyone use a method that has a high rate of failure over a method that doesn't.
hey...s.o.c is no more recommended...
just flash the su.zip using streakmod and voila.. nothing else
Sent from my Dell Streak using xda premium
alpharetta said:
my dell streak was not able to fastboot dellstreakMOD because after reboot the system auto overwrite mod file. So I need Root first to trick/disable auto overwrite function.
Then I run into SupperOneClick 2.3.1 issue. I solved problem by using much older version supper One Click 1.55.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason, why we are using the SupperOneClick is already mentioned: You are proposing us to do the fastboot method to get the custom recovery running. But to do so on the streak we first need to avoid the automatic restore of the stock-recovery tool. And to do so, we need a rooted device...
You see our point? It's like a cat biting in it's own tail, or a man sucking his own... You got me though?
It's not a proposal. If you bothered to look at the bottom of the flashing guide page on the wiki, you would have seen the following note:
Not recommended: Gingerbreak, SuperOneClick, Universal Androot, Z4Root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That note is on the flashing guide for a reason: these methods quite frequently do not work on the Streak. Besides, this really isn't as difficult as you're making it sound. The one thing that needs emphasis is that you'll install StreakMod Recovery twice. The first time is to root. The second time comes after using a file manager to delete install-recovery.sh, the file that causes the recovery to get overwritten.
If that series of steps in the flashing guide is too much for you to handle, I would not recommend rooting. The Streak is arguably the easiest device to root, requiring no special tools like goldcards to do the job. If you want a real challenge, try rooting an HTC Inspire. Without special tools an Inspire cannot be rooted.
Hi there quick question as I just got my hands on a Dell streak I see you post the guide for rooting and say its 100% safe is this 100% correct cause I don't fancy bricking it also will it work on build froyo 2.2.2?
By the way I'm not not a noob as I rooted my dhd the hard way round when it first came out the same way the inspire was rooted also built 2 custom roms and work on 3 others
Only asking cause the set up of the Dell is very different to an htc and a year on htcs are getting easier to root with a one click tool
And please don't say to read read and read again as that's what I will be doing anyway I ain't going to fly before I can walk lol
sent from my dhd
This rooting method works with any stock ROM. One-click methods fail for various reasons, and on a failure are likely to require the restore tool we have for the purpose, QDL Tool, in order to recover from the failed root.
With a Streak you need nothing more than some knowledge of how to use Fastboot to get the recovery on the Streak. This is more educational than using a one-click tool in my opinion. From there, the trick is immedately booting into the recovery after flashing it so you can flash superuser.zip. Once you've got superuser.zip on the device, you're rooted even if the recovery is overwritten. For best results however, you need to make sure to delete the file I mentioned in my prior post and install the recovery a second time. The one part that seems to trip most people up is flashing the recovery twice. They don't anticipate the recovery they just installed being removed when they try to get into it.
Now, is it 100% safe? Unless you do something you're not supposed to such as pulling the cable while in the middle of flashing a recovery or trying to erase the Streak using fastboot -w/fastboot -erase it's very safe. Safer in my opinion than the AAHK for the Inspire because with the AAHK you have numerous opportunities to brick the Inspire (S-OFF, Radio Install, Recovery Install) instead of just one (Recovery Install).
I don't have to tell you to read and read again. My sig takes care of that. But after 3,000+ posts I don't think you have to read my noob FAQ. Especially as you are not a noob.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
This rooting method works with any stock ROM. One-click methods fail for various reasons, and on a failure are likely to require the restore tool we have for the purpose, QDL Tool, in order to recover from the failed root.
With a Streak you need nothing more than some knowledge of how to use Fastboot to get the recovery on the Streak. This is more educational than using a one-click tool in my opinion. From there, the trick is immedately booting into the recovery after flashing it so you can flash superuser.zip. Once you've got superuser.zip on the device, you're rooted even if the recovery is overwritten. For best results however, you need to make sure to delete the file I mentioned in my prior post and install the recovery a second time. The one part that seems to trip most people up is flashing the recovery twice. They don't anticipate the recovery they just installed being removed when they try to get into it.
Now, is it 100% safe? Unless you do something you're not supposed to such as pulling the cable while in the middle of flashing a recovery or trying to erase the Streak using fastboot -w/fastboot -erase it's very safe. Safer in my opinion than the AAHK for the Inspire because with the AAHK you have numerous opportunities to brick the Inspire (S-OFF, Radio Install, Recovery Install) instead of just one (Recovery Install).
I don't have to tell you to read and read again. My sig takes care of that. But after 3,000+ posts I don't think you have to read my noob FAQ. Especially as you are not a noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the info seems pretty much straight forward will crack on with it in a few days once I'm familiar with as much as I can need to learn the streak more before I start playing lol
As for the inspire its pretty much the same as a dhd and tbh flashing a radio is as simple as flashing a Rom from recovery I also tested flashing the radio from a different htc phone and regardless that it flashed but got stuck on splash screen I could still not brick the phone, now its really difficult to brick inspire or dhd, but it is known that eng s-off can cause issues on the inspire but not on the dhd
Just some info back for yourself mate as a thank you for yours also will hit the thanks button next time I'm pc
sent from my dhd
Thanks for the info. I rooted my roommate's Inspire using the AAHK on the day she got it. It ended up being a little more time consuming than using REVOlutionary to S-OFF my Aria the second time I rooted it*. I proceeded to put Android Revolution on the Inspire and she's a happy camper.
*The first time I rooted the Aria, which was the day I got it a year ago, I used UnrEVOked to root it. At the time there was no S-OFF possible.
Perspective for users of devices with locked bootloaders:
All dell devices are the equivilent of S-OFF/unprotected bootloader devices.
S-OFF, root, and custom are all seperate (but closely intertwined) concepts.
There are equivilents of superuser.zip for the nexus devices, as they ship either S-OFF or have
'fastboot oem lock/unlock' available to allow the user to S-ON or S-OFF at will.
Superuser.zip is equally valid on an already s-off'ed device that has a custom rec installed.
If your device can be officially S-OFFed and you install a custom recovery and use superuser.zip (or the device's equivilent form) you never have to touch a one click tool.
If your device is S-ON and there is no official way to S-OFF you must S-OFF it first, usually that requires making changes on it while it's on, which usually requires root. The only way to root a live device is though exploits in android, this is what one click tools do.
After having S-OFF'ed you can install a custom rec, and then it doesnt matter if you're rooted or not as you can install custom recs.
As long as you remain S-OFF'ed you never have to worry about rooting as custom recs/flashing zips completely bypasses android's security model.
This is the only reason that Android 3.0+ can be rooted, the ONLY ways to root 3.0+ is by rooting outside android. There are no known exploits in 3.0+ (and hence ICS devices are completely unrootable for the time being if S-ON) Every single 3.0+ device is rooted by either by superuser.zip or superboots (which are normal kernels that automatically install superuser.zip without needing a custom recovery)
The problem with superboots are that they are device AND rom specific, during the 2xx era for the s5 there were superboots available. But they had to be remade for every single version as flashing the wrong one will brick your device.
Most of the exploits used by one click tools are patched by 360, and I believe ALL exploits are patched in 4xx. Normally there are known vulnerabilities in 2.3.3, but Dell has added their own fixes to these seeing as it's one of the few devices running 2.3.3 that hasnt been updated to 2.3.4 or higher
Superuser.zip is version independant, and to a degree device independant. As long as it can mount your /system partition it can root it.
The S-ON/S-OFF terminiology is specific to HTC devices, but the concept is common to all android devices;
Dell = always S-OFF
HTC = dependant on device/carrier
Moto = mostly S-ON, some atrix's can be unlocked, xooms always unlocked
Samsung = usually S-OFF
'fastboot oem unlock' = sets S-OFF if allowed
'fastboot oem lock' = sets S-ON if allowed
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what things are or how they work together so I'm gonna try and build a post to explain some things. If i get any of this wrong, feel free to call me out and I'll correct it. I can generally be relied upon to make mistakes.
First let's start with the various things that you're gonna be hearing about or messing with on your phone.
Hboot or bootloader
This is pretty much the lowest level thing you're gonna mess with. This is what makes the phone boot up, and where you can flash all sorts of things like new hboots, kernels, and whole roms depending on how they are packaged. You can get here by either powering off your phone then powering on with volume down + power, or by selecting "reboot to bootloader" in most custom roms. If you've entered your hboot from a powered off state, you'll start in hboot, also known as the bootloader. The bootloader is where you will load ph98img.zip files, factory reset, boot to recovery, or enter fastboot. Fastboot is the section of the bootloader that will allow you to run fastboot commands from your PC/mac/whatever to load things like boot images, recovery images, return your phone to an s-on state, etc. It's a very powerful interface. From here you have menu options which will allow you to reboot, power off, or return to the bootloader.
If you've entered hboot from the adb reboot bootloader command or your custom rom, you will start in fastboot, and can enter the bootloader from here.
When entering the bootloader using either method, the first thing the phone will do is look for a PH98IMG.zip file. If it finds one, it will want to install it. You'll have the option of installing it, or rebooting. That's it. This is why you want to get rid of the ph98img.zip files from the root of your sd card once you've used them - if you pooch your rom, you're not getting into recovery or fastboot until you remove that file. If you can't boot your phone, you better hope you have another SD card or a micro sd card reader kicking around somewhere. You can boot into fastboot by powering off the phone, then powering it on by holding power and volume down keys at the same time.
A word of warning - this is one of the few places you can actually "brick" your phone. Don't mess around with installing hboots unless you are absolutely certain that you a) have a need and b) have an md5 checksum of the file and have verified that checksum on your own gear. Generally speaking, the only time you need to flash the hboot is when you are upgrading in some way, for example when going from GB to ICS.
Quick note - when people refer to the "SD card patch" they are referring to a patch that allows you to use the GB firmware with ICS roms. This is largely unneeded at this time, since the main purpose was for folks who wanted to run ICS roms without upgrading their hboot - there's no going backward with hboot unless you have s-off.
Radio files
this is how your phone works with the radio. you can brick your phone here, too, so always check md5 before installing, and ask yourself if you really need to be installing it. new radio versions are generally given the credit for things like increased signal strength, faster 3g/4g, better power consumption, etc. these are often paired with a kernel, as well.
Recovery
This is a software layer that you can flash to your phone that allows you to boot the phone into a utility state where you can install roms, flash things like patches or modifications, backup your rom/kernel, etc. When people refer to a nandroid backup, they are referring to a backup made here. It's a snapshot of your phone that lets you mess with things and restore back to that point in time should you screw something up. You pretty much can't brick your phone at this level - it's all just files and filesystems. You can also mount your SD card to reader mode for connection to a computer, do a factory reset of data, and a few other fun things like root your rom here. You should only root your rom if it is a stock rom that has not been rooted yet. Rooting a rooted rom will usually unroot your root so you don't have root.
There are a couple of different recoveries. The rezound community seems to use primarily amon-ra, which is what i use, but there is also clockwork recovery as well. Recovery is usually installed by booting your phone into fastboot and running the "fastboot flash recovery <recovery file>" command. Recovery can also be installed via the flash_image binary found in the RomManager package (ex: flash_image recovery amonra.img). This eliminates the need for fastboot altogether. Just need a terminal, root, and the flash_image binary.
Kernel
This is basically the primary component of an OS. The kernel is where a lot of the functionality of the phone are made or broken. the setting that prevents use of setcpu to change the way the CPU is governed is here. The thing that prevents bluetooth from working right on sense 4 roms? Kernel. Everyone is waiting eagerly for the ICS kernel source to be released so custom kernels can be made that resolve these issues and more. You can flash a kernel via recovery if you've done s-off to your phone, or via a ph98img.zip file in the bootloader. With s-off, kernels can also be backed up in recovery. The kernel is often given much of the credit or blame for the performance of your phone, overheating, etc.
Roms
Your phone's OS, sometimes incorrectly referred to as firmware. It's not - the firmware is the stuff we've already covered that can brick your phone. Think of your phone more as a tiny computer, with the rom being the distribution that you're using. This is pretty apt since it's basically linux, and just like linux, the actual OS is just files and partitions. Because the radio interface layer requires sense, the bulk of our roms are all based on sense roms, and all the functional ones are. Developers modify them to add features, remove bloat or sense components, or take sense roms from other phones and adapt them for our own. You install a rom through recovery.
Never claim to have "bricked" your phone when installing a rom. You can't, and doing so only points out that you don't really know how your phone works. This is embarrassing and best avoided when possible so jerks like me do not tell you what a n00b you are, and to go read threads like this one. Since you're here, we can assume that you've bothered to research things before asking stupid questions, so bravo! In all seriousness, you can no more brick your phone by messing up the rom than you'd brick your PC by screwing up your windows install. You can always start again from the beginning and reinstall. You might lose apps and settings, but this is the nature of the beast. Always nandroid before messing about, and you'll be fine. Nandroid is covered further later on.
RUUs
Strictly speaking, the things that we refer to as RUUs aren't. Everyone calls them that anyway, and I don't see it going away anytime soon. Technically, however, an RUU is HTC's Rom Updater Utility, and it's an executable that gets run on your PC, not something you load to SD card and flash in your bootloader. That said, RUU has come to mean factory signed software/firmware packages that are released by the manufacturer or leaked. They come in the form of a ph98img.zip file that can install pretty much anything - hboot, radio, kernel, rom, etc. What is installed varies from package to package.
Installing an ruu can only be accomplished on a phone that is currently not in an htc dev unlocked state, or a phone that has s-off. when installing one of these that includes an hboot, you'll need to reinstall recovery as well - installing a new hboot via RUU will always require this as the custom recovery is overwritten with the stock recovery.
If your phone has not yet had the s-off procedure done and you intend to do so, make sure the RUU you are about to install does not break the s-off exploit. Doing so will lock you into that RUU until the dev updates the exploit to work with the new hboot (if included in the RUU) or another RUU is released.
HTCdev
This is the method HTC gives us to unlock our phones. it allows us to install recoveries and roms, but not a lot else. you cannot downgrade your hboot or radio files with this, for example. you can install kernels via ph98img.zip file, but not through recovery. basically, it's HTC's way of letting us mess with our phones but without (hopefully) giving us enough control to brick them. this is considered better than nothing, but much less than ideal since you still don't have total control over what your phone does and how. doing this does essentially void your warranty, though to date there have been no confirmed reports of this affecting a return via either warranty or insurance.
With your phone in a stock state, you can apply only factory signed RUUs. Roms and kernels are closed to you, and you can move only forward with your radio and hboot, never backward.
With your phone in an HTCdev unlocked state, you can apply unsigned RUUs that contain a boot, system, and recovery image - all components must be present.
To get your phone into this state, visit HTCdev.com.
S-Off
This sets your security flag on the phone to off.Stock, your phone comes with this flag set to on. Our s-off method does it at the radio layer, and at this time is thought to be irreversible by update. It isn't, though - it's just unlikely because there are legitimate s-off phones out there. Still, it's always a good idea to wait to see if that shiny new RUU is gonna make your phone boring again before you install it. To be safe, wait for an RUU that has the hboot removed and just applies kernel, radio, and system files. You can turn it back on with fastboot should you wish, however. Htcdev unlocking, a bit of wire or a paperclip, and a decent set of timing is required for this. In my opinion it is best to do this once you are sure your phone does not have problems that require a warranty return, but it should be done before upgrading to new, untested OTAs/RUUs. There's always the chance that HTC will block the exploit that gives us this, at which point you're stuck until the devs figure out another way or someone comes up with some crazy method like the evo 3d guys. Many are nervous about this process, and for good reason. While the devs have done everything they can to make this bulletproof, it is best to enter into this mod with as much knowledge as possible, just like any other mod. It's also best to be relaxed, have an internet connection other than your phone, and not have anywhere you have to be right away in case things go like you don't expect. Should things go wrong, don't freak out. Ask questions. Many "bricked" phones have been restored with simple application of knowledge.
Things s-off does: Allows you to flash kernels from recovery, allows you to flash any hboot and radio you want. Lets you install any "ruu" you want with any combination of boot image, system, and recovery, rather than the entire package. Makes rom installation easier on devs due to kernel installation in recovery.
Many have scoffed at s-off, claiming it does nothing that unlocking doesn't do already. This isn't really the case, as we've all seen how important the ability to downgrade firmware and radios can be. Personally, I think of a phone with s-on in much the same way I think of eating steak through a trash bag. If you have the option not to, what the hell are you doing?
Things s-off does not do: magically turn your phone into an open platform to which devs will instantly flock to give you the aosp roms you believe yourself entitled to. What will do that? Glad you asked.
RIL - radio interface layer
Basically, the RIL is a driver for the radio - it lets the radio interface with the software running on the phone. This is a new problem that effects 4g phones. It sucks. Basically, your manufacturers (also verizon, but you can assume they don't want you to do anything other than pay them.) don't want you touching their precious radio chipset with your grubby little paws. We don't have source code, and they're not talking. Of course we already have software on our phone that has the RIL stuff we need, right? Yes... sort of. For any sense roms we want to use. This is why we don't have aosp. For aosp, one of three things needs to happen:
1) Manufacturers grow a soul and give us source in the form of a leak or they go mad and just release it. This is pretty much as likely as Verizon deciding that they are doing away with early termination fees.
2) Someone reverse engineers our RIL and makes their own RIL software. This is as likely as my wife developing new roms for her Incredible 2. The one she blames for her school's ****ty email server and wants to trade in for an iphone.
3) Someone develops an interim layer that translates aosp to sense and back again. This was done on the thunderbolt, but it was wonky. Certain individuals are confident that this will be easier done on ICS and are working on it. Some AOSP action would be pretty damn awesome, but don't expect it, demand it, or hold your breath for it. It's hard, and is going to require a very intense combination of skill, knowledge, and tenacity.
Now i know what you're thinking - the Nexus is a CDMA 4g phone and they can do whatever the hell they want. Do they have an open RIL? The answer is no. They have an aosp (Android Open Source Project) RIL though, which amounts to basically the same thing. If it is any consolation they can't have sense roms as a result. Those poor bastards, right? This is why many are torn between the Nexus and the Rezound. The Nexus is open and a dev's paradise - CM9, AOKP, MIUI, ****ty roms that some kid slapped a godawful theme on - it's all there. The Rezound has better radios, better screen, and better build quality (subjective) but no aosp. If you're reading this you've already chosen or had the choice made for you by verizon's $50 sale.
Fast Boot
But Derek, you say, you already talked about fastboot in the bootloader section. We get it. Nay nay. This is fast boot. Note the space. Basically, HTC roms include a tech that puts the phone into a hibernation state rather than powering off. You'll find it in the power menu. When this box is checked, your phone will go from powered off to your home screen in a very short period of time - 15 seconds on my phone, vs the normal 45 second boot time. If you pull the battery, you will have a normal boot time. Personally, I could take or leave this feature. I almost never shut my phone off, and when I do, I want it to actually shut off because i'm shutting it down because I need a cold boot. It's up to you how useful this feature is to you.
Perflock, CPU Frequency, and Governers
Many people have had poor experiences running the ICS leaks due to the CPU maxing out. The stock HTC kernel uses perflock, which constantly resets the frequency and scaling of your CPU. This means that the use of programs like setcpu or system tuner to change the min/max frequencies or governer of your CPU will cause it to essentially run in a state where it is either using the max frequency, or the minimum, without scaling up and down according to need. Some CPU monitoring apps will cause a similar reaction. The best way to avoid all this unpleasantness and get the best battery life out of your phone is to simply leave it be and let it do it's thing, because quite frankly you can't stop it anyway. If you absolutely must see what your CPU is doing, I have had good results with CPU Monitor by Coconuts. I still don't recommend keeping this active full time as I suspect it still impacts performance and battery life, but many do without any obvious adverse results. As a side note, the HTC kernel uses the On Demand governer, which steps up the CPU frequency quickly when needed and scales it back down slowly. Clearly, HTC's focus was on performance rather than battery life, here. Once kernel source for ICS is released, devs can build custom kernels which do not include perflock, and add other nice features as well like full power usb charging. Once this occurs, we will be free to use setcpu to scale our CPUs up or down to our hearts content and use whatever governer we like. Until then the best advice is simply to leave it alone.
I will be updating this and adding to it constantly. I'm not an expert, just an average user who is trying to put some useful info in the same place. Please shoot me a PM with suggestions/things I got wrong and I will update this post and credit you.
Contributors who have helped make this more accurate
scotty1223, esheesle
Section for General Education Type Things
Titanium Backup
Quite possibly the most useful software you will use on your rooted android device. Well worth buying. This software will allow you to backup pretty much everything on your phone to your sd-card, dropbox, box account, etc. It even lets you pull data from nandroid backups. This is the best way I know of to backup your apps and restore them when switching to a new rom. Not only do you not need to go digging through the my apps section of the play store to reinstall every damn app, you can restore with the data from the time of the backup. That means config for a lot of apps, game saves, etc. Note that most SMS apps and launchers will require you to use the backup included in their software, as Ti Backup doesn't grab these things. Forgot to backup your apps and data but made a nandroid backup? No problem. It can read your nandroid backup and pull those things right out of it.
It can also screw up your rom install to the point where you might as well factory reset, if you use it wrong. Basically, you never ever want to use it for anything other than apps you've installed from the app store and their data. Restoring system apps, unless you know what you're doing, is a bad idea. Restoring system data, no matter how tempting, is an even worse idea. It's very likely to screw you up. There are circumstances in which it may not do so, but if you are reading this and this is new info, you don't know them. Stay away. Most devs will outright tell you not to use it with their rom since people will inevitably ignore the warnings and do it anyway. It makes switching roms an absolute breeze though - I can switch roms and have my software setup exactly how it was before in less time than it takes to download a rom from Android Police. Granted, that's a good hour, but you get what I'm saying. It's a huge time saver. Backup your user apps and data, but touch system apps or data at your own peril.
What to do if you think you're bricked
Step 1: Chill out and slow down. Seriously. Unless your phone isn't doing anything at all when powered up, it's probably recoverable. Double check your MD5 sums before pushing things like hboots and radios, and you should be OK. If you've screwed up the s-off process, make a post describing exactly what you've done and how, then wait for responses. Do not demand them. You can also join #juopunutbear on freenode, where the devs hang out. They're not always right there, but I've seen them help dozens of people out of some sticky places, and they'll help you if they can. They really know their stuff.
For general Rezound problems, you can join #rezound on andirc.net. There's usually some knowledgable guys hanging out there, willing to help. Remember, the very best thing you can do is take the time to gather enough knowledge to be confident that the steps you are going to take to fix the phone are the right ones, and why. Flipping out about your "bricked" phone and throwing anything you can at it is much more likely to make things worse, and annoy the people trying to help you. For example, if you are s-on and in a state where you need to reinstall a stock RUU package, you only have as many chances to get it right as there are newer RUUs than what is on your phone already. If you don't know enough about things to know what is wrong and why, you're not terribly likely to know the best way to fix it. Keep calm and carry on.
What will installing this ______ do to my phone? What do I need to do to install them?
Now that we have s-off and all these new ICS leaks, we've all gotten a bit flash happy. This has led many to ask what they can install, how, and what needs to be done. I'll try and address as much of this as I can by talking about the different states your phone might be in.
Totally stock - You have only one choice. You can install the full RUU, or not. That means you're getting whatever radio, hboot, kernel, and rom come with that RUU. Once you've installed that RUU, you can't install anything but a newer RUU after that. Remember that with RUUs, you need to reboot twice - there are two installation steps in hboot that require a reboot in between. Note that some RUUs will wipe your SD card. Nice of them, isn't it?
HTCDev unlocked - You can install kernels via hboot, a custom recovery via fastboot or hboot if packaged, and custom roms. If you want to install new radio files or an hboot, then you'll want to make a nandroid backup in recovery, relock your phone, and install the RUU via hboot. You cannot install the RUU without relocking first. You can then unlock your phone via HTCdev again, flash recovery, and restore from your nandroid backup. Like a totally stock phone, you can only go forward with hboot and radios, never backward. You have more options than the stock guys, but are still limited. But you also can't brick your phone. Again, some RUUs will wipe your SD card.
S-off - You can do anything you want. Flash any radio or hboot you want. Flash any kernel you like. If a new RUU comes out and you want to try it, just install it. You'll need to reinstall recovery, but that's it. Want to use the new leak's radio and kernel but not the rom itself? Flash 'em. But for the love of god, check the MD5 checksum before you flash. Apps like root explorer will let you see the MD5 of a file right from your phone's SD card. Flashing a bad radio or hboot can brick your phone. With great power comes great responsibility. Flashing hboot, kernels, and radio files do not require you to factory reset your device, nor will they do so. It is advisable to clear your cache and dalvik cache in recovery after installing a new kernel, but that will not affect the data on your device.
So let's say you've got s-off, and you're running a rom you like, but you want that new radio, hboot, and kernel. First, don't touch the hboot unless you have a reason to. That's a risk that you don't need to take most of the time. To flash the radio, find someone who has extracted the radio and repackaged it into a PH98IMG.zip that contains just the radio. Copy it to your SD card, check the MD5, and flash via hboot. To install the kernel, either grab it from someone who has packaged it, or pull the boot.img from the RUU zip. Check your md5, boot your phone to fastboot, and run:
fastboot flash boot <path to boot.img file>
You need fastboot on your PC, of course. Also, bear in mind that with a new kernel on an older rom, you may need to apply patches to make everything work properly, like wifi. Devs will generally release these patches and post them. Simply copy them to your SD card and install in recovery.
Where are all these files?
The Dev section. Go in there, and poke around. It doesn't take long after a leak is released to see that leak taken apart, rooted, deodexed, stripped of its kernel and radio files, etc. Read what people are saying, and asking. Generally, the first post will be updated to have everything you need, but the thread may have what you're looking for as well. What you don't want to do is ask where things are when the same question has been asked several times over already, often three pages back. Sometimes things can be hard to find, but it's good to make the effort. The community will be better for it.
What's a rooted rom? Deodexed? Busybox? Zipalign?
Rooted is fairly self explanatory. It's the process of packaging a superuser app with a rom that will allow you to operate your phone with root access. You'll need this for the good stuff like removing bloat, installing most wireless tethering apps, ad blockers, titanium backup, etc. Verizon wishes you wouldn't do this, so you know it's awesome.
Deodexing basically removes an optimization, called odexing, that basically takes bits of an apk and puts them elsewhere for optimization purposes. Deodexing packages everything back into the apk so you can use different apks without fear of conflicting code, etc. This is what makes a lot of mods possible.
Busybox provides several stripped down versions of unix tools in a single package. A lot of things like titanium backup depend on this. Generally when someone roots a rom they also busybox it.
A zipaligned rom is a rom that has had its application packages optimized for quick access by aligning them on 4 byte boundaries. This allows android to access resources without having to explicitly read them. You don't necessarily need to understand this one - just think of it as being optimized.
Contributions are appreciated and will be credited in the main post. In the interest of keeping this thread clean without a million different versions of the OP, please edit your post down to a basic "suggestions added" or something similar once I've noted your additions. That way things stay readable and don't confuse the readers. Ideally, a PM would be best, leaving the comments free for questions and the like. My goal is to jam as much knowledge in this thread as I can, and I'll continue working on it as I see new questions that commonly pop up.
tspderek said:
I literally meant the phrase "suggestions sent." i would prefer PMs or cleaned up posts after suggestions are included in the original post for cleanliness' sake and to keep down redundant info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so,in other words,youd like your posts,followed by no posts,or "thanks" posts,with no real discussion.
my only issue with that,is simply any of us are capable of sending suggestions that are not correct,or that are correct but an opinion. are you filtering somehow what you add? or just adding everything everyone sends?
its your thread,ill accept your request,but i personally would like to see everyones personal contributions and how you incorporate them.
readers should be smart enuff to seperate the first 3 information posts from the rest of the discussions. my 2 cents
I literally meant the phrase "suggestions sent." i would prefer PMs or cleaned up posts after suggestions are included in the original post for cleanliness' sake and to keep down redundant info.
..
Khayos said:
Suggestion: Sticky! (then delete me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's been sticky since about an hour after it was written last night...
Thank you for writing this. It should be a requirement to read this before someone can post again.
Thanks for this! I was just thinking that this is getting REALLY confusing...I appreciate the Primer!
tspderek said:
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what things are or how they work together so I'm gonna try and build a post to explain some things. ...
<snip>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had been contemplating a post to ask questions that this addresses; for myself, it is very timely as well as very helpful.
I've seen terms in the forum used interchangeably that really are not, and this helps clarify that. Consistent use of terminology could go a long way to help with the abundance of questions and misunderstandings that exist.
Again, many thanks.
Nice post. Thanks!
I was waiting for the OTA to go official before even thinking about s-off but now you got me thinkin' about it.
If the OTA is good but I just want it de-oxed and de-bloated should I bother with S-Off?
My Dinc was so easy with UnRevoked, wish this one was as easy as that!
my personal feeling is that i like my phone to have s-off, so i can use the radio that works best for me and have full control of my phone. if i've already voided the warranty with htcdev, then why not? it's not a difficult process if you research and prepare everything ahead of time. know the steps, have your tools ready, and you'll be fine. took me one try on my phone.
it's really up to you, though. it's your phone. there is a risk of bricking that isn't there with htcdev. it's low unless you make poor decisions or skip steps, but it does exist - that's what s-off does. it opens the door for you to help or hurt yourself.
Very Useful
This is very well written. I wish I had this when I started my journey with Android. This is my first post btw. Iv been doing this for about 6 months now and hate that i cant post in Developement section. But i appreciate the time it took to make this. Very nice!
Edit.. Second post. Fogot about the first one
Sweet, will be following this closely! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for posting this it helped clear a lot of things up for me. This is my first smartphone and so I'm still learning about this stuff. I think some people forget that not everyone understands all of the jargon. I'm learning more and more about what I can do everyday and this has certainly helped.
Installing RUU
tspderek said:
Installing an ruu can only be accomplished on a phone that is currently not in an htc dev unlocked state, or a phone that has s-off. when installing one of these that includes an hboot, you'll need to reinstall recovery as well - installing a new hboot via RUU will always require this as the custom recovery is overwritten with the stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tspderek said:
With your phone in a stock state, you can apply only factory signed RUUs. Roms and kernels are closed to you, and you can move only forward with your radio and hboot, never backward.
With your phone in an HTCdev unlocked state, you can apply unsigned RUUs that contain a boot, system, and recovery image - all components must be present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused. I am S-ON (scared of brick), bootloader unlocked, and running CleanROM Pro 4.3. I want to update to the newest firmware and then the newest version of CleanROM. Do I have to re-lock my bootloader in order to install ICS firmware? I'm looking at the 3.14.605.5 Ice Cream Sandwich ZIP RUU (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365654). How do I go about installing that?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
pumpkinsoftruth said:
I'm confused. I am S-ON (scared of brick), bootloader unlocked, and running CleanROM Pro 4.3. I want to update to the newest firmware and then the newest version of CleanROM. Do I have to re-lock my bootloader in order to install ICS firmware? I'm looking at the 3.14.605.5 Ice Cream Sandwich ZIP RUU (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365654). How do I go about installing that?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, you need to lock it back up then apply the ruu.
or, take the path of awesome, and s-off that bad boy. what i'd actually do is install the latest leak RUU, s-off from that platform, then install amon-ra and whatever rom you want. that way your bootloader will already be upgraded, and your radio files. as new leaks come out you'll be able to apply radio files and kernels independently.
tspderek said:
yes, you need to lock it back up then apply the ruu.
or, take the path of awesome, and s-off that bad boy. what i'd actually do is install the latest leak RUU, s-off from that platform, then install amon-ra and whatever rom you want. that way your bootloader will already be upgraded, and your radio files. as new leaks come out you'll be able to apply radio files and kernels independently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so...
1. Re-lock Bootloader
2. Install latest RUU
3. Unlock Bootloader and Root
4. S-OFF
5. Install Amon-RA
6. Install ROM
Sounds simple enough. Thanks.
Ok so I've taken your advice and removed setcpu and installed the one recommended in the post however is there any way to also monitor battery temp that won't interfere with things the same way setcpu does?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
pumpkinsoftruth said:
Ok, so...
1. Re-lock Bootloader
2. Install latest RUU
3. Unlock Bootloader and Root
4. S-OFF
5. Install Amon-RA
6. Install ROM
Sounds simple enough. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 4.5, install the patched hboot they offer you!
Well, I've pretty much had it with this latest update (ATT, 4.5.145). I'd like to go back to .141 as its easily rootable. My Atrix is boot unlocked, and I have no interest in the custom ROMs. I dont have squat on the phone I need to keep, so I can blow the whole thing away as needed. I have the latest USB drivers and RSDlite ready to go.
I located the following ROM, and downloaded it... "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf", appears to be the correct one.
I've been reading and reading and reading on the forums here (i.e. I've searched a lot), but theres a lot of cross-info, its hard to tell whats applicable in some situations.
So the question....
Which HowTo/Method/Guide would be most appropriate for my situation? Or is there something that would prevent this back-rev?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
K
KetoSoi said:
Well, I've pretty much had it with this latest update (ATT, 4.5.145). I'd like to go back to .141 as its easily rootable. My Atrix is boot unlocked, and I have no interest in the custom ROMs. I dont have squat on the phone I need to keep, so I can blow the whole thing away as needed. I have the latest USB drivers and RSDlite ready to go.
I located the following ROM, and downloaded it... "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf", appears to be the correct one.
I've been reading and reading and reading on the forums here (i.e. I've searched a lot), but theres a lot of cross-info, its hard to tell whats applicable in some situations.
So the question....
Which HowTo/Method/Guide would be most appropriate for my situation? Or is there something that would prevent this back-rev?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never flash an SBF unless you have no other choice. Major hard brick risk.
In this section I have a stickied thread with the answers you need.
If your bootloader is still unlocked and you still have a custom recovery installed, flashing a fruit cake should work fine.
upndwn4par said:
Never flash an SBF unless you have no other choice. Major hard brick risk.
In this section I have a stickied thread with the answers you need.
If your bootloader is still unlocked and you still have a custom recovery installed, flashing a fruit cake should work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, I dont have much choice. Unless some one figures out what motorola/att did with 145 to completely screw root (its beyond my abilities), I need to press forward. If I brick it, I brick it. I'll use your sticky as my guide then, seems reliable.
Bootloader is unlocked, though I've never installed a 'custom recovery'. Looks like the various fruitcakes links are unavailable for download?
What is the advantage of the fruitcake version over the version I posted?
Thanks for the guidance
K
KetoSoi said:
At this point, I dont have much choice. Unless some one figures out what motorola/att did with 145 to completely screw root (its beyond my abilities), I need to press forward. If I brick it, I brick it. I'll use your sticky as my guide then, seems reliable.
Bootloader is unlocked, though I've never installed a 'custom recovery'. Looks like the various fruitcakes links are unavailable for download?
What is the advantage of the fruitcake version over the version I posted?
Thanks for the guidance
K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just sold mine but will look in PC history. My matrix was stock 4.5.145 and I rooted it. I remember failing a few methods till I found one that worked. If I figure out what I did I will post it for you. If not fruitcake is best way
KetoSoi said:
At this point, I dont have much choice. Unless some one figures out what motorola/att did with 145 to completely screw root (its beyond my abilities), I need to press forward. If I brick it, I brick it. I'll use your sticky as my guide then, seems reliable.
Bootloader is unlocked, though I've never installed a 'custom recovery'. Looks like the various fruitcakes links are unavailable for download?
What is the advantage of the fruitcake version over the version I posted?
Thanks for the guidance
K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference between what you posted (an SBF) and what I suggest (a fruit cake) is that an SBF is full stock firmware (bootloader, boot, system, radio, etc). It is the bootloader that causes the problems. Flashing an SBF is a crap shoot. You might do it 10 times without a problem, and the 11th time you hard brick your device. By hard brick I mean hard brick = your device is now a paperweight.
A fruitcake is essentially the same as a custom ROM. You are only flashing the boot and system images. This is always the best option for returning to stock.
However, you are in a different situation - uncharted waters so to speak. No one knows what to expect from 145. And since you don't have a custom recovery installed (CWM, TWRP, etc.) you can't just flash a fruit cake like you would flash a ROM. You should be able to use the fastboot method to flash the fruit cake, but again...uncharted waters.
I suggest trying the following in this order based on your current situation (options 1 and 2 assume you do in fact have an unlocked bootloader):
1) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then try to flash the zip I posted on my rooting guide thread. If this works you will have rooted 145.
2) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then flash the 141 fruit cake I made.
3) Fastboot flash the boot and system fruitcake images.
All the files and info you need can be found on my "Answers" thread and my rooting guide.
Do not flash an SBF until all else has failed. Let me know how things go with the above before you even consider this.
Edit:
Before you try any of the above, did you try UnlockRoot? It may work.
upndwn4par said:
A fruitcake is essentially the same as a custom ROM. You are only flashing the boot and system images. This is always the best option for returning to stock.
I suggest trying the following in this order based on your current situation (options 1 and 2 assume you do in fact have an unlocked bootloader):
1) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then try to flash the zip I posted on my rooting guide thread. If this works you will have rooted 145.
2) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then flash the 141 fruit cake I made.
3) Fastboot flash the boot and system fruitcake images.
All the files and info you need can be found on my "Answers" thread and my rooting guide.
Do not flash an SBF until all else has failed. Let me know how things go with the above before you even consider this.
Edit:
Before you try any of the above, did you try UnlockRoot? It may work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understood, thanks for the explanation.
UnlockRoot couldnt gain root access
I will attempt your suggestions Thanks very much for the guidance, its invaluable
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1769497.
I am pretty sure this is the method I used to root 4.5.145 before I sold it
KetoSoi said:
Unless some one figures out what motorola/att did with 145 to completely screw root ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I hear, the only thing that Moto "screwed up" (I wouldn't really call it that) is that on .145 they filled up /system. That is actually trivial to resolve - delete a few apps from /system/app that you don't need/want (you can install them later if you want to, some can live happily on /data) and - this is crucial - wipe /preinstall, since that is what fills up /system. If you don't wipe /preinstall, just deleting apps from /system will only last until next boot. Or, well, you don't need to wipe /preinstall, you can just flash the rooting preinstall image.
upndwn4par said:
Let me know how things go with the above before you even consider this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to flash CWM Recovery no problem. I was able to flash your superuser zip as well, however it did not root the system. All indicators showed it as being successful, but ultimately it was a no-go.
At that point I flashed your fruitcake 141 images, good to go there. I then applied the preinstall method, and viola, rooted again.
I am good to go, thanks to your knowledge and skills Thank you!
Now, all I have to do is email a scan of my middle finger to motorola/att.... lol
ravilov said:
From what I hear, the only thing that Moto "screwed up" (I wouldn't really call it that) is that on .145 they filled up /system. That is actually trivial to resolve - delete a few apps from /system/app that you don't need/want (you can install them later if you want to, some can live happily on /data) and - this is crucial - wipe /preinstall, since that is what fills up /system. If you don't wipe /preinstall, just deleting apps from /system will only last until next boot. Or, well, you don't need to wipe /preinstall, you can just flash the rooting preinstall image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried several variations of what youre refering to, however it was to no avail.
I went as far as to delete several useless items (apps) out of the dir, the free space indicated never changed. The amount I removed was more that enough copy su in... yet, it always reports not enough space.
I tried an experiment. I renamed the 'fake' su (always zero bytes) in the bin dir to 'su.old'. Within 30 seconds, *something* renamed it back to 'su', happened right in front of my eyes in Root Explorer.
When you say 'wipe preinstall', specifically you mean?
KetoSoi said:
I tried several variations of what youre refering to, however it was to no avail.
I went as far as to delete several useless items (apps) out of the dir, the free space indicated never changed. The amount I removed was more that enough copy su in... yet, it always reports not enough space.
I tried an experiment. I renamed the 'fake' su (always zero bytes) in the bin dir to 'su.old'. Within 30 seconds, *something* renamed it back to 'su', happened right in front of my eyes in Root Explorer.
When you say 'wipe preinstall', specifically you mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's just bizarre. Not sure what to think here.
I meant something like
Code:
moto-fastboot erase preinstall
KetoSoi said:
I was able to flash CWM Recovery no problem. I was able to flash your superuser zip as well, however it did not root the system. All indicators showed it as being successful, but ultimately it was a no-go.
At that point I flashed your fruitcake 141 images, good to go there. I then applied the preinstall method, and viola, rooted again.
I am good to go, thanks to your knowledge and skills Thank you!
Now, all I have to do is email a scan of my middle finger to motorola/att.... lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome!
I really don't understand why the superuser zip did not give you root access.
Moreover, I don't understand why some users seem to be able to root 145.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this device has always been a PITA.
upndwn4par said:
Awesome!
I really don't understand why the superuser zip did not give you root access.
Moreover, I don't understand why some users seem to be able to root 145.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this device has always been a PITA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very odd some cannot root. I was on permalocked bootloader and still rooted after soak
Its sad, because the 145 update seemed like it made the phone a little snappier, and the screen was a pinch smoother.
What do you guys think about applying the CWM Zip for update 4.5.145 in my situation? Would that be safer?
Uh oh.... you guys ran away! LOL
I was able to flash the 145 update via CWM from NYG-SBXLII's handy zip file
No real problems, 145 running fine WITH root intact. Awesome
Had to blow away the recovery-from-boot.p file afterwards, and re-flash CWM Recovery, but it was all good.
Updated SU and bin's, good to go.
affiatic said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1769497.
I am pretty sure this is the method I used to root 4.5.145 before I sold it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked for me too with 4.5.145, followed it exactly and had no problems. Thanks!
KetoSoi said:
Well, I've pretty much had it with this latest update (ATT, 4.5.145). I'd like to go back to .141 as its easily rootable. My Atrix is boot unlocked, and I have no interest in the custom ROMs. I dont have squat on the phone I need to keep, so I can blow the whole thing away as needed. I have the latest USB drivers and RSDlite ready to go.
I located the following ROM, and downloaded it... "1FF-olympus-user-2.3.6-4.5.141-111212-release-keys-signed-ATT-US-GAS_NA_OLPSGBATTSPE_P012.sbf", appears to be the correct one.
I've been reading and reading and reading on the forums here (i.e. I've searched a lot), but theres a lot of cross-info, its hard to tell whats applicable in some situations.
So the question....
Which HowTo/Method/Guide would be most appropriate for my situation? Or is there something that would prevent this back-rev?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.
K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you unlock the bootloader for firmware 4.5.145? I've been looking everywhere on how to do it safely!
upndwn4par said:
The difference between what you posted (an SBF) and what I suggest (a fruit cake) is that an SBF is full stock firmware (bootloader, boot, system, radio, etc). It is the bootloader that causes the problems. Flashing an SBF is a crap shoot. You might do it 10 times without a problem, and the 11th time you hard brick your device. By hard brick I mean hard brick = your device is now a paperweight.
A fruitcake is essentially the same as a custom ROM. You are only flashing the boot and system images. This is always the best option for returning to stock.
However, you are in a different situation - uncharted waters so to speak. No one knows what to expect from 145. And since you don't have a custom recovery installed (CWM, TWRP, etc.) you can't just flash a fruit cake like you would flash a ROM. You should be able to use the fastboot method to flash the fruit cake, but again...uncharted waters.
I suggest trying the following in this order based on your current situation (options 1 and 2 assume you do in fact have an unlocked bootloader):
1) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then try to flash the zip I posted on my rooting guide thread. If this works you will have rooted 145.
2) Fastboot flash a custom recovery, then flash the 141 fruit cake I made.
3) Fastboot flash the boot and system fruitcake images.
All the files and info you need can be found on my "Answers" thread and my rooting guide.
Do not flash an SBF until all else has failed. Let me know how things go with the above before you even consider this.
Edit:
Before you try any of the above, did you try UnlockRoot? It may work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello, ive been using 4.5.145 and was unable to root it, the problem with mine is that when I try to use the preinstall method it chokes when i type the "cp /preinstall/su /system/bin/... there was a message cp write error: no space left on device.. I have tried everything (almost) to root it but was unlucky.. then i saw this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2153422 ... i wanna try your suggestion but cant find the zip file in suggestion 1 and the 141 fruitcake you made on suggestion 2 and cant find file on option 3.. please do help me.. I have unlocked bootloader and have rom racers cwm.. thank you and more power..
Maybe the problem is that I don't know how to properly ask for what I want/need. First off, I am new, so let's pretend I know nothing about modding phones. Second, what I am trying to achieve is the following:
Marshmallow OS or newer (I have lollipop and I highly dislike it)
Complete removal of all AT&T software/bloatware from my M8
Ability to try out different ROMs (are those the same thing as operating systems?) like cyanogenmod.
Those are the highlights to my endgame.
I have found there are several steps to this, and it seems like each step has at least one prerequisite or sub-step and I get overwhelmed when reading up on how to achieve the above goals. Feels like I'm doing taxes for a poorly run business. Apparently I need TWRP on my phone. No clue why or what it does. In order to install it, I need to have root access or a previous version of TWRP already installed, or I need to install the SDK tools package, and from that, only install fastboot and adb. Then after that I need to already have some type of drivers on my PC for that to be useful. Like I said, it is overwhelming to someone who does not know all of the lingo. Especially when I know that if I mess up at certain intervals, I could very well turn my phone into a shiny paperweight or small cocaine tray. Anywhere I have read up on this, when it says download/install _______, I cannot determine whether that means download/install on my PC, or on my phone, bc it doesn't specifically say what goes where in every instance. To make matters more difficult, I do not have an internet connection other than on my phone. Anything that needs to go on my PC, I have to download it to my phone first, then transfer it over, then install it. I asked once for a step by step tutorial or a link to one, and I was given something that was just as confusing as what I have already found. These tutorials seem to be written for ppl who know a lot by ppl who know a lot. I am not one of those ppl. I am a green noob, still wet behind the ears. I apologize in advance for not knowing, but I am just not at the level where I can guess which things go where and If I temporarily render my phone unusable, I won't be able to easily go online to find the fix, nor will I be able to download anything else, if needed. Would greatly help me if I had a list of ingredients needed before I begin, and a sequence, much like a recipe for a cake. Again, I apologize for not knowing, and I'm sure all of you reading this were, at one point, uneducated on the matter. Thank you for any advice and/or reading my TL/DR post.
See my responses below, in red font:
Damagj said:
Apparently I need TWRP on my phone. No clue why or what it does. In order to install it,
TWRP is a custom recovery, and what that is, is explained in "that" thread I linked you to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2744194
Think of TWRP as a kind of small installer program and backup/recovery tool. You need it to flash custom ROMs, and you can also use it to backup the current ROM. It's not used within the Android OS, but rather you can boot into it separately. Which is obviously handy, if for whatever reason you can't boot to Android OS, and need to "recover" (restore the OS).
I need to have root access or a previous version of TWRP already installed, or I need to install the SDK tools package, and from that, only install fastboot and adb. Then after that I need to already have some type of drivers on my PC for that to be useful.
Don't go by the install instructions on the TWRP website, they are not device specific (to the M8) and may misguide you (every Android device has it's own nuances).
To install TWRP, you need to unlock the bootloader. The bootloader is "locked" by default, which by definition means you cannot install a custom recovery. The following is a good step-by-step guide to unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery. Note, that you do not need to root, in order to install TWRP, or flash a custom ROM. So stop before you get to the step of root (flash SuperSU). Also, the version of TWRP you install should be current (3.1) or alternately 2.8.7 (which is a known "old reliable) version).
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2799796
Like I said, it is overwhelming to someone who does not know all of the lingo. Especially when I know that if I mess up at certain intervals, I could very well turn my phone into a shiny paperweight or small cocaine tray.
No, you actually can't. Your fear of bricking the phone (permanent damage) is unfounded. As with s-on, this phone is nearly impossible to brick. The phone is fully recoverable even if you screw up; since for what you describe, you are only touching a limited number of partitions (system which is the OS, and recovery). As long as you don't mess with "critical" partitions like hboot and radio, you can't actually brick this phone. And those partitions are actually protected, and you can't modify them even if you wanted, unless you s-off. So all the more reason to stay s-on, as I described in the other thread you posted in here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74107487&postcount=100
To make matters more difficult, I do not have an internet connection other than on my phone. Anything that needs to go on my PC, I have to download it to my phone first, then transfer it over, then install it.
but I am just not at the level where I can guess which things go where and If I temporarily render my phone unusable, I won't be able to easily go online to find the fix, nor will I be able to download anything else, if needed.
That part is difficult. While possible, doing what you describe is somewhat risky with no other device for internet. At some point, it's almost inevitable for anyone tinkering these phones, that something will go wrong. Either you forget a step, or you can't boot for no mistake of your own, at all. Even having done this stuff for years, it still happens to be, once in a while. It just happens. So without a way to ask for help, or download files, you can get stuck in a bad jam. You'll need to have some backup plan, even if it's a friend or family, letting you use their computer as a last resort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stick with it. Keep reading up, and trying to learn the basic terms, concepts, tools, and methods. I know it seems overwhelming, but it will all start to make sense. You really can't (and shouldn't) try doing these things, until you have some basic understanding. You wouldn't ask someone to tell you how to tear the engine out of a car, without knowing how any tools work, or what any of the parts of the car are called.
I would also suggest you refer to my (AT&T M8) index thread. It has a lot of links and basic info, you may find useful: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2751432