Difference between safestrap and twrp? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4

I am wanting to update my phone, but from what I can see there isn't a huge difference between these 2.
Currently I have twrp installed and unlocked bootloader but I am trying to see what I would lose to get the update.

First, you don't have an unlocked bootloader. You have an exploit of the bootloader that is loki patched to allow a custom recovery. The updates (ME7 and MJ7) have patched that exploit.
You can't put TWRP (custom recovery on your phone if you take any update. The new bootloader will not allow you to flash a custom recovery.
So, what safestrap does is allows the bootloader to boot and check all signatures and the stock recovery to make sure its the only one and it hijacks the bootloader after it sees what it is supposed to see. Then it enters into a recovery (safestrap) basically on top of the existing recovery. The problem with Safestrap is your current ROM is still there taking up space on the phone and you have to use the remaining phone memory to load up other ROMS. The other issue is without Kexec you can't flash and run any kernel but the stock kernel which means only stock ROMs and no ROMs like CM or any AOSP ROMs.
So I would say it all depends on what you want or expect from rooting your device. Just clearing some bloat and you like TW ROMs or do you want to have full control to use any ROMs and any kernels.
Point is... if you ask me, there is no way if you're on MDK should you ever take an OTA. They will port over the new update soon enough as it is. The problem is you can't have any other bootloader on your phone but MDK if you want a true custom recovery.

I don't install anything but stock roms anyway, but I'm hesitant since there is no going back.

Eric214 said:
First, you don't have an unlocked bootloader. You have an exploit of the bootloader that is loki patched to allow a custom recovery. The updates (ME7 and MJ7) have patched that exploit.
You can't put TWRP (custom recovery on your phone if you take any update. The new bootloader will not allow you to flash a custom recovery.
So, what safestrap does is allows the bootloader to boot and check all signatures and the stock recovery to make sure its the only one and it hijacks the bootloader after it sees what it is supposed to see. Then it enters into a recovery (safestrap) basically on top of the existing recovery. The problem with Safestrap is your current ROM is still there taking up space on the phone and you have to use the remaining phone memory to load up other ROMS. The other issue is without Kexec you can't flash and run any kernel but the stock kernel which means only stock ROMs and no ROMs like CM or any AOSP ROMs.
So I would say it all depends on what you want or expect from rooting your device. Just clearing some bloat and you like TW ROMs or do you want to have full control to use any ROMs and any kernels.
Point is... if you ask me, there is no way if you're on MDK should you ever take an OTA. They will port over the new update soon enough as it is. The problem is you can't have any other bootloader on your phone but MDK if you want a true custom recovery.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for this explanation.
I am also on MDK and don't intend to give that up. I am wondering if there is anything preventing me from using safestrap recovery on top of my custom recovery as a way to quickly switch between roms without backup and restore each time? In my nexus days, there was an app called boot manager - I believe - that allowed me to choose the rom slot just by a reboot. I would like to do this with a couple - 3 roms because I have a flash addiction but don't want my phone out of commission for 30 min or so while I backup and restore any time I want to switch.

Safestrap
Safestrap is cooler.

dowens9603 said:
Safestrap is cooler.
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Click to collapse
Why?
While I agree that dual/triple/quadruple booting is kind of cool in certain scenarios, it's silly for a lot of people, especially because of the space limitations. I swapped my ME7 for an MDK at the retailer after I realized that I was stuck with TW ROMs only. Now I've got TWRP and CM installed and am much happier.

32BitWhore said:
Why?
While I agree that dual/triple/quadruple booting is kind of cool in certain scenarios, it's silly for a lot of people, especially because of the space limitations. I swapped my ME7 for an MDK at the retailer after I realized that I was stuck with TW ROMs only. Now I've got TWRP and CM installed and am much happier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL safestrap is not cooler. You can't change and use Custom Kernels and you are booting a ROM on top of the stock rom you have so you lose even more internal phone memory. Safestrap is great for those that took any OTA to be able to use SOME Custom ROMs.

Related

Advice on what to do from .91

Sorry for making a new thread but I'm lost after so many posts. So my AT&T Atrix is running a mostly stock 4.5.91, is rooted, and I don't believe the bootloader is unlocked (it doesn't say so when i boot it). My phone is so buggy and slow at times and takes 14 minutes to boot up after turning it on.
So in short I think I would like to upgrade to .141 (if you think that would help me), but I've been unable to OTA because I'm missing some bloatware. Or would you suggest unlocking the bootloader, trying fruitcake or putting a custom rom on it (and what rom would you suggest).
Thanks!
OTA usually fails because of unlocked bootloader (more likely) and/or rooted OS (less likely). If your superuser.apk supports temp unroot, try that. Otherwise yeah, if you want to stick with the stock I think fruitcakes are your best bet. Or you could unlock the bootloader and flash custom recovery and then try CM7 or any other ROM based on it. There are also blur-based ROMs available. Guess you'll just have to play and see what works for you.
ravilov said:
OTA usually fails because of unlocked bootloader (more likely) and/or rooted OS (less likely). If your superuser.apk supports temp unroot, try that. Otherwise yeah, if you want to stick with the stock I think fruitcakes are your best bet. Or you could unlock the bootloader and flash custom recovery and then try CM7 or any other ROM based on it. There are also blur-based ROMs available. Guess you'll just have to play and see what works for you.
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Click to collapse
Okay thanks I'll try fruitcakes first and see how it goes. And I was able to get an error log (I have no clue how) for the OTA and it said it was my dock apk, but I had tried a fix for it for hdmi mirroring

[Q] Safestrap on unlocked bootloader

My phone boot loader is unlocked .installed twrp but I want to use safestrap. I like custom rom but only for tweaking .. so I wanna still use stock rom for normal use.as far as I am read, the only way is safestrap but can't be installed on my samsung galaxy note 3. So is there anyway I can achieve this?? Please. Tell me if possible. I would appreciate it.or is there any other way for using multi rom (2nd rom on sd card or internal) ?? Model no. Sm-n900. I know the credit goes Hashcode. Can't I just get safestrap recovery img, zip, tar anything .Just like normal custom recoveries.or can someone backup recovery.img and upload. Does it work that way? I have the firmware file so I can simply restore it. Just in case of _____.I also have backup.
Looks like you are out of luck. Doesn't seem like any developers have taken it upon themselves to get any dual or multi-boot options working. Only thing would be just do to nandroids to switch between. Not the best option, but better than no option.
es0tericcha0s said:
Looks like you are out of luck. Doesn't seem like any developers have taken it upon themselves to get any dual or multi-boot options working. Only thing would be just do to nandroids to switch between. Not the best option, but better than no option.
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I thought it is possible cuz even on locked bootloaders its possible. So why not on unlocked ones.if any developer, think of this try to make this it can be easily done. I think...
Sure, theorectically it's possible as there have been a handful of Samsung devices that can dual boot with the help of a custom kernel, but I couldn't find anything, here or otherwise. that they have for the N3.

[Q] Damaged Recovery Partition / How to repair or replace

Greetings.
My recovery function is completely broken on my phone.
My Galaxy S4 is rooted, was on latest CM with CWM recovery installed. All was well... until I issued a shell command I saw on-line in a dev conf, 'dd' with parameters, and the recovery partition no longer boots. Device is functional expect for recovery mode. Attempts to go into recovery mode just dump into ODIN with "Cannot boot normally" line. Normal boots are fine. ODIN does work but attempt to write any recovery programs just fail.
I have since installed a number of recovery items like CWM, TWRP and even one for locked bootloaders, and all say they installed but none of them work. I am able to use ABD without issue and I have switched back to the Samsung stock rom (rooted) until I get this addressed.
I have not been able to locate a way using ABD to reinstall the recovery partition.
My guess is that the 'dd' command I executed changed the load point for the recovery partition or damaged something in the partition. I need to know how to completely reinstall (format I guess) the partition to make it usable again.
This one is a stumper. I have used rooted phones and customer ROMs for years and as you know without recovery you are pretty much stuck. I want to go back to using CM but it updates a lot and I can't install any updates.
Any help is most appreciated.
Using Odin to go back to the stock firmware should overwrite whatever you did to the recovery partition. As far as the 'dd' commands go, it depends on which variant of the S4 you have, which is probably where you messed up at. The Exynos versions and Snapdragon models have the recovery partition in different spots.
(i9505) dd if=/sdcard/recoveryfilename.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21
(i9500) dd if=/sdcard/recoveryfilename.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p10
Thank you.. that makes sense. I will reload if necessary.
Question.... Do you think I could reissue the correct DD command for my phone?
I have the US Verizon version of the I545. I don't know how to find that, but I have nothing to lose I guess.
bthye said:
Thank you.. that makes sense. I will reload if necessary.
Question.... Do you think I could reissue the correct DD command for my phone?
I have the US Verizon version of the I545. I don't know how to find that, but I have nothing to lose I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would use the one for the Snapdragon/LTE version - i9505 though since you have a Verizon version - that explains it. The bootloader is locked unless you're still on an older 4.2.2 update and took the steps to keep it unlocked while upgrading.
es0tericcha0s said:
You would use the one for the Snapdragon/LTE version - i9505 though since you have a Verizon version - that explains it. The bootloader is locked unless you're still on an older 4.2.2 update and took the steps to keep it unlocked while upgrading.
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Ok, this is all starting to make sense now. I think I did use the wrong one, killed the recovery partition, then when I upgraded to the latest stock it locked the bootloader. What a mess! I see now why I had so much trouble finding info on this. This would be a pretty rare problem.
I will reload everything, but am I stuck with a locked bootloader again? ie No work around this time?
If so I will use one of the recoveries designed for locked. I used on prior and it worked fine.
My goal is to get back to the latest CM and be able to update often.
My thanks again for the great assistance here!
bthye said:
Ok, this is all starting to make sense now. I think I did use the wrong one, killed the recovery partition, then when I upgraded to the latest stock it locked the bootloader. What a mess! I see now why I had so much trouble finding info on this. This would be a pretty rare problem.
I will reload everything, but am I stuck with a locked bootloader again? ie No work around this time?
If so I will use one of the recoveries designed for locked. I used on prior and it worked fine.
My goal is to get back to the latest CM and be able to update often.
My thanks again for the great assistance here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you updated via Odin to anything past 4.2.2 MDK, then you are really out of luck since it is not possible to load CM on locked bootloader / Safestrap recovery due to not being able to load custom kernels. I find Hyperdrive to be a good TouchWiz rom, if you don't have any other options.

[Q] Roll Back Moar

So I was upgraded to 4.5.2 but I got amazon to rollback to 13.3.2.7, now my question is how do I roll back to 13.3.2.3 so I can install twrp and CM11.
lol
DisgruntledUser said:
So I was upgraded to 4.5.2 but I got amazon to rollback to 13.3.2.7, now my question is how do I roll back to 13.3.2.3 so I can install twrp and CM11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you look around here at all lots and lots of people would like to know exactly that. I would not attempt to do any of the current rollback procedures I have not heard of any verified success only verified brick. Be patient and enjoy root and safestrap. Until they figure that one out.
repeat do not attempt unless you want to change your name to. ReallyDisgruntledUserNow
Additional Question
One more question now, because of the nature of safestrap where it is writing to artificial slots is it possible to flash this forums CM11, uninstall safestrap and just go on this way with CM11 or because it's not an actual boot loader unlock will it just be hardbricked(got this idea after reading another of your posts). I simply worry about the additional battery drain and emmc wear due to constant R/W, obviously emmc has gotten to be very dependable but it wears out and I hate corrupted data(like everyone) and I have no desire to ever return to this fireos if I get CM11 running.
DisgruntledUser said:
One more question now, because of the nature of safestrap where it is writing to artificial slots is it possible to flash this forums CM11, uninstall safestrap and just go on this way with CM11 or because it's not an actual boot loader unlock will it just be hardbricked(got this idea after reading another of your posts). I simply worry about the additional battery drain and emmc wear due to constant R/W, obviously emmc has gotten to be very dependable but it wears out and I hate corrupted data(like everyone) and I have no desire to ever return to this fireos if I get CM11 running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, or else it would've been done already. If you uninstall Safestrap, you lose access to anything you flashed on your alternative ROM slots.
only
DisgruntledUser said:
One more question now, because of the nature of safestrap where it is writing to artificial slots is it possible to flash this forums CM11, uninstall safestrap and just go on this way with CM11 or because it's not an actual boot loader unlock will it just be hardbricked(got this idea after reading another of your posts). I simply worry about the additional battery drain and emmc wear due to constant R/W, obviously emmc has gotten to be very dependable but it wears out and I hate corrupted data(like everyone) and I have no desire to ever return to this fireos if I get CM11 running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Nexus ROM is as close as you will get for now. Our current cm11 is not compatible and is built for a different kernel. If you are using a ROM slot it simply would not boot and would go back to safestrap after a hard reset. There have been a few people mistakenly flash it to their stock system and brick their device.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/help/hdx-long-term-damage-caused-running-t2998019 post 2
for the normal user you're not going to see any damage IMO from using safestrap..
I consider myself a crack flasher a person with a flashing problem and I have only experienced corrupted files or an ineffective recovery. few times and luckily been able to squirm out of major issues.
Last Question for now
jimyv said:
the Nexus ROM is as close as you will get for now. Our current cm11 is not compatible and is built for a different kernel. If you are using a ROM slot it simply would not boot and would go back to safestrap after a hard reset. There have been a few people mistakenly flash it to their stock system and brick their device.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/help/hdx-long-term-damage-caused-running-t2998019 post 2
for the normal user you're not going to see any damage IMO from using safestrap..
I consider myself a crack flasher a person with a flashing problem and I have only experienced corrupted files or an ineffective recovery. few times and luckily been able to squirm out of major issues.
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Pardon but how am I even supposed to flash nexus ROM, it says that it is based on the 13.3.2.4 kernel and I am on rolled back 13.3.2.7(Are the kernels the same or "close enough")
Also I assume the safestrap "[13.3.2.3.2 and later] " version is fully compatible with 13.3.2.7 and none of the fuses set by the 13.4.5.2 update mess it up
(sorry I ask so many questions but being informed is how I have avoided all bricks in the past)
well
DisgruntledUser said:
Pardon but how am I even supposed to flash nexus ROM, it says that it is based on the 13.3.2.4 kernel and I am on rolled back 13.3.2.7(Are the kernels the same or "close enough")
Also I assume the safestrap "[13.3.2.3.2 and later] " version is fully compatible with 13.3.2.7 and none of the fuses set by the 13.4.5.2 update mess it up
(sorry I ask so many questions but being informed is how I have avoided all bricks in the past)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read of people using the nexus rom when they were stuck on .7 with safestrap personally I no longer need safestrap.
to find out all you have to do is build a rom slot and flash it to it if it boots up set it up and use it, if it doesn't then you will have answered your question that's what is all about...the whole reason safestrap is the way it is. Is so you never touch your stock system involuntarily (SAFE).if you start reading the threads of the modifications you are interested in( the OP is not always updated with compatibility) you will discover many more of other people's experiences and gain a lot more knowledge rather just asking a few people that might stop in to this thread.
personally if I were to attempt to run the Nexus ROM on your device I would do a backup of my stock.build a ROM slot restore the backup to the rom slot , basic factory reset swype, apply Nexus ROM reboot.
but of course before I did anything I would go over and read at least the last 10 to 15 pages because that should cover the latest activity in development same goes with safestrap and discussion of current compatibility
once you have built something on the ROM slot you believe is stable and to your liking. Refer to last paragraph of above linked post. there are several places around here I have posted on additional files that you will want to delete after you uninstall safestrap that will save you gigabytes of storage. http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/help/amazon-rollback-to-13-3-2-7-t2993089 this thread was only a couple above yours.
I can confirm the nexus Rom works fine on 13.3.2.7 firmware I'm stuck there for now, so that's what I'm using.

NK1, OB6, OF1 testers wanted for NC4 back-booting trials

So, I cobbled together a (custom-recovery) flashable NC4 stock ROM.
I'm interested to find out whether it is possible to boot it successfully from later bootloader firmware - e.g. NK1, OB6, or OF1
(I'm still on NC4 bl and not planning on upgrading near term. It boots on NC4 bl but that's pretty obvious lol)
[size=+2]Q: Why would this be useful?
A: to provide a means for upgrading bootloader firmware without starting from scratch.[/size]
For instance, there are folks on OB6 firmware that would like to use a custom ROM that will only work on OF1 firmware. They can certainly start from scratch (backup and unload the entire device); an alternative would be to:
- Make a backup of an existing rooted ROM (that more than likely has a custom or modified boot image so is not bootable when the bootloader gets re-locked) using the currently-installed custom recovery (which will also be non-bootable under re-lock).
- Restore a (debloated) pure stock ROM w/ Samsung kernel. Root it with Towelroot (does not touch boot image)
- Flash replacement bootloader only in Odin. Locked bootloader = no custom recovery... but with a rooted stock ROM already in place with an unmodified stock kernel it can be immediately unlocked.
NC4 is easily rooted with Towelroot-v3 "on device". No need for PC drivers, online rooting tools with a separate PC, etc (e.g. as with Yemen rooting methods on OB6, OF1)
This approach in principle saves the need to backup everything up in the /sdcard - but you have to know in advance that the NC4 stock kernel and ROM can successfully be booted with later bootloaders.
So anyway, that's what I'm asking for help testing with - folks that are: (a) unlocked and (b) on NK1, OB6 or OF1 bootloader willing to try flashing a debloated NC4 Stock ROM using their existing custom recovery, and see if it boots, roots, and if root survives a single boot cycle.
Contact me via this thread or PM; I'll provide the flashable NC4 and the Towelroot .apk
.
my n900v came with 5.0 Of1 but i rooted, unlocked BL. installed twrp and flashfired NC4 tar minus recovery
runs smooth.I hate lollipop.lol
only bug is wifi password resets everytime i reboot
im curious as to why i have trouble running certain nc2/nc4 roms..some want to bootloop/freeze
baja,biggins,and objective rom
kernel issue maybe? or BL version
btw. i am rooted via towelroot v3
hotrod85z said:
my n900v came with 5.0 Of1 but i rooted, unlocked BL. installed twrp and flashfired NC4 tar minus recovery
runs smooth.I hate lollipop.lol
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Thank you for posting that, very useful/helpful information to know.
Does Flashfire understand the Samsung "sparse" image format of the system.img.ext4 file inside the Stock (Odin) .md5 tarfile blob? Or maybe somebody else packaged up a "flashable .zip" of NC4?
hotrod85z said:
only bug is wifi password resets everytime i reboot
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Click to collapse
in /system/build.prop, set ro.securestorage.support=false and reboot. You might also want to set ro.config.tima=0 as well.
I suspect that mixing and matching Samsung kernels with bootloader versions breaks something in the TrustZone, and so secure containers and other sort-of-obscure security functions no longer work as the TZ smells something fishy. I am using a rooted PL1 rom on NC4 bl and it would spontaneously reboot (infrequently) until I made the above changes - it's been rock stable for about 4 days now. Why this works I can't really say - it's a "generation skipping" bootloader and stock rom combination - N* bootloader and P* ROM *
hotrod85z said:
im curious as to why i have trouble running certain nc2/nc4 roms..some want to bootloop/freeze
baja,biggins,and objective rom
kernel issue maybe? or BL version
btw. i am rooted via towelroot v3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all of the above or none of the above LOL
There are definitely some mysteries here, and I don't claim to fully understand the interdependence of the TZ (== bootloader firmware), the TIMA and RTKP stuff in the kernel, and the cross-communication between kernel and TZ via the qseecom service daemon (which is in the ROM in /system/bin) much less how the APIs of all these interfaces might have changed between major releases.
You could check those two build.prop settings in those ROMs for starters though. I suspect that if the TZ smells something fishy (e.g. a kernel TIMA to TZ info mismatch), a variety of secure credential services in the TZ stop working. It is possible that "ro.securestorage.support" is a toggle that attempts to use TZ services when it is set to "true", and so anything in the ROM which builds on it breaks because the TZ is refusing to play on an otherwise "stock" ROM variant.
FWIW I got the AryaMod (S7Edge MM port) + phantom kernel running on NC4 bl + OF1 modem for a full 24 hours after I disabled the qseecom service daemon. It ran long enough that I had customized the whole thing as a daily driver with all my apps, verified that all sensors & radios worked, made test calls, etc. Rebooted it and the kernel started getting reset by a "Modem Reset". Even weirder was that despite the use of the OF1 "modem" firmware, the kernel was reporting a bunch of RIL "unknown ioctl's". Strikes me as odd that the whole thing could run that long with so many different things happening, and then the "modem" is unhappy - even though other folks are using the ROM with OF1 bl + OF1 radio/modem firmware. (As if the "modem" isn't really the source of the problem, even though that's what initiates the device reset).
.
i initially tried flashing NC4 full tar via ODIN. but even bl unlocked. i got FAIL. flashfire worked!
very curious as to whether a custom n900v kernel would boot my 4.4.2 custom roms..its either that or the BL isnt compatible with non-touchwiz roms....
most of the kernel/modem/firmware links on here are 404 error dead links.. would be nice to see an up to date sticky. ill flash anything as long as i dont end up in JTAG mode with a brick.lol
ive played with verizon s5 atnt s2,galaxy capitivate,atrix 4g and many other phones
the s2 is still by far the fastest Smoothest phone on cm7..the newer the phones..the newer the OS..the bigger the resourse hogs"ram" im a minimalist...
even after flashing NC4 official full tar..im still showing OF1 baseband under settings
@hotrod85z
FWIW I posted a bunch of recovery-flashable stock ROMs here.
There is also a link in that thread to a complete set of (Odin flashable) modems for NC4, NJ6, NK1, OB6, OF1, and PL1 if that is of interest to you.
Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but I could swear that on at least one occasion or two when I performed an Odin modem flash, it didn't "stick", despite no complaints on the handset screen or in Odin - the next boot showed the (prior) baseband version, not what I flashed. Its a bit of a mystery to me; but for now I've resolved to make sure that after the Odin session is complete, I wait 30 seconds or so, then remove the USB cable, and then pull the battery rather than try to restart the device by holding buttons down. It is possible that those events occurred when I soft-restarted the phone, but I'm not sure. For now I'm just trying to always flash and restart with exactly the same method to avoid different behaviors from creeping in.
PS I have no idea if those ROM flashables are compatible with Flashfire. They might be, but I've never tested it, and as they are not pre-rooted I'm not going to suggest it for fear that somebody with a rooted but locked (bootloader) phone will try using flashfire and then end up with a phone that needs a full Odin re-install. Appearances are that each version of the bootloader restricts the Samsung signing verification to only the matching kernel version - you can't even boot a Signed samsung kernel on a locked phone if it is a different version than the bootloader's version.
Hello all I have a emmc exploit note 3 I'm using here and I wanted to flash different radios for the us carrier note 3's and I first tried to use flash fire to try to update the modem, but even that didn't stick, cause I don't readily have a pc available, I wasn't ballsy enough to flash a different carrier modem, since I checked the odin screen and saw that instead of a bootloader unlock, its in developer mode and I didn't want a brick, so overall my question is, do I need a unlocked bootloader to flash different modems and do I need odin tovdo it or will some sort of mobile odin or something do it? Thanks mates and happy flashing.
Dlind said:
Hello all I have a emmc exploit note 3 I'm using here and I wanted to flash different radios for the us carrier note 3's and I first tried to use flash fire to try to update the modem, but even that didn't stick, cause I don't readily have a pc available, I wasn't ballsy enough to flash a different carrier modem, since I checked the odin screen and saw that instead of a bootloader unlock, its in developer mode and I didn't want a brick, so overall my question is, do I need a unlocked bootloader to flash different modems and do I need odin tovdo it or will some sort of mobile odin or something do it? Thanks mates and happy flashing.
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Click to collapse
Well, your question is way off topic for this thread.
But since nobody is in here anyways, I guess I'll answer the parts that I am able to.
The modems that I posted over in that other thread were meant to be flashed in Odin using a PC. You can use either the AP slot or CP slot. Note that the very first post says - in big bold blue letters "Odin-flashable Modems".
Not flashfire. It never said anything about flashfire.
Is there such a thing as MobileOdin? If there is, I know nothing about it and certainly have never tested anything with it. So I don't know and am not going to speculate.
You said something confusing here:
Dlind said:
I checked the odin screen and saw that instead of a bootloader unlock, its in developer mode
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Click to collapse
If it says "MODE: Developer" you have an unlocked bootloader. Which is exactly the same thing as a Developer Edition phone.
If you were to use a PC with Odin and you flashed a FULL Stock firmware flash, yes it would overwrite the unlocked bootloader and indeed re-lock the phone. If you were able to re-root that (stock) ROM, you could perform the unlocking procedure again to unlock it.
On the other hand, those Odin-flashable modem packages do not contain the bootloader firmware, so if you were to use Odin on a PC to flash just those modem images, your bootloader would not get re-locked - the unlocked bootloader is still there, untouched.
When the carriers issue an OTA update, many times (perhaps most of the time) they contain a modem update (NON-HLOS.bin and modem.bin). So it is obvious that they are able to be flashed **somehow** right on the phone, without using Odin from the PC or an "Odin app" at all.
BUT that happens using a combination of the STOCK recovery and the bootloader itself during the reboot following the actions taken by the STOCK recovery. (My guess is that the recovery simply "stages" it into place, and sets some flags so that the bootloader knows that it is supposed to evaluate the crypto signatures of the file blobs that the recovery put into place and it is actually the bootloader that does the flashing. That's really not a whole lot different than what happens when you transfer files from Odin to the phone - the "Odin/Download" mode is just one of the personalities of the bootloader. (Odin is actually a rather dumb program - it's the bootloader on the phone that gets to decide whether a flash happens. It does that by carefully examining the file blob that gets transferred, e.g. crypto signature checks)
My guess is that you would be able to flash STOCK modem packages from Odin (using a PC) independent of whether the bootloader is locked or unlocked. But as I said: "guess".
I don't have a second phone to test with, so I would have to flash completely back to stock and lock my bootloader to be able to test that hypothesis. That's a big jobs because of all the crap I have to backup and restore to my phone.
Frankly, if you don't have access to a PC, and you really need your device to keep working, I would advise you to stop screwing around with it, simply because you don't have good tools available to fix it if a disaster occurs.
PS. I've never once noticed anything different between various radio firmwares on ANY device I've ever owned.
bftb0 said:
Well, your question is way off topic for this thread.
But since nobody is in here anyways, I guess I'll answer the parts that I am able to.
The modems that I posted over in that other thread were meant to be flashed in Odin using a PC. You can use either the AP slot or CP slot. Note that the very first post says - in big bold blue letters "Odin-flashable Modems".
Not flashfire. It never said anything about flashfire.
Is there such a thing as MobileOdin? If there is, I know nothing about it and certainly have never tested anything with it. So I don't know and am not going to speculate.
You said something confusing here:
If it says "MODE: Developer" you have an unlocked bootloader. Which is exactly the same thing as a Developer Edition phone.
If you were to use a PC with Odin and you flashed a FULL Stock firmware flash, yes it would overwrite the unlocked bootloader and indeed re-lock the phone. If you were able to re-root that (stock) ROM, you could perform the unlocking procedure again to unlock it.
On the other hand, those Odin-flashable modem packages do not contain the bootloader firmware, so if you were to use Odin on a PC to flash just those modem images, your bootloader would not get re-locked - the unlocked bootloader is still there, untouched.
When the carriers issue an OTA update, many times (perhaps most of the time) they contain a modem update (NON-HLOS.bin and modem.bin). So it is obvious that they are able to be flashed **somehow** right on the phone, without using Odin from the PC or an "Odin app" at all.
BUT that happens using a combination of the STOCK recovery and the bootloader itself during the reboot following the actions taken by the STOCK recovery. (My guess is that the recovery simply "stages" it into place, and sets some flags so that the bootloader knows that it is supposed to evaluate the crypto signatures of the file blobs that the recovery put into place and it is actually the bootloader that does the flashing. That's really not a whole lot different than what happens when you transfer files from Odin to the phone - the "Odin/Download" mode is just one of the personalities of the bootloader. (Odin is actually a rather dumb program - it's the bootloader on the phone that gets to decide whether a flash happens. It does that by carefully examining the file blob that gets transferred, e.g. crypto signature checks)
My guess is that you would be able to flash STOCK modem packages from Odin (using a PC) independent of whether the bootloader is locked or unlocked. But as I said: "guess".
I don't have a second phone to test with, so I would have to flash completely back to stock and lock my bootloader to be able to test that hypothesis. That's a big jobs because of all the crap I have to backup and restore to my phone.
Frankly, if you don't have access to a PC, and you really need your device to keep working, I would advise you to stop screwing around with it, simply because you don't have good tools available to fix it if a disaster occurs.
PS. I've never once noticed anything different between various radio firmwares on ANY device I've ever owned.
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Thanks SOOOOOO MUCH for your input I kinda had a feeling that the idea was risky at first and I don't know a whole lot about odin and I wish Samsung could have created something much easier to use, but thanks for answering the wayyyyy off topic question, I'm gonna smash that thanks button, I'm also going to take the advise on not cross flashing different modems, its just to risky. You answered all my questions so thanks, Also I want to say thank you for your continued work on this phone is by normal terms "old" now but in reality its still an amazing phone with the right custom software, and happy flashing!

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