I have been seeing alot on the forums lately about MDK ME7 MJ7 etc. I am not new new rooting, and flashing roms and things of the like, and i always make sure to check the forums before any ota update. I have not updated yet. I have actually been running PAC since day 1 on my gs4.
I would like to know the benefits and downfalls of upgrading. All i see is people complaining about the locked knox bootloader and trying to downgrade there phone, but why would anybody want to upgrade to begin with? My phone is on MDK and i am still running 4.3 so i dont see any benefit to upgrading my firmware. Would i get better signal?
I know this has already been talked about on the forums plenty, but i have yet to see a comparison or explaination of why you should or shouldn't upgrade.
To be honest I'm not sure why anyone on MDK would want to update unless they just don't care about flashing roms and don't have any desire to do anything other than root in the future.
Something you may not be aware of is that you can flash the radio from MJ7 and get the added signal bonuses without actually having to take the official update. The file is already floating around the forums somewhere, just search around.
The whole Knox counter thing was added to the bootloader since MI1 from what I know, and basically once you trip it your warranty is void and it's very hard if not impossible to reset the counter. There are really no details on how it's tripped exactly, but a good guess would be when a custom recovery is flashed. If the bootloader ever becomes unlocked for versions MI1 onward then we'll probably get a lot more information on this.
Basically if I had MDK I would never take an official update unless for some reason development flat out stopped/sucked or I had to have an unmodified device for job reasons. Besides that, I'm sure within a few months there will be roms available based on the new MJ7 anyway, so locking yourself in would be pretty foolish.
In the end it's YOUR phone and you can do whatever the hell you want with it. Choose wisely.
Oh, and the Nexus 5 came out today. So there's that, too.
Related
On my note 2 I accepted the OTA update and some how I rooted it with the OTA Root keeper. Evertything works fine but I cannot install custom recovery. What woould be the best way to unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery now.
I also have galaxy s3 and droid bionic both are rooted and custom roms installed and working great.
I have been with Verizon 16 years and it's abuot time to change but I think there all the same anymore $$$
If you took the ota then you can not unlock your bootloader as of this time.
why on earth are folks so hell bent on ota's???? fyi when you buy a device that came locked but was unlocked by devs at xda, YOU NEVER EXCEPT ANY OTA! It has been posted all over this forum...please research before you do anything!!
Totally agree! I won't even update an app until I know what the changes are, and even then I usually wait to see if any issues arise with the update.
Doesn't matter how many times you warn people no to install an OTA because it has a bootloader, someone won't listen.
I would never consider taking a ota until after our devs have a chance to check it out. Besides if you run a custom rom your developer will most likely be updating to the new build and you know you can safely flash it.
Besides I know verizon is more worried about blocking crap than they are on their real updates.
Forget the security update and give us official 4.1.2 screw verizon! Verizon ota usually means bad things.
Travisdroidx2 said:
I would never consider taking a ota until after our devs have a chance to check it out. Besides if you run a custom rom your developer will most likely be updating to the new build and you know you can safely flash it.
Besides I know verizon is more worried about blocking crap than they are on their real updates.
Forget the security update and give us official 4.1.2 screw verizon! Verizon ota usually means bad things.
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4.1.2 has very little to offer us.
adrynalyne said:
4.1.2 has very little to offer us.
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I agree with that. However my point was instead of Verizon spending their time improving their devices they would rather spend their money and time trying to figure out how to screw us. I know 4.1.2 brings little to the table but maybe if they were not working on locking the bootloader they could improve on the builds instead. I would still rather have 4.1.1 over 4.2.1 any day.
I got my GS4 back in the summer and I promptly rooted and I believe I even was able to unlock the bootloader. I then flashed Eclipse S4 TW edition (based on MDK) and its been so rock solid I haven't had a reason to touch is since. I'm been staring at my android 4.2.2 version and have been thinking no reason to upgrade. If it isn't broke don't fix it right? Well I'm starting to feel the flashing itch so I decided to jump back on XDA and see whats out there.
I'm trying to get a grasp on what all has changes since the last time I flashed my phone. It looks like there has been a few new builds to drop since I flashed. I'm confused on the details though. With my current state can I flash anything I want using the custom recovery or are there restrictions that I must follow. I have seen posts about using SafeStrap for flashing. I remember SafeStrap from my Razr days as a solution for phones with locked bootloaders. Does one of the OTA's relock the bootloader and make it impossible to unlock or are the SafeStrap posts for people that got the phones after me which already came with a locked bootloader?
Any reason why not to upgrade to the newest builds? I can't find any details on what is different between the builds but I have to imagine there is some new stuff that I might want to play with.
Lastly, can anyone suggest a good solid ROM to similar to Eclipse TW that is based on a newer build?
I appreciate any help you guys can give me. Being away this long and coming back is slightly overwhelming and who has time to navigate through every page of every thread for the past 6 months or so.
I would suggest to read some of the threads....custom Roms for 4.3 and 4.4 are a bit slow in coming. If you are mdk...no need for safestrap....you can still keep your phone rooted and loki'd..and move to 4.3 base
powered by hashcode safestrap hyperdrive 10.2
trevoryour said:
I got my GS4 back in the summer and I promptly rooted and I believe I even was able to unlock the bootloader. I then flashed Eclipse S4 TW edition (based on MDK) and its been so rock solid I haven't had a reason to touch is since. I'm been staring at my android 4.2.2 version and have been thinking no reason to upgrade. If it isn't broke don't fix it right? Well I'm starting to feel the flashing itch so I decided to jump back on XDA and see whats out there.
I'm trying to get a grasp on what all has changes since the last time I flashed my phone. It looks like there has been a few new builds to drop since I flashed. I'm confused on the details though. With my current state can I flash anything I want using the custom recovery or are there restrictions that I must follow. I have seen posts about using SafeStrap for flashing. I remember SafeStrap from my Razr days as a solution for phones with locked bootloaders. Does one of the OTA's relock the bootloader and make it impossible to unlock or are the SafeStrap posts for people that got the phones after me which already came with a locked bootloader?
Any reason why not to upgrade to the newest builds? I can't find any details on what is different between the builds but I have to imagine there is some new stuff that I might want to play with.
Lastly, can anyone suggest a good solid ROM to similar to Eclipse TW that is based on a newer build?
I appreciate any help you guys can give me. Being away this long and coming back is slightly overwhelming and who has time to navigate through every page of every thread for the past 6 months or so.
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Click to collapse
Ok, So heres what you missed. After the MDK release they(Verizon/Samsung) patched the loki bootloader hack so thats why anybody whos not on the MDK release has an locked bootloader. That is where safestrap comes in. Safestrap is a custom recovery that was developed by Hascode, in order to provide those with a locked bootloader a way to get in on the rom action, while keeping there stock rom untouched.
Now that said i would advise you to update but not through the stock "Check Update" tab (as that will lock your phones bootloader). Instead you should just flash a rom that is built with the new update as the base (E.X. Hyperdrive 11). This will allow you to get the new update without locking your bootloader.
Now for roms, i believe there is an updated Eclipse TW Rom & Eclipse AOSP ROM on the Dev's site ( dont know the link but will post it once i find it).
So my girlfriend has wants her S4 rooted. I have the S3 and its quite different as far as rooting goes. I am also on sprint whereas she is on verizon (although thats not such a big deal).
Anyways, what I would like to have clarified for me is this: She is currently unrooted with stock MK2. From what I have read you can only root and install compatible roms with safestrap. The main thing she wants is KitKat and possibly CM. Is there any way for her to get either of these. Also, would it be possible to revert back to stock and flash KitKat with the OTA from verizon when it is released?
Thanks for any help.
BioBot said:
So my girlfriend has wants her S4 rooted. I have the S3 and its quite different as far as rooting goes. I am also on sprint whereas she is on verizon (although thats not such a big deal).
Anyways, what I would like to have clarified for me is this: She is currently unrooted with stock MK2. From what I have read you can only root and install compatible roms with safestrap. The main thing she wants is KitKat and possibly CM. Is there any way for her to get either of these. Also, would it be possible to revert back to stock and flash KitKat with the OTA from verizon when it is released?
Thanks for any help.
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There's no way for her to get KitKat or CM or anything AOSP. Hopefully the next OTA will have an exploit, but there hasn't been a cracked bootloader since the first version of firmware on the initial releases. Realistically, never going to happen.
Hi all,
I've got an S4 on Verizon (SCH-I545) with Jellybean 4.2.2 and VRUAMDK. I see that there are updates to builds such as VRUAME7 and beyond. I'm not too familiar with these and how they effect compatibility and customization. I searched the forums and saw threads which said that the newer builds hinder compatibility, however, they are old threads from a year ago and I can find nothing recent.
Is there any reason for me to accept these updates and will doing so give me any perks? If I did update, will this limit my options in terms of what I can do with rooting, installing recoveries or ROMS?
If there's a post that explains it in more detail I'd want to see too. I couldn't find anything about this
Thanks in advance!
If you plan on trying out any AOSP/CM12 roms then I'd stay on MDK. Once you update all the way to 4.4 you'l no longer be able to use any of these roms and will be limited to roms that are only able to be flashed through SafeStrap.
well
Lockett said:
If you plan on trying out any AOSP/CM12 roms then I'd stay on MDK. Once you update all the way to 4.4 you'l no longer be able to use any of these roms and will be limited to roms that are only able to be flashed through SafeStrap.
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MDK boot loader with Loki implemented recovery = unlocked boot loader which means you can use just about everything here. Almost every rom has an MDK procedure and will be flashing kernels. . Unlike safestrap
Thanks! I may stay on the MDK build then. It seems like it would only serve to limit my options if I upgrade and give me no tangible benefit.
Thank you!
All,
Originally posted a request for help in the Galaxy S4 International forum for using Odin to downgrade my Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-I545 from Lollipop to KitKat.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/help/odin-fails-to-downgrade-galaxy-s4-t3278803
Eventually one helpful guy mentioned that Verizon crippled this device with a locked bootloader, (or a mismatched age/version of the bootloader) something never even hinted at in ANY instructions I've ever found for using Odin. I'm really disappointed in the Lollipop version that I've been stuck with, mainly due to the slowdowns on the phone and the need to kill off all apps at least every day., and the need to hit buttons multiple times before enough system resources clear up and it does what I want. All I wanted to do was go to an earlier version, and it looks like that might not be possible.
I see forum posts talking about rooting this version of the phone, but I don't have a handle on what good that will do for me in my particular situation. Now that I've found the correct forum, any suggestions? Part of me likes the idea of rooting and debloating to speed things up, but if I can't downgrade and the performance reduction is just a function of the version of Android I'm stuck with, then I don't see the point in wasting even more days of my life fighting this aging phone.
Oh, and as an aside, what the hell is OC1 and OF1? Can't find anywhere that explains what the heck they're talking about. My best guess is they're versions of firmware, are the designations just random?
Thanks!
Ryan
I'll try to write you some things i've learned about this device, hope it helps you
Samsung Galaxy S4 Verizon SCH-I545 has the same specs than others Qualcomm Galaxy S4, but this one is managed by Verizon to distribute, update software, etc... That means, even when it has the same hardware than others it will have some differences on software and limitations. Now, let's talk about our "charming" bootloader:
When we talk about bootloader, we use as reference the last 3 characters of bootloader version (this also applies to firmware, kernel), you can get your bootloader version by running this command on terminal emulator getprop ro.bootloader (this is why we refer to lollipop OC1, OF1, to kitkat NG5, NG6, NK1 and so on) when you get a software update almost always your bootloader is updated. Only MDK bootloader (first firmware released) was unlocked. After that, Verizon decided to start locking the bootloader to prevent rooting, software downgrade... So, why don't we unlock the bootloader? because they used something called qfuse, the qfuse is hardware related and when it's triggered (updated) cannot be untriggered (downgraded).
After reading this you may be really dissapointed and thinking to get another device, I was in that situation, but you can root your device (this means, you can debloat and do something to speed your s4), even you can install a custom rom's (they're really nice), maybe it's not the best solution, but, hey! it's really better than stay stuck with device stock rom. Btw, you cannot downgrade with custom roms, you can just install those that are meant for your bootloader or higher.
Edgardo_Uchiha said:
After reading this you may be really dissapointed and thinking to get another device...
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Click to collapse
That is what I'm leaning towards. The frustrating part is the time wasted trying this in the first place. I think I'm just going to cut my losses, suffer my crippled phone with quiet grace and dignity, and replace it at some point.
Thanks for all the help!
Ryan
So, is there any way to root a Galaxy S4 verizon phone with 5.0.1 (Lollipop)?? I've been reading threads and how-tos and trying various techniques for several hours with zero success.
Don't despair too much. There is a great dev who has provided the means to flash a very stripped down version of Lollipop OC1. I can honestly say that, in the 2-1/2 years I've owned this device, it has never run better since installing his ROM.
It is still a Touchwiz ROM, but everything, and I do mean everything that can be considered crapware has been removed from this ROM. The result? a slim, sleek user experience that will cause you to never look back (considering we will NEVER have a true AOSP ROM for our device.
Check his link out below. Read everything and make sure you understand what you have now and what you will need to do. Then study some more. It took me a month before finally feeling confident to make the plunge. Even then I needed help, but got all I needed from the good folks...especially Stang5litre, on the discussion board.
Good luck!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/development/stang5litre-ediition-5-0-t3132555
---------- Post added at 03:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------
gonyere said:
So, is there any way to root a Galaxy S4 verizon phone with 5.0.1 (Lollipop)?? I've been reading threads and how-tos and trying various techniques for several hours with zero success.
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Presuming you are on OF1, have a look here...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/general/root-of1-t3249971
jwhistler said:
Don't despair too much. There is a great dev who has provided the means to flash a very stripped down version of Lollipop OC1.
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Click to collapse
Just took a peek, that looks well beyond me, and at least a dozen times more complex than the tantalizing downgrade forum posts that pulled me down this road in the first place. Heck, pretty much every other word is some acronym I've never heard of. Thanks though, I'll pass.