Hey, first post here but I've been reading some threads since 2011.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 (I have experience with custom roms and such with the Droid Charge, also Samsung. See a pattern?).
I rooted it a while back, but recently have been experiencing quite a bit of instability so I wanted to try a custom rom (Hyperdrive is the one that I'm looking at but that's kinda irrelevant to this post).
The problem for me is that every guide expects me to be rooted with the custom recovery. I am rooted, and I did have CWM installed to perform the root, but now for some reason recovery boots into stock and I haven't been able to load any custom recoveries. I tried the CWM Rom Manager app to get CWM back, but it didn't seem to work (touch or normal). I have also tried Goo Manager to get TWRP and that was a complete bust.
I noticed one or two other methods involving safe-strap but I cannot for the life of me get safe-strap working on my phone and I've followed a couple guides several times without success.
I need someone to point me in the right direction to get a custom recovery back on my phone. I'm assuming something got screwed up somewhere along the line, so I'm not confident in these other methods but I'm trying to find a guide using Odin. Part of the problem seems to be that the Verizon phones aren't too common so all the guides and downloads are for a different model.
Please help, I'd prefer an Odin method but I'm open to suggestions.
cdroid93 said:
Hey, first post here but I've been reading some threads since 2011.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 (I have experience with custom roms and such with the Droid Charge, also Samsung. See a pattern?).
I rooted it a while back, but recently have been experiencing quite a bit of instability so I wanted to try a custom rom (Hyperdrive is the one that I'm looking at but that's kinda irrelevant to this post).
The problem for me is that every guide expects me to be rooted with the custom recovery. I am rooted, and I did have CWM installed to perform the root, but now for some reason recovery boots into stock and I haven't been able to load any custom recoveries. I tried the CWM Rom Manager app to get CWM back, but it didn't seem to work (touch or normal). I have also tried Goo Manager to get TWRP and that was a complete bust.
I noticed one or two other methods involving safe-strap but I cannot for the life of me get safe-strap working on my phone and I've followed a couple guides several times without success.
I need someone to point me in the right direction to get a custom recovery back on my phone. I'm assuming something got screwed up somewhere along the line, so I'm not confident in these other methods but I'm trying to find a guide using Odin. Part of the problem seems to be that the Verizon phones aren't too common so all the guides and downloads are for a different model.
Please help, I'd prefer an Odin method but I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on NC5 then Safestrap is your only option. You are going to brick your phone if you just keep throwing recoveries at your phone until one sticks. If you are on MDK then your bootloader is unlocked and you can do what you want. Read the threads, that's what they're there for.
Jesus loves you!
Phone version
liljoe727 said:
If you are on NC5 then Safestrap is your only option. You are going to brick your phone if you just keep throwing recoveries at your phone until one sticks. If you are on MDK then your bootloader is unlocked and you can do what you want. Read the threads, that's what they're there for.
Jesus loves you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually on ME7. I haven't updated in a very long while because I wanted to root and then stop tinkering. That's not an option for me anymore for the stability reasons. I had over a year of rock solid performance though so it was a good run.
I was searching threads on this forum and others. This one seems to be more reliable than others (and a whole lot friendlier), but I still can't find what I'm looking for.
Maybe you can help me out by pointing out one of the threads that has what I need?
Thanks much.
cdroid93 said:
I'm actually on ME7. I haven't updated in a very long while because I wanted to root and then stop tinkering. That's not an option for me anymore for the stability reasons. I had over a year of rock solid performance though so it was a good run.
I was searching threads on this forum and others. This one seems to be more reliable than others (and a whole lot friendlier), but I still can't find what I'm looking for.
Maybe you can help me out by pointing out one of the threads that has what I need?
Thanks much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MDK, as I understand it, is the only bootloader that has been unlocked thus far. If you are still on ME7 and it's locked anyway, you may be better off just taking the update.
Jesus loves you!
liljoe727 said:
MDK, as I understand it, is the only bootloader that has been unlocked thus far. If you are still on ME7 and it's locked anyway, you may be better off just taking the update.
Jesus loves you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, well obviously I've messed up my phone somehow, I don't think it's possible for me to just go to system settings and update. How do I go about this if that doesn't work?
cdroid93 said:
Okay, well obviously I've messed up my phone somehow, I don't think it's possible for me to just go to system settings and update. How do I go about this if that doesn't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you can update via Samsung Keis, or if you know how to use ODIN you can flash the latest NC5 through ODIN. You'll find everything you'll need from here.
Forgot to say that after you upgrade you can root through towelroot which you can by searching this forum or Google it.
After you install busybox you should be able to install Safestrap, but if you can't, you need to download and install an app calle SElinuxmodechanger and set SElinux to permissive. Then you will be able to install Safestrap. Once you have SS you can only install ROMs on the Stock slot. non of the other slots work.
skeezer308 said:
Well you can update via Samsung Keis, or if you know how to use ODIN you can flash the latest NC5 through ODIN. You'll find everything you'll need from here.
Forgot to say that after you upgrade you can root through towelroot which you can by searching this forum or Google it.
After you install busybox you should be able to install Safestrap, but if you can't, you need to download and install an app calle SElinuxmodechanger and set SElinux to permissive. Then you will be able to install Safestrap. Once you have SS you can only install ROMs on the Stock slot. non of the other slots work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, for starters thank you. This is almost exactly what I needed. I've just got one more issue;
I cannot discern from what I've found on the forums or elsewhere what safestrap is safe for my phone now that I'm on NC5?
Thanks again for this, was a big help.
cdroid93 said:
Okay, for starters thank you. This is almost exactly what I needed. I've just got one more issue;
I cannot discern from what I've found on the forums or elsewhere what safestrap is safe for my phone now that I'm on NC5?
Thanks again for this, was a big help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3.72
Jesus loves you!
Also keep in mind that you can only install TW ROMs or GPE ROMs that are SS friendly. If you try to install Cyanogen or other AOSP ROMs that require custom kernels you run the chance of bricking your phone
Related
First off, sorry if this has already been covered somewhere and I'm just not finding it.. I've been searching and reading a lot and l am learning a ton, I just cant seem to find an answer for sure..
Note - I am mostly a 'noob'. I have had other sammy phones (a Galaxy S and a Gnex) and have rooted them and put CWM and TWRP on em, and flashed many kinds of custom roms and stuff,, soft bricked em several times,, had to use ODIN to flash em back to stock and start over, followed instructional threads to hack around using ADB and Fastboot commands for different things, etc..Basic playing around with stuff like that. So I sorta know my way around the basics of playing with at least Sammy brand phones.
I recently bought a nice used S4 to play with. I immediately start looking at root instructions and bootloaders and roms,, and ran dead into the brick wall of it already having the ME7 devil on it and thus me being locked out beyond rooting. Since I wanted an S4 specifically for playing with ROMs, I sold that stock ME7 S4 and bought a different one that someone had already put TWRP on and a custom ROM. So now I should be good to go flashing away.
So my question is, if I ever do want to try running a stock ME7 rom sometime, is there one I can flash while playing around flashing trying out different roms that would NOT somehow lock the bootloader? I'm not talking about accepting a Verizon OTA update, I know better than that. I'm talking about manually flashing roms (I am assuming if I flashed a 100% stock Verizon rom it might screw myself and lock the bootloader,, maybe I am mistaken on that assumption idk). I'm seeing the "bonestock me7" rom here on XDA, would that be safe to try for a stock ME7 experience?
ok i'll shut up now,, sorry for the long post.
You're good to go. Just look in the dev section for one to your liking. I've been running BoneStock but there are others including one from andybones which completely stock. Stay clear of any ROM requiring you to Odin as I'd worry about that.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Cool. Thanks much for the help!
Basic operations
sohead said:
First off, sorry if this has already been covered somewhere and I'm just not finding it.. I've been searching and reading a lot and l am learning a ton, I just cant seem to find an answer for sure..
Note - I am mostly a 'noob'. I have had other sammy phones (a Galaxy S and a Gnex) and have rooted them and put CWM and TWRP on em, and flashed many kinds of custom roms and stuff,, soft bricked em several times,, had to use ODIN to flash em back to stock and start over, followed instructional threads to hack around using ADB and Fastboot commands for different things, etc..Basic playing around with stuff like that. So I sorta know my way around the basics of playing with at least Sammy brand phones.
I recently bought a nice used S4 to play with. I immediately start looking at root instructions and bootloaders and roms,, and ran dead into the brick wall of it already having the ME7 devil on it and thus me being locked out beyond rooting. Since I wanted an S4 specifically for playing with ROMs, I sold that stock ME7 S4 and bought a different one that someone had already put TWRP on and a custom ROM. So now I should be good to go flashing away.
So my question is, if I ever do want to try running a stock ME7 rom sometime, is there one I can flash while playing around flashing trying out different roms that would NOT somehow lock the bootloader? I'm not talking about accepting a Verizon OTA update, I know better than that. I'm talking about manually flashing roms (I am assuming if I flashed a 100% stock Verizon rom it might screw myself and lock the bootloader,, maybe I am mistaken on that assumption idk). I'm seeing the "bonestock me7" rom here on XDA, would that be safe to try for a stock ME7 experience?
ok i'll shut up now,, sorry for the long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Writing the nand memory on this handset is nearly impossible through conventional means, suggest a maintenance jig for the board.
heyazzo said:
Writing the nand memory on this handset is nearly impossible through conventional means, suggest a maintenance jig for the board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats the "nand memory"? the area of memory where the recovery/bootloader code is stored? and what do you mean by conventional means? like using CWM or TWRP I assume? what about ODIN? from prior experience ODIN has written over a custom bootloader that I had loaded with a stock one (if I remember right anyway, I think I've lost my custom CWM or TWRP bootloaders by flashing a stock rom via ODIN,, back on the Gnex, I have never tried that with an S4 but assume it would be the same deal). And whats a "maintenance jig"?
lol sorry for so many questions,, warned ya I was a NOOB
No such thing as a dumb question.
sohead said:
Whats the "nand memory"? the area of memory where the recovery/bootloader code is stored? and what do you mean by conventional means? like using CWM or TWRP I assume? what about ODIN? from prior experience ODIN has written over a custom bootloader that I had loaded with a stock one (if I remember right anyway, I think I've lost my custom CWM or TWRP bootloaders by flashing a stock rom via ODIN,, back on the Gnex, I have never tried that with an S4 but assume it would be the same deal). And whats a "maintenance jig"?
lol sorry for so many questions,, warned ya I was a NOOB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was always curious about things that I didn't understand. First, try to understand the security that's already on this device, then decide if an update really did kill one qfuse out of say 10-12 on the board depending on the lifecycle they gave this particular set of commo gear. Search MSM 8960 security, then get back to me via PM, I want to help you any way I can.
So, I have the i545, it was updated to the newest firmware when I got it. Lucky!
I first tried all the old stuff like the noob I am. Bricked it a couple times, blah blah, fixed it.
I tried the newer stuff, and was successful in getting into the recovery, but all I can do is wipe personal data and cache, its not CWM. When I do, it gets locked into download odin section and says its broken essentially.
Any bootloader bricks it, and any attempt to do the newer stuff like Loki has bricked it. I have the original Rom saved, so I just have to push it through odin each time.
I want Hyperdrive rom, I am rooted, and I can't get the common "working" ways to work. What am I doing wrong? I just tried the loki method and it locked into odin download when it restarted.
I'm not frustrated at anyone here by any means, I know the big companies are jerks, and....I need help side stepping them...
Any suggestions?
Again, i545, 32gb, Verizon Galaxy s4. It is rooted. And I want Hyperdrive rom.
Thanks!
EDIT.
If there is a way through odin or something to push Hyperdrive, I dont need the CWM. Im just a simple custom rom user, nothing crazy. And if there is no way to go from the ME7 update, be it downgrade and then root and flash, be it odin, be in CWM or Loki method, etc., where do I go to add to the bounty?
Excessumcarcer said:
So, I have the i545, it was updated to the newest firmware when I got it. Lucky!
I first tried all the old stuff like the noob I am. Bricked it a couple times, blah blah, fixed it.
I tried the newer stuff, and was successful in getting into the recovery, but all I can do is wipe personal data and cache, its not CWM. When I do, it gets locked into download odin section and says its broken essentially.
Any bootloader bricks it, and any attempt to do the newer stuff like Loki has bricked it. I have the original Rom saved, so I just have to push it through odin each time.
I want Hyperdrive rom, I am rooted, and I can't get the common "working" ways to work. What am I doing wrong? I just tried the loki method and it locked into odin download when it restarted.
I'm not frustrated at anyone here by any means, I know the big companies are jerks, and....I need help side stepping them...
Any suggestions?
Again, i545, 32gb, Verizon Galaxy s4. It is rooted. And I want Hyperdrive rom.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your stuck at the moment there is no custom recovery for me7. Theres been about 100 posts/threads about it. Hashcode a member here is working on a safestrap for me7 so custom roms can be flashed I advise checking it out. Its in the general section.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45185924
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added 2nd September 2013 at 12:07 AM ---------- Previous post was 1st September 2013 at 11:53 PM ----------
No way to downgrade or flash rom through odin. Like I said your stuck for moment on stock me7. In the thread I linked there is a donation link for hashcode with the safestrap. There is also a bounty page for unlocking the bootloader in the general section as well.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Excessumcarcer said:
So, I have the i545, it was updated to the newest firmware when I got it. Lucky!
I first tried all the old stuff like the noob I am. Bricked it a couple times, blah blah, fixed it.
I tried the newer stuff, and was successful in getting into the recovery, but all I can do is wipe personal data and cache, its not CWM. When I do, it gets locked into download odin section and says its broken essentially.
Any bootloader bricks it, and any attempt to do the newer stuff like Loki has bricked it. I have the original Rom saved, so I just have to push it through odin each time.
I want Hyperdrive rom, I am rooted, and I can't get the common "working" ways to work. What am I doing wrong? I just tried the loki method and it locked into odin download when it restarted.
I'm not frustrated at anyone here by any means, I know the big companies are jerks, and....I need help side stepping them...
Any suggestions?
Again, i545, 32gb, Verizon Galaxy s4. It is rooted. And I want Hyperdrive rom.
Thanks!
EDIT.
If there is a way through odin or something to push Hyperdrive, I dont need the CWM. Im just a simple custom rom user, nothing crazy. And if there is no way to go from the ME7 update, be it downgrade and then root and flash, be it odin, be in CWM or Loki method, etc., where do I go to add to the bounty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would have helped you greatly to have research GS4 with ME7....it can ONLY be rooted at this time.
decaturbob said:
It would have helped you greatly to have research GS4 with ME7....it can ONLY be rooted at this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first time it bricked itself I did some research. Found that the ME7 was a punk, found guides where people claimed to have gotten around it, which all failed. I presumed it had been cracked if there were ways posted, but after they failed I came here.
Excessumcarcer said:
The first time it bricked itself I did some research. Found that the ME7 was a punk, found guides where people claimed to have gotten around it, which all failed. I presumed it had been cracked if there were ways posted, but after they failed I came here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It bricked "itself" pretty amazing. You should do a little research before you mess with your phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda app-developers app
jd1639 said:
It bricked "itself" pretty amazing. You should do a little research before you mess with your phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh, I could explain everything in detail and not joke around, but then I'd just be a jerk. I've rooted, installed bootloaders, roms, etc., on many phones, not just mine. I know what I'm doing so generally I don't have to research how to do it. I upgraded from a galaxy S3 with MOAR (rom) installed, also did paranoid rom right before, jumped in and hoped that the S4 would play nice. It didn't. And you won't find a post from me asking how to unbrick it. The original Rom was backed up, so nothing to fear. I understand that bricking a phone is part of the risk, and unbricking it is part of the knowledge one needs to jump in comfortably. I did it 8 times yesterday. I tried 5 methods, one I tried a couple times because I could get into the bootloader but it would freeze on removing the cache. After each different combo, it killed it. Once I felt defeated for the day I came here. Believe me, Im not the person who turns on their phone and posts for help about what to do after its on. ^_^
Well, all I can say is you're learning the s4 the hard way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda app-developers app
ME7 =no custom recovery =no custom ROMs.
Read the thread about SafeStrap being worked on by hashcode
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
jd1639 said:
Well, all I can say is you're learning the s4 the hard way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the only way I learn. : ) Following the 50 million different articles and blogs and tutorials is the only way I ever find anything. Rarely do I get a piece of equipment that just works the first time with the common used method for it. That's never my luck. There's always something stupid that stops it. This is the same with everything in truth, cars, computers, phones, etc. Nothing has ever just worked for me. So, now I just throw things at it until something goes through. People say there's no way, well...if that's the case then all the DEV's should stop trying. lol. There is a way, we just have to find it.
Well, every phone is different and just jumping in on a new phone without knowing the issues and pitfalls because you rooted other phones being naive imo. I've rooted maybe a half dozen phones and countless roms but when i got my S4 i still waited a few days and just read. The point is no matter how many times you do something whenever you get something new/updated, be a phone or anything else, you should always take the time to read and read.
Edit:
Also because of these locked down bootloaders (like the sammy knox) i would if i were you do A LOT of reading before buying new phones in the future to make sure you CAN root and slap a custom recovery on it. The root and custom recoveries may be a thing of the past pretty soon and we'll be purchasing Developers and Google Play editions if we want custom stuff.
So I have my stock S4 on MJ7 rooted already, now I want to flash custom recovery or boot strap recovery, but when I run the safestrap .apk on my phone it just makes Titanium Backup and KNOX both crash, and then I try booting into recovery but my phone just boots like normal, with no recovery option. How can I get this custom recovery on my MJ7 phone so I can start flashing custom ROMs? I absolutely can not stand this stock touchwiz crap. Sorry if this has been explained before, but the verizon section is so full of threads its impossible to find anything.
All we have is root on 4.3 right now. No Safestrap or Loki, so no custom recovery. Sorry.
We should presumably be able to get Safestrap soon since hashcode has it working on the Note 3 with 4.3 but at this point yes there is currently nothing other than a root. A totally unlocked bootloader isn't anywhere in sight either.
thcaddict said:
So I have my stock S4 on MJ7 rooted already, now I want to flash custom recovery or boot strap recovery, but when I run the safestrap .apk on my phone it just makes Titanium Backup and KNOX both crash, and then I try booting into recovery but my phone just boots like normal, with no recovery option. How can I get this custom recovery on my MJ7 phone so I can start flashing custom ROMs? I absolutely can not stand this stock touchwiz crap. Sorry if this has been explained before, but the verizon section is so full of threads its impossible to find anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's sort of an understatement. You could have used search and found your answer in about 5 seconds.
LemonSlice said:
We should presumably be able to get Safestrap soon since hashcode has it working on the Note 3 with 4.3 but at this point yes there is currently nothing other than a root. A totally unlocked bootloader isn't anywhere in sight either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply. I was unaware there is no custom recovery, or anything else besides root. I can't wait until I can put a new ROM on this phone. I really wish I would not have ran the update as soon as I bought it. Coming from an s3 with custom roms for the last year its a real bummer having to run TouchWiz.
may I ask what is loki? I just moved to Verizon from another carrier... didn't have to put up with locked bootloaders or anything ridiculous like that with my old carrier
Loki is an exploitation method to bypass bootloader checks, which allows you to run full custom recoveries, kernels, etc.
Unfortunately, only the first firmware that this phone came out with, MDK, can use Loki.
I was in your situation, if you want to run AOSP on a VZW S4, buy an MDK version on Swappa, that's what I did.
Sent from the 215
Crawshayi said:
That's sort of an understatement. You could have used search and found your answer in about 5 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So true, someone needs to make a sticky so we don't get 5+ new threads a week with the same question.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
richii0207 said:
So true, someone needs to make a sticky so we don't get 5+ new threads a week with the same question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That won't help. Sadly, most people won't read the sticky threads.
mateopase said:
All we have is root on 4.3 right now. No Safestrap or Loki, so no custom recovery. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the directions for root on MJ7
Crawshayi said:
That's sort of an understatement. You could have used search and found your answer in about 5 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if the OP tried to use the search - but I've tried to use it several times over the past week and have gotten error messages from the site each & every time.
As a matter of fact - prior to submitting this reply - I received two different error messages when trying to search the word "root" in the "Search This Forum" box - just to test it out before I reply.
The "usual" error I get is: Search is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The other one lists actual trouble codes & has a link to notify an admin.
Believe me - I'm all for searching out info on forums - but when there are 7 sub-forums for the Verizon Galaxy S4 - and the search function isn't working - it's pretty easy to not find the info you're looking for.
Also - to the person asking about root on MJ7 - see the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4 General forum - and find the post titled "How to Root Build MJ7 and get SuperSU installed"
skny said:
Not sure if the OP tried to use the search - but I've tried to use it several times over the past week and have gotten error messages from the site each & every time.
As a matter of fact - prior to submitting this reply - I received two different error messages when trying to search the word "root" in the "Search This Forum" box - just to test it out before I reply.
The "usual" error I get is: Search is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The other one lists actual trouble codes & has a link to notify an admin.
Believe me - I'm all for searching out info on forums - but when there are 7 sub-forums for the Verizon Galaxy S4 - and the search function isn't working - it's pretty easy to not find the info you're looking for.
Also - to the person asking about root on MJ7 - see the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4 General forum - and find the post titled "How to Root Build MJ7 and get SuperSU installed"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no working safestrap version or custom recovery for MJ7. Custom recovery can only be installed on MDK. Safestrap works on ME7 and MI1, but flaky on MI1 from what I have read. You are SOL.
dincodee said:
Where is the directions for root on MJ7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2511815&page=1
If we are all SOL for now, do we know if anyone is working on this? I would love to flash a custom ROM and rid myself of this garbage....
MJ7 Root
dincodee said:
Where is the directions for root on MJ7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also this video by Tomsgt123 which lays it out nicely and tells you how to delete the chinese superuser app (if you are worried about that). I have not tried this method myself, just found the video while searching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5mCsDyW-TI&feature=youtu.be
Good luck.
CoMtnMan said:
There is also this video by Tomsgt123 which lays it out nicely and tells you how to delete the chinese superuser app (if you are worried about that). I have not tried this method myself, just found the video while searching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5mCsDyW-TI&feature=youtu.be
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works well, rooted my dad's S4 this way and it put the american/english supersu app in there in place of the chinese one at the end
No unlocked boot loader/custom recovery yet but I check back every week
Can you achieve more on loki than safestrap?
Specifically, can you flash custom kernels?
If so I may jump ship for the g2 since it has loki support
I thought they had the same limitations.
crazysoccerman said:
Can you achieve more on loki than safestrap?
Specifically, can you flash custom kernels?
If so I may jump ship for the g2 since it has loki support
I thought they had the same limitations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not speaking about the G2, but loki allows you to bypass the locked bootloader, which then permits you to flash whatever recovery, kernels, and ROMs that you want. On the I545, once you're past MDK, Loki won't work.
k1mu said:
Not speaking about the G2, but loki allows you to bypass the locked bootloader, which then permits you to flash whatever recovery, kernels, and ROMs that you want. On the I545, once you're past MDK, Loki won't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought safestrap did the same thing?
You can't flash kernels on safestrap, right?
crazysoccerman said:
I thought safestrap did the same thing?
You can't flash kernels on safestrap, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, which is why it's not the same thing as Loki'd MDK. On anything later than MDK, you can't replace the stock recovery (but can boot into a Safestrap recovery), can't flash custom kernels, etc. On MDK, you can flash any ROM that's compatible with the phone's hardware. Using Safestrap, you can only use ROMs that are compatible with the stock kernel.
Safestrap gets you most of what you get from an unlocked bootloader, just not everything.
Thanks for your help. I made sure to hit the thanks button.
I'm going to return my s4 for a g2.
I don't think samsung and verizon considered the cost of returned phones because of lack of mod ability. Hopefully users on verizon and at&t aren't witnessing the end of a modding era.
It's sad to see what two years since I purchased my gnex has brought to the modding community. Rather than making awesome new features, developers are fighting for the ability to mod at all.
I also find it hypocritical that newer versions of android and proprietary interfaces have copied features that were originally on custom mods.
I accidentally installed a factory image with the ME7 baseband. My phone is now on ME7 and there is apparently nothing I can do to bypass the bootloader (aside from Safestrap) until someone hacks it - if anyone is ever able to. I am also aware that you can't flash an MDK based ROM from the stock recovery. But one thing I did notice is that I have multiple backups on my computer from when I had MDK. (I know they are MDK because of the names of the folders; for example "2013-10-07.11.02.07_JDQ39.I545VRUAMDK".)
My assumption is that restoring these backups would not work, and for the same reason, but since I'm having flashing withdrawal I figured it wouldn't hurt to confirm that this is the case. Also, I can imagine that if this did work someone would have made a generic backup of an MDK-based ROM long ago and posted it publicly, and with this in mind I am not holding particularly high hopes, but it sure would be nice. So, to restate the question, is it possible (and safe) to restore an MDK backup while on ME7? Thanks in advance.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
I accidentally installed a factory image with the ME7 baseband. My phone is now on ME7 and there is apparently nothing I can do to bypass the bootloader (aside from Safestrap) until someone hacks it - if anyone is ever able to. I am also aware that you can't flash an MDK based ROM from the stock recovery. But one thing I did notice is that I have multiple backups on my computer from when I had MDK. (I know they are MDK because of the names of the folders; for example "2013-10-07.11.02.07_JDQ39.I545VRUAMDK".)
My assumption is that restoring these backups would not work, and for the same reason, but since I'm having flashing withdrawal I figured it wouldn't hurt to confirm that this is the case. Also, I can imagine that if this did work someone would have made a generic backup of an MDK-based ROM long ago and posted it publicly, and with this in mind I am not holding particularly high hopes, but it sure would be nice. So, to restate the question, is it possible (and safe) to restore an MDK backup while on ME7? Thanks in advance.
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Nope, you can't downgrade. You're stuck with ME7 or later now. Trying to flash those backups will fail and leave you soft-bricked in downloader mode.
k1mu said:
Nope, you can't downgrade. You're stuck with ME7 or later now. Trying to flash those backups will fail and leave you soft-bricked in downloader mode.
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Ahhhhhhh, that's what I was afraid of. :crying: What a bummer, it would be nice if things were that simple but I guess I didn't really expect them to be. :silly: Thanks for the reply.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
Ahhhhhhh, that's what I was afraid of. :crying: What a bummer, it would be nice if things were that simple but I guess I didn't really expect them to be. :silly: Thanks for the reply.
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you can load safestap to run several 4.2 base ROMS and hashcode is working on safestrap for 4.3 based ROMS right now.
decaturbob said:
you can load safestap to run several 4.2 base ROMS and hashcode is working on safestrap for 4.3 based ROMS right now.
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Thanks for the reply! I am familiar with Safestrap, and I appreciate the suggestion but I think I'm going to hold of and try to figure out a way (or wait until a method becomes available) to get KitKat on it. I was using KitKat for a few weeks and really enjoyed it.
Hello, from some what site, I heard that Safestrap 3.75 allowed to install Cyanogen Mod. I installed Safestrap 3.75, made a back up, and installed a nightly version from Cyanogen Mod
After installing CM from safestrap and rebooting, I got the yellow sign with "System Software Not Authorized By Verizon Wireless". I couldn't even go back to Safestrap to restore back. I used the NC5 build rooted with Towelroot.
From some websites, I found that I could just flash the stock firmware using Odin_v3.07 but even installing the correct "I545VZWFNC5" md5 file, I get an error saying
"Can't open the specified file. (line 1949)"
Is there a way I could apply my back up made using safestrap or just clean wipe my phone so that I can make my phone functioning? Thanks!
-Edit
I am trying again using Odin_v1.83 since I saw some posts that Odin_v3.07 had problems on my phone.
-Edit
lol Using Odin_v1.83 solved the issue. Thanks myself XD
coreymu said:
Hello, from some what site, I heard that Safestrap 3.75 allowed to install Cyanogen Mod. I installed Safestrap 3.75, made a back up, and installed a nightly version from Cyanogen Mod
After installing CM from safestrap and rebooting, I got the yellow sign with "System Software Not Authorized By Verizon Wireless". I couldn't even go back to Safestrap to restore back. I used the NC5 build rooted with Towelroot.
From some websites, I found that I could just flash the stock firmware using Odin_v3.07 but even installing the correct "I545VZWFNC5" md5 file, I get an error saying
"Can't open the specified file. (line 1949)"
Is there a way I could apply my back up made using safestrap or just clean wipe my phone so that I can make my phone functioning? Thanks!
-Edit
I am trying again using Odin_v1.83 since I saw some posts that Odin_v3.07 had problems on my phone.
-Edit
lol Using Odin_v1.83 solved the issue. Thanks myself XD
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I don't know if you figured it out but safestrap and CM(and pretty much all other aosp roms) aren't compatible, sorry to break it to you
Quite Sad :S
Raymondlikesroot said:
I don't know if you figured it out but safestrap and CM(and pretty much all other aosp roms) aren't compatible, sorry to break it to you
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Ahh, That's unfortunate :S
I've been so fond with CM ever since I used it on my old GS3.
I bet the smart developers are working on it right? I gotta cheer for them
coreymu said:
Ahh, That's unfortunate :S
I've been so fond with CM ever since I used it on my old GS3.
I bet the smart developers are working on it right? I gotta cheer for them
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Unfortunately, not really. A dev called surge was making great progress but he has since left the s4. Really, our hope is some dude on the s5 forums claiming to have a universal root and bootloader unlock. However, it is becoming more and more likely that it is just hoax.
coreymu said:
Ahh, That's unfortunate :S
I've been so fond with CM ever since I used it on my old GS3.
I bet the smart developers are working on it right? I gotta cheer for them
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Click to collapse
Not really.
CM requires its own kernel (or at least a kernel designed to work with what ever custom features it has), safestrap is loaded AFTER the kernel so it cannot load a different one. There has been work done on this, but nothing really came of it and its closer to abandoned then working at this point.
Would there then be a way to install a lower version bootloader, which is unlockable, using safestrap so that I could install CM's kernel? Or is that impossible since NC5 is still locked?
Thanks for the information!
coreymu said:
Would there then be a way to install a lower version bootloader, which is unlockable, using safestrap so that I could install CM's kernel? Or is that impossible since NC5 is still locked?
Thanks for the information!
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Click to collapse
In a word - NO. Even going back to the MDK bootloader is not possible once you have taken the OTAs. And even then, MDK is still locked. The likelihood of the bootloader getting unlocked is slim and none. Kexec is the next choice and even its development has slowed as it is very hard to crack the bootloader issue.
As is often repeated, read the FAQs and search topics before posting.