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I have an unrooted hero I have had since launch day. I am now thinking about rooting my hero with use of the latest Sprint leak. my understanding is if you update to the leak of even the official builld whenever that may come out, it will close all current rooting holes available. I guess that doesn't mean in the future there won't be other possibilities. do these new build give the same sense of stability as the official roms because we can now use an official 2.1 kernal?
so from what I have been reading there appears to be only one Rom that is based on the current 2.1 leak and that is flipz Rom? I have a few questions or statements before I do anything to my phone. one, will this help get rid of the lag when typing? two, I need to make sure Bluetooth is still going to work as I have a home phone that I connect my cell to when I enter the door. if I decided to flash back to the official release, is that possible?
dbldown768 said:
I have an unrooted hero I have had since launch day. I am now thinking about rooting my hero with use of the latest Sprint leak. my understanding is if you update to the leak of even the official builld whenever that may come out, it will close all current rooting holes available. I guess that doesn't mean in the future there won't be other possibilities. do these new build give the same sense of stability as the official roms because we can now use an official 2.1 kernal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of right now; many people are cautious about testing the latest 2.1 leak; because of the concerns you expressed earlier -- having your phone unrooted by the 2.1 leak when you flash the new update. So, with that said; the current 2.1 ROM's are all pretty stable. This new leak, however probably is as well, but again... I don't know whose all tested it, for fear of loosing root access.
dbldown768 said:
so from what I have been reading there appears to be only one Rom that is based on the current 2.1 leak and that is flipz Rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Damageless ROM's are also based on the latest Sprint leaks. All ROM's you see should tell which ROM they are based off of. Almost all 2.1 ROM's are currently built from any of the Damageless ROM's -- just read the front page of the ROM you're looking into.
dbldown768 said:
I have a few questions or statements before I do anything to my phone. one, will this help get rid of the lag when typing? two, I need to make sure Bluetooth is still going to work as I have a home phone that I connect my cell to when I enter the door. if I decided to flash back to the official release, is that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Possibly. The lag problem is relative to the person/device. Not everyone experiences this problem. However, turning off "Vibrate when typing" apparently helps with the lag issues. YMMV.
2. Please see first post I made.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm investigating the best way of rooting my phone. I see there are a few ways listed on the wiki, but then i just ran across Fresh Kitchen (http://geekfor.me/new-release/fresh-kitchen-105)? This is suppose to root your phone for you? Is this a stable way of rooting or should i just use the command line mehods? Also, i have read that you should do a nandroid backup of your phone? Not sure if fresh is doing this for you? The other thing i should mention is that i just have a stock microSD card, so I dont plan on using app2sd, i dont think this is a problem correct?
I also see people load their roms using their microSD card and just putting some update.zip file on there. Is this the standard procedure once you root your phone and get a rom loaded?
Actually, Fresh 2.1, and 2.1.1 are the only ones as of right based off of the newest leak (signed with release keys rather then test), Damageless and Treve are currently working on improving DCUpdater, DConfig, and building a new ROM from the release-keys build.
As far as how to root, I recommend the command line method. While the auto-root methods are nice, actually doing it yourself will give you some experience with things you're gonna be using.
Yes, loading the update.zip to the root of the SDCard is the standard way to flash.
No, not using Apps2SD is not a problem, most people use it because they have a faster SDCard, which gives better performance when loading apps.
A Nandroid backup is something that you will do before you flash any update.zip (At least you're supposed to). It's basically an "Image" of your phone exactly how it was the point in time that you made it, so if you flash something and everything goes horribly wrong, you can restore said nandroid, and it will be like it never happened. (The exceptions are flashing a radio and screwing with the PRL/PRI, nandroid doesn't touch those.)
dbldown768 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm investigating the best way of rooting my phone. I see there are a few ways listed on the wiki, but then i just ran across Fresh Kitchen (http://geekfor.me/new-release/fresh-kitchen-105)? This is suppose to root your phone for you? Is this a stable way of rooting or should i just use the command line mehods? Also, i have read that you should do a nandroid backup of your phone? Not sure if fresh is doing this for you? The other thing i should mention is that i just have a stock microSD card, so I dont plan on using app2sd, i dont think this is a problem correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fresh's kitchen will allow you root your phone and yes it's stable. However, it's best you try doing it via ADB commands, as there will come a time when you'll want to create things for the community and wished you had prior experience using it. I recommend you trying to root via this tutorial HERE If you follow the directions, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever.
Stock card is perfectly fine; you're able to use Apps2sd, but don't have to.
dbldown768 said:
I also see people load their roms using their microSD card and just putting some update.zip file on there. Is this the standard procedure once you root your phone and get a rom loaded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To try out different ROM's -- the process is to download the file (which is a update.zip file in itself), but has been renamed to match the name of the ROM. All you have to do is; copy to your sd card, boot into recovery, flash ROM from the sd card, reboot.
abcdfv said:
Actually, Fresh 2.1, and 2.1.1 are the only ones as of right based off of the newest leak (signed with release keys rather then test), Damageless and Treve are currently working on improving DCUpdater, DConfig, and building a new ROM from the release-keys build.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your real answer. Thanks.
I'm having a hard time understanding why i would need the flash recover image in this tutorial (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583291)? I understand i would want to do a backup of the current phones state, but why would i flash anything before actually making this backup? Maybe i'm not understanding the process correctly, but i just want to get "su" ability and then do the nandroid backup? Is the nandroid backup an app i use?
Nandroid is built into the recovery image you're flashing. Before flashing the recovery image, there is no way for you to nandroid.
thanks! after watching the youtube video posting that mad more sense. So i know there is a chance of bricking your phone during all of this, where does that chance increase? Is it during the flashing of the customs roms, not so much the rooting process?
It is safe to say once the "official" 2.1 android comes out there will always be a custom rom based on it? meaning that if chosen by developers here there could be a build off the "official" 2.1 with the only difference is the rooted user is still allowed? I know that most dev are going to change the build in someway to "improve" on what the official build is done.
The only proven way to brick this phone is by flashing a GSM radio, or by having a failed RUU. I've never heard of anyone getting a "true" brick from rooting/flashing ROMs.
Yes, once the official build is released, all ROMs from then on are most likely going to be based of off it.
Ok, stupid question. I just followed the guide to rooting my phone, doing the nandroid backup and copying the backup to my pc. There are a lot of guide to root, but how to you actually flash the custom rom? I saw something about holding down the 'home' button when starting up? Does this bring you to the recovery image again? Do the roms have to be named something specifically?
Place the ROM in the root of your sdcard, and boot into recovery by holding Home+Power. From then select the "Flash update.zip" option and it will show all of the .zip files in the root of your sdcard. Just pick which one you want to flash.
great! thanks for all the help.
ok, so i decided to load damage's sprint leak that would still give me root access, well it doesnt boot. just goes to the "sprint now" screen and reboots over and over again? any ideas?
Did you wipe data and Dalvik?
Anytime you go from one ROM version to another (1.5 to 2.1, 2.1 to 1.6, 1.6 to 1.5, etc etc) you have to wipe, or if there's major changes between rom versions.
what do you wipe the data? i just picked the flash from zip file from sd card?
In recovery there's a catagory for wipe. Wipe data and Dalvik, then reflash and you'll be fine.
cool. thanks. trying that now.
so everything is working now. So i know one of the main benefits of having a rooted is phone is wifi teathering. Are apps like this in the market place or only on here?
There's Easytether and PDAnet. I haven't tried Easytether, since last I've heard it's x86 only, but PDAnet was a horrible experience. I just flashed an Eris based ROM, broke my PRI, and it enabled the built in USB tethering.
dbldown768 said:
so everything is working now. So i know one of the main benefits of having a rooted is phone is wifi teathering. Are apps like this in the market place or only on here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to market and download barcode scanner
open up barcode scanner and go here and then just point the camera at the qr code and it'll download to your phone.
remember to check 'unknown sources' > setting > applications
wifitether 1.6. works flawlessly on either fresh or damageless latest 2.1
So I am new to the whole Root and ROM Android arena. And I came up with a few questions that hopefully you guys can help me with.
1. I read people saying they lost their ROOT after an update from 4.1 to 4.2 or 4.2.1 to 4.2.2? How did this happen for them?
Do you have to Un-root and flash to stock before updating to a different build (Such as 4.1 to 4.2 or 4.2.1 to 4.2.2)?
2. Right now I am using a custom ROM on Android Version 4.2.2.... if a new Custom ROM with a new android version released (Let's say 4.2.3) can I flash from one Rom to the other with just wiping Cache/Factory wipe and Dalvik Cahce or is there something else I would need to do because of the Android version update?
Sorry those two questions above are very similar but I wanted to ask them both ways.
3. If I were to get bored of the Custom ROM I am currently on. Are there any Best Practices "rules" I should know about when switching from one custom ROM to another?
4. Last if I am on a custom ROM with a nightly build..... is it more common to update to every nightly build that releases? Or is it more common people to only pick and choose choice nightly build versions. And if people do update to every new Nightly build.... can you update too much and destroy your device?
Sorry guys I know these seem like very basic questions..... and Yes I did search the forums. However while I found some very basic answers nothing went into great depth in explanation. All the answers seemed to be very vague.
does anyone have some suggestions on where to find these answers?
1. If you are on stock, rooted, and you update versions of the OS, you are essentially UPDATING the /system partition. That is how you lose 'root' when upgrading. If you modify any system files while rooted, you have to either revert to stock or change those modified files back to the original before running the update.
2. Just run FACTORY RESET in your custom recovery and flash the new custom rom. No need to wipe any caches (/cache is wiped during a factory reset anyway). It doesnt matter what version to what version. Sometimes new versions might require new bootloaders, but you will be bombarded with that information here if that becomes the case.
3. See number 2. Its the same thing. backup your apps with Titanium Backup, do a Factory Reset in custom recovery and flash new rom....done.
4. doesnt matter. you can update as much or as little as you like. some people prefer stability over new shiny, but then others are just crack-flashers....and will literally flash ANYTHING posted to see what happens
Pirateghost said:
1. If you are on stock, rooted, and you update versions of the OS, you are essentially UPDATING the /system partition. That is how you lose 'root' when upgrading. If you modify any system files while rooted, you have to either revert to stock or change those modified files back to the original before running the update.
2. Just run FACTORY RESET in your custom recovery and flash the new custom rom. No need to wipe any caches (/cache is wiped during a factory reset anyway). It doesnt matter what version to what version. Sometimes new versions might require new bootloaders, but you will be bombarded with that information here if that becomes the case.
3. See number 2. Its the same thing. backup your apps with Titanium Backup, do a Factory Reset in custom recovery and flash new rom....done.
4. doesnt matter. you can update as much or as little as you like. some people prefer stability over new shiny, but then others are just crack-flashers....and will literally flash ANYTHING posted to see what happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I really appreciate the response. :good: You'd be surprised how many "Tiny Parts" of answers you get from searching. Very rarely the whole answer you need.
I am glade to hear that Question 2 only requires you to just factory rest. From the misinformation gathered on other forums... I was starting to think you had to flash back to stock before updating to another Custom ROM Build.
@20mmrain
You've probably looked at a number of posts by confused newbs. For better or worse, this site is nothing like a moderated wiki, so you find treasure mixed in with trash.
Rooters fall into four broad classes:
(a) Those that "root & modify" stock ROMs
(b) Those that abandon stock and use custom ROMs and kernels
For each of the above cases, there are diligent and careful users who make full (nandroid) backups... and lazy idiots who do not. It is almost always the lazy idiots you observe coming in here in a panic, independent of whether they are in class (a) or (b).
Beyond that, newbs taking approach (a) seem to perpetually labor under the false impression that their modified versions of a stock ROM should be able to be upgraded by the OTA process - when in fact that there is absolutely no reason to believe that. The OTAs carefully check hundreds of different files before they perform any changes; if even a single one of them has been altered, the OTA aborts without making any changes.
It is *possible* that if none of those hundreds of files are changed that an OTA will succeed on a "nearly stock" ROM. When this happens though, it is quite typical that:
- the "su" binary (part of a root kit) in either /system/bin or /system/xbin gets its' setuid permissions reset by a recursive permission-setting command in the OTA
- the custom recovery can possibly be overwritten by the new stock recovery.
Folks tend to refer to either of the above as "losing root". True in principle, but they are trivially fixed up - if the user actually understands how Android rooting works. (With fastboot, you simply reflash the custom recovery, boot into that and reflash the same root kit originally used).
It's too bad that folks who put together rooting guides seem to neglect putting an emphasis on making backups. They give you both security and freedom.
Bottom line: whatever you choose to do, make nandroid backups. You don't need to keep them all on the tablet - but for convenience reasons, you should have at least one known good ROM as a backup available to be restored.
good luck
Wow that is a really in-depth explanation and that is exactly what was looking for! Since I have been working in the IT world for years I will say with pride that I am an individual who believes in safety first and always back up any important project I am working on! So I am happy to hear I made the right decision there.
I guess a great deal of my questions also stem from working in a windows based world for so long ....that I am still learning Linux/android.
Right now I do keep a nandroid backup on my nexus 7 but only one. How backups do you have? And do you just keep the rest on a thumb drive?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
20mmrain said:
Right now I do keep a nandroid backup on my nexus 7 but only one. How backups do you have? And do you just keep the rest on a thumb drive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment I have 6 on the tablet - all generated in the last 60 days. Two in the last two days (one a rooted stock/jdq39, another a cm10.1 nightly). Plus recent TiBu market app & data backups. 32 GB model, so I have plenty of room.
That doesn't reflect any particular strategy or goal. I hook it up to a PC every once in a while and at that time either copy off any backups worth saving or delete them. Most of the those I have on the PC will eventually be deleted as well without ever being used. You could use a USB key if you want to. Really you only need to keep one on the tablet - mostly as a convenience in case you wedge your daily driver ROM with some random mod: you can restore a working ROM right from your tablet rather than having to find a USB key or return to your PC to get the tablet booting again.
There is one type of ROM backup that I think is very useful to keep a permanent copy of - a pure stock ROM. The reason for that is that any radio images (tilapia) or bootloader upgrades that are *sometimes* delivered by OTA can be trivially installed by:
- make a backup of the current ROM
- restore a pure stock ROM backup (including the stock recovery! ***)
- take the OTA
- ***soft-boot a custom recovery and make a backup of the NEW stock ROM (including its' recovery!)
- hard-flash the custom recovery to the tablet
- restore the backup from the first step above.
Doing things this way is the safest possible way to install either a bootloader or a radio image. Not only that, but for folks that prefer to mod stock ROMs, it gives them a backup archive of /system to recover arbitrary (stock) files from.
*** soft-booting a recovery is the most convenient way to capture a stock recovery as part of a nandroid backup. I.E.
Code:
fastboot boot recoveryimagefile.img
If you hard-flash a custom recovery before you make a nandroid backup of a stock ROM, you lose the opportunity to get a copy of the stock recovery along with the rest of the stock ROM.
good luck
Hi guys, have a few questions...
For starters, I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 / AT&T
Running Android 4.4.2 Rooted with Towel Root
Connected on Straight Talk
~NC1
SafeStrap 3.72 (TWRP v2.7.0.0) Installed.
Im new to all this ROM/Modules and Rooting stuff.
Last time i fully customized stuff was on my Motorola RZR ages ago
making my keypad/ LED light blink with calls, and replacing the Cingular Logo
with a Pirate/2 Swords Logo. hah... good times.
I mean there was jail-breaking and whatnot but...that's easy stuff.
Any who, Im a quick learner so on to the subject.
My original idea was to FULLY customize this phone and install ROMS/other OS, thats
what im all about, customization. Sadly, i realized im on a NC1 which its Boot loader is
locked if im understanding correctly preventing me from installing other? ROMS?
However if i understood correctly, we still can install certain ROMS? Whats the difference?
Is there any ROM i can install that is clean? no bloatware? but with everything I need?
Whats the best, fastest and best looking ROM i can get? or they dont look different because the
boot loader thing? Or they can only be Samsung/AT&T roms? This stuff can be confusing. lol
Module wise, why do i need them? why arent they included in the actual ROM?
Also, is there any App/or way for me to know what causes my phone to randomly crash/reboot?
A few months ago I was at the GYM and my phone randomly shut off. It didnt want to turn back on.
After a while it turned back on, then it would randomly reboot. That eventually went away.
Last night, i was with some friends in a bar and my phone just turned off again. Didnt wanna turn
on...then the same reboot thing happened again.
Today, is working fine. I thought maybe it was an overheat issue but, i wasnt doing anything on my
phone and on top of that im using a CPU tempt program installed through xPosed and according to the
readings it wasnt hot, as it was in the 50-55c (or is that too hot?) Im at home now and its reading
36c but i dont have its case on (if that makes any difference)
There are 3 kind of "ROM"s :
1- Official ones. made by samsung. flashable via odin exclusively. not rooted
2- A bit modified (maybe more than a bit) Official ones, modified by people, flashable via odin or recovery (1), usually already rooted
3- Completely rewritten ROMS, almost made from scratch (Cyanogenmod, MIUI for exemple...), installable via recovery. already rooted
Now, your phone can be in two states : Rooted or not rooted.
From factory, your phone is not rooted (you can compare it to jailbreak)
with root, you become a "super user", which means you have rights on almost every single aspect of your phone, and you give authorisations to apps so they can act on system files (for exemple, they can get hidden informations, they can automatically install apps etc... infinite possibilites there are.)
As for the best rom there is, is like asking what is the best music ever, it depends on the user, you have to try by yourself to find the one that satisfies you the most.
For random reboots, i personally think that it is comparable to windows Blue Screen of Deaths. you maybe messed up something while installing something. your phone can't handle the bug, so it restart or shut down itself. so the safest way to get rid of this problem is to factory reset your phone (via the recovery)
if you are looking for stableness, don't opt for completely remade ROMS, they are usually experimental. but personally i use MIUI and i didn't have any problem and i love this ROM.
Hope i answered every question.
Thanks a lot for the reply.
I understand a bit better now...
That MIUI looks interesting... Reminded me of DreamPassport for my Sega Dreamcast, hah...
I'm guessing I cant install that one huh? Lol
well since you already have a custom recovery you can... just download a miui rom (one for your phone version (be carefull about the model) ) then put it on the root of your sd card, go to the custom recovery and flash zip from sdcard and choose it... but i advice you to factory reset your phone first in order to fix your reboot problem.
also, make sure you have installed the right android version before installing the equivalent miui version (for exemple if you want to install miui that requires 4.2, install an official 4.2 rom first) via odin.
Gotcha. Thanks.
One last question....
If I want my phone with the original OS it came with. But with all the bloatware removed...
which rom would be the best? , since I want the stock experience but no bloatware.
Also...
I noticed when you click to see how much ram is being used, it says
800/1.77GB
Isnt my phone suppose to have 2GB? Can I do something to get that back? is it cause the bloatware?
I appreciate the help.
Raging Tiger said:
Gotcha. Thanks.
One last question....
If I want my phone with the original OS it came with. But with all the bloatware removed...
which rom would be the best? , since I want the stock experience but no bloatware.
Also...
I noticed when you click to see how much ram is being used, it says
800/1.77GB
Isnt my phone suppose to have 2GB? Can I do something to get that back? is it cause the bloatware?
I appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the above information is correct.
From what I know the AT&T has a locked bootloader. So you can run custom roms, just not all of them. I think only custom roms that match the version you are using.
You could better read in the section for the AT&T (this section is for a different model).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att
Hello folks, My friend has a Moto G5 plus and she is also Visually Impaired. There are some issues, with talkback she is having that I am thinking may be 7.0 related, Also there are changes in 8.0 that she really is quite excited about. I am wondering if going to a custom ROM that is an up to date version and will probably hit Oreo before Moto ever gets to it wouldn't help her out, Also some of the custom roms seem to have some feature themselves that might be handy. So I have been researching how to go about this.
Basically what I THINK I want is pretty close to stock and most recent and least buggy version of android., But I know she watches Netflix and other things, so Since I have to root on the G5 to load any rom I believe the only way to do it and maintain things like netflix is with Magisk, Is this correct? So I am looking at Lineage OS or RR, leaning toward Lineage.
There is overwhelming amount of info on this so I want to do this correct, So here is a rough of what I understand the process to be.
First step is to unlock the boot loader
then load latest TWRP 3.1.1.1 custom recovery or is SuperSu better, this one of the parts got me little confused.
Once that is done, this I need to create a Nandroid backup and go ahead an wipe/reset the phone.
From here I use the TWRP recovery to install nstall no-verity-opt-encrypt-5.1.zip"(FLASH IT) and Magisk, and flash "no-verity-opt-encrypt-5.1.zip", correct?
Then Flash Magisk again and allow it to update, is that about right?
Then flash the Rom?
Last but not least flash the GAPPS, of which there seem to be a few to chose from. Still unsure the differences, Thinking just Open GAPPS.
So can anyone tell me does that sound about right? Is there a stupid NewB guide somewhere? Can anyone give me heads up or some of the pitfalls I may have missed or such?
Any help would be awesome.
Most of what I'm reading looks correct. It's been a few months since I rooted mine and I can't remember the exact process but I do remember some of my problems and questions. Make sure you have all files downloaded and copied to your phone. If possible have a backup on a micro SD in case you accidently erased the internal storage. Unlock bootloader, install twrp ( magisk is the way to go for root but several roms don't come prerooted so u can still use wallet, Netflix, etc). I personally didn't install no verity. Install the rom you want and your sound as a pound.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum.xda-developers.com/g5-plus/how-to/how-to-root-moto-g5-plus-t3579659/amp/
Thank you. I actually flash Lineage using a youtube video I found that seemed to cover what I needed to know. Things seem to be working well, many of the bugs I seemed to deal with in stock 7.0 rom, one I thought to actually be hardware thing, seem to have vanished and maybe it's just in my mind, but seems to be much more snappy. I haven't tried any apps that I know have issues w/ root and unlocked bootloaders, but sofar so good with most the apps I have tried, in fact some seem to work better.
I just want to say thank you to developers of these roms and all the tools, We really appreciate you.
N00b w/ "new SGH-I337 that is running original kernel & 4.2.2 & needs to be updated
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013
SilkRoadDog said:
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122
StoneyJSG said:
I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122
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Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.
SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.
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Click to collapse
No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.
StoneyJSG said:
No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.
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Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.
SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your instructions say " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you." Do I do that before "loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery."? If so, where is a good source for them? If not, when do I do I install them?
".
StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.
StoneyJSG said:
Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.
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Click to collapse
Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?
SilkRoadDog said:
Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.
StoneyJSG said:
It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?
SilkRoadDog said:
Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you made a nandroid backup with TWRP recovery or clockwork mod recovery, then the backup file will be on your phone SD card or internal memory. Use the my files app to find it. It should be under a folder called TWRP or clockwork mod.
Hey no problem man, I know how it is to goto a forum and have 87,000 people view your post yet nothing is said. Yes that link is the correct link to golden eye ROM. When booting a ROM for the first time it will get stuck at the Samsung logo for awhile, this is normal but it shouldn't be more than 20 minutes. I think the S4 can handle SD cards up to 128GB, it might only be 64GB though.
Very odd golden eye ROM is giving you issues, I have only had one problem with it and that was the text message app acting up every so often. When you booted golden eye did you use the Aroma installer so it just asks you questions and you pick what you want? If not wipe and start over using aroma, it's built into the ROM. Also be sure to tell Aroma you want to use the "imperium kernel". That's the kernel I am using. Golden eye ROM doesn't have a bootloader update in it, so you'll stay on MDL and not have to worry about your phone patching the loki exploit.
I think you can also use the hybrid max kernel, but I don't think it's in the Aroma installer so if you want it you will have to download it from the forums here and flash it separately.
Another thing you can try is just "nuking your phone" as explained in my guide that wipes everything and gives you a nice clean install. The only reason I included the "keep your data" method in my guide is because I just stumbled upon it by doing it on my phone.
If all else fails and as a last ditch effort, you could send the phone to me and I will see if I can get it up and running with golden eye ROM, then send it back. No guarantees though as I'm no developer or anything, just a guy that knows the basics of Android ROMs and root.
Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!
SilkRoadDog said:
Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!
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Click to collapse
Hey glad it finally worked out for you. You will need superSU though, try a different version of it and that might fix the issue you're having with the latest version. That is unless you have the kingroot super user app, then you can use that but it's not as good as superSU. I had problems with it authorizing my root apps so I got rid of it and installed superSU. No problem glad to help and no thanks needed but if you really wanna buy me a beer go for it lol.