Database Users

Lost root on as I updated to 2.3.4 on my Nexus S

After getting assert_failed errors since forever on 2.3.2, I finally downgraded my radio to fix them and without even thinking installed 2.3.4 OTA. The install went fine but I lost my root.
Now, I haven't unlocked my bootloader. To root, I have to unlock the bootloader which will wipe my phone clean. To take a nandroid/full backup of phone I need root. So, kinda stuck in a catch-22 here.
I still have ROM Manager installed and when I used backup feature in it, it created a new backup. However I am not sure if its a full phone backup or just the ROM. Is there anyway to verify?
Also, any solution to gain my root back with all my data? I am fine with unlocking the bootloader as long as my data is safe.
Edit:
This just struck my mind. If I modify the update file and put in su binaries repackage it and reinstall it on my phone, would it work? Can I even reinstall an update?
Edit2:
Can I just create my own update.zip containing su binaries, sign it and install it?

dpacmittal said:
Edit2:
Can I just create my own update.zip containing su binaries, sign it and install it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can create it, of course, but I doubt you could install it with a locked bootloader, since you are unlikely to have the private key google uses to sign its updates.

How much can I back-up without rooting my phone? I'll backup the SD partition. I just want all my application settings (eg; Angry birds data) with all the applications, messages and contacts. Is it possible to back all these up without root?
I have titanium installed, if its any good?

[Guide] Install ClockworkMod Recovery image after updated to 2.3.4 (GRJ22).
I hope this will able to help you
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13800735#post13800735

My bootloader is locked, mate. Your method won't work for me. Thanks, anyways

[Q] Upgrade Available - Rooting possible?

Mine says the upgrade to 4.5.141 is available to download. My Atrix is rooted with locked bootloader, I presuming I am going to lose root with the upgrade.
If so, what rooting method will work?
Thanks for your help.
PS: Will this worK?
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper

charlyee said:
Mine says the upgrade to 4.5.141 is available to download. My Atrix is rooted with locked bootloader, I presuming I am going to lose root with the upgrade.
If so, what rooting method will work?
Thanks for your help.
PS: Will this worK?
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just unlock your bootloader and flash a new ROM on your phone. Most of the ROMs available for our phone have that update or better already on the ROM.
Sent from Neutrino, a planet far, far away...

cwburns32 said:
Just unlock your bootloader and flash a new ROM on your phone. Most of the ROMs available for our phone have that update or better already on the ROM.
Sent from Neutrino, a planet far, far away...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I don't want to take the route of custom ROMs, sorry.

I had to unlock my bootloader first using RSDlite and the small .sbf file (pudding.rar) Click here to download
My bootloader was supposed to be already unlocked but I guess the updated firmware didn't realize it. I couldn't run fastboot flash without getting an error
I then rooted by flashing preinstall.img and running commands to install the superuser binary and .apk. Instructions here
I don't know of a way to root 4.5.141 without unlocking the bootloader first. If you find a way let me know

http://briefmobile.com/motorola-atrix-4g-root should work.

lauterm said:
http://briefmobile.com/motorola-atrix-4g-root should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing I used... different source. Still it requires an unlocked bootloader to flash images.
I believe the OP is looking for a root option that will work with a locked bootloader.

charlyee said:
Thanks, but I don't want to take the route of custom ROMs, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wondering.. Why not? ;o

nthon9 said:
Just wondering.. Why not? ;o
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's kind of a "Been there, done that" kind of thing from my Win Mob days. lol
I am pefectly happy with stock Atrix ROMs, and just want to be able to retain root or re root to use a couple of apps like Titanium Backup.

Has anyone with an unlocked bootloader/rooted Atrix tried the update?
I like to stick with the stock rom for now but I haven't found directions for updating to 141 yet. I'd like to keep root and not hard brick my Atrix...After the 2nd time Moto might get suspicious

I wasn't able to use the OTA updates once I rooted (even before I unlocked my bootloader). Of course, that could be Bell building in a check. I even tried unrooting (using GingerBreak) and that still wouldn't allow me to use an OTA update.
I would think you'll have to root, unlock bootloader, and then flash an firmware file from this tread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125944.

Actually, you're right in that the OTA update will probably fail without me going to a more "out of the box" state. I suppose I'd have to first create a nandroid, a titanium backup then flash my phone with a 4.5.91 stock image using fastboot, do the OTA, then re-root, and restore the titanium backup to get back to where I was. And if anything fails restore from my nandroid.
Does that sound right?

I've heard there could be issues relating to going back to a locked bootloader file. So I'm not sure on specifics there. I just run CyanogenMod to avoid all that stuff.

penderway said:
Same thing I used... different source. Still it requires an unlocked bootloader to flash images.
I believe the OP is looking for a root option that will work with a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
preinstall fastboot method works on a locked bootloader...at least it does for me (locked, rooted and on 141).

gnahc79 said:
preinstall fastboot method works on a locked bootloader...at least it does for me (locked, rooted and on 141).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So...in fastboot mode, you were able to run fastboot flash preinstall preinstall.img and thus successfully create the "preinstall\" partition with the necessary files on your phone without getting an error message???
My bootloader was unlocked long ago but I still couldn't flash the preinstall partition without running the pudding unlock .sbf first. Idk

I wasn't even able to boot into fastboot without unlocking the bootloader first.

penderway said:
So...in fastboot mode, you were able to run fastboot flash preinstall preinstall.img and thus successfully create the "preinstall\" partition with the necessary files on your phone without getting an error message???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, followed all of the steps and every one is successful. I'm very risk-averse when it comes to messing with my phone, so I've never unlocked my phone. Only root.

I love how no one is answering your question just telling you to unlock your bootloader...

I downloaded the ota update, installed and got failed to boot 4 starting rsd node.. i had unlocked bootloader before update help please!! I pulled the battery for now.

gnahc79 said:
yep, followed all of the steps and every one is successful. I'm very risk-averse when it comes to messing with my phone, so I've never unlocked my phone. Only root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well then, that settles it. The OP (who also doesn't have an unlocked bootloader) should be able to do the same.

gnahc79 said:
yep, followed all of the steps and every one is successful. I'm very risk-averse when it comes to messing with my phone, so I've never unlocked my phone. Only root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any way to get step by step instructions for this

[Q] New TN7 - what to do first: root or upgrade?

Hello guys,
my TN7 is nagging me to upgrade from 4.2.2 to 4.3 via OTA. I've read that with the upgrade the bootloader will be locked and if I tried to root afterwards a full wipe will be neccessary to unlock the bootloader.
So here's my question: if I root first and upgrade then will root access persist or do I have to suffer a full reset anyway? What would you suggest?
Any hints are appreciated!

freeekbert said:
Hello guys,
my TN7 is nagging me to upgrade from 4.2.2 to 4.3 via OTA. I've read that with the upgrade the bootloader will be locked and if I tried to root afterwards a full wipe will be neccessary to unlock the bootloader.
So here's my question: if I root first and upgrade then will root access persist or do I have to suffer a full reset anyway? What would you suggest?
Any hints are appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not rooted my device but after you upgrade to 4.3, within 5-10 minutes it will ask you again to upgrade to 4.4.2. I think you should consider this also before rooting. ( I am having 4.4.2. )
What is the advantage of rooting TN7?

asratxda said:
I have not rooted my device but after you upgrade to 4.3, within 5-10 minutes it will ask you again to upgrade to 4.4.2. I think you should consider this also before rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. Up to now I'm not a big fan of KitKat...
asratxda said:
What is the advantage of rooting TN7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All my Android devices are rooted, because in general I don't like the idea that there is a lot of potential hidden from the customer. For example if you want to make Nandroid backups you need root access. And I'm using Nandroids excessively
Other apps like Tasker need root access to use their full potential.
So the question remains: will root stick through the upgrade(s) or not? And if it doesn't, what can I do make it persist?

no, you will need to root after each update. So you might as well do the updates, then the root. many here are wishing they would have just stayed on 4.3 and not rooted (IMHO) The only thing I like about KK is the gamepad mapper.

I did the two updates (4.3 and then 4.4.2) then I unlocked the boot loader and rooted using the tool as it supports the 4.4.3 update.
Was plain sailing and no problems.
Phil

Thanks guys, so I'm going to root on current version to backup all apps and settings. Then I can do both updates and unlock the boot loader without worrying about data loss.
I'll give feedback how it went :thumbsup:

So, I promised to report back. Coming from Android 4.2.2 I did the following:
Root like described in here:
HTML:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47810386&postcount=1
I used the Chinese method, but please be aware that this way there is strange software installed on your device.
Then I grabbed Titanium Backup Pro and created a backup of all my installed apps. Those backups and important data from internal storage were pushed to a remote FTP server, because I read that unlocking the boot loader also wipes sdcard0.
Next step is installing all three OTA updates. Please be patient, because that this (especially the update to 4.4.2) may take some time.
Unlock boot loader. CAUTION: ALL DATA WILL BE LOST! Follow the instructions of Super Tool:
HTML:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627654
Flash ClockworkMod Recovery with Super Tool or manually via fastboot. I recommend Super Tool, because it's very handy to use.
Boot to CWM and flash SuperSU.zip by Chainfire and you should be good to go. Now you can reinstall Titanium Backup and restore your previously backed up apps and data from your remote location!
I hope this could come in handy for someone!

freeekbert said:
So, I promised to report back. Coming from Android 4.2.2 I did the following:
Root like described in here:
HTML:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47810386&postcount=1
I used the Chinese method, but please be aware that this way there is strange software installed on your device.
Then I grabbed Titanium Backup Pro and created a backup of all my installed apps. Those backups and important data from internal storage were pushed to a remote FTP server, because I read that unlocking the boot loader also wipes sdcard0.
Next step is installing all three OTA updates. Please be patient, because that this (especially the update to 4.4.2) may take some time.
Unlock boot loader. CAUTION: ALL DATA WILL BE LOST! Follow the instructions of Super Tool:
HTML:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627654
Flash ClockworkMod Recovery with Super Tool or manually via fastboot. I recommend Super Tool, because it's very handy to use.
Boot to CWM and flash SuperSU.zip by Chainfire and you should be good to go. Now you can reinstall Titanium Backup and restore your previously backed up apps and data from your remote location!
I hope this could come in handy for someone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: GREAT!!!! you finally rooted your device!!! I just want to ask you, is it possible to flash "SuperSU.zip" from "STOCK recovery" after unlocking the bootloader? i.e
1) Unlock bootloader 2) Flash SuperSU.zip from stock recovery ; thats all, now your are rooted. ???
...
...
I am going to root , but after at least 3-4 month's of usage. In the past I had rooted LG O1, CUBE U9GT4, iBall Andi4.3a. I also love taking BKPs with TB, very useful for game progress.
Have you tried "viper4android audio mod" and "GLTools"(for maximizing graphics performance for any app)?

asratxda said:
I just want to ask you, is it possible to flash "SuperSU.zip" from "STOCK recovery" after unlocking the bootloader? i.e
1) Unlock bootloader 2) Flash SuperSU.zip from stock recovery ; thats all, now your are rooted. ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, unfortunately it won't work this way, because the stock recovery system looks for a special signature which is not present in the zip file.
asratxda said:
Have you tried "viper4android audio mod" and "GLTools"(for maximizing graphics performance for any app)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither one of them. But this is possibly because I don't play games on my tablet usually
asratxda said:
I am going to root , but after at least 3-4 month's of usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I'd do it as soon as possible, because you will lose all your saved data. So the earlier you root, the less you have to restore

help me guys I missed OTA update

Help me guys I got notification of new system update to lollipop and i pressed download before it finish it showed me that it's up to date and check now as if i was dreaming. And please do not tell me to flash the factory image

msadek122 said:
Help me guys I got notification of new system update to lollipop and i pressed download before it finish it showed me that it's up to date and check now as if i was dreaming. And please do not tell me to flash the factory image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what do you expect anyone to tell? wait until you see that notification again.

msadek122 said:
Help me guys I got notification of new system update to lollipop and i pressed download before it finish it showed me that it's up to date and check now as if i was dreaming. And please do not tell me to flash the factory image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the notification and downloaded it to install when i got time. Removed root and reflashed stock recovery etc. to do the update. But after a few reboots the notification just disappeared, and i haent seen it since... Hope it returns! I don't wanna sideload it, people are reporting bootloops and other wierd errors...

tommyhj said:
I had the notification and downloaded it to install when i got time. Removed root and reflashed stock recovery etc. to do the update. But after a few reboots the notification just disappeared, and i haent seen it since... Hope it returns! I don't wanna sideload it, people are reporting bootloops and other wierd errors...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you, please, tell me how you reflashed the stock recovery? Did you unlock the bootloader and loose data to flash it or not? I have CWM Recovery and I wnat to flash back the stock recovery, but I didn't find any solution on how to flash it without unlocking the bootloader and loose data, although I was able to install CWM with a locked bootloader.

veketash said:
Can you, please, tell me how you reflashed the stock recovery? Did you unlock the bootloader and loose data to flash it or not? I have CWM Recovery and I wnat to flash back the stock recovery, but I didn't find any solution on how to flash it without unlocking the bootloader and loose data, although I was able to install CWM with a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't loose any data.
First i used Towel-root to get root - not from the Play Store, google it.
Then I unlocked the bootloader with the app Bootunlocker from Play Store - it does it without loosing any data and without rebooting phone.
I used the app Flashify from Play Store to flash stock 4.4.4 recovery. I downloaded the stock factory image from google's own site (this one), used 7zip to extract the archives (tgz and tar), found "recovery.img" and transfered that to my phone. Then chose that file in Flashify.
Re-locked the bootloader with Bootunlocker
Uninstalled all apps that made system changes, like Xposed and BetterBatteryStats etc.
Removed Root with SuperSU cleanup function afterwards.
First time i rebooted i got a dead android with exclamation mark and some error message, but holding power to shut it down and turn it on agan, and everything worked.
I dont know if it will be enough for the OTA to install though, as even slight tampering will break it... I suspect that when/if i get the OTA notification and apply it, i will get the bootloop bug because of my tampering, but it's worth a shot I have a nandroid backup, so I can always go back and try sideloading the lollipop OTA or fastboot flashing the boot/system/recovery images (never tried that before though, so i don't know how exactly to do that, lol).
Has anyone tried to apply the regular OTA after rolling back system changes like above?

tommyhj said:
I didn't loose any data.
First i used Towel-root to get root - not from the Play Store, google it.
Then I unlocked the bootloader with the app Bootunlocker from Play Store - it does it without loosing any data and without rebooting phone.
I used the app Flashify from Play Store to flash stock 4.4.4 recovery. I downloaded the stock factory image from google's own site (this one), used 7zip to extract the archives (tgz and tar), found "recovery.img" and transfered that to my phone. Then chose that file in Flashify.
Re-locked the bootloader with Bootunlocker
Uninstalled all apps that made system changes, like Xposed and BetterBatteryStats etc.
Removed Root with SuperSU cleanup function afterwards.
...........
Thank you for your response! Maybe if I wasn't so hurried I wouldn't have installed 5.0 with factory image. After I posted the question I decided to make a clean install and I don't regret it.
Your explanation is good and thank you again for it! Maybe it will help someone.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Questions on upgrading

Hello,
i'm a new user and i have a question for you guys. I have my P8Lite with:
- unlocket bootloader TWRP 3.0.2-0
- rooted
- firmware 5.0.1
(i used to write little scripts for school project that used my phone so i had to access root-locked functionalities)
my friends recently recived and update for their phone but i tried to do it (OTA and local) and didnt work.
Could please someone explain to me why i cant update my firmware? What's keeping me from doing so?
If i need to give up on root/custom recovery i can do that. I just want to know how to get the last stock firmware on my phone.
Thanks a lot.

SuperAntani said:
Hello,
i'm a new user and i have a question for you guys. I have my P8Lite with:
- unlocket bootloader TWRP 3.0.2-0
- rooted
- firmware 5.0.1
(i used to write little scripts for school project that used my phone so i had to access root-locked functionalities)
my friends recently recived and update for their phone but i tried to do it (OTA and local) and didnt work.
Could please someone explain to me why i cant update my firmware? What's keeping me from doing so?
If i need to give up on root/custom recovery i can do that. I just want to know how to get the last stock firmware on my phone.
Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to give up twrp. Also make sure you download correct region/model firmware otherwise it may fail or give you many bugs. Especially balong bug. After updating your phone will automatically unroot and probably your data will be erased. So backup your data to avoid any loss.

Suleiman01 said:
You need to give up twrp. Also make sure you download correct region/model firmware otherwise it may fail or give you many bugs. Especially balong bug. After updating your phone will automatically unroot and probably your data will be erased. So backup your data to avoid any loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, let's say i install the original recovery, i then should be able to update to the latest version.
At that point will i still be able to re-install twrp and re-root?
(I think bootloader should remain unlocked)

SuperAntani said:
Ok, let's say i install the original recovery, i then should be able to update to the latest version.
At that point will i still be able to re-install twrp and re-root?
(I think bootloader should remain unlocked)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you successfully updated your phone to Android 6.0 you may root it again or install twrp.
Bootloader should remain unlocked. There is no need to lock it.

Suleiman01 said:
After you successfully updated your phone to Android 6.0 you may root it again or install twrp.
Bootloader should remain unlocked. There is no need to lock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's marvelous. I'll do that as soon as i can and i'll post the outcome

It all worked properly, i installed stock recover > OTA update > re-installed custom recovery.
Now i have the lastest update with custom recovery.
I had some troubles with root tho, i made a backup then installed the latest version of SuperSU through TWRP but it soft bricked my phone so i had to restore the backup.
I gave up on root because i dont need it but it would be nice to know what went wrong there.
Anyway it all works fine and i kept my files and apps.
Thanks a lot buddy