Database Users

[Q]root before updating?

I just purchased a N7 yesterday, and it's supposed to arrive in a couple of days. I'm using a Mac OS computer and comfortable with ADB, so which is better: root first before updating the firmware, or update to the most recent version of firmare and then root? And which rooting method do you recommend with a Mac?
Thanks for your suggestions!

mj56gt said:
I just purchased a N7 yesterday, and it's supposed to arrive in a couple of days. I'm using a Mac OS computer and comfortable with ADB, so which is better: root first before updating the firmware, or update to the most recent version of firmare and then root? And which rooting method do you recommend with a Mac?
Thanks for your suggestions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would update first then root, and use wug's toolkit to help you through the process.

mj56gt said:
I just purchased a N7 yesterday, and it's supposed to arrive in a couple of days. I'm using a Mac OS computer and comfortable with ADB, so which is better: root first before updating the firmware, or update to the most recent version of firmare and then root? And which rooting method do you recommend with a Mac?
Thanks for your suggestions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally have done the following steps:
- I've rooted it first;
- installed OTA RootKeeper (to keep the root after updating - the app must be configured before updating firmware);
- I've updated the firmware to the last version.
I performed all those steps using my notebook which has Windows 7 OS, so for Mac OS I cannot make any recommendation.
I hope this helps you.

Thank you both for the suggestions! Is the Wug's toolkit for Windows OS? Any such toolkit for Mac OS or Linux system? Thanks!

Leonhan said:
I would update first then root, and use wug's toolkit to help you through the process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Dog. The OP said he had a Mac.
@OP
May as well do stock firmware upgrade first if it is needed.* On the rare chance that you get a device that suffers some kind of infant mortality - the device will be pure stock for the first little bit of operation (in case an RMA is needed). And the flashing operations which take place IF an OTA is needed will give flash memory a little workout.
Just bear in mind that the bootloader unlock operation will erase everything from /data (factory reset) when the "fastboot unlock" command occurs. So, if you operate the device as pure stock for a while, you will either need to backup stuff or regard your initial customizations as disposable.
fastboot methods are the most expeditious way to proceed on a Mac.
If you use TWRP 2.4.4.0 as your custom recovery, it will peek in /system to see if you are rooted and offer to root your device with SuperSU for you (just before you reboot from within TWRP).
The way I see it, the rooting procedure is 4 steps total:
(Note: use the "tilapia", not grouper recovery image if you have the 3G/LTE Nexus 7)
Code:
fastboot unlock
fastboot boot openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img
... make a pure stock Nandroid backup
... reboot TWRP and it will offer to install SuperSU for you
(optionally: fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img )
Those 4 steps above will leave you with Pure Stock + Rooted ; even the recovery on the tablet will be pure stock until you flash it there (optional step 5 above).
It's up to you to get the Mac SDK (for fastboot & adb) installed and figure out using command lines - search for that, don't ask.
good luck
* I thought I saw a report recently that someone had JDQ39 on a device purchased less than 4 weeks after the last update - your device may not need upgrading yet.

bftb0 said:
@OP
May as well do stock firmware upgrade first if it is needed.* On the rare chance that you get a device that suffers some kind of infant mortality - the device will be pure stock for the first little bit of operation (in case an RMA is needed). And the flashing operations which take place IF an OTA is needed will give flash memory a little workout.
Just bear in mind that the bootloader unlock operation will erase everything from /data (factory reset) when the "fastboot unlock" command occurs. So, if you operate the device as pure stock for a while, you will either need to backup stuff or regard your initial customizations as disposable.
fastboot methods are the most expeditious way to proceed on a Mac.
If you use TWRP 2.4.4.0 as your custom recovery, it will peek in /system to see if you are rooted and offer to root your device with SuperSU for you (just before you reboot from within TWRP).
The way I see it, the rooting procedure is 4 steps total:
(Note: use the "tilapia", not grouper recovery image if you have the 3G/LTE Nexus 7)
Code:
fastboot unlock
fastboot boot openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img
... make a pure stock Nandroid backup
... reboot TWRP and it will offer to install SuperSU for you
(optionally: fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img )
Those 4 steps above will leave you with Pure Stock + Rooted ; even the recovery on the tablet will be pure stock until you flash it there (optional step 5 above).
It's up to you to get the Mac SDK (for fastboot & adb) installed and figure out using command lines - search for that, don't ask.
good luck
* I thought I saw a report recently that someone had JDQ39 on a device purchased less than 4 weeks after the last update - your device may not need upgrading yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the detailed information and the kind help, bftb0! I really appreciated it.
I had a two-year-old version of Mac SDK, and only used adb before. Just finished grabbing the most recent version. I prefer command lines instead of button pushing. Once N7 arrives, I will start to have fun with fastboot...

bftb0 said:
Code:
fastboot unlock
fastboot boot openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img
... make a pure stock Nandroid backup
... reboot TWRP and it will offer to install SuperSU for you
(optionally: fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.4.4.0-grouper.img )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more question. Is the first step (unlocking) necessary for the later steps such as root access? The reason I'm asking is that, unlike rooting, unlocking is irreversible, and would avoid the warranty.
Edit: I guess that the bootloader has to be unlocked to flash a custom recovery, right?

Unlocking is necessary to use fastboot commands and it's not irreversible as you can relock it with "fastboot oem lock" but if you want to unlock it another time it will wipe your device again. And if you flash recovery with fastboot then yes your bootloader must be unlocked but you can relock it after.

Nico_60 said:
Unlocking is necessary to use fastboot commands and it's not irreversible as you can relock it with "fastboot oem lock" but if you want to unlock it another time it will wipe your device again. And if you flash recovery with fastboot then yes your bootloader must be unlocked but you can relock it after.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great! Thanks a lot for the help...

[Q] Flash rom via ADB?

I was poking around in the nexus 7's bootloader menus (the one with reboot, start, shutdown) and found a option to flash over ADB. Thus could it be possible to Flash ROMS over ADB without rooting?

Your device doesn't need to be rooted to flash a rom but the bootlader must be unlocked to boot or flash custom recovery in order to flash a custom rom.

x10knight said:
I was poking around in the nexus 7's bootloader menus (the one with reboot, start, shutdown) and found a option to flash over ADB. Thus could it be possible to Flash ROMS over ADB without rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock recoveries generally validate the .zip payload via cryptographic signatures - so while you can shove any zip file you want across that adb sideload connection, it will refuse to process any that are not properly signed. That feature is in the stock recovery only to support manual application of factory-signed OTA bundles.

Help rerooting after 4.3

My wife has a rooted nexus 7 2012 wifi and she unintentionally accepted the ota Android 4.3 update. So of course it unrooted her.
I originally had a hell of a time rooting this tablet using wugfresh nexus toolkit. Took me several days to succeed and the same thing is happening again. My Windows 7 laptop keeps installing the wrong drivers even though I selected the option to disable the auto driver configuration. Also USBDeview never shows the installed Samsung adb drivers yet when I try to install them I am warned they are already installed. It's already been hours and who knows how many retries and reboots!
So even though I'm a newbie I decided to go the Android sdk route.
1. Where do I download the files I need to just root the darn tablet?
2. What do I do next?
Please keep it simple........
Anyone want to walk me through it on the phone?
Thanks

If you are new to using SDK, check this out for a well laid out tut on how to get set up and rooted.

I now have android sdk set up.
What are the commands I should issue to root?
Thanks

now you need to flash a custom recovery then flash a root zip file via windows command prompt...Have you figured out how to interface with your device and the windows command prompt? eg;
-a good first command is "adb devices" and see if it lists your device, if it does your golden...
-then you would issue "adb reboot bootloader"
-once in bootloader you would issue "fastboot flash recovery whateverrecoveryouchose.img"
-then while in bootloader toggle with the volume keys to "recovery" option and press power
-now you will be in your new recovery you just flashed and you can push the zipped root file you chose to the sdcard, "adb push rootyouchose.zip /sdcard/"
-once its been pushed you can flash it in recovery and reboot, and you are now rooted
-this is the latest cwm recovery that you could flash in fastboot as described above
-this would be the root file you want to push then flash in recovery
-this may be of some help, scroll down halfway

Thank you so much for helping. You can't know how much it is appreciated.
-a good first command is "adb devices" and see if it lists your device, if it does your golden...
Got that. It works!!
-then you would issue "adb reboot bootloader"
Worked! Got the Android on his back.
-once in bootloader you would issue "fastboot flash recovery whateverrecoveryouchose.img"
Is recovery image on my pc or the tablet?
Why do I have to indicate the img name here if I will later select it

When I write
Fastboot flash......... Img
I get
Unknown partition 'the image file name'
"error : cannot determine image filename for. '.......'

You need to have downloaded a recovery image, that is what you flash I linked to one on my last post, that file is called "recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.4.3-grouper.img" so you would issue,
fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.4.3-grouper.img
"fastboot flash recovery" is telling it to flash a recovery file and "recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.4.3-grouper.img" is the recovery file in this case to be flashed so, combined its, "fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.4.3-grouper.img"
I do not use Windows, I use a terminal instead of windows command prompt so I can't be specific as I am not too familiar with windows command prompt. With terminal it is much easier in my opinion but you need to be running nix or Mac OS to have a terminal

OK, still can't get past the final stage in rooting my wife's nexus 2012 nexus 7.
I have the proper drivers installed and it connects fine with my Windows 7 laptop.
From a Windows 7 command prompt
1. "abd devices "
Correctly returns the attached nexus
2. "abd reboot bootloader "
Correctly reboots the tablet
3. **here's where things breakdown :
I downloaded the latest twrp openrecovery img for grouper and renamed it (for simpler typing)
" openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img"
However, when I now issue the command
"fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img"
I get an error :
Cannot open openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img
The same thing happened with the clockwork-touch recovery img. That is why I downloaded the twrp img which I am more familiar with anyway.
So, am I missing a step between rebooting the bootloader and flashing the recovery? After the bootloader is rebooted and I get the Android on his back with an empty belly, do I need to do something else before flashing?
Do I need to put the recovery image somewhere special in the nexus file structure?
I'm stuck.
Thanks

Anderson2 said:
OK, still can't get past the final stage in rooting my wife's nexus 2012 nexus 7.
I have the proper drivers installed and it connects fine with my Windows 7 laptop.
From a Windows 7 command prompt
1. "abd devices "
Correctly returns the attached nexus
2. "abd reboot bootloader "
Correctly reboots the tablet
3. **here's where things breakdown :
I downloaded the latest twrp openrecovery img for grouper and renamed it (for simpler typing)
" openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img"
However, when I now issue the command
"fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img"
I get an error :
Cannot open openrecovery-twrp-grouper.img
The same thing happened with the clockwork-touch recovery img. That is why I downloaded the twrp img which I am more familiar with anyway.
So, am I missing a step between rebooting the bootloader and flashing the recovery? After the bootloader is rebooted and I get the Android on his back with an empty belly, do I need to do something else before flashing?
Do I need to put the recovery image somewhere special in the nexus file structure?
I'm stuck.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Anderson2...
If I may throw in my couple of cents...
The recovery.img file to be fastboot flashed (TWRP or CWM, it really doesn't matter which) needs be to stored on your PC... on the same PATH as the FASTBOOT.EXE file. The easiest way of accomplishing this, is to copy it directly into the folder that contains your FASTBOOT and ADB executables.
Where this folder is located on your PC depends on how you have fastboot setup, but it's usually stored in a folder called /Platform-Tools (if I remember correctly). But because I've never bothered myself installing the whole Android SDK (of which Fastboot is a part of) on my PC, I'm not sure of it's precise PATH (ie. it's location) but I think it's somewhere in the Android SDK folder.
For myself, I just maintain a simple folder on the Windows desktop containing the FASTBOOT.EXE and ADB.EXE files and a few necessary Windows .DLL files. When I wish to fastboot flash a Custom Recovery, I simply copy the Custom Recovery .img file (TWRP or CWM) into this folder, rename it to recovery.img (renaming it thus makes typing at the command prompt easier, and reduces the scope for potential typos)... boot the Nexus 7 into the bootloader, hook it up to my PC via USB. And then open a command prompt on the folder, and run...
Code:
fastboot devices
This is purely diagnostic, and hopefully confirms a working fastboot connection.
You should see something like this...
Code:
025d2d424bxxxxx fastboot
A serial number followed by the word fastboot. If you see this, you can go ahead and run...
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
(This command assumes an unlocked bootloader... indicated by an unlocked padlock symbol under the Google logo upon boot. If it isn't, you should unlock it with fastboot oem unlock BEFORE fastboot flashing the Custom Recovery).
My point is, though... the 'recovery.img' to be flashed must be in the same folder as the FASTBOOT.EXE file, or as you have discovered, you will get the error "Cannot open recovery-twrp-grouper.img".
If fastboot can't find it.. it can't open it.
Hope this helps.
Rgrds.
Ged.

GedBlake said:
Hi, Anderson2...
If I may throw in my couple of cents...
The recovery.img file to be fastboot flashed (TWRP or CWM, it really doesn't matter which) needs be to stored on your PC... on the same PATH as the FASTBOOT.EXE file. The easiest way of accomplishing this, is to copy it directly into the folder that contains your FASTBOOT and ADB executables.
Where this folder is located on your PC depends on how you have fastboot setup, but it's usually stored in a folder called /Platform-Tools (if I remember correctly). But because I've never bothered myself installing the whole Android SDK (of which Fastboot is a part of) on my PC, I'm not sure of it's precise PATH (ie. it's location) but I think it's somewhere in the Android SDK folder.
For myself, I just maintain a simple folder on the Windows desktop containing the FASTBOOT.EXE and ADB.EXE files and a few necessary Windows .DLL files. When I wish to fastboot flash a Custom Recovery, I simply copy the Custom Recovery .img file (TWRP or CWM) into this folder, rename it to recovery.img (renaming it thus makes typing at the command prompt easier, and reduces the scope for potential typos)... boot the Nexus 7 into the bootloader, hook it up to my PC via USB. And then open a command prompt on the folder, and run...
Code:
fastboot devices
This is purely diagnostic, and hopefully confirms a working fastboot connection.
You should see something like this...
Code:
025d2d424bxxxxx fastboot
A serial number followed by the word fastboot. If you see this, you can go ahead and run...
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
(This command assumes an unlocked bootloader... indicated by an unlocked padlock symbol under the Google logo upon boot. If it isn't, you should unlock it with fastboot oem unlock BEFORE fastboot flashing the Custom Recovery).
My point is, though... the 'recovery.img' to be flashed must be in the same folder as the FASTBOOT.EXE file, or as you have discovered, you will get the error "Cannot open recovery-twrp-grouper.img".
If fastboot can't find it.. it can't open it.
Hope this helps.
Rgrds.
Ged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much! That is very helpful. I had assumed the recovery img should be on the tablet. No wonder fastboot could not find it! I'm sure that will solve my problem.
Thank you for helping. I'm slowly learning my way around the adb, fastboot commands as I'm sure I'll need them again when 4.4 unroots me again.

Anderson2 said:
Thank you very much! That is very helpful. I had assumed the recovery img should be on the tablet. No wonder fastboot could not find it! I'm sure that will solve my problem.
Thank you for helping. I'm slowly learning my way around the adb, fastboot commands as I'm sure I'll need them again when 4.4 unroots me again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, problem Anderson2... glad to help.
Adb and fastboot are indeed powerful and useful tools, and I would strongly recommend anybody wishing to 'modify' their Nexus 7 (everything from rooting to flashing Custom ROMs) to familiarise themselves with the fundamentals of their operation... rather than relying on toolkits.
There are actually ways of flashing TWRP or CWM Custom Recoveries directly from the Nexus 7 itself, without recourse to either fastboot or the need for a PC... by using apps like Flash Image GUI or Flashify. But these apps need you to be already rooted, unfortunately.
So to summarize how to acquire root the old fashioned way....
---------------------------------------
1). Unlock the bootloader first with fastboot oem unlock. For security reasons, this will factory reset the device... ie., WIPE everything on it.
...but I assume your Nexus 7's bootloader is already unlocked, given it's been rooted once before.
And so swiftly skipping forward to step 2...
2). Fastboot flash a Custom Recovery (CWM or TWRP) with fastboot flash recovery recovery.img... where 'recovery.img' is the Custom Recovery of your choice. Reboot the device by using the Custom Recovery's own reboot option.
3). Download Chainfire's UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip root package directly to your Nexus 7. This DOES need to be on the Nexus 7. Most Android browsers (including Chrome) download stuff to the /download folder on the devices internal storage. You'll need to remember the location, for when you come to flash it with either CWM or TWRP.
4). Boot the Nexus 7 into the bootloader. Although you can do it with adb reboot bootloader, you can also do it manually as follows...
- Shut down the Nexus 7 completely.
- Press and hold the VOL-DOWN button... whilst holding, press the POWER-ON button for about 5-10 seconds. The device should now boot into the bootloader.
5). Boot into your Custom Recovery... whilst in the bootloader, use the VOL-KEYS to navigate to the RECOVERY MODE option, and press the POWER BUTTON to select. The device will now boot into either CWM or TWRP Custom Recovery.... whichever one you fastboot flashed earlier.
6). Now to ROOT!
** If using TWRP... tap on the INSTALL button, and then navigate to the /download folder on the Nexus 7's internal storage, and where Chainfires UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip is awaiting. Tap on it, and Swipe to Confirm Flash.
** If using CWM... tap on the INSTALL ZIP option, followed by CHOOSE ZIP FROM /SDCARD... tap on the folder 0/... this gives you access to the internal storage of the Nexus 7... from which you can navigate to the /download folder, where again, Chainfires UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip is awaiting. Tap on NO (the first default option) or YES - Install UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip.
On every screen in the CWM filemanager (by which you navigate) there is ALWAYS a ++++Go Back++++ option at the bottom of the screen. So you can always backout out of anything. In CWM you can also use the VOL UP and DOWN keys to scroll, with the POWER-BUTTON to select an option.
Once you have flashed Chainfire's SuperSU root package, reboot the device with the Custom Recovery's own reboot option.
Upon reboot, and whichever Custom Recovery you're using , it ***MIGHT*** suggest you are unrooted... and offer to fix root for you. Ignore it, and continue to reboot.
---------------------------------------
And that's it... that's how you root a first generation Nexus 7 (2012).
Hope this is of use and... Good luck.
Rgrds,
Ged.

GedBlake said:
No, problem Anderson2... glad to help.
Adb and fastboot are indeed powerful and useful tools, and I would strongly recommend anybody wishing to 'modify' their Nexus 7 (everything from rooting to flashing Custom ROMs) to familiarise themselves with the fundamentals of their operation... rather than relying on toolkits.
There are actually ways of flashing TWRP or CWM Custom Recoveries directly from the Nexus 7 itself, without recourse to either fastboot or the need for a PC... by using apps like Flash Image GUI or Flashify. But these apps need you to be already rooted, unfortunately.
So to summarize how to acquire root the old fashioned way....
---------------------------------------
1). Unlock the bootloader first with fastboot oem unlock. For security reasons, this will factory reset the device... ie., WIPE everything on it. I assume your bootloader is already unlocked.
So swiftly skipping forward to step 2....
2). Fastboot flash a Custom Recovery (CWM or TWRP) with fastboot flash recovery recovery.img... where 'recovery.img' is the Custom Recovery of your choice. Reboot the device by using the Custom Recovery's own reboot option.
3). Download Chainfire's UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip root package directly to your Nexus 7. This DOES need to be on the Nexus 7. Most Android browsers (including Chrome) download stuff to the /download folder on the devices internal storage. You'll need to remember the location, for when you come to flash it with either CWM or TWRP.
4). Boot the Nexus 7 into the bootloader. Although you can do it with adb reboot bootloader, you can also do it manually as follows...
- Shut down the Nexus 7 completely.
- Press and hold the VOL-DOWN button... whilst holding, press the POWER-ON button for about 5-10 seconds. The device should now boot into the bootloader.
5). Boot into your Custom Recovery... whilst in the bootloader, use the VOL-KEYS to navigate to the RECOVERY MODE option, and press the POWER BUTTON to select. The device will now boot into either CWM or TWRP Custom Recovery.... whichever one you fastboot flashed earlier.
6). Now to ROOT!
** If using TWRP... tap on the INSTALL button, and then navigate to the /download folder on the Nexus 7's internal storage, and where Chainfires UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip is awaiting. Tap on it, and Swipe to Confirm Flash.
** If using CWM... tap on the INSTALL ZIP option, followed by CHOOSE ZIP FROM /SDCARD... tap on the folder 0/... this gives you access to the internal storage of the Nexus 7... from which you can navigate to the /download folder, where again, Chainfires UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip is awaiting. Tap on NO (the first default option) or YES - Install UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.65.zip.
On every screen in the CWM filemanager (by which you navigate) there is ALWAYS a ++++Go Back++++ option at the bottom of the screen. So you can always backout out of anything. In CWM you can also use the VOL UP and DOWN keys to scroll, with the POWER-BUTTON to select an option.
Once you have flashed Chainfire's SuperSU root package, reboot the device with the Custom Recovery's own reboot option.
Upon reboot, and whichever Custom Recovery you're using , it ***MIGHT*** suggest you are unrooted... and offer to fix root for you. Ignore it, and continue to reboot.
---------------------------------------
And that's it... that's how you root a first generation Nexus 7 (2012).
Hope this is of use and... Good luck.
Rgrds,
Ged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you all very much. I greatly appreciate your help.
This post should be a sticky!
One more question, this nexus 7 2012 is my wife's. But I also own a nexus 7I this one a 2013 which is currently rooted with Android 4.3 and twrp Nandroid backups. I'm afraid that when the 4.4 ota upgrade comes along it might again unroot both our tablets. Are the rooting commands or procedures different for the 2013 nexus 7 (other than using a flo recovery img,) or do I do exactly the same as described above?
Again, you guys are wonderful to help us newbies out. Many thanks to all. Wish I could do something in return.

Anderson2 said:
Thank you all very much. I greatly appreciate your help.
This post should be a sticky!
One more question, this nexus 7 2012 is my wife's. But I also own a nexus 7I this one a 2013 which is currently rooted with Android 4.3 and twrp Nandroid backups. I'm afraid that when the 4.4 ota upgrade comes along it might again unroot both our tablets. Are the rooting commands or procedures different for the 2013 nexus 7 (other than using a flo recovery img,) or do I do exactly the same as described above?
Again, you guys are wonderful to help us newbies out. Many thanks to all. Wish I could do something in return.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello again, Anderson2...
Well, you sort of are already doing something in return.... you're asking questions.
Questions that require answers. Those answers, whoever posts them, may be of assistance to somebody else. Somebody else looking for a solution to a similar problem.
I always look upon these forums as a means of sharing. Not everybody can know everything. God knows, I don't know everything.... and I've been messing around with Android for three years now. So don't worry so much about it being a quid pro quo sort of arrangement.
I know what I know primarily as a result of my own experiences and what I've learned here from the many (in most cases, more knowledgeable) posters here on XDA. What you learn today, you can pass on to others, tomorrow (metaphorically speaking). We, all of us, stand on the shoulders of each other.
With regard to the second generation Nexus 7 (2013)... I'm afraid I really don't know much about it... but I'd be surprised if rooting it deviated significantly from rooting the first generation Nexus 7....
Namely...
1). Unlock the bootloader.
2). Flash a Custom Recovery.
3). Using that Custom Recovery, flash some SU root package... probably from Chainfire.
Anyway, I've found this tutorial here...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2382051
...and it appears to follow a very similar template.
The Nexus 7 (2013) forum itself, which is also worth visiting, is located here....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-7-2013
Rgrds,
Ged.

FAILED (remote: Command not allowed)

Hello,
I'm pretty new to rooting Sony devices and I can't seem to install custom roms on my Xperia Z2 using fastboot. My bootloader is unlocked (i've checked several times), USB debugging is checked and it believe my drivers are properly installed (fastboot devices cmd recognizes my device) but when i try to run "fastboot flash zip rom.zip" i get this annoying FAILED (remote: Command not allowed) message. I've looked through several threads but I can find any solution that applies to my case.
Any ideas would be welcome.
Thanks

I called Sony. Their official story is they do not support unlocking their own phones.
I asked her why, she said we just dont support unlocking the bootloader on some phones.
Im going to go break this phone and never recommend or buy sony products ever again

What exactly are you trying to flash?
Fastboot doesn't flash .zip files (I think). Whatever you are trying to flash must be extracted from the .zip file, then flashed via fastboot.
If you are trying to flash a custom kernel, you must have the boot.img file extracted from the .zip file in the same folder as the adb_fastboot folder, then hold in Shift then right-click and select, 'Open command window here' then type in cmd, 'fastboot flash boot boot.img'.
Once it says, 'Waiting for device', hold in the volume-up button on the phone and insert the USB cable into the phone.
Hope this helps.

I'm trying to flash android lollipop. I've tried extracting the boot.img flash it and then try to boot on recovery. A few times nothing happened and I couldn't force restore even using adb. Other times I just got stuck on the splash screen or in a loop reboot.
From what I've found online you can flash with flashboot using "flashboot flash zip Rom.zip" it starts transferring the room but it immediately does to the failed remote command not allowed error.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Where did you find that this command works for Xperia devices? I don't say that it can't work, but I see it for the first time (reading XDA for several years). All ROMs which I flashed were via flashtool or recovery, never through fastboot.
The best solution is to follow installation instruction of the given ROM.

RoamenCota
As far as I know most brands don't really support development but have you tried this the Sony Boot loader unlocking website?
_mysiak_
As for the cmd I found it online but I think it was an HTC forum. I guess it might not work in Xperia devices. I'm able to flash with flashtool but so far I've only managed to brick the phone.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Which ROM exactly are you trying to flash and what steps have you done?

_mysiak_ said:
Which ROM exactly are you trying to flash and what steps have you done?
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I've tried flashing the [ROM][WIP]AOSP 5.0 Beta v2.0 from krabappel and the [ROM][SIRIUS][LP][5.0.1][SM-4.9] CyanogenMod 12 Unofficial [NIGHTLY BUILDS] from infected_ (sorry i'm not allowed to post links). As for the first one the process seems a bit more complex since there is a v2 plus an OTA to install. I've tried the second one first with flashboot but it didn't really work. With flash tool i've ended up bricking the phone.

CM is usually flashed via recovery (CWM, TWRP,..) - download ZIP, put it on SD card, boot into recovery, flash from there, reboot. Flashtool or fastboot should not be required. I would advise you to continue in ROM specific topics about any special installation steps/instructions.

_mysiak_ said:
CM is usually flashed via recovery (CWM, TWRP,..) - download ZIP, put it on SD card, boot into recovery, flash from there, reboot. Flashtool or fastboot should not be required. I would advise you to continue in ROM specific topics about any special installation steps/instructions.
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For some reason that rom isn't able to be installed in TWRP recover. There's some install error may due to the fact that's a beta and not completely stable. If it doesn't work i'll just wait for a more stable version.
Just curious, even if it's a zip file, if I extract the complete package to the fastboot/adb folder and run "fastboot flash boot boot.img" there's no reason not to work right?

amrcardoso said:
For some reason that rom isn't able to be installed in TWRP recover. There's some install error may due to the fact that's a beta and not completely stable. If it doesn't work i'll just wait for a more stable version.
Just curious, even if it's a zip file, if I extract the complete package to the fastboot/adb folder and run "fastboot flash boot boot.img" there's no reason not to work right?
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I don't think that it's worth the effort to flash those ROMs, unless you are really curious. Otherwise you should stick to verified and fully working ROMs.
It depends what you expect from that command. It will work, but it'll flash only kernel. System and other partitions remain untouched. Most probably you'll get bootloop with such combination.

_mysiak_ said:
I don't think that it's worth the effort to flash those ROMs, unless you are really curious. Otherwise you should stick to verified and fully working ROMs.
It depends what you expect from that command. It will work, but it'll flash only kernel. System and other partitions remain untouched. Most probably you'll get bootloop with such combination.
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I'll probably stick with the zip flashing via recovery. But what step am I missing to flash a rom thorugh fastboot?

That most probably it's not possible to flash ROM via fastboot on Xperia devices. You have to use flashtool for FTF files and recovery for custom ROMs. Fastboot is used to flash kernel only.

_mysiak_ said:
That most probably it's not possible to flash ROM via fastboot on Xperia devices. You have to use flashtool for FTF files and recovery for custom ROMs. Fastboot is used to flash kernel only.
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I have been able to flash the stock FTF but never a ROM using flashtool. Maybe that's why.
Thanks

Nexus 6p not booting in any ways(unlocked bootloader)

my nexus 6p is not booting into rom, recovery (stock and custom).
i have a unlocked bootloader, flashed custom recovery(twrp) by fastboot but can't get in to twrp as i wanted to flash blod patch to use 4cores to work.
i tried flashing stock images of MM, Nougat, Oreo using platform tools by google but getting an error like see in the attachment:crying:.
i tried it with fastboot by manually entering commands it will flash but not use still bootlooping.
i tried toolkits like NRT & all in one toolkit by XDA member this toolkits can flash stock rom successfully but cant get boot into system, stock recovery.
help me with your answers. my status is "unlocked bootloader, fastboot working, can access bootloader but can't get into recovery from it".
getting couldn't parse partition size 0x when booting boot img through platform tools.
tell me if i did any mistake. Thank you.

You tried stock images. Does that include factory images? That erases and reflashes quite literally everything (bootloader, recovery, system, etc.)
Find them here for 6P: https://developers.google.com/android/images#angler

Santhosh Jangamgari said:
my nexus 6p is not booting into rom, recovery (stock and custom).
i have a unlocked bootloader, flashed custom recovery(twrp) by fastboot but can't get in to twrp as i wanted to flash blod patch to use 4cores to work.
i tried flashing stock images of MM, Nougat, Oreo using platform tools by google but getting an error like see in the attachment:crying:.
i tried it with fastboot by manually entering commands it will flash but not use still bootlooping.
i tried toolkits like NRT & all in one toolkit by XDA member this toolkits can flash stock rom successfully but cant get boot into system, stock recovery.
help me with your answers. my status is "unlocked bootloader, fastboot working, can access bootloader but can't get into recovery from it".
getting couldn't parse partition size 0x when booting boot img through platform tools.
tell me if i did any mistake. Thank you.
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You didn't mention which custom recovery you flashed. Did you try the one in this thread? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...-death-blod-workaround-flashable-zip.3819515/
If you did and you still can't get into it, your device is likely dead from the BLOD. But to make sure you have the BLOD, flash the latest factory image first (Dec. 2018) with the latest platform tools to see if it boots... https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

Lughnasadh said:
You didn't mention which custom recovery you flashed. Did you try the one in this thread? https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...-death-blod-workaround-flashable-zip.3819515/
If you did and you still can't get into it, your device is likely dead from the BLOD. But to make sure you have the BLOD, flash the latest factory image first (Dec. 2018) with the latest platform tools to see if it boots... https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
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firstly i already cant boot into stock recovery from my bootloader i'm on stock os 8.1.
and now i've flashed twrp for angler from twrp website but cant boot into custom recovery too.
now i've flashed twrp image of 4cores but still can't get into recovery.
so what's the problem of this phone if my mobile cant get even into twrp i can't do blod patch if we think my device is suffering from blod issue.
do you think it may be the problem of hardware like ram,emmc, or the SD 810?

Santhosh Jangamgari said:
firstly i already cant boot into stock recovery from my bootloader i'm on stock os 8.1.
and now i've flashed twrp for angler from twrp website but cant boot into custom recovery too.
now i've flashed twrp image of 4cores but still can't get into recovery.
so what's the problem of this phone if my mobile cant get even into twrp i can't do blod patch if we think my device is suffering from blod issue.
do you think it may be the problem of hardware like ram,emmc, or the SD 810?
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As I said in my previous post, if you can't boot into the 4core custom recovery, your device is likely dead because of the BLOD, unfortunately. If you are on stock with nothing else on your phone that might be preventing you from booting (e.g. mods, Substratum overlays, etc.) there's not much else you can do.

Is your device recognized in fastboot?

marianodelfino said:
Is your device recognized in fastboot?
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Hi, I am havin same problem as the user above....I am on stock 7.1.2 right now. Unable to boot into TWRP, i flashed twrp-3.2.1-0-fbe-4core-angler.img and then entered recovery from bootloader screen. nothing! i also tried to do a temporary boot to my recovery via fastboot command. didn't work! I dont think my phone is that dead...but I don't see why it isnt booting into twrp...i did the flash all of stock firmware from the Google website. Any assistance? Currently I have a Pixel 2 thats not working, so i thought I would try to revive the 6P, but no luck so far.

DaKoin said:
Hi, I am havin same problem as the user above....I am on stock 7.1.2 right now. Unable to boot into TWRP, i flashed twrp-3.2.1-0-fbe-4core-angler.img and then entered recovery from bootloader screen. nothing! i also tried to do a temporary boot to my recovery via fastboot command. didn't work! I dont think my phone is that dead...but I don't see why it isnt booting into twrp...i did the flash all of stock firmware from the Google website. Any assistance? Currently I have a Pixel 2 thats not working, so i thought I would try to revive the 6P, but no luck so far.
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thanks but no assistance required as i have sold it to another nexus 6p user for using it's spare parts.