Database Users

Alternative to 11W29+

Guys i came up with an idea
to change the kernel
by rewriting the kernel
i know this idea is crazy
but i just came up with this idea because im soo sick of using this stock roms stuck too much unlike the unlocked ones
im having 12W01 w8 mobile no wonder i bricked my phone twice
every one knows that we can modify the codes using rom manager so we just have to copy and paste whats in nAa kernel methods and implementations to stock tweaks
hope this will work
DEVELOPERS please consider

eh? explai better? you wanna unlock the bootloader with kernel for install kernel? ._.

its like this after 11W29+ they have blocked the kernel right
but still with using tools we can modify the running methods and implement new
so as i was trying to say it has to work if we replace the whole nAa Kernel methods and implementations to stock the whole bunch with out removing the kernel files

I dont think you can mod it whitout flashing it again...
Sent from my X8 using xda app-developers app

eh, nice idea bro!
but still, i don't think it could be possible without unlocked bootloader and trying it may brick your phone again as u need to probably reflash it, as said by Lukenda too...
good luck if you wanna try it. :good:
fingers crossed :fingers-crossed:

Do you mean something like this? I don't know if it works on X8 but with this thing we could be able to "install" custom kernels on devices with locked bootloader.

fifo171 said:
Do you mean something like this? I don't know if it works on X8 but with this thing we could be able to "install" custom kernels on devices with locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could work. But i think the op is talking about modifying the kernel the phone is on as opposed to running a kernel on top of what's already there. At least that's how i understood the guide...
Sent from my rooted tomato using xda app

@OP : As long as the bootloader is locked, you can modify all the kernels you want, but it still won't be flashable to our phones.

untill your bootloader locked you cant flash any kernel mod into your device :'(

rohin he means to say to make changes in the stock kernel present in the phone some how and not flash new kernel...
it might work if some developer works on it....like alfsamsung and nobodyatall coming together and do it?
aZuZus method might be some help.. may be cwm flashable kernel? but that would require unlocked bootloader too.

CnC-ROCK said:
rohin he means to say to make changes in the stock kernel present in the phone some how and not flash new kernel...
it might work if some developer works on it....like alfsamsung and nobodyatall coming together and do it?
aZuZus method might be some help.. may be cwm flashable kernel? but that would require unlocked bootloader too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To tamper with even the stock kernel, the bootloader needs to be unlocked. It's like trying to edit a stock rom (2.1 like Matej2010) without root. It's impossible.

Are you sure it won't work on locked BL? Then how is it possible that with kexec method X10 users can run custom kernels with locked BL? AFAIK they use the kexec to unload stock kernel and load custom kernel (for example like doixanhs DT module - it unloads the stock screen driver and loads the modified one. I think that kexec does the same with the whole kernel).

Provided you can load/unload the whole kernel w/o f*cking the system up

RohinZaraki said:
Provided you can load/unload the whole kernel w/o f*cking the system up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i suppose that if x10minipro can do it then so can x8

Yeah, maybe it's possible. Isn't here anyone to so that willingly?
Sent from my MANGO using Tapatalk2

Infact idea is working on the Samsung Galaxy S3 whereby Kexec is loading and selecting the boot from the recovery partition
But then we does need figure out a way to enable the system to boot from different partition.
hell of a work to rewrite script

Somebody should ask nAa and dx,they should know the answer
Sent from my X8 using xda app-developers app

@all azuzu's SBoot tool will make use of the kexec module. A kernel with a kexec module does not necessarily need an unlocked bootloader. It will (AFAIK) load up the new kernel for debugging over the existing stock kernel. We won't see such a kernel soon but that soon doesn't necessarily mean never.

Can we run 2 kernel om 2 different roms,like multibooting them? That way would be possible..
Sent from my X8 using Tapatalk 2

Lukenda said:
Can we run 2 kernel om 2 different roms,like multibooting them? That way would be possible..
Sent from my X8 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? Really explain what you mean and give an example if you can.

What about 4.4.4 for z2

As even the Z have the 4.4.4 Android,i think Sony is shaming their prev. "Flagship" phone , with all the deffects, gaps,uncetered camera ,etc. Now even models 1 year older then ours has the new update, incl Z1 , z1 compact, and the tablets...i am more and more dissapointed from that phone each day, changed it 2 times cos of deffects..now somebody will say its because of my problems with the deffects i am crying like a MOD EDIT Please do not swear. But guys come on, all the prevoius models got it allready and we even dont hear rumors about it..
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Which features of 4.4 are you desperate for? I'd rather that any updates where done well rather than rushed just so we can have it. As for the defects, gaps don't matter as long as device integrity is maintained I haven't seen anyone suggesting they are affecting this? Uncentered camera again as long as it doesn’t affect function I couldn't care less.

I'll go out on a limb here and say maybe Sony's just waiting for Android 5 to update?

ice_lander said:
As even the Z have the 4.4.4 Android,i think Sony is shaming their prev. "Flagship" phone , with all the deffects, gaps,uncetered camera ,etc. Now even models 1 year older then ours has the new update, incl Z1 , z1 compact, and the tablets...i am more and more dissapointed from that phone each day, changed it 2 times cos of deffects..now somebody will say its because of my problems with the deffects i am crying like a *****. But guys come on, all the prevoius models got it allready and we even dont hear rumors about it..
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They most probably plan to update the z2 to the same 4.4.4 software on the recently unveiled z3 army. That's why it's later than the 4.4.4 software released for older devices. They wanted to showcase it with the z3. Hopefully it'll hit the z2 soon.
That would be bad news for Z1 and z1 compact users because the software on the z3 has improvements for the camera.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Hope they improve ours also
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

zodiac100 said:
They most probably plan to update the z2 to the same 4.4.4 software on the recently unveiled z3 army. That's why it's later than the 4.4.4 software released for older devices. They wanted to showcase it with the z3. Hopefully it'll hit the z2 soon.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope so .... :angel:

I hope that Sony will add hi-res audio playback for z2 in 4.4.4

Be Calm. 4.4.4 might bring some stuffs from the Z3.

stanley08 said:
Be Calm. 4.4.4 might bring some stuffs from the Z3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like it brought from Z2 to Z1
I really doubt that'll happen, at least not officially.
Ported apps, camera apps and, probably, features will be soon here.
As soon as we get system dump XDA community (Xperia community) will start working and porting apps and features.
- Maybe someone already uploaded system dump -
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

funky0308 said:
Just like it brought from Z2 to Z1
I really doubt that'll happen, at least not officially.
Ported apps, camera apps and, probably, features will be soon here.
As soon as we get system dump XDA community (Xperia community) will start working and porting apps and features.
- Maybe someone already uploaded system dump -
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! System Dumps already uploaded and some apps working on the Z2 already... I'm rocking the new home and messaging app (conversations.apk). See attachment below.

stanley08 said:
Yep! System Dumps already uploaded and some apps working on the Z2 already... I'm rocking the new home and messaging app (conversations.apk). See attachment below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can we just install the apks from the system dump? Thanks
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

No actually, but here is a thread containing a flashable zip - http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/mod-one-xperia-z3-apps-v1-t2867992

stanley08 said:
No actually, but here is a thread containing a flashable zip - http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/mod-one-xperia-z3-apps-v1-t2867992
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But is there something for us who have only root and stock rom?

[kEkA] said:
But is there something for us who have only root and stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I can say is... Sit tight. As long as you don't have an iPhone, you will be fine. This is Android BABY!

[kEkA] said:
But is there something for us who have only root and stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be but don't expect to much.
Deodex your firmware and install superuser MOD.
That's two mins task and you won't even notice you deodex it...
What you'll see is great new MODs and APPs.
On older device there were "problems" when you were deodexing firmware.
Simply, without dex files for system to cache process, many devices become slower after deodexing.
All that doesn't apply on devices strong like Z1/Z2/Z3.
So there's no reason for you not to deodex your firmware.
Especially if you are already rooted...
Why to stop there?
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

stanley08 said:
All I can say is... Sit tight. As long as you don't have an iPhone, you will be fine. This is Android BABY!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all I can do
funky0308 said:
There will be but don't expect to much.
Deodex your firmware and install superuser MOD.
That's two mins task and you won't even notice you deodex it...
What you'll see is great new MODs and APPs.
On older device there were "problems" when you were deodexing firmware.
Simply, without dex files for system to cache process, many devices become slower after deodexing.
All that doesn't apply on devices strong like Z1/Z2/Z3.
So there's no reason for you not to deodex your firmware.
Especially if you are already rooted...
Why to stop there?
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, there is no, but I was happy with stock rom, only rooted cause its 10 secs job and to install some stuff that needs root,
I'm not very good when it comes to android, especially when it comes to deodexing and odexing. I know what's what, but there's lots of questions, for example which recovery should I use, can I delete recovery later on if I plan on selling it in favor to z3, and I suppose once I get deodex rom, ota updates are out of the question, right?

[kEkA] said:
That's all I can do
You're right, there is no, but I was happy with stock rom, only rooted cause its 10 secs job and to install some stuff that needs root,
I'm not very good when it comes to android, especially when it comes to deodexing and odexing. I know what's what, but there's lots of questions, for example which recovery should I use, can I delete recovery later on if I plan on selling it in favor to z3, and I suppose once I get deodex rom, ota updates are out of the question, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you root device you can forget on OTA (at least on stock, existenz have its own OTA).
It's very simple to deodex ROM.
Just check which firmware are you using.
Download deodex patch for that firmware and flash it from recovery.
Your data will stay intact and nothing will change (of course, don't wipe data from recovery after or before flashing deodex patch, cache and dalvik wipe is what you need to do after flashing.
You can remove recovery, root and restore dex files, that's not problem.
Simply flash stock ftf using flashtool or if you have problems with your device flash stock firmware using PC Companion (repair function) and everything will be "stock"
After that, take your sdCard out of device and delete XZDR folder and files (there's remover, tool from NUT, to remove recovery but you can do that this way as well)
If your carrier will check your device for warranty purpose, they could reject your device because it's rooted as well so deodexing isn't something that could make more problems.
It's up to you but there's only one way to use, system (signed), Z3 apps and/or apps from other devices.
- Superuser MOD on deodexed and rooted device -
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

funky0308 said:
Once you root device you can forget on OTA (at least on stock, existenz have its own OTA).
It's very simple to deodex ROM.
Just check which firmware are you using.
Download deodex patch for that firmware and flash it from recovery.
Your data will stay intact and nothing will change (of course, don't wipe data from recovery after or before flashing deodex patch, cache and dalvik wipe is what you need to do after flashing.
You can remove recovery, root and restore dex files, that's not problem.
Simply flash stock ftf using flashtool or if you have problems with your device flash stock firmware using PC Companion (repair function) and everything will be "stock"
After that, take your sdCard out of device and delete XZDR folder and files (there's remover, tool from NUT, to remove recovery but you can do that this way as well)
If your carrier will check your device for warranty purpose, they could reject your device because it's rooted as well so deodexing isn't something that could make more problems.
It's up to you but there's only one way to use, system (signed), Z3 apps and/or apps from other devices.
- Superuser MOD on deodexed and rooted device -
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much mate, I forgot that I can have recovery even if I have locked bootloader, its uncommon for me since I've never have had Sony device before, I guess it's easy later to restore everything later if I need to claim warranty, but just one thing,
few days ago I did software repair via PC companion, after that I had root BUT w/o permission to write, just to read system files, how's that possible?
Thanks again for the big answer,
regards mate!

I'd prefer getting Android 5, rather than getting 4.4.4 update for my Z2. So, if I'm waiting to get Android 5, it's all good.

[kEkA] said:
Thank you very much mate, I forgot that I can have recovery even if I have locked bootloader, its uncommon for me since I've never have had Sony device before, I guess it's easy later to restore everything later if I need to claim warranty, but just one thing,
few days ago I did software repair via PC companion, after that I had root BUT w/o permission to write, just to read system files, how's that possible?
Thanks again for the big answer,
regards mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...that shouldn't be the case after you root device.
Did you updated supersu binaries?
Download this and flash through recovery
https://app.box.com/s/knwvu1jfzs1vec9n6vr0
That will update supersu binaries.
Then try...
Sure, no problem, I'm glad if I helped..
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[Guide]Xperia KitKat 4.4.4 Rooting - Locked Bootloader/NO OTA Method

I managed to successfully root my Xperia M2 with KitKat 4.4.4 without unlocking the bootloader. Since the procedure is quite generic (and straightforward) I thought it would be useful for people with other Xperia devices if I post it here. Please take it as a guideline, since it may vary slightly between different Xperia devices. I suspect it will work also for the phones that will upgrade to Lollipop (as long as they had a Jelly Bean ROM available), maybe changing the rooting binaries in the rootkitXperia tool.
One can find the full procedure with all steps detailed and links to the SW needed in my original thread for the Xperia M2:
[Q&A][Root]Rooting with Locked Bootloader - NO OTA Method
In order to be able to apply this method the Xperia device must have an older ROM available, vulnerable to the "Towelroot" exploit .
Without it as far as I am aware no rooting is possible in a Kitkat 4.4.4 device with the locked bootloader.​
GENERAL GUIDELINES:
Be sure to have the full FTF for the stock ROM you are currently running
Flash with Flashtool only the kernel from a Jelly Bean FTF for your phone unchecking the wipe checkboxes
Reboot the phone:
The phone should bootloop, but it doesn't matter. The Linux kernel and adb are alive and thus the "Towelroot" vulnerability is exploitable by rootkitXperia
Run rootkitXperia. After the rooting it should get stuck when trying to reboot the phone(*). Interrupt it with CTRL-C
Flash back the kernel for the ROM in your phone
Reboot the phone
Manually run the command to have the RIC permanently disabled:
Code:
adb shell "su -c /data/local/tmp/install_tool.sh"
Reboot and enjoy your rooted phone!
(*) In some phones (Xperia Z?) rootkitXperia may not get stuck. If the phone reboots the rooting should be complete. Just flash back your original kernel and it should be done (untested).
Please note that this guideline covers some already known rooting methods. The difference is that it also covers the cases when the ROM bootloops and/or rootkitXperia gets stuck at the reboot, making it quite generic for all Xperia devices. It doesn't pretend to be a new guide for all Xperia, just a general one.
Xperia Phones confirmed working:
if you manage to root the phone using the kernel of a similar Xperia (like in the case of the Xperia M2 Aqua below) please report the phone name/model of your phone and of the phone you used the kernel from.
Xperia M2 D2303
Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 - With the M2 D2303 kernel
(to be expanded)

That's the well known method we are using since Xperia U.
As long as you have older fw (JB) you'll be able to root your device.
But...
I wouldn't bet on rooting L with this method.
Lollipop is new, fresh written firmware with a new kernel.
Code was updated on JB and new features were added when Google built KK...
L is something totally different...but we'll see soon..

Miche1asso said:
I managed to successfully..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any help for Xperia E3 with lock bootloader..

funky0308 said:
That's the well known method we are using since Xperia U.
As long as you have older fw (JB) you'll be able to root your device.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if it was used already on Xperia U. I checked all around and I couldn't find this particular solution where the rooting is done with the hone bootlooping and one of rootkitXperia scripts must be run manually after restoring the KK kernel.
Particularly on Xperia M2 the suggested solution was to downgrade both kernel and system, root it and then upgrade via OTA. Which was something I didn't fancy at all. Still now I see people trying to apply rootkitXperia on any Xperia KK 4.4.4 (which will never work, as I discovered myself). So I made it available in the general section as well for people with less popular Xperias who are banging their heads like I did for a couple of weeks (honest):
But sure, the downgrade is a requirement. At the moment 4.4.4 seems unbreakable.
.
But...
I wouldn't bet on rooting L with this method.
Lollipop is new, fresh written firmware with a new kernel.
Code was updated on JB and new features were added when Google built KK...
L is something totally different...but we'll see soon..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's still Linux. With the bleeding SELinux fully enabled, though. It may take some tampering, but I suspect it will be a matter of replacing/adding the rooting binaries in rootkitXperia. Chainfire already has them available I understood. If it will be possible to inject them flashing the JB kernel half of the job has done. Still, I'll rephrase it in my first post, it could be be too optimistic.

imElectronica said:
Any help for Xperia E3 with lock bootloader..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since it came with 4.4.4 and the HW is similar to the one of the M2 (same CPU at least) you may try this method flashing the M2 kernel attached in my first thread. In case it goes all wrong you should be able to flash back the original kernel. At least so I've read people "unbricked" their phones after fashing a wrong kernel.
But I am not sure about it. I take no responsibility. Do it at your own risk

I thought that ADB wouldn't work if the phone didn't boot completely or at least it didn't go past booting the kernel. That's quite a suprise for me and I'll surely test it on the next xperia I'd have to root. You just made my concerns about rooting 5.0 Sony firmwares on LB gone, thanks a ton mate!
BTW. That's literally the fastest written news I ever seen on the xda portal, like seriously, it was posted the very same day, just a few minutes ago.

olokos said:
I thought that ADB wouldn't work if the phone didn't boot completely or at least it didn't go past booting the kernel. That's quite a suprise for me and I'll surely test it on the next xperia I'd have to root. You just made my concerns about rooting 5.0 Sony firmwares on LB gone, thanks a ton mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome!
BTW. That's literally the fastest written news I ever seen on the xda portal, like seriously, it was posted the very same day, just a few minutes ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why, did I make the portal? Oh, i see it now. In the bottom right section. That's cool! Now I am happy. Thanks.

Does this mean I can root my Xperia Z3 d6616 on 4.4.4? You may have just won all the internets.

Known method and it works. I used it on the Xperia NovaThor line
Also you can add this. If your phone is working weird (buggy or sudden battery drops) just wipe the cache. It is known problem when flashing older version of android (ROM/kernel) and then flashing back the new one. In this case you are doing exactly that. Right now there are no recoveries for locked bootloader but you can use the ADB command or some terminal application on your android.
Option 1. Using the ADB (easiest):
Code:
adb shell
su
cd /data/dalvik-cache
rm *
exit
adb reboot
Option 2. Using terminal
Code:
su
cd /data/dalvik-cache
rm *
exit
After that reboot your device. It will take longer than normal but it's ok
---------- Post added at 02:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 AM ----------
HORiZUN said:
Does this mean I can root my Xperia Z3 d6616 on 4.4.4? You may have just won all the internets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No because Z3 doesn't have a jellybean ROM/kernel so you can't use this on your device

Similar method when rooting Xperia Tablet Z and a bit similar when rooting my Xperia neo V before.. I don't encountered boot loop....

DavidMKD said:
Known method and it works. I used it on the Xperia NovaThor line
Also you can add this. If your phone is working weird (buggy or sudden battery drops) just wipe the cache. It is known problem when flashing older version of android (ROM/kernel) and then flashing back the new one. In this case you are doing exactly that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the dalvik caches get modified when a new /system (with a different version of the apps in /system/app) gets installed.. Just changing the kernel shouldn't really affect the dalvik caches.
Right now there are no recoveries for locked bootloader but you can use the ADB command or some terminal application on your android.
Option 1. Using the ADB (easiest):
[...]
Option 2. Using terminal
[...]
After that reboot your device. It will take longer than normal but it's ok
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or you can just type from the terminal:
Code:
adb shell su -c "rm -r /data/dalvik-cache; reboot"
Otherwise what I usually do is to remove the /data/dalvik-cache folder from a root file manager. /data/dalvik.-cache gets re-created at boot time. Not that I've ever really seen any benefit on doing that. Especially in Kitkat any time the system apps get modified Android should rebuild all of them at boot time. But yeah, one never knows. Hopefully ART in Lollipop will end this crap.
donedos said:
Similar method when rooting Xperia Tablet Z and a bit similar when rooting my Xperia neo V before.. I don't encountered boot loop....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know. The guide is more specific for when the ROM bootloops and/or rootkitXperia gets stuck at the reboot, like it happens in the Xperia M2. In that case people where getting stuck, or at least I couldn't find any guide telling what to do. I'll specify it in the main post.

Delete

tRippinthehead said:
Delete
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to ask in here but its impossible to get a reply in the Z2 Tablet forum. Any idea where I can download a Jellybean FTF for my device and then the 4.4.4 FTF its running atm?
Would be greatly appreciated!
Dowloading the FTF from: http://xperiafirmware.com/8-firmware/50-sony-xperia-z2-tablet-wi-fi-sgp511, anyone know if SGP511 is compatible with SGP512 (I know they're both WiFi international versions)
I found this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2768951 But its only a 7mb download? Is the system.img the kernal?

GalaxyWhy said:
Sorry to ask in here but its impossible to get a reply in the Z2 Tablet forum. Any idea where I can download a Jellybean FTF for my device and then the 4.4.4 FTF its running atm?
Would be greatly appreciated!
Dowloading the FTF from: http://xperiafirmware.com/8-firmware/50-sony-xperia-z2-tablet-wi-fi-sgp511, anyone know if SGP511 is compatible with SGP512 (I know they're both WiFi international versions)
I found this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2768951 But its only a 7mb download? Is the system.img the kernal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, use XperiFirm (google it) and download the program. Find your device and download the necessary firmwares. The second link you posted is just a kernel

What about phones without JB roms released, ex: Xperia C3? It was released on KK 4.4.1 and I think that no kernels are available for this phone. I'm asking 'cause I want to root my phone but is almost impossible using all known methods .

Dominator_666 said:
What about phones without JB roms released, ex: Xperia C3? It was released on KK 4.4.1 and I think that no kernels are available for this phone. I'm asking 'cause I want to root my phone but is almost impossible using all known methods .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, this is the situation: if the phone has a "brother" with the same identical SoC which came with a JB ROM flashing the kernel (and only the kernel) from the JB FTF of that ROM may do the job. It officially worked on the Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 using the D2303 kernel. As long as the phone manages to boot the kernel and abd is alive (with all relevant Unix commands) the rooting should be possible (and the phone won't be bricked at all. It just has the kernel not matching the modules, libraries and else in the ROM).
This may apply for example to the Sony Z3 using the Z2 JB kernel for the rooting (although the SoC in this case are slightly different). Or the Xperia E3 using the M2 kernel. But no one tested these scenarios yet, so I take no responsibility if anything goes wrong. It is at your own risk.
Still, my experience with the Samsung has been that after flashing the wrong kernel was always possible to recover the phone flashing back the official ROM (with Odin in that case). I have no experience of "soft bricked" phones with the Xperia, so I can't bring my personal experience on this.

Miche1asso said:
Ok, this is the situation: if the phone has a "brother" with the same identical SoC which came with a JB ROM flashing the kernel (and only the kernel) from the JB FTF of that ROM may do the job. It officially worked on the Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 using the D2303 kernel. As long as the phone manages to boot the kernel and abd is alive (with all relevant Unix commands) the rooting should be possible (and the phone won't be bricked at all. It just has the kernel not matching the modules, libraries and else in the ROM).
This may apply for example to the Sony Z3 using the Z2 JB kernel for the rooting (although the SoC in this case are slightly different). Or the Xperia E3 using the M2 kernel. But no one tested these scenarios yet, so I take no responsibility if anything goes wrong. It is at your own risk.
Still, my experience with the Samsung has been that after flashing the wrong kernel was always possible to recover the phone flashing back the official ROM (with Odin in that case). I have no experience of "soft bricked" phones with the Xperia, so I can't bring my personal experience on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone willing to try this? Maybe we can set up a donation thread for someone to try it?

Dominator_666 said:
What about phones without JB roms released, ex: Xperia C3? It was released on KK 4.4.1 and I think that no kernels are available for this phone. I'm asking 'cause I want to root my phone but is almost impossible using all known methods .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not about Jelly Bean firmware availability for the device. Towel root even works directly with KitKat, provided the kernel build date should be before 3rd June, 2014.

Mmm i tried many times with towelroot but isn't working. However as you said is better to have a non rooted device than a hard bricked one hahaha

Moist said:
Anyone willing to try this? Maybe we can set up a donation thread for someone to try it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't ever flash wrong kernels which isn't meant for your device. It might hard brick. 'No root' is better than 'hard brick'ed device.

KERNEL Project-Testers Needed

Hello xda,
I would like to mention that I'm currently working on a custom kernel project for ZE550KL
I need testers in order to test the kernels I make.I will tell the complete procedure on how to boot kernel without actually flashing it.
I cannot test on my device because it is still under warranty .
Requirements=
1.)Own a ZE550KL
2.)Rooted and Bootloader Unlocked
3.)Ready to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please contact me for further queries.
Looking forward for some replies,
abhishekr700

ABANDONED
No more testers needed,
I tried compiling every single thing from source without any edits,and got a kernel that actually boots up,but wifi / Bluetooth / softkeys do not work,
I also tried making all modules built in but it is still the same,thus I have abandoned this project and I will wait till we get a good developer here
CM develpers cannot help me because they are busy with their own stuff and fixes.
If anyone starts a kernel project I am happy to help.
Thanks
Sent from my C2305 using Tapatalk

I am in
I am in
You said you will help in booting kernel without flashing.
If this really happens I would be able to test otherwise not since I have stubborn locked bootloader. I hope kernel will boot on locked bootloader. Meanwhile I will keep trying to unlock it.
Edit: Arr.... second time today I posted without reading thread replies. Sorry man

sziraqui said:
I am in
You said you will help in booting kernel without flashing.
If this really happens I would be able to test otherwise not since I have stubborn locked bootloader. I hope kernel will boot on locked bootloader. Meanwhile I will keep trying to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes kernel can be booted without flashing but it does need unlock bootloader else I would myself test it.
Everything becomez normal after reboot.
I have a tester and he tests the builds for me
Sent from my C2305 using Tapatalk

EFIDroid for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4/Note Edge (Snapdragon Variants)

More details in the Verizon Note 4 forum here.
XDA:DevDB Information
EFIDroid, Kernel for the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Contributors
abraha2d, m11kkaa
Source Code: https://github.com/efidroid
Kernel Special Features: UEFI, MultiBoot
Version Information
Status: Beta
Current Beta Version: 0.1
Beta Release Date: 2017-03-18
Created 2017-03-20
Last Updated 2017-03-31

THIS IS INCREDIBLE!! Greatest thing since sliced bread where is the donation link this an amazing piece of development 2nd lvl bootloader f yaaaa!!

vegoja said:
THIS IS INCREDIBLE!! Greatest thing since sliced bread where is the donation link this an amazing piece of development 2nd lvl bootloader f yaaaa!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, I didn't do much work. You can donate to @m11kkaa, though. He's the developer of EFIDroid (if you didn't already know that...). I believe he has a donation link in his profile...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using XDA Labs

This is great but is there a way to uninstall it (if necessary) and get back to the primary ROM (stock or Lineage OS) without losing data?

tried to do a bit of light research and couldn't find what's different between this and other preexisting multiboot solutions. I've been using Dual Boot Patcher for sometime without issues. Is this somehow better? and if so, how?

Mtotallywired said:
tried to do a bit of light research and couldn't find what's different between this and other preexisting multiboot solutions. I've been using Dual Boot Patcher for sometime without issues. Is this somehow better? and if so, how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EFIDroid is what you would call a "second-stage bootloader". The main advantage over Dual Boot Patcher (at least for me) is that you no longer have to patch zip files before installing. Also, EFIDroid is more than just a multi-boot solution. Quoting @m11kkaa:
efidroid tries to focus on simplicity, and doesn't require any kernel modifications etc.
in general: well having such a powerful bootloader in your boot stage gives you lots of possibilities, like multiboot, replacements/additions for kernels/ramdisk/cmdline.
This project has a lot more potential than what's currently implemented. i.e. you can give samsung devices fastboot and sony devices a standalone recovery. Also you can natively boot GNU GRUB if you're into booting linux kernel's the desktop way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The two solutions are similar enough that you can migrate your setup from Dual Boot Patcher to EFIDroid without losing any data. I'll try to post a guide later this week.

I was I under the impression dual boot required multiple ROMs running the same kernel... If that is the case a huge advantage efi has is each ROM having their own boot img. I'm currently running 3 ROMs a lollipop a marshmallow and of course a nougat. I really just wanted to see all 3 latest android os running flawlessly on 1 device. And I did just that hats off to the developer for this.

baharvey7817 said:
This is great but is there a way to uninstall it (if necessary) and get back to the primary ROM (stock or Lineage OS) without losing data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an uninstall button in the app. Or, you could just flash the original boot.img via TWRP (basically what the uninstall button does).

I'm a noob...What is this? Where do I need to go to learn about why I would want this...Please explain lol

mlock420 said:
I'm a noob...What is this? Where do I need to go to learn about why I would want this...Please explain lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can look at their website, and then decide if you want this level of control over your phone.
http://efidroid.org/

Thanks for bringing us this tool. One thing I can't figure out...how do we Odin a different bootloader? I have DOK2 loaded now, and want to put Dr. Ketan's on the phone. The sub instructions say to Odin the BL and CP, as the ROM is generally generic. There us also a datafix and an essential fix that needs to be applied. Doing all of that is easy, but how do I keep two separate bootloaders (LP and MM) totally separate? If I flash a LP over a MM, my camera breaks, and if I flash a MM over LP, WiFi breaks. And I'm not talking about dirty flashes, a full system, data, and cache wipe 3x. Only Odin back to the base ROM keeps my phone happy.

1freedude said:
Thanks for bringing us this tool. One thing I can't figure out...how do we Odin a different bootloader? I have DOK2 loaded now, and want to put Dr. Ketan's on the phone. The sub instructions say to Odin the BL and CP, as the ROM is generally generic. There us also a datafix and an essential fix that needs to be applied. Doing all of that is easy, but how do I keep two separate bootloaders (LP and MM) totally separate? If I flash a LP over a MM, my camera breaks, and if I flash a MM over LP, WiFi breaks. And I'm not talking about dirty flashes, a full system, data, and cache wipe 3x. Only Odin back to the base ROM keeps my phone happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no way to have two different bootloaders. EFIDroid comes between the bootloader and the boot.img, so it has no control over the bootloader.
EDIT: EFIDroid may be able to emulate the behavior of another bootloader... you would have to ask @m11kkaa for details...

Where can I download this for T-mobile ??
Sent from my SM-N9300 using Tapatalk

CousinMikeyP said:
Where can I download this for T-mobile ??
Sent from my SM-N9300 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the LINK. You can see more info HERE

I downloaded and started up the EFIdroid unofficial apk but got the following message:
=====================================
Error
Can't load device info. Please check your connection.
/data/user/0/org.efidroid.efidroidmanager.debug/files/devices.json (No such file or directory)
override ota server try again
===============================================
Could you please explain what's going on? Seems that this version is different from the one i downloaded in March. Could it be that it's not getting root access? What can I do to get around this error?

baharvey7817 said:
I downloaded and started up the EFIdroid unofficial apk but got the following message:
=====================================
Error
Can't load device info. Please check your connection.
/data/user/0/org.efidroid.efidroidmanager.debug/files/devices.json (No such file or directory)
override ota server try again
===============================================
Could you please explain what's going on? Seems that this version is different from the one i downloaded in March. Could it be that it's not getting root access? What can I do to get around this error?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will have to look into it... The EFIDroid app error messages are not exactly the most helpful kind. (Good thing the app is being phased out soon). That particular error message could mean many things, but most likely it's a connection issue. We will continue this in Slack.

Will this work on tw 7.0 if i was porting a rom. Also why wont aosp kernel work on tw.. i always thought tw was aosp with skin..

Go to back to the link posted above where you got the unofficial apk and go to post #83. The OP posted an apk there that works fine on our phone.
baharvey7817 said:
I downloaded and started up the EFIdroid unofficial apk but got the following message:
=====================================
Error
Can't load device info. Please check your connection.
/data/user/0/org.efidroid.efidroidmanager.debug/files/devices.json (No such file or directory)
override ota server try again
===============================================
Could you please explain what's going on? Seems that this version is different from the one i downloaded in March. Could it be that it's not getting root access? What can I do to get around this error?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

RaySCLA said:
Go to back to the link posted above where you got the unofficial apk and go to post #83. The OP posted an apk there that works fine on our phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried what you suggested but it didn't work either. So, I chose the 'nuclear option': I wiped the phone completely then reinstalled the stock Marshmallow ROM. using Odin. After that i installed TWRP v3.0.2 (trltetmo) and Supersu v2.79 as well as Busybox v1.26. Only then was I able to install EFIDroid successfully. Now, I'm able to boot the stock rom as well as Resurrection Remix.
It seems that if your going to install EFIDroid you must have the phone rooted using SuperSU. Using Magisk to root your phone instead of SuperSu won't work (at least it didn't work in my case).

lowkeyst4tus said:
Will this work on tw 7.0 if i was porting a rom. Also why wont aosp kernel work on tw.. i always thought tw was aosp with skin..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should work anywhere, regardless of ROM... But btw, it's a stretch to say TW is just a skin on top of AOSP. In fact, TW is probably the farthest you can get from AOSP... There's a lot of significant differences that make AOSP kernels incompatible with TW ROMs...