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[Q] ParanoidAndroid - should I root before installing?

topic.
N4 is my 2nd Android phone (my 1st is an old HTC Magic) and have never rooted a device before.
I'd like to install PA. So do I need to root it first?
Also I have already installed some apps, I'd like to do backup before factory reset. What is the easiest way for this?
Thank you

Cool_Roxas said:
topic.
N4 is my 2nd Android phone (my 1st is an old HTC Magic) and have never rooted a device before.
I'd like to install PA. So do I need to root it first?
Also I have already installed some apps, I'd like to do backup before factory reset. What is the easiest way for this?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly Install carbon backup app (like titanium backup) from the play store to backup your app and app data. It is good because you don't need to root your device in order to backup.
However in order to root, you need to unlock the bootloader which will delete everything from your phone. After that it is easy to root your phone using the guides in the forum. I suggest you don't use toolkit if you want to learn how everything works.
Only after rooting, you can install PA.
Sent from my Nexus 4

You don't need to root. Open boot loader, install custom recovery preferably twrp and you can install the zip files you need. Roms come rooted by default you don't need to worry about that.

i think root will make it easy to install app

molesarecoming said:
You don't need to root. Open boot loader, install custom recovery preferably twrp and you can install the zip files you need. Roms come rooted by default you don't need to worry about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks moles. I didn't know that you didn't need to be rooted to your roms. I guess you learn something new everyday. Btw I love your PA roms. This is my first android device and PA is the only ROM I've ever flash. Keep the good work.
Sent from my Nexus 4

[Q] Nexus 4 Un-Rooted on 4.3 update. Best way to re-root?

Hello, after updating to 4.3 JB on my Nexus 4, the phone had been unrooted.
I have a few questions, I'm new to rooting, so please bear with my (possibly simple) questions.
1. Why did it unroot when it updated? (I was told it would not unroot).
2. If I use helium to backup my phone, will all settings be the same exact as they are at the time I make a backup? Are there any non-root backup programs that work as well or better?
3. I rooted using the "Nexus Root Toolkit" by: WugFresh. The BootLoader is unlocked. Do I just need to root it, or do I have to go through the bootloader process again?
Thanks very much for ready this. Hopefully someone can help me out.

mntwins7 said:
Hello, after updating to 4.3 JB on my Nexus 4, the phone had been unrooted.
I have a few questions, I'm new to rooting, so please bear with my (possibly simple) questions.
1. Why did it unroot when it updated? (I was told it would not unroot).
2. If I use helium to backup my phone, will all settings be the same exact as they are at the time I make a backup? Are there any non-root backup programs that work as well or better?
3. I rooted using the "Nexus Root Toolkit" by: WugFresh. The BootLoader is unlocked. Do I just need to root it, or do I have to go through the bootloader process again?
Thanks very much for ready this. Hopefully someone can help me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) The process your went through in order to gain root access was overwritten by the update. Normally, you can use apps like root saver or whatever to keep root through updates, but too many things were updated on 4.3 so there was no way to save root.
2) There are no backup apps that don't require root that will work as well as apps that require it. However, backups made through CWM or other custom recoveries don't technically require root and create exact images of your phone at the time of backup.
3) You don't have to unlock the bootloader again, just flash the SU binary through a custom recovery. I'm not familiar with the toolkit so I can't give you any specific information.
Good luck
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

hoponpop said:
1) The process your went through in order to gain root access was overwritten by the update. Normally, you can use apps like root saver or whatever to keep root through updates, but too many things were updated on 4.3 so there was no way to save root.
2) There are no backup apps that don't require root that will work as well as apps that require it. However, backups made through CWM or other custom recoveries don't technically require root and create exact images of your phone at the time of backup.
3) You don't have to unlock the bootloader again, just flash the SU binary through a custom recovery. I'm not familiar with the toolkit so I can't give you any specific information.
Good luck
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! Thank you very much!

A Few Questions About Rooting And Stuff

Hello!
I have just got a new LG G2!
I want to root it, but I'm a little bit confused atm:
1) Rooting the device using IORoot does not change the kernel or recovery, does it? (I'll be rooted runnig stock and won't be able to flash stuff)
2) If I want to create a nandroid backup, I have to flash first CWM/TWRP. So how can I make a nandroid backup for my current unrooted and runnig stock phone?
3) Can I backup my EFS files without a custum recovery (with root only)?
4) Is that correct that after each rom I flash, the phone needs to be rooted again?
Thanks!

1. Yes
2. You use the cwm. Or twrp to make the backup.
3. Not sure, have always been rooted sui never looked for a way to do that.
4. No, I've never had to reroot after installing any rom.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

unroot
Is there a way to unroot and leave no evidence that the phones been rooted. Im planning to return it and get another one. THanks in advance

[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

ZTE Axon 7 Tenfar's Root and Magisk

Hi all,
let me first start by thanking the good people of xda community for your kind help and contribution. It would not be possible for people like me with extremely limited rooting knowledge to even have the courage to attempt a root if it wasn't for the good people like you here.
I just got my Axon 7 and is trying to work up the courage to attempt a root following tenfar's instruction (I'm extremely scared of bricking my new phone) I also hope that I can continue to play Pokemon Go after I root it, but unfortunately with the latest update, it seems impossible until I discovered Magisk. My question may seem fairly simple but it is extremely confusing to me. In Magisk's instruction it says that in order to install Magisk, one must remove any kind of root and systemless Xposed. Since my phone is not rooted, I do not have to go through the step of removing root and xposed? However, it says that I have to download Magisk and flash it. My confusion rests on the concept on how I can flash Magisk if my phone is not rooted? I thought one can only flash a rom etc after the phone is rooted? So should I follow tenfar's root first and root my axon 7 then try to flash Magisk? or the other way around? Any advice /tips/precautions/high level guides regarding both rooting using the tenfar method and flashing Magisk is greatly appreciate! I may suck at rooting and etc, but what I can do is follow all instructions carefully. Thank you everyone, you are the best!

To flash something (a ROM or an app, like Magisk) you need to have a custom recovery installed (such as TWRP, you boot into the custom recovery to flash the .zip file that contains whatever you want to flash) which generally means having an unlocked boot-loader, neither of those has anything to do with root (other than that they make rooting the phone considerably easier) they don't require it and they don't do it by themselves.

@Nameless One is right, you need a custom recovery (TWRP) to be able to flash Magisk. There is a thread about this in the forums.
However I would advise you to wait until next week when a new update is expected and perhaps some changes to the bootloader unlock policy and hopefully stock ROMs, which will make it much easier to solve any problems.
If you insist on going through with this now, you should take backup images of various partitions so that you can restore your phone to stock to receive the OTA.

How does it work if you have uninstall any kind of root? I would think root would be a requirement.

KyJelly69 said:
How does it work if you have uninstall any kind of root? I would think root would be a requirement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It right on the top of their post
"This mod requires boot image modification, so unlocked bootloaders are required!"
What it does is implement it's own system-less root management module that will not be detected like other root methods. But will conflict with other root methods hence you have to be unrooted
Unlocked bootloader let's you flash custom recovery. That in turn let's you flash anything else including root modifications. In essence tenfar's boot image is modified to allow root. This will do something similar but you have to have the BL unlocked since patching boot image will change the signature.

iirc magisk alters the bootimage, so you need a unlocked Bootloader go get it to work.
And no, root is not a preq, you can use magisk to /aquire/ root though.
What u need:
- unlocked bootloader
- custom recovery
- a somewhat clean and not already modified system

Thank you all for the helpful replies, I greatly appreciate them.
I'm running out of the box ZTE Axon 7 A2017U with 6.0.1 Android. My goal is to install Magisk then eventually root so I can play Pokemon Go on the phone. Please advise on the next step? What are some of the safety precautions I should take? Thank you all very much!
I'm also planning on waiting until the next update [email protected]'s advice. Can anyone please explain to me the reasoning behind mh127's safety precautions? Thanks!

projectseahorse said:
Thank you all for the helpful replies, I greatly appreciate them.
I'm running out of the box ZTE Axon 7 A2017U with 6.0.1 Android. My goal is to install Magisk then eventually root so I can play Pokemon Go on the phone. Please advise on the next step? What are some of the safety precautions I should take? Thank you all very much!
I'm also planning on waiting until the next update [email protected]'s advice. Can anyone please explain to me the reasoning behind mh127's safety precautions? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have copies of the stock images you will probably be able to fix your phone if something goes wrong and you want to go back to stock.
Not having these copies is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute and hoping you'll hit a haystack, without the pitchfork in it...
There are never any guarantees, every phone is different and as you are playing with important partitions there is a chance, generally through users fault, to brick your device...

Hello all,
Do we know if the "stock rom" @mh127 was talking about is available? Am I safe to proceed with the the magisk/root installation? Thanks!

projectseahorse said:
Hello all,
Do we know if the "stock rom" @mh127 was talking about is available? Am I safe to proceed with the the magisk/root installation? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the stock images have not been released for the B27 update, which would make it much easier to recover if something goes wrong. However, unofficial images are available (look around the forums). So at this point it is your call, just be careful.