[Q] Any risk in changing recovery under ROM? - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot

I'm still running stock rooted MF9 with TWRP. I've only taken TWRP as far as 2.5.0.2 and am wondering if there's any risk to upgrading to 2.8.3.0 or completely swapping out recoveries to Philz latest. Is it possible upgrading or changing recoveries would impact the existing ROM's ability to boot or cause other issues? I've been away long enough that I simply can't remember if an existing ROM would be recovery agnostic. Thanks!

No none at all.

Thanks!

Related

Phone soft-bricks upon flashing any Touchwiz-based rom?

Hi XDA, I'm a relatively new owner to Android phones (3 weeks) and have a problem that I can't find any leads on.
I cannot flash any Touchwiz-based ROMS without the phone going into a boot loop and having to reflash via Odin. I know that AOSP ROMS work fine because I use goomanager to flash CM10, Carbon, and Liquid smooth previously. The problem only occurs with touchwiz roms. Here is the rundown of how I noticed the problem:
I download Crash ROM and move it to my internal SD card. I install TWRP via goomanager. I then use goomanager to wipe the data, cache, and dalvik cache, and to install the Crash ROM zip. The phone gets to the samsung logo then gets stuck in a boot loop.
I reflash it through Odin using the tutorial at GalaxyS4root and it boots fine. I use goomanager to reinstall TWRP and try flashing it through TWRP instead, again doign a full wipe of the data, system, cache, and dalvik cache. Same thing occurs and I reflash through Odin.
Fast-forward to last night; I decide to try another Touchwiz rom, this time Wicked ROM. I download it and put it on the internal SD card; using TWRP I wipe it again, and install it. Aroma Installer comes up and I make sure to select AT&T as my carrier. I get to the end of the installation and the phone reboots. This time its much worse than it was with Crash ROM, the phone is vibrating to signal it starting up, but the screen stays blank and then a few seconds later it vibrates again. This repeats constantly and the phone also couldn't boot into recovery mode (but it could boot to download mode). So I tried reflashing it twice, but the issue persisted. Through google I determined it to be a stuck power button. I've returned the phone to AT&T to be replaced for faulty hardware and am awaiting its return.
So now is where I ask you guys. I've spent a solid hour googling this and nothing related to my problem comes up. So does anyone have any experience with the S4 not being able to flash touchwiz based roms? Or could anyone point me to any leads as to why this would occur that I can investigate further?
Thanks for the help.
-Tryer
EDIT: I'm pretty sure it wasn't MF3 because I could flash certain ROMS fine.
You made sure to flash a touchwiz kernel? And if you have AT&T model you made sure to use either auto-loki recovery or flash the loki zip?
DeadlySin9 said:
You made sure to flash a touchwiz kernel? And if you have AT&T model you made sure to use either auto-loki recovery or flash the loki zip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For Wicked ROM, in the Aroma installer it asked which kernel I wanted, I don't remember for sure but I either chose Stock or Deviant. I'm still new to Android device so does GooManager or TWRP auto-loki? If not then I did not flash loki over either, I'm not sure if this would keep touchwiz ROMS from running but allow AOSP ROMS to run.
Tryer1234 said:
For Wicked ROM, in the Aroma installer it asked which kernel I wanted, I don't remember for sure but I either chose Stock or Deviant. I'm still new to Android device so does GooManager or TWRP auto-loki? If not then I did not flash loki over either, I'm not sure if this would keep touchwiz ROMS from running but allow AOSP ROMS to run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just skimmed the OP and thread a bit - sounds like you need to loki your kernels, basically. TWRP doesn't auto-loki, but do a quick search for loki-doki.zip - if flashed immediately after flashing a kernel (or rom with kernel), it will patch the kernel to take advantage of the Loki exploit in aboot. You pretty much have to do this for every/any kernel that's not 100% pure stock. Some recoveries (like CWM I believe) will auto-loki, but I don't ever rely on these. I just always flash loki-doki.
Aou said:
Just skimmed the OP and thread a bit - sounds like you need to loki your kernels, basically. TWRP doesn't auto-loki, but do a quick search for loki-doki.zip - if flashed immediately after flashing a kernel (or rom with kernel), it will patch the kernel to take advantage of the Loki exploit in aboot. You pretty much have to do this for every/any kernel that's not 100% pure stock. Some recoveries (like CWM I believe) will auto-loki, but I don't ever rely on these. I just always flash loki-doki.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, how would I loki something like Wicked ROM though, which once it finishes with Aroma installer, immediately reboots the phone and bricks itself? I don't have a chance to loki as I can't get back to TWRP before that occurs. Also there is a chance the new phone I receive will have MF3, will rooting and using Loki allow me to use Odin to restore it, or is there as of yet no way to reflash the stock ROM on MF3 devices?
Tryer1234 said:
Thanks, how would I loki something like Wicked ROM though, which once it finishes with Aroma installer, immediately reboots the phone and bricks itself? I don't have a chance to loki as I can't get back to TWRP before that occurs. Also there is a chance the new phone I receive will have MF3, will rooting and using Loki allow me to use Odin to restore it, or is there as of yet no way to reflash the stock ROM on MF3 devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when the device reboots after the aroma install, i would pull the battery, replace it and use the 3-button combo to enter custom recovery. then i'd flash the loki-doki zip. thats just me though. i hate aroma.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+loki+doki
also: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292157

Which custom recovery to use?

Hi all,
A while ago I soft bricked my I9505 and returned back to stock ROM and stock recovery.
Now I want to install Omega ROM again.
I always used CWM Recovery... on my S2, S3 and on the S4.
Is TWRP or Philz recovery a better choice?
No, it doesn't really matter. Though I prefer CWM for the same reason as you mentioned.
I would recommend Philz touch recovery because it is based of CWM, and it is a very good recovery.
I've heard some issues for the newer versions of TWRP for flashing some custom ROMs, but i used TWRP from the beginning so i'm sticking with it. I like the interface.
Any recovery will do, though. :silly:
Thanks guys...
I'm now with Philz Touch CWM.
To be honest, I like it a lot.
I don't use the touch function though. Chances are bigger that you click something wrong
You can see that it is actually an improved version of CWM.
I really like it a lot.

soft brick phone flashing rom

I downloaded twrp and CM 10.1 CR2 for my MK2 4.3JB galaxy S4.
I made nandroids on the extra then went in used the wipe feature in twrp then loaded cm and gapps. Worked great and I love the ROM.
Went to put back nandroids. Used the wipe feature again then restored nandroid. Bootleg and stuck on the yellow sprint screen. Tried to flash Odin .tar and it started with a ton of FC then said something about data partition.
I had no choice but to factory wipe and I wanted to keep all my internal stuff. The stock to CM worked fine but just doing general wipe did not work to restore my nandroid.
The CM I noticed is 4.2.2. Is this an issue going back to stock 4.3 nandroid ?
I'm restoring the phone completely so it's fresh out of the box then rooting then using twrp to try to get back my old nandroid.
What did I do wrong in the process that caused it to stall on the yellow sprint screen ?
Now that I think about it I did probably a "dirty" flash since. I did not completely factory wipe the phone just the dalvik cache, cache and the last item on TWRP.
Once you go to 4.3...aka MJA or MK2 you cannot go backwards. So that may have been your issue. Try stayin with 4.3 or up
If you say "Please"... be sure and "Hit Thanks!!!"
OK I tried again after wiping, flashing 4.3, rooting, setting up TWRP.
I wiped everything and when I made my nandroids I checked ALL the boxes. I'm currently on CyanogenMod which works fine but I cant restore my nandroid. I wiped all then used restore from my SD card. I have twrp 2.6.3.0 I think.
I'm still getting stuck on the sprint screen. Help !
Don know about checking everything?? I make sure that SE Linux is checked (i use philz) and then save to SD. Have had zero issues so far and I bounce from 4.3 TW to 4.4 AOSP daily. Sorry I've never used TWRP so I cannot begin to help troubleshoot.
If you say "Please"... be sure and "Hit Thanks!!!"
I just want to make sure you are not wiping before you create the nandroid backup. I reread your post and it was unclear. When creating the backup you should not wipe first. Next, when switching between AOSP and Touchwiz things can get tricky. Usually a failure to boot is after doing a nandroid is caused by the kernel not being correct for the rom installed. It would probably be best to keep an AOSP kernel and a Touchwiz Kernel on your sdcard so you can flash it after you restore the nandroid backup to ensure the proper kernel is in place.
Secondly, it was mentioned above that you can't go back to 4.2.2 after going 4.3. This is actually incorrect. You cannot flash a stock tar of an older 4.2.2 rom through odin if you have the MJA (AKA Knox bootloader). You can however flash a 4.2.2 rom using recovery since it does not attempt to change the bootloader.
cruise350 said:
I just want to make sure you are not wiping before you create the nandroid backup. I reread your post and it was unclear. When creating the backup you should not wipe first. Next, when switching between AOSP and Touchwiz things can get tricky. Usually a failure to boot is after doing a nandroid is caused by the kernel not being correct for the rom installed. It would probably be best to keep an AOSP kernel and a Touchwiz Kernel on your sdcard so you can flash it after you restore the nandroid backup to ensure the proper kernel is in place.
Secondly, it was mentioned above that you can't go back to 4.2.2 after going 4.3. This is actually incorrect. You cannot flash a stock tar of an older 4.2.2 rom through odin if you have the MJA (AKA Knox bootloader). You can however flash a 4.2.2 rom using recovery since it does not attempt to change the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think I wiped before making the nandroid, but I'm not sure. I have the Sprint GS4, and the nandroid was a 4.3 (Dec 2013) firmware.
Can you help me out here, I'm really lost. Do I need to flash a Touchwiz kernel on top of the nandroid through TWRP (flashing multiple zips) ? Where do I get the kernel ?
Made a nandroid of my Cyanogen Mod. Wiped phone and restored Cyanogen Mod nandroid. No problem. Worked fine. Just the original that I made is not working.
mikeprius said:
Made a nandroid of my Cyanogen Mod. Wiped phone and restored Cyanogen Mod nandroid. No problem. Worked fine. Just the original that I made is not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot of people that have had problems switching between Cyanogen Mod and Touchwiz using nandroid restores. It usually is the Touchwiz kernel not being restored when restoring the backup. When you boot up, you won't get past the initial boot screen. If this happens, you should just have to reboot back in to recovery and flash a TW kernel then reboot or after your restore your nandroid backup, just flash the TW kernel before rebooting. Look in the Android Development section for a custom TW kernel or you can try this kernel that unkownforce posted from his Triforce rom: http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23321874045862620
cruise350- You are my hero. The nandroid DID come back and is working This has racked my brain all night and I am so so glad that I got my nandroid back.
I do have a few more questions:
1. The Wifi is not working ?
2. It appears that my Sprint is on 3G, and not going to 4G LTE ? Do I need to do something with this ? I also am getting errors trying to update my profile and PRL.
3. Is a custom TW kernel always required to be used, is there a stock Samsung TW kernel ?
Thanks a TON ! I couldn't figure out it for the life of me. Other than that I have been enjoying Cyanogen Mod. Using goomanager it looks like some CM versions are not flashable with TWRP and only by Clockworkmod.
on some roms i know that if you don't use the kernel that comes with it the wifi doesn't work. maybe try stock? in your mobile network settings, is your preferred network type "lte/cdma/evdo'? i'm sure there's a stock kernel on the forum somewhere.
It was set on global, so I switched it thanks for the heads up. Wifi still out of commission though. Once I get this set up, I'm eager to try new ROMs. I'm still on the fence about TWRP though. It's a nice interface vs. Clockwork, but it seems like most files out there cater more to CWM
mikeprius said:
It was set on global, so I switched it thanks for the heads up. Wifi still out of commission though. Once I get this set up, I'm eager to try new ROMs. I'm still on the fence about TWRP though. It's a nice interface vs. Clockwork, but it seems like most files out there cater more to CWM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can't really give advice on that since all i've used is cwm. idk what kernel that one is, but i think it now comes with kt-sgs4. maybe the one from before? i looked around and i couldn't find a stock kernel by itself for mja or later. if you extract the boot.img from a stock rom the kernel and ram disk are in there. how easily you could screw up your phone doing that is beyond my experience, so maybe try a different custom kernel and wait for somebody else's advice for the boot.img thing?
Wifi AND booting (as @cruise350 mentioned) are almost always a kernel issue.
What ROM are you actaully on?
How did you get there, your nandroid?
What kernel are you now using and how did you flash it?
Have you tried gonig into settings, turning off wifi, wait a moment and then trying to turn back on?
Sounds like you should flash a stock(based) TW ROM and go from there. That often clears up connection issues.
Also might want to set your 'network type' back to automatic.
As for CWM and TWRP both are superb just make sure you follow the ROM developers recommendation as to which to use. (Philz is a CWM based recovery). There are .tars and zips of the latest of each here in these forums.
Please spend some time here reading, searching and then reading some more. You will find all the answers to your questions and it will give you a huge grasp of what is what and how to do things properly.
Good luck.
I am currently on the L720VPUEMK2 ROM 4.3 for Sprint. Android version 4.3 (Dec 2013 update).
I used TWRP 6.2.3.0 to flash Cyanogen Mod 10.2 nightly version (not sure if matters specifically which one).
My kernel was from TriForceKernel on the link above. It says 3.4.0-gb72521e-dirty. I flashed it after I flashed my recovery after wiping the device including internal data, cache, dalvik cache via install .zip in TWRP then rebooted.
The phone has loaded up but does not seem to be toggling between 4G LTE and the wifi is busted. I checked my nandroid and it says there is a boot file in it.
When I created my nandroid, I checked all the boxes, then slide the toggle which was supposed to create a back up for all 6 segments. I'm not sure why the boot.img isn't loading, it's part of the recovery that saved it. The settings seem to be as I left them....there are just some little things that are problematic.
I have a boot.emmc and boot.emmc.win both that are part of the nandroid recovery that has been flashed yet it gets stuck on the splash screen.
Well I'd just wipe and try any one of the FIVE TW ROMs that have been dropped in the last 7 days.
Trying to fix whatever is your issue could take hours or days.
Wiping completely (as per whichever dev's ROM you choose), installing said ROM, and starting from scratch will assure you phone works AND give you the best chance to get stuff working.
I dirty flash, restore and install ROMs all the time.
However When I absolutely want to know I'll have a good working ROM I clean flash. Wipes, setup, let Google restore apps, debloat restored (and stock apps!) then setup each setting and app to my liking. Titanium comes in real handy - after all my apps are re-downloaded I can selectively restore data to those that need it (Kindle, newsreader, SMS, Call Logs etc.)
Try that - installing clean new ROM and see what happens. Then go from there. Or don't and spend another couple days without a completely working phone.

OTA questions

Hi, Ive recently rooted my phone and was just wondering what I need to do to get OTA for marshmallow in the future and I have a few questions about stock rom.
1. Do I lose root when flashing stock rom?
2. Do my apps and data get deleted when I flash stock rom?
3. Do I lose TWRP and revert to stock recovery when I flash stock rom?
Noob here, so thanks in advance
Marshmallow OTA, you are very optimistic mate, might take 3 months if not more.
Anyway, to answer your queries, yes, flashing stock ROM via Odin removes everything, I mean it removes root, it removes any custom recovery and restores stock recovery. But no it won't wipe your internal memory, but here again there are some firmwares where the devices does get wiped out, but I don't know exactly which one are those! But most firmwares don't touch your internal memory. But if you are coming from a custom ROM then it is highly recommended (mandatory actually) to completely wipe the phone using a custom recovery and then only flash stock ROM.
About thanks, hit the metre, saying thanks doesn't mean anything here in XDA

TWRP or Other issue?

I"m having issue with flashing roms, kernels and restoring on my device and i'm not sure if its cause a process was done incorrect and/or a TWRP.
I have a 2017U. Bootloader is unlocked, TWRP 3.1.0, and currently on stock B19 (no root, via TWRP with Draken's Stock system).
Here are the issues I"m facing:
1. Unable to Restore backup. I've made a backup and selected Boot, System and data. Also selected "compression". Restore shows complete, but device freeze on boot screen (the one says hit vol for more options).
2. Issue flashing kernel. I tried flashing Beastmode (a couple of previous versions up to the most currect R45). I keeps booting back into Recovery. I then tried flashing the stock kernel from Freeza and it still boots into recovery.
3. Flashing Roms. This one is possibly a rom issue, but just wanted to throw it out there any ways in case it's not. Flashed Bad Boys rom. Works fine when installing with SU or Magik, but doesn't boot if it select "no root"...
Any help/advice is appreciated.
You either need to flash supersu, or no-dmverity to patch the kernel to bypass this security feature.
3.1 is also not ready according to twrp thread.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
Thanks guys.
Just having a difficult time with TWRP recently. I wasn't able to restore properly on 3.0.4.
Every time i tried to restore, it says i need to uncheck mount system partition read only. Do need to flash the no-dmverity after i restore?

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