SM-G930P Root! - Samsung Galaxy S7 Guides, News, & Discussion

Root has finally been achieved over at the ATT S7 section! From what I understand, it should work on all Qualcomm S7 variants but I haven't been home to test it out or else I would have already. If anyone wants to try it and report back here I will update this thread accordingly. Test at your OWN risk.
br3w3r said:
Warning this is engboot, meaning its not made to be used on day to day basis you may run into some issues. Hopefully we can fix them as we go!
Also do not update supersu through playstore untill we are for sure that it wont mess anything up
Notice from @Chainfire:
Chainfire said:
I'm just going to leave this here...
SuperSU-v2.74-2-S7QC.zip
You will need:
- Engineering boot images
- Patched version of Odin3 (only AT&T models ?)
- Extract files, and run root.bat with adb on the path
This version of SuperSU is not officially supported. I recommend against updating the APK from the Play Store, or otherwise updating the binaries, unless someone knowledgable has tried before you and confirmed it worked.
If it breaks, you get to keep all the pieces.
Bounty info (if any) will be posted also by @br3w3r
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all thanks to @Chainfire for helping achieve su and @princecomsy for giving me the odin file and engboot
I take no responsibility for anything that happens to your device, same goes for everyone that helped.
First file you will need is here http://d-h.st/gsDA
This is special Odin to bypass SHA-256 made by Princecosmy
Second file you will need is
G935A http://d-h.st/lQY8
G930A http://d-h.st/aK2A
This is the engboot. Using @billas since its already uploaded.
Basically once you have these two files open up the odin included and place the .tar in the ap section should only take a few seconds to flash.
After you are back up download SuperSU made for our phone from here https://download.chainfire.eu/968/SuperSU/SuperSU-v2.74-2-S7QC.zip
Extract the files to a folder.
Here it may get a bit tricky for some.
Go to your adb install location. Open a command window where your adb files are located.
Change the directory to your supersu folder location from earlier, and run the root.bat from the cmd.
I am not very good at instructions as this is my first time doing anything like this.
Bounty info: [email protected] / Paypal please
Again thank you to everyone who helped!
We made it fam!
If you are successful after rooting and can give better instructions please let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/g935a-root-t3410403
Originally, it started getting interesting at post #185:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/bounty-att-s7-root-exploit-t3341274/page4

Just got home to test this out. Currently on PC5 since I've been waiting for this day to come. Will post back once I have results.
Just flashed the engineering boot.img. Make sure you boot into BOOTLOADER mode when using odin to flash this because the instructions don't show this. Also, make sure to back up all your stuff because most likely this will involve a factory reset.
Update #3: So, seems like our variant seems to have issues with the activation process. Here's what I did to fix it. It's a temporary fix until it gets figured out completed but it's a fix none the less.
1. Flash engineer boot.img through odin.
2. Factory reset/wipe
3. Go through the setup process without actually activating.
4. I signed into my google account through wifi and I downloaded Package Disable Pro+ Samsung (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ospolice.packagedisablerpremium).
5. I went into settings>Acitvate this device.
Don't click "done" after it gets activated.
6. Press the home button to get to the main screen and open up Package Disabler Pro+ Samsung
7. After Package Disabler Pro is set up... I searched for Samsung DM Service and I disabled it.
Voila! No more rebooting. Like I said, this is hopefully temporary until it gets figured out.
Now on to installing SU. I will post back with pictures of Root Checker.

Works on T-Mobile s7 edge pD8
T-Mobile S7 Edge
Latest Update PD8
Eng Boot - System Custom
Knox 0x0

There are already several threads about this in the relevant forum, we don't need another.
Thread closed.

Related

Samsung Galaxy S5 (G870A) Bootloop Fix!

I've recently found away to fix a Galaxy S5 Active stuck in a boot loop. (This method only works if your device is on lollipop 5.0! )
Note: This method only works on the OC5 update.
More firmware support coming soon.
What happened: I accidentally made my Galaxy S5 Active get stuck in a boot loop. I couldn't find a solution for the longest time because the bootloader is locked. Time passed and I eventually found away to fix the boot loop if your devices is running Lollipop 5.0!
Solution:
1. You should always try to fix the boot loop by booting into recovery mode by holding down the Home+Volume-Up Key+Power button. Once the phone logo pops up on the screen releases the power button only, but continue to hold the Home+Volume-Up Key. If it worked is should say "Booting into recovery." or something along those lines in blue letters.
Once you're into recovery use the volume keys to navigate Up and Down. Find wipedata/factory reset. Select it with the power key and navigate down to Yes. Wait till it finishes. Then see if that fixed the problem. If not proceed to next step
2. Since the boot loader is locked it's really difficult to flash any kind of Recovery, ROM, or Stock Rom unless your phone accepts it as a valid file. So here's what you do!: (Method 1)
Download this file and save it to your desktop: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3UBRFq3BojVQnBSc3lCSzloYUU
Download ODIN v(3.09): http://odindownload.com/Samsung-Odin/#.VgiJ_8tViko - Extract it to your desktop.
Put your phone in download mode. (Note: Before you do this, install the correct drivers for your phone to your computer.)Make sure your phone is completely off and Hold the Home+Volume Down+Power. You will get a warning message just press the volume up key to continue.
Go to desktop and launch ODIN. After ODIN pops up, plug in your device. (Make sure you have the correct phone drivers installed)
You should see a dialog box in ODIN that say 0:[COM6] in blue. Note: It might be different for everyone, just make sure it says COM.
After that, Under "File [Download]" click "AP" Then navigate to the file you downloaded earlier called "boot.tar"
MAKE SURE RE-PARTITION IS UNCHECKED!
Leave everything else alone then click start. Wait till it says PASS! in green letters in ODIN!
(Method 2):
Go to this link download it to your desktop and follow the instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3UBRFq3BojVdXlSUE43VzJPbEU/view?usp=sharing
Done! Your device shouldn't be in a boot loop anymore! If you have any questions let me know!
Note: Once this process is complete, your phone will permanently show a warning in your notifications saying "Unknown action detected." This happens because your phone will detect that your kernel was modified so if you don't want this to happen, then I suggest you wait for a official lollipop OS release.
UPDATE!: You should now be able to download the "Boot.tar" file. Sorry about that!
UPDATE!: New files and instructions added if the first method didn't work!
Having some major issues
First post so forgive me if this is misplaced. Before I was aware I'm unable to down grade from 5.0 or 5.1 version of sm-g870a I attempted to downgrade and apply root from version 4.4.2/4.4.4 via another XDA thread in a faulty attempt to root. At first this presented no issues until restart. At this point the phone is soft bricked and bootloops. Both download mode and system recovery ARE accessible and prior to this I had USB debug open. I have the factory cable and odin identifies the device easily. All other md5 files failed to apply OTHER than one. (4.4.4 ota) I presume because of bootlocks which I'm now aware of. I have attempted three different stock flashes via odin all from XDA all fail at authentication claiming error fused 2 binary 1. I attempted add data pull before all of this and the device ignored a request which prompted a factory reset which was odd. I have attempted installing 3 alternative stock and stock rooted 5.0 and 5.1 firmwares from XDAs threads. All of which failed, hiwever one granted me some precious Information when I slowed down the error message via recording. It states, "Package expects fingerprint of Samsung kltattactive/lteactive:4.4.2/kot49h/g870aucu1ang3:user/release-keys o0A1:user/release-keys this device has kltactive/kltactive. This tells me as far as I know that the device is showing no firmware installed and a double fed file making the attempting installation incompatible. At this point I want to start anew, I have how attempted every route accessible via XDA and feel my options are running very low other than attempting to randomly apply firmware in sequence until odin accepts one and it sticks. That sound like a brick plan however. I don't care what firmware is loaded as long as an OS is accessible. I think this is all available Information I apologize for typos I have been at this for a total of 20 hrs straight. This bootloop was a tired lapse in judgement and has cost me 5 hours of trial and error. Wiping cache fails, reformatting internally fails, as far as I know root was never successful and I THINK philz was successful installed although at this point I cannot recall. Thanks for reading and in advance for any available help. I have SOME c# experience and some java script which is zebra vs dolphin situation I only mention as to aide and explain my trainers of thought. All other languages are vague at best
Edit: I stopped bootloop with the file attached to this thread. It now boots into samsung display bht will not go further and stops there as though it still has no operating system.
Ghujii said:
First post so forgive me if this is misplaced. Before I was aware I'm unable to down grade from 5.0 or 5.1 version of sm-g870a I attempted to downgrade and apply root from version 4.4.2/4.4.4 via another XDA thread in a faulty attempt to root. At first this presented no issues until restart. At this point the phone is soft bricked and bootloops. Both download mode and system recovery ARE accessible and prior to this I had USB debug open. I have the factory cable and odin identifies the device easily. All other md5 files failed to apply OTHER than one. (4.4.4 ota) I presume because of bootlocks which I'm now aware of. I have attempted three different stock flashes via odin all from XDA all fail at authentication claiming error fused 2 binary 1. I attempted add data pull before all of this and the device ignored a request which prompted a factory reset which was odd. I have attempted installing 3 alternative stock and stock rooted 5.0 and 5.1 firmwares from XDAs threads. All of which failed, hiwever one granted me some precious Information when I slowed down the error message via recording. It states, "Package expects fingerprint of Samsung kltattactive/lteactive:4.4.2/kot49h/g870aucu1ang3:user/release-keys o0A1:user/release-keys this device has kltactive/kltactive. This tells me as far as I know that the device is showing no firmware installed and a double fed file making the attempting installation incompatible. At this point I want to start anew, I have how attempted every route accessible via XDA and feel my options are running very low other than attempting to randomly apply firmware in sequence until odin accepts one and it sticks. That sound like a brick plan however. I don't care what firmware is loaded as long as an OS is accessible. I think this is all available Information I apologize for typos I have been at this for a total of 20 hrs straight. This bootloop was a tired lapse in judgement and has cost me 5 hours of trial and error. Wiping cache fails, reformatting internally fails, as far as I know root was never successful and I THINK philz was successful installed although at this point I cannot recall. Thanks for reading and in advance for any available help. I have SOME c# experience and some java script which is zebra vs dolphin situation I only mention as to aide and explain my trainers of thought. All other languages are vague at best
Edit: I stopped bootloop with the file attached to this thread. It now boots into samsung display bht will not go further and stops there as though it still has no operating system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New method for you...
irontaco1 said:
New method for you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright this stopped the looping now, to find a proper rom. I believe. Im going tohave to wait for 5.1 in order for it to be successful, however is having 4.4.2 still on it is a bit worrisome, I predict overwriting it should be fine though. Thank you for giving me a way to at least resolve bootlooping. I believe I shoulda have safestrapped the device, but hindsight is always 20/20 eh?
Ghujii said:
Alright this stopped the looping now, to find a proper rom. I believe. Im going tohave to wait for 5.1 in order for it to be successful, however is having 4.4.2 still on it is a bit worrisome, I predict overwriting it should be fine though. Thank you for giving me a way to at least resolve bootlooping. I believe I shoulda have safestrapped the device, but hindsight is always 20/20 eh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you got past your Bootloop! If you need anymore help let me know.
Is there a way to root my galaxy s5 active [G870A] on att with 5.0? I'm getting conflicting info and not finding the root.tar I need to flash in order to roll back to 4.4.2 so I can root. Right now I'm just trying to get root. Thanks for any help or direction.
S5 Active
I'd say hold off for a while I did that exact 5 Hong with the s5 active and it bootlocks it. You need to, if you're going to do this install and use safestrap to di so and BACK UP EVERYTHING with safe strap to SD. As long as you follow those method you SHOULD be able to even soft brick it and come back from it.
shadavis08 said:
Is there a way to root my galaxy s5 active [G870A] on att with 5.0? I'm getting conflicting info and not finding the root.tar I need to flash in order to roll back to 4.4.2 so I can root. Right now I'm just trying to get root. Thanks for any help or direction.
S5 Active
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't found any successful way to to go back to Kit Kat or 4.4.2 for this phone. In fact that's why this thread exist is because people who have tried to flash back to 4.4.2 have failed and got stuck in a Bootloop. So if you plan on trying to find away make sure you back everything up and if you fail you can use this tutorial to get your phone working again.
Make sure you have "USB Debugging" on
Make sure you have the drivers for your phone installed on your PC before you start the process of looking for a root.
Yeah I tried flashing back to 4.4.2 and it was a no go . I had the stuck on 5.0 issue where download mode says "downloading do not turn off ...... " but after I wiped my phone I was able to update to 5.1.1 successfully without any "download interrupted "errors . So at least I'm not stuck on 5.0 now lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
Although I still have that "Downloading do not turn off target " thing when I try to enter download mode! Sheesh
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
shadavis08 said:
Yeah I tried flashing back to 4.4.2 and it was a no go . I had the stuck on 5.0 issue where download mode says "downloading do not turn off ...... " but after I wiped my phone I was able to update to 5.1.1 successfully without any "download interrupted "errors . So at least I'm not stuck on 5.0 now lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
Although I still have that "Downloading do not turn off target " thing when I try to enter download mode! Sheesh
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should not be anything attempting to download when you boot into ''download mode'' if there is, its highly likely there are still particulates of the last bad flash. I would as he said above, enable USB debugging and the like, and install safe strap to be safe. After safe strap is done and youve followed the tutorial which you can find in another thread on this site, boot your phone down and then power it back on, safe strap should come up first, when it does so push the ''recovery'' option to enter safe strap( someone correct me if thats wrong, my phone is currently dead/charging so i cant check) From there you can back up to an SD card, make sure you enable compression when you do.
Once thats done, WIPE YOUR PHONE, and Cache,( maybe dalvik as well if you cant find it dont worry.)and its all on SD CARD, then attempt to dirty flash( I dont recommend), or clean flash your device WITH safe strap. This typically entails downloading a .zip file and opening it THROUGH safestrap, which is done the same way as backing up your data, only via another option in the menu. Simply put; Back up data with safe strap, after thats done push back and choose FLASH, it should show you all available items it can flash from/to, pick and pray. I didnt go this route when I tried, I attempted to brute force the Bootlocked S5A, and it caused some errors that I now have reversed after much pain. If I HAD safe strapped, It may have went smoother for me, and may for you. Safestrap for us Samsung users is the same as Clockwork Mod for the rest if you weren't aware.
I'll edit this when my phone charges and I can walk you through appropriately, if need be MSG me and Ill do it as soon as I receive the message via this thread if I have not already.
hi guys! good day! i have tried the new method twice! and odin fails everytime! the problem is with the modem.bin! is there any way to fix this?
Make sure you're running lollipop and not Kit Kat and make sure you have the correct phone model. If you don't meet both those requirements then it won't work.
it has on lollipop recoverymode comes up with LRX21T.G870AUCU1B0C5. ISNT that lollipop? download mode also says ;A2, P1
abatoir said:
it has on lollipop recoverymode comes up with LRX21T.G870AUCU1B0C5. ISNT that lollipop? download mode also says ;A2, P1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that information is correct. You might want to download the latest version of ODIN and try again. (Make sure you're putting the modem.bin file in the correct spot in Odin.)
I think I have the latest odin.. And modem can only fit in the cp field I think. Its just not working for me. I tried doing each part separately. And the modem flash always fail.
---------- Post added at 06:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 AM ----------
I used odin 3.10 and also tried with odin 3.7
Hey irontac. Since you came up with this fix. Are you able to tell me why those s5 go into bootloop like that? By the way mine is not in bootloop. It hangs on the AT&T logo (the glob) . I was thinking maybe I need to flash the system.img , but where can I find that. And how can I flash it by itself? Actually the phone belongs to a friend. He seems to have rooted it. But I don't know what else he messed with.
abatoir said:
Hey irontac. Since you came up with this fix. Are you able to tell me why those s5 go into bootloop like that? By the way mine is not in bootloop. It hangs on the AT&T logo (the glob) . I was thinking maybe I need to flash the system.img , but where can I find that. And how can I flash it by itself? Actually the phone belongs to a friend. He seems to have rooted it. But I don't know what else he messed with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to boot into recovery mode and try to factory reset it normally. If his phone is rooted you could also flash a custom rom to it and get it out of Bootloop.
I also forgot to mention you can't get ahold of the system.img because it's not released to the public.
Yeah. I wanted it back to stock. I downloaded the 5.0 cfg file. Opened it up and I realized that there is no system.img in there. Oh Well. You think it would boot if I used kitKat system.img?
abatoir said:
Yeah. I wanted it back to stock. I downloaded the 5.0 cfg file. Opened it up and I realized that there is no system.img in there. Oh Well. You think it would boot if I used kitKat system.img?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash the Kit Kat system.img you might have to downgrade the kernel also. I would give it a try and see if it works.

[GUIDE] Systemless Root of your Nook Tab S2 710

With Barnes & Noble now selling the Galaxy Tab S2 710 (32gb) for $299 in the U.S. (and an extra 10% off if you're a B&N member), I picked one up yesterday and immediately came here to research rooting and set up. What I found were a lot of guides written a while ago, and a lot of confusing (at least to me) information. So I thought I would consolidate, in one place, in a new thread, what I eventually did, on the assumption that there might be a lot of new Tab S2 owners in the coming weeks. Obviously, you undertake these steps at your own risk, and YMMV. Also, hopefully equally obviously, none of the fantastic tools here are original with me -- credit goes to all those, like chainfire, ashyrx, wanam, engine95 and many more who have built and/or developed them.
1. If your Tab comes with anything but 5.1.1 XXU2BPB1, feel free to take the OTA update. In the US, it's the most current build as of 4.30.16 and you will still be able to root.
2. If you don't already have it, download Odin 3.10.7. You can find it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2711451
When you run Odin in Windows, probably better to run it in administrator mode (right click on the icon), although I haven't always found that to be necessary.
3. Flash a Custom Recovery using the PDA tab of Odin. Put your Tab into Download mode by turning it off, then pressing and holding the Home, Power and Volume Down buttons all at the same time. When the download screen comes up, press the Volume Up button to continue. Now you're ready to attach your Tab to your PC. Load TWRP 3.0.2-1 from Ashyx's thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-s2/development/recovery-twrp-2-8-7-x-lollipop-5-1-1-t3205686 into Odin. Follow his instructions carefully -- once the custom recovery flashes, you have to manually reboot into the new recovery (so untick the auto-reboot option in Odin) or else your new custom recovery gets overwritten and you go back to your stock recovery.
4. Backup your Stock Rom -- While you're still in TWRP (or if you've already rebooted, go back to it), it would make sense to do a full backup of your stock ROM. That way you can restore your Tab to its original state if you ever need or want to.
5. Root -- Here's where I found the most confusion on these forums. You can do a systemless root -- i.e., keeping a stock, SE Enforcing, kernel (as opposed to flashing a permissive kernel and always getting the red SE Noneforcing Kernel message on a reboot and/or needing to use CF-Auto-Root). All you need to do is install Super SU 2.71 (BETA). Get the zip from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu/2014-09-02-supersu-v2-05-t2868133 and put it on your Tab. Then flash using the "Install" choice within your TWRP recovery. Reboot -- and when TWRP asks you whether you want to install SuperSU because you're not rooted -- you have to say "NO" (OK, that's counterintuitive, but chainfire's instructions are clear).
5. Debloat -- That's beyond this thread's scope, but I recommend Titanium Backup from the Play Store. If you want to get rid of the "Nook" logo on reboot, flash the zip file from post #2 of Engine95's thread (using TWRP) found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-s2/development/rom-neked-nook-oj1-5-1-1-710-t3317823
6. SD Card Fix -- if you find your third party apps can't write to your SD Card, the attachment below describes how to fix it. If this type of editing scares you (make a backup first!), the Play Store app SD Card Fix supposedly still works with Lollipop and you can try that.
7. Netflix Fix -- for some reason, Netflix doesn't like root on the Nook Tab. The fix for this is as simple as renaming the file "system/lib/liboemcrypto.so" (using a root explorer of your choice) as "system/lib/liboemcrypto.so.bak"
8. Xposed -- I happen to like Xposed and don't find it messes up anything, while giving you a ton of customization options. Installation is a two-step process. First, find the correct version of wanam's Xposed zip from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960, and flash it using TWRP. For Lollipop on the S2, I used his SDK 22-arm version (SDK 23 is for Marshmallow). Don't worry if the reboot takes a long time -- that's normal. Then, once rebooted, simply install wanam's Xposed apk (XposedInstaller_3.0_Alpha4) that's available in the same thread.
That's it. I hope this saves some of you a lot of my trial and error, and, if it does, please press the "thanks" button.
EDIT -- Here's a #9 I just discovered --- Microsoft Office apps, although pre-installed on the device, will not open once you're rooted (or maybe it's just flashing TWRP that does it). Moreover, if you uninstall and try a re-install from the Play Store, if you're like me, you'll get a device not compatible message. My solution was to sideload the apks (e.g., Word, Excel and Powerpoint) from my Note 4, but I suspect you could also change your device ID within your build.prop file (backup first!) and get a similar result.
ANOTHER EDIT (5.2.16) -- #10 -- I can't get Google Play Movies to work at all on my T710 after rooting. Tried renaming libemcrypto.so without luck. Tried editing boot.prop to disguise myself as a Nexus 10. Tried the Xposed module Root Cloak. All no good. Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks! I just got a new nook and have started to come into these forums and also noticed the old and randomly updated threads. I appreciate the clear instructions. Are there any roms right now that you are recommending?
rawdikrik said:
Thanks! I just got a new nook and have started to come into these forums and also noticed the old and randomly updated threads. I appreciate the clear instructions. Are there any roms right now that you are recommending?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I'm trying to stick with stock. Engine95's rom seems to have some happy users though....
how do you manual reboot to recovery mode after download mode? i have tried the (pwr+vol up+home) but it does not work at all.. once i reboot normally the TWRP which i flashed cannot get installed at all. I need HELP!

Rooting J710 safety precautions & adivce

As I begin rooting process for my J710, and realize that the J710 is still fairly new so I thought I write this post and share my notes with everyone to help your transition goes smoothly.
First thing first, some safety tips.
Know your stock firmware. In this case SM-J710 is the min requirement
Have a stock firmware file downloaded on your PC. There's nothing for US right now, but J710 is not region lock so it matter not which version you chose on Sammobile
Make sure your current and new version match up as much as possible. So J710 should be the first 4 that need to match
Created a Folder on your PC for J710, and organize everything in one place. Samething with phone microSD card
Try to make a habbit out of keeping track of your process. It will help you out alot when things goes wrong and are looking for help. Or if you need to go back and see where you make mistake. Especially useful if you are new at this. Dev can't help you if you don't know what you did yourself.
10min rules. Always give the phone minimum 10 min to boot the first time before you disconnect the battery. Sometimes it just take longer, but 10min is a good start for first booth.
TOOLS you will need.
ODin newest is 3.10, but other version will be fine
Stock USB cable that came with the phone. This will save you the hassle of downloading USB installer, and it makes data transfer from ODin to phone alot safer.
TWRP for J710. right now it's only beta phase, but I beleive its 3.02.
Superuser zip files to be flash upon successful installation of TWRP
BACK UP DATA: With the app you can use ES explorer and back up to you microSD.
With the phone, just plug in to your computer, Copy the phone folder, and create a subfolder on your PC and name it System then paste everything onto that folder. After rooting is done. Re-install the app again, then copy your system folder onto the new system folder of your root phone. Restart your phone, and all your previous login and layout will there the way you left it.
Technically you only need to copy the ANDROID & BACKUP folder for your apps. But the above methods will back up all your media along with apps info, and it alot faster.
I recommend using ES explorer because it will does all the modification for without having to go through TWRP once you have rooted enable. Just enable root, and whatever you want to modify, place it in the correct folder of the phone SYS. Reboot and its done. You won't have to go through TWRP and risk bricking. You can save your modify rom in a zip file and share up here. It like being a developer for dummies.
So before you begin. The number 1 thing you should have is the firmware. SM-J710 from Sammobile. With that being said, I have found 2 links for rooting. They are both similiar process, but the one from XDA is for SM-J710F. and the link from Androidinfo is for SM-J710MN. Depend on your choosing you need to have a backup firmware from the method that you chose.
Now that you have the stockfirmware, and your phone is not the F or MN series. Flash the stock firmware of the method that you chose, and go with the rooting process for that method. here are the links:
XDA Video tutorial http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j7/how-to/video-root-samsung-galaxy-j7-sm-j710f-t3401790
XDA thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j7/development/recovery-samsung-galaxy-sm-j710f-t3380736
Androidinfotech: http://www.androidinfotech.com/2016/07/root-samsung-galaxy-j7-2016-sm-j710mn.html
This rooting method is working mostly with ODin, odds of you bricking your phone is about the same as winning a lottery. With that being said, make sure everything that you plan on flashing is from J710 and you should be fine.
The J7 is more like an opensource phone from Samsung. It does not have a lot of restriction like the other models such as S series. But you are working with a beta version of TWRP so it might not work out the first time around. If that is the case, flash a different firmware model or wait for a stable version. It not the end of the world if you phone is rooted.
Backtrack to beginning: Flash the stock firmware to begin the process again. WIPING DATA before any process is always a plus.
using ODin: Flash Firmware on "BL" for new version, i forgot which slot it is for the older version
Flash: TWRP and SU on "AP" slot for new version
INTERESTING FACTS: I ran across a thread online that mention backing firmware via Odin is possible. Hopefully someone here on XDA might have an idea on the methods, if such a thing exist. I thought I share this. If only I remember where I ran into that post.
Last notes: During the rooting process, I recommend letting the phone reboot completely as you progress through each phase of the process. the reason for this, is so it will help you identify if the TWRP is not installing, or the kernels is incorrect, or the SU.
Your phone will bootloop if TWRP does not optain write priviledges.
Your kernels will always install, but if TWRP does not have privileges the phone will not boot.
Should you were able to get TWRP, and Kernel to install properly, but fail to get SU to install. You gonna have to play around with other SU version. I would do a TWRP back up should I was able to get it to install, before moving on to SU. This way you won't have to start from the beginning if it doesn't work out.
With that, I leave the rest in your hand. Goodlucks
Vi3tDroidz said:
As I begin rooting process for my J710, and realize that the J710 is still fairly new so I thought I write this post and share my notes with everyone to help your transition goes smoothly.
First thing first, some safety tips.
Know your stock firmware. In this case SM-J710 is the min requirement
Have a stock firmware file downloaded on your PC. There's nothing for US right now, but J710 is not region lock so it matter not which version you chose on Sammobile
Make sure your current and new version match up as much as possible. So J710 should be the first 4 that need to match
Created a Folder on your PC for J710, and organize everything in one place. Samething with phone microSD card
Try to make a habbit out of keeping track of your process. It will help you out alot when things goes wrong and are looking for help. Or if you need to go back and see where you make mistake. Especially useful if you are new at this. Dev can't help you if you don't know what you did yourself.
10min rules. Always give the phone minimum 10 min to boot the first time before you disconnect the battery. Sometimes it just take longer, but 10min is a good start for first booth.
TOOLS you will need.
ODin newest is 3.10, but other version will be fine
Stock USB cable that came with the phone. This will save you the hassle of downloading USB installer, and it makes data transfer from ODin to phone alot safer.
TWRP for J710. right now it's only beta phase, but I beleive its 3.02.
Superuser zip files to be flash upon successful installation of TWRP
BACK UP DATA: With the app you can use ES explorer and back up to you microSD.
With the phone, just plug in to your computer, Copy the phone folder, and create a subfolder on your PC and name it System then paste everything onto that folder. After rooting is done. Re-install the app again, then copy your system folder onto the new system folder of your root phone. Restart your phone, and all your previous login and layout will there the way you left it.
Technically you only need to copy the ANDROID & BACKUP folder for your apps. But the above methods will back up all your media along with apps info, and it alot faster.
I recommend using ES explorer because it will does all the modification for without having to go through TWRP once you have rooted enable. Just enable root, and whatever you want to modify, place it in the correct folder of the phone SYS. Reboot and its done. You won't have to go through TWRP and risk bricking. You can save your modify rom in a zip file and share up here. It like being a developer for dummies.
So before you begin. The number 1 thing you should have is the firmware. SM-J710 from Sammobile. With that being said, I have found 2 links for rooting. They are both similiar process, but the one from XDA is for SM-J710F. and the link from Androidinfo is for SM-J710MN. Depend on your choosing you need to have a backup firmware from the method that you chose.
Now that you have the stockfirmware, and your phone is not the F or MN series. Flash the stock firmware of the method that you chose, and go with the rooting process for that method. here are the links:
XDA Video tutorial http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j7/how-to/video-root-samsung-galaxy-j7-sm-j710f-t3401790
XDA thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j7/development/recovery-samsung-galaxy-sm-j710f-t3380736
Androidinfotech: http://www.androidinfotech.com/2016/07/root-samsung-galaxy-j7-2016-sm-j710mn.html
This rooting method is working mostly with ODin, odds of you bricking your phone is about the same as winning a lottery. With that being said, make sure everything that you plan on flashing is from J710 and you should be fine.
The J7 is more like an opensource phone from Samsung. It does not have a lot of restriction like the other models such as S series. But you are working with a beta version of TWRP so it might not work out the first time around. If that is the case, flash a different firmware model or wait for a stable version. It not the end of the world if you phone is rooted.
Backtrack to beginning: Flash the stock firmware to begin the process again. WIPING DATA before any process is always a plus.
using ODin: Flash Firmware on "BL" for new version, i forgot which slot it is for the older version
Flash: TWRP and SU on "AP" slot for new version
INTERESTING FACTS: I ran across a thread online that mention backing firmware via Odin is possible. Hopefully someone here on XDA might have an idea on the methods, if such a thing exist. I thought I share this. If only I remember where I ran into that post.
Last notes: During the rooting process, I recommend letting the phone reboot completely as you progress through each phase of the process. the reason for this, is so it will help you identify if the TWRP is not installing, or the kernels is incorrect, or the SU.
Your phone will bootloop if TWRP does not optain write priviledges.
Your kernels will always install, but if TWRP does not have privileges the phone will not boot.
Should you were able to get TWRP, and Kernel to install properly, but fail to get SU to install. You gonna have to play around with other SU version. I would do a TWRP back up should I was able to get it to install, before moving on to SU. This way you won't have to start from the beginning if it doesn't work out.
With that, I leave the rest in your hand. Goodlucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Root the Device but After root there were many issues..... I Keep on getting an notification that unauthorized action ...
and also my device keeps lagging it lags just for a second but this games every 2-3 mins
I also freezed KNOX with lucky patcher but the problem still persists any meathod to solve the problem Thanks
Thanks
Sent from my SM-J710MN using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

{OUTDATED}[Guide][Stock ROM] The original non-Prime conversion thread

Update March 8 2017: As you can probably tell, this is very old. I have not worked on the device in several months and I have no idea if these methods are still safe. Please proceed with caution. I will be using one of these on a daily basis in the near future, so I probably will get back into development, and hope to release new content for the phone to help out the community. Please accept this as an official warning that the following is probably out of date and that you should be very careful should you decide to try it. The original post in it's entirety is spoilered below. You have been warned.
Update: A new update was released for the Prime model, V6.6, which replaces the preloader and completely breaks SPFT. If you unlocked your bootloader (so you can use fastboot) in any capacity before taking that update, there may be hope for you yet, but as of right now V6.6 is unsupported. Update: If you used this method to safely* take* the V6.6* update*, this will still work.
Update: I just checked the stats, and this has been downloaded more than 3 thousand times. I never thought my humble little conversion guide would help out so many people. I have also added a new mirror at [REDACTED], so anyone in North America who was having trouble with the Europe mirror, give that one a shot. It should be faster! I have updated all links in the guide to use the new North America mirror, and added a separate Europe mirror link after each link.
Hello! This is a tutorial for converting the Amazon Prime Edition BLU R1 HD to the OEM BLU version. This will overwrite the relevant partitions on your Amazon version of the device with the non-Amazon version. The physical model number on your device will still be a tell (obviously), but besides that, there will be no way to tell your device apart from the regular model! You can also use this method to convert non-Prime to Prime version, and undo OTAs or system modifications. This will restore a 100% out of the box image from either edition on your device.
This will work if you have software version...
V12
V6.1
V6.4
V6.5
SAFE V6.6 FROM THIS THREAD
This will NOT work on software version...
V6.6
The V6.6 update brought a new preloader that breaks our ability to use SPFT. I am currently working on ways to reverse the damage, but as of right now, there is no way to convert (or downgrade) from software V6.6
You can use this on any 16/2 R1 HD with supported software version to...
Convert to the non-Prime OEM version
Convert to the Prime version
Remove ads (via conversion to non-Prime version)
Unroot
Downgrade to V6.1
Downgrade to V12
Undo system alterations/tampers
Restore the system image to the way it was when you first opened the box
Unbrick a device (if bricked because of bad system/recovery/boot image)
There are a handful of reports about this working flawlessly on the 8/1 model as well. I have not personally tested this, so there is still some risk factor.
This only overwrites the system, recovery, and boot partitions. Any other partitions that have been altered will not be restored. In most cases, other partitions should not have been altered, so this is not a concern. I have a full system backup of all partitions, but there is currently evidence to suggest that it is not safe to flash all of the partitions, so I will not release that backup until more is known.
You *should* be able to safely pull this off without wiping your data. This does not require your phone to be rooted or have any other modifications. You can pull it straight out of the box and do this process! If your phone is rooted, you'll lose it. This will make your phone EXACTLY like the non-Prime version comes out of the box! You can also convert a non-Prime device (or a converted Prime device back) to a Prime device using the same method, but I'm not exactly sure why you would want to. I did this all on Linux, but the Windows should work fine too as long as you have drivers dealt with. If you don't have drivers dealt with, I'm not your guy. I'll just tell you to use a better operating system. You'll also need an archive program that can deal with tar.gz files, because that's how my computer zipped them.
And the standard disclaimer: If this bricks your phone or makes it become sentient and plot with other sentient phones to murder your entire family, it's not my fault. That's all on you, buddy.
Ok, without further ado, on to the tutorial!
First, you need these things. Some of the files are quire large, so it might take a while to download:
You'll need the latest version of Smart Phone Flash Tools, or SPFT for short. You can download that from this site, or from [REDACTED]. Please use the latest version for your OS.
You'll need to download the system image. If you're converting to the non-Prime version, [REDACTED]. If you're converting to the Prime version, [REDACTED]
You need the scatter file. This will tell SPFT where the partitions are. This is the same for both variants, so just download [REDACTED]
Once you have those things, you can start actually flashing your phone:
Power your phone completely OFF! This will not work if your phone is powered on. SPFT writes directly to the phone's memory, bypassing all security measures the phone has, so it requires the phone to be completely OFF to get safe and exclusive access to the memory. DO NOT PLUG IN YOUR PHONE YET!
Extract SPFT into a folder on your computer. If you can't figure out how to do that, please stop tinkering with your phone. It's only a matter of time until you break something.
Extract the system image into the same folder you put SPFT in. The three files (boot.img, recovery.img, system.img) should be in the same folder as all the other SPFT files, including the binaries.
Run SPFT. On Windows, simply double clicking the SPFT executable should do the trick. On Linux, you must run the flash_tool.sh script as root. Open a terminal emulator, cd to the SPFT folder, and run `sudo ./flash_tool.sh`. If you recieve an error about permissions, run `chmod +x flash_tool.sh` and try the first command again.
Go to the Download tab in SPFT and click the Scatter-loading button on the far right side. DO NOT click the Download Agent button. When the file picker dialog pops up, find and open the r1hd-spft-scatter.txt file you downloaded earlier.
You should see a list of partitions. Only three of them (boot, recovery, system) should be checked, and the location should point to the files you extracted from the tar.gz file earlier. If this is not the case, double-click the location block of the boot, recovery, and system partitions, and select the boot.img, recovery.img, and system.img files from your filesystem respectively. After selecting the files, the boxes should check themselves.
From the dropdown in the upper left of the partition list, make sure Download Only is selected. Any other option could damage your device.
Click the Download button in the upper left.
While your phone is OFF, plug it into your computer with a data safe USB cable. The cable that came in the box from the factory is ideal, but any good quality cable will work just fine.
SPFT should start overwriting your phone. If you receive an error from SPFT, unplug your phone, close SPFT, and repeat steps 4 through 9. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, after which you should see a window with a large green checkmark. Once you see that window, you can safely unplug your phone and start it up. You're all done!
And as a bonus, I've also included a guide for unlocking the bootloader, getting custom recovery, and rooting the device after you've done this in post #2. That makes this your one stop shop for getting a brand new Prime phone out of the box!!
HUGE THANKS TO @mrmazak FOR THEORIZING THIS METHOD AND GETTING ME THE NON-PRIME SYSTEM IMAGE TO USE!
As always, if you have any questions, just ask in a thread reply or send me a private message on XDA. And by the way, hit the Thanks button in the lower right corner of the post if my guide helps you. It motivates me to keep this up to date and write more helpful guides. If you feel like giving me even more motivation and help fund future development, [REDACTED].
{OUTDATED}[GUIDE][OEM][Stock] Bootloader Unlock, TWRP, and root!
Update March 8 2017: As you can probably tell, this is very old. I have not worked on the device in several months and I have no idea if these methods are still safe. Please proceed with caution. I will be using one of these on a daily basis in the near future, so I probably will get back into development, and hope to release new content for the phone to help out the community. Please accept this as an official warning that the following is probably out of date and that you should be very careful should you decide to try it. The original post in it's entirety is spoilered below. You have been warned.
Ok, now you've converted your brand new Prime phone to the non-Prime version. How do you unlock this sucker? The conversion process actually unlocks the standard unlock method from the factory, so it's VERY simple! No hoops to jump through or anything. You'll need adb and fastboot. You can get those as part of the official Android developer kit, your distro's repos (on Linux) or Homebrew (on Mac). Of course, this guide works for the normal non-converted non-Prime version as well. This WILL wipe your phone, so make sure you back up any important data before doing this.
This guide is for the OEM (non-Prime) version. If you have the Prime version, convert it to OEM using the guide above BEFORE doing this guide.
The standard disclaimer from above still applies.
This guide is broken up into two parts. Unlocking the bootloader, and rooting the phone. If you are preparing to install Magisk, do the bootloader unlock, skip the rooting part and move on to the Magisk guide. You do not need the files above if you are only unlocking the bootloader. If your bootloader is already unlocked, skip the bootloader unlocking part and skip to rooting the phone. If you are preparing to install Magisk and your bootloader is already unlocked, you shouldn't be here. Also please note that the bootloader can sometimes re-lock itself after completing a conversion/restore from the guide above, especially to/from the Prime version, so if you're not sure, play it safe and re-unlock your bootloader.
Part 1 - Unlocking the bootloader:
Boot up your phone. If you haven't already gone through the initial setup process, go through it. The bootloader unlock process will wipe your phone, so skip as many questions as possible so you don't waste your time.
Open the Settings app, go to About device, fine the Build number (it's toward the bottom), and tap on it 8-10 times (until it says you are now a developer. If it says there's no need and you're already a developer, you can skip to the next step)
Go back to the main Settings menu. You should see a new option where About device used to be, Developer options! Click on it.
Toward the top of the long list of developer options, there is an option called "OEM unlocking". If it's switched off, switch it on. If it's switched on, switch it off and back on again. You may get a warning saying that device protection features won't work. Click Enable and proceed. You may also be prompted to enter your password/PIN/pattern lock if you have one.
Scroll down a little bit to reveal USB debugging. Switch it on if it's not already.
Connect your phone to your computer using a data safe cable. Do not disconnect it until the very end.
On your computer, open a terminal emulator (or Command Prompt with ADB access) and run `adb reboot bootloader`. If you get a message complaining about keys or authorization, check your phone. There should be a window asking for permission for your computer to access the device. Allow it and run the command again.
Your phone will reboot into fastboot mode.
On your computer, run `fastboot oem unlock`. On the phone you will get a warning message talking about the implications of unlocking the bootloader. Press Volume Up to accept them. If everything goes smoothly, your bootloader should now be unlocked. You're not ready to flash quite yet! Flashing at this stage WILL brick your phone, so it's important that you continue following the guide carefully.
On your computer, run `fastboot reboot`. Your phone should reboot anywhere from 3 to 5 times. If it reboots more than that, your phone is bricked and you need to start again by following the guide above again.
Once Android starts up again, you should see the setup wizard. Your bootloader is now unlocked!
Part 2 - rooting the phone:
BEFORE YOU PROCEED: If you want your phone to be encrypted AND rooted, it's important that you unlock the bootloader using the steps above first, then use the encryption APK to encrypt your phone BEFORE installing TWRP and rooting your device. This device is an exception to the general rule of flashing TWRP first and then rooting afterwards. Repeat, if you want your phone encrypted and rooted, unlock the bootloader FIRST, then encrypt SECOND, then flash TWRP THIRD, and root your phone LAST.
This is the guide for rooting the actual phone. You must unlock the bootloader using the steps above before doing this part.
First, you'll need these things on your computer.
The TWRP image for the R1 HD. You can download [REDACTED]).
A copy of the latest SuperSU zip from Chainfire. You can get it from the official forum post, or Chainfire's website.
Linux Users: On Linux, you must add `sudo` to the beginning of all fastboot commands, because most Linux distributions will not give you enough access to the hardware without being root.
And finally, the guide:
Hold Volume Up and Power until the phone turns on with the boot menu. Once the boot menu appears, use the volume keys to scroll to [Fastboot Mode] and press the power button to select it. It's the middle option.
On your computer, cd to the folder where you downloaded twrp-3.0.2-1-r1hd-lopestom.img and do `fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.2-1-r1hd-lopestom.img`.
On your computer, do `fastboot boot twrp-3.0.2-1-r1hd-lopestom.img`.
Once TWRP boots up, dismiss the prompt about mounting the system, go to Reboot, then choose Recovery. Your device will reboot back into TWRP. I know this step seems odd, but just trust me.
Make a backup if you want. It's not a bad idea, but seeing how you just unlocked your bootloader so your data is gone and we have the images in case you somehow brick the system, I doubt you actually need it.
In TWRP, go to Advanced, then ADB Sideload. Slide the confirmation slider all the way to the right to confirm.
On your computer, cd to the folder where you downloaded SuperSU and run `adb sideload [SuperSU-zip-name.zip]`, replacing the last argument with the name of the SuperSU zip you downloaded, of course. If your computer says "waiting for device" for a long time, cancel with Ctrl+C, run `adb kill-server`, then run the first command again but with `sudo` in front this time.
Reboot the phone. If everything worked correctly, you should now have a rooted phone with SuperSU, bootloader unlocked, and custom recovery! Yay for cheap phones!
As always, if you have any questions, just ask in a thread reply or send me a private message on XDA. And by the way, hit the Thanks button in the lower right corner of the post if my guide helps you. It motivates me to keep this up to date and write more helpful guides. If you feel like giving me even more motivation and help fund future development, [REDACTED].
reserved 3
reserved 4
reserved 5
Can you verify the image you uploaded for the non-Prime version? I'm getting unexpected EOF errors when extracting in Windows using 7Zip and TarTool, and I'm also getting an "operation not permitted" error when extracting using the built in Archive Utility in OS X.
abs0lute said:
Can you verify the image you uploaded for the non-Prime version? I'm getting unexpected EOF errors when extracting in Windows using 7Zip and TarTool, and I'm also getting an "operation not permitted" error when extracting using the built in Archive Utility in OS X.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's because the image isn't fully uploaded. My internet is very slow, so it's taking a while to upload. Sorry about that. I was hoping it would be finished by the time I finished writing this, but alas, nope. I will have all files uploaded by tomorrow, along with .md5 files so you can verify the checksums, so come back then. Again, sorry. I guess I should have posted this _after_ I got those uploaded. Oh! And I have North America mirrors coming within the next couple months. It seems a little oxy-moronic to host files for a US only device on an EU server, but unfortunately, servers in the US are significantly more expensive.
ColtonDRG said:
Yeah, that's because the image isn't fully uploaded. My internet is very slow, so it's taking a while to upload. Sorry about that. I was hoping it would be finished by the time I finished writing this, but alas, nope. I will have all files uploaded by tomorrow, along with .md5 files so you can verify the checksums, so come back then. Again, sorry. I guess I should have posted this _after_ I got those uploaded. Oh! And I have North America mirrors coming within the next couple months. It seems a little oxy-moronic to host files for a US only device on an EU server, but unfortunately, servers in the US are significantly more expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem - thanks for your work on this!
abs0lute said:
No problem - thanks for your work on this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just finished uploading the non-Prime version. I will start the other upload before sleeping and update the post removing the warning when I awaken, assuming everything has gone well. You're free to attempt a non-Prime conversion now. Just don't do it the other way around yet.
Sent from my LG G4 using XDA Labs
Can't wait to give this a shot. Well, at least after someone else reports success first...
followed post 1 convert to non prime steps on windows, did not do the bootloader unlock steps.
phone booted up ok, followed by android is upgrading x of 37.
phone working and no ad's on lock screen
the amazon apps are still there but appear to be disabled, causing errors at first boot.
disabled or uninstall the apps. - used cleanmaster
everything seems ok now
Hello, I have now finished uploading the files, so you can now safely flash away! Enjoy! @abs0lute
bupkis said:
Can't wait to give this a shot. Well, at least after someone else reports success first...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I report success. Of course I did everything in the guide here before posting it. I'm not irresponsible. It's completely safe. I just finished uploading the files, so please go ahead and give it a shot.
ColtonDRG said:
I report success. Of course I did everything in the guide here before posting it. I'm not irresponsible. It's completely safe. I just finished uploading the files, so please go ahead and give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, away we go! :laugh:
When I try to download the scatter file it just opens the file in a new browser window.
>nevermind, figured it out...success!
...on to bootloader unlock, TWRP, root...
bupkis said:
...
When I try to download the scatter file it just opens the file in a new browser window.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's a problem with my server configuration. I'll fix it later. For now, you can save the file by opening it in a browser window and pressing Ctrl+S
I have completed the process successfully-TWRP, root, no ads but do still have all the Amazon apps so something is screwy but not the end of the world.
bupkis said:
I have completed the process successfully-TWRP, root, no ads but do still have all the Amazon apps so something is screwy but not the end of the world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it's not screwy. The non-Amazon version does include a lot of the Amazon apps. You can uninstall some of them the normal way (they're pre-installed user apps), and others you can either disable or uninstall using your favourite system app remover.
Anyone else missing Encrypt section in Settings > Security after converting to non-prime?
When I try to load the scatter, SPFT says "Error: Initializing scatter file failed. Please check the name of scatter file which you load is legal." I downloaded it from both the primary link and your mirror, same error. Any ideas? Thanks.
EDIT: Looks like I downloaded the oldest version, not the newest version of SPFT. Whoops! I'll leave my mistake on here to help others who may assume the first link is the right one.
notfix said:
Anyone else missing Encrypt section in Settings > Security after converting to non-prime?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is missing. How peculiar. I will attempt to implement a workaround in a little bit. Sorry about that.
Update: The Encryption activity exists on the phone, we just can't get to it from the settings menu. You can launch it by manually launching com.android.settings.Settings$CryptKeeperSettingsActivity using your preferred method for launching arbitrary activities. I will release an app that will launch this activity for you ASAP!

Unbricking Zenfone 3 ZE552KL (dm-verity) AND mistakes not to make when rooting

Preamble
Hello, all.
Soooo I've never posted on this forum before. I've mainly leeched the invaluable info for my personal gain. I'm sure many a googler has come here trying to figure out how to root their phone. And I'm sure many a "swimmer" in Schitz Creek has come here via Google to figure out how to save their device from what had been perceived as an upgrade. I'm speaking, of course, of trying to root/unlock a phone and finding said phone "bricked".
Well, it’s time to give back.
Because yesterday, I was neck deep in Schitz Creek. After a series of dumb decisions and a lack of knowledge, I bricked the phone I’d bought for my wife’s birthday. I was just trying to be able to delete the Asus bloatware and install titanium backup and greenify. By the way, since when did Facebook become a system app? How is this a thing? Anyways, my wife deserves better battery life. And it’s fun to feel like Cyber MacGuyver by rooting a phone. But the situation went awry. My wife kept telling me that everything was going to be alright, but I know the limitations of my knowledge.
Brief aside: I'm decently computer/phone savvy, but I would, in no way, consider myself an advanced user. Sure, to my family, I'm a computer wizard. But that doesn't mean a whole lot. To them, opening up a command prompt in Windows is seen as an act of magic. And I haven't had my planeswalker spark yet. However, I have successfully rooted, and in most cases unlocked the bootloader, for several phones (HTC desire, Galaxy S3 [three different models over three years], Asus Zenfone 5, LG G4 [once pre-motherboard-death and once post (after a downgrade)], and now the ZE552KL). So I know how to at least fumble my way around adb, fastboot, odin, and various recoveries. As long as you’re at this level, or willing to learn, then you should be able to follow these instructions. End aside.
Mistakes not to make
Let’s get down to brass tacks. I made two big mistakes that you shouldn’t make. Both mistakes stemmed from the basic mistake of using a root method other than this one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone-3/help/guide-how-to-root-zenfone-3-ze552kl-t3471524
The problem with not using this EXACT method is that some of the files/programs which you need to use have specific versions which will ensure an easypeasy root. Honestly, if you properly follow the instructions in the above post, you will most likely not run into any problems. The only addition I can make is that instead of steps 6 and 7, you might find it easier to install SuperSU.zip through TWRP instead of pushing and sideloading.
Mistake 1: Not using the proper TWRP file and SuperSU file
For some reason, there are multiple versions of these files. Your SuperSU file should be 4.8MB. Using the wrong SuperSU will break the dm-verity. Your TWRP should NOT be the latest experimental version. It should be the one from November or earlier of 2016. Using the wrong TWRP will leave you unable to use the touchscreen. Trust me. I know from experience.
Mistake 2: KEEP TWRP READ ONLY
Disabling read only has no current benefits. It will just break the dm-verity. Your device will still be able to be written to if you keep TWRP read only. I have no idea why it’s called “read only”.
How to unbrick the phone
I’m sure some of you skipped straight to here. While I can’t blame you, please at least read the above paragraph. It will help you.
First I will describe the situation the phone was in, and then I will explain how I saved it. Before I continue, I want to give a big shout out to Niemer. Without their helpful post, I would’ve had no idea what to do. Thanks!
Situation the phone was in
--TWRP could not be used because the touchscreen wasn’t working.
--The dm-verity was messed up (i.e. “not started in enforcing mode").
Before you look at the solutions, make sure that your phone shows up in the windows device manager as an ADB device/ASUS ADB device/ADB composite device/etc. no matter which step you’re in. Google it to figure out how if you don’t already know.
The solution
Part 1 - Create and flash a system image which will restore your dm-verity
step 1. download the latest system “update” from the asus drivers website. I have a WW version of the phone, so I downloaded “WW_V13.20.10.152”. It’s a 1.76GB file, so be patient. I haven’t tested this method with other versions of the phone, but they should work in theory.
step 2. go into the updater script file (META_INF → com → google → android → updater-script). Open it with notepad ++.
step 3. delete from the beginning of the file up until the line “ui_print("Target: asus/WW_Phone/ASUS_Z012D:6.0.1/MMB29P/13.20.10.152-20161222:user/release-keys");”
The code that you are deleting checks to make sure that your phone is the proper model. But there is a good chance that it will mistakenly identify your phone as a phony. So we need to get rid of this code.
step 4. save the updater-script file
step 5. create a copy of the modified system update zip file. You should now have two 1.76GB files (or maybe slightly different if your phone is a CN, JP, or other model. Once again, I have a WW version of the phone). Name one of the files “realupdate.zip” and name the other “dmsaver.zip”. The names aren’t actually important.
step 6. enter dmsaver.zip. delete these four files: file_contexts, system.new.dat, system.patch.dat, and system.transfer.list. Exit out of the file. It should now be about 60MB.
step 7. turn on your ZE552KL and enter fastboot mode
step 8. in a cmd screen from your main folder (i.e. the one with adb, fastboot, and all the other files, including the ones you just created), type in the command “fastboot flash system dmsaver.zip”
step 9. if successful, you have just restored the dm-verity. You should now no longer get that sinister red text which has been ruining all your fun.
Part 2 - Install a proper version of TWRP
(This is only important if your version of TWRP won’t let you do anything because you can’t use your touch screen)
Download the version of TWRP that is included in the how-to-root post I linked to above. Also, you can download the oldest version (NOT the newest) from a sharing website which is linked to in a post on the ASUS website. It’s not in english though. Flash it to your phone in fastboot mode using the “fastboot flash recovery” command. Make sure you turn your phone off before turning it back on, or your recovery might not activate correctly.
Part 3 - Install a new version of your system.
Go into TWRP and install the zip file “realupdate.zip” that you created in Part 1 - step 5.
Part 4 - Root your phone
Follow the instructions in the link I posted earlier. It comes from this website, so you know it’s good. This time, though, you probably don’t need to unlock the bootloader
Part 5 - Breathe a sigh of relief
Parting words
I really hope this guide can be of assistance to you. The full procedure for fixing “my” phone wasn’t really recorded anywhere (although once again, big shout out to Niemer for their post). I went through hundreds of iterations of seemingly random fastboot, recovery, and adb actions before everything worked out. Because of this, I feel quite fortunate to have saved the phone, and I really wanted to give back. This community has been super helpful to me over the last seven years, and this is my chance to reciprocate. I sincerely hope that this post will help you.
I hope I didn’t forget anything. I have a sneaking suspicion that I did. In any event, if you have any questions, please post them, and I’ll try to be of assistance. Happy rooting!
thank you man but i start Part1 step8 "fastboot flash system dmsaver.zip" it's successful then i go into TWRP and install the zip file “realupdate.zip” dm-verity show again.
Thank again.
Raw firmware
I have the same issue. My phone was branded "tim italy". When i bought it, I flashed the WW version via asus flash tool, and I'm currently able to update till the last M version, which is the ......152.
If i try to update to Android N, my phone will not boot, giving me the corruption message and shutting down after 10 seconds. I also tried to perform the dm restore procedure; the dm error disappeared but the system is stuck on the Asus boot screen
I believe that the only solution is to flash a Nougat RAW firmware via asus Flash tool. Does Anyone have a download link for the N version ?
thank you, you helped me, now im on N
I guess the version matters then. So be careful with which firmware you download/install. If anyone has success with other versions, please share how you did it
I am stuck on Step 8. i put the 2 zips in where my adb and fastboot is located, and then proceed to type 'fastboot flash system...' and then it wont let me flash, any help?
Device Locked
When I flash the dmsaver.zip, receive the error "FAILED (remote: not allowed in locked state)". Apparently this with the bootloader locked, but I already unlocked before. Someone can help me unlock the bootloader again?
Further hyperlinks & solution ideas
Check out my solution and Ideas in those in links I posted in this thread at 4th of septembre 2017:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ze...-zenfone-3-zoom-ze553kl-t3657239#post73661437
The hyperlinks in my post might also be useful, I hope.
Would be glad about your feedback, if it helped! :good:
how do you update the script file ..can u just post the file that u made somehow or email it or attach it to a message?
cant get it to work followed the instructions still getinf error code 7 trying to install lineage os
If you have lineage OS version not is a zip file but all the images (boot.img, system.img, ...) then you could try to flash the images through ADB...
if someone have the no verity issue, can you try a method for me please?
it consists on:
re-flash the rom kernel via fastboot
and run:
Code:
fastboot oem reset-dm-verity
Followed all the steps and twrp still has no touch function.
Tried all different twrp versions.
OS Version is a key
Hi everybody that has the same issue, I hope you read that so you can fix your problem.
So what I did was downloading old version of OS that autor mentioned "WW-13.20.10.152". It is necessary to download this version even if there are more newer versions. Then follow tutorial and you should be fine.
So again, thanks OP for posting this. You helped me a lot!

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