Related
Do all custom 4.2.2 custom ROMSs need updating to 4.18 bootloader before installing the ROM?
A friend said it's not required if installing an AOKP ROM?
I've looked at the ROM threads and very little has been said about the bootloader.
TIA.
the git commit suggests that the change are not that crtical
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/bootable/recovery/
Absent information to the contrary, it is possible that you can continue to use the 4.13 bootloader with 4.2.2 kernels.
Bootloaders are proprietary however - so there is nobody here that can tell you for sure just how important the changes from 4.13 -> 4.18 are. Simply put, the only people who know what those changes are are a few engineers at Asus.
I look at it this way - flashing a boot loader is the single most perilous flashing operation that can be performed. So - for Asus/Google to decide "let's put our entire customer base at risk by having them flash the boot loader as part of an OTA install" - well, that indicates that Asus/Google thought the bug fixes or capability changes in the new version were important - not trivial.
---------- Post added at 07:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 AM ----------
chimpanzeexda said:
the git commit suggests that the change are not that crtical
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/bootable/recovery/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the recovery, not the bootloader. The bootloader is proprietary code.
bftb0 said:
I look at it this way - flashing a boot loader is the single most perilous flashing operation that can be performed. So - for Asus/Google to decide "let's put our entire customer base at risk by having them flash the boot loader as part of an OTA install" - well, that indicates that Asus/Google thought the bug fixes or capability changes in the new version were important - not trivial.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I get confused about different Android devices and custom ROMs.
I assume with the Samsung Galaxy series of phones that the bootloader is built into the ROM at base level as it's something we never have to with them.
As you stated it's the 'most perilous flashing operation that can be performed' so allowing that as an OTA is even more of a concern, slight corruption during the download and it'll be a right pain to sort out.
Fuctifino said:
This is why I get confused about different Android devices and custom ROMs.
I assume with the Samsung Galaxy series of phones that the bootloader is built into the ROM at base level as it's something we never have to with them.
As you stated it's the 'most perilous flashing operation that can be performed' so allowing that as an OTA is even more of a concern, slight corruption during the download and it'll be a right pain to sort out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience it is sort of unusual for an OTA to include a bootloader update, but the amount of risk involved depends on the details of how the operation is performed.
In the case of a pure-stock OTA, the downloaded package is crypto-signed and verified by the stock recovery. Not even a single bit can be off as a result, so there is absolutely zero risk of a "bad download". Using a custom recovery though, all bets are off - it is my impression is that neither CWM or TWRP can perform jar-signing checks correctly, and it is unclear whether they can actually verify the alternate Android-centric zip signing (turned off by default anyway)
The way the bootloader flash is performed by the N7 OTA is that the bootloader image is dropped into the USP partition. It would appear (because it is no longer in there after some time) that the pre-existing boot loader checks this partition for the presence of a replacement bootloader, and flashes it into it's final destination. I have to imagine that this process also protected by some kind of crypto/checksum - otherwise that behavior would be an automated "brick-maker".
So the OTA delivery method for bootloader install is pretty darn safe - but this is probably NOT TRUE for flashing with fastboot. The latter method (fastboot) may have absolutely zero protections against flashing garbage or truncated files to the device, resulting in a brick at the next hardware reset.
If you want to use fastboot for bootloader flashing, use a laptop to avoid the tiny risk of a power failure during the flashing operation, and TRIPLE-CHECK the MD5 signature of the image file you are planning on sending.
It also goes without saying that if you have been experiencing occasional data transfer failures when using fastboot, you should not be using fast boot for flashing the bootloader.
If you want to do it the safest way possible, revert to pure stock 4.2.1, make sure your battery is well charged, and take the OTA.
cheers
Before you go ahead and start unlocking, flashing and rooting, there are things you should know. This thread is a general guide that will serve to explain most of those things.
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
Table of Contents
A. The layers (Hardware, Firmware, Software)
B. Definitions
C. Troubleshooting Common Issues
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
The Layers. How does everything come together?
Just like any other computing device there are 3 Layers to your phone. It helps to realize this prior to modifying your phone, so you are able to troubleshoot issues more effectively.
Layer 1 Hardware: The hardware layer is the physical components of your phone. That which you can touch, hold and see. This layer is the least likely to be modified unless you are a crazy super master level modder. Very few bother to mess with this layer so this layer tends to be the most stable with very little issues arising. The best way to make sure a problem is not related to the hardware layer, that is to say, a physical hardware problem where a physical component needs replacing, is to return all software and firmware to stock. This is typically done by running an RUU or manually reflashing stock firmware and software. There are instances where software or firmware modifications can affect the hardware. For example, if you overclock your CPU, the added heat could permanently damage the CPU and even other hardware components so be sure to take that into consideration.
Layer 2 Firmware: This layer is what allows the software to control the hardware in your phone, like a bridge between the two. There is firmware for just about every component of your phone, the camera, screen, radio, processor etc etc. This is the second least likely layer to be modified. S-Off is required to modify most, but not all, firmware files and rightfully so. Modifying firmware components can easily damage your phone if you do not understand what you're doing. In some cases a JTAGG repair can fix your phone from firmware modification damage, other times, only replacing physical components can repair the damage done. (Recovery and the kernel are technically part of the firmware layer but do not require S-Off to flash)
Layer 3 Software: The software layer consists of the "ROM" and applications on your phone. This is where most of the modification takes place and while modifying the software layer is the least likely to cause serious issues, it can still be dangerous. Flashing a ROM not intended for your device could easily put your phone into a bricked state. With SuperUser or Root access, software is capable of modifying the firmware layer of your device. It is up to you to decide what is safe and what's not safe. This is why rooting is not for everyone. How can you properly decide what is safe for your device without the proper knowledge?
Definitions
What is root?
Root, super user or su for short is a level of access giving you permission to read or write to folders, or partitions you could not have access to as a regular user. Think administrative access.
Consider a folder path “/sdcard/downloads/” If we break it down, “downloads” is a folder in “sdcard” and “sdcard” is one of the folders in “/” which is the “root” of the folder structure. As a regular user, one might not consider that folders other than sdcard exist in “/” as they are kind of hidden from us but rest assure they are there and this is typically where the android OS and firmware files are kept. Modifying these files can be extremely dangerous for your phone if you do not understand the modifications to the file you're making, and what steps you can take to recover from any issues you encounter.
What is an RUU?
RUU stands for ROM Update Utility. An RUU is used to reflash an existing firmware/software set or updated firmware/software set. An RUU will wipe everything and basically get your phone back to stock. Unless your phone is S-Off, you cannot run an RUU with an older firmware or software than those currently on your device. You can only run an RUU that matches your MID/CID unless you are S-Off and have SuperCID or have changed the MID/CID to match the carrier you are flashing. There may be differences in hardware/firmware between MIDs and CIDs so be mindful as this can lead to a brick. To properly run an RUU with S-On, you must also have stock recovery installed, the bootloader must be locked/relocked. BE VERY CAREFUL DOING THIS. It is not recommended to RUU or OTA after unlocking your bootloader unless you have to. If you are S-OFF you can RUU whether the bootloader is locked or not and if you are superCID, CID checks will be ignored so be sure to be mindful of the RUU you are running and that it will play nice with your phone.
What is an OTA?
OTA stands for Over The Air and implies an Over the air update distributed by your phone manufacturer, carrier or ROM developer. Unlike an RUU, an OTA will not typically wipe/factory reset your phone but can update your firmware and/or software set. To a apply a manufacturer/carrier released OTA you will need stock recovery and stock system apps installed. Your CID/MID must match that of the carrier/manufacturer your phone came from.
What is a ROM?
When the term ROM was first introduced it stood for Read Only Memory, however, most memory that claims to be Read Only nowadays is not like it was back then. Now a days it is not as complicated to write ROM as only permissions are in your way as opposed to the days when you were required to modify the hardware layer in some way to update the ROM chip. In this particular case, we are referring to the android software on your phone. Stock ROM would imply the manufacturer released ROM that came on your device when you purchased it. Custom ROMs are ROMs the are modified stock ROMs or ROMs built from android source code to. I think you get the idea. It's the device software or Operating System if you will. You should never flash a ROM that is not intended for the device you are flashing it to, this is very dangerous. Like, brick dangerous.
What is a nandroid backup?
A nandroid backup is a backup of your phone's current state. Like a snapshot or image of your phone's software. It includes the ROM currently flashed to your phone, the kernel, apps and settings. It does not include any firmware files other than the kernel and possibly the recovery. A nandroid is done with custom recovery and cannot be done with stock recovery. Taking a nandroid before you start messing with your phone is good practice. In fact, It's good practice to make nandroids before flashing a new ROM, or making any changes that may impact stability. This will ensure you always have a quick way to get back to having a usable phone. Obviously, a nandroid will not help in cases where you mess up firmware files like the radio firmware or hboot.
What is a kernel?
The kernel is the central point of an operating system. It contains the modules and settings necessary for the ROM or OS to work properly. Every Operating System has a kernel, including android. Just like ROMs there are custom kernels, with tweaks and the like that may improve or decrease performance/stability. Also, like ROMs, you should never flash a kernel not intended for your device. Very Dangerous!
What is a bootloader?
The bootloader is as the name implies, a device software/interface for handling boot operations it is contained within the hboot file. The bootloader screen has a few nifty features:
Gives you device information such as:
The bootloader state (locked, relocked or unlocked)
The Secureflag state (S-On or S-Off)
Your hboot and radio versions
Your Cid (only if you changed it)
Allows you to power down, reboot or boot your phone to android.
Allows you to factory reset your phone (Though should never really be used unless you are completely stock as you can properly factory reset in custom recovery)
Allows you access to the recovery
It gives you access to fastboot command operations you can send from your PC to your phone.
To boot to bootloader: Press and hold Power and volume up until the phone shuts off, then let go of power and volume up. Press and hold Volume down until your screen comes up in bootloader mode.
What is recovery?
Recovery is a software/User Interface that allows you to handle and make changes to your device, without having to boot the android OS. The stock M8 comes with a recovery that is quite limited but allows you to factory reset your phone and flash OTA updates which really is more than enough for the average user.
Those of us who want more from our phones, and modify them tend to flash custom recoveries with many extra features. I won't go into all the features they provide as the devs have websites, and you can visit them for more information. The two custom recoveries for the m8 include TWRP and Philz Touch. Both are very functional and choosing one is a matter of preference over anything else.
To flash a recovery image. Put the recovery image in your fastboot/adb folder and in the command prompt:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img
You can find The latest:
TWRP for the M8 HERE
Philz Touch for the M8 HERE
To manually boot to recovery, boot to bootloader (Press and hold Power and volume up until the phone shuts off, then let go of power and volume up. Press and hold Volume down until your screen comes up in bootloader mode). Then select recovery in the bootloader menu.
What is S-Off/S-On?
This stands for Securewrite-on or Securewrite-Off. The name kind of gives some hints as to what it means. Having your bootloader unlocked, affords you the ability to to flash a custom recovery and custom roms as well as a custom kernel however, some people may need more. They may want to alter other system partitions. That is where S-Off comes in. It gives you full write access to all system partitons. It also forces a bypass for all security checks, such as those made by OTAs and RUUs, for CID and MID. S-Off is persistent. No matter if you RUU, OTA, Flash a ROM, Firmware, Factory Reset, S-Off will remain so until you use fastboot to reset the flag. I should say, if you don't know what you're doing, that is to say, if you are the type to follow instructions blindly on a thread, without much idea what is ACTUALLY Happening, what files you're modifying, you should not have S-Off. It should not concern you and that is that. S-Off can be dangerous. You have been warned.
What does a Factory Reset do?
A Factory Reset Clears the Cache, Dalvik Cache and Data Partitions. All settings will reset to default. User Apps (Apps you installed that did not com preinstalled with the ROM) will be removed. This will not restore your phone to when you purchased it. This will not relock your bootloader, Reset the S-Off flag, remove root, or downgrade your hboot. It merely affects the system and user settings and user apps.
What is fastboot?
Fastboot is a command line tool that allows you to manipulate certain parts of your phone from the bootloader. Your phone must be in fastboot mode and you must have the fastboot application and HTC drivers installed if you are on Windows. If you are on linux, the HTC driver is preinstalled.
Popular fastboot commands include:
Fatsboot devices (Lists devices connected for use with fastboot)
Fastboot flash recovery recovery.img (Flashes a recovery image)
Fastboot flash boot boot.img (Flashes a boot image)
Fastboot oem readcid (Shows the CID of the phone installed)
Fastboot oem writecid (Writes a new CID to your phone. Must be 8 Characters. Requires S-Off)
Fastboot oem rebootRUU (Puts the phone in RUU mode which is used for flashing firmwares and/or entire RUUs)
Fastboot reboot (Reboots your phone)
Fastboot reboot-bootloader (Reboots to bootloader)
Fastboot erase cache (Wipes the cache partition using fastboot. Good idea after flashing things via fastboot)
Fastboot help (Will list fastboot commands)
Fastboot boot imagefilename.img (Allows you to boot a recovery image or kernel image without actually flashing to your phone
allowing you one time access to the features without the headache of reflashing stock afterwards) Thanks to @garyd9 for suggesting I include this. Very convenient command.
What is ADB?
ADB is another command line tool used to manipulate your phone. The commands for ADB are way more extensive. ADB can only communicate with your phone while in a custom recovery or while the ROM is booted up with USB debugging turned on. The reason ADB is so much more extensive is because it allows you to remotely access your phone's terminal just like a linux terminal. You can use ADB to push or pull files to and from any partition (Some partitions will require S-Off), list devices, get a logcat, troubleshoot issues etc etc. For an extensive list of commands and how to use ADB I strongly suggest visiting http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
What is the CID?
CID stands for carrier ID. It's a string of letters and numbers, eight characters long that identify what carrier your phone is from. When you flash an OTA or RUU, The OTA or RUU checks for a few things, one of those things is the CID, to ensure you are flashing software intended for your device. Realistically, There's no hardware difference between the M8s (with the exception of CDMA vs GSM) so all firmwares/softwares should be compatible. With regards to radio firmware, your radio may function better with one firmware over another. There have been occasions with HTC where flashing an RUU or OTA with the wrong CID or SuperCID, while S-On would brick your phone. So try to be mindful of this and be careful.
Thanks to @garyd9 for suggesting I include this in my guide!
Some common CIDs include but are not limited to:
SuperCID: 11111111
HTC International: HTC__001
AT&T: CWS__001
ROGERS: ROGER001
VODAPHONE: VODAP001
T MOBILE: T-MOB010
TELESTRA: TELST001
Bell Canada: BM___001
What is a brick?
The term brick is sometimes thrown around a bit too casually. A brick is when your phone is no longer operable. It does not boot, there is no way to save it without resorting to Jtagg or replacing the nand chip or motherboard. If your phone powers on and something appears on your screen, your phone can almost always be saved. Be sure you know how to save your device before messing with your device.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
I flashed a ROM or Kernel and it's not booting! WHAT DO I DO!?
When this happens. There are actually a number of things to consider but first off, Hopefully you made a nandroid to restore from just in case the reason it doesn't boot is something not quickly or easily fixed.
1. Is the ROM you're flashing indeed intended for your device? ROMs you're flashing should be for the HTC One m8 International. You should not be flashing ROMs designed for the m8 Sprint or Verizon and should not be flashing ROMs designed for other models of phone. If the ROM you flashed is not for your device, best case scenario, it's not flashing properly. Worst case scenario, you have a brick. You will need to factory reset and wipe system then either flash a new ROM or restore a nandroid to get your phone up and running again.
2. Did you wipe Cache, Dalvik Cache, Data and System? (Don't wipe System for Kernel Install)
A factory reset will wipe all but system. You should wipe System manually in case the script for the ROM install does not do it or does it improperly. A factory reset is enough for a Kernel install. If you wiped system and just flashed a kernel, it's no doubt your phone is not booting.
* If you did not factory reset and wipe system, do so and then reflash your rom. It should then boot.
* If you wiped system to flash a kernel, you will need to reflash the rom, and then reflash your kernel again if you are flashing a custom kernel. (Note a GPE Kernel will not work on Sense and a Sense kernel will not work on GPE.
3. Did you matchup the Checksum? MD5 or SHA1 are usually posted on the ROM Download site/post. This allows you to check and make sure the integrity of the file you downloaded has been maintained. If The SHA1 or MD5 of the file you downloaded does not match what is posted, you have a corrupted file and should redownload. If you don't have a MD5 or SHA1 Checker, I suggest downloading one. Google MD5 or SHA1 Checker and you should find one. MD5 is most commonly used but it's up to the Dev as to which they post. Sometimes both. You only need to match one. (Linux comes with utilities for checking MD5/SHA1 called md5sum and/or sha1sum)
4. If you tried all these steps and it's still not booting, try another ROM. If no ROMs appear to be booting, you may be having an issue with your custom recovery. Redownload your recovery (Make sure it's the right one for your phone and check the checksum) Then reflash recovery, then use fastboot erase cache, boot to recovery and try flashing again.
5. If you tried all these and you're having issues, ask in the M8 Q&A!
I wiped everything and I don't have a ROM on my phone to flash! What do I do?
This is quite simple really.
Boot to recovery
Connect your phone to your PC
Make sure your ROM is on your PC and in your adb folder
Then use:
Code:
adb push romfilename.zip /sdcard/
Be patient, this could take a while, when it finishes you will get a confirmation with bytes in/bytes out.
Then flash.
Where can I go to find links to do all this cool stuff I want to do to my Phone!?!?!?!?
HERE!
Thank Yous!
Thanks to @garyd9
Thanks to @keithross39
This is a work in progress. I will be updating this as often as I can, trying to explain as much as I can for newer M8 owners who are not used to HTC or Android devices. If you have any suggestions for what I can put here, post here and let me know! Also, I'm not perfect, I make mistakes if I have/do make any, do not be shy! Let me know.
[08/18/2014] Partially updated and fixed spelling mistakes. More coming soon!
Hey fella, this is a good idea.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I am going to be getting the M8 in the near future, so reading up about the HTC specific stuff is really useful for me as I'm currently familiar with Samsung procedures and not a lot else. Most folks reading this should be familiar with the 'cross platform basics', so what you've covered so far should be enough........
But.....
Those (like me) who are getting an HTC device for the first time would probably benefit from more of a detailed description of the HTC side of things......maybe you could concentrate on expanding that information.......
Maybe you could include links to threads for s-off, rooting and/or anything else relevant?
Just my 2 cents worth....for what it's worth.....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy
keithross39 said:
Hey fella, this is a good idea.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I am going to be getting the M8 in the near future, so reading up about the HTC specific stuff is really useful for me as I'm currently familiar with Samsung procedures and not a lot else. Most folks reading this should be familiar with the 'cross platform basics', so what you've covered so far should be enough........
But.....
Those (like me) who are getting an HTC device for the first time would probably benefit from more of a detailed description of the HTC side of things......maybe you could concentrate on expanding that information.......
Maybe you could include links to threads for s-off, rooting and/or anything else relevant?
Just my 2 cents worth....for what it's worth.....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man! I welcome all suggestions! I will do my best to incorporate your suggestions
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Great idea, thanks. I've been wondering what S-Off is for weeks but didn't want the flaming for asking a noob question!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Some possible additions:
What is "RUU"?
What is MID (model ID) along with a list of some common MID's
What is CID (carrier ID?) along with a list of some common CID's
How do the MID and CID relate to each other and how does the combination relate and/or interact with RUU. Related, of course, is the third part of the version number.
I was thinking of writing a guide myself, because I was so confused myself after coming from samsung, really nice.
Shebee said:
I was thinking of writing a guide myself, because I was so confused myself after coming from samsung, really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol...ain't that the truth....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy
Nice one
Very well done!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I'm one of those who also came from Samsung (S4).
This is really great and easy to understand. This should be sticky :victory:
While I think the OP uses the term "ROM" incorrectly (Read Only Memory), I'll admit that's just me being picky. Otherwise, a very useful post... I've requested it be made sticky.
Take care
Gary
garyd9 said:
While I think the OP uses the term "ROM" incorrectly (Read Only Memory), I'll admit that's just me being picky. Otherwise, a very useful post... I've requested it be made sticky.
Take care
Gary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not being picky at all! Feel free to suggest any corrections. I welcome criticism and corrections.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
exad said:
That's not being picky at all! Feel free to suggest any corrections. I welcome criticism and corrections.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. I'm one of those people who goes nuts when people want to install "ROM's" on their phone. I keep reminding them that if it was really "Read Only Memory", that they wouldn't be able to overwrite it. Ever.
I do understand, however, that it's one of the misused terms these days. I guess it's kind of like saying you are "dialing a phone number." (There aren't any dials on our phones anymore. I haven't even seen a working rotary dial phone in years...)
Anyway - I'll stop with my OT bantering. Once I get more familiar with HTC devices I'll probably have some good suggestions for your posts.
Take care
Gary
garyd9 said:
LOL. I'm one of those people who goes nuts when people want to install "ROM's" on their phone. I keep reminding them that if it was really "Read Only Memory", that they wouldn't be able to overwrite it. Ever.
I do understand, however, that it's one of the misused terms these days. I guess it's kind of like saying you are "dialing a phone number." (There aren't any dials on our phones anymore. I haven't even seen a working rotary dial phone in years...)
Anyway - I'll stop with my OT bantering. Once I get more familiar with HTC devices I'll probably have some good suggestions for your posts.
Take care
Gary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read only memory isn't a great name for it. If you've ever updated the bios on a pc, flashed a firmware update to a router, etc... you've written to read only memory. There are types that are truly read only but I can't think of a single practical example. And welcome to htc phones!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
lampel said:
Read only memory isn't a great name for it. If you've ever updated the bios on a pc, flashed a firmware update to a router, etc... you've written to read only memory. There are types that are truly read only but I can't think of a single practical example. And welcome to htc phones!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm old enough to remember (clearly) when you couldn't update the BIOS on a PC - you had to physically replace the BIOS chip. (Usually, they were socketed to make replacement a bit easier.) That was ROM. Also, early game consoles used true ROM in cartridges.
As for current practical example: a simple CDROM (not CD/RW) is, of course, read only.
I agree that it's not the best name lol but that is what it stands for....
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Added this to my index thread
Hi guys! I am planning to buy an htc one m8 but can someone please tell me the different models out there? I don't want to end up buying the wrong one. Also is the dev one worth spending the extra money over the international? And is it the same model as the international one? Thanks in advance. I didn't know where else to post this. I didn't wanted to start a new thread.
Karan and all other users, please post questions in Q&A. Only things that should be posted here are suggested additions to this thread.
Also thread has been updated and more to come!
Part on RUUs is wrong...
An RUU can be run at any point and in any state (so long as you can get to the bootloader) as it completely replaces the entire system so doesn't matter if you don't have the stock recovery as it replaces it during the update process. Also, if you're S-OFF it means you can flash any RUU for any phone, handy to go between branded and unbranded software. OK, there's a risk of trying to flash an RUU from another device but if you do that you're a bit dumb!!
Some basics - About bootloader, kernel, recovery, rom, /system and some other partitions.
There are many noobs out there and sometimes even I am one. Two days ago @Closed Force asked me, where I know my stuff from and why things are like they are... So I finally decided to write this little guide about how Android devices basically work and what are the special things about our G2.
If you find wrong facts or any other mistakes (grammatical, language, contentwise), please bear with me. That's how I read it in the forums. And of course not everything written on XDA is correct. So please tell me by PM, or by posting in this thread if you have additions, corrections or any other concerns about this OP.
Where I got to know all this stuff? Reading, reading, reading. I first started modding my old HTC desire like 4 years ago. Since then and even before I'm reading. Mainly here on XDA but also on some german forums and wikis. It might have taken me easily 200 hours or more. So the only way to learn for a newbie (and everyone else too) is reading.
Personally I own a D802 variant. I know about some things that were different in details for the US variants, but things should be right as they are.
Finally thanks to
@d00lz for some extra research/additions and a quick read through.
@Art Vanderlay for some additions.
So let's get started:
When you press the power button, your device will load the Bootloader. The Bootloader afterwards wil load either the Recovery Image (recovery.img), the Kernel (boot.img) or the Download Mode Bootloader (laf.img), depending on the keys you press. At the moment there are three different bootloaders; The Jellybean one, the KitKat one, and the new Lollipop one. Not one of these Bootloaders can be unlocked yet, so there are workarounds which allow us to boot custom ROMs (specifically Kernels, but more about that later) and custom Recoverys. At the beginning there was the Jellybean Bootloader. The Developers (sorry, I don't know which ones) found out how to get around the locked Bootloader pretty early. They called this workaround Loki. It's intergrated into nearly every ROM except the ones which require the KitKat Bootloader (but that's usually not the reason they don't support the JellyBean one). Anyways, soon the KitKat update came and so did the new KitKat Bootloader. Sadly, LG patched the Loki exploit with this new update. However, the Developers found a new way to get the Bootloader booting files which weren't signed by LG. They called this workaround Bump. Bump basically imitates the LG signature so the bootloader thinks this file was really signed by LG. Obviously this workaround works with the JellyBean Bootloader too. In the Lollipop Bootloader this exploit has been closed and no one knows how to get around the new Bootloader, yet. In conclusion to Bootloaders, as long you have a working Bootloader, your device is not dead. You can usually recover it in some way.
The G2 has about 30 partitions (for a more detailed explanation, look here, thanks @d00lz). Each partition has its own purpose. One of them is the Recovery partition. Imagine: A Recovery partiton and a working Bootloader are everything you need to keep your phone working. It's kind of an Operating System in itself, completely independent from Android or anything else stored on your Mobile. The great thing about the Recovery partition is that it's so small that it can be run directly in the RAM. This means it's capable of modifing EVERY goddamn partition on your Mobile, including the Bootloader and the Recovery partition itself (means you can flash a new recovery.zip in your current recovery). Attention: if you are using the Recovery with a 4.4 KitKat Bootloader, it needs to be a Bumped Recovery. If it isn't bumped the Bootloader realizes that the Recovery is not genuine and generates a "Secure Boot Error".
Same thing goes for the Kernel. The Kernel is located in your /boot partition (found gzipped inside your boot.img) and is loaded by the Bootloader when you only press the Power Button and you let your Mobile boot normally. This is the reason why your Kernel also needs to be Bumped if you want to get your system booting on a KitKat Bootloader. When 4.4 KitKat came out, most Developers switched over to using LG's 4.4 KitKat sources for their projects. After a while it was realized that 4.2 JellyBean sources were a lot more reliable for AOSP baed ROMs. This is why most AOSP ROMs use the 4.2 JellyBean Bootloader and the 4.2 JellyBean Kernel sources while Stock based ROMs use the 4.4 KiKat Bootloader and 4.4 KitKat Kernel. There are different Kernels for AOSP ROMs and for Stock based ROMs. This is because Stock Kernels support some ROM functionalities that AOSP ROMs don't have, for example; Knock Code. (Note: Knock Code isn't open source, which is also another big reason why it isn't available for AOSP ROMs.) So there are huge differences between Stock and AOSP based ROMs/Kernels. The Kernel (without factoring in the AOSP and Stock issue) can be switch at anytime you want.
Now about the /data partition... All your personal stuff, including Apps, System Settings, App Data and so on will be stored there. The reason why you should clear it every time you change the ROM is that there are many variables set by the ROM you are coming from. Your current ROM may have some tweaks the new one doesn't have which means the new ROM doesn't know how to handle them which leads to crashes and instability.
Now let's get to the ROM... Having a 4.2 JellyBean Bootloader and a 4.2 JellyBean Kernel doesn't mean the top layer has to be 4.2 too. Most of the AOSP based ROMs are based on Googles KitKat or Lollipop sources. And this is true KitKat or Lollipop, with all its functionalities. Those huge version differences cause some problems in development. No wonder some things do not work properly today, but it's still the best working combination at the moment. It's kind of a wonder how it works as it is, but let's be happy with it. I'm very curious how AOSP ROMs with Lollipop Kernel sources will work. Your ROM and your entire existing Operating System is found in the /system partition. This is why it's the main partition which is modified while flashing. Which partitions will be modified and (how) is written in the updater-script file of the file you're going to flash. Theoretically, running a updater-script of a ROM which changes the Bootloader (/aboot partition) can brick your device. That's also the reason why you should only flash stuff made for your device only!
As already said an updaterscript can modify every partition through the recovery. All ROMs bring their own kernel, so you basically don't have to care about it, except you want to use a non-bumped ROM (with kernel) together with the KitKat bootloader.
Finally something about the baseband/modem (these terms are interchangeable). I noticed that the Developers or rather the Original Posters sometimes don't know which baseband the user should use with the ROM. In earlier days the wrong baseband could make the ROM bootloop. Today most ROMs work with most basebands. It's obviously best if you stay on the one you currently are on and just flash another one if something doesn't work (auto-rotation for example). The baseband can be flashed at any time and is on it's own partition.
Okay Download Mode time. It's part of the laf partition (laf.img). This partition is used by LG and it's PC software to recover the phone and bring it back to Stock. It's a partition in itself, but not completely independent of the Bootloader. It's because of this that you can of course have a fully working Bootloader, but a dead Download Mode. This means you will not be able to flash a .KDZ/.TOT file the next time you are in big trouble! ^^
Okay to wrap up I should mention the EFS partition. The EFS partition stores your device's IMEI (and the serial number as far as I know) of your device. NEVER wipe it. With a empty EFS partition you can use your mobile as a brick, ok maybe you can use it as a media tablet, but that's it (WiFi still works, @Art Vanderlay tested; see below).
Again: if you got questions/additions/correction or see a mistake, post below, or PM me, I'll edit this post...
reserved
Great post. A thread like this should be the first thread you read as soon as you enter the LGG2 sub forum.
Expect a private message soon.
Also, reserved for possible future additions .
d00lz said:
Great post. A thread like this should be the first thread you read as soon as you enter the LGG2 sub forum.
Expect a private message soon.
Also, reserved for possible future additions .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you could modify your signature now^^
Sunandroid said:
And you could modify your signature now^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice write up Sunny. You can credit Dan Rosenburg for creating loki. I can also confirm that wifi still works without modemst1 and modemst2 aka efs. My phone suffers for this thread.
@Sunandroid
Perfect! This was all I was looking for. Now I finnaly understand how my G2 works and I'll most likely not need to ask more "noob questions" in this matter.
But I would like to ask some questions because I've left with doubts after reading the OP.
As long as I have /recovery/ and /aboot/ working, I can recover my device exclusively with software. Is this right?
I've concluded that you need /aboot/ to be able to enter in /recovery/ and with recovery you can mess up with any other partition.´
How can I tell if /modem/ found here is compatible with my device? Are all /modem/ partitions the same in the same models? For example, I'm from Portugal so I have a Portuguese D802 LG G2 (if I type its IMEI in a site, it recognizes it as portuguese). If I flash a German D802 modem or English or even American, considering that they are all from D802 would they work flawlessly with my device?
Why does /modem/ cause auto-rotation to work? What exactly is /modem/?
I have a backup of all the partitions in my laptop (made via TWRP). But what happens if I accidentaly lose my /efs/ partition? Can I flash another phone's /efs/?
Rayaxe said:
@Sunandroid
Perfect! This was all I was looking for. Now I finnaly understand how my G2 works and I'll most likely not need to ask more "noob questions" in this matter.
But I would like to ask some questions because I've left with doubts after reading the OP.
As long as I have /recovery/ and /aboot/ working, I can recover my device exclusively with software. Is this right?
I've concluded that you need /aboot/ to be able to enter in /recovery/ and with recovery you can mess up with any other partition.´
How can I tell if /modem/ found here is compatible with my device? Are all /modem/ partitions the same in the same models? For example, I'm from Portugal so I have a Portuguese D802 LG G2 (if I type its IMEI in a site, it recognizes it as portuguese). If I flash a German D802 modem or English or even American, considering that they are all from D802 would they work flawlessly with my device?
Why does /modem/ cause auto-rotation to work? What exactly is /modem/?
I have a backup of all the partitions in my laptop (made via TWRP). But what happens if I accidentaly lose my /efs/ partition? Can I flash another phone's /efs/?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could help you this way...
about /aboot and /recovery: yes you are right. It is even better, if you have an intact laf too. That's the download mode. But as long the other two work, you can fix the laf partition easily. But if you get into the situation, that only those two are working, better don't flash a bootloader (=/aboot). If it's the wrong one your device is bricked.
Aboot is the key to your device. Everything else is fixable. At least with a little bit of knowledge and time. But better don't try it out.
No, the modems are not all the same. There are (sometimes depending on the branding) extremely small differences between the basebands/modems. I personally never had the problem, that I couldn't get any connection at all. But that's not fatal. Just flash another one and try again if it works. Btw: I once made a test in some german forums with different KK basebands. I'm not sure anymore, but the differences were minimal and I think killed my connection totally.
If you loose your efs stuff, your device is a brick with extended functionalities. The IMEI and some other data stored in the efs partition is worldwide unique. So you can't just pick the one of another phone (except the other G2 is bricked or whatever). You need the IMEI for general network connection. So it will still boot up, but you won't be able to text or call anyone with this phone.
Okay ^^
So this is a full backup of all the needed partitions right? http://prntscr.com/76edu4
Should I convert these files to something like .img to be able to flash in the phone just in case I get something that disables my TWRP access?
Rayaxe said:
Okay ^^
So this is a full backup of all the needed partitions right? http://prntscr.com/76edu4
Should I convert these files to something like .img to be able to flash in the phone just in case I get something that disables my TWRP access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I guess so. As long as you ticked everything when you backed up (with blastagators TWRP!; the official one doesn't allow to backup the efs stuff), this should be fine.
Well you could. But tbh I have no idea how to convert those files into .img files. But it isn't necessary anyways: It's unlikely that you loose the efs data on your phone unless you brick it somehow. If the phone stays recoverable, The first thing you are going to do is: flashing bootloader, laf and boot.img. Then you will go back to stock through the download mode. Once you've done this it's an easy one to install twrp again and restore the efs backup. No one is gonna flash ~32 partitions by hand. There are "easier" and more usefull ways to recover the device.
Oh and btw: no backup contains the bootloader, laf and boot (recovery developer don't implement this for some reasons). But this doesn't matter. The only thing you really need is the efs backup (which partitions exactly you can see here). Everything else isn't unique and can be extracted out of kdz files and restored this way.
Edit: the two partitions mentioned here are
Sunandroid said:
Okay Download Mode time. It's part of the laf partition (laf.img). This partition is used by LG and it's PC software to recover the phone and bring it back to Stock. It's a partition in itself, but not completely independent of the Bootloader. It's because of this that you can of course have a fully working Bootloader, but a dead Download Mode. This means you will not be able to flash a .KDZ/.TOT file the next time you are in big trouble! ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My PC doesn't install any driver when my phone is on download mode,
On recovery mode (twrp) i have MTP access but on download mode i'm not having any access,
does that mean my download mode is dead?
GoPogoOreo! said:
My PC doesn't install any driver when my phone is on download mode,
On recovery mode (twrp) i have MTP access but on download mode i'm not having any access,
does that mean my download mode is dead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has nothing to do with this thread here. The issue is different. But I have no clue what it might be... If I can elaborate a maybe working answer I'm gonna answer you in the noob thread.
Sunandroid said:
This has nothing to do with this thread here. The issue is different. But I have no clue what it might be... If I can elaborate a maybe working answer I'm gonna answer you in the noob thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh btw i tried your (noob friendly) no download mode, no recovery mode ..... using slax,
when i typed ls /dev/sd* it's only showed my PC (only one sda) and there is no sdb, not even one
Weirdly i can access TWRP, but i can't make any custom rom boot,
Man this is frustating
I have a phone, G2 D802 Int., which probably has a corrupt EFS partition. I guess the owner broke it flashing incompatible things into it. As a result of the corruption, ESN/IMEI is lost. It shows null. But very interestingly, the EFS partition mustn't have been wiped because by chance of a boot among a hundred, it shows up the ESN. If by chance you come across to ESN, everything operates normally. And if you reboot the phone, ESN is gone again..
I managed to make recovery work again, by upgrading the phone to lollipop. (It was another time I came across ESN.) But no download mode, USB is never identified (unkonwn usb device), USB modes cannot be changed, unless by chance you come across, USB debugging is no more either.
I was thinking to backup some necessary partitions from a working phone of the same variant, but since it's "unknown device", I cannot query it as a disk. Neither it works in Ubuntu. ls /dev/sd* doesn't show the phone. It even doesn't show the working phone.
Any idea about how I can fix the corrupted EFS partition?
pisisler said:
I have a phone, G2 D802 Int., which probably has a corrupt EFS partition. I guess the owner broke it flashing incompatible things into it. As a result of the corruption, ESN/IMEI is lost. It shows null. But very interestingly, the EFS partition mustn't have been wiped because by chance of a boot among a hundred, it shows up the ESN. If by chance you come across to ESN, everything operates normally. And if you reboot the phone, ESN is gone again..
I managed to make recovery work again, by upgrading the phone to lollipop. (It was another time I came across ESN.) But no download mode, USB is never identified (unkonwn usb device), USB modes cannot be changed, unless by chance you come across, USB debugging is no more either.
I was thinking to backup some necessary partitions from a working phone of the same variant, but since it's "unknown device", I cannot query it as a disk. Neither it works in Ubuntu. ls /dev/sd* doesn't show the phone. It even doesn't show the working phone.
Any idea about how I can fix the corrupted EFS partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I luckily never had to try it, but scroll down a bit over here: http://www.droidviews.com/how-to-backup-and-restore-lost-imei-on-lg-g2/
I wish you luck!
Sunandroid said:
I luckily never had to try it, but scroll down a bit over here: http://www.droidviews.com/how-to-backup-and-restore-lost-imei-on-lg-g2/
I wish you luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I know that, but since I cannot take the device to USB debugging mode, it's not the first step I could take. "USB device descriptor is failed", this is what I get when I plug the phone.
pisisler said:
Yes I know that, but since I cannot take the device to USB debugging mode, it's not the first step I could take. "USB device descriptor is failed", this is what I get when I plug the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what is the current state of your phone? You have twrp installed. Can you push stuff through adb when you are in the recovery (this is pretty important, since we maybe can fix the download mode this way)? Does it boot into android?
@Sunandroid, device operates normally except the voice call & data, since these depend on IMEI. The phone boots normally, and everything is working, only the IMEI shows as "null". Additionaly, cannot enter to download mode, no recovery installed, original recovery is working, which is used to do a factory reset only. No USB debugging, it says "USB device descriptor failed". Thus no adb.
pisisler said:
@Sunandroid, device operates normally except the voice call & data, since these depend on IMEI. The phone boots normally, and everything is working, only the IMEI shows as "null". Additionaly, cannot enter to download mode, no recovery installed, original recovery is working, which is used to do a factory reset only. No USB debugging, it says "USB device descriptor failed". Thus no adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read about this issue (device descriptor...) just now, it is not software but hardware related.
I've heard of people solving that issue but I couldn't manage to do. Gave the phone to my customer back after 4 days. Importer service put the phone out of warranty and offered him a motherboard replacement for 75 $ and it's pretty fair I think. After all it comes funny when he says he's gonna file a case about returning the phone and take his money back. Well, it's up to him to end up with nothing in hands after months of waiting for a case.
Shortly, this file has been closed without a reasonable solution.
Thanks for your effort @Sunandroid.
pisisler said:
I've heard of people solving that issue but I couldn't manage to do. Gave the phone to my customer back after 4 days. Importer service put the phone out of warranty and offered him a motherboard replacement for 75 $ and it's pretty fair I think. After all it comes funny when he says he's gonna file a case about returning the phone and take his money back. Well, it's up to him to end up with nothing in hands after months of waiting for a case.
Shortly, this file has been closed without a reasonable solution.
Thanks for your effort @Sunandroid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear that. Hitting the thanks button doesn't hurt.
Hi guys,
So it's been quite a long time since I last attempted to root or flash a custom recovery/rom on an android device... So long in fact that I can only remember as far back as the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X8, and the Samsung Galaxy S2.
Since then, I've become VERY rusty because, due to the area of work I'm in, I needed an iPhone (oh jeez was that just torture).
Anyway, I'm now an owner of an 8GB Samsung Galaxy J5 (SM-J500FN) and being quite tech savvy, you can probably guess that I've already run out of the 4GB space provided. So, I've decided to try and jump back into the world of rooting and flashing custom roms/recoveries.
BUT! Because I've been out for so long, my young, naive, scared Sh*tl*ss self has re-emerged, because he's looked through LOADS of threads and guides on how to do this and has gone... NOPE!
So this is why I'm here. I'm very aware that there are loads of guides out there, but I've a few questions about it all, and hopefully with any luck, this could be turned into an AiO (All in One) guide for those just starting with this concept.
Even so. Here's a few things I'd like out of this... First, I'm very much interested in having TWRP as my recovery. I did use CWM back in the day but found it non-user friendly (but that's just me). I'd also like to have either Cyanogen 12.1 or 13 (though I've seen that there are still bugs in 13 whereas 12.1 is virtually bugless).
So here are my questions:
I've read that you need a key to unlock the Samsung Bootloader to enable you to flash TWRP. Is that true with the J5? (NOTE: I did enable OEM Unlocking in the Developer options)
If I flash TWRP, will my phone get completely wiped, or not?
Will KNOX try to interfere with the flashingof TWRP, or once TWRP is flashed, will KNOX generally bugger about with the phone? (I've heard that KNOX will prevent the device from accessing Samsung servers if it deems the device to be "Unofficial")
How likely is it to brick the phone through flashing the recovery?
I know those questions are probably really simply answered in guides but that's not the point of this, I'd rather have somewhere, one place, where people can see all the answers rather than having to go looking for hours and end up getting very scared! xD
Finally:
How do I flash TWRP onto my J5 (SM-J500FN)? (I've seen loads of guides to this all doing it in very weird and colourful ways, but all very, very different!) Please don't point me to some random guide, I'd like more of a lay-mans terms on how to do this as it's all confusing.
How do I flash Cyanogen 12.1/13? (Is this the same as CWM where you click "Install" select the .zip and then it does it for you?
As said above, this is designed mainly for piece of mind, but also a more definitive thread to how to successfully achieve this!
My experience of flashing TWRP is from using the same phone as yourself SM-J500fn and its all really simple.
Please remember that I'm just another guy who uses this site so I'm only sharing my experience of using the same phone.
You have already unlocked the OEM in the developer settings so no need to worry about bootloader like in some other phones.
Make sure that you download the most current version of the recovery that you want to use.
I had trouble with a recovery before and it was just due to the fact that the recovery was not good.
I'm pretty sure that you will lose all warranty from flashing a custom recovery but KNOX has not given me any trouble.
I didn't lose any info off my phone when I simply flashed a recovery only when I either flashed a new ROM via ODIN or a custom ROM via TWRP.
It was a really simple easy thing for me to do. Once i made sure that I had all the drivers and ODIN and TWRP downloaded then out only took a few mins.
Installation of Cm 12.1 was just a case of pressing the correct buttons but I made sure I did a full back up and good wipe before installing.
I have purposely only given you my experience of doing this no guides / downloads etc. I'm not a developer just somebody who enjoys paying around with my Android phone.
Hope that was of some help. I'm happy to share what experience I have.
John
Not sure what guides you have looking, but not the right ones.
1- No key needed to unlock bootloader, only OEM Unlocking
2- TWRP will wipe the partitions you select, but that doesn't mean more user space, the user space partition (internal data) size is fixed
3- KNOX doesn't interfere, KNOX is a system protection on Samsung ROMs
4- If you read the instructions carefully there's problem, it's not that difficult
You need a recovery based on what ROM you will install
[RECOVERY] [TWRP-3.0.2-0] Samsung Galaxy J5 [MM][Android 6.0.1]
[RECOVERY][TWRP 3.0.2-0]TWRP Recovery for Samsung Galaxy J5 (2015) [Android 5.1.1]
Each recovery has is own instructions, just follow and you should have problems, same with custom roms
[ROM][UNOFFICIAL][5.1.1]CyanogenMod 12.1 for Samsung Galaxy J5 (2015)
Thats the only build from source (til now), the others are ports, ports can have more bugs a less security updates and CM updates integration.
Hi All
Looking for a best tutorial to follow and the right one for my phone really don't want to brick it, obviously :/. as there seems to be a few versions for the S7
I have the following: S7 android 8.0.0 SM-G930F not sure what else I need to know! I'm in the UK so I assume UK phones come with Exynos cpu's
and as far as I am aware android 8 is Oreo! but when they say Stock Rom I assume they mean the same as what came with the phone the original rom?
if so is there an alternative stable rom without the crap included or is it just as simple to delete every thing you don't want now it's rooted! and does that mean if I reset the phone its back to normal with all the crap included! or is there a way to keep it rooted even after reset! and should anything be disabled I.e prepare the phone before attempting to root like any kind of auto encryption that needs disabling and just one more question
if at anytime the rooting process hangs for a ridiculous amount of time when should I throw in the towel! and what are the chances of retrieving the phone back to original state! or does a dirty shutdown brick it?.
I started the root process but failed at first hurdle!, followed instructions install Odin3_v3.13.1 but when I connected the phone nothing showed up in Odin? though I will have another go just to confirm I followed it correctly, I'll update this when it's done.
this was the tutorial I followed:
Easy 4 Newbie [Root Guide]SM-G930F, G935F, G930FD, G935FD (Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge)
Warning ! Please note that the official TWRP for Nougat on Galaxy S7/ S7 Edge is not available yet but based on my experience the Marshmallow version is working on Nougat. By installing a custom recovery on your S7 and S7 Edge and rooting it...
forum.xda-developers.com
I know alot of questions I would really appreciate any help and clarification on the above.
many thanks
Regards
Daz
Look pal, rooting the phone is just like being an adult, it means you will get rid of Samsung's "Child Care".
Yes, UK models use Exynos chip, but you have to be sure, look at your baseband version, if it is G930FXXX, then you are good.
ROMs are in two shapes:
Stock-based: These are just like the one you are using, or other Samsung phones does, like Samsung Experience, One UI, TouchWiz. Maybe MIUI and FlymeOS will come into account, as there are ROMs based on them + Samsung's.
AOSP: These are pure Android ROMs, with few modifications to the core, but keeping the UI as close to the source as possible, Google & OnePlus phones come with a near-to-pure operating systems.
Changing a ROM is not risky, as long as you follow the instructions, without any unaccounted improvising.
Before you install a ROM, read the working and bug list, to make sure you are installing something you have an idea of.
You need to install TWRP recovery (or any other one you like), and format data, in order to be able to travel among ROMs and/or root your device.
Formatting is only required because the phone is forcibly encrypted, and TWRP can not decrypt it, at least not for this device.
Rooting is simply about flashing a 5-MB file, Magisk, then rebooting to system, no need to wipe data.
No need to do any additional steps, unless you are trying to hide root from some apps and/or pass SafetyNet.
Mohamedkam000 said:
Look pal, rooting the phone is just like being an adult, it means you will get rid of Samsung's "Child Care".
Yes, UK models use Exynos chip, but you have to be sure, look at your baseband version, if it is G930FXXX, then you are good.
ROMs are in two shapes:
Stock-based: These are just like the one you are using, or other Samsung phones does, like Samsung Experience, One UI, TouchWiz. Maybe MIUI and FlymeOS will come into account, as there are ROMs based on them + Samsung's.
AOSP: These are pure Android ROMs, with few modifications to the core, but keeping the UI as close to the source as possible, Google & OnePlus phones come with a near-to-pure operating systems.
Changing a ROM is not risky, as long as you follow the instructions, without any unaccounted improvising.
Before you install a ROM, read the working and bug list, to make sure you are installing something you have an idea of.
You need to install TWRP recovery (or any other one you like), and format data, in order to be able to travel among ROMs and/or root your device.
Formatting is only required because the phone is forcibly encrypted, and TWRP can not decrypt it, at least not for this device.
Rooting is simply about flashing a 5-MB file, Magisk, then rebooting to system, no need to wipe data.
No need to do any additional steps, unless you are trying to hide root from some apps and/or pass SafetyNet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mohamedkam000
Thanks for replying. I'm not confused about why I want to root the phone. I'm just trying to understand the inner workings and the risks as I'm not as clued up with phone OS's as I am windows. I don't care about warrantees or hiding the the fact it's rooted I just want a clean rooted phone free of big brother well inside at least I know you will never completely keep them out but making it hard is a start lol.
Thank you very much for all the above especially on clarifying about the roms and the reason TWRP formats due to encryption nice one
My Baseband version slightly different though it's G930FXXU8ETI3 not sure if having a U instead of a third X makes any difference!
and I posted wrong tutorial I'm actually following this one below again not sure if that matters.
Guide How to root Android 8.0 Oreo Stock ROM on Galaxy S7 ( 100% Working )
Hi . i see too many peoples have problem on rooting Android 8.0 Oreo Stock Rom on Galaxy S7 ( edge ) and they cant get passed from the verification field error ! ok its bcuz they do only 1 step wrong , here i just wanna tell you all the steps 1...
forum.xda-developers.com
Again many thanks for clarifying that lot up very informative and much appreciated.
Kind regards
Daz
CitizenSmith said:
Hi Mohamedkam000
Thanks for replying. I'm not confused about why I want to root the phone. I'm just trying to understand the inner workings and the risks as I'm not as clued up with phone OS's as I am windows. I don't care about warrantees or hiding the the fact it's rooted I just want a clean rooted phone free of big brother well inside at least I know you will never completely keep them out but making it hard is a start lol.
Thank you very much for all the above especially on clarifying about the roms and the reason TWRP formats due to encryption nice one
My Baseband version slightly different though it's G930FXXU8ETI3 not sure if having a U instead of a third X makes any difference!
and I posted wrong tutorial I'm actually following this one below again not sure if that matters.
Guide How to root Android 8.0 Oreo Stock ROM on Galaxy S7 ( 100% Working )
Hi . i see too many peoples have problem on rooting Android 8.0 Oreo Stock Rom on Galaxy S7 ( edge ) and they cant get passed from the verification field error ! ok its bcuz they do only 1 step wrong , here i just wanna tell you all the steps 1...
forum.xda-developers.com
Again many thanks for clarifying that lot up very informative and much appreciated.
Kind regards
Daz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter which version of Android you are using, root is the same.
However, on stock ROMs, it might sometimes get rough, as you may end up with Wi-Fi not working (happened to me Q1 2020).
If you really want to learn how Android OS works, then rooting the stock ROM is not your way.
Try AOSP ROMs, preferably start with Oreo ones, you can root in 3 common way, LineageOS SU Add-on, Magisk, Super SU.
But before you tickle your phone, you have to make a backup of your current device, of every partition, EFS is the most important partition, so make sure it is safe.
Baseband version doesn't matter a lot, unless you're paranoid with updates, it is sorted alphabetically, each string on its own.
The phone is more similar to a linux machine than to a Windows PC.
Edit: To root stock ROM, you have to flash dm verity, so you don't end up encrypted again.
Mohamedkam000 said:
It doesn't matter which version of Android you are using, root is the same.
However, on stock ROMs, it might sometimes get rough, as you may end up with Wi-Fi not working (happened to me Q1 2020).
If you really want to learn how Android OS works, then rooting the stock ROM is not your way.
Try AOSP ROMs, preferably start with Oreo ones, you can root in 3 common way, LineageOS SU Add-on, Magisk, Super SU.
But before you tickle your phone, you have to make a backup of your current device, of every partition, EFS is the most important partition, so make sure it is safe.
Baseband version doesn't matter a lot, unless you're paranoid with updates, it is sorted alphabetically, each string on its own.
The phone is more similar to a linux machine than to a Windows PC.
Edit: To root stock ROM, you have to flash dm verity, so you don't end up encrypted again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for clearing quite a few things up I thought rooting stock rom would have been far safer way forward wow how wrong was I! but I guess I am just trying to find any kind simile to windows in any way but as you pointed out again it's more like Linux which again I've only played around with ubuntu and mint for a short period so again not to up on Linux lol.
It's funny I was just reading up on AOSP ROMs then got your message. I see they have a stable but not complete! Android 10 not that I would consider it need as I need a stable OS so Oreo is fine for me.
I have backed up phone using Smart Switch on the PC I assume that copy's every thing that's needed, I reset the phone in anticipation all be it prematurely but at least it restored all my data so if anything that was a good test of the back up at least .
I will have look at some AOSP ROMs and see what's involved there, I'll check out their tutorial hopefully it will include the whole process including root.
I gather by your comment using a AOSP ROM you don't need to use dm-verity or will that still be needed!.
The first thing to do is to flash (install) TWRP, it's a custom recovery (think of it as a mini OS that can boot before Android), that will be the base for any of your future tinkering.
Here is the thread, read the FP carefully: [Recovery][Exynos] Official TWRP for Galaxy S7 (herolte)
Once TWRP installed, you can do many things:
Install addons like Magisk. Magisk is the tool you use to obtain root. Forget SuperSU, its outdated, and don't works in modern versions of Android.
Install a custom ROM (this subforum is the perfect place to find them).
Backup & restore an image of your current ROM (very useful).
mooms said:
The first thing to do is to flash (install) TWRP, it's a custom recovery (think of it as a mini OS that can boot before Android), that will be the base for any of your future tinkering.
Here is the thread, read the FP carefully: [Recovery][Exynos] Official TWRP for Galaxy S7 (herolte)
Once TWRP installed, you can do many things:
Install addons like Magisk. Magisk is the tool you use to obtain root. Forget SuperSU, its outdated, and don't works in modern versions of Android.
Install a custom ROM (this subforum is the perfect place to find them).
Backup & restore an image of your current ROM (very useful).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Mooms for the input
I tried to follow your links tutorial which he gives three options only one is any good to me and that was installing twrp using Odin but I'm having issues at every turn!. I can't even get Odin to recognise my phone it just wont pick it up I have Samsung driver installed and I have reinstalled many times I found an article claim to have a workaround but that was BS just selling some other app I even change the driver as described on there page,
7 Tips to Fix Odin Not Detecting Phone
Are you using Odin flash tool to flash your Samsung phone but it is not recognized by Odin? Here are 7 tips to fix Odin not detecting phone.
www.imyfone.com
.
but that did nothing so reinstall normal driver again.
feels like it's just not meant to be :/
Thanks again.
CitizenSmith said:
Thanks again for clearing quite a few things up I thought rooting stock rom would have been far safer way forward wow how wrong was I! but I guess I am just trying to find any kind simile to windows in any way but as you pointed out again it's more like Linux which again I've only played around with ubuntu and mint for a short period so again not to up on Linux lol.
It's funny I was just reading up on AOSP ROMs then got your message. I see they have a stable but not complete! Android 10 not that I would consider it need as I need a stable OS so Oreo is fine for me.
I have backed up phone using Smart Switch on the PC I assume that copy's every thing that's needed, I reset the phone in anticipation all be it prematurely but at least it restored all my data so if anything that was a good test of the back up at least .
I will have look at some AOSP ROMs and see what's involved there, I'll check out their tutorial hopefully it will include the whole process including root.
I gather by your comment using a AOSP ROM you don't need to use dm-verity or will that still be needed!.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP ROMs are pure, you can't say they are not complete. They are complete, and what OEMs do, like Samsung and Xiaomi is just a customization that you can do, too.
It is preferred that when you take a backup, take it with TWRP, just to ensure you backed up phone's partitions, along with "EFS".
The root procedure on Android 6+ is done by patching the Kernel (boot.img), so unless you take backup of that, you cannot keep root.
There are stable custom ROMs, custom ROMs are meant for custom adjustments, however the stability depends on your phone, and the way you use it, you can compare AOSP vs. Stock and see the difference.
AOSP ROMs doesn't need dm verity, well, at least not if the developer did not mention the encryption part.
Mohamedkam000 said:
AOSP ROMs are pure, you can't say they are not complete. They are complete, and what OEMs do, like Samsung and Xiaomi is just a customization that you can do, too.
It is preferred that when you take a backup, take it with TWRP, just to ensure you backed up phone's partitions, along with "EFS".
The root procedure on Android 6+ is done by patching the Kernel (boot.img), so unless you take backup of that, you cannot keep root.
There are stable custom ROMs, custom ROMs are meant for custom adjustments, however the stability depends on your phone, and the way you use it, you can compare AOSP vs. Stock and see the difference.
AOSP ROMs doesn't need dm verity, well, at least not if the developer did not mention the encryption part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of the roms I have looked at mention external touch buttons at bottom of phone do not work or something else in the phone I'm just reading their comments.
I understand about the stock & custom rom's now that's not my problem at least not at the moment as I am miles away from choosing a rom! as I can't even get out the starting gate!. I can not get TWRP on my phone as the only way I can see to get it on a unrooted! phone is to use Odin but as I said Odin doesn't work at least not for me it does not see my phone. I would love to take a back up using twrp but that won't happen until I find a way to get TWRP on a unrooted phone. what crazy paradox is this!. you can't root phone without twrp installed and twrp won't install on a unrooted phone!. that makes perfect sense.
CitizenSmith said:
Some of the roms I have looked at mention external touch buttons at bottom of phone do not work or something else in the phone I'm just reading their comments.
I understand about the stock & custom rom's now that's not my problem at least not at the moment as I am miles away from choosing a rom! as I can't even get out the starting gate!. I can not get TWRP on my phone as the only way I can see to get it on a unrooted! phone is to use Odin but as I said Odin doesn't work at least not for me it does not see my phone. I would love to take a back up using twrp but that won't happen until I find a way to get TWRP on a unrooted phone. what crazy paradox is this!. you can't root phone without twrp installed and twrp won't install on a unrooted phone!. that makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your phone allow MTP communication? I mean can you transfer files when the phone is turned on?
Does the phone show any notification about a usb connection?
If not, then you have probably a bad USB cable, at least, or you have a hardware issue that can go as deep as a burned charging port.
If yes, then either your USB cable is not as fast as the phone requires, or you haven't installed the Samsung USB Drivers on your PC.
Unfortunately, you cannot root your device without PC, at least not since Lollipop.
CitizenSmith said:
Thanks Mooms for the input
I tried to follow your links tutorial which he gives three options only one is any good to me and that was installing twrp using Odin but I'm having issues at every turn!. I can't even get Odin to recognise my phone it just wont pick it up I have Samsung driver installed and I have reinstalled many times I found an article claim to have a workaround but that was BS just selling some other app I even change the driver as described on there page,
7 Tips to Fix Odin Not Detecting Phone
Are you using Odin flash tool to flash your Samsung phone but it is not recognized by Odin? Here are 7 tips to fix Odin not detecting phone.
www.imyfone.com
.
but that did nothing so reinstall normal driver again.
feels like it's just not meant to be :/
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which version of Odin are you using ?
Use this version (latest): Odin v3.14.4
Which version of the Samsung USB drivers are you using ?
Use this version (latest): https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html
Mohamedkam000 said:
Does your phone allow MTP communication? I mean can you transfer files when the phone is turned on?
Does the phone show any notification about a usb connection?
If not, then you have probably a bad USB cable, at least, or you have a hardware issue that can go as deep as a burned charging port.
If yes, then either your USB cable is not as fast as the phone requires, or you haven't installed the Samsung USB Drivers on your PC.
Unfortunately, you cannot root your device without PC, at least not since Lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Yes I can transfer files.
Yes phone asks to allow or block file transfer and it ohone shows up in Devices and Drives list and I can access the phone directory and shows up as Samsung s7 icon.
I will try another USB lead but the one I'm using is new and wasn't cheap but still a possibility I have had leads that weren't suitable for other things I was trying so it is worth a try.
Thanks
mooms said:
Which version of Odin are you using ?
Use this version (latest): Odin v3.14.4
Which version of the Samsung USB drivers are you using ?
Use this version (latest): https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I downloaded Odin this was latest one Odin3_v3.13.1 though I have doubts that one version update will fix this issue as I did not see many if any people having my issue so they all used Odin and I believe theirs are fine even with older versions! but as I said Mohamedkam it's worth a try I will down load that version and give it a try.
As for the Samsung usb driver I believe that is where I got mine
SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones no version visible under properties on file version 1.7.23.0.
The USB connection seems to be fine I have uninstalled then re-download and reinstalled a couple of times.
I can transfer files no problem it shows up as Galaxy S7 Icon with card and phone drive inside.
I'll update shortly thank you.
Update:
I just went to try new Odin and whilst checking my phone have seen I have Offical TWRP app installed? I have no clue as to how that's got in there! as Odin did not show phone so I could select nothing!.
In the phone I open app and if i select backup existing recovery it opens and Select Folder tab and under that Selected Folder: /sdcard Filename: Recovery .img and at the bottom of screen Root access required.
I just hope it's installed correctly!. it is showing in playstore my apps as well just to confirm. if this is now installed what should I do next Now not sure what tutorial to start following.
I am just going to try the new odin and see if it picks up the phone back soon.
OK Seem that it now shows up in the new Odin. at least I think it has! in the log window I see this: <ID:0/004> Added!!
I didn't see that before.
Would be grateful if you could tell me how to proceed from here!
Correct, you don't need he latst version of Odin or the Samsung drivers, bit it was just to be sure.
You need to be in download mode, but before, you must have checked OEM unlock & USB debug in developer options (mandatory).
I've written a tutorial with images here (in French):
Samsung Galaxy S7 (edge) - Mangez un Oreo! [Topic Unique] - Page : 487 - Téléphone Android - Technologies Mobiles - FORUM HardWare.fr
mooms said:
Correct, you don't need he latst version of Odin or the Samsung drivers, bit it was just to be sure.
You need to be in download mode, but before, you must have checked OEM unlock & USB debug in developer options (mandatory).
I've written a tutorial with images here (in French):
Samsung Galaxy S7 (edge) - Mangez un Oreo! [Topic Unique] - Page : 487 - Téléphone Android - Technologies Mobiles - FORUM HardWare.fr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said the older version did not show any kind of data what's so ever and the phone was in download mode. phone displayed "Downloading" which I believe it says that even if it's not doing anything! so a tutorial explained. I think it must have installed the Official TWRP app even though phone did not show up in Odin everything was blank however when I installed the new version of Odin like you suggested it then showed up as <ID:0/004> Added!!. so your suggestion work thanks for that and I did enable OEM unlock & USB debug I did long time ago.
I would check out your tutorial but unfortunately I don't speak French and translating instructions is too risky but thank you for the offer but I'll carry on look around still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.
CitizenSmith said:
As I said the older version did not show any kind of data what's so ever and the phone was in download mode. phone displayed "Downloading" which I believe it says that even if it's not doing anything! so a tutorial explained. I think it must have installed the Official TWRP app even though phone did not show up in Odin everything was blank however when I installed the new version of Odin like you suggested it then showed up as <ID:0/004> Added!!. so your suggestion work thanks for that and I did enable OEM unlock & USB debug I did long time ago.
I would check out your tutorial but unfortunately I don't speak French and translating instructions is too risky but thank you for the offer but I'll carry on look around still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a note that, when you flash TWRP, you have to boot immediately to the recovery, so as to enforce its existence, cause I remember they phone has an original recovery backed up somewhere, and gets triggered when you reboot directly to system instead of the unofficial binary.
I advise you to watch guides on YouTube, it's more .. understandable.
CitizenSmith said:
still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend to go with ALEXNDR ROM: zero bugs, everything works perfectly (it's based on stock ROM).
[ROM][G930F/FD][ALEXNDR] * U8EUE1 * DevBase v7.4 * Encryption support [Jul-10]
Important notes for Developers / Chefs !!! This ROM is NOT based on any other custom ROM. My work contains many original ideas and innovations that I introduced as the first in the ROM development (see "Changelist" in post #2). Of course, it...
forum.xda-developers.com
Mohamedkam000 said:
Take a note that, when you flash TWRP, you have to boot immediately to the recovery, so as to enforce its existence, cause I remember they phone has an original recovery backed up somewhere, and gets triggered when you reboot directly to system instead of the unofficial binary.
I advise you to watch guides on YouTube, it's more .. understandable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yer I read that but I've ended up with TWRP installed and did not do that process because I was unaware it installed until it showed up.
As I said I'll just keep looking for now I know I'll find one that works for me from start to finish.
and I've been checking youtube but wouldn't want to use any links their providing but it may help familurise myself with the whole process if i watch enough of them.
Thanks again for your help.
mooms said:
I recommend to go with ALEXNDR ROM: zero bugs, everything works perfectly (it's based on stock ROM).
[ROM][G930F/FD][ALEXNDR] * U8EUE1 * DevBase v7.4 * Encryption support [Jul-10]
Important notes for Developers / Chefs !!! This ROM is NOT based on any other custom ROM. My work contains many original ideas and innovations that I introduced as the first in the ROM development (see "Changelist" in post #2). Of course, it...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mooms
I will check that out many thanks. I wonder if you could help me here. I am in the middle of the rooting process but have hit a snag. again!
I have now installed TWRP successfully then no-verity-opt-encrypt-3.1 all went fine and I'm at point of flashing Magisk but have an issue when I swipe to flash is gives me a error in red saying "invalid zip file format !"
I downloaded it from github here.
GitHub - topjohnwu/Magisk: The Magic Mask for Android
The Magic Mask for Android. Contribute to topjohnwu/Magisk development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
I click on "code" tab and then "download zip" and I placed that in a download folder on my sd card when I select it I get the above error any ideas as to why I am getting this am I downloaded the correct file?
thanks for any assistance you could give.