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[Q] Need to update rooted T-Mobile G2

Rooted my G2 in December 2010 but did not install any custom ROMs on it. I have SuperUser and ClockWork Mod on it. The OTA 2.3.3 update finally made its way to my phone, but does not update because of root.
I have seen too many threads explaining how to update the phone, leaving me confused Can somebody please explain how to or point me to a relevant thread.
Thanks.

There are pre-rooted versions posted in Development. Just download from there, put on your SD card, and flash from ROM Manager. You are also S-Off?
If you install an official ROM, you lose root. You don't want that.

redpoint73 said:
You are also S-Off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I am S-Off

FullScreen57 said:
Yes, I am S-Off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1211143
bone stock pre-rooted OTA. Flash through CWM recovery. Doesn't replace Radio or anything. Its just a ROM.zip you can flash. Wipe data/factory reset before flashing of course.

Thanks redpoint73 and martonikaj for your help. I was able to update the ROM.
One last question for the folks here, I performed a Titanium Pro Backup before upgrading the ROM.
Which one of the following restores should I perform now that I have upgraded to 2.3.4?
1. Restore missing apps with data
2. Restore all system data
3. Restore missing apps + all system data
4. Restore newer versions of user apps
5. Restore all apps with data
Thanks.

FullScreen57 said:
Thanks redpoint73 and martonikaj for your help. I was able to update the ROM.
One last question for the folks here, I performed a Titanium Pro Backup before upgrading the ROM.
Which one of the following restores should I perform now that I have upgraded to 2.3.4?
1. Restore missing apps with data
2. Restore all system data
3. Restore missing apps + all system data
4. Restore newer versions of user apps
5. Restore all apps with data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually do 5. Restore all apps with data when moving to a new ROM. (never restore system data unless you're re-flashing the same ROM). I usually select it, then scroll through the list and uncheck some apps that may cause issues. Things like Clocks, Browsers, etc. often overwrite system-level apps and can cause problems. YMMV.
Its in your best interest to perform a nandroid backup before doing a big restore of 100's of apps, as there is a chance that there may be some problems or incompatibilities that cause issues, and you want to be able to go back to a state before installing all those apps to troubleshoot without having to re-flash the entire ROM.

Guide to update rooted phone?

Hello, I have my phone rooted and would like to update to NMJ51B, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it and don't want to risk bricking my phone again! What would be the exact process to go about this? I'd like to do it without wiping my phone if possible. While I love having root, OTA updates seem to be a real headache. Any help would be appreciated!

You have to re-flash the stock boot.img from your current build via fastboot, then you should be good to go. Check for an update in the settings and update. Shouldn't have to wipe anything
You can get the boot image from the essential site or from the firmware dumps in the rom section of the essential forum. I hope this helps!

sirdicholas said:
You have to re-flash the stock boot.img from your current build via fastboot, then you should be good to go. Check for an update in the settings and update. Shouldn't have to wipe anything
You can get the boot image from the essential site or from the firmware dumps in the rom section of the essential forum. I hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I was thinking I'd have to wipe the phone to flash a stock image. Thanks for the info!

Uh, the very first thing it says when flashing the stock rom is "erasing userdata." Are you saying it's NOT going to wipe my phone?
Annnnd, it wiped everything, including the backup I created with TWRP. For future reference, does anyone have a step by step that does NOT wipe data?

sublimejhn said:
Uh, the very first thing it says when flashing the stock rom is "erasing userdata." Are you saying it's NOT going to wipe my phone?
Annnnd, it wiped everything, including the backup I created with TWRP. For future reference, does anyone have a step by step that does NOT wipe data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to flash the whole package just the boot.img. But it sounds as if you already wiped. I should have clarified. In the guide to how to root your essential, if you read through, others have explained how to unroot without wiping.

What to backup to recover before flash ROM?

I recently rooted my Moto G5 plus and would like to check out a a few custom ROMs. However, from reading the instructions on a few custom ROM threads it isn't clear to me what to backup in TWRP to be able to recover or go back to the stock ROM if I want to later.
I've read that I should backup Data, logo, and boot, and internal storage, plus all apps and data with Titanium Backup, but what about System, System Image, Recovery, OEM, and EFS? What about persist?
Can someone give me a quick summary of what I need to backup to go back to my current state if I want to experiment with some other ROMs?
Thanks.

Splice_9 said:
I recently rooted my Moto G5 plus and would like to check out a a few custom ROMs. However, from reading the instructions on a few custom ROM threads it isn't clear to me what to backup in TWRP to be able to recover or go back to the stock ROM if I want to later.
I've read that I should backup Data, logo, and boot, and internal storage, plus all apps and data with Titanium Backup, but what about System, System Image, Recovery, OEM, and EFS? What about persist?
Can someone give me a quick summary of what I need to backup to go back to my current state if I want to experiment with some other ROMs?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back up everything available in TWRP, including efs and persist. Then store it all on the cloud. You can never have too much backed up.
Too many people have screwed their devices in this forum by not backing up persist and then applying bad modifications. It is unique to your device and you can't use someone else's to guarantee full functionality.

I backed up all 53 partitions and stored in my harddisk. It's less than 5GB.
I left out only the data partition because for that I use Titanium Backup and RSync.
Yet I haven't backed up the partition table, also this is important...

NZedPred said:
Back up everything available in TWRP, including efs and persist. Then store it all on the cloud. You can never have too much backed up.
Too many people have screwed their devices in this forum by not backing up persist and then applying bad modifications. It is unique to your device and you can't use someone else's to guarantee full functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i backup my efs and persist in a custom rom 64 bits that backup won't work in stock right? it is intact

Backup everything... although it may be too late already, but any working backup is better than nothing.
What you should REALLY do is unlock the bootloader, then before you do anything at all one-time boot TWRP, NOT install it, and backup everything and move it off the device and to the cloud. Once you have rooted or modified your device, even installing TWRP, you are not getting a clean backup.

nicolap8 said:
Yet I haven't backed up the partition table, also this is important...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
acejavelin said:
What you should REALLY do is unlock the bootloader, then before you do anything at all one-time boot TWRP, NOT install it, and backup everything and move it off the device and to the cloud. Once you have rooted or modified your device, even installing TWRP, you are not getting a clean backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have anyone backed up and successfully restored a full partition backup before? I mean running dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p* of=/sdcard/*.img for all partitions before installing TWRP. Would restoring it later (after flashing roms and such) return your phone to 100% stock state, being able to re-lock BL, take updates and everything?

prokaryotic cell said:
Have anyone backed up and successfully restored a full partition backup before? I mean running dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p* of=/sdcard/*.img for all partitions before installing TWRP. Would restoring it later (after flashing roms and such) return your phone to 100% stock state, being able to re-lock BL, take updates and everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No... there are some things you cannot write to, period, but the OS can (has to do with encrypted files/partitions I believe), bootloader unlock is one of these things. Many of the mmcblk0 partitions cannot be written to, you can really one write to about 8 or 10 of them via software without having an external writer (for the life of me I can't remember what it's called).

acejavelin said:
No... there are some things you cannot write to, period, but the OS can (has to do with encrypted files/partitions I believe), bootloader unlock is one of these things. Many of the mmcblk0 partitions cannot be written to, you can really one write to about 8 or 10 of them via software without having an external writer (for the life of me I can't remember what it's called).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Wasn't expecting to be able to return the bootloader status to untampered, but what matters most is being able to return to a fully working stock rom and take OTAs without bricking the device. There's also all the issues people keep getting in this forum - such as losing their IMEI, 4G, VoLTE - can be those be avoided (and even fixed) by restoring the right backed up mmcblk0 partitions?

prokaryotic cell said:
I see. Wasn't expecting to be able to return the bootloader status to untampered, but what matters most is being able to return to a fully working stock rom and take OTAs without bricking the device. There's also all the issues people keep getting in this forum - such as losing their IMEI, 4G, VoLTE - can be those be avoided (and even fixed) by restoring the right backed up mmcblk0 partitions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can restore your efi folder to correct this most of the time, if you have a clean backup. Otherwise you need to get it JTAG programmed

prokaryotic cell said:
I see. Wasn't expecting to be able to return the bootloader status to untampered, but what matters most is being able to return to a fully working stock rom and take OTAs without bricking the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify that you understand, you can't return your bootloader status to untampered but you can lock it again. However it really isn't necessary to do that just to get OTAs. All you need to do is return to your stock with stock recovery and no-root (fastboot method not TWRP flashable.) OTAs work fine once you have done so. I have restored a TWRP backup just by booting into TWRP but it seems like I had some issue unrelated to OTA, although I don't recall what they were and is was on my previous phone (Moto G4).

T580 - Where can I find the latest official rom and how do I flash it?

Hi Guys,
I have a bootloop and I think I need to reflash the official rom to get things working again. I have TWRP installed and dont want to lose that.
Where can I download and what are the instructions to flash the official rom so I dont lose TWRP? Thanks!

sjbayer3 said:
Hi Guys,
I have a bootloop and I think I need to reflash the official rom to get things working again. I have TWRP installed and dont want to lose that.
Where can I download and what are the instructions to flash the official rom so I dont lose TWRP? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can still get into TWRP, there is no need to install a stock ROM. If you do, you will not only have to reinstall TWRP, but it will also encrypt your data partition. Just make sure that you perform a wipe to do a clean install of whichever ROM you choose. Also, if you haven't ever formatted the data partition, that will prevent from backing up or installing a custom ROM. If that is the case, make sure you copy any files you have saved because, unlike a wipe, formatting the data partition will delete EVERYTHING on that partition.

First time ever installing a custom ROM. I have some questions. Moto G5 Plus stock.

I have a completely stock Moto G5 Plus (XT1683 - 2GB of RAM) on stock Oreo 8.1 and I want to use the Pixel Experience 10. I've watched some tutorials online but I still have some questions:
1. I've seen many people complaining that they lost their IMEI and 4G, but I still couldn't figure out if that only happened with people that downgraded from a custom Oreo rom to a stock Nougat or if there's a chance of that happening by installing any custom ROM. My phone has the latest official Oreo version and I've never messed with the system before. Is my phone still at risk of losing its IMEI if I install Pixel Experience 10? What did those people do wrong?
2. Now let's talk about the procedures I have to take. After unlocking the bootloader it will wipe my system, right? If that's so, should I let it boot again into Android and turn off or should I immediately get into fastboot and flash TWRP? Will it make a difference? Will the persist and efs partitions be there on TWRP to be backed up or do I need to let Android boot so it can make them first?
3. After everything, if I get into TWRP and it asks for a password, should I just cancel and wipe the partitions to remove the encryption (can I keep the internal storage?) or do I need to install that dm-verity file instead? As I understand the dm-verity if only for when rooting the phone while keeping the stock system, right? (I don't plan to root my phone, only install a custom ROM. It would also be good if I could keep my files, but if I can't, that's fine too.)
My original plan was the following, please take a look to see if i'll do things correctly.
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Install TWRP immediately, before it even has a chance to restart
3. If TWRP asks for a password, skip and wipe all the partitions, if it doesn't, wipe them anyway to install the new ROM.
4. Backup efs and persist to my SD Card (will they even be there after I wipe the partitions?)
5. Right after that install the custom ROM
6. Reboot, not get into a bootloop and still have my IMEI. Profit.
Is everything right or did I misunderstand something?
Thanks!

Raploz said:
I have a completely stock Moto G5 Plus (XT1683 - 2GB of RAM) on stock Oreo 8.1 and I want to use the Pixel Experience 10. I've watched some tutorials online but I still have some questions:
1. I've seen many people complaining that they lost their IMEI and 4G, but I still couldn't figure out if that only happened with people that downgraded from a custom Oreo rom to a stock Nougat or if there's a chance of that happening by installing any custom ROM. My phone has the latest official Oreo version and I've never messed with the system before. Is my phone still at risk of losing its IMEI if I install Pixel Experience 10? What did those people do wrong?
2. Now let's talk about the procedures I have to take. After unlocking the bootloader it will wipe my system, right? If that's so, should I let it boot again into Android and turn off or should I immediately get into fastboot and flash TWRP? Will it make a difference? Will the persist and efs partitions be there on TWRP to be backed up or do I need to let Android boot so it can make them first?
3. After everything, if I get into TWRP and it asks for a password, should I just cancel and wipe the partitions to remove the encryption (can I keep the internal storage?) or do I need to install that dm-verity file instead? As I understand the dm-verity if only for when rooting the phone while keeping the stock system, right? (I don't plan to root my phone, only install a custom ROM. It would also be good if I could keep my files, but if I can't, that's fine too.)
My original plan was the following, please take a look to see if i'll do things correctly.
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Install TWRP immediately, before it even has a chance to restart
3. If TWRP asks for a password, skip and wipe all the partitions, if it doesn't, wipe them anyway to install the new ROM.
4. Backup efs and persist to my SD Card (will they even be there after I wipe the partitions?)
5. Right after that install the custom ROM
6. Reboot, not get into a bootloop and still have my IMEI. Profit.
Is everything right or did I misunderstand something?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer for your questions
1) losing of IMEI no is possible on custom ROM too, but taking the backup of EFS and persist will retrieve them, so no problem. And losing of IMEI is random occur when moving from one rom to other.
2) just let the android boot once, so everything get loads up with unlock bootloader (no need to setup).
3)after installing the twrp, it won't ask for password since your device got format when unlocking bootloader, so it won't ask. If you want to remove encryption then format< type yes. It will remove your encryption.
4) for talking backup of EFS and persist use this method.
Code:
Use the following command to create a backup and save it at /sdcard/persist.img:
dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist of=/sdcard/persist.img
To restore use the following command:
dd if=/sdcard/persist.img of=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist
If you have saved a backup using different name then use that name instead.
And seeing your plan, everything seem good, you can continue with your plan.
Note:- for some user PE won't work for them with 2gb version, so I suggest you to take a backup of stock ROM or keep an other rom file in case it needed.