Database Users

Stock rooted Lollipop with TWRP - Is this the best method to upgrade to MM?

There are a few threads that deal with upgrading lollipop to marshmallow, but they seem to raise as many questions as they answer - mainly since they were usually written before rooted images were distributed.
Basically, I am on an unlocked, rooted stock XT1575 with TWRP 2.8.7.0. It sounds like it's less efficient and has lots of potential problems to go back to stock, unroot, install OTA, do new system root, and re-add TWRP.
Instead, it sounds like the simplest method to get to stock rooted MM, with least steps and potential problems, should be this:
Update TWRP to 2.8.7.1 using IMG file here from within TWRP Recovery (TWRP Manager did not install it when I tried via Android proper - I was still at 2.8.7.0)
Do a full TWRP backup of my current Lollipop stock rooted installation (I assume this means I can restore without problems if the MM install goes awry)
*Optional: Use Titanium Backup to backup settings of important apps, and text messages/MMS.
In TWRP, Wipe->Swipe to Factory Reset
Transfer to phone and Flash via TWRP the stock rooted odexed ROM from this thread (not sure if there is a good argument for deodexed? I've never gotten a clear answer why one should be better, but would stick with odexed just because I believe it is "stock" so maybe less problems?)
Install SuperSU 2.62 from this thread by simply flashing it as normal in TWRP 2.8.7.1.
Reinstall all programs on initial setup. [*Optional: Reinstall via Titanium backup]
I assume if I do this I will: have marshmallow; have root; have working TWRP.
Does anyone see any obvious problems with this method? Thanks, I really appreciate any comments.
EDIT: Yes, I tried this method. It all worked, except I've added SuperSU installation steps that worked for me, since the "Stock Rooted" ROM is NOT actually rooted when I flash it. Also, used Titanium Backup successfully for some programs, so added that as an option.

Sorry to bump, but any response from someone with experience would be very helpful. I just want to make sure I don't have to go through the whole unroot/OTA/reinstall TWRP/reinstall root procedure that every thread says seems to cause problems...

Answered my own question - edited the main post to show the method used successfully.

Thank you for this answer thread. I was looking for the simplest answer for upgrading to MM without having to unroot and reflash everything. Looks like this is the easiest for now (I have having to reinstall everything, since some games I play to NOT react nicely to data being restored via titanium).

Have a brand new XT1575 with 5.1.1, Does the MM Update break root ability. I primarily want it for xposed, adaway. No ROMing
Should I update and then root? or root and then update?

I personally have found that following this method breaks root possibilities. MM is rooted, but when I got to the point of installing SuperSU via these steps, it broke EVERYTHING (settings stopped working, Motorola Services stopped working, etc).
I have to start from scratch again now.

Root not sticking! Need professional help.

Good evening ladys and gentlemen,
hoping you can help me with my root-not staying-problem.
I have the A2017G B09 version. I already managed to unlock my device and I had root with xposed installed.
Sounds good so far, right?
Well my problem is that after the restart that is needed to activate my xposed modules, my root went away and I couldn't get it back. After that I tried to do it again but root wouln't stick no matter what.
And yes, I did use the "reboot disemmcwp" command.
I tried to root by flashing the newest chainfire supersu 2.79, since I have newest twrp 3.0.3-1.
It would be great if you would be able to help me on my journey and maybe explain to me the difference between systemless and normal, and what magisk is since I saw that op up a few times.
Oh and please tell me from where I should start if I want to work on everything android related (roms, kernel, apps) since my semsester is nearing its end.
Thanks in advance.

Systemless root means that the /system partition is not modified, however the boot image is altered. There is much hype on this, however there still are many mods out there requiring modifications of /system. I personally do not see any advantage of it, probably because I have been using custom ROMs for years, and custom ROMs has many alterations to the /system compared to stock or pure CM or AOSP roms. However it is clear that the future goes that way and eventually most of the mods will be systemless. The advantage is that you will supposedly be able to flash OTA upgrades, however if the OTA is also modifying the boot partition, then it doesn't matter, you will not be able to flash the OTA upgrade. So the benefits of systemless mods are arguable.
Magisk is an open root. it is systemless from the beginning and any module under Magisk framework will be systemless. So far no official Magisk release (latest at this time is v10.2) is compatible with the Axon stock ROM. However, the latest v10.3-beta2 seems to fix the root injection problem. It is included in the Bad Boyz custom ROM.
There are some apps not working on root devices. They use a SafetyNet procedure to check for that, such as Android Pay or Pokemon Go. However there are ways to overcome this security check and you can enjoy root and SafetyNet compatibility either using SuperSU or Magisk, system or systemless root. the issue becomes a little tricky when adding Xposed mod framework to the mix, since the procedures to have all 3 (root, SafetyNet and Xposed) working is not that straightforward. However this is possible in the Axon 7. You can find one of my guides in the links in my signature.
Enjoy!!!!

Thanks for the info. I actually used your guide but nothing came out of it. I got stuck on the Axon screen. Tried it multiple times. Guess I'll try again either after the N update or when I get impatient.

Try reflashing supersu don't reboot, then use terminal in TWRP to do reboot disemmcwp and see if it works. I usually use root Explorer to see if I can change /system to r/w. If it did not work go back to terminal in TWRP and try again. I have had to do it a few times to get it to work. Using adb terminal seems to work first time, terminal apps have not worked for me.

Yuujinz said:
Thanks for the info. I actually used your guide but nothing came out of it. I got stuck on the Axon screen. Tried it multiple times. Guess I'll try again either after the N update or when I get impatient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you tried my guide, then you must use ROM B29 or any other ROM based on B29. I am afraid that the patch is only compatible with B27 or B29 based kernels.

Oki said:
If you tried my guide, then you must use ROM B29 or any other ROM based on B29. I am afraid that the patch is only compatible with B27 or B29 based kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't it brick my european device?

Yuujinz said:
Wouldn't it brick my european device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash directly the BootStack for your version of Axon 7 and the B29 ROM (or any other custom ROM) using TWRP. You can get those files from https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/rom-guide-updates-to-stock-files-via-t3469484

Oki said:
You can flash directly the BootStack for your version of Axon 7 and the B29 ROM (or any other custom ROM) using TWRP. You can get those files from https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/rom-guide-updates-to-stock-files-via-t3469484
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks I'll do it this evening
Or maybe not, to risky.

Root XT1644 on Nougat?

So I just updated to the latest xt1644 Nougat JP25.93.14-4 and am having an issue installing TWRP and getting it to stick. I installed it and even did a backup, but once I boot to System and then back to bootloader, and finally to recovery, it goes back to stock recovery. Also I am unsure of how to root this device now with Nougat. I've seen on a few sites differing methods. One site had a download for what they called a root package and it was a SuperSU 2.76 version. Another site said to use Phh SU and just install TWRP and then flash Phh. I don't want to mess anything up, can someone point me in the right direction since it seems everything in this forum is for a device other than the XT1644. Lastly, is it possible to revert back to Marshmellow using fastboot, or is that now not possible? I have unlocked my bootloader, obviously. Thanks.

After flashing TWRP you have to manually boot to TWRP without booting to system first. For rooting you have to flash ElementalX or Vegito Kernel and then flash SuperSU v2.79 SR3 or Magisk v12
.

tywinlannister7 said:
After flashing TWRP you have to manually boot to TWRP without booting to system first. For rooting you have to flash ElementalX or Vegito Kernel and then flash SuperSU v2.79 SR3 or Magisk v12
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did manually boot it. I went back to bootloader, then choose recovery again and it goes back to TWRP. After I boot to system is when the issue occurs. If I go back to bootloader after booting to system, that is when I have the problem. Once I try to go into recovery again it goes to stack recovery. I am trying to install TWRP 3.0.2.0 Athene.

robn30 said:
I did manually boot it. I went back to bootloader, then choose recovery again and it goes back to TWRP. After I boot to system is when the issue occurs. If I go back to bootloader after booting to system, that is when I have the problem. Once I try to go into recovery again it goes to stack recovery. I am trying to install TWRP 3.0.2.0 Athene.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try latest twrp 3.1.0

I got it working. I had originally set it to read only and I think that was the issue. Reinstalled it and mounted system and then choose to allow modifications. It then worked. Now onto root, we will see how that goes.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

tywinlannister7 said:
try latest twrp 3.1.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When rooting do you still do the little systemless trick or is that already accounted for. Does the elemental X kernel play well and is it nice and stable? Thanks for the info.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

robn30 said:
When rooting do you still do the little systemless trick or is that already accounted for. Does the elemental X kernel play well and is it nice and stable? Thanks for the info.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using SuperSU v2.79 SR3 beta ( https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu/2014-09-02-supersu-v2-05-t2868133), this already is configured for systemless, and if you're going for SuperSU, that's the version I recommend. Any versions below 2.79 SR3 appear to have created boot issues on Nougat (or required the echo systemless command to work).
ElementalX (1.0.4 stock is what you want) is stable and is essential for rooting. Don't try to root your device without flashing a custom kernel like ElementalX or vegito, else if you try to root the stock Nougat kernel, you'll likely trip anti-root kit/anti-rooting security (dm-verity, I recall?) and will prevent your device from booting. By flashing ElementalX or vegito, you'll bypass that security.
A useful checklist to follow is in this guide here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...de-root-moto-g4-plus-supersu-android-t3587918 Having a newer version of TWRP shouldn't matter (and in fact may present less issues). With step 6, you may choose to flash either magisk or SuperSU as mentioned by tywinlannister7 (I've not had experience with phh superuser, so cannot comment). If, at some point in the future, you wish to swap rooting methods, I'd suggest following the recommended unrooting procedure for your existing root manager (e.g. unrooting from the SuperSU app settings, or flashing the magisk uninstaller, check their respective pages on XDA) before changing root managers. I've used the aforementioned checklist to root a XT1642 on Nougat without issue.
As for downgrading your system to Marshmallow if you so choose, that is possible. Verify the MM firmware you need (a selection for XT1644, retus channel devices, is here https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/athene/official/RETUS/) and use that firmware with a guide like this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g4-plus/how-to/guide-downgrade-to-marshmallow-nougat-t3515961 If you're using fastboot rather than mfastboot, replace mfastboot in the provided script with fastboot.
EDIT - no worries @pastorbob62 - good to have another member verifying information

robn30 said:
When rooting do you still do the little systemless trick or is that already accounted for. Does the elemental X kernel play well and is it nice and stable? Thanks for the info.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO! NO! NO! Do not use the systemless root method. That is for Marshmallow ONLY!. You will not be able to boot into the system after trying that and you may have to go all of the way back to flashing stock from fastboot to fix it.
ElementX-G4 kernel plays well with Nougat stock. I ran it with stock Nougat for a couple of weeks on my XT1625 without any major issues. So flash it from TWRP. Be sure you have the correct version. Then boot to system to check it out. Next reboot to TWRP and flash SuperSU 2.79. Boot back to the system. It will probably boot a couple of times before the system comes up. Don't panic. You should be good to go.
Edit: Sorry echo92. I was typing my reply at the same time you were. :good:

echo92 said:
If you're using SuperSU v2.79 SR3 beta ( https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu/2014-09-02-supersu-v2-05-t2868133), this already is configured for systemless, and if you're going for SuperSU, that's the version I recommend. Any versions below 2.79 SR3 appear to have created boot issues on Nougat (or required the echo systemless command to work).
ElementalX (1.0.4 stock is what you want) is stable and is essential for rooting. Don't try to root your device without flashing a custom kernel like ElementalX or vegito, else if you try to root the stock Nougat kernel, you'll likely trip anti-root kit/anti-rooting security (dm-verity, I recall?) and will prevent your device from booting. By flashing ElementalX or vegito, you'll bypass that security.
A useful checklist to follow is in this guide here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...de-root-moto-g4-plus-supersu-android-t3587918 Having a newer version of TWRP shouldn't matter (and in fact may present less issues). With step 6, you may choose to flash either magisk or SuperSU as mentioned by tywinlannister7 (I've not had experience with phh superuser, so cannot comment). If, at some point in the future, you wish to swap rooting methods, I'd suggest following the recommended unrooting procedure for your existing root manager (e.g. unrooting from the SuperSU app settings, or flashing the magisk uninstaller, check their respective pages on XDA) before changing root managers. I've used the aforementioned checklist to root a XT1642 on Nougat without issue.
As for downgrading your system to Marshmallow if you so choose, that is possible. Verify the MM firmware you need (a selection for XT1644, retus channel devices, is here https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/athene/official/RETUS/) and use that firmware with a guide like this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g4-plus/how-to/guide-downgrade-to-marshmallow-nougat-t3515961 If you're using fastboot rather than mfastboot, replace mfastboot in the provided script with fastboot.
EDIT - no worries @pastorbob62 - good to have another member verifying information
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the information, it is very much appreciated. Thanks to pastorbob62 as well. This information will be very useful.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

pastorbob62 said:
NO! NO! NO! Do not use the systemless root method. That is for Marshmallow ONLY!. You will not be able to boot into the system after trying that and you may have to go all of the way back to flashing stock from fastboot to fix it.
ElementX-G4 kernel plays well with Nougat stock. I ran it with stock Nougat for a couple of weeks on my XT1625 without any major issues. So flash it from TWRP. Be sure you have the correct version. Then boot to system to check it out. Next reboot to TWRP and flash SuperSU 2.79. Boot back to the system. It will probably boot a couple of times before the system comes up. Don't panic. You should be good to go.
Edit: Sorry echo92. I was typing my reply at the same time you were. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One other thing, can I back up the stock kernel? Or at least find it somewhere for download. Is this something I can backup using TWRP? Thanks again.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

robn30 said:
One other thing, can I back up the stock kernel? Or at least find it somewhere for download. Is this something I can backup using TWRP? Thanks again.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it figured out. Backing up my boot.img via TWRP ensures my stock kernel is safe. Already installed elemental X and SuperSU and all went perfectly smooth. Thanks again for the links.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

robn30 said:
Got it figured out. Backing up my boot.img via TWRP ensures my stock kernel is safe. Already installed elemental X and SuperSU and all went perfectly smooth. Thanks again for the links.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very welcome. Glad you got it figured out and all is working well. :good:

Hey guys... I know I am late to the thread but if you see this, can you inform me how can I receive updates afterwards? I currently have twrp with elementx kernel and Magisk. And there is a security patch out for the phone. How can I install that?

1emrys1 said:
Hey guys... I know I am late to the thread but if you see this, can you inform me how can I receive updates afterwards? I currently have twrp with elementx kernel and Magisk. And there is a security patch out for the phone. How can I install that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally you'd have to revert back to a clean stock ROM, no TWRP, no ElementalX, no magisk. The stock ROM also needs to be in a read only state (no modifications allowed in TWRP) and cannot be debloated (OEM partition needs to be untouched).
You could revert back to a TWRP backup made before you flashed ElementalX, provided you did not let TWRP make modifications. You'd also have to find a stock recovery (if you flashed TWRP), and restore a stock logo.bin as well if you flashed a custom logo.bin to hide the bootloader warning. Then, you should be able to apply OTA/security updates. Attempts to apply OTA updates with TWRP on your device will likely fail and leave you in a soft bootloop unless you boot via the bootloader. You could try this to break the bootloop: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g4/help/troubleshooting-twrp-boot-loop-ota-t3714325
The easiest and safest method I've found is to re-flash the stock ROM you have. Ensure this is the same firmware as you currently have and the latest firmware that you've flashed onto your device (don't downgrade your firmware if possible). You can re-flash without erasing your data by omitting the fastboot erase userdata command. However, I would recommend you back up your device anyway (e.g. in TWRP) and any important files, as although this procedure should not affect your data with that command omitted, any firmware flash has the possibility of affecting your device stability. That may require a factory reset/device wipe to fix. Backing up your data should be standard policy when it comes to flashing anything affecting your device's system/underlying firmware.
After re-flashing the stock ROM, you should be able to apply the OTA update.

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer. I really appreciate people like you. [emoji3]
Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Any root method for C432B380?

I can't seem to find any rooting method for C432B380 software. Is there any step-by-step guide for this version? I'm currently on fully stock firmware, and I haven't unlocked my bootloader yet.

SteadyDisorder said:
I can't seem to find any rooting method for C432B380 software. Is there any step-by-step guide for this version? I'm currently on fully stock firmware, and I haven't unlocked my bootloader yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, ask for unlock code - that's the first step.

I am interested in this as well, as from what I see some people seem to run into problems. Say one is on Nougat C432B380 (I'm B381) and has now got the unlock code. What then? First of all, unlocking the bootloader will result in a reset, clean C432B380 installation, right? Or will there be any need to flash something else?
EDIT: I passed the unlock part following the Guide, and ended up with a clean Nougat installation as I thought. Now what? In the OldDroid TWRP thread I see many people having trouble...

Makishima said:
I am interested in this as well, as from what I see some people seem to run into problems. Say one is on Nougat C432B380 (I'm B381) and has now got the unlock code. What then? First of all, unlocking the bootloader will result in a reset, clean C432B380 installation, right? Or will there be any need to flash something else?
EDIT: I passed the unlock part following the Guide, and ended up with a clean Nougat installation as I thought. Now what? In the OldDroid TWRP thread I see many people having trouble...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend staying away from any custom roms for now as all seem to have problems... you say you have an unlocked bootloader, then next step would be flashing a custom recovery, then from there... flashing supersu... try not to do much more than that and accept a fully functioning rooted phone better than getting a squichy camera or whatever from custom roms.... wait till they get stable

Moemen Shahawy said:
I recommend staying away from any custom roms for now as all seem to have problems... you say you have an unlocked bootloader, then next step would be flashing a custom recovery, then from there... flashing supersu... try not to do much more than that and accept a fully functioning rooted phone better than getting a squichy camera or whatever from custom roms.... wait till they get stable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not planning to install a custom ROM, I just want root, mainly for Viper4Android and some other things, but after reading the whole OldDroid TWRP thread I saw some people reporting problems with bootloops and whatnot, mainly after flashing SuperSU. Is flashing TWRP and then EliteKernel and rooting with phh or Magisk preferable? I just got my device back from the Huawei services, with a new board and everything and I don't want to ruin the stock installation again, so I am trying to be a bit more certain before I do anything.
Thank you for replying.
EDIT: Okay, so what I did was flash the latest OldDroid TWRP through fastboot and then I booted into recovery and flashed the latest Magisk (v13.3 I think). Now I have root and everything seems to work. So happy.
EDIT2: It seems that although it says I have root, I can't actually do anything with it, e.g. I can't uninstall system apps with Link2SD even though it says it was successful - reboot, still there - and the modules won't appear even after installing.... So, I don't know what's wrong.

Makishima said:
I was not planning to install a custom ROM, I just want root, mainly for Viper4Android and some other things, but after reading the whole OldDroid TWRP thread I saw some people reporting problems with bootloops and whatnot, mainly after flashing SuperSU. Is flashing TWRP and then EliteKernel and rooting with phh or Magisk preferable? I just got my device back from the Huawei services, with a new board and everything and I don't want to ruin the stock installation again, so I am trying to be a bit more certain before I do anything.
Thank you for replying.
EDIT: Okay, so what I did was flash the latest OldDroid TWRP through fastboot and then I booted into recovery and flashed the latest Magisk (v13.3 I think). Now I have root and everything seems to work. So happy.
EDIT2: It seems that although it says I have root, I can't actually do anything with it, e.g. I can't uninstall system apps with Link2SD even though it says it was successful - reboot, still there - and the modules won't appear even after installing.... So, I don't know what's wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stay away from magisk if you want something stable... at least my opinion. Magisk is fine, the only add it adds, is magisk hide, which seems to keep failing now for most people. I'm suffering through it now and switching to supersu... try finding the correct way to remove magisk root and go the chainfire's supersu

Moemen Shahawy said:
stay away from magisk if you want something stable... at least my opinion. Magisk is fine, the only add it adds, is magisk hide, which seems to keep failing now for most people. I'm suffering through it now and switching to supersu... try finding the correct way to remove magisk root and go the chainfire's supersu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I restored a backup of the boot partition I had made when I first flashed TWRP which seems to have deleted Magisk, the app told me it was not installed (even though I see now a Magisk folder in data...) and then flashed Super SU, but I still can't delete system apps and having trouble with Viper*. But maybe it's not SU's fault. I don't know. I flashed v2.79, I previously had trouble with the newest versions.
Also, I had not activated the Hide function, I think.
*It is driving me crazy! Why does it not work? Supposedly I am root, I even deleted the system apps with the file managers but when I exited and reentered the folder they were there again. What is going on?... Wait... Is this normal, is it because it is system-less root?

To root any nougat fw:
1)unlock bootloader. You have to get unlock code from huawey and then in fastboot mode do: "fastboot oem unlock yourcode"
2)flash twrp recovery, i suggest you the hassan's recovery https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=745425885120756473
3)in fastboot mode do "fastboot flash recovery nameoftherecovery.img
4)reboot in recovery and flash this supersu
It is the 2.82 for emui 5 without loop mount,is perfect for p9lite https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634776377

first time root - stuck on last step of youtube guide :/

Followed this youtube guide --> How to Root Moto G4 Plus, Unlock Bootloader and Install Recovery!
(his youtube is gizmoddict, xda is restricting the link)
On last step I had to install the zip, and it would reboot into the phone, except it didn't.
xt1625 moto g4 is now stuck in a twrp bootloop and I have no idea what to do, help is appreciated.

If this is the guide in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK2uacpjGwc then are you running stock Nougat 7.0 on your device?
If so, that guide is too old to be useful - the stock Nougat kernel appears to be much stricter with being rooted on and so you must use a custom kernel (e.g. ElementalX or vegito) to root successfully on stock Nougat. If you were running Marshmallow as in the guide, then it should have worked (though depending on the version of SuperSU you flashed).
I would try to copy a custom kernel to your device and attempt to flash that via TWRP, see if you can get your device to boot.

echo92 said:
If this is the guide in question: then are you running stock Nougat 7.0 on your device?
If so, that guide is too old to be useful - the stock Nougat kernel appears to be much stricter with being rooted on and so you must use a custom kernel (e.g. ElementalX or vegito) to root successfully on stock Nougat. If you were running Marshmallow as in the guide, then it should have worked (though depending on the version of SuperSU you flashed).
I would try to copy a custom kernel to your device and attempt to flash that via TWRP, see if you can get your device to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that would be the link to the video, and I believe it came stock as 7.0 nougat? (not 100% on that)
Currently searching XDA for the custom kernel you mentioned, sounds like it should be easy to get working thank you.

echo92 said:
If this is the guide in question: then are you running stock Nougat 7.0 on your device?
If so, that guide is too old to be useful - the stock Nougat kernel appears to be much stricter with being rooted on and so you must use a custom kernel (e.g. ElementalX or vegito) to root successfully on stock Nougat. If you were running Marshmallow as in the guide, then it should have worked (though depending on the version of SuperSU you flashed).
I would try to copy a custom kernel to your device and attempt to flash that via TWRP, see if you can get your device to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In twrp and checked on pc to see that there is only twrp on internal storage, attempting to install ElementalX-G4-2.00.zip right now.
It worked thank you (atleast I think it is), currently selecting the MHz for the cpu frequency (obvious choice of stock). Appreciate the help.
NVM not working, now it won't boot into twrp. Not sure what in the world is going on anymore with this phone :/
NVM to that as well, 3rd time is the charm in twrp is back again.
Figured it out I think, it says "No OS Installed! Are you sure you wish to reboot?" after installing that zip file. Why does it say that?
Ok lineage OS is installed, super happy about it, thanks for suggesting that kernel thing otherwise I'd not have found this. Super easy to get rolling.