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What's the purpose of flashing boot.img?

Hey,
Sorry for the noob question - but I wasn't able to find anything on this. Everyone seems to take this as it is, but I simply want to know why boot.img is flashed in order to get root and how it affects the phone.
I followed this tutorial to get my Rogers Magic rooted.
What did the boot.img do in this case and can I use Amon_RA's RAv1.1.2 ION Recovery or do I need to flash another boot image in order to use a different recovery.img.
Basically, I just want to know why I do the steps that I do.

vladkor said:
Hey,
Sorry for the noob question - but I wasn't able to find anything on this. Everyone seems to take this as it is, but I simply want to know why boot.img is flashed in order to get root and how it affects the phone.
I followed this tutorial to get my Rogers Magic rooted.
What did the boot.img do in this case and can I use Amon_RA's RAv1.1.2 ION Recovery or do I need to flash another boot image in order to use a different recovery.img.
Basically, I just want to know why I do the steps that I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot.img contains
the actual linux kernel for the phone
small ramdrive to start the system
system.img contains
android os, libraries,system settings and applications
userdata.img contains apps, and user settings
br

jerpelea said:
boot.img contains
the actual linux kernel for the phone
small ramdrive to start the system
system.img contains
android os, libraries,system settings and applications
userdata.img contains apps, and user settings
br
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! I'm still lost though on the whole 'fastboot flash boot boot.img' part.
Is there a specific/best/newest boot.img that I should be using with the Rogers Magic? Are there different ones out there or is it just one standard one?

[Q] Is flashing a kernel as easy as going to recovery and installing it?

Hi i'm new to the att htc one x, just rooted, and installed twrp... then flash cleanrom5. I also noticed clean has a kernel, i did not see an install guide, but i've installed kernels before on my captivate. So what i'm wondering if it's as easy as....
1. place kernel on phone storage
2. reboot into recovery
3. install kernel from recovery
4. reboot
If there anything i am missing or if i am completely off could someone please help me out with this?
Thank you :good:

If you are on the 1.14 hboot (rooted on 2.20 firmware) you can't flash kernels from recovery. You have to do it using fastboot.

redpoint73 said:
If you are on the 1.14 hboot (rooted on 2.20 firmware) you can't flash kernels from recovery. You have to do it using fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind walking me through that process?
Unless this makes any difference "CleanROM V is based on the latest Asian 2.29 RUU which is Android 4.0.4, Sense 4.1 and is ODEXED!"
not sure if that means i am on 2.29 rooted.

cannon19932006 said:
Would you mind walking me through that process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1957193
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33493959&postcount=2
Sent from my HTC One XL

absolutelygrim said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1957193
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33493959&postcount=2
Sent from my HTC One XL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see anything about flashing kernels in that thread.

cannon19932006 said:
I don't see anything about flashing kernels in that thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the boot.img has the kernel in it, it has to be flashed from fastboot.
heres the kernel. dl.dropbox.com/u/31360541/CleanKERNEL/CleanKERNEL 1.1 - HOX.zip
flash the boot.img from fastboot, then flash the zip from recovery. fastboot flash method http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33493959&postcount=2
edit: btw, what exploit did you use to achieve root? Was it the x-factor exploit?

cannon19932006 said:
Unless this makes any difference "CleanROM V is based on the latest Asian 2.29 RUU which is Android 4.0.4, Sense 4.1 and is ODEXED!"
not sure if that means i am on 2.29 rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the firmware you are on now. The firmware you originally achieved root on. More importantly, what version is your hboot (go to hboot, and the version number is listed)?
If your phone was purchased with 2.20 firmware, and you rooted using the new X-factor exploit method, you have the 1.14 hboot.
Hboot 1.14 plugged the hole by which flashing kernels from recovery was possible. So it can only be done by fastboot.

redpoint73 said:
Not the firmware you are on now. The firmware you originally achieved root on. More importantly, what version is your hboot (go to hboot, and the version number is listed)?
If your phone was purchased with 2.20 firmware, and you rooted using the new X-factor exploit method, you have the 1.14 hboot.
Hboot 1.14 plugged the hole by which flashing kernels from recovery was possible. So it can only be done by fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i used x-factor yes, and yes it's 1.14, thank you both for the help.

cannon19932006 said:
i used x-factor yes, and yes it's 1.14, thank you both for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, since you used x-factor, make sure to flash your boot.img before flashing the ROM
Same with a kernel. Flash boot.img then the kernel zip

absolutelygrim said:
Ok, since you used x-factor, make sure to flash your boot.img before flashing the ROM
Same with a kernel. Flash boot.img then the kernel zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already flashed the rom, just not the kernel, i don't remember flashing the boot.img, just following the instructions on the rom's page here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1655011
"Must have twrp Recovery installed with unlocked bootloader! CWM Recovery will cause serious issues!!!
Copy ROM to storage
Reboot to Recovery
Wipe data / Factory Reset in Recovery!
Install ROM and Aroma installer will start.
Choose Options
Let install complete
Reboot to System"
That's how i flashed this rom anyway.
That's funny your in schertz, i live like 5 miles from there in Universal city lol.

cannon19932006 said:
I already flashed the rom, just not the kernel, i don't remember flashing the boot.img, just following the instructions on the rom's page here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1655011
"Must have twrp Recovery installed with unlocked bootloader! CWM Recovery will cause serious issues!!!
Copy ROM to storage
Reboot to Recovery
Wipe data / Factory Reset in Recovery!
Install ROM and Aroma installer will start.
Choose Options
Let install complete
Reboot to System"
That's how i flashed this rom anyway.
That's funny your in schertz, i live like 5 miles from there in Universal city lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, If cleanROM is using the same Kernel as stock, then you got lucky. If they use the same kernel, no need to flash boot.img.
If they are different kernels and you dont flash boot.img, you are now in a bootloop
lol Universal City
not bad

Sorry for so many questions lol, just making sure i do this right.
okay so basically i want to download the kernel and the fastboot drivers posted in your post.
Extract the fastboot drivers, and then unzip the kernel, taking the boot.img from it and placing it into the fastboot directory that i just unzipped.
I then want to boot my phone into hboot and select fastboot
open the command prompt and take it to where the fastboot.exe is.
then type fastboot flash boot boot.img into the command prompt
After all this is done i want to go into recovery and flash the zip of the kernel?
Is that all right?

cannon19932006 said:
Sorry for so many questions lol, just making sure i do this right.
okay so basically i want to download the kernel and the fastboot drivers posted in your post.
Extract the fastboot drivers, and then unzip the kernel, taking the boot.img from it and placing it into the fastboot directory that i just unzipped.
I then want to boot my phone into hboot and select fastboot
open the command prompt and take it to where the fastboot.exe is.
then type fastboot flash boot boot.img into the command prompt
After all this is done i want to go into recovery and flash the zip of the kernel?
Is that all right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap. Don't "extract" the zip, just drag the boot.img out of the zip

absolutelygrim said:
Yeap. Don't "extract" the zip, just drag the boot.img out of the zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Success, THANKS!

absolutelygrim said:
the boot.img has the kernel in it, it has to be flashed from fastboot.
heres the kernel. dl.dropbox.com/u/31360541/CleanKERNEL/CleanKERNEL 1.1 - HOX.zip
flash the boot.img from fastboot, then flash the zip from recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you say to flash the boot.img and then zip if boot.img has the kernel in it?
Thank you. R

cimenta said:
Why do you say to flash the boot.img and then zip if boot.img has the kernel in it?
Thank you. R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the new hboot makes it to where you cant flash kernels through recovery. only fasboot

So why the second flash if the boot.img was flashed via fastboot?
I am just lost in these. Could you recommend any reading except this forum for me to get more understanding? So I don't do anything to my phone?

cimenta said:
So why the second flash if the boot.img was flashed via fastboot?
I am just lost in these. Could you recommend any reading except this forum for me to get more understanding? So I don't do anything to my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wasn't.
boot.img can't be flashed from recovery, it skips it.
Thats why you flash boot.img from fastboot then the ROM from recovery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1963896

absolutelygrim said:
It wasn't.
boot.img can't be flashed from recovery, it skips it.
Thats why you flash boot.img from fastboot then the ROM from recovery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1963896
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So although ROM zip file contains boot.img when flashing boot.img won't be flashed? That's why we need to flash is separately? Is it important to flash it before flashing ROM?
Thank you.R

I'm also, learning as I go. From reading and multiple failed attempts at flashing ROMs and kernels, I have found the correct way with 1.14 Hboot.
-dl the rom/kernel
-extract only the boot.img file
- save both .zip and boot to your desired folder.
-go into recovery and mount sd card to pc
-transfer .zip file to your phones sd card
-get back into fastboot on your phone
-transfer boot.img to fastboot folder
-from fastboot cmd prompt(if you have win7, open your folder with fastboot in it hold shift+right click and open cmd)
-type "fastboot boot boot.img" without quotes
-go back into recovery and clean cache/delvik
-then install .zip that you copied to the sd card
You should be good to go from there.
If I have left anything out, please feel free to correct.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

[Q] Updating CM10 - Flashing boot.img really necessary?

It is often stated that it is necessary to manually flash boot.img via fastboot AFTER installing a xxrom.zip in recovery.
Is this really necessary?
If you take a look in the file updater-script, which belongs to every xxrom.zip, you find that boot.img is flashed as last action in the update procedure (seen e.g. in the latest CM10-nightly). So I guess that it is not necessary to additionally flash it afterwards using fastboot.
Am I right?

1aladdin1 said:
It is often stated that it is necessary to manually flash boot.img via fastboot AFTER installing a xxrom.zip in recovery.
Is this really necessary?
If you take a look in the file updater-script, which belongs to every xxrom.zip, you find that boot.img is flashed as last action in the update procedure (seen e.g. in the latest CM10-nightly). So I guess that it is not necessary to additionally flash it afterwards using fastboot.
Am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are wrong and right lol. If your Hboot is 1.09 or lower TWRP can flash the boot.img but if you higher you have to fastboot or use Flash Image GUI app. And always a good idea to flash boot.img just in case it has changed but thats more for AOSP roms.

Darknites said:
You are wrong and right lol. If your Hboot is 1.09 or lower TWRP can flash the boot.img but if you higher you have to fastboot or use Flash Image GUI app. And always a good idea to flash boot.img just in case it has changed but thats more for AOSP roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Hboot 1.13 - so I need to "fastboot flash boot boot.img"
Unfortunately there is no error message showing that flashing the boot-partition during xxrom.zip-Installation in TWRP-recovery has failed.
I suppose that there is no particular order between installing the xxrom.zip and flashing boot-partition. Am I right?

1aladdin1 said:
I have Hboot 1.13 - so I need to "fastboot flash boot boot.img"
Unfortunately there is no error message showing that flashing the boot-partition during xxrom.zip-Installation in TWRP-recovery has failed.
I suppose that there is no particular order between installing the xxrom.zip and flashing boot-partition. Am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use to fastboot first then rom but now I just use Flash Image GUI. TWRP wont say its failed for some reason but it can if you remove the boot.img but thats nothing to worry about.

there is a method how to downgrade hboot:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1990043&highlight=downgrade+unbrick
it's a little bit tricky and requires some linux knowledge, but it takes you down to hboot 1.06

Installing another Kernel (Zip not .img) on a S-ON device

I can't find any guides about how to install a different (but compatible) kernel, zipped, on a S-ON device. I know I need the kernel to be in .img form and not .zip. Can anyone lead me to a guide, or give me some advices on how do I actually do it?

So you want .zip or .img?
At title it says ''Zip not .img'' And later it says ''to be in .img form and not .zip''
Anyways, with the .img one; you need to find a correct boot.img, then follow this;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1631861
Scroll down, find the ''Extra 1: Flashing "boot.img"''
If this is what you're looking for..
Someone smarter should correct me if I was wrong.

each kernel in development section comes with zip format

There's a mess in my head right now and I can't explain exactly what I want. I apologize.
I have a S-ON HTC Sensation, that means when I want to install a new rom I need to enter bootloader and fastboot the boot.img. Then enter Recovery and flash the rom in zip form.
What if I want to install a new Kernel (a compatible one, as i said) but which is in zip form as the rom. How do I get the boot.img out of it so I can flash the zip afterwards? Because I understand that zipping it normally without any boot.img might get me some errors.

rareshutzu said:
There's a mess in my head right now and I can't explain exactly what I want. I apologize.
I have a S-ON HTC Sensation, that means when I want to install a new rom I need to enter bootloader and fastboot the boot.img. Then enter Recovery and flash the rom in zip form.
What if I want to install a new Kernel (a compatible one, as i said) but which is in zip form as the rom. How do I get the boot.img out of it so I can flash the zip afterwards? Because I understand that zipping it normally without any boot.img might get me some errors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think i know what are you talking about
do you have 4ext recovery installed?
if not then install 4ext and before flashing any rom or even a kernel enable smartflash from it
you just avoid the step for flashing the boot.img manually
with smartflash feature you don't need to flash any boot.img

rzr86 said:
i think i know what are you talking about
do you have 4ext recovery installed?
if not then install 4ext and before flashing any rom or even a kernel enable smartflash from it
you just avoid the step for flashing the boot.img manually
with smartflash feature you don't need to flash any boot.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. That's exactly what I wanted. To not flash boot.img anymore. I'll try and let you know

rareshutzu said:
Great. That's exactly what I wanted. To not flash boot.img anymore. I'll try and let you know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYi, Boot.img comes with every kernel. Open the zip on your pc look around and extract it.
JAM THAT THANKS BUTTON.
Happy to help.

Monthly security OTA update fails

My Nexus 5 is rooted and in the past OTA updates have always worked just fine. I don't use a custom recovery. However, the November Android security update fails. I was thinking this was because BBS was installed as a system app. After uninstalling that it still doesn't work. The only other thing I use is Adaway, so I reverted back to the original hostfile and also uninstalled BusyBox. Still no dice. Or is it perhaps Marshmallow OTA updates simply won't work if the phone is rooted? How come in the past I've been able to do OTA updates with my phone being rooted?
What can I do to get the update? Does that mean I have to basically lose my user data every month to do an OTA update now and reroot my device? That's ridiculous!

anthonypiccolo said:
My Nexus 5 is rooted and in the past OTA updates have always worked just fine. I don't use a custom recovery. However, the November Android security update fails. I was thinking this was because BBS was installed as a system app. After uninstalling that it still doesn't work. The only other thing I use is Adaway, so I reverted back to the original hostfile and also uninstalled BusyBox. Still no dice. Or is it perhaps Marshmallow OTA updates simply won't work if the phone is rooted? How come in the past I've been able to do OTA updates with my phone being rooted?
What can I do to get the update? Does that mean I have to basically lose my user data every month to do an OTA update now and reroot my device? That's ridiculous!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash stock kernel with fastboot from the stock images if you have custom kernel. Also flash the system.img from stock images with fastboot to revert all changes you made on the system partition. Both action will NOT wipe your data.
If you dont have fastboot exe then the easiest way to get it and set up it correctly is to use 15 seconds adb installer http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
I would advise to reply NO to the installer when it ask for installing drivers. Use google's driver instead if your device does not recognised in fastboot mode by your pc.
If you done that correctly you can just shift+right click in the folder where the system.img and boot.img are and select open command window here. Then you can type
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img

bitdomo said:
Flash stock kernel with fastboot from the stock images if you have custom kernel. Also flash the system.img from stock images with fastboot to revert all changes you made on the system partition. Both action will NOT wipe your data.
If you dont have fastboot exe then the easiest way to get it and set up it correctly is to use 15 seconds adb installer http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
I would advise to reply NO to the installer when it ask for installing drivers. Use google's driver instead if your device does not recognised in fastboot mode by your pc.
If you done that correctly you can just shift+right click in the folder where the system.img and boot.img are and select open command window here. Then you can type
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a custom kernel. So I just need to do system.img?
What's boot.img?
Where do I download the correct system.img from?

anthonypiccolo said:
I don't have a custom kernel. So I just need to do system.img?
What's boot.img?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot.img is usually the filename for kernels. The stock kernel has boot.img as file name. Download the stock rom for your current build from here https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Extract the tar.gz file then the .zip file after that. You will the system.img file after extracting the zip file.

bitdomo said:
boot.img is usually the filename for kernels. The stock kernel has boot.img as file name. Download the stock rom for your current build from here https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
Extract the tar.gz file then the .zip file after that. You will the system.img file after extracting the zip file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, and I don't need the adb installer right? I can just use the NRT.
DoI still need to flash the boot.img if I don't use a custom kernel?

anthonypiccolo said:
Okay, and I don't need the adb installer right? I can just use the NRT.
DoI still need to flash the boot.img if I don't use a custom kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont need to flash boot.img if you have stock kernel
I cannot tell can you use NRT to flash invidual .img files, I never used it.
Tapatalk-kal küldve az én Nexus 5-el

bitdomo said:
You dont need to flash boot.img if you have stock kernel
I cannot tell can you use NRT to flash invidual .img files, I never used it.
Tapatalk-kal küldve az én Nexus 5-el
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, worked just fine with NRT.
Cheers!

And that right there is the problem. Using a Root toolkit and doesn't know what a boot image is. The most basic of information.

Just a quick question in relation to this, besides system.img, should the radio also be flashed?