I've looked at a few threads but they seem to involve flashing before rooting...
Is there a way to root without flashing? if so... how?
Thanks
You can unlock the bootloader without flashing by booting into Bootloader modem (power off device, then power on while holding Power+VOL UP) and typing fastboot oem unlock into ADB from your computer.
But you cannot gain root access, use a custom recovery, or use a custom ROM without flashing. The "Flashing" you're hearing about is via Fastboot which allows the flashing of custom recoverys, or boot.imgs.
The one-click methods that might have allowed this in the past were based on exploits in the stock ROM/kernel. The Nexus S might contain similiar flaws to be exploited later(no current methods work fyi), but right now the easiest way to gain root is by doing what I said above or from the threads in the development section dedicated to it (also linked in the stickied FAQ if you don't know where to start).
Given that it's also possible to just as easily relock the bootloader(e.g. for warranty purposes), it's likely it will be some time before the exploits are searched for/discovered.
unremarked said:
You can unlock the bootloader without flashing by booting into Bootloader modem (power off device, then power on while holding Power+VOL UP) and typing fastboot oem unlock into ADB from your computer.
But you cannot gain root access, use a custom recovery, or use a custom ROM without flashing. The "Flashing" you're hearing about is via Fastboot which allows the flashing of custom recoverys, or boot.imgs.
The one-click methods that might have allowed this in the past were based on exploits in the stock ROM/kernel. The Nexus S might contain similiar flaws to be exploited later(no current methods work fyi), but right now the easiest way to gain root is by doing what I said above or from the threads in the development section dedicated to it (also linked in the stickied FAQ if you don't know where to start).
Given that it's also possible to just as easily relock the bootloader(e.g. for warranty purposes), it's likely it will be some time before the exploits are searched for/discovered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
abit confused by what your saying...
I'm interpreting what your saying as
"you can boot a boot loader/recovery without actually flashing it. It just boots that as a temporary and then apply superuser.apk, su" ???
sinatosk said:
abit confused by what your saying...
I'm interpreting what your saying as
"you can boot a boot loader/recovery without actually flashing it. It just boots that as a temporary and then apply superuser.apk, su" ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader is built into the phone, there's nothing to flash for that.
Think of it as a pre-recovery. Fastboot is a feature in the Android SDK which works with the bootloader to flash things such as recovery, or boot.imgs prior to actually having a custom recovery/root. However, it does require the bootloader to be unlocked which is where the fastboot oem unlock command comes in. Once you have a custom recovery on your phone, you flash things like normal.
From the stickied FAQ:
unremarked said:
Q: How do I root/unroot the Nexus S?
Check the development section links below for more detail, but you gain root on the Nexus S by booting the phone into fastboot (aka the bootloader) mode and typing "fastboot oem unlock." This will wipe your phone and it's SD card partition. To unroot it, again boot into fastboot mode and type "fastboot oem lock."
Step 1: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878786
Step 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=875875
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first step helps you set up the SDK and drivers. The second step will tell you how to root, install recovery, and flash Superuser.
Out of interest is there a step 3 that tells us how to reverse all of the above in the event of having to return the phone?
xspyda said:
Out of interest is there a step 3 that tells us how to reverse all of the above in the event of having to return the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I'll add one, but generally Best Buy employees don't check things like the recovery or bootloader to see if a phone is rooted or not.
Anyhow, if you if you flash the NAND backup found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=884093 it will restore you completely to stock, including the recovery. After that, it's just a matter of going back into the boatloader/fastboot mode and typing fastboot oem lock.
That is the only way to return to stock until Google puts out the official recovery stuff.
Fair enough, thanks for that. One question, will this actually restore to a state my nexus s was received in? Reason I ask is that I thought this was an adapted nand - although I understand this is the only option right now.
My retailer is perhaps a little more clued up than the the average best buy employee so is there anything in the software that can identify this as being a none original Google image?
Thanks again.
unremarked said:
No, I'll add one, but generally Best Buy employees don't check things like the recovery or bootloader to see if a phone is rooted or not.
Anyhow, if you if you flash the NAND backup found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=884093 it will restore you completely to stock, including the recovery. After that, it's just a matter of going back into the boatloader/fastboot mode and typing fastboot oem lock.
That is the only way to return to stock until Google puts out the official recovery stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is why I started this thread... Google not released the official recovery
I already have the SDK setup, I code android applications ... no fastboot in there though. May have to compile that myself or use the one from the thread
thanks for your help...
xspyda said:
Fair enough, thanks for that. One question, will this actually restore to a state my nexus s was received in? Reason I ask is that I thought this was an adapted nand - although I understand this is the only option right now.
My retailer is perhaps a little more clued up than the the average best buy employee so is there anything in the software that can identify this as being a none original Google image?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will restore your phone to the state it was received in if it had shipped with Android 2.3.1. The OTA should be fairly well known to anyone you're returning it to.
I don't think so. It's entirely possible that Samsung might have something tucked away deep inside the phone, either hardware or software, but I highly doubt it. And, if there were, I think only their technicians who are trained in the intricacies of this device would know about it. As far as I understand, that NAND is completely stock without any modifications. I'll admit I haven't read the entire thread. At the very most, it may have the Superuser.apk and related binaries but I don't think so.
sinatosk said:
this is why I started this thread... Google not released the official recovery
I already have the SDK setup, I code android applications ... no fastboot in there though. May have to compile that myself or use the one from the thread
thanks for your help...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, sorry, I'm having a hard time with explaining stuff. Some threads I'll jump in to try and help assuming the guy knows about ADB, root, system vs SD partitions, et al then find out not so much. Other threads, I'll end up making myself look silly.
Fastboot should just be an .exe file within the SDK's tool's section. You don't actually have to run it, though. Everything involving fastboot operates through CMD just like ADB, only you begin the obviously differently. (fastboot flash blahblahblah vs adb push blahblabhlah).
unremarked said:
It will restore your phone to the state it was received in if it had shipped with Android 2.3.1. The OTA should be fairly well known to anyone you're returning it to.
I don't think so. It's entirely possible that Samsung might have something tucked away deep inside the phone, either hardware or software, but I highly doubt it. And, if there were, I think only their technicians who are trained in the intricacies of this device would know about it. As far as I understand, that NAND is completely stock without any modifications. I'll admit I haven't read the entire thread. At the very most, it may have the Superuser.apk and related binaries but I don't think so.
Ah, sorry, I'm having a hard time with explaining stuff. Some threads I'll jump in to try and help assuming the guy knows about ADB, root, system vs SD partitions, et al then find out not so much. Other threads, I'll end up making myself look silly.
Fastboot should just be an .exe file within the SDK's tool's section. You don't actually have to run it, though. Everything involving fastboot operates through CMD just like ADB, only you begin the obviously differently. (fastboot flash blahblahblah vs adb push blahblabhlah).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well yeah I know about ADB... just nothing about rooting
Hmm the phone shipped with 2.3 and I have yet to update but as 2.3.1 is an official update I can't see that being reason not to accept a return.
Related
OK...I've read the Wiki and the Glossary, I've searched the forums, I've been obsessively reading this forum for a week, and I still have some very basic questions that I'm hoping someone can either point me to a link or just drop some info for me. I know many of you have been at this since the Dawn of Android, but sometimes I feel like I'm walking into my first day of med-school when everyone else has been here for 5 years. Assume for a moment that I am a tabula rasa where the rest of you are now writing in the margins of a dense technical manual. Because that's what it feels like for me.
First, some background info: I want to learn how to do all this stuff, but this phone was expensive! I don't want to break it. So I'm cautious. I'm not a programmer but I'm not technically inept. I am good at following directions. I don't panic when things go wrong. So I think I can root, flash, and all the fun stuff that comes with having an Android device. But I have some questions that are still unanswered. I'll try to be as concise as possible (too late, I know):
1) I have the SPH-D720 model. I see rooting guides for the I9020 but not the SPH-D720. Will those other guides work for my device? I've seen other people ask this same question get sent to BuglessPete's guide so I'm assuming so, but I want to be sure.
2) I know that GRJ90 and 2.3.5 just came out. My phone is updated to both. It looks like most of the root guides are still referring to 2.3.4 or 2.3.3. Should I wait until someone releases an updated 2.3.5 guide, or is the method still the same?
3) Backups...these are different than saved settings, yes? So when I root my phone (which apparently requires unlocking the bootloader now) I'm going to lose all of my apps/themes/settings, right?
4) Do any of the developers offer tech support?
I now throw myself to the mercy of the masses, prepared for flames, but hoping for help.
NoobyMcNoob said:
1) I have the SPH-D720 model. I see rooting guides for the I9020 but not the SPH-D720. Will those other guides work for my device? I've seen other people ask this same question get sent to BuglessPete's guide so I'm assuming so, but I want to be sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the same.
- fastboot oem unlock
- flash a custom recovery for your device (crespo4g) using fastboot
- boot into CWM, mount system and flash the su binary
NoobyMcNoob said:
2) I know that GRJ90 and 2.3.5 just came out. My phone is updated to both. It looks like most of the root guides are still referring to 2.3.4 or 2.3.3. Should I wait until someone releases an updated 2.3.5 guide, or is the method still the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No change unless you are trying to flash a modified boot.img for adb remount (this is not necessary if you merely want root access)
NoobyMcNoob said:
3) Backups...these are different than saved settings, yes? So when I root my phone (which apparently requires unlocking the bootloader now) I'm going to lose all of my apps/themes/settings, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, fastboot oem unlock wipes everything, including the SD card.
Thanks. So a follow up question then:
Is it possible to back up all of my settings and whatnot, and then quickly put them back after rooting the phone? No biggie if not, and since all of my contact info is on Google that sync happens automatically.
Another question - when I'm installing the sdk, do I need all the other stuff that it automatically selects or can I dump all that and just download the USB driver package?
NoobyMcNoob said:
Another question - when I'm installing the sdk, do I need all the other stuff that it automatically selects or can I dump all that and just download the USB driver package?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need the usb driver and platform tools.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
NoobyMcNoob said:
Thanks. So a follow up question then:
Is it possible to back up all of my settings and whatnot, and then quickly put them back after rooting the phone? No biggie if not, and since all of my contact info is on Google that sync happens automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could use something like titanium backup, but watch what you restore as some things cause issues.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Awesome. I'm taking the leap now! So far, nothing screwed up...
So...I can't get the correct driver installed. In all the guides it says I should have the Bootloader Interface listed as the driver. But that is not one of my options - Allgamer's guide says there should be 3 choices, but I only have 2:
Android ADB Interface
and
Android Composite ADB Interface
How do I choose the Bootloader Interface?
You need to be in the bootloader on the phone I believe. I am new to the nexus s so I am not 100 percent sure.
Didn't work from the bootloader either - still showing Android ADB Interface.
I guess I'll uninstall everything and start from scratch.
As the title suggest, does anyone else having such (one, more or all) issues on Nexus 5 after root?
1. Kitkat kinda initializes after every reboot. Not like the very first time starting the device (setup assistent) but installing/updating apps (which) are already on the device (same Verstion) and re-setting configuration to what it already should be.
2. Always showing H (internet connection) and at least two bars on signal strength even when there is no signal (accourding to chrome and (stock) dialer app.
3. Loss of signal but pretending there is one (like in 2.) and only regaining signal after reboot.
4. Loss of distance between apps within the appdrawer (more apps per page) until uninstallation of an app (remains normal after reinstall)
5. many app crashes (before and after rooting)
6. sometimes notification led keeps blinking after notification was dismissed, sometimes the notification led blinks very fast.
I rooted my device with cf auto root.
Except for 4 &5, yes.
I am glad that I am not alone but does anyone know whats the source of this strange behaviour or how this can be fixed?
In a case like this i would go back to stock, make a factory reset and then rooting the N5 again, manually, without using cf auto root.
Rooting manually it's just a good way to understand the android OS, and how it's made, imho.
Is there a good low-risk way (manual/tutorial) to manually root without a custom rom and custom recovery (CWM/TWRP) ?
Because besides root access I want to stay as close as possible to stock.
Nik_B said:
Is there a good low-risk way (manual/tutorial) to manually root without a custom rom and custom recovery (CWM/TWRP) ?
Because besides root access I want to stay as close as possible to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wugfresh's toolkit is imho the best and safest way to root and do most changes to all nexus devices. About the only difficult you may experience is usb driver/connectivity issues. The usb driver guides are well documented and easy to follow. It's no different than the standard adb usb drivers. Most have no issues, but that is the only thing that can cause problems with adb or Wugfresh's toolkit.
Read through Wugfresh's forum topic to acquaint yourself with mtp/ptp and driver installation and you should breeze through using his toolkit.
Sent from my Apple ] [e using ProTERM 2.2
Nik_B said:
Is there a good low-risk way (manual/tutorial) to manually root without a custom rom and custom recovery (CWM/TWRP) ?
Because besides root access I want to stay as close as possible to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
custom recoveries do not prevent the OTA.. plus you can just fastboot boot recovery whateverrecovery.img
i blame your problems on the CF-autoroot as i have none of the symptoms you describe.
Looking into the script chainfire offers shows me that there are only 2 commands executed.
the
fastboot oem unlock - command is clear to me that it unlocks the bootloader
but i have some questions about the second one: fastboot boot image\CF-Auto-Root-hammerhead... ...nexus5.img
Am I correct assuming that this command tells the bootloader to start this image instead of the regular android (once?)
which modifies "something" within the "original" android os (image)?
If yes, can somebody tell me?
Is the only modification made there the mount configuration of the system partition and/or user settings?
Is a documentation for such internal matters of rooting somewhere out there?
yeah I know I have lots of questions and yes I am very curious.
Thanks in advance
Nik_B said:
Looking into the script chainfire offers shows me that there are only 2 commands executed.
the
fastboot oem unlock - command is clear to me that it unlocks the bootloader
but i have some questions about the second one: fastboot boot image\CF-Auto-Root-hammerhead... ...nexus5.img
Am I correct assuming that this command tells the bootloader to start this image instead of the regular android (once?)
which modifies "something" within the "original" android os (image)?
If yes, can somebody tell me?
Is the only modification made there the mount configuration of the system partition and/or user settings?
Is a documentation for such internal matters of rooting somewhere out there?
yeah I know I have lots of questions and yes I am very curious.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unless someone looks into the boot image CF has setup, there's no way to tell what his image does.
thats why its easiest to just boot a custom recovery and then flash supersu.zip, yet a lot of people want to just use toolkits cause "its easier" but when you do use a toolkit, you end up with issues.
DreamLinker said:
In a case like this i would go back to stock, make a factory reset and then rooting the N5 again, manually, without using cf auto root.
Rooting manually it's just a good way to understand the android OS, and how it's made, imho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go with this guy.
As soon as I read your thread title, I knew you rooted using an "auto root". Rooting a device is actually very simple, just takes a few minutes of your time to research the steps. As long as you have 10 minutes, a USB cable and a Windows Computer, it should be easy and result in a errorless experience.
Zepius said:
unless someone looks into the boot image CF has setup, there's no way to tell what his image does.
thats why its easiest to just boot a custom recovery and then flash supersu.zip, yet a lot of people want to just use toolkits cause "its easier" but when you do use a toolkit, you end up with issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already know that. Maybe my question was not correct.
What I wanna know is what happens when i flash a custom recovery, root my device and so on in the background
and what are necessary steps to such actions?
Because I would like to do all those actions on my own. (for example make my own image to boot for rooting)
But I won't unless I know exactly WHAT I am doing.
Hope this for wording made my intentions clearer. (Sorry I am not that good in English)
Nik_B said:
I already know that. Maybe my question was not correct.
What I wanna know is what happens when i flash a custom recovery, root my device and so on in the background
and what are necessary steps to such actions?
Because I would like to do all those actions on my own. (for example make my own image to boot for rooting)
But I won't unless I know exactly WHAT I am doing.
Hope this for wording made my intentions clearer. (Sorry I am not that good in English)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fastboot boot recovery recovery.img - this just boots into the recovery once, but leaves the stock recovery as the recovery that is written to the device
when you flash supersu.zip what it does is execute a script that places the su binary in /data/xbin i believe and gives it the proper permissions, and also places supersu app on your phone.
you do not need to make your own boot image, or anything of the sort.
The root process is not capable of causing any of these issues. Root using wugfresh is the exact same as using auto root and both of these are the same as manually doing it yourself. None of them can cause visual changes or signal loss alone, and the only reason we don't recommend toolkits or auto root is so people don't get comfortable with the idea that they don't need to know fastboot commands in the event that they boot loop, etc.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
joshnichols189 said:
The root process is not capable of causing any of these issues. Root using wugfresh is the exact same as using auto root and both of these are the same as manually doing it yourself. None of them can cause visual changes or signal loss alone, and the only reason we don't recommend toolkits or auto root is so people don't get comfortable with the idea that they don't need to know fastboot commands in the event that they boot loop, etc.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I understand you correctly that neither wugfresh nor auto root are causing the problems in your eyes. I´m just curious because many people including me used Chainfire´s auto root but not all of them are reporting problems. In my case the Nex5 seems to forget already set default apps e.g. for tapatalk links, urls etc.
Cheers, T.
I've read a lot of guides both on this forum and using google. Some are saying to wipe the phone completely and flash SuperSU through TWRP, some are saying there is a chainfire auto-root method. Why am I like the only one confused? I just received my Nexus 5 (I know I'm late in the game), and updated to 5.1. I would like to root, but don't really know what the best way is. Should I just wait on a new, easier way that is currently in the development process?
Also I am reading I'd have to go back to stock to get any new OTA updates, and I read that can be kind of a PITA. So do you think root is still worth it? Honestly I just want viper4android, Adaway, and Greenify. That's it.
Thanks for the help and sorry for probably a very redundant question.
tuffluck said:
I've read a lot of guides both on this forum and using google. Some are saying to wipe the phone completely and flash SuperSU through TWRP, some are saying there is a chainfire auto-root method. Why am I like the only one confused? I just received my Nexus 5 (I know I'm late in the game), and updated to 5.1. I would like to root, but don't really know what the best way is. Should I just wait on a new, easier way that is currently in the development process?
Also I am reading I'd have to go back to stock to get any new OTA updates, and I read that can be kind of a PITA. So do you think root is still worth it? Honestly I just want viper4android, Adaway, and Greenify. That's it.
Thanks for the help and sorry for probably a very redundant question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you're familiar with adb/fastboot run the following:
Code:
[U]From Bootloader[/U]
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash recovery [URL="https://dl.twrp.me/hammerhead/twrp-2.8.6.1-hammerhead.img"]twrp-2.8.6.1-hammerhead.img[/URL]
Boot into recovery....
[U]From Recovery[/U]
adb sideload [URL="https://download.chainfire.eu/696/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip?retrieve_file=1"]UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip[/URL]
tuffluck said:
I've read a lot of guides both on this forum and using google. Some are saying to wipe the phone completely and flash SuperSU through TWRP, some are saying there is a chainfire auto-root method. Why am I like the only one confused? I just received my Nexus 5 (I know I'm late in the game), and updated to 5.1. I would like to root, but don't really know what the best way is. Should I just wait on a new, easier way that is currently in the development process?
Also I am reading I'd have to go back to stock to get any new OTA updates, and I read that can be kind of a PITA. So do you think root is still worth it? Honestly I just want viper4android, Adaway, and Greenify. That's it.
Thanks for the help and sorry for probably a very redundant question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both are right. There is a manual way (flashing SuperSU through TWRP) and there is an "automated" way (the chainfire auto-root). Pick your poison.
The manual way will most likely wipe your device because the "unlock" step does that. I'm honestly not sure about the auto-root method, but I'm going to guess it probably also wipes.
As for OTA, yes, you need a stock recovery to get OTA, because.... well... the OTA uses the stock recovery to update. Most people are of the mind that if you're the type of person who flashes a custom recovery like TWRP, you're also the type of person who doesn't care about OTAs (the .zip is typically posted here within hours of the OTA going live anyway).
There are risks and drawbacks to any kind of hacking of your phone. Risks obviously include bricking, but the drawbacks usually include having to wipe and reinstall things once in a while, and also the lack of OTAs. Pick your poison.
fosser2 said:
As long as you're familiar with adb/fastboot run the following:
Code:
[U]From Bootloader[/U]
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash recovery [URL="https://dl.twrp.me/hammerhead/twrp-2.8.6.1-hammerhead.img"]twrp-2.8.6.1-hammerhead.img[/URL]
Boot into recovery....
[U]From Recovery[/U]
adb sideload [URL="https://download.chainfire.eu/696/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip?retrieve_file=1"]UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip[/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being a Nexus device this process is pretty straightforward and does not need all of the utilities to obtain root
So, I just got the phone and I've unlocked the bootloader with instructions from another site because none were here in a sticky as most phone sections on here have, and how to root and install recovery isn't on here either (This isn't a criticism or shot at this section, I know this is a new phone and these things take time). Though I know how to do most of this from years of doing it, I do not want to flash a custom recovery permanently just yet, but I do want to root. A lot of phones have toolkits or something that will allow you to boot into TWRP temporarily to root, but I don't seen anything available for this phone yet to do this. Does anyone know if this exist, and if not when it may? Once again, I know this is a new phone and development will pick up over time, just curious.
fastboot boot twrp.img
Temporary recovery possible
Use this. instructions are given in that post. I have tried temporary as well as permanent. Both works good.
I have a rooted, bootloader unlocked Pixel from Google Play. I am currently on 7.1 (NDE63V) November 5th security patch. I have stock recovery and would like to keep it that way if possible.
Can someone please provide step-by-step instructions on how to update to 7.1.1 without losing root or the unlocked bootloader? I used adb and boot-to-root for my current root method if it matters.
Many thanks in advance for any assistance. If a thread with the requested info already exists, please feel free to just post a link to it.
spook2022 said:
I have a rooted, bootloader unlocked Pixel from Google Play. I am currently on 7.1 (NDE63V) November 5th security patch. I have stock recovery and would like to keep it that way if possible.
Can someone please provide step-by-step instructions on how to update to 7.1.1 without losing root or the unlocked bootloader? I used adb and boot-to-root for my current root method if it matters.
Many thanks in advance for any assistance. If a thread with the requested info already exists, please feel free to just post a link to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will lose root, but you can re-root easily enough. Bootloader doesn't relock on its own. Plus, you have the Google Store version, so it's easy to unlock BL anyway. To me, the cleanest and easiest method is to use the flash-all method, with the -w switch removed. Download the 7.1.1 image from the Google developers site and go at it. You can search for 'flash-all google pixel' here or on the web in general to get directions. It's easy as pie.
quangtran1 said:
You will lose root, but you can re-root easily enough. Bootloader doesn't relock on its own. Plus, you have the Google Store version, so it's easy to unlock BL anyway. To me, the cleanest and easiest method is to use the flash-all method, with the -w switch removed. Download the 7.1.1 image from the Google developers site and go at it. You can search for 'flash-all google pixel' here or on the web in general to get directions. It's easy as pie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got an unlocked Verizon Pixel running the non Verizon stock ROM (I know the bootloader won't relock itself with the non-Verizon ROM, right?). what if you are using a computer that can't use the ./flash-all.sh script? My only 2 computers are a Chromebook (1GB RAM) and a Raspberry Pi 3 (again, 1GB RAM). The flash-all script always gives an error saying it can't allocate enough memory, and with my old Nexus 6P, before I started using Custom ROMs, I'd just extract the image zip and manually flash the .img files inside it. With the Pixel however, there are a lot of img files (aboot.img, apdp.img, etc) and I'm not sure if I should try flashing these or not. I've read a couple less than reliable guides out there that basically said to just flash the same .img files as the Nexus 6P used, but I feel that those other ones are probably their for a reason and might need to be flashed too.
Also, should I flash both _a and _b partitions when updating, or just whichever is active? Seems that there is an _a and _b for almost every single partition on it.
lightmastertech said:
I've got an unlocked Verizon Pixel running the non Verizon stock ROM (I know the bootloader won't relock itself with the non-Verizon ROM, right?). what if you are using a computer that can't use the ./flash-all.sh script? My only 2 computers are a Chromebook (1GB RAM) and a Raspberry Pi 3 (again, 1GB RAM). The flash-all script always gives an error saying it can't allocate enough memory, and with my old Nexus 6P, before I started using Custom ROMs, I'd just extract the image zip and manually flash the .img files inside it. With the Pixel however, there are a lot of img files (aboot.img, apdp.img, etc) and I'm not sure if I should try flashing these or not. I've read a couple less than reliable guides out there that basically said to just flash the same .img files as the Nexus 6P used, but I feel that those other ones are probably their for a reason and might need to be flashed too.
Also, should I flash both _a and _b partitions when updating, or just whichever is active? Seems that there is an _a and _b for almost every single partition on it.
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I have a ChromeBook but I've never used it to fastboot my phones. Sorry but I'll refrain from giving instructions on something with which I'm not familiar. I can say that the bootloader won't relock by itself. And the boot.img image should be all you need. Those points are universal. Also, you can just flash the 7.1.1 OTA, which is only 260mb.
quangtran1 said:
I have a ChromeBook but I've never used it to fastboot my phones. Sorry but I'll refrain from giving instructions on something with which I'm not familiar. I can say that the bootloader won't relock by itself. And the boot.img image should be all you need. Those points are universal. Also, you can just flash the 7.1.1 OTA, which is only 260mb.
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If it rooted, and has modified system, doesn't the OTA update method fail?
And I actually use the Raspberry Pi for fastboot. Easier than trying to get my Chromebook's chroot to talk to talk to my phone's bootloader.
Hi
Whats about Flashfire? Can i download the Factory Image, deselect Boot and Recovery in Flashfire and flash it?
After this, can i flash the the SuperSU.zip with TWRP?
spook2022 said:
<snip>
Many thanks in advance for any assistance. If a thread with the requested info already exists, please feel free to just post a link to it.
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Have you any idea how many threads there are regarding this? How many duplicate posts and the same question about 2 dozen times all in separate threads? And now we have another? Even if you can't search XDA for some unknown reason, here you go.
https://www.google.com/search?q=root+on+unlocked+pixel+7.1.1&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Search terms from your OP ... root. on unlocked pixel 7.1.1
Can we please put an end to this question already?
bobby janow said:
Have you any idea how many threads there are regarding this? How many duplicate posts and the same question about 2 dozen times all in separate threads? And now we have another? Even if you can't search XDA for some unknown reason, here you go.
Search terms from your OP ... root. on unlocked pixel 7.1.1
Can we please put an end to this question already?
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I went back and read my post again just to make sure I wasn't crazy, and sure enough I couldn't find where I asked how to root 7.1.1...
I did however ask "Can someone please provide step-by-step instructions on how to update to 7.1.1 without losing root or the unlocked bootloader?" So, posting a Google search on how to root 7.1.1 isn't exactly the help I was after. Regardless of your disgruntled, condescending reply to the whole matter, I did manage to achieve the end result I was originally after.
spook2022 said:
I went back and read my post again just to make sure I wasn't crazy, and sure enough I couldn't find where I asked how to root 7.1.1...
I did however ask "Can someone please provide step-by-step instructions on how to update to 7.1.1 without losing root or the unlocked bootloader?" So, posting a Google search on how to root 7.1.1 isn't exactly the help I was after. Regardless of your disgruntled, condescending reply to the whole matter, I did manage to achieve the end result I was originally after.
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As far as I know you can not update without losing root.. You can however update without losing data and reroot just like you did the first time.
@spook2022 It's just so frustrating to see the same question over and over. It wasn't that condescending, but yes, it was disgruntled. I just like to search for these things myself because I learn a lot along the way. Might take me an hour or so for the answer but then I learned an hours worth of stuff. I do agree though that there should be a sticky like the Heisenberg thread in the n5x forum that gives step by step for everything. One thing I will say that perhaps a few people don't know is that the Pixel and the XL are basically the same regarding root, unlocking and updating. So if you don't find the answers here you might want to head over to that forum. There seems to be a dearth of information here.
Someone suggested that the forums be combined with separate sections for things specific to each device like battery life and display as well as Verizon vs Google brand differences. I originally thought not but I'm changing my mind. Nonetheless, take the frustration from whence it came. I'm sorry I insulted you, that was not my intention. If you found a link to your solution perhaps you can post it for others. There is bound to be a similar question within a day. (oh oh there I go again..)
edit: This is what I was talking about regarding the Pixel vs the XL forums. Anything by Chainfire regarding root is a must read if you are rooted and even if you are not as I am. http://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-xl/development/root-supersu-t3490156
Download the 7.1.1 NMF260 image from Google.
Extract the zip file into the adb folder on the PC.
Edit the flash-all.bat file to remove the -w switch so user data won't be deleted. You'll find this -w switch easily enough.
Put your Pixel into fastboot mode, using either power+volume down or via adb command.
Plug phone to PC if not already done so. Execute the flash-all batch file.
When that's done, you have 7.1.1 on your phone, along with new radio and new kernel. (actually, I'm not sure if Google even put out a new kernel.)
Then you can go back to re-root with whatever method you used previously.
Konfuzion said:
Download the 7.1.1 NMF260 image from Google.
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Why not the OTA coming from 7.1? Stock recovery according to the OP. Why go thru all the hassle unless you want a dirty flash? I know you say reroot after the install. I haven't been rooted in a few months now but I always used to unroot first for some reason before flashing a new image whether it be full image as you describe or an OTA. I'm sure it's not needed at this point, I was always leery of a bootloop. But with an unlocked bl it probably wouldn't matter since you could always recover if needed.
Konfuzion said:
Download the 7.1.1 NMF260 image from Google.
Extract the zip file into the adb folder on the PC.
Edit the flash-all.bat file to remove the -w switch so user data won't be deleted. You'll find this -w switch easily enough.
Put your Pixel into fastboot mode, using either power+volume down or via adb command.
Plug phone to PC if not already done so. Execute the flash-all batch file.
When that's done, you have 7.1.1 on your phone, along with new radio and new kernel. (actually, I'm not sure if Google even put out a new kernel.)
Then you can go back to re-root with whatever method you used previously.
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Thank you so much.
bobby janow said:
...I was always leery of a bootloop. But with an unlocked bl it probably wouldn't matter since you could always recover if needed.
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That right there is why I always unlock my bootloader's and hack Verizon's phones to have unlocked bootloaders. Always great to have the assurance that you can easily fix it if something ever breaks.
Sorry if that's a little off topic.
bobby janow said:
Why not the OTA coming from 7.1? Stock recovery according to the OP. Why go thru all the hassle unless you want a dirty flash? I know you say reroot after the install. I haven't been rooted in a few months now but I always used to unroot first for some reason before flashing a new image whether it be full image as you describe or an OTA. I'm sure it's not needed at this point, I was always leery of a bootloop. But with an unlocked bl it probably wouldn't matter since you could always recover if needed.
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He's on 7.1.0...63V..he can't apply the latest ota to 63V..he would have to apply each ota in order of their release.
kyle4269 said:
He's on 7.1.0...63V..he can't apply the latest ota to 63V..he would have to apply each ota in order of their release.
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I don't believe that to be correct. I think the 7.1.1 is cumulative. I'll double check though and edit later.
edit: You can go directly to the latest without incremental OTA flashes. Just sideload the OTA from recovery. Easy, peasy.
---------- Post added at 03:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:22 PM ----------
lightmastertech said:
That right there is why I always unlock my bootloader's and hack Verizon's phones to have unlocked bootloaders. Always great to have the assurance that you can easily fix it if something ever breaks.
Sorry if that's a little off topic.
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I always, always unlocked first thing I did. I even unlocked the unlockable S4 before the VZW firmware update. But lately I've been running locked. I have a banking app that will not run without passing SafetyNet. I know there are a couple of kernels that will bypass that check but I believe they will close that too eventually. The only thing I miss at this point is what you describe above. But the Pixel even from vzw, which I now have with the O update and therefore totally locked for now, is not full of bloat and runs rather well. So although I do root around these threads (no pun intended) it's merely for entertainment now and general knowledge.
bobby janow said:
I don't believe that to be correct. I think the 7.1.1 is cumulative. I'll double check though and edit later.
edit: You can go directly to the latest without incremental OTA flashes. Just sideload the OTA from recovery. Easy, peasy.
.
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That makes it so much easier then.. Download the latest ota zip from https://developers.google.com/android/ota then you need to flash the 63V boot. Reboot to recovery. Follow the directions on the Google ota site to sideload the ota. Reboot back to Bootloader and flash the twrp boot image to boot.. Reboot to recovery. Install the supersu zip and reboot.. All rooted and to the latest build.
bobby janow said:
I always, always unlocked first thing I did. I even unlocked the unlockable S4 before the VZW firmware update. But lately I've been running locked. I have a banking app that will not run without passing SafetyNet. I know there are a couple of kernels that will bypass that check but I believe they will close that too eventually. The only thing I miss at this point is what you describe above. But the Pixel even from vzw, which I now have with the O update and therefore totally locked for now, is not full of bloat and runs rather well. So although I do root around these threads (no pun intended) it's merely for entertainment now and general knowledge.
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Luckily I'm with USAA and they are too slow with adopting new technology, just got chip debit cards 2 months ago, and they'd till don't have Android Pay, lol. If they did start using SafetyNet, I'd use the kernel patch in a heartbeat. It'll be a long time before Google fixes that since there's still a lot of devices that can't use verified boot, and Google doesn't want to become the new Apple, abandoning old device just to suit them.
Wife got the Verizon version of the Pixel as an early Xmas present from my parents, and I wouldn't let the Verizon sales person activate it for fear of getting 7.1.1 before I could unlock bootloader. Wouldn't let wife turn it on for a couple hours till I had the bootloader unlocked and had flashed Google's version of Android to keep Verizon from screwing with it. Viper4Android and all the awesome rooted featured are too good to give up. She'll be really happy when Xposed or custom ROMs start coming out for it cuz even the little features are great, like holding power button with screen off to turn on flashlight. (She's been stuck with locked phones for a while while I've had my Nexus 6P and is glad to finally get a rootable phone).
kyle4269 said:
That makes it so much easier then.. Download the latest ota zip from https://developers.google.com/android/ota then you need to flash the 63V boot. Reboot to recovery. Follow the directions on the Google ota site to sideload the ota. Reboot back to Bootloader and flash the twrp boot image to boot.. Reboot to recovery. Install the supersu zip and reboot.. All rooted and to the latest build.
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Yep, that's about it. Personally I'd reboot right after the OTA flash then go back to bl and do the root process. Probably not needed though.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
kyle4269 said:
That makes it so much easier then.. Download the latest ota zip from https://developers.google.com/android/ota then you need to flash the 63V boot. Reboot to recovery. Follow the directions on the Google ota site to sideload the ota. Reboot back to Bootloader and flash the twrp boot image to boot.. Reboot to recovery. Install the supersu zip and reboot.. All rooted and to the latest build.
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How is that better or different than flashing the full image by using fastboot to flash bootloader and radio (if updated), then using
Code:
fastboot update <image>.zip
and leave off the -w to keep it from wiping.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't OTA updates fail if you've modified the system partition, like installing Viper4Android or other mods? I know that flashing the whole system image works no matter what which is why I use that method.