[Q] Clockworkmod warns: "bad recovery" - What to do? - General Questions and Answers

Hello guys,
a few days ago I dared to root my Xperia X10 Mini Pro with SuperOneClick and flashed a Cyanogenmod 7 Android 2.3.3 ROM. All in all, it worked pretty well.
After doing some apps installation stuff I rebooted in the Recovery (Clockworkmod which obviously came along with the ROM) and made a backup, just for the case. Afterwards, I selected "power off" in the CWM menu because I wanted to go to bed.
Then, immediately, CWM said something like "Error - This recovery seems to be bad" and something with a "risk". I managed however to power off. Can't remember if that worked via CWM or if I pushed the power off hardbutton or removed the battery.
Yet - the ROM seems to work. Now I'm a bit anxious because of the CWM error.
Is there really a risk? I planned to dare unlocking the bootloader soon. Is it dangerous to do this with a "bad recovery" or doesn't that matter at all?
Is there a possibility to repair CWM? Can I just install a new CWM? If yes - how?
Sorry - pretty noobish questions, I know.
Can you help me anyway?
Thanks a lot!

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Thank you for your help! I already thought that no one would answer because the thread disappered on page 3 of this forum
I've never heard from Odin before and therefore googled it. It only occured in connection with Samsung devices. Are you sure it is compatible to my Sony Ericsson?
Anyway, can I also install a new CWM via ROM Manager or wouldn't you recommend this?

Warning: I'm a noob. Take my advice at your own risk!
From what I understand, flashing CWM via Rom Manager is exactly the same as manual flashing (perhaps better, since the Rom Manager presumably keeps up to date). So I think you should be able to do so and make another recovery (without going through any of that manual flashing stuff). You should get a second opinion just because I'm so noobish, but I think this is the case.
However, from my limited understanding, I don't think the recovery will make any difference when dealing with the bootloader. The bootloader is, more or less, the very first set of instructions executed when the phone turns on. If you mess that up, your phone won't even be able to get into recovery mode. Also, the recovery images are stored on your sd card, which is wiped upon unlocking. Once again, I could be wrong.

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Dude, what are you talking about? You can't use ODIN on a non-Samsung phone.

trich025 said:
don't use rom manager just use the odin for your safety, you can bet that samsung users are the one benefiting on odin but as you can see erricson and samsung are both android phones and if you examine them both device have similar programs, and one thing, always keep in mind that you have to back up your current rom for emergency uses so you can still get back to were you started in case something went wrong.
if i helped you with this problem you could click the thanks button >>>>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK now this is flat out wrong. Each Android device has a different program used. Samsung has Odin, HTC has an RUU. Not sure about SE. But never use a software made for one device on another unless you want a brick. Just because they both use android doesn't mean they are the same.

Thanks to everyone, especially Product F(RED)!
No offence, trich025, but I guess you were wrong.
Can I destroy something by re-installing or updating CWM via ROM-Manager just in case my CWM has a bug?

Related

[Q] how 2 b pr0 leik u guys

Okay. Ignore the title, I couldn't think of anything to put. In short, I want to know about roms, about clockworkmod, cyanogen mod, and stuff like that. What they do, how to put them on, and I pretty much wanna know about the general stuff you do past rooting your phone. And I know that the section says No Noobs, but technically, I'm a newb, as far as I know i'm not annoying anyone or being completely nooblike.
Mainly with cyanogen. I read the instructions, and they seem too, I dont know, simplistic. I'd prefer exact details. Like, after I have clockwork mod installed, and I flash cyanogen, can i restore all the stuff I had on it? And once cyanogen is on there, is it already rooted, or must i root again? And if someone would explain to me how clockworkmod works in the first place. And how would I flash cyanogen? I thought it'd be through clockworkmod, but if I wipe everything and factory reset, wouldn't clockworkmod be gone?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant or not vibrant, I dont even know) It's a GT-i9000M. Running android 2.2.1, Rooted, I have clockworkmod installed, but still no idea what to do past that point. Also, my Kies isn't telling me about any 3.x upgrade, so how would i go about manually installing a new version of android? I know it has to do with Odin, but whenever i tried i ended up not doing anything.
And one last thing about MetaMorph. Where could i find themes for it? And do i need to have a certain Rom running in order to use metamorph themes?
I'm mainly used to iPhones and such, where there isnt really much to do besides jailbreaking and such, and moving on to android phones is pretty intense. XD So much more to do with Android phones.
Well uh, thats about all i can think of at the moment. Also please post anything you feel that a (somewhat) newb to android modding should know.
Sorry for all the questions, and to those that help me, I love you. <3
And if any moderators deem this thread as against the 'No Noobs' rule, at least send me a message telling me you deleted it, or else I'll end up looking endlessly through the forums for my thread. I've done that before, not fun. LOL (Couldn't find a 'My Threads' thingy on the forum i was using.
Gutana said:
Okay. Ignore the title, I couldn't think of anything to put. In short, I want to know about roms, about clockworkmod, cyanogen mod, and stuff like that. What they do, how to put them on, and I pretty much wanna know about the general stuff you do past rooting your phone. And I know that the section says No Noobs, but technically, I'm a newb, as far as I know i'm not annoying anyone or being completely nooblike.
Mainly with cyanogen. I read the instructions, and they seem too, I dont know, simplistic. I'd prefer exact details. Like, after I have clockwork mod installed, and I flash cyanogen, can i restore all the stuff I had on it? And once cyanogen is on there, is it already rooted, or must i root again? And if someone would explain to me how clockworkmod works in the first place. And how would I flash cyanogen? I thought it'd be through clockworkmod, but if I wipe everything and factory reset, wouldn't clockworkmod be gone?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant or not vibrant, I dont even know) It's a GT-i9000M. Running android 2.2.1, Rooted, I have clockworkmod installed, but still no idea what to do past that point. Also, my Kies isn't telling me about any 3.x upgrade, so how would i go about manually installing a new version of android? I know it has to do with Odin, but whenever i tried i ended up not doing anything.
And one last thing about MetaMorph. Where could i find themes for it? And do i need to have a certain Rom running in order to use metamorph themes?
I'm mainly used to iPhones and such, where there isnt really much to do besides jailbreaking and such, and moving on to android phones is pretty intense. XD So much more to do with Android phones.
Well uh, thats about all i can think of at the moment. Also please post anything you feel that a (somewhat) newb to android modding should know.
Sorry for all the questions, and to those that help me, I love you. <3
And if any moderators deem this thread as against the 'No Noobs' rule, at least send me a message telling me you deleted it, or else I'll end up looking endlessly through the forums for my thread. I've done that before, not fun. LOL (Couldn't find a 'My Threads' thingy on the forum i was using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I guess to first start off, here's a few pointers:
1. don't put the title in 1337 (people will most likely not click on it, thus no help)
2. you're right about this being the wrong thread. You should post this under the Samsung Galaxy S section (google your model number and you'll see it instantly) and should probably try the Q&A moreso than a general area (but it doesn't really matter all too much)
3. no matter how nooblike you may or may not be, you're still a noob XD
Now that we've gotten past the anally parts and all (hate doing that, but gotta =P), let's talk about what you came here for: answers.
Let's start with some definitions:
ROMs - these are the (usually modded) softwares that you flash to your phone. Depending on which phone you have, you can only flash ROMs made for your phone. Of course, if you have root/custom recovery, you can also install custom ROMs.
ClockWorkMod (CWM) is a recovery system made in order to allow people more features while they're in recovery mode. Of course, this is one of a few out there, but people stick to CWM cause of its huge support plus it's popularity. When you think of CWM, think of custom features being installed in (almost) one step (modding files and such will be taken care of for you, so you don't have to do it yourself). You can usually also fix a bricked system this way by reflashing either the entire ROM or the boot.img/other files (we'll get to this in a second)
CyanogenMod (CM) is an example of a very popular custom rom. They have a great team and usually is available for most devices, which in turn makes them so popular. It is widely supported and has a lot of extra features like updating to the latest OS and features not previously available on your phone. It's skinned, but usually follows the stock Android look for the OS in which they've skinned.
lol The reason why the instructions look so simple is because they've taken out all the hard work and all the stuff where you can possibly screw up your phone, so that they don't get a million messages saying "OMG MY PHONE BRICKED WHAT HAPPENED" and stuff like that. Protects them, makes it easier for you. If you had made a backup before you flashed CM (usually you only have to back up whats on the phone if it has internal and external memory, but back up your sd card always just in case. never hurt to), then yes. If you backed it up with your previous ROM, then you'll probably need to revert to get it back. If you didn't, chances are whatever you didn't backup and didn't sync, is safe to say gone. You can try recovering it using a recovery software on the computer like i detailed here for another person, but of course you'd skip the whole trying to save the phone part and just start with mounting the phone to your computer and running the software.
CM is a custom rom, and so most (if not all) custom roms have root preinstalled (besides, who wouldn't want root?!) As for CWM, it works by being (usually) flashed into the recovery partition of your phone. The nice thing about the phone is that it's split up into parts: boot, recovery, system, and some other ones i can't think of off the top of my head. Those three are important, as if you get a softbrick, you might still be able to recover all your data simply by using CWM/fastboot (a dev-tool used to flash/unlock, but only available in certain phones, as it is disabled usually) to reflash the boot.img (one requires command line, whereas CWM only needs you to flash a created/pre-made package). Also, since they're in separate partitions, even if your system and boot.img doesn't work, you can probably still access recovery (unless you screwed up really REALLY bad, and in that case I can't help >.<)
Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
At this point, I would look into a few things. One is skinning your phone (though you probably can't do too much if you don't want to touch system files). If you find a psuedo-rom (slightly modded) that themes it, that's your best bet. Another is gaining access to certain features in apps you didn't have before (i.e. androidLost, LBE Privacy Guard, titanium backup) and of course more control by the ability to control your system files (if you know what you're doing, of course). Lastly, you can use stuff like MetaMorph to theme out certain sections of your rom (provided that they give you one compatible with your phone model/rom), minus having to flash it and having more fine-tuned controlled. Usually, Metamorph will run on all ROMs, but it doesn't guarantee that there'll be stuff for every ROM. Also, want themes? google it (google is your best friend!)
Kies won't tell you that you have an upgrade because it is ROM-dependent. It looks for their official ROM and says "Hey, this guy has our ROM. Check for an update". Think of owning a custom rom like being kicked out of your family. You won't get anymore updates from them XD. However, if you're looking to get the latest updates, check out the Samsung Galaxy S Dev threads. They will usually have another method of loading in the new ROM into your phone. And if you want to stick with ROM Manager, shell out for premium and they'll include "Check for Updates" in ROM Manager, along with several other functions (though you can check for free via computer/browser ). Mostly, manually updating the software requires the "Install from SD Card" feature in CWM/other recoveries, so you don't have much to worry about.
Odin is, as you stated, most likely your best bet. Not too many people repackage official ROMs into easy-to-flash zips. Odin is the Samsung equivalent to Motorola's RSD Lite from what I googled (i have motorola, so no exp. on odin >.<) It's mostly like a dev tool allowing you to flash/re-flash phones and is also usually your one-way ticket out of a semi/full brick (assuming you didn't mess up the hardware and you can get into download mode). It's the flashing tool that can access the core system of the phone even without root and allows you to reflash OFFICIAL ROMs. Should you use Odin (should be your last resort), you WILL lose root and all your data. No questions asked. Its like reinstalling everything to the state in which you got it in when you bought the phone. Word of advice: BACK UP OFTEN! (did i forget to mention Titanium Backup? )
Yeah, the transition from Apple to Android is so different and had I not had experience with my PSP, i'd be dying with the information overload. However, just read a lot of stuff on the forums (*cough*general android forums*cough*) and you should be just fine. We have an excellent community here that will try our best to fix whatever problems you encounter (note the key word: try. we're not gods XD) You'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Oh, well, I don't want to keep you for much longer, but since you mentioned something that any noob should know, it's definitely ADB (Android Debugging Bridge). This is where you'll probably spend a lot of time, as people's fixes usually involve shell (terminal for your phone). If anything, get acquainted with it, as it might save your butt in the future/unlock a few extra features for you ;D .
Well, that's all i can think of, and honestly, after typing this thing up for about an hour now, I think I'm going to grab me some breakfast Good luck to you and welcome to the Android commmunity! (and next time, remember to post in the right place! XD)
~jojojohnson7410
P.S. PM me if you need anything. =]
Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to nit-pick a bit. CWM is part of the recovery partition, and unless the Galaxy S is different from every other android device, flashing will not remove it. ROM Manager and CWM are two different things. ROM manager will allow you to download the roms, which will then instruct CWM to flash the rom (when it reboots).
jojojohnson7410 said:
Well, I guess to first start off, here's a few pointers:
1. don't put the title in 1337 (people will most likely not click on it, thus no help)
2. you're right about this being the wrong thread. You should post this under the Samsung Galaxy S section (google your model number and you'll see it instantly) and should probably try the Q&A moreso than a general area (but it doesn't really matter all too much)
3. no matter how nooblike you may or may not be, you're still a noob XD
Now that we've gotten past the anally parts and all (hate doing that, but gotta =P), let's talk about what you came here for: answers.
Let's start with some definitions:
ROMs - these are the (usually modded) softwares that you flash to your phone. Depending on which phone you have, you can only flash ROMs made for your phone. Of course, if you have root/custom recovery, you can also install custom ROMs.
ClockWorkMod (CWM) is a recovery system made in order to allow people more features while they're in recovery mode. Of course, this is one of a few out there, but people stick to CWM cause of its huge support plus it's popularity. When you think of CWM, think of custom features being installed in (almost) one step (modding files and such will be taken care of for you, so you don't have to do it yourself). You can usually also fix a bricked system this way by reflashing either the entire ROM or the boot.img/other files (we'll get to this in a second)
CyanogenMod (CM) is an example of a very popular custom rom. They have a great team and usually is available for most devices, which in turn makes them so popular. It is widely supported and has a lot of extra features like updating to the latest OS and features not previously available on your phone. It's skinned, but usually follows the stock Android look for the OS in which they've skinned.
lol The reason why the instructions look so simple is because they've taken out all the hard work and all the stuff where you can possibly screw up your phone, so that they don't get a million messages saying "OMG MY PHONE BRICKED WHAT HAPPENED" and stuff like that. Protects them, makes it easier for you. If you had made a backup before you flashed CM (usually you only have to back up whats on the phone if it has internal and external memory, but back up your sd card always just in case. never hurt to), then yes. If you backed it up with your previous ROM, then you'll probably need to revert to get it back. If you didn't, chances are whatever you didn't backup and didn't sync, is safe to say gone. You can try recovering it using a recovery software on the computer like i detailed here for another person, but of course you'd skip the whole trying to save the phone part and just start with mounting the phone to your computer and running the software.
CM is a custom rom, and so most (if not all) custom roms have root preinstalled (besides, who wouldn't want root?!) As for CWM, it works by being (usually) flashed into the recovery partition of your phone. The nice thing about the phone is that it's split up into parts: boot, recovery, system, and some other ones i can't think of off the top of my head. Those three are important, as if you get a softbrick, you might still be able to recover all your data simply by using CWM/fastboot (a dev-tool used to flash/unlock, but only available in certain phones, as it is disabled usually) to reflash the boot.img (one requires command line, whereas CWM only needs you to flash a created/pre-made package). Also, since they're in separate partitions, even if your system and boot.img doesn't work, you can probably still access recovery (unless you screwed up really REALLY bad, and in that case I can't help >.<)
Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
At this point, I would look into a few things. One is skinning your phone (though you probably can't do too much if you don't want to touch system files). If you find a psuedo-rom (slightly modded) that themes it, that's your best bet. Another is gaining access to certain features in apps you didn't have before (i.e. androidLost, LBE Privacy Guard, titanium backup) and of course more control by the ability to control your system files (if you know what you're doing, of course). Lastly, you can use stuff like MetaMorph to theme out certain sections of your rom (provided that they give you one compatible with your phone model/rom), minus having to flash it and having more fine-tuned controlled. Usually, Metamorph will run on all ROMs, but it doesn't guarantee that there'll be stuff for every ROM. Also, want themes? google it (google is your best friend!)
Kies won't tell you that you have an upgrade because it is ROM-dependent. It looks for their official ROM and says "Hey, this guy has our ROM. Check for an update". Think of owning a custom rom like being kicked out of your family. You won't get anymore updates from them XD. However, if you're looking to get the latest updates, check out the Samsung Galaxy S Dev threads. They will usually have another method of loading in the new ROM into your phone. And if you want to stick with ROM Manager, shell out for premium and they'll include "Check for Updates" in ROM Manager, along with several other functions (though you can check for free via computer/browser ). Mostly, manually updating the software requires the "Install from SD Card" feature in CWM/other recoveries, so you don't have much to worry about.
Odin is, as you stated, most likely your best bet. Not too many people repackage official ROMs into easy-to-flash zips. Odin is the Samsung equivalent to Motorola's RSD Lite from what I googled (i have motorola, so no exp. on odin >.<) It's mostly like a dev tool allowing you to flash/re-flash phones and is also usually your one-way ticket out of a semi/full brick (assuming you didn't mess up the hardware and you can get into download mode). It's the flashing tool that can access the core system of the phone even without root and allows you to reflash OFFICIAL ROMs. Should you use Odin (should be your last resort), you WILL lose root and all your data. No questions asked. Its like reinstalling everything to the state in which you got it in when you bought the phone. Word of advice: BACK UP OFTEN! (did i forget to mention Titanium Backup? )
Yeah, the transition from Apple to Android is so different and had I not had experience with my PSP, i'd be dying with the information overload. However, just read a lot of stuff on the forums (*cough*general android forums*cough*) and you should be just fine. We have an excellent community here that will try our best to fix whatever problems you encounter (note the key word: try. we're not gods XD) You'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Oh, well, I don't want to keep you for much longer, but since you mentioned something that any noob should know, it's definitely ADB (Android Debugging Bridge). This is where you'll probably spend a lot of time, as people's fixes usually involve shell (terminal for your phone). If anything, get acquainted with it, as it might save your butt in the future/unlock a few extra features for you ;D .
Well, that's all i can think of, and honestly, after typing this thing up for about an hour now, I think I'm going to grab me some breakfast Good luck to you and welcome to the Android commmunity! (and next time, remember to post in the right place! XD)
~jojojohnson7410
P.S. PM me if you need anything. =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks a lot. I still have a question or two, bear with me.
Well for one, is flashing roms made for different firmwares alright, or no? Since I have 2.2, and im assuming the latest cyanogen is made for 3.x, would I have to upgrade my firmware to the corresponding firmware.
And about Clockwork, if my phone bricks, I'd have to restore using odin, right? But if the phone still works, i can just root and cwm and restore it using rom manager?
And uh, I'm not sure if this is a problem or im just doing something wrong, but in RomManager, i click Backup Current ROM, and it goes into recovery mode, and theres no new options, there's just like, format, factory reset, clear cache, reboot, but nothing involving rom manager. And when i check for the recovery file in my sd card, it's not. Wut do.
WoZZeR999 said:
Just to nit-pick a bit. CWM is part of the recovery partition, and unless the Galaxy S is different from every other android device, flashing will not remove it. ROM Manager and CWM are two different things. ROM manager will allow you to download the roms, which will then instruct CWM to flash the rom (when it reboots).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol true true that would be my mistake. XD Nice catch
~jojojohnson7410
Gutana said:
Wow, thanks a lot. I still have a question or two, bear with me.
Well for one, is flashing roms made for different firmwares alright, or no? Since I have 2.2, and im assuming the latest cyanogen is made for 3.x, would I have to upgrade my firmware to the corresponding firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you wouldn't have to upgrade to the latest firmware to get the ROM installed. So long as the ROM is confirmed to work for your device, you can flash any ROM you want (which is convenient in my case since I have an Atrix 4G and it was oh-so-lonely without some Gingerbread XD)
Gutana said:
And about Clockwork, if my phone bricks, I'd have to restore using odin, right? But if the phone still works, i can just root and cwm and restore it using rom manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the thing is, you really only need that usually if you're on a stock rom or some official version and either you want to flash a new stock ROM from Samsung or you want to pull your phone out of a brick. Most of the time, however, even if you bricked it, so long as you can get into the recovery menu, you'll be alright. Just re-flash the ROM that you want (or in my case yesterday when I was dealing with an Inspire, I had to use a different ROM to unbrick the phone. I don't know why this happen, but it was being nit-picky >.<)
Gutana said:
And uh, I'm not sure if this is a problem or im just doing something wrong, but in RomManager, i click Backup Current ROM, and it goes into recovery mode, and theres no new options, there's just like, format, factory reset, clear cache, reboot, but nothing involving rom manager. And when i check for the recovery file in my sd card, it's not. Wut do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol nooo this is not a problem at all. See, like the guy above me posted, the Recovery Menu is completely separate from anything in the ROM. It's located in the recovery partition rather than the system and the boot partitions, so they usually don't touch the recovery. ROM Manager is just a means of providing GUI to CWM so then you can either flash the CWM to your phone or help download ROMS into your SD card. Stuff like backup and everything needs you to boot into recovery as you can't be backing up the system while your system is mounted on, so they send you to CWM. From there, there's an option called "backup and restore". In this place, you can choose where to save the backup. And since the backup is made by CWM, it will be recognized by CWM if you want to restore it. I think it saves it in a zip file, but im not 100% positive, so take that one with a grain of salt.
Hope this answers the questions! Let me know if you need more help (or just PM me. I check that regularly )
~jojojohnson7410
jojojohnson7410 said:
No, you wouldn't have to upgrade to the latest firmware to get the ROM installed. So long as the ROM is confirmed to work for your device, you can flash any ROM you want (which is convenient in my case since I have an Atrix 4G and it was oh-so-lonely without some Gingerbread XD)
Well, the thing is, you really only need that usually if you're on a stock rom or some official version and either you want to flash a new stock ROM from Samsung or you want to pull your phone out of a brick. Most of the time, however, even if you bricked it, so long as you can get into the recovery menu, you'll be alright. Just re-flash the ROM that you want (or in my case yesterday when I was dealing with an Inspire, I had to use a different ROM to unbrick the phone. I don't know why this happen, but it was being nit-picky >.<)
lol nooo this is not a problem at all. See, like the guy above me posted, the Recovery Menu is completely separate from anything in the ROM. It's located in the recovery partition rather than the system and the boot partitions, so they usually don't touch the recovery. ROM Manager is just a means of providing GUI to CWM so then you can either flash the CWM to your phone or help download ROMS into your SD card. Stuff like backup and everything needs you to boot into recovery as you can't be backing up the system while your system is mounted on, so they send you to CWM. From there, there's an option called "backup and restore". In this place, you can choose where to save the backup. And since the backup is made by CWM, it will be recognized by CWM if you want to restore it. I think it saves it in a zip file, but im not 100% positive, so take that one with a grain of salt.
Hope this answers the questions! Let me know if you need more help (or just PM me. I check that regularly )
~jojojohnson7410
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But theres no backup and restore options, its jut the recovery options you'd get if you were on a brand new phone.

[Q] Rooted but CMW not working

Hello, i've got a prob. I have rooted my Tab 7.0plus and have installed SU, titanium backup and and Rom Manager (Full Version)
I can back up my through Titanium fine but I just cant get CWM to work as it should. If I choose Backup existing Rom, it asks for confirmation then the phone shuts down but instead of going ito recovery it just reboots.
Same thing happens if I choose reboot into recovery.
I can't get into recovery by pressing and holding power and vol- either
Any ideas? I am a Novice so please be gentle.
Cheers
what variant of GT+ do you have?
Root != CWM
You need to actually install CWM. Read the Development thread on it, and spend some time searching, because if you don't and post a dumb question in gary's thread, he WILL bust out the flamethrower. Just spend a day or two reading through threads and Googling before posting or flashing anything and you should be fine.
Also - Don't use ROM Manager, it causes problems on many devices. ROM Manager != CWM.
I followed the instructions to the letter! I know I have root su grants permissions but there is no way to get into recovery. I cant back up or restore what other recovery would you experts suggest? wi-fi 62100
Which instructions did you follow? link?
How do you know you have 'su' permissions? Have you installed the 'superuser' application from the market? Does it work?
"Backup from existing ROM" is _NOT_ an option from within CWM Recovery. It's an option from within "ROM Manager" (which is an application by CWM.) CWM Recovery is a completely different boot mode of the tablet.
Please don't use ROM Manager on this tablet. It won't work and the results might be interesting.
If you don't want to fiddle with volume up/down and power buttons to get into recovery, I'd suggest a nice little app in the android market called "Quick Boot." It also requires the tablet is rooted (and superuser is installed), but will let you reboot directly into recovery.
After you've booted into recovery, the screen will be black with text on it. It won't be the "tablet experience" you might be used to. The banner might include something like "CWM-based Recovery." If so, you are really in CWM Recovery. If it says something like "Android system recovery (3e)", you don't have CWM Recovery installed.
Now, I'm going to try and be friendly here. That's something hard for me. Just ask around and people will tell you that all devs are Divas or something. (I prefer to think of myself as more sarcastic than diva.. but whatever.)
Advice:
Don't install CWM Recovery (or ROM Manager) on your tablet. You aren't ready. That isn't insulting - but it's honest. You don't go sky diving before you learn how to wear a parachute. Search for topics like "ODIN" so you know how to restore your tablet if you screw things up or you want to get back to a factory state for some reason. Even ask around here for links to threads that give a good intro to "ODIN", "Recovery" and other android "hacking" topics.
(Surely someone has typed up a good thread on that stuff somewhere for some device... haven't they? I realize that a search would be too broad to get any reasonably usable results.)
After you feel comfortable with destroying your tablet and bringing it back from the dead, check the thread in my signature titled "CWM-based Recovery for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus GT-P6210"
Take care
Gary
Thanks Gary but i'm afraid it's knackered. I just got a black screen and it wont boot or go into recovery or anything. It's a shame though it took me ages to save up for it.
Now is the time to go into ODIN... You can probably get the device into download mode and reflash it...
Good luck
Gary
Thanks mate, fixed it. you saved my bacon!
nixey55 said:
Thanks mate, fixed it. you saved my bacon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had nothing whatsoever to do with your bacon.

[Q] Motorola Defy default restore

Hello, I have a Motorola Defy which i have rooted and installed clockworkmod on it. I tried to install Cyanogen mod 7.1 from the website. The phone got to the boot screen where it continued to cycle through it thing and nothing more. I restarted the phone and now it gets stuck at the first screen where its says "google". I tried to enter recovery again (power + volume down) and clockworkmod is completely gone. I want to go back to the stock OS so it atleast works again. Ive tried using the update.zip option in the stock recovery mode but I keep getting an error "failed to verify whole-file signature" when using a signed copy of cyanogen mod. I also tried putting my backup in a zip with the same error. Ive even tried formatting my sd card. What do i do?
I was more or less where you are around June or so. I'm no expert by any means, but perhaps I can help. If memory serves I used a program called RSD Lite to flash it back to the stock unlocked rom I got from the "bl7 finally rooted" thread - if you unlocked a different way, I'd try to find your original rom.
Once you get to where you understand how to get back to stock it makes the whole thing a lot less scary, or it did for me. Once you get back up and running, try flashing Whiterabbit. I didn't have luck getting anything else to run, but that one worked the first time I tried it, and I'm very happy I persevered. Miles better than the stock OS.
Marvelicious75 said:
I was more or less where you are around June or so. I'm no expert by any means, but perhaps I can help. If memory serves I used a program called RSD Lite to flash it back to the stock unlocked rom I got from the "bl7 finally rooted" thread - if you unlocked a dirrerent way, I'd try to find your original rom.
Once you get to where you understand how to get back to stock it makes the whole thing a lot less scary, or it did for me. Once you get back up and running, try flashing Whiterabbit. I didn't have luck getting anything else to run, but that one worked the first time I tried it, and I'm very happy I persevered. Miles better than the stock OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant use the program as my phone doesnt get detected when connected to my pc.
OK, lets start with the basics, if I can remember it right... Have you used RSD Lite successfully before this? Drivers installed? Using bootloader mode? If any of this is unfamiliar go hit the beginner's thread - if you have done all this you may be beyond my help and in need of someone a bit more experienced.
Marvelicious75 said:
OK, lets start with the basics, if I can remember it right... Have you used RSD Lite successfully before this? Drivers installed? Using bootloader mode? If any of this is unfamiliar go hit the beginner's thread - if you have done all this you may be beyond my help and in need of someone a bit more experienced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fixed it, there were a different set of buttons to hold to get into boot loader. The default recovery was not over written as i thought (happened to all my other phones). Thank you very much for you help. It has been very much appreciated.
Glad to hear it.

A little lost here... sorry in advance!!

Hi everyone!!
Quick introduction: I'm just a regular guy, not that tech-y, that purchased a Galaxy Note for note taking in classes. And i have a problem: the bottom android is a pain for note taking. So, while searching for a solution, I ended up here. Of course, one thing leads to another and after reading a few threads, I already realized that are other "tweaks" I would like to make to my tablet that I didn't even knew I wanted But let's go step by step.
I've been reading the samir_a excelent thread, Guide - Installing Firmware, CWM recovery & Rooting, that seems to be the beginning of everything (correct me if I'm wrong). And I'm convinced I know how to do it... how to root, how to install firmware, so on. What I don't understand is what these actions actually do. In other words, I don't understand most of these concepts - like "rooting", "firmware", "CWM", etc etc etc - so I ended up not getting the process. Sometimes I feel like you guys are speaking other language that not English.. So sorry if some of these questions are dumb...
- Root the device means getting access to do stuff that I can't do without that, correct? Like entering as "root" in Linux - you can do stuff that you can't with other users. Is that it?
- I read a lot that to move the navigation bar to the top of the device I need to root it. But is just that? I root the device and boom... the top bar is on the top?
- Is "install a firmware" the same as "install a ROM"? (meaning, is it like install a new operation system in the device)
- The CWM Recovery... what is it?? Is it like.. to create a system recovery image, or something??
- Lastly... does any of these - rooting, installing ROM, etc - void the manufacturer warranty? And if yes, is there any way to undo that in case something happens?
Once again, sorry if these are dumb questions (or don't even make sense). And thanks for your patience!
Cheers!!
mmascosta said:
Hi everyone!!
Quick introduction: I'm just a regular guy, not that tech-y, that purchased a Galaxy Note for note taking in classes. And i have a problem: the bottom android is a pain for note taking. So, while searching for a solution, I ended up here. Of course, one thing leads to another and after reading a few threads, I already realized that are other "tweaks" I would like to make to my tablet that I didn't even knew I wanted But let's go step by step.
I've been reading the samir_a excelent thread, Guide - Installing Firmware, CWM recovery & Rooting, that seems to be the beginning of everything (correct me if I'm wrong). And I'm convinced I know how to do it... how to root, how to install firmware, so on. What I don't understand is what these actions actually do. In other words, I don't understand most of these concepts - like "rooting", "firmware", "CWM", etc etc etc - so I ended up not getting the process. Sometimes I feel like you guys are speaking other language that not English.. So sorry if some of these questions are dumb...
- Root the device means getting access to do stuff that I can't do without that, correct? Like entering as "root" in Linux - you can do stuff that you can't with other users. Is that it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right!
mmascosta said:
- I read a lot that to move the navigation bar to the top of the device I need to root it. But is just that? I root the device and boom... the top bar is on the top?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. But after rooting you may download and "install" (flash via CWM) a mod that does that.
mmascosta said:
- Is "install a firmware" the same as "install a ROM"? (meaning, is it like install a new operation system in the device)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Actually there is a difference between a rom an a kernel. Kernel is the core system adapted and customized to the model of your gadget, the Rom the user interface, simply spoken. Different roms may be based on the same kernel.
mmascosta said:
- The CWM Recovery... what is it?? Is it like.. to create a system recovery image, or something??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock recovery does not allow to flash custom roms, to make nandroid backups (full backups of your operating system / Rom / Kernel, CWM recovery does. But vou need to find the cwm that is made for your device!
mmascosta said:
- Lastly... does any of these - rooting, installing ROM, etc - void the manufacturer warranty? And if yes, is there any way to undo that in case something happens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes an Yes! With a pc and Odin you can flash back to your original Rom your device was delivered with.
mmascosta said:
Once again, sorry if these are dumb questions (or don't even make sense). And thanks for your patience!
Cheers!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that helped, just press the thanks-button.
Thanks a lot for clarifying, charly-whiskey.
I'm trying to root, but as soon as I connect the tablet to the PC I get something different in ODIN.. I get not one, but two yellow squares in ID:COM section..
h*tp://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5894/captureokl.jpg (Sorry, I'm new here, so I can't add images...)
Why is that? May I proceed?
Have you got any other android devices attached to the PC?
Also you must be in download mode to flash with ODIN. You hold down power and volume down until the screen with the scary warning comes up, ignore it and push up volume to get to download mode.
ODIN should recognise your device.
Just a piece of advice, CHECK and DOUBLE-CHECK that partition is UNTICKED...
You can get into really hot water if you have this ticked...
ultramag69 said:
Have you got any other android devices attached to the PC?
Also you must be in download mode to flash with ODIN. You hold down power and volume down until the screen with the scary warning comes up, ignore it and push up volume to get to download mode.
ODIN should recognise your device.
Just a piece of advice, CHECK and DOUBLE-CHECK that partition is UNTICKED...
You can get into really hot water if you have this ticked...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yeah, I don't know what happened, but I unplugged and plugged again and it was ok. So I rooted and I think everything went fine.
I used Darkman's rooting method and checked that SuperSU was working. Then flashed his rom, and once again I think everything went fine. The weird thing is that the device seems not to be rooted anymore. I can't install anything that needs root access. SuperSU is installed, but when I go there, it says that no binary SU is installed.
Is this normal? What should I do? Root again?
I would ask in his thread, but the forum won't let me until I have 10 posts...
Thanks!
Just to let you know that I re-installed SuperSU through CWM and it's solved! In case it happens to anyone else

Already rooted Samsung J5 - general inquiry

Hello guys. I just bought a used Samsung Galaxy J5 (SM-J500FN) with android version 5.1.1. The previous owner told me that it is rooted. Nothing seems weird with the phone other than when i try to factory reset it it takes me to a "bios" kind window where i have to manually choose to delete all data (hard delete i think its called), that and when i normally turn on the phone, at the top left corner it says "set warranty bit kernel". I was just wondering how do i go about installing custom roms since its already rooted, and can i unblock the default carriers (T-mobile) block for other sim cards. When asked how he rooted it (what method was he using) he said he just used Odin. I dont know much about rooting so, whatever you can tell me as to the handling of the phone would be amazing. Any other guides to installing some custom roms and making the phone easier and faster ( i only want functionality, don't care much about the UI) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
luan96 said:
Hello guys. I just bought a used Samsung Galaxy J5 (SM-J500FN) with android version 5.1.1. The previous owner told me that it is rooted. Nothing seems weird with the phone other than when i try to factory reset it it takes me to a "bios" kind window where i have to manually choose to delete all data (hard delete i think its called), that and when i normally turn on the phone, at the top left corner it says "set warranty bit kernel". I was just wondering how do i go about installing custom roms since its already rooted, and can i unblock the default carriers (T-mobile) block for other sim cards. When asked how he rooted it (what method was he using) he said he just used Odin. I dont know much about rooting so, whatever you can tell me as to the handling of the phone would be amazing. Any other guides to installing some custom roms and making the phone easier and faster ( i only want functionality, don't care much about the UI) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For starters, I'd head over the J5 forum
Galaxy J5 Forums
Or here's a great post that includes a lot of stuff to get started on reading:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j5/how-to/galaxy-j5-root-twrp-roms-news-tips-t3620892
But the basics are: To flash a custom ROM, research what a custom recovery is, how to flash a custom recovery to your phone model and after that, flashing a custom ROM is as easy as loading the .zip file to your SD card and selecting it in the custom recovery.
I'd also research on how to flash to stock, as this is a life-saver in case you accidentally do something wrong. Pretty much you need to know how to flash via Odin (yes, learning how to use Odin is important to us Samsung users).
Don't worry though, it's not that big of a pain, Odin is pretty easy to learn
ShaDisNX255 said:
For starters, I'd head over the J5 forum
Galaxy J5 Forums
Or here's a great post that includes a lot of stuff to get started on reading:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j5/how-to/galaxy-j5-root-twrp-roms-news-tips-t3620892
But the basics are: To flash a custom ROM, research what a custom recovery is, how to flash a custom recovery to your phone model and after that, flashing a custom ROM is as easy as loading the .zip file to your SD card and selecting it in the custom recovery.
I'd also research on how to flash to stock, as this is a life-saver in case you accidentally do something wrong. Pretty much you need to know how to flash via Odin (yes, learning how to use Odin is important to us Samsung users).
Don't worry though, it's not that big of a pain, Odin is pretty easy to learn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I love about Samsung, as long as you have your ducks in a row, the files and tools are extremely easy to use, a 4 year old could do it.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
ShaDisNX255 said:
For starters, I'd head over the J5 forum
Galaxy J5 Forums
Or here's a great post that includes a lot of stuff to get started on reading:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j5/how-to/galaxy-j5-root-twrp-roms-news-tips-t3620892
But the basics are: To flash a custom ROM, research what a custom recovery is, how to flash a custom recovery to your phone model and after that, flashing a custom ROM is as easy as loading the .zip file to your SD card and selecting it in the custom recovery.
I'd also research on how to flash to stock, as this is a life-saver in case you accidentally do something wrong. Pretty much you need to know how to flash via Odin (yes, learning how to use Odin is important to us Samsung users).
Don't worry though, it's not that big of a pain, Odin is pretty easy to learn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, ill be sure to check them out. Although, i would like to do the entire process from the beginning (root it again myself since i have no idea what the previous owner has done) and then try to install custom roms and other cool features rooting offers. I read that the KNOX security on samsung phones can pose some problems, any thoughts on that ?
Thank you again for your response.
ShaDisNX255 said:
For starters, I'd head over the J5 forum
Galaxy J5 Forums
Or here's a great post that includes a lot of stuff to get started on reading:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j5/how-to/galaxy-j5-root-twrp-roms-news-tips-t3620892
But the basics are: To flash a custom ROM, research what a custom recovery is, how to flash a custom recovery to your phone model and after that, flashing a custom ROM is as easy as loading the .zip file to your SD card and selecting it in the custom recovery.
I'd also research on how to flash to stock, as this is a life-saver in case you accidentally do something wrong. Pretty much you need to know how to flash via Odin (yes, learning how to use Odin is important to us Samsung users).
Don't worry though, it's not that big of a pain, Odin is pretty easy to learn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, i use Linux so i hear the alternative to Odin is Heimdall, anyone have any experience with it, or should i just do it on a Windows PC?
luan96 said:
Also, i use Linux so i hear the alternative to Odin is Heimdall, anyone have any experience with it, or should i just do it on a Windows PC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got no experience with Linux, sorry. SuperSU disables knox so there's nothing to worry about.
luan96 said:
Also, i use Linux so i hear the alternative to Odin is Heimdall, anyone have any experience with it, or should i just do it on a Windows PC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're a Linux user and you have knowledge of using terminal commands then you should have no trouble setting up Hiemdall. Getting full USB functionality set up for the device in Hiemdall can be a pain if you aren't familiar with that kind of thing.
But, having a Windows PC will make a lot of things very simplified for you. A Windows/Linux dual boot system would be very handy to you if you can set that up. Then you could also use Kies/SmartSwitch if it ever comes to a point that you need it.
There are some handy rarely used instances with Linux when it comes to Samsung. They have no fastboot like other devices so only adb is usable. I think they primarily centered around Windows being the preferred OS to interact with their devices.
Droidriven said:
If you're a Linux user and you have knowledge of using terminal commands then you should have no trouble setting up Hiemdall. Getting full USB functionality set up for the device in Hiemdall can be a pain if you aren't familiar with that kind of thing.
But, having a Windows PC will make a lot of things very simplified for you. A Windows/Linux dual boot system would be very handy to you if you can set that up. Then you could also use Kies/SmartSwitch if it ever comes to a point that you need it.
There are some handy rarely used instances with Linux when it comes to Samsung. They have no fastboot like other devices so only adb is usable. I think they primarily centered around Windows being the preferred OS to interact with their devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info. I already have a dual boot on my pc with windows. I am an experienced Linux user and setting up Hiemdall should not pose a problem, but i opted to go for Windows since as you said makes things simpler.
Still looking for guides and tutorials on how exactly the root process goes. Doing research, so i guess its going to be a late night. If you have any links or pages you can guide me to for my Samsung J5 it would be amazing. Right now am looking around this forum and wherever the links lead me.
Thank you again.
luan96 said:
Thank you for the info. I already have a dual boot on my pc with windows. I am an experienced Linux user and setting up Hiemdall should not pose a problem, but i opted to go for Windows since as you said makes things simpler.
Still looking for guides and tutorials on how exactly the root process goes. Doing research, so i guess its going to be a late night. If you have any links or pages you can guide me to for my Samsung J5 it would be amazing. Right now am looking around this forum and wherever the links lead me.
Thank you again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, just to make sure that you are not walking blindly into some potential traps.
1) download the root checker app from Playstore, use it to verify whether the device is actually rooted.
2) power the device off, wait 5 seconds, hold volume up+home+power, when it boots past the logo, let go. It should boot to recovery, tell me what you see. Does it say TWRP with grey buttons on a black screen? Or does it have an android lying on his back and have options listed?
3) verify whether or not the bootloader is unlocked or not on your specific device model number with your specific build number/android version, if it's locked it will create problems if you try to flash custom recovery. Though you can flash CF autoroot with locked bootloader.
Then I'll help find what you need to do what you are looking to do. It may be simpler than you think.
If he in fact used Odin and the device is rooted, he did one of three things.
1) flashed custom recovery(TWRP) via Odin then flashed SuperSU.zip to root, not possible with locked bootloader.
2) flashed CF auto root via Odin, potentially leaving stock recovery if your bootloader is locked.
3) flashed a pre-rooted stock firmware via Odin, not likely though.
The first 2 being more likely than the last one, the second one being the most likely if your bootloader is locked.
Edit: @luan96, edited for more information.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
@Droidriven Thank you for the info. After a rough night of research i realized what i need to do. According to root checker, my phone is not rooted, and the recovery seems to be stock. This is very weird, since the phone is obviously not just the stock version that came from T Mobile. Im guessing its probably a badly done root or one that was removed. Anyways, this is how i am planing to proceed:
1. Turn on OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging from developer versions
2. Download CM Autoroot for my specific phone ( i do not know what is the difference between "normal" root and autoroot, but autoroot seems to be simpler and offers the same thing. Please correct me if i am wrong, i would love to know how to do a manual root as well if it has more benefits).
3. Volume down+home+power to get to the download screen
4. Launch Odin that comes with the autoroot package
5. Plug my phone into the USB and wait for Odin to add it.
6. Select the autoroot md5 file from the folder and begin the flashing process
7. Hope for the best and that my phone is still functional when it auto reboots.
After this i should check with Root Checker weather its properly installed or not. If it is, and i see the SuperSU application i continue to installing the custom recovery ( through some research i found out that TWRP is the best choice for me). Installing the custom recovery should be as easy as auto rooting the device. I should download the files from an official website, and flash them using the same process i did for AutoRoot.
After that its mod heaven. With my understanding so far, TWRP lets me install custom roms, and other things i might need.
This is what i plan on doing as soon as im done with a little more research. If anyone has any tips, corrections or general information on what to expect or do please share.
Many thanks to every contributor on this thread.
luan96 said:
@Droidriven Thank you for the info. After a rough night of research i realized what i need to do. According to root checker, my phone is not rooted, and the recovery seems to be stock. This is very weird, since the phone is obviously not just the stock version that came from T Mobile. Im guessing its probably a badly done root or one that was removed. Anyways, this is how i am planing to proceed:
2. Download CM Autoroot for my specific phone ( i do not know what is the difference between "normal" root and autoroot, but autoroot seems to be simpler and offers the same thing. Please correct me if i am wrong, i would love to know how to do a manual root as well if it has more benefits).
3. Volume down+home+power to get to the download screen
4. Launch Odin that comes with the autoroot package
5. Plug my phone into the USB and wait for Odin to add it.
6. Select the autoroot md5 file from the folder and begin the flashing process
7. Hope for the best and that my phone is still functional when it auto reboots.
After this i should check with Root Checker weather its properly installed or not. If it is, and i see the SuperSU application i continue to installing the custom recovery ( through some research i found out that TWRP is the best choice for me). Installing the custom recovery should be as easy as auto rooting the device. I should download the files from an official website, and flash them using the same process i did for AutoRoot.
After that its mod heaven. With my understanding so far, TWRP lets me install custom roms, and other things i might need.
This is what i plan on doing as soon as im done with a little more research. If anyone has any tips, corrections or general information on what to expect or do please share.
Many thanks to every contributor on this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend using the command line to flash the twrp instead of the GUI if you want a simple process in linux
Run a terminal as a superuser (sudo)
heimdall flash –RECOVERY filename.img
Do step 1 and 3 you gave before before doing this
Or just flash the twrp image using Odin
J500FN twrp
https://dl.twrp.me/j5nltexx/
-Hope- said:
I would recommend using the command line to flash the twrp instead of the GUI if you want a simple process in linux
Run a terminal as a superuser (sudo)
heimdall flash –RECOVERY filename.img
Do step 1 and 3 you gave before before doing this
Or just flash the twrp image using Odin
J500FN twrp
https://dl.twrp.me/j5nltexx/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to use Odin for this. Since I'm quite new to the rooting community I dont want to mess things up on the first try. I'd rather get comfortable with some standard stuff before I proceed to try different variations. Thank you for your input. Though I would still like to know if I should use cm auto root or do a manual root. The difference is not quite clear to me yet. Again, thank you for your input, it is appreciated.
luan96 said:
@Droidriven Thank you for the info. After a rough night of research i realized what i need to do. According to root checker, my phone is not rooted, and the recovery seems to be stock. This is very weird, since the phone is obviously not just the stock version that came from T Mobile. Im guessing its probably a badly done root or one that was removed. Anyways, this is how i am planing to proceed:
1. Turn on OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging from developer versions
2. Download CM Autoroot for my specific phone ( i do not know what is the difference between "normal" root and autoroot, but autoroot seems to be simpler and offers the same thing. Please correct me if i am wrong, i would love to know how to do a manual root as well if it has more benefits).
3. Volume down+home+power to get to the download screen
4. Launch Odin that comes with the autoroot package
5. Plug my phone into the USB and wait for Odin to add it.
6. Select the autoroot md5 file from the folder and begin the flashing process
7. Hope for the best and that my phone is still functional when it auto reboots.
After this i should check with Root Checker weather its properly installed or not. If it is, and i see the SuperSU application i continue to installing the custom recovery ( through some research i found out that TWRP is the best choice for me). Installing the custom recovery should be as easy as auto rooting the device. I should download the files from an official website, and flash them using the same process i did for AutoRoot.
After that its mod heaven. With my understanding so far, TWRP lets me install custom roms, and other things i might need.
This is what i plan on doing as soon as im done with a little more research. If anyone has any tips, corrections or general information on what to expect or do please share.
Many thanks to every contributor on this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing CF autoroot will simplify rooting, again, just make sure you have the correct autoroot for your specific model number and firmware, flashing the wrong one can softbrick or hardbrick your device, this would require flashing stock firmware via Odin to repair if softbricked and more serious methods to restore if hardbricked. There isn't much difference in effect with the different rooting methods. They all get the job done about equally.
Just make sure that you verify that your bootloader is in fact unlocked BEFORE you flash TWRP. As stated earlier, if it is locked, it will certainly cause issues and you'll have to restore stock recovery and/or stock firmware.
As long as your bootloader is unlocked then your outlined plan should be good to go.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Droidriven said:
Flashing CF autoroot will simplify rooting, afain, just make sure you have the correct autoroot for your specific model number and firmware, flashing the wrong one can softbrick or hardbrick your device, this would require flashing stock firmware via Odin to repair if softbricked and more serious methods to restore if hardbricked. There isn't much difference in effect with the different rooting methods. They all get the job done about equally.
Just make sure that you verify that your bootloader is in fact unlocked BEFORE you flash TWRP. As stated earlier, if it is locked, it will certainly cause issues and you'll have to restore stock recovery and/or stock firmware.
As long as you're bootloader is unlocked then your outlined plan should be good to go.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, looks like i messed up somehow. I was fiddling around the recovery mode and Odin mode. Those were the only two screens i could view besides normal booting, so i was looking for any info.
Recovery Mode https://ibb.co/hotYZ5
Odin mode 1 https://ibb.co/nFfVE5
Once on the recovery mode, i selected "reboot to bootloader" hoping to find info if its locked or not. I got redirected to this screen
Odin Mode 2 https://ibb.co/kqhtZ5
And then i did what i think is the dumbest thing this year....i removed the batery and now when i try to turn on my phone -
Blocked https://ibb.co/kkOd1k
Please tell me i did not brick my phone without even trying to root it first. My understanding is that i accidentally wiped the current OS (softbrick?) and now i have to flash a new one and then continue with what i had planned. Or is this a small problem that can be fixed easier? Or a more serious one ? Good news tho maybe, i think that the bootloader is unlocked ?
Thank you @Droidriven for your info so far, you have been extremely helpful.
*EDIT* - Pictures didnt link correctly.
luan96 said:
Well, looks like i messed up somehow. I was fiddling around the recovery mode and Odin mode. Those were the only two screens i could view besides normal booting, so i was looking for any info.
Recovery Mode https://ibb.co/hotYZ5
Odin mode 1 https://ibb.co/nFfVE5
Once on the recovery mode, i selected "reboot to bootloader" hoping to find info if its locked or not. I got redirected to this screen
Odin Mode 2 https://ibb.co/kqhtZ5
And then i did what i think is the dumbest thing this year....i removed the batery and now when i try to turn on my phone -
Blocked https://ibb.co/kkOd1k
Please tell me i did not brick my phone without even trying to root it first. My understanding is that i accidentally wiped the current OS (softbrick?) and now i have to flash a new one and then continue with what i had planned. Or is this a small problem that can be fixed easier? Or a more serious one ? Good news tho maybe, i think that the bootloader is unlocked ?
Thank you @Droidriven for your info so far, you have been extremely helpful.
*EDIT* - Pictures didnt link correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks to me like they attempted to root the device but didn't do it correctly.
FRP can be a pain to deal with. Some can be bypassed easily, those that have trouble bypassing must sign in with the original owner's original Gmail and password used to activate the device.
The method of bypassing FRP varies from device to device.
Did you factory reset in recovery? If so, that's why you FRP blocked you.
If you have stock recovery then you should not have been able to wipe out the OS using stock recovery, typically, only custom recovery can do that, unless you did something accidentally that somehow corrupted/wiped your OS.
If the OS is gone, you'll have to flash your stock firmware via Odin and start over from the beginning.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Droidriven said:
It looks to me like they attempted to root the device but didn't do it correctly.
FRP can be a pain to deal with. Some can be bypassed easily, those that have trouble bypassing must sign in with the original owner's original Gmail and password used to activate the device.
The method of bypassing FRP varies from device to device.
Did you factory reset in recovery? If so, that's why you FRP blocked you.
If you have stock recovery then you should not have been able to wipe out the OS using stock recovery, typically, only custom recovery can do that, unless you did something accidentally that somehow corrupted/wiped your OS.
If the OS is gone, you'll have to flash your stock firmware via Odin and start over from the beginning.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. At least its not just a paperweight. I'm installing new software on it with Kiesk 3 right now. Hope that works so i can do the rooting and TWRP install soon. I pressed "reboot to bootlader" to try and find out if its locked or not, but then it got me in download mode (without having to press up volume to contionue). After i turned off my phone by removing the battery, the OS was gone.
luan96 said:
Thank you. At least its not just a paperweight. I'm installing new software on it with Kiesk 3 right now. Hope that works so i can do the rooting and TWRP install soon. I pressed "reboot to bootlader" to try and find out if its locked or not, but then it got me in download mode (without having to press up volume to contionue). After i turned off my phone by removing the battery, the OS was gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get this restored with Kies?
Droidriven said:
Did you get this restored with Kies?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, i did. Worked like a charm, and even got the new 6.0.1 android on it. Also installed TWRP, and just finished installing Xposed Framework, now waiting for it to boot up ( i hear it takes some time). Seems all well so far. If any problems pop out ill be sure to post about it. Also thinking about making a new thread just to help newbies like me who really just want to remove some bloatware, and install some nice modules and not heavily mod the phone. You have been very helpful during this process. Many thanks to you ^-^ .
luan96 said:
Yes, i did. Worked like a charm, and even got the new 6.0.1 android on it. Also installed TWRP, and just finished installing Xposed Framework, now waiting for it to boot up ( i hear it takes some time). Seems all well so far. If any problems pop out ill be sure to post about it. Also thinking about making a new thread just to help newbies like me who really just want to remove some bloatware, and install some nice modules and not heavily mod the phone. You have been very helpful during this process. Many thanks to you ^-^ .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have issues with Xposed causing a bootloop, you can flash the Xposed uninstaller zip in TWRP to remove it, then troubleshoot why it bootlooped and try again.
Are you using the Touch wiz marshmallow Xposed framework?
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE

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