Database Info

[Q/Idea] TO DEVS | Another Way to Dual-Boot!?

Hello Devs!
I am unfortunately not knowing enough to do it or even to answer my question but let me explain a bit more what I know and what I want:
Currently some ASUS devices (SL101, TF101G, ...) can not be nvflashed yet as there is no support in any way.
If you now want to "dual-boot" there are two ways:
1. The annoying way
Flash the other kernel everytime you want to switch the OS
2. The risky way
Replace Recovery Kernel by the other OS' Kernel - But if something goes wrong you might not be able to recover your tablet anymore.
So I remembered times I had an HTc HD2. It was a Windows-Phone. They created a After-Bootloader-Loader (lol) called "MAGLDR" So they replaced the Windows loader by MAGLDR and invoked the windows Loader from there. Using MAG it was possible to eighter boot Android from SD, Android from NAND or Windows Mobile/Windows Phone from NAND.
So my question to you is now can eigther of the following two ways be done:
1. Mod CWM so that you can invoke the booting of another kernel out of CWM
which I would like just like a menu before CWM (Like the Menu which comes if you hit Power+Vol Down on boot (Wipe or boot android)
2. Create a Between-Loader (I call it so) like MAGLDR...
... for Android phones which can be set up to load different kernels which then just will be loaded by the Bootloader just as the android kernel and then presents a menu to the user?
I think this would be a nice possibility. Let me know what you think.

lilstevie and other folks also did a lot of work to make u-boot working on our device.
But it has problems booting android kernels as I know.
Perhaps, I'm not up2date with recent developments.. if there are any.

Use bootmanager app from playstore
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

R0M CHEF said:
Use bootmanager app from playstore
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't work on the transformer AFAIK

Yeah doesn't work. I use the 'annoying' method, but it's really not that much effort, jeez. Although I would be in support of such development, I'm not willing to mess with bootloaders and the like, as the risk of bricking poor souls is too high.

[DEAD] ClockworkMod Recovery v6.0.1.5 - OBSOLETE THREAD. SEE UPDATE.

Just stumbled upon this site from clockworkmod, which allows you to build a recovery rom for your phone using either a stock or existing recovery rom.
I built two, one using Adlx's CWM 5.0.2.8 rom, and one using the stock recovery rom.
Both appear exactly the same when flashed, however the one build on Adlx's rom is slightly larger - I've yet to find the actual differences.
I have only included the one built on Adlx's rom, as it seems to work just fine, and I'm using his graphics.c file as well as his postrecoveryboot.sh file.
The other unfortunate part is that the power button no longer acts as the select button, and the "go back" option is not available in each menu.
Instead, you use the Enter and Backspace/Delete keys to select menus and to go back. The volume keys still act as navigation up and down, as well as the directional keys.
I'm honestly not sure if there are any benefits to having a more up to date recovery rom, but I thought it would be fun to test out the builder.
At the very least, the recovery works, and seems to flash things properly - although I haven't tested it thoroughly.
I imagine if we are to fix the display issue, we will likely have to make or find a custom "graphics.c" file, as the builder allows.
I just wanted to post my results, and hopefully something good will come out of it eventually.
Here's the recovery image:
CWM 6.0.1.5 Built From Adlx
WARNING: I recommend against flashing this - although it's neat to see it working, and MOST of it is functional, it has some major issues with backups and restoring backups. Nearly bricked my phone due to this
I recommend that this only be flashed in the event that you're trying to further it's development progress.
UPDATE:
This thread is obsolete, it was entirely experimental, and failed.
There is now ClockworkMod Recovery 6.0.4.8 available: HERE (under Recovery) and HERE (this is olivier's cwm thread, although at the time of posting, the one in my cm11 thread is more recent)

kronflux said:
Just stumbled upon this site from clockworkmod, which allows you to build a recovery rom for your phone using either a stock or existing recovery rom.
I built two, one using Adlx's CWM 5.0.2.8 rom, and one using the stock recovery rom.
Both appear exactly the same when flashed, however the one build on Adlx's rom is slightly larger - I've yet to find the actual differences.
Unfortunately, it would seem that this builder can't figure out on its own how to use our screen properly, so the rom is very pink, and hard to read.
The other unfortunate part is that the power button no longer acts as the select button, and the "go back" option is not available in each menu.
Instead, you use the Enter and Backspace/Delete keys to select menus and to go back. The volume keys still act as navigation up and down, as well as the directional keys.
I'm honestly not sure if there are any benefits to having a more up to date recovery rom, but I thought it would be fun to test out the builder.
At the very least, the recovery works, and seems to flash things properly.
I imagine if we are to fix the display issue, we will likely have to make or find a custom "graphics.c" file, as the builder allows.
The other option is that someone more experienced than I, could build it from scratch, and fix these issues.
But I just wanted to post my results, and hopefully something good will come out of it eventually.
Here's the two copies I built:
CWM 6.0.1.5 Built From Stock
CWM 6.0.1.5 Built From Adlx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an issue with 6.0... It's too big :-\ and won't fit in the partition.
Lucassarran flashes one he built with my device sources (were i did a trick to allow it to build and flash, but it probably has a flaw , no off mode charge iirc.
Cool feature is Deduplication of files in nandroids backups, meaning two backups will take less space than twice one backup.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Btw, yes, graphic issue is solved by using a custom graphics.c file.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

adlx.xda said:
There's an issue with 6.0... It's too big :-\ and won't fit in the partition.
Lucassarran flashes one he built with my device sources (were i did a trick to allow it to build and flash, but it probably has a flaw , no off mode charge iirc.
Cool feature is Deduplication of files in nandroids backups, meaning two backups will take less space than twice one backup.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I built one from AOKP sources and adlx's source pretty easy too. But I'm having issues with system write, I believe. Haven't really tested it much. PM me if you want any help kronflux.

hmm. I wonder if there's a way to make it smaller..
probably by building it from source.
Any idea where I'd get the graphics.c file? or would that be something I have to make myself?

kronflux said:
hmm. I wonder if there's a way to make it smaller..
probably by building it from source.
Any idea where I'd get the graphics.c file? or would that be something I have to make myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I build it from source. When I say it's too big, and that I worked around the size issue of course I was talking about sources, not the Web builder app.
There is probably a way to make it smaller, but I didn't find it.
The graphic file can be found in my github.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Updated OP
now has graphics.c and postrecoveryboot.sh, so it looks good, and the keypad lights up

kronflux said:
Updated OP
now has graphics.c and postrecoveryboot.sh, so it looks good, and the keypad lights up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sir
can you confirm that this recovery is working on cha cha ?

PHOENIX-9 said:
sir
can you confirm that this recovery is working on cha cha ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This recovery does NOT work properly on the chacha. It was entirely experimental, and failed.
There is, however, CWM 6.0.4.8 available, you can download the latest built copy from my cm11 rom thread or from olivier's cwm thread(but at the moment, mine is more recent)
Thread has been updated.

Why so many soft bricks and recovery problems?

I've never seen a two day span where I've seen this many near bricks and recovery problems. Its starting to look like the TF300 fiasco. Did CWM screw something up recently or are all these user problems unrelated and coincidental?

elfaure said:
I've never seen a two day span where I've seen this many near bricks and recovery problems. Its starting to look like the TF300 fiasco. Did CWM screw something up recently or are all these user problems unrelated and coincidental?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is mostly user problems, but CWM can brick your device by wiping the wrong partition. TWRP has been patched and wont do this. AKA why TWRP is recommended, rather than CWM, which is a good recovery, but for our device it can cause issues. And if you read, 99% of the bricks are recovered. So the point of the bricks is nothing, it is if we can recover them or not, to which most are, which is a wonderful thing. 10 TF300s a day were bricking, this is not occurring with the TF700, so there is no fiasco happening here .
Tylor
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk HD

Most people who brick their device don't read enough. And then, when they come here with their problem, they don't write enough.

_that said:
Most people who brick their device don't read enough. And then, when they come here with their problem, they don't write enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a newbie, I may suggest that the Tylorw1 remarks could be announced on the http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30223822#post30223822 topic (regarding that it is advised to use TWRP until CWM will be patched). Because I parsed all this topics and others before starting to flash my TF700 and never seen that recommandations and the other like "do not use software launch of recovery". Those information, you can only get them on the topic you look at once you have had an issue.
I was not totally a newbie with switching to developer mode / rooting / flashing, since I began doing this on my HTC magic, continued with an HTC desire HD, then a galaxy note. Never got those hard troubles (once I had a fear, but has been able to unlock it alone with my magic).
At last, that's very good you're here to help us after our mistakes!

The problem is that there are a lot of (stupid) people who can't bloody read.

florck said:
At last, that's very good you're here to help us after our mistakes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must be honest: I fear the day _that transitions to another device. The work he put in in your case is nothing short of amazing (to me). We all have our perks and qualities, but... pfff...
On-topic: it does seem like we are having more bricks and recovery/boot problems lately. Is that a market thing? Has the 700 gone done in price, thus reaching a greater user base? (Not to my knowledge.) Are we seeing more inexperienced users now than we did at first? (That might be a likely cause.)

_that said:
Most people who brick their device don't read enough. And then, when they come here with their problem, they don't write enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well put. We have two ears and two eyes and two hands but only one mouth. Intelligent people tend to use their senses in those proportions. Only after they have mastered this can they attempt to use their brains.

MartyHulskemper said:
I must be honest: I fear the day _that transitions to another device. The work he put in in your case is nothing short of amazing (to me). We all have our perks and qualities, but... pfff...
On-topic: it does seem like we are having more bricks and recovery/boot problems lately. Is that a market thing? Has the 700 gone done in price, thus reaching a greater user base? (Not to my knowledge.) Are we seeing more inexperienced users now than we did at first? (That might be a likely cause.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to be the first to second @florck 's suggestion to top-sticky a warning about CWM with a statement that it could wipe the wrong partition and leave the user SOL (maybe not in those exact words) and for XDA to point a suggestion towards using TWRP (touch) instead as a safe alternative. At least until CWM patches this bug. This would be paramount for new users to read. I found it during my rooting research but I agree that its fairly buried.
[Edit] One thing to note is he was not using an "old" CWM, in fact it was a future developer version not even released yet?? So the masses haven't even seen this version yet. Someone should inform CWM about this before they release it, it if came from them broken. I don't think I'll ever be using their recovery after seeing what can happen.
*************************************************************************
Quote @Pretoriano80 from other thread: "CWM 6.0.5.3?The latest official version is 6.0.3.0 iirc. AFAIK this kind of brick occur when using an" old" recovery (both CWM and TWRP) with the new bootloader and is triggered when the Wipe Data option it's used."
***************************************************************************
I'm also interested in learning how his cryptographic key got messed up/deleted. I've been wondering if this could be used for a bootloader exploit to enable NVflash?
Lucky for @florck to have @_that for sure as we all are, but also lucky for him he wasn't that much of an inexperienced user that he couldn't at least access a terminal and type some commands, run an adb shell, and follow instructions. He seemed to be a pretty good student but he should have read more I agree.
I find there are three types of people. Dumb people who never learn from their mistakes, smart people who do learn from their mistakes, and then there's the wise people who learn from *other peoples* mistakes.
For me as a fairly inexperienced user getting to ride the roller coaster and see the guts of a near brick was fascinating to say the least. Its good to know about these things before you need to. Its great to know @_that if you don't. His knowledge and troubleshooting prowess is phenomenal. Rare breed indeed. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't have a mother and was beamed down.

Guys, i think you are mixing stuff here, let me explain.
1)The "wipe data/media" option in CWM
This bug can lead to a corrupted partition but it's easy to recover by installing the Stock Firmware from MicroSD with CWM recovery (yes CWM install option will still work because the staging partition is not corrupted). After the install process is complete and the tablet rebooted once you can use the Wipe Data option from the Bootloader menu, that procedure will also fix your corrupted data/media partition.
So as you can see no ADB knowledge or other skills are required in order to recover your device.
2) Using and "old" recovery version with an incompatible bootloader (both CWM and TWRP recovery)
Using the Wipe Data option from the Bootloader menu under this circumstances could lead to a bootloop to Recovery and if you don't have good ADB knowledge/skills (or if _that it's not around ) you are doomed. Anyway it seems that as long as you still have ADB you can recover from this too.
Also some users reported a hard brick under this circumstances (bootloader signature mismatch error) but there wasn't much background info from the users on the matter.
ONLY way to recover from this issue is by sending the device back to Asus and pay for repairs.
3) Regarding the missing token my understanding is that a wrong offset was used so i presume that using the correct offset you will find that the token is still there.
And even if someone could remove the token it would still be impossible to trick Asus because they already have your device's serial number on their server.
P. S: I already planned to update the AIO thread with the latest stuff /info but i've just got recovered from a knee surgery so i'm not in the mood yet.
Using
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk HD

Thanks for the very clear play-by-play problem descriptions and future resolutions of what recently happened with the one user's near brick who then witnessed the miracle of _that in action. It'll be good for CWM users if it comes up again so they can self-resolve their problem with your instructions.

[GUIDE][INFO] The beginner's info thread (aka. the noob helper)

This guide is intended to be an all-in-one resource for people coming to Samsung phones after using other devices. It is a general introduction to the S4 and a glossary/explanation of terms you may see here in the forums.
This thread is slightly out of date but the info is still good, I will be updating again soon!!! Remember to hit thanks if this was useful
Disclaimer "Just because I am trying to be helpful does not make me responsible for anything that you do to your phone. Playing with any of this stuff could destroy your phone"
The layout of this post is as follows:
Welcome
FAQ
Glossary of terms
First off, welcome to XDA
The XDA community is home to the most talented and helpful phone developers on the planet.
These developers spend lots of their free time working on making all of our phones better. You should be nice and respectful to them and follow the rules. WHY? If the statement above isn’t enough reason then think selfishly, the less time they are dealing with redundant questions, the more time they have to develop stuff for all of us!
Help them help you by following the following basic rules:
1.If you are confused or have a question, the first thing to do is READ! Read lots, look things up both on xda and using google.
2.If after searching you still have not answered your question, then post in the Q&A forum.
3.Asking for ETAs on ROMs, updates, etc. is considered rude.. DON’T DO IT!
4.Don’t report bugs to a developer unless:
a.You know 100% that it hasn’t already been reported,
b.You know how to reproduce it
c.You can get a logcat of the problem (more on this later)
Some advice if you are new to all this and don’t want to ruin your phone:
1.Be patient. Don’t be the first or even the tenth person to flash anything. Wait until you see others using whatever Rom or kernel with success.
2.If you have any doubts about what you are doing, read more. Don’t flash.
3.Make sure you are in the forum for your device, not some similar or related device.
FAQ:
Q. Is my bootloader locked?
A. Only if you have an AT&T or Verizon phone
******* Info for AT&T users *******
Q. What is LOKI?
A. Loki is an exploit for phones with locked boot loader that allows us to bypass the locked boot loader in order to install custom roms or recoveries. More Loki info down below
Q. Whats the deal with MF3?
A. MF3 is the current firmware from AT&T that comes on any new phone. Your phone may also auto update to MF3 if you are not careful. MF3 patched the ability to use Loki to install custom roms/recoveries so if you are on MF3 things are much more difficult.
Q. How can I keep my phone from updating to MF3?
A. If you want to avoid the update, you should root your phone and freeze the following three apps using titanium backup or some similar app.
1. AT&T Software update Vxx_x_xxxx_x_x
2. FWUpgrade x.x.x
3. LocalFOTA vx_xxxx_x_x​
Why flash?
by flashing your device you can make your phone act differently, look different, and enable new or disabled options. you could ,for example:
enable native tethering
enable call recording
change the look of your phone
add custom toggle buttons
overclock or undervolt
increase battery life
etc..
Kernel vs Rom vs Recovery vs Modem
Kernel is the layer between the phone hardware and the rom. it controls things like Wi-Fi power, touch sensitivity, possible range of screen brightness, phone logging, and processor max and min speed. kernel must be designed not only for your device but also for the type of rom you are using (Sammy rom or Aosp) some kernels support all roms, others are specific.
Rom is the operating system of your phone. there are three main categories of roms.
roms that are based off of the Samsung stock rom (Sammy rom)
roms that are based off of Android open source project aka AOSP (AOSP, AOKP)
roms based off of the miui project (these used to be a branch of AOSP but recently they have also used Sammy base for miui)
recovery is a partition that you can access at boot by holding down a combination of keys. (volume up and home button in the case of our sgs4) every phone has recovery stock but it doesn't do much. you can replace stock with clockwork mod recovery which is extremely useful for flashing all kinds of things and making backups before you do. There are other alternative recoveries besides clockwork but that seems to be the most common. TWRP is also gaining popularity these days. You can easily switch between recoveries and or upgrade your current recovery. All that needs to happen is for a new image to be flashed onto the recovery partition. See the rooting guide for more info on how to flash a custom recovery.
modem is a file that controls the cell radio of the phone. Helps determine what frequencies to use and settings for a particular network. It is important when flashing a radio that you flash a radio that is for the AT&T sgs4
Methods for flashing files - Odin vs mobile Odin vs. clockworkmod(cwm) vs adb
Odin is the internal Samsung tool for flashing. I believe it only exists on Windows platform. This tool is mostly used to initially flash an insecure kernel or rooted kernel, OR to return to completely stock rom.. Files for flashing in odin generally should end in .tar or .tar.md5 although sometimes they come zipped and the tar is inside the zip. Read more about Odin before using it as it can easily break your phone. !!!as a general rule make sure you never check the "partition" checkbox EVER!!!
Mobile Odin (THIS TOOL DOES NOT SUPPORT ALL S4 MODELS...make sure you check that it specifically works with yours first. I think at this time it works on your phone unless you have locked bootloader but STILL DOUBLE CHECK) is a phone based version of Odin made by the very talented developer Chainfire. It can be installed on a rooted phone and used to flash the same .tar based files as the desktop version. Mobile odin has a few advantages. 1 you can use it from your phone. 2 it can auto root a stock rom (nice if you want to try out a brand new update that has not been rooted yet)
clockworkmod(cwm) or TWRP is recovery based tool that can make backups of your entire phone, flash new roms, kernels etc.., and do many other useful tasks. Once you have this on your phone my guess is that most of your flashing will be done through this tool. The files for flashing through clockworkmod are .zip files.
ADB is the android develpment bridge. It allows for command line interface with your phone through its debugging options. ADB can do most anything as I understand it. In my several years of flashing I have only had to use it once, and i could have waited for someone to come up with another solution. In general as a noob i recommend you stay away from ADB.
open source vs Samsung base(aka Touchwiz or TW) vs miui
Open Source Roms such as AOSP/AOKP are built using Google's open source android code as a base. The developers then add functionality specific to the device. The advantages of these builds are that they often have tons of options built in to the rom that change the behavior and look of the phone. They usually allow you to change the toggles in your notification pull down, change the battery display, make all kinds of adjustments to sounds, vibration etc... Some people also prefer the "vanilla" android look and feel. These roms often provide "bleeding edge" concepts, design, and modifications. The Disadvantages of these roms is that some of the hardware coding is done closed source by the phone manufacturers, which means that things like Infrared, bluetooth, camera, video recording, and MHL video out often don't work or take much longer to get working by the developers. Basically anything that relies on the Samsung framework will not work in an open source build. This means Svoice, Snote, and the Samsung camera app will not work.
Samsung based roms (aka Touchwiz/TW) are taken from the Samsung original phone software and modified by the developer. Usually, these roms are modified in order to be faster and to make changes to some of the features. Expect to see changes to the stock rom like: debloated (ATT and samsung software removed), de-odexed (explained later), enable tethering, unlimited sms recipients, added notification toggles, etc. Most of these changes are made to: make the phone faster, improve battery life, make the phone easier to theme. The advantage of these roms is that they still use the Samsung framework so all the proprietary stuff like camera, bluetooth, MHL still work, the disadvantage is that they will never be as customisable as open source roms.
MIUI is a rom that focuses on theming. Official MIUI (Chinese) gets updated weekly on Friday and then there are lots of miui developers who adapt it to other languanges and make some tweaks to it. MIUI can be built from AOSP source or Samsung source and depending will have different features. The first MIUI rom for our phone just appeared in these forums and it is based off of AOSP. MIUI has a unique look and is also highly customizable through theming. There are tons of themes available for download through the rom itself and you can mix and match any part of any theme you want. This includes icons, lockscreen style, etc.. Some people criticize while others praise MIUI for being very "iphone like". This is because the icons look more iphone like and there is no app drawer in the MIUI launcher. However, you can still use any launcher you like within MIUI.
odexed vs de-odexed
odexed is how the phone comes stock from Samsung. Odexed means that system files and apps are split into two pieces and kept in different places on the phone. This is done to speed things up a bit. However, it makes it harder to theme the phone because the apps are split up. Most custom roms choose to de-odex (basically regroup the files back into one) so that custom themers can make themes more easily for the phone.
Flashing "dirty" vs flashing "clean"
Clean
Doing a clean install of a rom means erasing or formatting all the data from the previous rom before you flash the new one. This is the prefered way to flash a rom to ensure that it will run smoothly. It is necessary if you are switching from one rom type to another (CM to Samsung base). In order to do a clean flash you need to boot into recovery and select the following options: wipe user data (this wipes all apps and personal data, but not your photos/videos), wipe cache, advanced>wipe dalvik cache, storage/mounts>format system. This will ensure that no trace of the former rom is left on the phone. Beware that at this point your phone will not boot until you install a new rom. I suggest using titanium backup to backup apps and smsbackup+ for texts to make getting your new rom configured easy.
Dirty
Doing a dirty install means just flashing a new rom right over the top of the old one without wiping any data. The advantage to this is that you don't lose any apps or account info. The disadvantage is that you open up the possibility for problems. Generally you only want to flash this way if you are upgrading a rom (CM10 nightly to the next nightly, or from one samsung based rom to another). If you decide to flash over the top and have any issues, you should not report bugs, but try flashing clean first.
Logcat
Logcat is a way to access the android system log for everything that is going on behind the scenes. This tool is used to help developers pinpoint problems in a rom. If you want to actually be helpful to a dev when reporting a bug, you should really learn to use this tool. I am no expert on logcat but you can find some good information in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1726238
What is the Bootloader?
The bootloader is basically what it sounds like...it loads the boot image of the device. Basically it is one of the first things to run on the phone and it shows the phone where to find the boot image and how to start. The bootloader is also responsible for allowing access to the recovery part of the phone.
Locked Bootloader?
This seems to confuse a lot of users so here goes: The AT&T and Verizon versions of our phone have a locked bootloader. What does this mean? To the noob, it means that the devs had to figure out how to bypass or unlock this part of the phone in order to be able to boot custom recoveries such as CWM and TWRP. Getting a custom recovery means being able to backup the phone as well as flash custom roms. Luckily for us, Djrbliss (make sure and thank him! his thread is here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292157) figured out how to bypass the locked bootloader. The exploit he used is known as Loki. Please remember that the loki exploit is not the same thing as unlocking the bootloader, it is a bypass/trick. AT&T and Verizon have fixed the exploit that allowed loki to work in there newest firmware. Loki patch will not work for MF3 firmware or later.
Loki
refers to the exploit that allows us to run custom recoveries as well as custom roms. You only need to have a loki'd rom if you have a model with a locked bootloader (AT&T). Thankfully, you can install a custom recovery that will auto-Loki any rom you flash so that you can install almost any rom built for our model phone (see below). I strongly recommend flashing an auto loki recovery if you have a phone with locked bootloader. I use this one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2291956
Compatible Roms
you should be able to run any rom built for AT&T, TMobile, or the I9505 international model (NOT I9500!!) as long as you flash with an auto loki recovery. You can check out this thread for more info. Make sure and thank TheAxman! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2295557
You may have to manually set the APN. If you encounter problems with the rom look in that roms thread for answers.

Sticky!!

Well damn, I thought I knew a lot, but after reading this thread, I really didn't. Well done. :good:

Incredible resource for those coming in from a different ecosystem.
Thanks much!!

Thread stuck!! Nice work!

Got my new At&t Samsung Galaxy S4 and this will definitely help me!!

this is another thread that really helped me as well these two have really helped me so far i have rooted several divices and just relied on everyone else and not i am starting to take a lot more of an interest ant these threads have been the most helpful
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42055644#post42055644

WoW
Great work! I'm sure this thread will be very helpful to a lot of people (Myself included). Tanks bro! :victory:

More! More! :d

I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??

KINGDROID25 said:
I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly are you trying to do?
If you want to install a custom ROM or kernel, you need a custom recovery. The ROM or Kernel developer will have LOKI-fied it for you.
For TWRP (my custom recovery of choice) Download GooManager from the Play Store and install.
Inside the goo.im app, go to menu>Install OpenRecovery Script
then you can boot into recovery to apply kernels, ROMs, etc to your hearts desire

joeybear23 said:
What exactly are you trying to do?
If you want to install a custom ROM or kernel, you need a custom recovery. The ROM or Kernel developer will have LOKI-fied it for you.
For TWRP (my custom recovery of choice) Download GooManager from the Play Store and install.
Inside the goo.im app, go to menu>Install OpenRecovery Script
then you can boot into recovery to apply kernels, ROMs, etc to your hearts desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its tht ez just root and add custom recovery??.. The whole loki thing is what's been throwing me off
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

KINGDROID25 said:
Its tht ez just root and add custom recovery??.. The whole loki thing is what's been throwing me off
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... the difficult part is if you are a developer. They make our lives much easier.

joeybear23 said:
Yes... the difficult part is if you are a developer. They make our lives much easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx ima root tonight I jus need to get a copy of the stock firmware
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

KINGDROID25 said:
Thanx ima root tonight I jus need to get a copy of the stock firmware
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock Firmware:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
That is a HUGE download, but the process is simple.

im not a newb but i need to boost my post count lol...soooo spam

KINGDROID25 said:
I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have updated the OP to explain Loki, hope that helps :good:

Noob here first time posting I rooted my phone and installed cwm using casual method, created backup and installed mint rom love it but after a couple of post I see I didn't backup EFS should I be worried?

I'm not sure what the deal is with backing up the IMEI number on our phones yet. I have not seen anyone post about losing their IMEI yet so I wouldn't be too worried. On the s3 only the international model phones could be backed up by saving the efs folder. The backup process for AT&T phones was much more complex. I assume the same holds true on the s4. Will update when I find out more
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

I wanted to make sure Thx. Is it to late to back EFS or can I just restore my backup and do it?

Easy guide to twrp and 2nd bootloader

Hello all!
Do you want TWRP, a 2nd bootloader, and custom roms at your fingertips for your Kindle Fire HD? Well you have come to the right place! Over the past months, through trial and error, I've managed a full-proof, easy method to unlock the Kindle Fire HD's true potential. While this is aimed at 7" devices, it should work no problem on the 8.9 either - however you will have to use your head. These instructions are geared towards the 7", and you will have to realize what changes to this blueprint you personally will need to make with the 8.9.
!WARNING! WHILE THIS HAS WORKED FOR ME ON MULTIPLE DEVICES, YOU MUST FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. I PERSONALLY SUGGEST YOU FIRST BUY A SkOrPn FACTORY CABLE IN CASE ANYTHING GOES WRONG. (Although using this guide, it almost certainly will not. Still, those cables come in handy!! :good: ​
Also, I would like to point everyone to seokhun's thread on this matter, which came before my own: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2271909
BIG thanks to LinearEquation for helping maintain this thread. Trust any advice he gives; it WILL help! :thumbup:
Although our posts on this process are essentially similar, he goes far more in depth on the process, and has an excellent troubleshooting section if something here goes wrong for you and I cannot respond to your question soon enough (although if done right, that won't happen )
Ok. Lets begin!
Step One: Download Kindle Fire First Aide, an amazing tool which is only getting better: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096888
This is probably the most work-intensive step, although once you have it you'll be glad you do. You are to follow the directions on this thread and install the necessary files, and adb drivers. This is necessary for your KFHD7 to communicate with your computer properly. When finished, make sure your Kindle has ADB enabled under its device settings.
lets see if you're ready for step 2. Plug your kindle in and check your device manager. If your kindle fire shows up as "android adb interface" then you sir/ madam are ready. If not, please use the Kindle Fire First Aide (hereafter referred to as KFFA) thread to find out where you went wrong. The answer you seek will be there, I promise you.
Step Two: BACK UP ANY FILES/FOLDERS/MOVIES/ETC YOU WANT TO KEEP. STEP THREE WILL WIPE YOUR DEVICE!
Step Three: Here, we are going to use KFFA to reset our device to 7.2.3. Make sure you have transferred any backups you have made to your computer. Run KFFA and select the option that reads "Reboot the Kindle into Fastboot Mode". At the time of this posting, there are two options to do this. Try the preferred option first, and if that doesn't work, try the alternative method. Alternatively, just plug your kindle in with a fastboot/factory cable to get it into fastboot. YOUR DEVICE MUST BE IN FASTBOOT MODE FOR THE NEXT STEP
Step Four: while in fastboot mode, in KFFA, use the option "COMPLETELY RESTORE THE KFHD7 7.2.3. This will take a while, and you will be prompted at certain points to continue. I usually chose not to wipe user data at the end, as for me at least it takes forever and shouldn't be necessary.
Step Five: While still in KFFA, Disable Amazon's OTA updates with the option provided. This is important - If an update sneaks by, you will have to start from scratch!
Once KFFA says it's finished, unplug your device and hold the power button to hard-reset it. Now boot it back on. Your kindle will now be stock 7.2.3, with google play and superuser installed, along with root permissions.
Step Six: Here we go! Download the provided FireFlash11.apk, kfhd7-Freedom-boot-7.3.0.img, and kfhd7-twrp 2.4.4.0-recovery.img to your computer. Connect your KFHD7, make sure you check "allow installations of unknown applications" on your kindle's options (they will have reset thanks to KFFA, don't forget), and go to either the amazon or google play marketplace and find a file browser you can use to navigate to your download folder. Find where you placed the FireFlash11.apk, open it, and install.
Step Seven: Almost there guys! Open up your new FireFlash app. The first thing you (should) notice is that there is a warning that you have the incorrect bootloader at this moment. Check the box that says "Flash kfhd7-u-boot-prod-7.2.3.bin. scroll to the bottom of the app, where it says "execute", and press "flash, install script". Exit the program and reboot your device.
Step Eight: Now that your kindle has rebooted, open up the FireFlash app again. This time, you should see no warnings at the bootloader. If for some reason you do, STOP and retrace your steps. If you see no warnings, we're ready to install the 2nd bootloader and TWRP!! While still in FireFlash, under "boot partition" it should say "not flashed". Click on the "not flashed", and navigate to the "kfhd7-Freedom-boot-7.3.0.img" that we downloaded earlier. Check the box next to "apply stack override".
Now, under "recovery partition", again select the "not flashed" box and navigate this time to the "kfhd7-twrp 2.4.4.0-recovery.img". Once in place, check the "disable recovery auto update" box to the right. Now scroll to the bottom, to where it says "execute", and tap "Flash, install script" just like we did before with the bootloader.
Thats it! Select "reboot into recovery" from the Fireflash app if you're still in it, and if you followed the instructions and put everything where it belongs, you should wind up in TWRP after your kindle reboot (dont worry if you see the blue kindle fire logo for a minute before it enters TWRP - it's completely normal. From here you can install custom roms, wipe your cache, and most importantly MAKE BACKUPS! :laugh:
ATM I am using Hashcode's CM10.1 with the 1.5 ghz kernal, with Nova Launcher Prime and LMT launcher. It's simply amazing the difference in both speed and functionality. Hopefully, this guide got you there and now you too can enjoy a fully unlocked Amazon Kindle Fire HD!
Here is a link to the page for Hashcode's CM10.1, If you want to give it a shot I highly recommend it!! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2245335
One last note. I want to make it clear that I have not personally developed any of these tools, I've just organized them for you. The real ones you want to be thanking if this works are the developers. Thanks Devs!! :good:
​

Can u make video on youtube doing this plz thanks
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Unfortunately, I lack the recording equipment or I would do so and link it. however, I promise if you follow the instructions closely, there should be no issues. And if for some reason you run into trouble, just post the problem and I'll do my best to walk you it. I realize there are other guides out there, but in my opinion this is currently the easiest one to get you through it. Good luck friend
Sent from my cm10.1 KFJD

+1

I will finally be doing a video this weekend if no one beats me to it got Saturday off thx open system to for the written tut as I do not have a lot of free time
Sent from my Kindle Fire HD 7

How is this different from my tutorial? I see you included KFFA, but other than that, same method, and you lack the troubleshooting portion as well as only promoting Hashcode's CM10.1.

seokhun said:
How is this different from my tutorial? I see you included KFFA, but other than that, same method, and you lack the troubleshooting portion as well as only promoting Hashcode's CM10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wrote this tutorial as a newer method of achieving TWRP/2nd bootloader, as every OTA update amazon pushes out makes different root methods temporarily break/ ineffective, while this method SHOULD always remain consistent with the help of KFFA doing the rooting. However upon going back and looking over your thread again, I now realize there are quite a few similarities. I strived to simplify mine as much as possible, which is why I avoided the troubleshooting section and left explanations of the process to a minimum. As your guide is more in depth, I will edit my original post to include a link to yours as well should people want additional information/help. Please, don't look at this guide as an attempt to derail yours - rather as an attempt to simplify it even more. I apologize for not mentioning your thread in my original, that was an unfortunate oversight, and thank you for bringing it to my attention :good:

techdeisel said:
I will finally be doing a video this weekend if no one beats me to it got Saturday off thx open system to for the written tut as I do not have a lot of free time
Sent from my Kindle Fire HD 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome! Good luck on the video, if you complete it and follow these steps to do so, feel free to post a link on here and I will include it in the main thread to help people who need the visual aid to really drive the idea home

Opensystem
Brilliant!!
Had a look at your guide and thought why not...checked with Chris of KFFA about rooting KFHD 7 with 7.4.3 update, he gave me the 'fakebackup' file. Rooted with KFFA....followed EXACTLY from your step 6 to 8 and ATM doing a TWRP backup.
Fantastic job mate.
One question though. If I am going to put another ROM to KFHD7, do I need to do a full wipe (cache, factory, delvik) everytime before a flash install?
regards
fs1023

fs1023 said:
Opensystem
Brilliant!!
Had a look at your guide and thought why not...checked with Chris of KFFA about rooting KFHD 7 with 7.4.3 update, he gave me the 'fakebackup' file. Rooted with KFFA....followed EXACTLY from your step 6 to 8 and ATM doing a TWRP backup.
Fantastic job mate.
One question though. If I am going to put another ROM to KFHD7, do I need to do a full wipe (cache, factory, delvik) everytime before a flash install?
regards
fs1023
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the bottom of my thread in my signature for instructions on installing a new ROM.

fs1023 said:
Opensystem
Brilliant!!
Had a look at your guide and thought why not...checked with Chris of KFFA about rooting KFHD 7 with 7.4.3 update, he gave me the 'fakebackup' file. Rooted with KFFA....followed EXACTLY from your step 6 to 8 and ATM doing a TWRP backup.
Fantastic job mate.
One question though. If I am going to put another ROM to KFHD7, do I need to do a full wipe (cache, factory, delvik) everytime before a flash install?
regards
fs1023
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm delighted to hear that my guide helped you! And sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Seokhun seems to have managed to point you in the right direction, but in case anyone else needs an answer (or of course, you still do ) you only need to fully wipe when going from one type of Rom to another (ie: from stock Amazon to cyanogenmod). This is known as a "clean flash". Otherwise, if say you are simply upgrading cyanogenmod or whatever Rom you're on to a new update, all you really need to do is a "dirty flash" - wipe delvik/cache and you're good to go!
More info on this can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1882629
Cheers!
Sent from my Android Kindle Fire HD 7 Running Cyanogenmod 10.1

seokhun said:
Check the bottom of my thread in my signature for instructions on installing a new ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And thank you seokhun, for taking such an active role in improving my thread
Sent from my Android Kindle Fire HD 7 Running Cyanogenmod 10.1

techdeisel said:
I will finally be doing a video this weekend if no one beats me to it got Saturday off thx open system to for the written tut as I do not have a lot of free time
Sent from my Kindle Fire HD 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did u make it dude
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

Just wanted to say thanks. I followed steps 6-8 on my wife's new Kindle and all is well and running smooth.

huskyjayboy said:
Just wanted to say thanks. I followed steps 6-8 on my wife's new Kindle and all is well and running smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome glad to hear it!

Hashcode Stock OS Zips for 7" HD do not block OTA updates
Opensystem said:
awesome glad to hear it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I would post here my experience with the latest 7.4.6 Amazon update.
I placed the update on my HD7" and was able to update.
When I booted, 2nd Bootloader/LOG was gone.
I decided to try this again.
I rooted the tablet and used Fireflash to re-load 2ndbootloader using the 7.4.3 series of Hashcode files.
Once I was not able to boot up into the 7.4.6 OS because the 7.4.3 boot image is used for 2nd bootloader as I expected.
I had downloaded, the 7.4.3.zip stock OS to the sdcard originally so, it was still present locally.
I flashed the OS zip and I was back to 7.4.3.
I downloaded 7.4.6 again to the tablet and again was presented with the Bright update Kindle in "More+/Device/About".
After, the update, I was again without 2nd boot and unrooted.
Point though is the update should not occur if the zip OS was in fact blocking OTA updates.
Is the zip file supposed to have OTA blocked?
I used KFFA to block updates as a second test and once disabled with KFFA, the update is Grayed out and then once re-enabled with KFFA, the update is bright and does update.
I know a lot of people have complained about OTA happening even when blocked...
It looks like this Zip is not blocking.
I will try the LINUX rootplus to see if it blocks OTA...
Regards

galearned said:
I thought I would post here my experience with the latest 7.4.6 Amazon update.
I placed the update on my HD7" and was able to update.
When I booted, 2nd Bootloader/LOG was gone.
I decided to try this again.
I rooted the tablet and used Fireflash to re-load 2ndbootloader using the 7.4.3 series of Hashcode files.
Once I was not able to boot up into the 7.4.6 OS because the 7.4.3 boot image is used for 2nd bootloader as I expected.
I had downloaded, the 7.4.3.zip stock OS to the sdcard originally so, it was still present locally.
I flashed the OS zip and I was back to 7.4.3.
I downloaded 7.4.6 again to the tablet and again was presented with the Bright update Kindle in "More+/Device/About".
After, the update, I was again without 2nd boot and unrooted.
Point though is the update should not occur if the zip OS was in fact blocking OTA updates.
Is the zip file supposed to have OTA blocked?
I used KFFA to block updates as a second test and once disabled with KFFA, the update is Grayed out and then once re-enabled with KFFA, the update is bright and does update.
I know a lot of people have complained about OTA happening even when blocked...
It looks like this Zip is not blocking.
I will try the LINUX rootplus to see if it blocks OTA...
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you said that KFFA works, then why not keep that?
Sent from my Kindle Fire HD 7 using xda app-developers app

Hashcode Stock OS Zips for 7" HD do not block OTA updates
r3pwn said:
Well if you said that KFFA works, then why not keep that?
Sent from my Kindle Fire HD 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes: Of course, you would keep what works and in this case, KFFA works.
However a ton of people have used various other methods over the last year or two and KFFA is pretty new.
Lots of people have written in saying "why did I get an update when I am blocked?"
I was just offering a reason why.
You can find lots of pre-rooted ROMs on the forum that all say "Rooted, No ADs, and OTA blocked, Gapps, etc.".
The user takes that descriptor on faith and flashes the ROM thinking they have what they need.
In my case, I purposefully updated to 7.4.6 and needed a way to get back to an older version of Kindle OS.
I restored back to 7.3.0 then flashed Hashcode's, 7.4.3 ZIP OS.
It was there I realized I could then update to 7.4.6 which I should not have been able to do.
Just a point of information.
Another point or question is whether there is a difference between a true OTA update that takes place automatically and the case where the user downloads the update to the tablet and then selects "Update" in Device/about. I have always thought it might be nice to have an option where the OTA is blocked but, the user could still download and update manually. When the KFFA method is used to block OTA, both options are blocked.
Regards

galearned said:
Yes: Of course, you would keep what works and in this case, KFFA works.
However a ton of people have used various other methods over the last year or two and KFFA is pretty new.
Lots of people have written in saying "why did I get an update when I am blocked?"
I was just offering a reason why.
You can find lots of pre-rooted ROMs on the forum that all say "Rooted, No ADs, and OTA blocked, Gapps, etc.".
The user takes that descriptor on faith and flashes the ROM thinking they have what they need.
In my case, I purposefully updated to 7.4.6 and needed a way to get back to an older version of Kindle OS.
I restored back to 7.3.0 then flashed Hashcode's, 7.4.3 ZIP OS.
It was there I realized I could then update to 7.4.6 which I should not have been able to do.
Just a point of information.
Another point or question is whether there is a difference between a true OTA update that takes place automatically and the case where the user downloads the update to the tablet and then selects "Update" in Device/about. I have always thought it might be nice to have an option where the OTA is blocked but, the user could still download and update manually. When the KFFA method is used to block OTA, both options are blocked.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're trying to get a custom Rom, this thread is for you. If you wanted the newest Amazon update with working root, wrong thread
From the first step to the last, my guide can get you twrp and root and a set up for a new rom. No more, no less
Sent from my Android Kindle Fire HD 7 Running Cyanogenmod 10.1

galearned said:
I restored back to 7.3.0 then flashed Hashcode's, 7.4.3 ZIP OS.
It was there I realized I could then update to 7.4.6 which I should not have been able to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think Hashcode removed the OTA Scripts. He may have, but I'm not sure.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HD using xda app-developers app