Unlocking Wind-Mobilicity SGH-T959W procedure - Samsung Galaxy S (4G Model)

I decided to create a post just in case someone who has the same phone T959W not T959V, can use this summarized guide to quickly unlock their phones. It has been my first time unlocking an android phone and in this forum and I had to spend a day researching on it to make sure I do not screw up a phone that was not mine to begin with. Also I believe this post will be useful for people who can't spend as much time as me researching the appropriate threads and want to save some money by unlocking this phone themselves. I pressed thanks for all the posts that I am showing in this discussion and some suggestive tips for the problems I encountered. Teehee
These posts were really useful throughout the process of unlocking Mobilicity SGH-T959W.
For rooting Mobilicity SGH-T959W , no need of superoneclick and stay away from ROM manager:
It got stuck in the middle said something about OS upgrade encountered problem, just unplug usb cable and plug it into another port
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1956025
Information that you should know before you procede
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-T959V
Now that you have blastoff kernel, you have CWM recovery 5.x.x and that should allow you to go any ICS/JS ROM
I got Custom ROM CM9, will get AKOP later
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-T959V/Installing_CyanogenMod_9
-Remember to clear the cache and dvalik cache through advance menu in CWM recovery , although I read somewhere that putting it to factory settings can do both clear cache and clear data. I kept clean just incase.
-Also did a backup image in CWM recovery mode
And finally for unlocking:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=980157&highlight=bml3
The emulator terminal was not working for me because the bml3.bak file didn't exist for some reason, Insted get this from file nv_data.bin from efs/root/afs/settings. You can use this app OI file manager to easily copy it, also if you can't find this file you can Root explorer app.
And also the 010 hex editor is know 010 editor now, and the modified settings is Line width>custom width>set to 32 . You can then find the 8-ASCII digits on the third window panel .

FYI, you can go to Windmobile.ca, login to your account, go to Unlock phone, enter your IMEI number and get an unlock code for free directly from Wind.

Thank you for gathering all the references for rooting/updating-to-CM9/unlocking T959W in one page and for nv_data.bin tip.

free?
getochkn said:
FYI, you can go to Windmobile.ca, login to your account, go to Unlock phone, enter your IMEI number and get an unlock code for free directly from Wind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do you get it for free cause I have 3 phones on my account and all are asking for a fee to unlock them, they are all paid up.

You can use my app which is free and will work as long as your phone is rooted:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2243585

Related

[Q] A question before my first flash

I've been doing a lot of reading lately and I am finally about to flash my first ROM. Below is a list of what I've done as far as backup and prep. What I want to know is if there is anything important that I missed?
Made a nandroid backup with CWM
Backed up apps with Titanium Backup
Backed up efs directory from the phone
I have a copy of settings.db on my compuer
I have Odin 1-click on my computer
I have a jig made up just in case
Also, since I am on stock 2.1(JH7), I assume I don't need to go through the odin 1-click step, right?
Thanks in advance for your help
looks like you have everything covered except one thing (maybe): if you have an unlocked phone, check the forums to learn how to get your unlock back *before* flashing
i also put a copy of my sd card onto my computer in case something goes bad, but that's just my paranoia/ocd
and you should flash at 100% battery and reset the battery stats while flashing. you can even flash while the phone is plugged into the computer or ac outlet, so the flashing process doesn't drain from the phone battery. some ppl say this is voodoo, but i always flash at 100% and reset the battery stats while changing roms because its a convenient time to reset stats
sublimaze said:
looks like you have everything covered except one thing (maybe): if you have an unlocked phone, check the forums to learn how to get your unlock back *before* flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, thanks. I'm glad you mentioned that. I do have it unlocked and I didn't even think about it. I have to go to Thailand in a few weeks for work so I need it unlocked.
I think I remember reading that the unlock code is located in the nv_data.bin file and can be found by searching the file with a hex editor. I'll have to read a little more and play around with that before I flash.
I have been reading a lot lately, but could not find an answer to my noob question. I was just wondering if I flash an I9000 based ROM and lose my unlock or my product code gets messed up, can I just copy the original nv_data.bin file to the new ROM or will that cause me other problems. I know there are post as to how to fix this, but they are geared toward people who didn't make a backup and copying original would be much easier and quicker. Thanks.
^^^ Any help with above question?
I also have one other question. I've been poking around with Root Explorer and I see that all the sytem apps are naturally stored in /system/app folder, but I don't see the downloaded apps in there. I see what apperar to be my downloaded apps in /data/app folder. Is this where they are stored and if so, can I just copy them out and then copy them back after I flash a new ROM? If so, is there anything else I have to do with them to make them work again (like chown through adb)? I was wondering this because I have some paid apps and I don't know if they will automatically be available for download again once I sign on to the market and I don't want to lose them. Thanks for any help.

[ HowTo ] Samsung Infuse 4g Free Unlock and Root on all O/S's

Well folks,
I've managed to buy and unlock this beast in under in an hour. Very nice little device. Its an upgraded captivate, silky smooth. The cameras are both great.
I was curious so I started digging and was able to generate the unlock code very similarly to the captivate.
I've attached a little root and unlock pack.
I make no warranties as to the usefulness or that this won't brick your brand new Infuse (I kind of doubt it but whatever)
Let me know if you like it.
This uses the rage against the cage exploit for root access, and I've thrown in the unlock code extraction at the same time. NOTE: The Unlock code is provided at the end of the process. It will complete the root and superuser install and then give you an Unlock code.
I have also added an unlock only mode. It still uses rage against the cage to gain root access, but its only temporary and all utils are removed.
Props go to the guys behind Rage Against The Cage...
Required:
1. adb setup (Included all adb binaries in zip)
2. usb debug mode activated on your phone.
Settings>>Applications>>Development>>USB debugging​3. Mac, Linux, or Windows.
Instructions:
1. Grab the attached zip file.
2. Unzip
3. For root+unlock
Mac & Linux (Depending on how your system is setup, you should be able to just double-click the shell script and have it work... otherwise)
Open a Terminal window
Navigate to the directory you downloaded the file
Unzip the file if you haven't already
Go into the directory
Type: ./root.sh
Windows
If you don't have the drivers, install Samsung Kies (easiest way)
Unzip file
Go into directory where the unzipped files are
Double-click on root.bat
4. For unlock only
Follow the instructions for root, but use the unlock files instead
To unlock your phone with the provided code, pop in another provider sim card and you'll be prompted on reboot of the phone for the network code.
This is my first root and unlock post, so I hope it helps you all out.
Update 1: Original version
Update 2: I have now added Windows support.
Update 3: Added a pause to the .bat file so that you won't miss the unlock code.
Update 4: Added unlock without persistent root.
Update 5: Provide more detailed instructions
Donations
A number of people have asked where to send donations... Don't feel obligated but if you really want to...
Does the Infuse not have its own forum?
Not yet... I looked and this is the only place with Infuse posts.
submitted to portal
Its been rooted like over 3 days now.... Just use the super one-click and call it a day..... seems easier.... The infuse forum is already being created will be up later this week....
Didn't see anything on the unlock. So I combined it into a single executable script. Network unlock + root...
Use it, don't use it, its all good.
lost1 said:
Didn't see anything on the unlock. So I combined it into a single executable script. Network unlock + root...
Use it, don't use it, its all good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah all good.... did yours come network unlocked? I thought mine was, but oh wellz I still used the sgs unlocker....
It was locked to AT&T by default, now it works on everything.
Is there a Windows version for this? I am going to Buffalo (From T.O) on Tuesday and will be picking it up.
I agreed windows version maybe?
what about XP?
Windows is now supported in V2 of the zip. Just run the included "root.bat" after you unzip the file. The zip has replaced the original in the first post of the thread.
this zip is only for root,what about unlock?
SGS is ok?
It roots and gives you the unlock code.
I don't know if SGS is ok. I didn't try it. I'm guessing that its not since the data file is in a different location and the contents are organized differently then before. Certainly different than my Captivate.
SGS Unlock Does not work...
I gave SGS Unlock v2.1 a try and, as I suspected, it does not work.
Anybody tried this before? No offense to the OP but just want some confirmation before I try it on mine. Could you post a video or some kind? Thanks!
Ima try it when I get home, but I also confirm sgs unlock doesn't work. Paid or unpaid, both don't work. You root using super one-click as well but right now I want to network unlock, so hopefully when I get home.....I'll report back
thanks alot i am trying to get away from any depndancy on windows and this worked perfectly, i have done the rage against the cage method on an evo but dont remember much about it. at least now i can look at your scripts and learn from it.
Chika Da China Da Chinese Chicken?
Anyone know where it get the INFUSE Original Kernel?
I got ahead of myself, tried flashing SPeedmod kernel to get past the 3e recovery and now have a brand new phone that won't get past the boot screen.
I just need the image to load using ODIN.
Hehehehe.....oops.
I rooted and unlocked my phone with the script. Since, its hard to post a video showing the unlock since you can only unlock once, would you just like to see a video of the active phone and a sim card swap?
Otherwise, I don't believe I'm going to ask this but...
"Does anyone know how to relock a phone?"
I suppose I can post a video of the rooting process. It will show the unlock code at the end. But since root is not at issue I'm not sure that its worth it.

[Q] 100% Original Stock ROM backup before root?

Hi there,
I am new to xda and new to Android hacking.
What I wanna ask is, (I guess it's of most newbies concern as well), can we have a 100% backup of our system (stock ROM)? Obviously, it is important because:
If we perform an official (OTA) update to a new Android version. And we don't like it. It is possible to get back to the old original one which we are used to. (not everybody likes new things, and/or not every new thing is good)
If our phones are having some problems. And we have to give it back to the company for a fix. In most cases they will flash a new ROM for us. If we wanna keep using the old one (explained in #1), we have to keep a copy of it by ourselves.
If we want to try new custom ROMs, we may want to switch it back after trying.
Whenever we do any modifications, it's always better to keep a backup/roll-back point. In case anything goes wrong, we have a safeguard.
For the official warranty issue.
Yup I do see there are some official stock ROMs downloads for some particular phones. But those are not really a backup of our original ROMs. And it's always hard to verify if those downloads are the original official releases. And, if those downloads are 100% stock ROMs, this means some guys out there could make it, so what is the way to do so?
Or, how those mobile phone companies do it in their labs?
I have been doing researches on this topic for a few days. Some posts claim that their methods are "backup stock ROM" or "backup before rooting". But after digging into it, they requires rooting and/or flashing CWM. Here comes a few questions:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
In addition, I have found some related pieces. which could be useful to anyone viewing this post, and might be useful for you to solve this (my) question. :fingers-crossed:
* as I'm a new user, I can't post links directly. Please delete the blank spaces in between.
ht tp://www .modaco .com/topic/351269-backup-original-rom/
In reply #5, user C3C0 raised a method of backing up the original stock ROM without root. But it seems he is flashing CWM and that method is only for ZTE Skate.
adb backup tool of Android SDK
At the first sight i came across this approach, I thought it is the official method to do whole system (ROM) backup (WOW - how nice!). But after studying for a few more posts, I think adb backup can only backup app+app_data, and possibly some system settings only. Am I correct? And also, adb backup is only for ICS (Android 4.0), isn't it?
adb backup usage: ht tp://forum.xda-developers .com/showthread.php?t=1420351
(But mentioned in the bottom of #1 the poster is having some issues on using adb backup. Perhaps there are some bugs and not reliable(?)
One more question on adb backup: Can it backup just one app+app_data, and restore just one app+app_data, without affecting other things? If yes, we don't need to root and don't need Titanium Backup (which requires root) for backup app+app_data. Isn't it?
** In case I have said anything or any terms wrongly in this thread, please DO correct me, for helping me and helping others.
P.S. i am using LG Optimus 3D.
Thanks a lot, wholeheartedly,
midnite_
Backup phone before root
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ya,
It's so nice that you are having the same concern as I do.
As far as i know, the approaches of rooting differ from phones to phones. So we may have to find our own specific rooting method in the phone model sub-forums. It won't be hard for your popular S3
I would like to have a look at that Mr. Robinson's thread. If he can backup the stock ROM, those app+app_data wont a big issue (i guess).
cheers,
midnite_
midnite_ said:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, http://www.android.com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.
wildstang83 said:
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, ht tp://www .android .com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out ht tp://developer .android .com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: ht tp://developer .android .com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Wildstang,
Thanks very much for your warm welcome and very informative reply. So are you a Flashaholics or Crackflashers yet?
As I am a newbie, please forgive me if I am asking dumb questions.
As far as I understand,
The steps of root is
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
** does "flash a custom recovery" means "flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk"?
"Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk" is just "add SU binary to system/bin" and "add Superuser.apk to system/app". Then why not just copy them into place?
I just found on the web that "flashing" means replacing the OS of the phone with a new ROM. Would that still keeping the stock ROM?
To have a backup of the original stock ROM, can I
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
3. Perform the backup
And later, after I have flashed a new ROM, or whatever I do, as long as I didn't brick it, when I want to rollback my phone to its original, I can
1. Restore the backup
2. Delete "SU binary in system/bin" and "Superuser.apk in system/app"
3. re-lock the bootloader
Is this correct?
I don't mean to challenge you. But does adb pull \ really backup the system, or just all the files?
Thanks very much again!
midnite_
Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.
bump... midnite_ r u still around?
Hi Descent2,
Yes i am still around but i am busy with other stuffs at this moment. Thanks very much for your reply. You have studied a lot and you really did good summarisations. Very informative and I learnt a lot from it. Hope some of the masters or experienced ones would come by and bring us out of the mist
cheers,
midnite_
Descent2 said:
Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check here
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
mf2112 said:
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must unlock your bootloader then flash a custom recovery. You will then use that custom recovery to make a backup of your rom. That backup will be stored on your sd card.
Now, I have tried to help you and so have a couple other folks. You expect us to just give you answers step by step. I am sorry but this is simply not how XDA works. XDA is set up in a way which makes it for any users to find quickly what they want to know. Use the search feature on the site and you will find many answers. I tell you to go do your own research now and be proud of what you learn on your own. And if you cannot, please do not try to modify your phone further, you may just brick it if you aren't careful.
midnite_ said:
Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put in the GS3 links since the OP was using that phone. Every phone will be different so I don't think a general way or guide would be practical.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium

[Q] How to restore phone from backup made prior to ROM download

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1875914
Hi I used the above guide to root my phone and I also did the backup from recovery mode thing AND I backed my phone up with Kies on my computer beforehand. Well I messed my phone up and had to use Odin to restore it and now I'd like to see how I can restore my phone from the backup I made in recovery mode. Every time I try to backup using kies it crashes on my computer. Also, if possible, I'd like to know a way to not have to use the same app I used to back the phone up to restore it. I used an app called EZ Recovery or something like that. If someone could help with this I'd appreciate it thank you!
gamer6592 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1875914
Hi I used the above guide to root my phone and I also did the backup from recovery mode thing AND I backed my phone up with Kies on my computer beforehand. Well I messed my phone up and had to use Odin to restore it and now I'd like to see how I can restore my phone from the backup I made in recovery mode. Every time I try to backup using kies it crashes on my computer. Also, if possible, I'd like to know a way to not have to use the same app I used to back the phone up to restore it. I used an app called EZ Recovery or something like that. If someone could help with this I'd appreciate it thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So currently you are unrooted and still using the Odin factory rom? If so, the first steps are to:
1) Re-root
2) Unlock your bootloader using EZ Unlock v1.2 found here: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/32456-app-920-ez-unlock-14-easiest-way-to-unlock-your-bootloader/
3) Custom Recovery backup files are proprietary, they only will restore using the same recovery you used. For the GSIII, you have two custom recoveries to use: ClockWorkMod or TWRP. If you want to restore to your previous backup that you made using your linked guide, then EZ Recovery will be the absolute easiest to use.
Two questions:
A) Why don't you want to use EZ Recovery? It's the easiesr way to install CWM recovery and you only use it once.
B) Which recovery did you select to make a backup using EZ Recovery? Was it touch based?
3) [Edit] Disregard my question about Kies, I believe I misinterpreted what you asked.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda-developers app
SlimSnoopOS said:
So currently you are unrooted and still using the Odin factory rom? If so, the first steps are to:
1) Re-root
2) Unlock your bootloader using EZ Unlock v1.2 found here:
3) Custom Recovery backup files are proprietary, they only will restore using the same recovery you used. For the GSIII, you have two custom recoveries to use: ClockWorkMod or TWRP. If you want to restore to your previous backup that you made using your linked guide, then EZ Recovery will be the absolute easiest to use.
Two questions:
A) Why don't you want to use EZ Recovery? It's the easiesr way to install CWM recovery and you only use it once.
B) Which recovery did you select to make a backup using EZ Recovery? Was it touch based?
3) [Edit] Disregard my question about Kies, I believe I misinterpreted what you asked.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I didn't want to use EZ Recovery is because I thought it was an app that requires root, and I didn't want to root anymore because I thought that was why my phone jacked up in the first place, even though it was probably just because I'm dumb.
I did the backup as explained in that guide, as well as the one explained in the video I have posted. I didn't know if they were both necessary or if they were different types of backups or something so I did them both. Neither were touch based. The only thing that was touch based was when I touched the part in the apps to go into the recovery mode that I used to backup my phone. One just said to click on "backup" the other tutorial said click on "backup to ext sd card" so I did both. Both were initiated through the recovery mode thing though where you use the volume buttons and the power button. Thank you for the help!
Edit: I realized I can't link so if you go to "that place where you broadcast yourself" and after it says "watch?" And "v [equals]" in the link, paste the following: cgvEYCXHy7k&sns=em
(Sorry I deleted the link and it still kept saying I had a link in here I didn't know what was triggering it. Lol)
gamer6592 said:
The reason I didn't want to use EZ Recovery is because I thought it was an app that requires root, and I didn't want to root anymore because I thought that was why my phone jacked up in the first place, even though it was probably just because I'm dumb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you want to restore to that exact ClockWorkMod (CWM) backup, you do in fact need to be rooted. Even if you don't want to do anything else.
Just reboot into recovery using EZ Recovery, select "Backup and restore," then restore your backup. It's relatively easy honestly.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
SlimSnoopOS said:
Well if you want to restore to that exact ClockWorkMod (CWM) backup, you do in fact need to be rooted. Even if you don't want to do anything else.
Just reboot into recovery using EZ Recovery, select "Backup and restore," then restore your backup. It's relatively easy honestly.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SlimSnoopOS said:
Well if you want to restore to that exact ClockWorkMod (CWM) backup, you do in fact need to be rooted. Even if you don't want to do anything else.
Just reboot into recovery using EZ Recovery, select "Backup and restore," then restore your backup. It's relatively easy honestly.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks I'll do that. I suppose it can't hurt to do it again. If it does I'll just have to restore my phone yet again. Couple questions though:
1: Is my phone any different right now since I used that Odin thing? I honestly didn't know what it was. I just looked up how to unbrick your phone because I tried downloading jelly bean and I got that software not authorized by verizon message so I followed another youtube video's tutorial and they said download that app and do a bunch of other stuff with it.
2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1840414
In this thread, his first link (Titled "this page") has a bunch of things called nightlies. Wtf are those? Just a crap load of re-issued versions of the same software (jelly bean)? Are they all from trusted developers or could anybody post one there? Should I take any precautions in making sure I don't get a messed up version/virus? I would assume in that video I referenced, the two downloads he was talking about were just the top/newest "nightly" in that link and the other download he was talking about (GAPPS or Google Apps) is the second one from the top in that other link, right? The one that says it's for Android Version 4.1.x?
3: In that first link I sent you, the guide to rooting, at the bottom it says that rooting and bootloader unlocking are completely finished but the reason everyone says they think my phone messed up and gave me the unauthorized software message was because I didn't unlock my bootloader. There is a second link in the jelly bean download guide for downloading a different boot unlocker. Is that the one I should be downloading? Should I do that on top of everything else I did in that rooting guide?
4 (last question I promise): Also, in that bootloader unlocker he said I should really "know what I'm doing" if I am running windows because it was intended for Mac and Linux. I run windows and I really don't want to run linux or Ubuntu or anything and i don't have a Mac. I haven't actually downloaded or tried to run the BL unlocker yet but I mean is it really that hard to use on Windows? I know it may sound quite hard to believe because of how much of an idiot I sound like when it comes to rooting and crap but I really AM, at least in my opinion, quite good with computers. At the very least as far as fundamentals go. But yeah when it comes to programming and all this stuff, I'm as dumb as a rock. But what does "know what I'm doing" mean? Is the BL Unlocker you linked to different? Should I just use yours?
Thanks man you're the ****.
gamer6592 said:
Okay thanks I'll do that. I suppose it can't hurt to do it again. If it does I'll just have to restore my phone yet again. Couple questions though:
1: Is my phone any different right now since I used that Odin thing? I honestly didn't know what it was. I just looked up how to unbrick your phone because I tried downloading jelly bean and I got that software not authorized by verizon message so I followed another youtube video's tutorial and they said download that app and do a bunch of other stuff with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whenever you use Odin, it's primarily to return to stock or flash a modified image to your Samsung device. In essence what you want to only use Odin for, is to return to the way you purchased your phone: fresh out of the box. You "should" be on a stock image if that's what resolved your previous issue which led to you creating this thread. In all honesty, I'm amazed that you fixed your phone via youtube. Going forward, all that you need to know about the Verizon GSIII is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709
Stick to using XDA for now.
2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1840414
In this thread, his first link (Titled "this page") has a bunch of things called nightlies. Wtf are those? Just a crap load of re-issued versions of the same software (jelly bean)? Are they all from trusted developers or could anybody post one there? Should I take any precautions in making sure I don't get a messed up version/virus? I would assume in that video I referenced, the two downloads he was talking about were just the top/newest "nightly" in that link and the other download he was talking about (GAPPS or Google Apps) is the second one from the top in that other link, right? The one that says it's for Android Version 4.1.x?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nightlies = a new version of that rom is updated each night. Some things may break, some things may be fixed but from nightly to nightly, there are new things introduced and new things broken. A nightly is essentially a prolonged "beta" of the overall rom. You can update from one nightly to another or even choose to update weekly if that works best for you, it's all about choice. Now in regards to CM10, CM10 = CyanogenMod10. This is the most popular Android rom and is supported on the most amount of Android phones. The [OFFICIAL] Verizon GSIII CM10 rom is one rom that is pulling software and improvements that are being worked on hourly by the "lead" or primary CyanogenMod team. If that doesn't make sense, the Verizon GSIII version of CM10 is one branch from the giant, ever growing tree that is CyanogenMod.
The "OP" or original post is the very first post, on the first page of any thread. It is also labeled #1. So, the OP of your thread would be your initial post which I responded to. When reading rom threads, the OP is where all the primary information and download links are. People will use this term all the time. I'm just dropping knowledge on this for future reference.
Usually, developers or respected developers have that title just below their name. For example, look at my name and it does not say "recognized developer." This is a title granted by the awesome people that run XDA to people who apply for this title. If accepted, this is a label that informs new users that this is someone of knowledge. Now, if someone doesn't have this title, then this does not mean they did not develop said rom or that they do not know what they're doing. Anyone can be a developer, but just know that there are people here who will easily put you in your place if you pretend to be one.
The thing about XDA is, you download anything and everything at your own risk. By modifying your phone software, you and you alone voided your warranty and accept this. Now, to answer your question. The OP in any thread that is in the Development or Original Development section is supposed to be a "true and reliable" link. If there were ever a virus or malware posted in the Development section, this is unquestionably a website that will remove it. For any and every phone that has a forum on XDA, there are moderators (or mods) who patrol and work for XDA to keep this place awesome, concise, and welcoming to new and old users alike. If you look at any given world/regional/carrier phone, there are a team of moderators who govern those entire threads. Sure, someone can post a spam link at any time but you should feel relatively safe knowing that there are people in place to control for those things. Now, if you see links ANYWHERE else, then I don't suggest downloading it unless you see others have done so as well and provided significant feedback as well.
This is by no means a rule but if a thread has over maybe 30 pages, then it's something that many others have used. Read a few pages if you have any doubts. The most recent posts about the rom are always at the end of the thread. The CM10 link that you posted has over 600 pages...it's trusted lol. The nicest way to say this is...the most popular roms may be the threads with the most pages.
Also, stick to downloading roms from XDA or Rootzwiki and download only what you feel comfortable with downloading to your phone. You mentioned a youtube video earlier, disregard it and refer to DroidStyle's Guide that I linked after your first question. Rooting may not be for you and that is perfectly fine because this is a hobby. As you can tell, there's a LOT to learn and I've barely scratched the surface.
3: In that first link I sent you, the guide to rooting, at the bottom it says that rooting and bootloader unlocking are completely finished but the reason everyone says they think my phone messed up and gave me the unauthorized software message was because I didn't unlock my bootloader. There is a second link in the jelly bean download guide for downloading a different boot unlocker. Is that the one I should be downloading? Should I do that on top of everything else I did in that rooting guide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To properly unlock the bootloader on the GSIII, you need to be rooted first then you need to download EZ Recovery v1.2. I provided and labeled that in a prior post. The "unauthorized software" message occurred because you (I am assuming btw) watched that youtube video from July which predates when our bootloader was officially unlocked (August) and followed its instructions. Since our bootloader was unlocked on August 15, 2012: you must be rooted and unlocked prior to flashing roms or kernels.
You can use that thread to root BUT for the sake of helping you, just download EZ Unlock v1.2 (bootloader unlock tool) that I linked to on Rootzwiki.
4 (last question I promise): Also, in that bootloader unlocker he said I should really "know what I'm doing" if I am running windows because it was intended for Mac and Linux. I run windows and I really don't want to run linux or Ubuntu or anything and i don't have a Mac. I haven't actually downloaded or tried to run the BL unlocker yet but I mean is it really that hard to use on Windows? I know it may sound quite hard to believe because of how much of an idiot I sound like when it comes to rooting and crap but I really AM, at least in my opinion, quite good with computers. At the very least as far as fundamentals go. But yeah when it comes to programming and all this stuff, I'm as dumb as a rock. But what does "know what I'm doing" mean? Is the BL Unlocker you linked to different? Should I just use yours?
Thanks man you're the ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I do not want to confuse you further, the only bootloader unlock tool you need to know of is EZ Unlock v1.2 which is located on Rootzwiki. If you rooted with your laptop, just install EZ Unlock v1.2 and press "Unlock." You only need to do this one time and can uninstall the app afterwards.
To restore your CWM backup, you need to:
1) Root
2) Unlock via EZ Unlock v1.2
3) Install CWM using EZ Recovery
4) Reboot into recovery
5) Restore your backup in CWM recovery
6) Enjoy your backiup predating the triangle warning "Unauthorized software on this device" incident
Did I cover everything? haha
SlimSnoopOS said:
Whenever you use Odin, it's primarily to return to stock or flash a modified image to your Samsung device. In essence what you want to only use Odin for, is to return to the way you purchased your phone: fresh out of the box. You "should" be on a stock image if that's what resolved your previous issue which led to you creating this thread. In all honesty, I'm amazed that you fixed your phone via youtube. Going forward, all that you need to know about the Verizon GSIII is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709
Stick to using XDA for now.
Nightlies = a new version of that rom is updated each night. Some things may break, some things may be fixed but from nightly to nightly, there are new things introduced and new things broken. A nightly is essentially a prolonged "beta" of the overall rom. You can update from one nightly to another or even choose to update weekly if that works best for you, it's all about choice. Now in regards to CM10, CM10 = CyanogenMod10. This is the most popular Android rom and is supported on the most amount of Android phones. The [OFFICIAL] Verizon GSIII CM10 rom is one rom that is pulling software and improvements that are being worked on hourly by the "lead" or primary CyanogenMod team. If that doesn't make sense, the Verizon GSIII version of CM10 is one branch from the giant, ever growing tree that is CyanogenMod.
The "OP" or original post is the very first post, on the first page of any thread. It is also labeled #1. So, the OP of your thread would be your initial post which I responded to. When reading rom threads, the OP is where all the primary information and download links are. People will use this term all the time. I'm just dropping knowledge on this for future reference.
Usually, developers or respected developers have that title just below their name. For example, look at my name and it does not say "recognized developer." This is a title granted by the awesome people that run XDA to people who apply for this title. If accepted, this is a label that informs new users that this is someone of knowledge. Now, if someone doesn't have this title, then this does not mean they did not develop said rom or that they do not know what they're doing. Anyone can be a developer, but just know that there are people here who will easily put you in your place if you pretend to be one.
The thing about XDA is, you download anything and everything at your own risk. By modifying your phone software, you and you alone voided your warranty and accept this. Now, to answer your question. The OP in any thread that is in the Development or Original Development section is supposed to be a "true and reliable" link. If there were ever a virus or malware posted in the Development section, this is unquestionably a website that will remove it. For any and every phone that has a forum on XDA, there are moderators (or mods) who patrol and work for XDA to keep this place awesome, concise, and welcoming to new and old users alike. If you look at any given world/regional/carrier phone, there are a team of moderators who govern those entire threads. Sure, someone can post a spam link at any time but you should feel relatively safe knowing that there are people in place to control for those things. Now, if you see links ANYWHERE else, then I don't suggest downloading it unless you see others have done so as well and provided significant feedback as well.
This is by no means a rule but if a thread has over maybe 30 pages, then it's something that many others have used. Read a few pages if you have any doubts. The most recent posts about the rom are always at the end of the thread. The CM10 link that you posted has over 600 pages...it's trusted lol. The nicest way to say this is...the most popular roms may be the threads with the most pages.
Also, stick to downloading roms from XDA or Rootzwiki and download only what you feel comfortable with downloading to your phone. You mentioned a youtube video earlier, disregard it and refer to DroidStyle's Guide that I linked after your first question. Rooting may not be for you and that is perfectly fine because this is a hobby. As you can tell, there's a LOT to learn and I've barely scratched the surface.
To properly unlock the bootloader on the GSIII, you need to be rooted first then you need to download EZ Recovery v1.2. I provided and labeled that in a prior post. The "unauthorized software" message occurred because you (I am assuming btw) watched that youtube video from July which predates when our bootloader was officially unlocked (August) and followed its instructions. Since our bootloader was unlocked on August 15, 2012: you must be rooted and unlocked prior to flashing roms or kernels.
You can use that thread to root BUT for the sake of helping you, just download EZ Unlock v1.2 (bootloader unlock tool) that I linked to on Rootzwiki.
Because I do not want to confuse you further, the only bootloader unlock tool you need to know of is EZ Unlock v1.2 which is located on Rootzwiki. If you rooted with your laptop, just install EZ Unlock v1.2 and press "Unlock." You only need to do this one time and can uninstall the app afterwards.
To restore your CWM backup, you need to:
1) Root
2) Unlock via EZ Unlock v1.2
3) Install CWM using EZ Recovery
4) Reboot into recovery
5) Restore your backup in CWM recovery
6) Enjoy your backiup predating the triangle warning "Unauthorized software on this device" incident
Did I cover everything? haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. PERFECT. Last couple loose ends though.
1: Will the restore take me to the last time I did all this recovery mode backup crap? The main reason I'm concerned about all this is because I have a game I've put hundreds of hours into that I'm trying to recover my progress on. I'd like it though if when I do restore, I still remain rooted because once I retrieve my game I'd like to try once more to get JB.
2: Is there a way, if my recovery is successful, to get Jelly Bean and THEN recover all this?
Yet again, you rock man. Lol Thanks
Edit: I restored anyways and THANK GOD found that my game save data was still intact. Everything is exactly the way I had it, with root and everything. So NOW my only questions are:
1: Since i rooted my phone the way in the guide I linked to the first time and then the second time I did it the way your guide link said, but the restore was made from the first time I rooted, is that restore I just did from your guide completely gone and now my phone is 100% back to as if I hadn't done anything else after rooting it my way yesterday? If so, should I root my phone yet again except doing it the way your guide said to again because apparently the first way I did it from my guide is what messed my phone up initially, right? So what should I do? Just download EZ-Unlock and keep my phone like it is or start all the way over with your method?
2: Since it was possible to retrieve my game save data with my previous root, do you think if I root again successfully or w/e I need to do and then get Jelly Bean, that my save data and stuff will transfer over as is to Jelly Bean also?
gamer6592 said:
2: Is there a way, if my recovery is successful, to get Jelly Bean and THEN recover all this?
Yet again, you rock man. Lol Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you just restored using CWM correct? First step would be to download "titanium backup" via the Play Store and now you can back up app data (don't do system data) so that when you wipe/flash roms you can restore that app data. Last time I used the free version (a year ago) the free version did app backups/restore but app restores were one at a time and you have to tap install for each app. The paid version (proud paid user here!) does app restore without you having to press "install" for each app you're restoring. There are other app backup utilities but this is likely the most popular and most powerful. You will have to manually recreate your homescreen layout.
Step 2 would be to download a rom, boot into recovery, factory reset then wipe dalvik cache, then flash your rom. Once the rom boots up and you've signed into Gmail, re-download Titanium Backup and restore your apps.
If you were to try this of course.
Edit: I restored anyways and THANK GOD found that my game save data was still intact. Everything is exactly the way I had it, with root and everything. So NOW my only questions are:
1: Since i rooted my phone the way in the guide I linked to the first time and then the second time I did it the way your guide link said, but the restore was made from the first time I rooted, is that restore I just did from your guide completely gone and now my phone is 100% back to as if I hadn't done anything else after rooting it my way yesterday? If so, should I root my phone yet again except doing it the way your guide said to again because apparently the first way I did it from my guide is what messed my phone up initially, right? So what should I do? Just download EZ-Unlock and keep my phone like it is or start all the way over with your method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just did a restore via CWM, you're still rooted. Have any doubts? Download "Root Checker" from the Play Store and it will tell you if you're rooted. Your CWM backup is already rooted, you need to be rooted to install a custom recovery so you're set. The CWM restore file is actually located on sdcard/ClockWorkMod/Backup (or something to that effect) and onside should be a file name that contains "1970" and resembles a calendar date. The date is wrong, unfortunately that's just how recovery is. I'm not sure how to rename CWM backups because doing so incorrectly changes the file integrity and will cause your CWM restore to fail should you try restoring it. Your CWM restore file does not delete itself once you use it, it continues to take up space and sits there until you need it or you delete it using CWM.
What messed you up the first time was the fact that you didn't unlock your bootloader before flashing CM10. There's nothing wrong with the CWM backup that you have. Do you have just the one CWM backup or two?
TWRP recovery allows you to name backups but I wouldn't get into that until you're more familiar with CWM and the flashing process.
2: Since it was possible to retrieve my game save data with my previous root, do you think if I root again successfully or w/e I need to do and then get Jelly Bean, that my save data and stuff will transfer over as is to Jelly Bean also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely do and you don't need to root again btw.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
SlimSnoopOS said:
Whenever you use Odin, it's primarily to return to stock or flash a modified image to your Samsung device. In essence what you want to only use Odin for, is to return to the way you purchased your phone: fresh out of the box. You "should" be on a stock image if that's what resolved your previous issue which led to you creating this thread. In all honesty, I'm amazed that you fixed your phone via youtube. Going forward, all that you need to know about the Verizon GSIII is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709
Stick to using XDA for now.
Nightlies = a new version of that rom is updated each night. Some things may break, some things may be fixed but from nightly to nightly, there are new things introduced and new things broken. A nightly is essentially a prolonged "beta" of the overall rom. You can update from one nightly to another or even choose to update weekly if that works best for you, it's all about choice. Now in regards to CM10, CM10 = CyanogenMod10. This is the most popular Android rom and is supported on the most amount of Android phones. The [OFFICIAL] Verizon GSIII CM10 rom is one rom that is pulling software and improvements that are being worked on hourly by the "lead" or primary CyanogenMod team. If that doesn't make sense, the Verizon GSIII version of CM10 is one branch from the giant, ever growing tree that is CyanogenMod.
The "OP" or original post is the very first post, on the first page of any thread. It is also labeled #1. So, the OP of your thread would be your initial post which I responded to. When reading rom threads, the OP is where all the primary information and download links are. People will use this term all the time. I'm just dropping knowledge on this for future reference.
Usually, developers or respected developers have that title just below their name. For example, look at my name and it does not say "recognized developer." This is a title granted by the awesome people that run XDA to people who apply for this title. If accepted, this is a label that informs new users that this is someone of knowledge. Now, if someone doesn't have this title, then this does not mean they did not develop said rom or that they do not know what they're doing. Anyone can be a developer, but just know that there are people here who will easily put you in your place if you pretend to be one.
The thing about XDA is, you download anything and everything at your own risk. By modifying your phone software, you and you alone voided your warranty and accept this. Now, to answer your question. The OP in any thread that is in the Development or Original Development section is supposed to be a "true and reliable" link. If there were ever a virus or malware posted in the Development section, this is unquestionably a website that will remove it. For any and every phone that has a forum on XDA, there are moderators (or mods) who patrol and work for XDA to keep this place awesome, concise, and welcoming to new and old users alike. If you look at any given world/regional/carrier phone, there are a team of moderators who govern those entire threads. Sure, someone can post a spam link at any time but you should feel relatively safe knowing that there are people in place to control for those things. Now, if you see links ANYWHERE else, then I don't suggest downloading it unless you see others have done so as well and provided significant feedback as well.
This is by no means a rule but if a thread has over maybe 30 pages, then it's something that many others have used. Read a few pages if you have any doubts. The most recent posts about the rom are always at the end of the thread. The CM10 link that you posted has over 600 pages...it's trusted lol. The nicest way to say this is...the most popular roms may be the threads with the most pages.
Also, stick to downloading roms from XDA or Rootzwiki and download only what you feel comfortable with downloading to your phone. You mentioned a youtube video earlier, disregard it and refer to DroidStyle's Guide that I linked after your first question. Rooting may not be for you and that is perfectly fine because this is a hobby. As you can tell, there's a LOT to learn and I've barely scratched the surface.
To properly unlock the bootloader on the GSIII, you need to be rooted first then you need to download EZ Recovery v1.2. I provided and labeled that in a prior post. The "unauthorized software" message occurred because you (I am assuming btw) watched that youtube video from July which predates when our bootloader was officially unlocked (August) and followed its instructions. Since our bootloader was unlocked on August 15, 2012: you must be rooted and unlocked prior to flashing roms or kernels.
You can use that thread to root BUT for the sake of helping you, just download EZ Unlock v1.2 (bootloader unlock tool) that I linked to on Rootzwiki.
Because I do not want to confuse you further, the only bootloader unlock tool you need to know of is EZ Unlock v1.2 which is located on Rootzwiki. If you rooted with your laptop, just install EZ Unlock v1.2 and press "Unlock." You only need to do this one time and can uninstall the app afterwards.
To restore your CWM backup, you need to:
1) Root
2) Unlock via EZ Unlock v1.2
3) Install CWM using EZ Recovery
4) Reboot into recovery
5) Restore your backup in CWM recovery
6) Enjoy your backiup predating the triangle warning "Unauthorized software on this device" incident
Did I cover everything? haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay awesome. Haha. Perfect. I am wanting to try doing jelly bean again. I'm kinda lost though. That guide doesn't explain ****. So I go to that nightlies page and just download the top one, right? And then download the second from top GAPPS thing in that other link? I download them i.e throw them on my phone or ext SD card from my computer, right? If I do this I'd like to make another backup on my phone because I've even gotten more data on it since I just recovered my backup, but I don't want to have 2 backups just sitting there using up so much memory. How do I delete the old one and replace it with a new and more current one? Will anything mess up if I delete the old one? Also, I made both backups, the "backup" option one from the recovery mode screen, as well as the "backup to external SD card" option one from the same screen so I'd like to delete them both and just make a new one.
When I installed that app and just simply clicked the unlock button, that unlocked my bootloader, right? I keep hearing the word unlock so I can't help but feel like there's multiple things I need to be "unlocking."
So at this point, other than doing a fresher backup, the only thing I have to do is download the top nightly thing or w/e and that GAPPS thing to my computer, then drag them to the folder for either my internal memory or my EXT SD card? Then what do I do? I know I have to execute them from that recovery mode thing but which app do I use to enter recovery mode? Does it matter?
EDIT: Also, I downloaded and bought Titanium Backup and this thing is like trying to learn a foreign language. Wtf am I even supposed to be doing with it? Lol.
gamer6592 said:
Okay awesome. Haha. Perfect. I am wanting to try doing jelly bean again. I'm kinda lost though. That guide doesn't explain ****. So I go to that nightlies page and just download the top one, right? And then download the second from top GAPPS thing in that other link? I download them i.e throw them on my phone or ext SD card from my computer, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aight, my question to you is do you like TouchWiz? Because any AOSP rom (CyanogenMod, AOKP, Codename Android, etc.) will basically have the interface/UI of a Google Galaxy Nexus or a Nexus 4. It will not have anything Samsung related. Is this ok? If so, read on.
GApps = Google apps. When you see the GApps page, there should be a few dozen to choose from.
You have the proper steps. Once you download the AOSP rom and respective GApps, move these two zips outside of any folder on either your internal or external sd card. I'm going to stop here and tell you to backup your IMEI, which you only need to do this one time. Everything you need to know is described in this thread. Backup your IMEI:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
If I do this I'd like to make another backup on my phone because I've even gotten more data on it since I just recovered my backup, but I don't want to have 2 backups just sitting there using up so much memory. How do I delete the old one and replace it with a new and more current one? Will anything mess up if I delete the old one? Also, I made both backups, the "backup" option one from the recovery mode screen, as well as the "backup to external SD card" option one from the same screen so I'd like to delete them both and just make a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, nothing messes up. Just boot into CWM, go to "backup and restore," and delete the previous backups. Once it deletes them, select the option for "Free up space" for your internal sd card, then do this once more for your external sd card if you deleted backups. Now, make a new backup. I suggest keeping at least an old CWM backup or this new CWM from today on a computer in case of unforeseen issues down the road. This file will still be incomprehensible in the sense that the date on the zip is from 1970 and is off by at least 2-3 months.
When I installed that app and just simply clicked the unlock button, that unlocked my bootloader, right? I keep hearing the word unlock so I can't help but feel like there's multiple things I need to be "unlocking."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. It doesn't do anything more once you've selected "unlock." It serves one function, to unlock your bootloader.
So at this point, other than doing a newerbackup, the only thing I have to do is download the top nightly thing or w/e and that GAPPS thing to my computer, then drag them to the folder for either my internal memory or my EXT SD card? Then what do I do? I know I have to execute them from that recovery mode thing but which app do I use to enter recovery mode? Does it matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but first I need you to backup your IMEI. Once you've successfully done this, I or someone else will tell you how to wipe/install your first rom.
EDIT: Also, I downloaded and bought Titanium Backup and this thing is like trying to learn a foreign language. Wtf am I even supposed to be doing with it? Lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To backup app data
1) Open Titanium Backup
2)Tap "Backup/Restore"
3) Tap "Click to edit filters." Make sure "Filter by status" is set to "All", make sure "Filter by type" is set to "User" only. Press the green check mark on the upper right corner. What this does is filter the apps that show and limits them to just the user apps: apps that you downloaded and apps that came with the phone.
4) You should see a list of your apps now. Right? Good, now tap the grey checkmark on the top right then on this new screen tap "Run" for "Backup all user apps."
5) This new list of apps should have checkmarks next to them. Uncheck whichever apps that you do not want to backup. I usually Uncheck Google Apps because that data is backed up to the cloud. Everything checked will be backed up, tap the green checkmark to begin your backup and you're done.
To restore apps, do Step 3 but instead select "backed up" for "Filter by Status" and select "Uninstalled" for "Filter by type." Then for Step 4, scroll down and tap "Run" for "Restore missing apps with data." I strongly suggest only restoring just that one game's data and maybe a few apps to minimize any issues that will occur once you use the rom.
**This does not backup texts nor phone calls.
Most importantly, only download roms to your phone if it states: d2vzw or SCH-i535. This is our device's model name.
SlimSnoopOS said:
Aight, my question to you is do you like TouchWiz? Because any AOSP rom (CyanogenMod, AOKP, Codename Android, etc.) will basically have the interface/UI of a Google Galaxy Nexus or a Nexus 4. It will not have anything Samsung related. Is this ok? If so, read on.
GApps = Google apps. When you see the GApps page, there should be a few dozen to choose from.
You have the proper steps. Once you download the AOSP rom and respective GApps, move these two zips outside of any folder on either your internal or external sd card. I'm going to stop here and tell you to backup your IMEI, which you only need to do this one time. Everything you need to know is described in this thread. Backup your IMEI:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
Nope, nothing messes up. Just boot into CWM, go to "backup and restore," and delete the previous backups. Once it deletes them, select the option for "Free up space" for your internal sd card, then do this once more for your external sd card if you deleted backups. Now, make a new backup. I suggest keeping at least an old CWM backup or this new CWM from today on a computer in case of unforeseen issues down the road. This file will still be incomprehensible in the sense that the date on the zip is from 1970 and is off by at least 2-3 months.
Correct. It doesn't do anything more once you've selected "unlock." It serves one function, to unlock your bootloader.
Yes, but first I need you to backup your IMEI. Once you've successfully done this, I or someone else will tell you how to wipe/install your first rom.
To backup app data
1) Open Titanium Backup
2)Tap "Backup/Restore"
3) Tap "Click to edit filters." Make sure "Filter by status" is set to "All", make sure "Filter by type" is set to "User" only. Press the green check mark on the upper right corner. What this does is filter the apps that show and limits them to just the user apps: apps that you downloaded and apps that came with the phone.
4) You should see a list of your apps now. Right? Good, now tap the grey checkmark on the top right then on this new screen tap "Run" for "Backup all user apps."
5) This new list of apps should have checkmarks next to them. Uncheck whichever apps that you do not want to backup. I usually Uncheck Google Apps because that data is backed up to the cloud. Everything checked will be backed up, tap the green checkmark to begin your backup and you're done.
To restore apps, do Step 3 but instead select "backed up" for "Filter by Status" and select "Uninstalled" for "Filter by type." Then for Step 4, scroll down and tap "Run" for "Restore missing apps with data." I strongly suggest only restoring just that one game's data and maybe a few apps to minimize any issues that will occur once you use the rom.
**This does not backup texts nor phone calls.
Most importantly, only download roms to your phone if it states: d2vzw or SCH-i535. This is our device's model name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gosh this is a pain in my ass... I've been working on this ALL DAY. Kid you not.
I finally just figured out how to do everything with downloading that ADB crap and I am doing part B (SynergyROM's "Plan B" manual backup). I am really worried because I have a slight problem... Now whenever I boot into recovery mode (holding volume up+home+power) it doesn't look the same as when it did the previous times i had to boot into recovery. The options are completely different and there isn't one for "install zip from sd card". Following is a description of what it says/how it looks now:
(it says the following in blue letters)
"ANDROID SYSTEM RECOVERY <3e>
Volume up/down to move highlight;
power button to select.
reboot system now
apply update from external storage
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply update from cache"
____________________________________________________________
(then it says the following in yellow letters)
# manual mode #
-- Applying Multi-CSC...
Applied the CSC-code : VZW
Successfully applied multi-CSC
And it has that picture of the android in the background with the thing that looks like you could twist it on it's back and the hologram coming out of it's front.
Why is my recovery mode different all of a sudden? It's like I'm just getting the standard Android version of RM now.
EDIT: I clicked "flash CWM Recovery" and now it boots into the regular CWM RM screen.
Okay. I'm all done with the IMEI backups and stuff.
I can haz Jelly Bean now?
Man I wish there was an IM or something I could contact you at so I didn't have to have you keep coming back to this thread so many times. Plus, I'm impatient. I want JB already! Lol. I appreciate it though!
Go haz your jellybeans! Lol sorry for the delayed response, I just got off work. Keep a backup of the Synergy folder (the backed up IMEI file) on your laptop for safe keeping.
As a reminder, this AOSP rom you're installing is stock Jellybean aka what's on a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4.
To flash a rom:
1) boot into CWM recovery
2) Factory reset, wipe cache, go into "Advanced" and wipe Dalvik Cache
3) Install rom. If you're installing CM10, AOKP, or any Android Open Source Project (A.O.S.P.) rom then install GApps as well.
4) Reboot and enjoy.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
SlimSnoopOS said:
Aight, my question to you is do you like TouchWiz? Because any AOSP rom (CyanogenMod, AOKP, Codename Android, etc.) will basically have the interface/UI of a Google Galaxy Nexus or a Nexus 4. It will not have anything Samsung related. Is this ok? If so, read on.
GApps = Google apps. When you see the GApps page, there should be a few dozen to choose from.
You have the proper steps. Once you download the AOSP rom and respective GApps, move these two zips outside of any folder on either your internal or external sd card. I'm going to stop here and tell you to backup your IMEI, which you only need to do this one time. Everything you need to know is described in this thread. Backup your IMEI:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
Nope, nothing messes up. Just boot into CWM, go to "backup and restore," and delete the previous backups. Once it deletes them, select the option for "Free up space" for your internal sd card, then do this once more for your external sd card if you deleted backups. Now, make a new backup. I suggest keeping at least an old CWM backup or this new CWM from today on a computer in case of unforeseen issues down the road. This file will still be incomprehensible in the sense that the date on the zip is from 1970 and is off by at least 2-3 months.
Correct. It doesn't do anything more once you've selected "unlock." It serves one function, to unlock your bootloader.
Yes, but first I need you to backup your IMEI. Once you've successfully done this, I or someone else will tell you how to wipe/install your first rom.
To backup app data
1) Open Titanium Backup
2)Tap "Backup/Restore"
3) Tap "Click to edit filters." Make sure "Filter by status" is set to "All", make sure "Filter by type" is set to "User" only. Press the green check mark on the upper right corner. What this does is filter the apps that show and limits them to just the user apps: apps that you downloaded and apps that came with the phone.
4) You should see a list of your apps now. Right? Good, now tap the grey checkmark on the top right then on this new screen tap "Run" for "Backup all user apps."
5) This new list of apps should have checkmarks next to them. Uncheck whichever apps that you do not want to backup. I usually Uncheck Google Apps because that data is backed up to the cloud. Everything checked will be backed up, tap the green checkmark to begin your backup and you're done.
To restore apps, do Step 3 but instead select "backed up" for "Filter by Status" and select "Uninstalled" for "Filter by type." Then for Step 4, scroll down and tap "Run" for "Restore missing apps with data." I strongly suggest only restoring just that one game's data and maybe a few apps to minimize any issues that will occur once you use the rom.
**This does not backup texts nor phone calls.
Most importantly, only download roms to your phone if it states: d2vzw or SCH-i535. This is our device's model name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SlimSnoopOS said:
Go haz your jellybeans! Lol sorry for the delayed response, I just got off work. Keep a backup of the Synergy folder (the backed up IMEI file) on your laptop for safe keeping.
As a reminder, this AOSP rom you're installing is stock Jellybean aka what's on a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4.
To flash a rom:
1) boot into CWM recovery
2) Factory reset, wipe cache, go into "Advanced" and wipe Dalvik Cache
3) Install rom. If you're installing CM10, AOKP, or any Android Open Source Project (A.O.S.P.) rom then install GApps as well.
4) Reboot and enjoy.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Okay thanks but.. I don't remember if you ever answered me on whether it matters if I drag the thing to my phone or my SD card. And also, if I just download and drag the top "nightly" thing and then download and drag the 2nd from top GAPPS thing. Should I create a folder and put them both in or just leave them out by themselves in the main directory or does it matter?
Just put both the nightly and Gapps on your internal storage for now. Leave them on the root of the sd card (in no folders).
If recovery let's you use your external sd card, then use that if you prefer cuz it doesn't matter. If recovery fails to see your external sd card (meaning it didnt let you perform a backup to the external sd) then it needs to be formatted to Fat32 before you can flash anything off of the external sd.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
SlimSnoopOS said:
Just put both the nightly and Gapps on your internal storage for now. Leave them on the root of the sd card (in no folders).
If recovery let's you use your external sd card, then use that if you prefer cuz it doesn't matter. If recovery fails to see your external sd card (meaning it didnt let you perform a backup to the external sd) then it needs to be formatted to Fat32 before you can flash anything off of the external sd.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yay!!! I did it!! You rock man I owe you one. My only other question is how I get everything back on my phone like my apps and app data and stuff. Thanks dude!
gamer6592 said:
Yay!!! I did it!! You rock man I owe you one. My only other question is how I get everything back on my phone like my apps and app data and stuff. Thanks dude!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TB = Titanium Backup
Congrats! From my previous post on TB:
To restore apps with TB, do Step 3 but instead select "backed up" for "Filter by Status" and select "Uninstalled" for "Filter by type." Then for Step 4, scroll down and tap "Run" for "Restore missing apps with data." I strongly suggest only restoring just that one game's data and maybe data from a few other apps to minimize any issues that will occur once you use the rom. I rarely have force closes or random issues after restoring apps but that's a risk one takes when restoring apps and app data. If you notice an app is behaving unusually, uninstall it and then re-
download it from the Play Store.
Never restore system data.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
lol.. you're gonna hate me but... I'm pretty sure I want to switch back... TB messed up my game data so I can't recover it so I really want to at least recover my entire phone from the CWM backup and THEN maybe go back to jelly bean again because the game I'm playing let's you store your data on their servers so I'd rather do that and THEN come back to jelly bean and restore from their servers... but yeah my game is not working at all :'-( lol.. fml
Just restore your Nandroid backup in CWM then do whatever it was you needed to do
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

My Huawei y520-u22 \data partition is read only

It's my sister's phone and I don't know What she did exactly all she said that she tried to install candy crush from google play and then the problem begun each time the mobile reboots after 5-8 seconds I get a ton of stopped working notifications mainly about google apps like "error com.google.process.gapps has stopped" which repeatedly appear each time I press OK and a ton of other stopped working errors like weather,settings and anything I try to open. No matter what I do uninstall any app, change settings, change wallpaper after reboot everything revert back I tried to wipe/factory reset but no dice, I tried to flash the stock rom using SP flash tool and flashed the rom successfully but nothing changed the same apps the same wallpaper I am not talking about the default apps and wallpaper no I am talking about the apps that my sister installed before like Facebook, whats app etc...
I thought about flashing a custom rom and picked one but it required custom recovery which in turn required root access I tried several programs like kingroot, oneclickroot through PC but didn't work then I tried to flash CWM recovery through SP flash tool following the instructions I found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61359133&postcount=4 and again the recovery was flashed successfully but when I tried to go to recovery I found the stock recovery instead I tried to flash the recovery using Fastboot but Fastboot came up with this error:
"FAILED (remote: partition 'recovery' not support flash)" which when I looked around turn out to be an error related to locked bootloaders but as far as I know the bootloader on Huawei y520-u22 is unlocked but wanted to make sure so I tried this command "fastboot oem device-info" but it gave me ... as in processing and nothing for a very long time until I gave up and closed the cmd. I then tried to boot into safe mode after pressing the power button then tabbing the shutdown option and selecting boot into safe mode but the phone rebooted into normal mode as usual.
and now I am out of options what should I do ?
Edit: eventually I found that my problem like this guy http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=895628 was that the \data partition is read only but I can't fix it the way he did since he used advanced partitioning in clockworkmod recovery but I can't flash it or any other custom recoveries.
mostafa_0017 said:
It's my sister's phone and I don't know What she did exactly all she said that she tried to install candy crush from google play and then the problem begun each time the mobile reboots after 5-8 seconds I get a ton of stopped working notifications mainly about google apps like "error com.google.process.gapps has stopped" which repeatedly appear each time I press OK and a ton of other stopped working errors like weather,settings and anything I try to open. No matter what I do uninstall any app, change settings, change wallpaper after reboot everything revert back I tried to wipe/factory reset but no dice, I tried to flash the stock rom using SP flash tool and flashed the rom successfully but nothing changed the same apps the same wallpaper I am not talking about the default apps and wallpaper no I am talking about the apps that my sister installed before like Facebook, whats app etc...
I thought about flashing a custom rom and picked one but it required custom recovery which in turn required root access I tried several programs like kingroot, oneclickroot through PC but didn't work then I tried to flash CWM recovery through SP flash tool following the instructions I found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61359133&postcount=4 and again the recovery was flashed successfully but when I tried to go to recovery I found the stock recovery instead I tried to flash the recovery using Fastboot but Fastboot came up with this error:
"FAILED (remote: partition 'recovery' not support flash)" which when I looked around turn out to be an error related to locked bootloaders but as far as I know the bootloader on Huawei y520-u22 is unlocked but wanted to make sure so I tried this command "fastboot oem device-info" but it gave me ... as in processing and nothing for a very long time until I gave up and closed the cmd. I then tried to boot into safe mode after pressing the power button then tabbing the shutdown option and selecting boot into safe mode but the phone rebooted into normal mode as usual.
and now I am out of options what should I do ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...
First, tell her to quit using Facebook app, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other social media and texting apps. I know she just HAS to keep up with all her friends and the latest gossip but her device can't handle all those system demanding apps, they are literal HELL on mid-low end devices. They all constantly run scanning for updates and notifications, CONSTANTLY. They are notorious for making devices act crazy, especially when you have more than one of them.
For Facebook, its best to bookmark the Facebook page in mobile browser then create a shortcut for that bookmark on her homescreen, then it has to be set so that it loads the desktop site for Facebook, then she can view her Facebook messages, if it isn't set to load desktop site it will request she install messenger but she won't need to if she uses the desktop site to view messages. Then she can set her Facebook notifications to go to her gmail account, then in gmail app she needs to make sure it is set to receive notifications for gmail, then when she gets messages or activity on Facebook she will get a gmail notification in her status bar letting her know to check Facebook, then she can open the bookmark to view it. That is just as convenient as having the two apps but without all the strain on the device, also takes less space on internal and has less junk running in the background eating mobile data and draining battery.
As for her texting apps such as WhatsApp, Kik, Snapchat, etc., she needs to pick 1 or at the most 2 of them and leave the others alone, her device will run much faster and smoother.
You can try booting to recovery and wipe cache partition(not factory reset).
As for fastboot and SP flashtool not working, do you have USB debugging enabled in developer options on the device?
well thanks for your reply your advice about phone usage is great but wouldn't matter If I can't revive this phone anyway yes I tried both to wipe cache partition and wipe data and yes I enabled USB debugging but in case of SP flash tool all i need to do is have the proper drivers shutdown the phone click download in SP then connect the phone using USB cable then the red bar would fill up then another yellow one then a big green OK tick and nothing would change in the phone and for Fastboot all I need to do is shutdown then power + volume up then select fastboot then connect the phone then open cmd and type fastboot devices it would show the device Id then use the command fastboot flash recovery recovery-cwm-y520.img then I get the error "FAILED (remote: partition 'recovery' not support flash)" interestingly I got my hands on a normally working similar set which I tried several things on it like *#*#7378423#*#* It accepted the code but didn't do/show me anything just like my broken set then having the set in Fasboot mode I tried "fastboot oem device-info" which yielded nothing but ... just like my broken set other things I tried on my broken set I tried following this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38337401&postcount=5 using "Mtk_Droid_Tool_v2.5.3" to create CWM recovery for my phone and got the error
error :no find kernelgz
error: no split boot image
then I tried to use easy magic Philz touch installer which eventually asked for root access on the phone
but I can't since I tried every root method and didn't work.
I even made a logcat if it would help I could attach it
mostafa_0017 said:
well thanks for your reply your advice about phone usage is great but wouldn't matter If I can't revive this phone anyway yes I enabled USB debugging but in case of SP flash tool all i need to do is have the proper drivers shutdown the phone click download in SP then connect the phone using USB cable then the red bar would fill up then another yellow one then a big green OK tick and nothing would change in the phone and for Fastboot all I need to do is shutdown then power + volume up then select fastboot then connect the phone then open cmd and type fastboot devices it would show the device Id then use the command fastboot flash recovery recovery-cwm-y520.img then I get the error "FAILED (remote: partition 'recovery' not support flash)" interestingly I got my hands on a normally working similar set which I tried several things on it like *#*#7378423#*#* It accepted the code but didn't do/show me anything just like my broken set then having the set in Fasboot mode I tried "fastboot oem device-info" which yielded nothing but ... just like my broken set other things I tried on my broken set I tried following this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38337401&postcount=5 using "Mtk_Droid_Tool_v2.5.3" to create CWM recovery for my phone and got the error
error :no find kernelgz
error: no split boot image
then I tried to use easy magic Philz touch installer which eventually asked for root access on the phone
but I can't since I tried every root method and didn't work.
I even made a logcat if it would help I could attach it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The advice does more than help, its actually the REAL solution to the problem. If you get it fixed and she's still using all that crap it'll just cause issues again, I'm sure you don't want to have to go through all of this a second time, right?
Droidriven said:
The advice does more than help, its actually the REAL solution to the problem. If you get it fixed and she's still using all that crap it'll just cause issues again, I'm sure you don't want to have to go through all of this a second time, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God no of course not I will till her to keep her apps in check and use as minimum social apps as possible but right now that won't help me revive this phone :crying:
mostafa_0017 said:
God no of course not I will till here to keep here apps in check and use as minimum social apps as possible but right now that won't help me revive this phone :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get how installing a game caused this, I believe there has to be more to the story somewhere, somehow.
Besides, with some of the steps you've taken, you've probably created other issues than it started with. Whatever you do, don't format the device in SP flashtool, you'll probably lose IMEI if you do that.
Droidriven said:
I don't get how installing a game caused this, I believe there has to be more to the story somewhere, somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too man me too I didn't believe it at all installing an app won't do all of this but at one point when I was rebooting I got this suspicious message which I took a couple of bad quality pictures for it here http://imgur.com/a/RIGqD
actually I have grown very confident dealing with the phone that no matter what I do It wouldn't matter since it will come back just as always and now I didn't create any other issues since no matter what I hit a dead end the device revert back no matter what I do, Do you feel me I am starting to go insane I am pretty sure even If I tried to brick this device on purpose I won't be able to.
mostafa_0017 said:
me too man me too I didn't believe it at all installing an app won't do all of this but at one point when I was rebooting I got this suspicious message which I took a couple of bad quality pictures for it here http://imgur.com/a/RIGqD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your pic keeps directing me to the imgur app to view it, I'm not installing the app just to view it, why not just upload the pic as an attachment to your post and it will display in your post instead.
Sorry old habits die hard I used to talk in this one forum before and their rules forbid to upload images or anything actually as attachments except in extreme cases here they are
hmmmm strange can't find the attachment button guess I will just post direct links hope they work
http://i.imgur.com/OrSWbzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EcmrDlI.jpg
mostafa_0017 said:
Sorry old habits die hard I used to talk in this one forum before and their rules forbid to upload images or anything actually as attachments except in extreme cases here they are
hmmmm strange can't find the attachment button guess I will just post direct links hope they work
http://i.imgur.com/OrSWbzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EcmrDlI.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When did you say it displayed that? That looks fishy, the grammar is a little off as if whoever made that didn't quite know the language, kinda like the way grammar isn't quite right like some of the questionable Chinese apps known to be malware.
If you're using a browser you have to select "go advanced" under the box you reply in, then you'll see "manage attachments"
If you're using an app you should see a paperclip symbol or a pic thumbnail.
Droidriven said:
When did you say it displayed that? That looks fishy, the grammar is a little off as if whoever made that didn't quite know the language, kinda like the way grammar isn't quite right like some of the questionable Chinese apps known to be malware.
If you're using a browser you have to select "go advanced" under the box you reply in, then you'll see "manage attachments"
If you're using an app you should see a paperclip symbol or a pic thumbnail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thanks found it and it displayed this only one time when I was rebooting after doing various things and I never saw it again and yeah the grammar felt really strange when I googled its content I only found a couple of Spanish forums talking about this but couldn't get any information about the source of this message and that's why I thought about the logcat in the first place.
the same problem
hi i have the same probleme with my huawei y520 u22 i can do nothing just start up the phone i got the message and i can do nothing when i try to unistall any app the phone restart and go back to the same situation wipe cache and wipe data nothing change flashing 1000000000000000000 roms nothing change any one can tell me there the problem is
as i think the flash memory is the problem its blocked in write and read.
any solution plz
I read this and just think, what the hell... i can not understand why "/data" is write protected. Just some thoughts running through my head:
- phone is not rooted and completely stock, but factory reset not working!? in this case ask for warranty and send it back to seller!
- if no warranty, ask Huawei for support. don't tell much, just claim factory reset is not working.
- ask any mobile repair shop, they have special hardware like Octoplus Box and can do factory reset.
- if possible - make a "backup user data" with Android system recovery, you may restore it on working phone, later.
- if you have read-access to "/cache/recovery" look for file "last_log" and copy to sdcard. "/proc/emmc" and "/proc/partitions" are another useful files. keep this in case you have to manually create the scatter file.
- you can use MediaTek SP Flash Tool Readback function in download mode to make a ROM backup dump. for readback you need to install VCOM Drivers, then first click Read back, then connect the phone to PC while switched off and insert battery. MTK Droid Tools will then help to segment the partitions from it. or readback every partition separately with scatter file. the most important files are "nvram.bin", "preloader.bin", "boot.img", "recovery.img".
- if phone is locked, ask Huawei for unlock code (not sure if this works on broken phone). there are different kinds of S-ON some will lock only bootloader, some lock all partitions, too.
http://www.modaco.com/forums/topic/362724-official-code-request-to-unlock-the-bootloader-final-post
- try fastboot mode factory reset (not sure if working, just googled this stuff i found).
http://www.hardresetandroid.com/hard-reset/huawei-hr/huawei-ascend-y520-hard-reset-code-format-solution
- once you have unlocked the phone, do factory reset. phone should boot now. its hardly imaginable that "/system" is damaged because of never rooted the phone.
- if still not working, you should now be able to flash custom recovery, too. be careful, select tested binary for your special phone model only! flash in fastboot mode. avoid flashing with SP Flash Tool as long as you not absolute sure that scatter file is 100% correct (MTK Droid Tools may give you wrong scatter files for devices > 4 GB!)
- from custom recovery, you should able to root the phone via adb root method or install the "supersu.zip"
- once you have root, you can mount data partition read-write from adb shell (in recovery mode) and format or delete it. of course the custom recovery has a wipe data option, too.
- installing aroma file manager zip is another way to browse and modify everything in recovery mode. you can copy files from similar phone into "/system" folder, if phone still not working properly.
- don't restore a full backup from similar phone (especially NVRAM folder), this may clone IMEIs and WiFi MAC address.
- you can install a stock rom zip from custom recovery instead, and use my script bckp2cwm.zip to convert the user data backup into cwm format and restore "/data" folder only (converting script requires linux pc).
- delete suspicious apps from "/data/app" + "/data/dalvik-cache" + "/data/data" (every app has three entries with similar name). do it in recovery mode with aroma file manager, or on linux pc from backup file during converting (at this point where script is waiting for user input).
- search and read for "unbrick guides" on forum.xda-developers.com, as long as it is not a physical damage (Vol keys not working, emmc wearing out, etc) there must be a solution to get this phone working
- if no warranty, ask Huawei for support. don't tell much, just claim factory reset is not working.
yeaah I don't think they would respond with any helpful answer and would probably tell me to send my phone to the nearest service center.
- ask any mobile repair shop, they have special hardware like Octoplus Box and can do factory reset.
That's what I settled for eventually and I already sent it to my sister and told her to visit any mobile repair shop that has boxes like miracle box and such.
- you can use MediaTek SP Flash Tool Readback function in download mode to make a ROM backup dump. for readback you need to install VCOM Drivers, then first click Read back, then connect the phone to PC while switched off and insert battery. MTK Droid Tools will then help to segment the partitions from it. or readback every partition separately with scatter file. the most important files are "nvram.bin", "preloader.bin", "boot.img", "recovery.img".
done that already but what I got in the end didn't help me to fix the phone note that I don't care about the phone's content sure I care about the IMEI but the phone is not affected by any write attempts so I am not so worried.
- if phone is locked, ask Huawei for unlock code (not sure if this works on broken phone). there are different kinds of S-ON some will lock only bootloader, some lock all partitions, too.
I searched online and in threads talking about custom roms and recoveries for this phone and not a single one of them mentioned anything about the bootloader being locked.
- try fastboot mode factory reset (not sure if working, just googled this stuff i found).
haven't tried that but will try it ASAP since I don't have the phone right now.
One last note the phone boots normally but as I described in my later posts I can't edit anything without it reverting back after restart like changing the wallpaper or uninstalling an app.
And anyway thank you for your respond.
did you try to get (temporary) root access?
aIecxs said:
did you try to get (temporary) root access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure of What you mean but I think I tried and failed you can tell me What you mean exactly and I will tell you If I tried .
Edit: Alright I googled it and turn out to be temporary root for locked bootloader devices no special procedure just the same procedure as in permanent root but will lose root as soon I reboot again I tried a lot of rooting methods including kingoroot and 360root.
Not sure, too.. installing kingoroot.apk and root the phone may give root access until reboot (can't remember if rooting requires a reboot)?
Brainstorming. Lets come from other side. When you intend to write a malware - how would you realize this setting?
one thing is remount /data partition read-only, but is this really enough? what happen if /data is not writeable anymore - apps should crash or give errors on write cycle, didnt they?
but you claim phone is changeable until reboot. so we need the possibility to let them write in some other memory without noting that it storage has changed.
another way is copying /data to any hidden storage, and restore it on each reboot, but this should be time consuming, didnt it? and where can this amount of data be stored? sdcard? cache partition?
besides this, guess the malware needs root access to modify /data. or is it imagineable to change it without root access? lets find a conception to understand whats going on
No reboot is fast and not time consuming and I am always working on the phone without the SD card and about apps sometimes uninstallation is complete and the app disappear to show again after reboot and sometimes the phone restart upon uninstallation of an app

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