Android Commander and Hard root - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm a long time user of Android Commander and find it very useful being that I still use a PC. If you are not familiar with AC, you have to be "hard rooted" with access to the shell in order to use it. Many people have asked this question knowing that their phone was rooted yet they couldn't use AC.
I haven't found a kernel that has this implemented yet for the N5 but I noticed something when updating my root. (Bear with me, my knowledge with kernels and what not is not extensive to say the least.)
I updated SU through Skip's toolkit which boots with an insecure boot img and then flashes SU. I had AC open when it booted up with the insecure boot img and to my surprise it said I had root access. Well after the toolkit finished the root process and flashed SU in TWRP and rebooted, it went back to saying root was unavailable.
My Android knowledge stops at kernels, unpacking, packing, boot.img, default.prop, etc.... But i manually booted up with an insecure boot.img and root access through AC becomes available but once you reboot it's lost. Of course the phone is still "rooted" but the "hard root" that's need for AC is lost.
Is there a way i can make this permanent? In the past A.kernel or B.kernel would have this option implemented if it wasn't implemented in the ROM's stock kernel so it was never a problem.
Thanks in advance for any help given.
Fuzzy

Anyone?

Related

[Q] How come i cant get Root access?

Ok so im a noob to this android thing, ive successfully rooted my phone twice with super one click and it worked perfect but as soon as i flashed my phone with "odin Ec10 with root+cw" it all went crazy. i could not get root access from any of my apps. So i used odin to flash it back to 2.1 and rooted it with super one click, bt when it sent the SU test i got nothing, i downloaded root checker and tested to see if i had it rooted but it gave me this:
Root acess is not properly configured or was not granted
SU binary not found in the system declared path.
Now i flashed 2.2 with odin and its still giving me the same thing. super one click is not doing its job and im stuck with an unrooted phone. i also tried restoring to factory settings and wiping cache but still nothing. maybe something messed up in the system folder or something idk, if you need more info ill answer anything, ill be active on the forum for a while.
Check and make sure USB Debugging is enabled in the phone's settings under Applications -> Development.
i tried that, still didnt work.
This may sound a bit stupid but have you tried rebooting the phone? I've flashed ROMs before where I wouldn't get SU access on the initial boot and had to reboot it to get it to start doing its thing.
ok i got it!!!! I guess SUper One Click only roots my phone when i start Super One click and wait for it to way "waiting for device" i turn on my phone, as the Samsung logo pops up S.O.C. starts rooting it Correctly. Finally after my 12th flash (lol) it works. thanks anyways guys. Hopefully no one else has this problem.
Strange, but hey, whatever works. Glad you got it fixed.
Evo 3D on Android 4.0.3, root fail
I had updated my HTC Evo 3D OTA from 2.3.3 to Android 4.0.3 software version 3.28.707.1 then unlocked it using HTC Method. Unlock success than I flashed recovery with CWM Shooter. Flash success but when I load recovery, the phone just boot up normally. CWM screen not loaded to load custom ROM.
When I open ROM Manager it says:
You must root your phone for ROM Manager to function. Superuser was not found at "/system/bin/su" or "/system/xbin/su". Use Google Search on your computer to find instruction to root your phone.
When I open SUperuser apps it says:
su binary not found
I already tried USB debugging mode, and flash with other .img with other version of CWM. Still not working.

Super SU binaries not installing.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2699089&page=40
I tried using that method to root my phone, but Super SU just won't install binaries. First time around it just wouldn't work, after a few tries I unrooted my device and started over. I got the same message, "Unable to install, reboot"
Then after that it said something like "If you upgraded to 4.3 then reroot" Something like that. Which is weird because I have 4.4.2.
What's going on? I tried Superuser but when I tried installing the binaries it crashed when it was doing a software update twice so I had to hold down on volume up and the power button to reboot it on both occasions.
Also, how do I do an ADB Reboot? What's the easiest method? I tried doing that on my PC but it keeps saying device not detected Maybe I'm not setting up the program for that right? Yes, Developer Options and USB Debugging are enabled.
Yes my M8 is from Verizon. Is there another method for one-click rooting?
Anyone?
CannedBullets said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2699089&page=40
I tried using that method to root my phone, but Super SU just won't install binaries. First time around it just wouldn't work, after a few tries I unrooted my device and started over. I got the same message, "Unable to install, reboot"
Then after that it said something like "If you upgraded to 4.3 then reroot" Something like that. Which is weird because I have 4.4.2.
What's going on? I tried Superuser but when I tried installing the binaries it crashed when it was doing a software update twice so I had to hold down on volume up and the power button to reboot it on both occasions.
Also, how do I do an ADB Reboot? What's the easiest method? I tried doing that on my PC but it keeps saying device not detected Maybe I'm not setting up the program for that right? Yes, Developer Options and USB Debugging are enabled.
Yes my M8 is from Verizon. Is there another method for one-click rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the last thing you wanna do but if it wont work have you considered a factory reset? Usually solves most issues & are you S-OFF? Asking the S-OFF question because if you are you can flash a custom recovery and just flash the binaries. 0% failure rate with that as far as I know. About the ADB Reboot question, did you install the HTC Sync Manager so it would install the proper drivers and then removed the Sync program (not drivers)?
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Probably the last thing you wanna do but if it wont work have you considered a factory reset? Usually solves most issues & are you S-OFF? Asking the S-OFF question because if you are you can flash a custom recovery and just flash the binaries. 0% failure rate with that as far as I know. About the ADB Reboot question, did you install the HTC Sync Manager so it would install the proper drivers and then removed the Sync program (not drivers)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not considered a factory reset. Also, what's S-OFF? I'm not sure what that is. Also do you mean the HTC Transfer Tool? I don't have that.
CannedBullets said:
I have not considered a factory reset. Also, what's S-OFF? I'm not sure what that is. Also do you mean the HTC Transfer Tool? I don't have that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really know how to explain what "S" is other than its security/signature verification(not sure on signature verification), when your phone is S-ON you can't flash any non verified rom or write to protected areas of your phone such as /system which is required for root, etc and I know it does more than that but I'm not 100% educated as to what it means yet though so can't give you a 100% accurate or complete explanation.
Now based off of what I just said and a little research i'm quite sure you actually require it for a permanent root solution such as SuperSU but could be wrong.
Anyways if you're interested in doing it go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2708628 and follow the instructions carefully. This also unlocks your bootloader which means you can install custom roms, kernels, flash scripts, apps, SuperSU for PERMANENT root, etc. In order to do these things you'll need to flash a custom recovery such as TWRP or CWM (Team Win Recovery Project & Clockwork Mod/Philz Touch). Afterwards it's quite simple from there on out, just be careful and research before you do anything I've suggested/stated. Also on the Sync Manager thing, what you need to do is install it from here http://www.htc.com/us/support/software/htc-sync-manager.aspx and then let it install the phone drivers for your M8 on your computer and then you need to uninstall it "HTC Sync Manager" from your computer in order to do the S-OFF process.
Please do be careful and get a good understanding before you do this though, re-read things a few times and make sure you're well aware of what it means and how to do it properly.
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Probably the last thing you wanna do but if it wont work have you considered a factory reset? Usually solves most issues & are you S-OFF? Asking the S-OFF question because if you are you can flash a custom recovery and just flash the binaries. 0% failure rate with that as far as I know. About the ADB Reboot question, did you install the HTC Sync Manager so it would install the proper drivers and then removed the Sync program (not drivers)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
I don't really know how to explain what "S" is other than its security/signature verification(not sure on signature verification), when your phone is S-ON you can't flash any non verified rom or write to protected areas of your phone such as /system which is required for root, etc and I know it does more than that but I'm not 100% educated as to what it means yet though so can't give you a 100% accurate or complete explanation.
Now based off of what I just said and a little research i'm quite sure you actually require it for a permanent root solution such as SuperSU but could be wrong.
Anyways if you're interested in doing it go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2708628 and follow the instructions carefully. This also unlocks your bootloader which means you can install custom roms, kernels, flash scripts, apps, SuperSU for PERMANENT root, etc. In order to do these things you'll need to flash a custom recovery such as TWRP or CWM (Team Win Recovery Project & Clockwork Mod/Philz Touch). Afterwards it's quite simple from there on out, just be careful and research before you do anything I've suggested/stated. Also on the Sync Manager thing, what you need to do is install it from here http://www.htc.com/us/support/software/htc-sync-manager.aspx and then let it install the phone drivers for your M8 on your computer and then you need to uninstall it "HTC Sync Manager" from your computer in order to do the S-OFF process.
Please do be careful and get a good understanding before you do this though, re-read things a few times and make sure you're well aware of what it means and how to do it properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'll have to look into that. I'm not sure if I'll ever flash a custom ROM though on my M8, Sense 6 is good as it is, I need to get Cyanogenmod on my Razr Maxx, Motoblur on it is just slow ever since they updated it to 4.1.2.
CannedBullets said:
Yeah I'll have to look into that. I'm not sure if I'll ever flash a custom ROM though on my M8, Sense 6 is good as it is, I need to get Cyanogenmod on my Razr Maxx, Motoblur on it is just slow ever since they updated it to 4.1.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the ROM's for the M8 are Sense based anyways so you won't have a problem if you want Sense.
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Most of the ROM's for the M8 are Sense based anyways so you won't have a problem if you want Sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just had a strange morning. What's new right? This morning I saw that my Titanium Back had a superuser fail. I had no problems yesterday. I used SuperSU to root and checked to see if Titanium Back was granted rights and it was. Still no luck running it. So Titanium suggested I load Superuser which I was not running. I installed it and it said it could not update the binary. That's weird so I read this post and reflashed SuperSU and yep Titanium backup was denied in the grant list. I granted it and everything is OK now. I posted here because I saw an unusual program in the grant list in SuperSU. It is com.koushikdutta.superuser. I don't know what that is but I bet that was the culprit. It did not show before I updated so it was hidden. Anybody know where this came from?
Weaksauce will not install binaries that's why it needs to reroot your phone every time you reboot. If you want your root to stick you need to be S-OFF. Since you are on 4.2.2 you could try Firewater to gain S-OFF. (Only works for some M8'S on 4.2.2)
http://firewater-soff.com/instructions/
If firewater does not work then you need to use Sunshine which I believe it cost $25. (Will not work on 4.4.4!)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2792487
Not sure if you have adb/fastboot set up on your computer but if not...Google! I know there are instructions on how to set that up because I had to Google it. I think that may be the hardest part of all of this, if you can follow instructions WORD FOR WORD after setting that up I don't see how you can mess up. If you do find yourself stuck well we are here
SOLUTION
CannedBullets said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2699089&page=40
I tried using that method to root my phone, but Super SU just won't install binaries. First time around it just wouldn't work, after a few tries I unrooted my device and started over. I got the same message, "Unable to install, reboot"
Then after that it said something like "If you upgraded to 4.3 then reroot" Something like that. Which is weird because I have 4.4.2.
What's going on? I tried Superuser but when I tried installing the binaries it crashed when it was doing a software update twice so I had to hold down on volume up and the power button to reboot it on both occasions.
Also, how do I do an ADB Reboot? What's the easiest method? I tried doing that on my PC but it keeps saying device not detected Maybe I'm not setting up the program for that right? Yes, Developer Options and USB Debugging are enabled.
Yes my M8 is from Verizon. Is there another method for one-click rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**SOLUTION**
Download the SuperSU ZIP from the link below;
http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu
Reboot your device into your custom recovery of choice, install the ZIP (which should be in your download folder on "sdcard" by default), reboot.
It should now work with no issues!
KnightAlex said:
**SOLUTION**
Download the SuperSU ZIP from the link below;
download.chainfire.eu/supersu
Reboot your device into your custom recovery of choice, install the ZIP (which should be in your download folder on "sdcard" by default), reboot.
It should now work with no issues!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed CM13 on my Moto G 1st Gen also GApps, I also had TWRP working. So my next step was to install SuperSU (UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip) with TWRP, after it says it was succesfull, i wanted to reboot the system, it is stuck in the Cyanogenmod Bootanimation and won't boot into the system. And It also stuck in the TWRP loading screen when i want to load into recovery!
What can I do? I have still files on the phone which I want to preserve!
Umm. This is a HTC one m8 forum?

ZTE Z830 (Compel) Rooting Thread

ZTE Z830: As some of you (who have recently broke your high-end devices like me!) know this is a cheap "GoPhone" you might have purchased as a replacement. As some of us know: the phones Hardware isn't bad for a low-end device. All very capable. The problem however; THE DAMN RESTRICTIONS ZTE HAS PUT ON THE PHONE.
Here are the problems in case you don't own a Z830:
No Apps are allowed on the SD-card
The bloatware cannot be uninstalled
Almost no internal memory (ZTE claims "4 Gigs of internal storage" but there is only around 800MB when disabling all unnecessary apps)
Anyways if you are stuck like me and have been suckered into buying this prepackaged paperweight. You most likely have one goal: ROOT IT. Which is the main point of this thread; as all of the other forum posts about this phone seem to be with people who have even less knowledge than I have about rooting. I want to figure out how to root this phone so it can live up to its capabilities.
I'm posting here about the methods I've been trying to root this phone with; so someone who has more knowledge about general rooting and coding then they can chime in and add some info.
First Attempt (FAILED) to Root the Device
ALSO KNOWN AS UPDATE.ZIP​The BREAKTHROUGH Information: I've managed to find the stock recovery from the phone's firmware. By pressing Volume Up + Power I got into the phones menu with various options to "update the firmware" It looks like this:
Android system recovery <
Z830V1 . 0 . 0B14
Volume up/down to move
highlight;
Press power to select.
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply update from sdcard
apply update from cache
md5 cache
So I tried to the original rooting method and this is what happened
-- Install /sdcard ...
(Installs about 25%)
Package corrupt.
Installation aborted.​
So anyways: I would love some help trying to discover how to root this damn thing. If you own one of these and find some more breakthrough info I would love to know; because I am as well messing with this thing to see if this will ever work.
Just Tried TowelRoot. Doesn't support the z830.
Bump
I didn't want to post a new thread, is there any new information on this front? It doesn't seem like this was a popular enough phone to warrant it's own set of instructions
**************************************
A few of us were successful in finding a perm root. I know the phone has aged a bit now, but it really is a nice cheap spare phone without the bloatware.
The following instructions for the ZMAX worked perfectly but TWRP does not support the touch screen for the z830 so you have to use an OTG mouse to use TWRP. Touch functionality works fine once the entire process is complete. Uninstalling bloatware seems to have to be done with a 3rd party app such as Purify.
https://boycracked.com/2016/04/16/how-to-root-installing-twrp-v3-0-1-recovery-on-zte-zmax-z970/
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
qaz1233 said:
I have this phone and have been trying various automatic root programs for some time. No luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it seems like the phone uses some sort of bizarre coding.
........
I try everthing... nothing works....
all apps and PC methods fail...
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Sent from my Z970 using XDA Free mobile app
TecheTag said:
Does adb work on your device? What are the different modes for your devices? Can you get into the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I decided to pitch in as I also have this unfortunate phone. adb does in fact work, but it is crippled. I cannot perform "adb reboot bootloader" as it will simply reboot the phone normally. I tried to boot into the bootloader by pressing volume down+power and was entered into field test mode, as I have come to understand (says FTM on a white rectangle). Volume UP + power does put me in recovery mode, which is cool. Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally.
if anyone knows of a useful test i could perform or a could point me towards new strategies i would appreciate it.
Well that sounds promising. It seems like we're breaking new ground here though.
830ingarg said:
Most interestingly, hold UP+DOWN+POWER mounts on my windows machine as ZTE handset diagnostic interface DFU... which apparently is made for flashing firmware with zte's own utility. adb reboot fastboot also just rebooted it normally..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think there is something that can be used to flash our own custom firmware on it?
Please someone bump
I have the same phone and it's about worthless without root. Hopefully someone cam figure it out. I would even donate some cash for a solution.
Sort of temporary root achieved with KingRoot
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
pippinstrano said:
So, I have this goofy phone and I did manage to get something that appears to be root using KingRoot. The PC version didn't work, and neither did TowelRoot or OneClickRoot. Downloading the apk for KingRoot and running it gave me root access, but only until I rebooted the phone. I managed to install SuperSU which allowed me to confirm that I had root. Unfortunately I was not able to uninstall any pre-loaded software while rooted via KingRoot or KingUser. KingRoot acted like it had successfully uninstalled the pre-installed software, but all it uninstalled were the updates. I didn't get a list of software when I tried to uninstall software via KingUser.
So we can boot into Recovery, and can get temporary root. Any ideas on how to get farther with this crippled phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you actually gain any space when you uninstalled items with that temporary root? I am able to uninstall updates on default apps even without root. I had one time with KingoApp where it claimed to be rooted, but I lost it with reboot and haven't gotten it back. Very frustrating. Wish I had avoided the reboot.
nothing works
I too got temporary root with kingroot, got to ambitious with uninstalling system apps and got into a force close loop. A factory reset from the stock recovery got me back in business. I didn't think that a factory reset was supposed to recover apps deleted while in root access. Also kingroot didn't work the first time for me, had to try several times, that was with latest apk, 4.1 I think.
Has anyone contacted zte about a bootloader unlock code? I know most phones it is necessary to unlock the bootloader to gain permanent root access. Plus then maybe we could get a custom recovery. I tried contacting them with no luck.
Talked to zte today, won't give unlock code since it will void warranty. Told them I didn't care about warranty since phone is worthless as is, no luck.
It could work the method used in the ZTE Z970? http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/zte-zmax-rooted-kingroot-t3110178
I was able to get temp root with Kingroot but doesn't stick after reboot. Today I got root to stick by using Flashify to flash superuser zip (http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu). I then deleted Kingroot apps. I was able to uninstall some ATT apps but not google apps. I tried SD Card Fix but didn't work and still can't change/mount r/w in root explorer.

Bootloop from root app permissions

Alright, where do I start?
So I'm not really and expert on flashing stuff on Android. I was pretty comfy not rooting my phone for more than a year. TBH, I didn't really need it, because I was not a power user, but I've recently installed a root app called King User (King Root, etc.). Before you say anything... YES! I know it is the lazy way to do it. It made things easy for the very few apps I could not use without root permission. However, when I received the latest OTA (5.1.1. security update) I had to disable root authorization in order to install it. So I disabled it using the app's built in authorization setting.
The OTA update failed and gave me the error with the opened up android and the red exclamation mark. So I thought that the app messed something up. Disabling in house did nothing. Uninstalling it did nothing. So I decided to replace it with SuperSU using this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/replace-kinguser-supersu-t2903003. I bet I'm not the only one who had problems after doing this. This, obviously, made things even worse. After SuperSU deleted KingUser and updated itself the phone remained stuck inside a bootloop. So I figured this replacement process messed up permissions.
Here is where it gets tricky, or rather stupid... My bootloader is locked and I have no custom recovery (because like I said, I just needed temporary root access for a couple of apps and wanted to avoid the hassle). When I enter Recovery mode in default fastboot it gives me the "No command" error (probably because of SuperSU permission). Now I don't even know if the phone is rooted or not. USB debugging was not enabled last time the phone was on and now I think I'm stuck in this point where nothing works without something else. I've been reading a couple of threads around here and elsewhere and I don't know what to do next... Doing a full recovery now would probably be asking for a lot, but right now, I would be happy if I could just do a factory reset or something...
Anyone?
val3nteen said:
Alright, where do I start?
So I'm not really and expert on flashing stuff on Android. I was pretty comfy not rooting my phone for more than a year. TBH, I didn't really need it, because I was not a power user, but I've recently installed a root app called King User (King Root, etc.). Before you say anything... YES! I know it is the lazy way to do it. It made things easy for the very few apps I could not use without root permission. However, when I received the latest OTA (5.1.1. security update) I had to disable root authorization in order to install it. So I disabled it using the app's built in authorization setting.
The OTA update failed and gave me the error with the opened up android and the red exclamation mark. So I thought that the app messed something up. Disabling in house did nothing. Uninstalling it did nothing. So I decided to replace it with SuperSU using this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/replace-kinguser-supersu-t2903003. I bet I'm not the only one who had problems after doing this. This, obviously, made things even worse. After SuperSU deleted KingUser and updated itself the phone remained stuck inside a bootloop. So I figured this replacement process messed up permissions.
Here is where it gets tricky, or rather stupid... My bootloader is locked and I have no custom recovery (because like I said, I just needed temporary root access for a couple of apps and wanted to avoid the hassle). When I enter Recovery mode in default fastboot it gives me the "No command" error (probably because of SuperSU permission). Now I don't even know if the phone is rooted or not. USB debugging was not enabled last time the phone was on and now I think I'm stuck in this point where nothing works without something else. I've been reading a couple of threads around here and elsewhere and I don't know what to do next... Doing a full recovery now would probably be asking for a lot, but right now, I would be happy if I could just do a factory reset or something...
Anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53439068. I'd return to stock and start all over, it will wipe your device, see the return to stock thread linked there. Then don't be lazy and read some more in the thread I linked you to. The n5 is one of the easiest devices to work with and you don't need kingroot, tool kits and junk like that
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
You should flash TWRP custom recovery on your phone that way you can copy your personal data to your pc first, then you should flash the factory image
deelan_chan said:
You should flash TWRP custom recovery on your phone that way you can copy your personal data to your pc first, then you should flash the factory image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but that is not possible, as I have not enabled USB debugging before bootloop. I need to unlock the bootloader (wipe) to install TWRP and backup data.
Can you get into fastboot mode? You can flash twrp from there no USB debugging needed
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Problem is his bootloader is locked, so follow fastboot for unlocking bootloader and then clean install latest factory image. Also, flash twrp after everything is working (and relock bootloader if you want) so this does not happen again.
wangdaning said:
Problem is his bootloader is locked, so follow fastboot for unlocking bootloader and then clean install latest factory image. Also, flash twrp after everything is working (and relock bootloader if you want) so this does not happen again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did just that. All fine now. However, I had to flash all .img files separately in fastboot (system, boot, cache, etc.), because adb was not working. Had some problems with the drivers. The device did not show up correctly within device manager. Fortunately, I did not loose anything. Had all my contacts and apps backed up with Google.
Thanks for all advice! I appreciate everyone's guidance.
val3nteen said:
Did just that. All fine now. However, I had to flash all .img files separately in fastboot (system, boot, cache, etc.), because adb was not working. Had some problems with the drivers. The device did not show up correctly within device manager. Fortunately, I did not loose anything. Had all my contacts and apps backed up with Google.
Thanks for all advice! I appreciate everyone's guidance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it is so fun to use fastboot. I remember almost dunking my wife's G2 until I got it to fastboot. Pain in the butt, but the command prompt does not lie

[ROOT][TUTORIAL] How to root your SM-T337A with SuperSU (Temporary root)

I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
T337AUCU2BOH4 (Lollipop) firmware can be found here
Root Files can be found here
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL CAUSE YOUR DEVICE TO BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer (such as ES File Explorer) and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system. This is to ensure that Kingroot still works properly after a reboot.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Cheers!
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
toolhas4degrees said:
@KingOfTheNet
will flashfire work? bc it wont with kingroot
also, could itit.d be enabled and run these off of a script for example on startup so we don't have to do this after each reboot/shutdown
but i believe you would have to capture kingroots data somehow in the process of rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FlashFire does work on SuperSU, I've tested that for myself. It does not work with KingRoot.
For the second question, I'm not sure. I haven't looked through that file myself and I might look through it later but right now, I would just avoid rebooting the tablet if you wanna keep root without repeating the process over and over again. It's what I do, repeating the process over and over again can get very tedious and annoying.
Cheers!
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
xjimmy said:
I assume you're talking about 5.1.1? It won't work with kingroot versions higher than 4.8. Also, flashfire will load, but if you try to flash a zip you're screwed. You can actually use replace kingroot with supersu zip in terminal emulator on any version kingroot. Same deal with su binary, don't update it. Wish I could figure out how I had permanent for with kingroot. I had to go messing with things and lost it. Nothing really special about this method, unless there's a dev out there that can do something with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
KingOfTheNet said:
Sorry for the late response. Yes, somethings I forgot to mention in the original post:
1)Updating the SU Binary will put your device in a bootloop
2)Flashing anything with flashfire (based on what I've seen) results in a soft brick
3) I know you can replace kingroot with SuperSU in terminal, but when you reboot, you're unrooted again.
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
bklyndiaz said:
Hi, @KingOfTheNet, thanks for helping out with this device, i rooted my device on KK nk2 build and now updated to 5.1.1, thanks to you! now i would like to root 5.1.1 (am aware it is a temp. root)
i have superSu Pro, do i need Super Sume for this to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy to help out! You'd need king root installed, root the tab with king root, then use SuperSU me to replace the kingroot binaries with the SuperSU ones. It is an automatic process and should only take about 30 seconds or less. Pro version of SUPERSUme is not required, free version should work just fine.
Cheers!
xjimmy said:
Somehow I had it permanently rooted with kingroot a while back. I had the 4.9.6 apk on my tab at the time, is all I know. I could've updated from an earlier version, and maybe that was the cause. I've tried so many different versions of kingroot with no luck, but one peculiar occurrence; if I open kingroot, get into the settings and uninstall kingroot without saving a backup of root, then delete all the files in the tablet's main directory, and reinstall kingroot version 4.8.0, it somehow retains a partial permanent root. At least on my T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 it will, as long as I get a fresh install of 4.8.0, let it root, then hit the optimize button right after. Then wait until it finally tells me that kingroot has been deployed as a system app. After that, when I try to open any root apps, the screen will darken as it does when the root permission tab pops up, but it never pops up. The app just freezes. I can kill it in the task manager screen to just go back to using my tablet. After I restart the tab, sometimes it'll tell me an app has been granted superuser permissions. If I open up terminal emulator, type in the 'su' command and hit enter, the screen will turn dark again like it's going to ask me to allow or deny superuser permission, but it just freezes like that again. I've tried all kinds of stuff with 4.8.0, but I still can't get it to stick. If you don't hit the optimize button in kingroot right after rooting, and just wait for kingroot to install as a system app, the allow/deny prompt comes up without freezing, but the partial permanent root glitch doesn't remain. ugh, tired of messing with it though. lol
Edit: I may be wrong. It might need to be rooted with 4.8.0, optimized, then rebooted right away for the partial root. I'll try to do it again and let you know what I find.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kingroot does allow your device to retain permanent root after a certain time. However, Kingroot is not as powerful as SuperSU, is very limited in terms of what It can do, and has it's own 'bloatware' titled Purify. I'd honestly stick with SuperSU because it's (probably) the most powerful and efficient way to root your phone. I'd also suggest avoiding having to reboot the tablet at all with temp root because you would have to take 5 minutes to install it again, which was a pain in the butt for me.
As for the kingroot app freezing, that's usually the result of a bad download or a bad root. Plus kingroot is very limited in terms of what you can do on your kingrooted device. SUPERSU is the equivalent of an IOS jailbreak. SUPERSU gives you full control of your device, with no bloatware and limits, unlike kingroot.
Kingroot does sometimes delete the su binaries upon rebooting, which is another reason I don't like it all that much.
Another theory I thought of is that it's not Kingroot that's deleting the binaries, it's actually something that's set to happen when the device boots up. Either the actual Android os or the bootloader searches for and deletes the su binaries to prevent root.
I don't know for sure, I've kinda slowed down work on this device mainly because of a project I've been working on with the Samsung Galaxy S7 AT&T (SM-G930A). I'll look into these things when I get the chance.
Cheers!
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
xjimmy said:
I understand the limitations of Kingroot, and certainly supersu by all means is better. In the case of flashfire with supersu in this scenario, it's merely the difference of being able to open and run it just enough to work improperly and brick your device vs. Kingroot not being able to open it at all. I posted in a thread long before this one, how to replace kingroot with supersu, only I use the zip file in terminal emulator. Pretty sure I went over flashfire as well. The terminal emulator method works with new versions of kingroot, unlike supersu me. Are you suggesting that the T337A running 5.1.1 BOH4 can achieve permanent root via kingroot after "a certain amount of time"? Because I'm the only one I've seen on xda who's ever posted that they had permanent root from kingroot, but I didn't know how I did it. After I messed with things, i softbricked and had to flash back to stock, which, no offense, the stock file was available way before you posted it. Anyway, it's not the kingroot app freezing per se, i was talking about after rebooting, and without re-rooting, when trying to use rooted apps, they actually start to engage in the kingroot request superuser permissions pop-up. So, no, it's not a bad download, etc. I believe an older version of kingroot somehow permanently rooted my tab, perhaps with the help of something I was messing with at the time, perhaps not. I've intentionally rebooted my tab an unimaginable amount of times, testing to see if I possibly regained permanent root to no avail, so I know how that works. And it's not about having a hard time deciding on kingroot or supersu for a temproot, it's the interest in permanent root, the possibility off something like safestrap, and/or flashing custom roms, etc. When people say temproot is better or safer, i say boo. How many custom roms include a root toggle in the settings? Anyway I wish I could've gotten hold of a developer while I had permanent root. Maybe I could've done a system dump, or even try replacing the permanent kingroot with supers and drying out that could've stuck. You say you slowed down on this device, do you mean you were pursuing permanent root for it? Are you a developer? I have the AT&T S7 Edge (G935A). What's your project on the 930? Is it something for rooted S7's? I still have my edge running the engboot with the echoRom. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------
https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/help/t337a-temp-root-bootlp-fix-tar-official-t3473737
*https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/permanent-root-t337a-5-1-1-kingroot-t3518334
A couple of threads I started a long time ago that may be of interest to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offence taken on the firmware post, I was simply trying to spread the fact that the firmware for the device does exist but is very hard to find and is often posted on shady websites for money, unless you're looking in the right places. It only took me 5 minutes on Google to find one of those sites.
You asked if I was saying that the Tab 4 BOH4 firmware allows you to retain permanent root after some time, and yes, that's exactly what I was saying. I rooted my tablet with Kingroot 4.8.0 a while back and after about 4 - 5 reboots (I counted how many times I rebooted it, but the numbers could vary), It retained root. All I do today is avoid rebooting the tablet at all costs. I prefer SuperSU because, like we've said, there are almost no limitations of what you can do in terms of being rooted. I'm trying to find out how I can make root permanent on the tab with SuperSU by using the eng-boot method used to root all Qualcomm variants of the Galaxy S7, but that may take a while. Since my S7 has the eng-boot root method, I can reboot it all I want and it stays rooted with SuperSU. But at this point, It's just an Idea. I mainly need to find out whether or not the bootloader or the os is wiping the binaries on boot. Some older and newer versions of kingroot can retain root after reboot, but I have yet to find a version of the app that can do so.
Actually, some versions of Cyanogenmod and other custom roms had root pre-installed (not like SuperSU, but close enough), and like CM specifically, there was a section in the settings app for this pre-baked root. Even if I still used CM today, I still would've flashed SuperSU. But on a small number of devices, temp root really is better. However, most of those devices that would be on that list have very little to no development on them. Thus, they are not yet (and may never be) supported for permanent root.
I am partially on the road to becoming a developer, but I don't know how far that's gonna go (my prediction is not that far at all). I was doing research on how I could make an eng-boot for the Tab 4, but I became interested in my Galaxy S7 (AT&T). By that, I mean I wanted to make my own custom version of the stock Marshmallow rom ("Custom but stock OS"). To shorten it up, I wanted to create a .zip flashable "super package" which included SuperSU v2.79, Viper4Android, Overclock tools, and other stuff. I've kinda been on and off in terms of motivation to make this idea a reality, primarily because most of the things I wanted to include in this "package", can easily be installed by you in like 3 minutes, or maybe less. The original motive behind the idea was to lessen the work for power users who wanted to free their device "from the shackles". I've been on and off on work between both devices, but It's hard for me to continue the work without proper motivation. These projects are merely just an Idea at this point, but some drafts and copies do exist on my computer.
Creating a custom Android rom straight from my own head is basically an impossible task for me, considering most of the devices I work with have locked bootloaders. I am still learning Java and other Android programming languages in some of my free time but, again, the motivation to continue is something I struggle to find.
Cheers!
Upgrading OS and rooting
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
loc626 said:
I am currently running my t337a on 4.4.2 with build NK2. I was able to root with towel root awhile ago. I want to upgrade my os to 5.1.1 and root after but would like to make sure I go about it the right way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
You can root on the latest Lollipop firmware, but it's systemless supersu/temporary, meaning it will go away if you shutdown or reboot the device (you can re-root it, of course, but It can be annoying). The option to upgrade is up to you, and once you do upgrade, you can't downgrade (Locked bootloader & different bootloader versions. Lollipop has the new bootloader.) If you are going to upgrade, you can flash the Lollipop firmware via Odin or upgrade via OTA. If upgrading, I recommend taking it over the air, mainly because I'm still working up Odin packages for them. The Odin packages that I do have available are the BOH4 (the previous and the initial Lollipop update) ones, so if you upgrade OTA, it'll take away one step in the upgrade process, making your life a tad bit easier. Reply back if you need further help or have any more questions.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
loc626 said:
I'm highly considering an upgrade for the feel and hopefully a better performance. Also, a few apps I have need updates but only compatible on Android 5 and up. I have the OTA ready to go. Would I need to unroot before upgrading the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be best to unroot before installing to avoid any issues during the installation. Other then that, you're in the clear! Just remember, you cannot downgrade after the install!
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
4) I'm trying to figure out how I could altar the boot.img so we can get permanent SuperSU on this thing the same way Chainfire did it with the US and Qualcomm Samsung Galaxy S7's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
leeboski44 said:
I have always been under the assumption that the boot.img for the locked BL on the s7 was literally an engineering kernel from Samsung, and not something Chainfire created. The reason Im saying this is because if Chainfire created a boot image that can get around a locked bootloader, then logic should state that he cracked Sprint/ATT's signature for the BL. So my way of thinking is the success of even one locked boot loader ... it should apply across the board for all, correct? Or am I waaaaay off? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
(1st question) Actually yeah, lol. It was an engineering kernel, he didn't make it . I'm assuming that was used during the development of the phone so Samsung and AT&T could construct the OS without running into any issues with the phones locked bootloader. At the time, I thought that Chainfire thought of some "mad science" to altar the boot.img so that it wont check the signatures of any of the files on boot.
Now I'm thinking:
1) He found a way to obtain all the phones signatures so that way he knows what signature the desired files (like a build of TWRP, or instance) would have to have so it can flash and boot properly.
--OR--
2) He somehow obtained or reproduced the engineering kernel that, like I said, was most likely used during software development for the phone (constructing the OS and the rest of the software).
I've done a little research on what engineering kernels actually do and why they are so useful now (to most people, the name is enough, lol). Apparently, they completely skip some of the signature checks on boot, primarily for /SYSTEM (The OS), which is why we were able to achieve permanent root the Qualcomm Galaxy S7 & S7 edge models. I do not think they skip signature checks for /RECOVERY or /BOOT, but we know that if we either reproduce or obtain the engineering kernel for this tablet, we can achieve permanent root the exact same way. I could be wrong, as I do not know for certain the Ins and outs of engineering kernels and how to get them, but It is very possible.
(2nd question) Now, I do not have much knowledge of bootloaders and signature checks, but I would go to the best assumption that since Sprint & AT&T, for example, are 2 completely different companies and are not affiliated (as of writing this), their bootloaders and updates would not have the same signatures. If they did, then Sprint would have to go to AT&T to sign their updates and such, and AT&T would have to do the same thing for Sprint. It just wouldn't really make sense. Lets think of it this way, If Target wants to sell a product in their stores that's already sold at Walmart, then should Target have to go to Walmart to get that approved? Or if Walmart wanted to sell something that's already sold at Target, then should Walmart have to go to Target for approval? Absolutely not, that wouldn't make any sense. Once again, I could be wrong, but it would make the most sense.
Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
leeboski44 said:
No that makes perfect sense and thanks for clearing it up.
The whole thing about the signature being the means by which the bootloader is locked is important. Atleast to me it is, so thank you for clearing that up. :good: And so, it makes sense that the System partitions Signature check being skipped IS what allows access to root. But where my opinion differs on this is the Boot and Recovery implementation of the Signatures. I believe that it IS the carriers implementation that does not allow the Recovery and Boot partitions to be modified. If it were Samsungs then how is Samsung going to incorporate a Universal bootloader that knows how to load all carriers data, policy, etc?
And possibly this is what you were saying above and I am misreading it...
***EDIT*** I see you said that the signatures would NOT be the same between carriers, so I am in line with your theory there as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could be of help, however I don't see where I stated that the signature implementations on the BOOT and RECOVERY partitions was Samsung's idea not the carriers, if you could point that out for me that would be great.:good:
The engineering kernels skip SOME signature checks, both when flashing and booting into partitions, but I do not know exactly which ones they skip. We know it skips some of the signatures for /SYSTEM, but it does not do the same for the 2 other main ones, those being /BOOT & /RECOVERY. We know because "one of our own" attempted to flash their own build of TWRP recovery to the device (SM-G930A to be specific) only to get a signature check fail when booting the phone, which of course means that the phone has a locked bootloader and that the signatures for the /RECOVERY partition are still checked, but I do not know for certain about /BOOT. If I had to assume I'd say that /BOOT isn't checked, given the fact that if your phone is rooted then you would have had to flash the engineering kernel, which, like I said, skips some signature checks.
I hope I've cleared most things up for you.
Cheers!
KingOfTheNet said:
I've made this thread to teach T337A owners how to root their device with SuperSU. Please note that this is a system-less root, meaning it's temporary, but can be re-applied. Rooting only takes about 5-7 minutes and brings numerous tweaks and advantages to your device. Just remember that every time you reboot or shut the device down, you will need to repeat the rooting process. This tutorial was designed for Lollipop 5.1.1, but it should work on KitKat as well.
Before beginning, you will need to download the following file, unzip it on your pc, then transfer it to your device's internal storage/external sd card.
Root File: https://mega.nz/#!74Jl0ZqY!knlHuexbYGFkk1f4wHxq16u3L38EtfR9scQ0H7hISTA
Lets start!
1) Install both the APK files in the file on your device, If prompted, allow installation from unknown sources.
2) Make sure your device is connected to WiFi, then open Kingroot.
3) Once Kingroot is "Done searching for the best root strategy", click the "Try Now" button and wait about 3 minutes for KingRoot to give you a "Root Successfully" message.
4) This is where it gets kinda tricky, immediately after receiving the root success message, go into SuperSU-me, and grant root permissions when prompted.
5) Click on the big blue button in the middle of the frame and wait about 1 minute for the process to complete. DO NOT UPDATE THE SUPERSU BINARY, IT WILL BOOTLOOP.
6) IMMEDIATELY after the process has completed, go into Settings and make sure KingRoot or Purify is not installed! This is an important step because Kingroot and Kingroot adware tends to install itself in the system partition which can cause problems and frustration.
7 - Recommended) Download a root file explorer and search "King" under /data and /system to ensure that the KingRoot app and its bloatware has been wiped from the system.
8) Enjoy root access!
If this tutorial helped you please be sure to hit the :good: button. If you had any issues or troubles during this process please feel free to let me know down below.
Need T337A firmware? Check out my thread here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tab-4/general/download-sm-t337a-lollipop-firmware-t3536509
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The firmware you provided saved my sm-t337A tablet from being soft bricked. Although I was able to gain temp root from this method, king root tried to disable the SELinux on my device and after trying to temp root again caused the app to implant itself as bloatware into the /systems folder and was non functional when using the app. Do you happen to know of a custom recovery (TWRP or CWM) which would work for this device?

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