Hello all,
I've searched all over XDA and Google, to give me definitive answer about issue i am about to raise, i rooted and put custom roms on all my previous samsung/htc devices, and WAS about to do the same for my Note 3 (its a beastly device, and doesnt need modifications, however it has been a routine for me to root and put custom roms into any devices that i've used)
Now the issue is this:
Yes, i've read about KNOX security system that Samsung has implemented, which would trip a counter and supposedly locked the bootloader of the phone, i've also read that due to the e-fuse that has been implemented, my Note 3 internals could be damaged due to it (?), and also i wouldnt be able to go back to the old version/bootloader as it will be parmanently locked by Samsung if i flash using Odin.
Do take note..that my Note 3 is not under warranty..so if KNOX triggers, it doesnt matter for me , as i wont be going to my local phone shop or official Samsung Officials (there isnt one here in my country) if anything would happen to my device. However i do need to know if its gonna mess with my device due to the e-fuse.
My questions are these..
1) If i root it, using CF's method as i usually do..and will definately put Custom Rom in it...and that will trigger KNOX for sure..will it destroy the internals? say the MOBO..and the phone will be rendered useless and become an expensive paperweight (i dont have warranty, so no replacements)
2) If i use for e.g Omega Rom which released two versions, one, with 4.3 JB and one, with 4.4 KitKat...will i be able to go back and forth for e.g 4.4 to 4.3 as well as jumping to different custom roms with diffrent Android versions?! as i usually do with me previous devices
Thanks and i will definately delete this thread once i'm fully convinced that rooting , putting roms should be avoided or ''Since you dont care about tripping knox, go ahead and do it as ur previous devices'' kinda answer..
Truly Sorry if you guys come across this question already..i've searched for it and come to no avail.. this is my last resort. Thnks XDA and everyone.:good:
qilrfn said:
My questions are these..
1) If i root it, using CF's method as i usually do..and will definately put Custom Rom in it...and that will trigger KNOX for sure..will it destroy the internals? say the MOBO..and the phone will be rendered useless and become an expensive paperweight (i dont have warranty, so no replacements)
2) If i use for e.g Omega Rom which released two versions, one, with 4.3 JB and one, with 4.4 KitKat...will i be able to go back and forth for e.g 4.4 to 4.3 as well as jumping to different custom roms with diffrent Android versions?! as i usually do with me previous devices
Thanks and i will definately delete this thread once i'm fully convinced that rooting , putting roms should be avoided or ''Since you dont care about tripping knox, go ahead and do it as ur previous devices'' kinda answer..
Truly Sorry if you guys come across this question already..i've searched for it and come to no avail.. this is my last resort. Thnks XDA and everyone.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly wrong section - should go to Q&A
1) -- Well you can mess up if you don't follow the right methods (not hard)
2) you can only be on one, if you use 4.3 BL you can't use 4.4 and vice versa... once you go to 4.4 you cannot downgrade back to 4.3 unless you have an N900w8
Generally, rooting/custom ROM's won't hurt your device, just make sure you have the right ROM/Kernel and make the proper backups if needed.
Disable Reactivation Lock, and read about backing up your EFS and how to get out of it if it goes mad (which it sometimes does at random)
I think Radicalisto didn't make it clear enough: I'm not aware of tripped Knox flag affecting anything else on the phone except for warranty and inability to use Knox software. Any type of phone issues would probably be due to user error, or loaded software, not the flag itself.
radicalisto said:
Firstly wrong section - should go to Q&A
1) -- Well you can mess up if you don't follow the right methods (not hard)
2) you can only be on one, if you use 4.3 BL you can't use 4.4 and vice versa... once you go to 4.4 you cannot downgrade back to 4.3 unless you have an N900w8
Generally, rooting/custom ROM's won't hurt your device, just make sure you have the right ROM/Kernel and make the proper backups if needed.
Disable Reactivation Lock, and read about backing up your EFS and how to get out of it if it goes mad (which it sometimes does at random)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for answering first of all..will defo hit the thnx button..
for the 1) i always make sure i read the instructions and follow steps..no problem there..
2) this one tho..is a bit weird for me..i was able to do it on my note 2..going back and forth 4.3 to 4.1.2 cus i found the 4.1.2 more stable..i guess for note 3 i cant do that anymore? even if use custom roms to up/downgrade?
thnx for ur time..and will take ur advice next time on posting it at the q and a section (still learning)
ON 4.3 you once you go to MJ7 Bootloader you cannot downgrade -- however you can go to ML and MK bootloaders and go back to MJ7 again.
For some reason Samsung blocked a downgrade to 4.3 from 4.4 (as the Note shipped with 4.3 no logical reason to allow 4.2 imo) - but if you choose to move to 4.4. bootloader do be aware it can be buggy on some devices (NEE region also Hong Kong notes have issues) - If you have a read around you will see the issues people are having and not having with stock 4.4.
There's plenty of ROMs for both bootloaders CM works on both and most of the Stock based ROM dev's have moved up to the newest NB* Bootloader from NA* - I flashed 4.4 day it leaked (the next hour to be precise and I have had no issues)
qilrfn said:
Thanks for answering first of all..will defo hit the thnx button..
for the 1) i always make sure i read the instructions and follow steps..no problem there..
2) this one tho..is a bit weird for me..i was able to do it on my note 2..going back and forth 4.3 to 4.1.2 cus i found the 4.1.2 more stable..i guess for note 3 i cant do that anymore? even if use custom roms to up/downgrade?
thnx for ur time..and will take ur advice next time on posting it at the q and a section (still learning)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since note 3 came with 4.3 and currently latest stock is 4.4.2. even if u wanna go back to 4.3 from what i read around it is not possible. There are alot of aosp roms and stock rooted roms with all kinds of kernel build for both stock and aosp. Im sure if u were to follow the instructions given and do it diligently surely nthg goes wrong unless u overclock ur phone too high or flashing stuff which weren't meant for ur specific device then nthg to be afraid of. I sure glad i went ahead and root. Coz to me knox is a totally BS. all down to ur own preference. u like it u root it u use it. best is to keep reading different threads.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
radicalisto said:
ON 4.3 you once you go to MJ7 Bootloader you cannot downgrade -- however you can go to ML and MK bootloaders and go back to MJ7 again.
For some reason Samsung blocked a downgrade to 4.3 from 4.4 (as the Note shipped with 4.3 no logical reason to allow 4.2 imo) - but if you choose to move to 4.4. bootloader do be aware it can be buggy on some devices (NEE region also Hong Kong notes have issues) - If you have a read around you will see the issues people are having and not having with stock 4.4.
There's plenty of ROMs for both bootloaders CM works on both and most of the Stock based ROM dev's have moved up to the newest NB* Bootloader from NA* - I flashed 4.4 day it leaked (the next hour to be precise and I have had no issues)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay..so i would only flash 4.4 roms when Im really really convinced that its time for KitKat..but as of right now, i can only play around with 4.3 roms..ok..understood. You've cleared my doubts man, thanks a bunch and i guess its time to root and flash.
pete4k said:
I think Radicalisto didn't make it clear enough: I'm not aware of tripped Knox flag affecting anything else on the phone except for warranty and inability to use Knox software. Any type of phone issues would probably be due to user error, or loaded software, not the flag itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read somewhere, the e-fuse is like an internal bomb..if i flag it, some sort of ''internal parts destroyer'' would be unleashed and mess up my device. I guess its just a rumour...hopefully.
qilrfn said:
I did read somewhere, the e-fuse is like an internal bomb..if i flag it, some sort of ''internal parts destroyer'' would be unleashed and mess up my device. I guess its just a rumour...hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's not humour, there's gonna be a lot of angry Note owners here on XDA -- Some tripped KNOX accidently lol - I wouldn't worry too much in all honesty.
I'm sure using cf root trips knox
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
An e-fuse is just a silicon bridge on the processor that gets burnt out. Once you burn the bridge it can't revert back.
This is technically damaging the internal hardware BUT this is due to Samsung software doing this so I don't see how they can claim we have damaged the hardware.... There should be no other problems resulting from this....
First of all, many people already claim their phones had Knox flag reset to zero by Samsung service centers. Either they're all lying (why?), there are more than one e-fuse inside and Samsung can simply reset software to ignore burned fuse and check next one, or the whole e-fuse story is made up and not true. Personally I lean towards the last possibility, for 2 reasons: e-fuse is permanent so couldn't be reset and if they're using multiple e-fuses then it is not more secure than encrypted software code and also possibly e-fuse could be defeated from tripping: I believe e-fuse needs higher than normal voltage to be burned out (otherwise it could burn accidentally) and that voltage is probably coming on separate rail, I wonder what would happen if one would either cut this high voltage or short it out, just during flag tripping operations.
Secondly many people tripped their Knox flags already, if there was some side effects, we would know about it already.
Related
I just want to ask some questions, seems like some of these threads are out of date.
My phone came out of box JB, so I need to restore down to ICS to root, then use a program called VooDoo to protect said root and update back to JB?
Unless my Bootloader is unlocked, What are the pro/cons of that, I heard you dont get OTA updates, but I could live without those, we can just download them ourselves right?
SirRudolph said:
I just want to ask some questions, seems like some of these threads are out of date.
My phone came out of box JB, so I need to restore down to ICS to root, then use a program called VooDoo to protect said root and update back to JB?
Unless my Bootloader is unlocked, What are the pro/cons of that, I heard you dont get OTA updates, but I could live without those, we can just download them ourselves right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been a lot of misconceptions about unlocked bootloaders in this forum. Unlocking your bootloader doesn't necessarily mean the phone will not be eligible for updates, rather the updates will not install on a modified system. What is your real reason for root? Most people are always looking for the latest update, but mess up some files on their phone and don't have backup, in which case the update will fail.
With the Rogers/fido fiasco, we had people go back to the wrong Rogers version of software, since it was not posted properly on the Motorola firmware download website.
Another con is that your warranty would be totally void. Personally I haven't find the need yet to root this device and have had it for almost 4 months now!
Sent from my XT925 using Tapatalk 2
I wont agree for some people the modifications other people do seem trivial.
I've already rooted though, turns out I did have to do what I said above, now running 4.1.1 with Root
I root because a few applications I use, for instance SetCPU allows me to underclock the processors in my phone while the screen is locked, that saves a bit of battery life. I wish Motorola allowed a smart action trigger for when the phone screen was off though, this would help it even more so to save battery.
I use another app to change the lockscreen sounds, which requires root as well.
I havent looked at possible ROM's on this phone yet, as far as I know developers arent quite getting into this phone as deep as they usually do? Thusly I dont think i'll need to use a custom ROM. Just my own optimizations.
Hello XDA Developers,
Okay so here is my unusual situation...
I have two phones. I have one Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 that I run CM 11 on with CWM Touch installed on that phone. On my second phone which is also a Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 i was running stock 4.1.2 ROM which was rooted with CWM recovery manager. The stock SGS3 was the baseband version that supported multi windows.
Okay so today i decided to go ahead and check for an OTA update on my stock (rooted) SGS3. I knew there had been an update available for some time but I never decided to update my phone because i figured with it being rooted and with CWM recovery manager installed there was no way that the OTA update would work...
So like an idiot i went ahead and tried the update. I figured what is the worst that could happen? I figured that at the worst it was just going to tell me that the update failed and i would just be stuck with Android 4.1.2 which isn't the end of the world. I really like the multi windows setup. Moving on...i downloaded the update and I hit the install update button. My phone booted into recovery manager and it installed the update. When the phone rebooted I saw the message "Android is upgrading" and i thought whoa! no way!. After android finished upgrading which i believe was the dalvik rebuilding I saw a message in notifications saying "upgrade installation failed", however when i went into settings it now told me that i was running Android 4.3. So to me it looked like the upgrade took but I think the problem was that when it asked me to flash the stock recovery there was an option in CWM to say no and i choose that to keep CWM recovery manager instead of the stock recovery manager. Maybe i should have let the update install the stock recovery manager...
Now i knew ahead of time that if this update worked I was going to loose root but again I didn't think it was that big of a deal since I could just re-root my phone and I would be on a newer Android version. I looked around for the best rooting option and I wanted to use Chainfire's CF-AutoRoot exploit but I know that if you do not have the bootloader unlocked that there is a chance of bricking your phone. So after some research (which i should have done before i updated my phone!) i saw that there was an exploit out called "saferoot.zip" and that you could root your phone running a windows.bat file or a shell script if you are in Linux. Even though the program is for SGS4 many users on XDA with SGS3 phones reported success with "saferoot". So i tried saferoot 2 times with no luck. Finally on the third attempt (3rd times a charm!) i was able to root my phone and SuperSU was able to "disable KNOX".
So i now had my Verizon SGS3 updated from Android 4.1.2 to Android 4.3 and I had successfully re-rooted my phone. I was feeling good...
Until I wanted to make sure that CWM Recovery Manager was still on my phone. I opened up the app "quickboot" and choose to boot into Recovery Manager this is where the trouble began...
When my phone booted into recovery mode i saw a big Yellow Triangle. Under this very scary yellow triangle it said that "Verizon has detected unauthorized software on this phone. Please turn off the phone and take it into your nearest verizon store". Other something along those lines...
I thought I was in big trouble...
I could not get the phone out of recovery mode. I tried pulling the battery but every time my phone rebooted it just kept going back into recovery mode. The trick to get out recovery mode was to hold down Volume Down + Home for a few seconds then press the power button. This brought me to a new menu and i was able to hit "cancel" on installing a new OS and it rebooted my phone back to its normal state.
So finally here is my questions...
Question 1: I know i need to unlock my bootloader again. After you apply an OTA update it re-locks your bootloader right? Does anyone know of a method of unlocking the bootloader with the Verizon (d2vzw) SGS3 baseband version I535VRUCML1 running on Android 4.3?
Before when my phone was running 4.1.2 I unlocked the bootloader with Odin and the app EZ-UNLOCK but i don't think EZ-UNLOCK is going to work with Android 4.3
Question 2: Is there a way to get rid of that message about Verizon has detected unauthorized software on this phone? Now I know that ChainFire has a Yellow Triangle Away app on the Google Play store and I will happily buy it but I know that in order for it to work you first must have your bootloader unlocked right? If i try to use that app with my bootloader in a locked state i could brick my phone permanently right?
Is there possibly any file or exploit i can flash with either Odin or the app "Flashify" so that I can unlock my bootloader. Has anyone here tried unlocking their bootloader on their SGS3 running 4.3 with the app "EZ-UNLOCK" ?
I am very concerned about damaging my phone which is a company work phone so if i mess it up i will be in deep trouble...
Oh, one last question...
Question 3: Since i got that yellow triangle message about unauthorized software when i tried to boot into recovery mode could it have possible been because CWM recovery was somehow deleted with the OTA update? After i was able to get out of recovery mode I used the app "ROM Manager" to install CWM Recovery Again hoping that I might have a recovery manager... Now ROM Manager says that CWM Touch was installed successfully but I am not sure since I am kind of scared to boot into recovery mode again until I unlock this bootloader.
If my recovery manager is being blocked until I get my bootloader unlocked could i use the app "flashify" if i need to flash any files?
I know my situation might be a bit unusual but I am really going to need some help on this and someones expertise advice.
I hope to hear from someone soon...
XDA Members, have a great New Years and make 2014 count!
I thank you all for your time and assistance.
-droidshadow
After accepting the 4.3 OTA, your bootloader is locked and there is no way to unlock it. My suggestion to you would be to grab the 4.3 ODIN file, reflash to 100% stock, root using saferoot, debloat as wanted, and hope for the best.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but there is no way to unlock the bootloader once taking the 4.3 OTA. Attempting to do so will brick the phone.
well that stinks...
podspi said:
After accepting the 4.3 OTA, your bootloader is locked and there is no way to unlock it. My suggestion to you would be to grab the 4.3 ODIN file, reflash to 100% stock, root using saferoot, unbloat as wanted, and hope for the best.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but there is no way to unlock the bootloader once taking the 4.3 OTA. Attempting to do so will brick the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason that I even attempted the upgrade is because next week I am going to purchasing the smart watch from the Samsung Galaxy Gear. For that watch (you can make calls from the watch) you need the upgrade to pair my SGS3 with my smartwatch when I get it next week.
Now this OTA update is quite new so that means that there still might be a chance to unlock the bootloader eventually when someone works it out right?
Big question:
Is it still possible to have CWM or TWRP with this 4.3 OTA update?
Thanks for the reply.
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
The only reason that I even attempted the upgrade is because next week I am going to purchasing the smart watch from the Samsung Galaxy Gear. For that watch (you can make calls from the watch) you need the upgrade to pair my SGS3 with my smartwatch when I get it next week.
Now this OTA update is quite new so that means that there still might be a chance to unlock the bootloader eventually when someone works it out right?
Big question:
Is it still possible to have CWM or TWRP with this 4.3 OTA update?
Thanks for the reply.
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To bad you took the ota. There is a twrp flashable rom for stock 4.3. And no you can not have custom recovery.
droidshadow said:
Okay so today i decided to go ahead and check for an OTA update on my stock (rooted) SGS3...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no need to read any further than that.... Sorry to be another bearer of bad news, but if a phone is rooted and you want it to stay that way, "OTA" should be a term that you never, ever, ever even think about !
The S4 boot loader has been locked down with Knox longer than the S3 has, and no one has cracked it yet. I'd say the chances of this boot loader being cracked wide open are slim to none. If unlocking this boot loader were as simple as using EZ unlock 1.2, it would have been written about all over these and all forums.
Sent from the Shark Tank using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
so what entails for the future of samsung phones?
landshark68 said:
The S4 boot loader has been locked down with Knox longer than the S3 has, and no one has cracked it yet. I'd say the chances of this boot loader being cracked wide open are slim to none. If unlocking this boot loader were as simple as using EZ unlock 1.2, it would have been written about all over these and all forums.
Sent from the Shark Tank using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Will KitKat + SELinux + Knox no longer allow us to enjoy the true beauty of Android? I think that is major BS.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones? I love Samsung phones and I love having the options of flashing custom roms or reverting back to stock and I really really love CWM recovery or TWRP recovery.
These phones are our property...
I understand that the software and the code is Samsung's or Verizon's yet we should be able to do what we want to our property. Could you imagine if Toyota or Chevy said that after you purchased one of their cars you could never paint it a different color or add custom rims + wheels! That would be ridiculous... It is the same concept here really.
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Will KitKat + SELinux + Knox no longer allow us to enjoy the true beauty of Android? I think that is major BS.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones? I love Samsung phones and I love having the options of flashing custom roms or reverting back to stock and I really really love CWM recovery or TWRP recovery.
These phones are our property...
I understand that the software and the code is Samsung's or Verizon's yet we should be able to do what we want to our property. Could you imagine if Toyota or Chevy said that after you purchased one of their cars you could never paint it a different color or add custom rims + wheels! That would be ridiculous... It is the same concept here really.
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Difference is though, if you were to somehow screw up your car by customizing it you wouldn't try to take it back to the dealership and get a new car under a warranty claim. I would have to think at least part of the reason phone manufacturers and mobile carriers are locking down phones is all the "warranty" claims people are submitting after screwing up while rooting and flashing their phones. Warranty claims are for inherent manufacturer defects, not a hard brick from flashing the wrong software. If more people took responsibility for their mistakes and bought a new phone instead of making the carriers or manufacturers pay for their mistakes, perhaps this wouldn't be happening. I'm not saying absolutely, just perhaps. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. Happy New Year everyone.
Different animal. You own the hardware, but the providers have the right to control the firmware since it can change how the phone interacts with the network.
Just like the firmware in your cars computer. The manufacturer and the federal government have control over what went in. Modifying it can be done, but it is a violation of EPA emission laws.
Modifying the paint, tires, rims etc is like putting a different case, bling etc on your phone
Your phone needs to have the 4.3 odin tar installed to clean the recovery.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
These phones are our property...
It is really sad that Samsung and Mobile carriers such as Verizon have resorted to this...
-droidshadow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its really Verizon, They have had many Moto and HTC phones with locked bootloaders , unless Verizon unlocks it, it won't be cracked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2586319
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
DigitalMD said:
Its really Verizon, They have had many Moto and HTC phones with locked bootloaders , unless Verizon unlocks it, it won't be cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but still i think it should be our choice! While there are millions of us out there that love to customize the software on our phone's by adding new recovery managers or custom rom's we are a small population to the rest of the stock phone using world...
Insurance companies make big bucks by all the people who never file a claim...but i won't get into that.
Many of you have made excellent points and i respect that. I especially liked the comparison of car rims to phone cases i thought that was great!
Hopefully someone will work it out soon or some how an unlocked bootloader will get leaked.
Come one Verizon developers! Leak it! We wont tell!
I was planning on getting the NOTE 3 but i doubt that phone comes with an unlocked bootloader so this d2vzw (sgs3) will most likely be my last samsung phone that I ever buy. I guess i will have to stick with the Nexus phones... I am going to miss micro sdcards!
-droidshadow
droidshadow said:
I know but still i think it should be our choice! While there are millions of us out there that love to customize the software on our phone's by adding new recovery managers or custom rom's we are a small population to the rest of the stock phone using world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having that debate at this site is kinda silly.... Fact is, "we" will lose the fight against the carriers and/or manufacturers as it stands. The only way to really impact them is to STOP giving them our money, but you know what ? The number of people who "hack" their phones is a tiny percentage in the grand scheme. We'd probably get a "good riddance" response from them anyway.
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct and.... read on.
So what are our options now? Are we going to simply have to choose different phones like future Google Nexus phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could be the only solution. I believe the success that Samsung/Verizon have had with locking down their phones will soon result in ALL phones on ALL carriers being locked down with little or no possibility of rooting or flashing.
I suspect we've seen the end of modifying any phone on any network. I sure hope I'm wrong....
It would be a shame....
xs11e said:
I suspect we've seen the end of modifying any phone on any network. I sure hope I'm wrong....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just rooted and got into CM in the last month. Got rid of all the bloat and installed some neat little apps. And now, just when I get hooked, it's possible that my drug of choice may be going away.
hey there guys, i know this post is a little old, but i just wanted to share my story real quickly with you and to reiterate that messing with the boot loader on an sch-i535 running 4.3 is a HORRIBLE idea.
this is the first phone i have ever tried to root. i successfully rooted the phone, immediately i tried to run cwm recovery. HARDBRICK. i was so proud for all of five minutes that i rooted a phone on my first try. The phone would not power on in ANY mode. i could only get a red light to come on by plugging my phone into my computer with the battery out of the phone. after three days and alot of reading and some help from xda i managed to (amazingly) debrick my phone. I am now very VERY cautious of what i do with my rooted sch-i535 with its HORRIBLE 4.3 crap.
If you are truly hardbricked, im told that jigs (despite what is all over the internet) will not work. (maybe they do but a shop in texas told me a hardbrick will not revive by jig).
JTAG is the most dependable repair.
I revived my phone via debrick image on an sd card.
Bottom line, do everything you can to avoid the situation in the first place.
Never take updates. I unlocked boot loader on 4.3 with ez-unlock app booted into recovery and hard bricked my phone... The fun is over after 4.3...Had to send it to Tampa fl. To get JTAG and it worked.
droidshadow said:
So what is the going to happen to the future of Samsung Phones? Are we no longer going to be able to put custom ROM's and custom Recovery Managers on Samsung Phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's correct, given the amount of time the Devs have had to find a way to unlock the bootloader on the S3 and S4 w/o success, I believe it's hopeless.
Worse, I believe Samsung will share their technology and ALL cell phones will eventually have locked boot loaders and be un-rootable, un-flashable and, to me, at least, un-desirable!
I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I believe in a year or two any cellphone will be locked down to whatever software is installed at time of purchase.
xs11e said:
That's correct, given the amount of time the Devs have had to find a way to unlock the bootloader on the S3 and S4 w/o success, I believe it's hopeless.
Worse, I believe Samsung will share their technology and ALL cell phones will eventually have locked boot loaders and be un-rootable, un-flashable and, to me, at least, un-desirable!
I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I believe in a year or two any cellphone will be locked down to whatever software is installed at time of purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the fun over??? Haha I've seen this same junk many times... I'm running 4.3 rooted. Safestrapped (cwmis garbage) alliance 23 build ROM CSC & build prop tweaks on sch-i535v on straightalk att side. Knox removed manually by me. All bands open except domestic 3g. (Working on it now).
So the funs over? I'm confused.. And how is that? Lol take your time. Research. Learn. Adapt. Achieve. If it can be locked. It can be unlocked. I've yet to run across a phone that I couldn't bring back from the supposed "hard brick" but I did find one I COULDNT brick on purpose. And I threw everything at it. Huwaei m8665 I think it was. I tried for two days to brick that little piece of junk, and not even wrong roots etc could. Lol
An0nYm0u5.bat said:
How's the fun over??? Haha I've seen this same junk many times... I'm running 4.3 rooted. Safestrapped (cwmis garbage) alliance 23 build ROM CSC & build prop tweaks on sch-i535v on straightalk att side. Knox removed manually by me. All bands open except domestic 3g. (Working on it now).
So the funs over? I'm confused.. And how is that? Lol take your time. Research. Learn. Adapt. Achieve. If it can be locked. It can be unlocked. I've yet to run across a phone that I couldn't bring back from the supposed "hard brick" but I did find one I COULDNT brick on purpose. And I threw everything at it. Huwaei m8665 I think it was. I tried for two days to brick that little piece of junk, and not even wrong roots etc could. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you if there is a way to lock it there is a way to unlock it.
is just a matter of time some smart brain will figure it out how to and share LOL
I sold my p905 a while back, going to get a p900 however, the biggest factor is able to delete files on the sd card. I know I have to root it, however, from what I read there's issues and you can no longer root it?.
rirawin said:
I sold my p905 a while back, going to get a p900 however, the biggest factor is able to delete files on the sd card. I know I have to root it, however, from what I read there's issues and you can no longer root it?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Odin to Flash TWRP then use TWRP to Flash Super SU.
nrage23 said:
Use Odin to Flash TWRP then use TWRP to Flash Super SU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, so no issues with rooting with latest firmware?.
http://androidxda.net/root-samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-all-variants-on-android-4-4-2-kitkat/
This guide?, been ages since I rooted.
rirawin said:
http://androidxda.net/root-samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-all-variants-on-android-4-4-2-kitkat/
This guide?, been ages since I rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love how that guide says all variants and then makes no mention of the P907. I would love to be able to use a custom recovery. Unless the P907 falls under the LTE moniker even though the model number is different?
Yes, TWRP works with P900
I went through this a week ago (with some help) and once I figured out how to get TWRP 2.8 to flash using Odin the process of rooting and installing a custom rom was easy. There is a thread a little lower on this forum that goes through the process.
Keith
do you have the link please.
What happens if I wish to unroot?
rirawin said:
do you have the link please.
What happens if I wish to unroot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't post a link but the thread is in this forum. I have not unrooted but there are several threads that mention going back to stock.
Please can someone link me to an up to date method to root?
I understand towelroot only works for p905 and p900/
okay
rirawin said:
Please can someone link me to an up to date method to root?
I understand towelroot only works for p905 and p900/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not have enough posts to link an email. About three weeks ago I had the same question. The thread is in this forum on page 3, 5 or so messages down. I am the op, stedmakr. Gastrom answered the thread, provided a link and helped me root the p900 and install his rom (its excellent). Sorry I can't post links. Page 3 of this forum.
Keith
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...reliable-root-method-p900-build-bnk1-t2986600
I still don't quite understand, I just like to root to get sd card fix
Since there's this thread... How about KNOX? Is there a way to root P900 without tripping KNOX flag? I don't care about KNOX software itself, but since here in Poland warranty problems are left to the decision of the service, it is quite important for me not to give them opportunity to refuse a repair (if something happens, which - I hope - never will).
Wytaptalkowane na notatniku
Peri Noid said:
Since there's this thread... How about KNOX? Is there a way to root P900 without tripping KNOX flag? I don't care about KNOX software itself, but since here in Poland warranty problems are left to the decision of the service, it is quite important for me not to give them opportunity to refuse a repair (if something happens, which - I hope - never will).
Wytaptalkowane na notatniku
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, no way to avoid Knox trip.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
can anyone confirm please, is this the method to root:
https://androidxda.net/root-samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-all-variants-on-android-4-4-2-kitkat/
So after I done that, I update su user and then I install sdfix is that right?.
anyone please?
Are you having problems or just too afraid to try it?
Not sure if you realize this but one of the reasons people aren't answering you is because those of us who have rooted do so and never look back. I wish I could tell you for sure that it will work with the current version of the firmware but I cant . . I rooted 8 months ago and haven't looked back. I cant speak for others but I'm not about to flash stock and go through the whole thing again just to update an old thread so I suspect that this is part of the reason that there's no updated guide. For devices that get a ton of development things are different but this niche device doesn't have a flurry of development activity surrounding it so . . .
One thing I can say is that it is my experience that if CF Autoroot fails the worst thing you're left with is a tripped knox and the stock rom without root. I say this because I was one of the unlucky ones who had to struggle through multiple attempts to get CF Autoroot to work. Eventually it did but during that time I had multiple shots at it and each time I was able to at least recover to the point of getting stock OS and recovery working again.
I see no reason why you can't achieve root on a SM-P900. If you can't do it with CF Autoroot then just download one of Gatsrom's images of stock rooted, flash TWRP using Odin (with auto reboot option disabled), boot into TWRP and do a full wipe and flash Gatsrom's image. You'll lose your setup and apps but you'll get root.
muzzy996 said:
Are you having problems or just too afraid to try it?
Not sure if you realize this but one of the reasons people aren't answering you is because those of us who have rooted do so and never look back. I wish I could tell you for sure that it will work with the current version of the firmware but I cant . . I rooted 8 months ago and haven't looked back. I cant speak for others but I'm not about to flash stock and go through the whole thing again just to update an old thread so I suspect that this is part of the reason that there's no updated guide. For devices that get a ton of development things are different but this niche device doesn't have a flurry of development activity surrounding it so . . .
One thing I can say is that it is my experience that if CF Autoroot fails the worst thing you're left with is a tripped knox and the stock rom without root. I say this because I was one of the unlucky ones who had to struggle through multiple attempts to get CF Autoroot to work. Eventually it did but during that time I had multiple shots at it and each time I was able to at least recover to the point of getting stock OS and recovery working again.
I see no reason why you can't achieve root on a SM-P900. If you can't do it with CF Autoroot then just download one of Gatsrom's images of stock rooted, flash TWRP using Odin (with auto reboot option disabled), boot into TWRP and do a full wipe and flash Gatsrom's image. You'll lose your setup and apps but you'll get root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said mate! Well said.
If someone's gonna root their tablet, especially one of this caliber & price point. Then they should know how to recover it back to stock on their own. Concerning the tripping of Knox, who cares! Samsung won't turn down a hardware issue covered under warranty just because you decided to load another ROM. That topic has been discussed to death in another thread. If your going to root this thing, then root it and live on! LoL ?
Developers don't need no stinkin' signature!
If I've been able to help you, please hit the "Thanks" button.
Android.Ninja said:
Samsung won't turn down a hardware issue covered under warranty just because you decided to load another ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not here in Poland...
I see a lot of similar questions, but am getting yes and no answers.
Background+Rant: after spending yesterday bashing my head against knox, i managed to get my new sm-g900p from oem 5.0 back to stock 4.4.2, towel-rooted successfully (keeping 0x0). Good, but not enough. without a real recovery to make a backup, samsung is actually putting me at more risk than ever at turning my phone into a brick (security my ***). plus the slow/ugly stock rom hurts my head after seeing what Android should be. They act like making a rewarding process dangerous is going to stop this entire community! Anyway enough ranting from a non-dev.
what i need to know is since i have NOT sent knox into lockdown mode(0x1), can i get knox out of the Bootloader? from what i understand, you can disable the knox apps using superSU, titanium, or a command prompt, but this will not effect the flash counter (not eliminating the risk of permanent 0x1). we flash bootloaders all the time with our recoveries, firmwares, and roms. If knox has not activated (ie blocking root, apps, etc) how is this bootloader different?
http://www.s4miniarchive.com/2013/12/how-to-remove-knox-bootloader-from-new.html seems hopeful as it involves extracting the firmware to linux, removing the knox code, repacking and reflashing. sounds like something even i could do, but would feel more comfortable downloading from a real developer.
Hopes and thoughts to go along with my disappointment and concerns?
3rdsurfer said:
I see a lot of similar questions, but am getting yes and no answers.
Background+Rant: after spending yesterday bashing my head against knox, i managed to get my new sm-g900p from oem 5.0 back to stock 4.4.2, towel-rooted successfully (keeping 0x0). Good, but not enough. without a real recovery to make a backup, samsung is actually putting me at more risk than ever at turning my phone into a brick (security my ***). plus the slow/ugly stock rom hurts my head after seeing what Android should be. They act like making a rewarding process dangerous is going to stop this entire community! Anyway enough ranting from a non-dev.
what i need to know is since i have NOT sent knox into lockdown mode(0x1), can i get knox out of the Bootloader? from what i understand, you can disable the knox apps using superSU, titanium, or a command prompt, but this will not effect the flash counter (not eliminating the risk of permanent 0x1). we flash bootloaders all the time with our recoveries, firmwares, and roms. If knox has not activated (ie blocking root, apps, etc) how is this bootloader different?
http://www.s4miniarchive.com/2013/12/how-to-remove-knox-bootloader-from-new.html seems hopeful as it involves extracting the firmware to linux, removing the knox code, repacking and reflashing. sounds like something even i could do, but would feel more comfortable downloading from a real developer.
Hopes and thoughts to go along with my disappointment and concerns?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a little reading on the xda thread that links to but other than it being done just because it can, I don't see the real usefulness in the exercise of removing knox from a stock bootloader.
As you already pointed out, getting anywhere with a stock rom is pretty much pointless without two things:
1. Root
2. Custom Recovery
First of all, lets face it, there is only so much you can do with a stock odexed rom. Secondly, I personally dont understand the need to keep the knox bit untripped. Even if you remove knox from the bootloader, once custom recovery is installed, I'm pretty sure you're going to trip the bit anyway.
He even states so in the thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51828541&postcount=102
---------- Post added at 02:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:17 PM ----------
And FYI, no one to my knowledge has ever hard bricked a Sprint Galaxy S5 phone. The only real issue at the moment is once you flash the OD3 Lollipop firmware or newer (currently OF6 I think) or take the OTA update, flashing any firmware older than OD3 is blocked.
1. I noticed exploits are being patched left and right.
2. Knox is easy to trip now.
3. There are no custom firmwares anymore for Samsung phones.
4. Samsung requests the removal of links on this board constantly.
5. Can't use Samsung pay with a knox tripped phone.
6. Downgrading is blocked in case you have an upgraded phone.
Is this what Samsung forums have come to now? Are there phones out there that you don't have to deal with Knox?
It seems people don't really care anymore about Samsung phones?
nafeasonto said:
1. I noticed exploits are being patched left and right.
2. Knox is easy to trip now.
3. There are no custom firmwares anymore for Samsung phones.
4. Samsung requests the removal of links on this board constantly.
5. Can't use Samsung pay with a knox tripped phone.
6. Downgrading is blocked in case you have an upgraded phone.
Is this what Samsung forums have come to now? Are there phones out there that you don't have to deal with Knox?
It seems people don't really care anymore about Samsung phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your question has been asked by many people on multiple forums. Samsung's flagship is great as is, however the software has a few bugs that bother everyone which is why we root. Samsung built knox so there products would appeal to corporate customers. That is why it exists. To say there are no custom firm wares is false. Just read the development forums. Root is not an absolute must, but it is getting harder as time goes on
Snowby123 said:
Root is not an absolute must, but it is getting harder as time goes on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't make me hopeful.
nafeasonto said:
That doesn't make me hopeful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I obtained root just to prove to myself it can be done. It is not the most important thing In the world. That said, I do understand your perspective. I appreciate the root apps and custom ROMs, and each year root access I harder and harder. Even without root you can appreciate any android device
I stopped rooting just because my Barclay's bank app doesn't work on rooted phones and it's very convenient for me. Also stock android got a lot better and I like it as it is. Also you have theme engines build it now so you can customize your phone without rooting. All that said of course there is some exceptional cases that root is needed, like recently with the new S6 there is no option to choose 2G only network mode on stock rom and I don't know if there is a no root solution for it
So perhaps I am in a shrinking group of people that still needs, or rather appreciates, rooting.
I'm not sure what I can discuss here...
I am switching from my S5 to my new S6 (got it today!) and I need to use Titanium Backup Pro. I am restoring every app from the former to the latter and some of my games aren't... stored on the Google Play store. And I like root-requiring game alterers, unlocking my phone to be a hotspot, and simpler things like using Coolify, Root Booster and Root Explorer, among others.
Now I've tested my ability to transfer everything over from one device to another (my tablet), so I know it will work. I just keep reading more and more about KNOX (which I successfully avoided on my S5) and how it's unavoidable on the S6. How you can't rollback to an earlier version of Android (since I got my phone today, I'm assuming I have 5.1.1). I don't care about Samsung Pay. At all.
Is it advisable for me to root? If I have 5.1.1, CAN I? I read that PingPongRoot won't even WORK on 5.1.1! What am I to do? Or does no one care about rooting anymore? Is anyone devoted to resolving these issues or did everyone shrug and go, "Eh."?
hamstrman said:
So perhaps I am in a shrinking group of people that still needs, or rather appreciates, rooting.
I'm not sure what I can discuss here...
I am switching from my S5 to my new S6 (got it today!) and I need to use Titanium Backup Pro. I am restoring every app from the former to the latter and some of my games aren't... stored on the Google Play store. And I like root-requiring game alterers, unlocking my phone to be a hotspot, and simpler things like using Coolify, Root Booster and Root Explorer, among others.
Now I've tested my ability to transfer everything over from one device to another (my tablet), so I know it will work. I just keep reading more and more about KNOX (which I successfully avoided on my S5) and how it's unavoidable on the S6. How you can't rollback to an earlier version of Android (since I got my phone today, I'm assuming I have 5.1.1). I don't care about Samsung Pay. At all.
Is it advisable for me to root? If I have 5.1.1, CAN I? I read that PingPongRoot won't even WORK on 5.1.1! What am I to do? Or does no one care about rooting anymore? Is anyone devoted to resolving these issues or did everyone shrug and go, "Eh."?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-_- 5.1.1 is perfectly/easily rootable just by flashing a custom kernel. And if you looked in the development forums you'd see there's plenty of devs that care as there is plenty of rom and kernel development going on.
hamstrman said:
So perhaps I am in a shrinking group of people that still needs, or rather appreciates, rooting.
I'm not sure what I can discuss here...
I am switching from my S5 to my new S6 (got it today!) and I need to use Titanium Backup Pro. I am restoring every app from the former to the latter and some of my games aren't... stored on the Google Play store. And I like root-requiring game alterers, unlocking my phone to be a hotspot, and simpler things like using Coolify, Root Booster and Root Explorer, among others.
Now I've tested my ability to transfer everything over from one device to another (my tablet), so I know it will work. I just keep reading more and more about KNOX (which I successfully avoided on my S5) and how it's unavoidable on the S6. How you can't rollback to an earlier version of Android (since I got my phone today, I'm assuming I have 5.1.1). I don't care about Samsung Pay. At all.
Is it advisable for me to root? If I have 5.1.1, CAN I? I read that PingPongRoot won't even WORK on 5.1.1! What am I to do? Or does no one care about rooting anymore? Is anyone devoted to resolving these issues or did everyone shrug and go, "Eh."?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing I want to say is I appreciate root just as much as you.
Secondly, PingPongRoot is incompatible with 5.1.1, but depending on which variant you have,
you might still be able to root or roll back to 5.0.2
Which variant do you have?
Two years ago I would not have dreamed of using an unrooted Android phone, but Android has come a long way now. I have been using my old Note 3 and my current S6 unrooted and I'm not missing root at all. Most of the reasons why I would root are available now without root.
I also enjoy unprecendented stability on my phones. No more flashing untested amateur stuff that fixes one thing and breaks 10 other things. So the answer to your question for me is, no, it's not worth rooting anymore.
drock212 said:
-_- 5.1.1 is perfectly/easily rootable just by flashing a custom kernel. And if you looked in the development forums you'd see there's plenty of devs that care as there is plenty of rom and kernel development going on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your response. I have been looking at the development forums. I've been reading all kinds of threads and I guess I just find it daunting. I'm kind of in my own head about how I'm going to do all this and it SEEMS there are so many restrictions on what will work with what (moreso than used to be), incompatibilities and laser-focused restrictions.
I typically feel confident about these things, but when I start reading the various threads, I feel like a n00b. I have to ask because, as you've seen here, I convinced myself out of the possibility of rooting.
---------- Post added at 05:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 AM ----------
Snowby123 said:
First thing I want to say is I appreciate root just as much as you.
Secondly, PingPongRoot is incompatible with 5.1.1, but depending on which variant you have,
you might still be able to root or roll back to 5.0.2
Which variant do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. Possibly. Thing is, I haven't activated my phone yet (and I just got it 5 hours ago) because I know it will deactivate my old one and I'm still doing Titanium Backup to Dropbox. And I'm just incredibly terrified that I will lose the ability to do something that requires my old phone to be active. I don't actually know what that would be, but that's just me.
So, I don't know what variant I have yet. I will report back on that. I should be ready to activate by tomorrow morning.
And thanks for the response. Whether you think I'm an idiot or not (goes for you too drock212), I'm glad I'm not alone in figuring this out.
hamstrman said:
And thanks for the response. Whether you think I'm an idiot or not (goes for you too drock212), I'm glad I'm not alone in figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not like to ever use the word 'idiot' on XDA.
Newbie is the more appropriate word to use on these forums since 'idiot' is disrespectful.
Also, you sound more like the kinda guy who is not new to Android, just new to the Galaxy S6.
hamstrman said:
...
Now I've tested my ability to transfer everything over from one device to another (my tablet), so I know it will work. I just keep reading more and more about KNOX (which I successfully avoided on my S5) and how it's unavoidable on the S6. How you can't rollback to an earlier version of Android (since I got my phone today, I'm assuming I have 5.1.1). I don't care about Samsung Pay. At all.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KNOX & many other apps can be made non-functioning with the Google Playstore app:
"Package Disabler Pro".
It is very easy to follow or change any of their suggested recommendations.
Settings can be saved or restorded to or from .xml files. Password protection is possible.
Worthwhile.
Snowby123 said:
First thing I want to say is I appreciate root just as much as you.
Secondly, PingPongRoot is incompatible with 5.1.1, but depending on which variant you have,
you might still be able to root or roll back to 5.0.2
Which variant do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! I have version 5.0.2 on my phone! Fantastic. Now I just have to turn off auto updating.
Update: My phone is not supported by PingPongRoot... G920PVPU1AOC9.
M%#$&^@#r F*($&!er!
hamstrman said:
Hey! I have version 5.0.2 on my phone! Fantastic. Now I just have to turn off auto updating.
Update: My phone is not supported by PingPongRoot... G920PVPU1AOC9.
M%#$&^@#r F*($&!er!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try using odin to revert back to an earlier build?
Snowby123 said:
First thing I want to say is I appreciate root just as much as you.
Secondly, PingPongRoot is incompatible with 5.1.1, but depending on which variant you have,
you might still be able to root or roll back to 5.0.2
Which variant do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Snowby123 said:
Did you try using odin to revert back to an earlier build?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No... I... feel really dumb right now. Rooting has always been so easy. My build just WAS fine.
I will go find ODIN and a tutorial on that.
Update: Not finding anything remotely like that on the Internet, but will search these forums.
Edit 2: Not finding anything. I assume I'm searching incorrect terms. And the PingPongRoot thread is closed because people couldn't stay on topic!
Also wondering if downgrading my build will trip KNOX, for which PPR is specifically made to avoid.
Found this on rooting the sprint s6
http://techbeasts.com/2015/04/27/install-twrp-recovery-root-sprint-galaxy-s6-g920p/
hamstrman said:
No... I... feel really dumb right now. Rooting has always been so easy. My build just WAS fine.
I will go find ODIN and a tutorial on that.
Update: Not finding anything remotely like that on the Internet, but will search these forums.
Edit 2: Not finding anything. I assume I'm searching incorrect terms. And the PingPongRoot thread is closed because people couldn't stay on topic!
Also wondering if downgrading my build will trip KNOX, for which PPR is specifically made to avoid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6-edge/general/sm-g925f-s6-firmware-thread-t3078841
This is the thread to follow if you want to downgrade.
Restoring the stock firmware WILL NOT trip KNOX.
It is true that the PingPongRoot thread is closed, but you still can sideload the apk.
Snowby123 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6-edge/general/sm-g925f-s6-firmware-thread-t3078841
This is the thread to follow if you want to downgrade.
Restoring the stock firmware WILL NOT trip KNOX.
It is true that the PingPongRoot thread is closed, but you still can sideload the apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is great. I had found this thread, but didn't know if it applied.
And I already installed PPR, it just told me when I clicked "Get Root" that my build wasn't supported. Is there some close cousin of my build that would be "correct" to change to? Like the closest build name?
I have: G920PVPU1AOC9
On the list of approved builds, I see, for example, G920PVPU1AOCF.
hamstrman said:
This is great. I had found this thread, but didn't know if it applied.
And I already installed PPR, it just told me when I clicked "Get Root" that my build wasn't supported. Is there some close cousin of my build that would be "correct" to change to? Like the closest build name?
I have: G920PVPU1AOC9
On the list of approved builds, I see, for example, G920PVPU1AOCF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since your build number is for the Sprint variant, downgrade to the earliest build there is for the sprint variant.
If it is listed on the PingPongRoot thread, install it. The one you just mentioned looks like the one to use. Try it.
An update: Worked beautifully. Laterally changed my build from G920PVPU1AOC9 to G920PVPU1AOCF - success!
Installed PingPongRoot - success!
And everything followed... Titanium Backup, Lucky Patcher, etc.
Last part is kind of important, though. Tried to install Modded Google Play Store. Failed. Did research and found out I need Xposed to install it.
So I install Xposed (I already had a backup). It tells me my framework is outdated. So I do some more digging and find out I need a special version of Xposed for Lollipop, which I get and install. There's a .zip that I have to flash via recovery in order to make Xposed work which would make Lucky Patcher work which would make the Store work.
Flashing the zip requires TWRP or CWM recovery. Can I install either of those without tripping KNOX? This is getting way too complicated. I mean, logically, I would think that since I have PingPongRoot already, that I'm good.