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What phones are easiest to root/flash?

After my experience with the CLIQ where I was lucky enough to disable OTA updates, but watched as other people ended up with a radio ROM that bootlooped their custom images, and that the low level flash update removed the original RAMDLD hole, one of the primary considerations I have now for a device is how easy it is to not just root, but reflash.
By chance, does anyone maintain a list of devices that either are easy to mod versus other ones that sign the Linux kernel blocking updates, keep filesystems read-only even to root, and other gotchas? This way, I can steer clear of phones that are likely not going to have much of modding options available and go for a device that is easy to customize.

You must avoid the milestone which has a locked bootloader: that's a nice phone but with limited customizations.
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mlts22 said:
After my experience with the CLIQ where I was lucky enough to disable OTA updates, but watched as other people ended up with a radio ROM that bootlooped their custom images, and that the low level flash update removed the original RAMDLD hole, one of the primary considerations I have now for a device is how easy it is to not just root, but reflash.
By chance, does anyone maintain a list of devices that either are easy to mod versus other ones that sign the Linux kernel blocking updates, keep filesystems read-only even to root, and other gotchas? This way, I can steer clear of phones that are likely not going to have much of modding options available and go for a device that is easy to customize.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The T-Mobile Pulse can be rooted very easily, but there isn't a big mod scene for it, although you will find a great community for it at Modaco, it runs Android 2.1... I dont quite get ur last part though??

mlts22 said:
After my experience with the CLIQ where I was lucky enough to disable OTA updates, but watched as other people ended up with a radio ROM that bootlooped their custom images, and that the low level flash update removed the original RAMDLD hole, one of the primary considerations I have now for a device is how easy it is to not just root, but reflash.
By chance, does anyone maintain a list of devices that either are easy to mod versus other ones that sign the Linux kernel blocking updates, keep filesystems read-only even to root, and other gotchas? This way, I can steer clear of phones that are likely not going to have much of modding options available and go for a device that is easy to customize.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus One is the easiest to unlock and root. "fastboot oem-unlock" and it unlocks the bootloader and you can flash any image you want to system, data, boot, zimage, and recovery.

Acer liquid is unlocked so it's the easyest. Nexus One is on second because it's very easy to unlock.

i'd also venture to say that the sprint hero is very easy to root as well.

G1 and Mytouch
easy to root
excelent ROM selection

Moto Droid is fairly easy. You will have to downgrade to 2.0 and then you can use something like Droidmod to do everything for you. I prefer to manually load my roms and make backups, but for ease of use, Droidmod is about as easy as you can get.

rutger1413 said:
Moto Droid is fairly easy. You will have to downgrade to 2.0 and then you can use something like Droidmod to do everything for you. I prefer to manually load my roms and make backups, but for ease of use, Droidmod is about as easy as you can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's gotten a lot easier than this...
You just have to flash the SPRecovery image to the phone using RSDlite vs. flashing the whole system and then you can boot into SPRecovery and run update.zip to gain root.
Droidmod is considered outdated these days and most have moved on to Rom Manager.

Well.. Actually, by far the ADP1(G1), It's rooted out of the box!

Is the Nexus One not meant to be very easy to root?
The Desire is kinda easy to root (with the files released by Paul at Modaco) but it's not fully rooted
Still possible to flash ROM's though

[Q] Where to start?

I got myself a brand new nexus S and Ive got some questions
Im debating on using a custom ROM or just go stock ICS.
A good reason why people use custom ROMs is because of better battery because of the kernel. so would it be possible to flash a better kernel on stock ICS?
If I am going with Custom,
whats the most Recommended:
way of rooting(1 click or manual, and why)
Custom recovery
best kernel
best ROM
is it possible to save a custom UI(so you could do dual booting through custom UI u made)

WoolyMarmot said:
I got myself a brand new nexus S and Ive got some questions
Im debating on using a custom ROM or just go stock ICS.
A good reason why people use custom ROMs is because of better battery because of the kernel. so would it be possible to flash a better kernel on stock ICS?
If I am going with Custom,
whats the most Recommended:
way of rooting(1 click or manual, and why)
Custom recovery
best kernel
best ROM
is it possible to save a custom UI(so you could do dual booting through custom UI u made)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash a stock kernel on stock ICS, this is what i have done in the past and it was great. However I will note that the new ROM modifications that increase usable System RAM make a very noticeable difference with no negatives as far as i see. You also get things like notification power toggles, more lockscreen options and so on with a custom ROM.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1) Best way of rooting: We have a Nexus device so i would not waste time using one clicks. Unlock the bootloader using fastboot, flash a custom recovery and then either flash superuser.zip or a custom ROM. This allows the most versatility when changing ROMs, mainly if you ever decide to flash or restore a stock ROM. The Nexus S allows you to lock the bootloader if you ever need to so warranty issues based on unlocked bootloaders are minimal.
2) ClockWorkMod is generally the most favorable, compatible and least buggy of the lot. TWRP, although good, has a couple of hidden bugs in it and is no longer being developed. Further, CWM now gives you the option between a Touch based recovery and a button based one. This is up to you as they're both essentially the same, but i still prefer the buttons.
3) There is no best kernel, just the best for you. Find the features you want in a kernel first, and then pick a handful and try them all. If you are using a ROM with fixes for the extra RAM (CM9, Slim, etc), you will need a kernel that supports this.
4) Same with kernels. CyanogenMod is generally a good choice. Although on the surface it looks just like stock it is heavily modified. Others have only minor modifications and additions, practically a stock experience with a couple of extra features. Pick a handful with features you want and try each for a couple of days. Feel free to switch kernels from the one that comes with each ROM.
Custom UI? If you mean bootloader or something like that, not really. There have been one or two devs who have tried to make this possible (not specific to the Nexus S) but i don't think their (working?) attempts have taken off. Don't get your hopes up here though.

Harbb said:
1) Best way of rooting: We have a Nexus device so i would not waste time using one clicks. Unlock the bootloader using fastboot, flash a custom recovery and then either flash superuser.zip or a custom ROM. This allows the most versatility when changing ROMs, mainly if you ever decide to flash or restore a stock ROM. The Nexus S allows you to lock the bootloader if you ever need to so warranty issues based on unlocked bootloaders are minimal.
4) Same with kernels. CyanogenMod is generally a good choice. Although on the surface it looks just like stock it is heavily modified. Others have only minor modifications and additions, practically a stock experience with a couple of extra features. Pick a handful with features you want and try each for a couple of days. Feel free to switch kernels from the one that comes with each ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Im fairly new to android OS and while I do generally understand what youre saying its best you give me some links. The only root Ive done with a phone so far are 1 clicks
4. can you elaborate more of why cyanogenmod is a good rom. I hear about it alot and people recommend it,but why?
also, what ROM do you use yourself?

WoolyMarmot said:
1. Im fairly new to android OS and while I do generally understand what youre saying its best you give me some links. The only root Ive done with a phone so far are 1 clicks
4. can you elaborate more of why cyanogenmod is a good rom. I hear about it alot and people recommend it,but why?
also, what ROM do you use yourself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll all make sense as soon as you do it, I assumed you had a read through some rooting guides for the Nexus S.
The Nexus S uses a little flashing utility called fastboot. fastboot gives us the ability to replace certain parts of our phone with customised versions. For example, you can replace the stock Recovery partition (which only lets you install Google-signed .zip files) with a custom one, such as TWRP or ClockWorkMod (which let you install any correctly-formatted .zip file). To be able to use fastboot, you need to unlock the bootloader. On our phones it is possible to lock it again afterward with no trace, but the phones warranty would technically be voided (<-- scare tactics). So basically, you unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery and then you can freely install a .zip file through the recovery which gives you root privileges. Afterward with this new recovery, feel free to install custom ROMs and the such straight through it.
I personally used Zedomax's guide found here. This does exactly what i stated above and gives you all of the tools to do it, as well as a video. Just follow the video to a T and you'll be fine, it is all pretty simply laid out. I personally use CWM recovery though, not TWRP as it is no longer being developed. I'm pretty sure i explained what each of the steps do above.
CyanogenMod, unlike most other ROMs, have a somewhat large team of developers working together. They add many features to many phones which are often ported to other ROMs, whether it be the concept or the code. It is a great ROM once stable with countless features and they generally do a great job making sure everything is just about perfect, and there is plenty of support and a large userbase. This doesn't mean it's the best, it is just one of the most known.
I personally use Slim ICS daily right now. Largest benefit at the moment is compatibility with CMs bigmem mod, the phone loves the extra RAM.

well in that case I dont wanna use cyanogenmod. I was thinking something as close to stock(or just simple) as possible because I plan on using themes and widgets to customize it.

1 more question before I root, does it matter which version of OS it has? For example, this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1007782
nvm, phone already rooted
new question: is it possible to dual boot roms? Ive been reading and they say its possible with using particular apps and an SD card, but the nexus S has no sd slot so...

[Q] Want to wipe and keep root in 9.16.6 Razr Maxx HD - what are my options?

The goal: Get my sluggish phone (Razr Maxx HD, JB 4.1.2, currently 9.16.6.XT926.Verizon.en.US, rooted, bootloader locked) to be less sluggish.
The proposed method: Wipe phone and start over.
The "problem": Because I am rooted and want to stay that way, I am aware that I can't just do a factory reset. I believe that I need to unroot first, then wipe, then reroot. But there are many more possible methods to do this than there were before and I'm having trouble figuring out which might be the best method for me (or which will even work, at all).
Background: If I had just blindly done what I did the last time I wiped (I think I was starting from ICS 0.7.2 last time, not JB), I would have backed up everything, used DROID_RAZR_HD_Utility1.10 which I have from before (dates appear to be 1/28/2013) to go back to 0.6.25.X926., and, using the zip files I have from before, go from 0.6.25 to 0.7.2 to 9.1.41 to 9.16.6. (I was never able to successfully take OTA updates). Like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024423 BUT, now that I'm on JB, it's not clear to me that I can even do this. One post is telling me that if I'm on 9.16.6, I should NOT use Droid Razr HD Utility 1.10. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=33610625#post33610625 and when I found the thread for the 1.21 utility, it also says no 9.16.6.
I've been wandering around the relevant posts that are linked from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2247250
but for whatever reason, this is just making my head spin. I'm more confused about what I can and cannot do, than I was before I started. I think too many OTA versions have passed me by... I was happy with the way things were working so I just didn't care about updates, KitKat, etc. I don't have a good feel for how many versions there are between 9.16.6 and current.
My actual question: I think I could really use some help narrowing down my options. Do I have any options at all? If so, can anyone suggest what my realistic options actually are? I don't care if I end up in JB or KitKat at the end; I do want to be able to restore some of the data from some of my apps using Titanium Backup and/or MyBackup Pro; and I want to be rooted when I am done. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, dlc

dlc2001 said:
The goal: Get my sluggish phone (Razr Maxx HD, JB 4.1.2, currently 9.16.6.XT926.Verizon.en.US, rooted, bootloader locked) to be less sluggish.
The proposed method: Wipe phone and start over.
The "problem": Because I am rooted and want to stay that way, I am aware that I can't just do a factory reset. I believe that I need to unroot first, then wipe, then reroot. But there are many more possible methods to do this than there were before and I'm having trouble figuring out which might be the best method for me (or which will even work, at all).
Background: If I had just blindly done what I did the last time I wiped (I think I was starting from ICS 0.7.2 last time, not JB), I would have backed up everything, used DROID_RAZR_HD_Utility1.10 which I have from before (dates appear to be 1/28/2013) to go back to 0.6.25.X926., and, using the zip files I have from before, go from 0.6.25 to 0.7.2 to 9.1.41 to 9.16.6. (I was never able to successfully take OTA updates). Like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024423 BUT, now that I'm on JB, it's not clear to me that I can even do this. One post is telling me that if I'm on 9.16.6, I should NOT use Droid Razr HD Utility 1.10. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=33610625#post33610625 and when I found the thread for the 1.21 utility, it also says no 9.16.6.
I've been wandering around the relevant posts that are linked from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2247250
but for whatever reason, this is just making my head spin. I'm more confused about what I can and cannot do, than I was before I started. I think too many OTA versions have passed me by... I was happy with the way things were working so I just didn't care about updates, KitKat, etc. I don't have a good feel for how many versions there are between 9.16.6 and current.
My actual question: I think I could really use some help narrowing down my options. Do I have any options at all? If so, can anyone suggest what my realistic options actually are? I don't care if I end up in JB or KitKat at the end; I do want to be able to restore some of the data from some of my apps using Titanium Backup and/or MyBackup Pro; and I want to be rooted when I am done. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, dlc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to get rid of the slowness of the phone i recommend going to a lolipop rom , LP has to be the quickest my phone has ran... ever.
-step 1 use rsd lite to flash [4.4.2] 183.46.10 fxz (make sure it ends with a 10 not a 14 or 15 or you wont be able to unlock bootloader)
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/45494-fxz-442-1834610/
-step 2 root and unlock use TR.apk (root)and motopocalypse.apk (bootloader unlock)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2783912
-step 3 use ADB fastboot to Flash custom recovery, i personally use twrp there are others you can use if you decide to do the research
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/51883-recoverytwrp-2810-11-01-14/
-step 4 flash LP custom rom, i use blisspop, it seems to have the most updates at the moment . it has really impressed me
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/60153-rom502lollipopmsm8960-kkbl-blisspop-official/
that rom comes with supersu built in so you will have root. if your reason for having root is to have exposed, it doesnt work on lolipop so stop at sstep 3 and either flash a KK custom rom or just flash supersu which will give you root on stock kitkat

OK, I will spend a little more time absorbing/reading and then I'll give it a shot, thanks muchly. I want to do some backups just in case, so it'll take a while...
Couple of followup questions based on the reading I've done so far from the links you provided, just so I know what I'm doing before I do it:
1. I think I get Steps 1 and 2. After Step 2 I am rooted and on stock KK, correct? So if I stop there do I still need to "flash supersu" per your comment at the end? Does the root in step 2 put supersu in my apps, and if not can I not just install it from google play?
2. Seems like I can use the Step 1 method to flash back to JB (or any other FXZ I can find) if I want. If I do that, is there any way to root JB, or is this trip I'm about to take, a one-way trip? Just to clarify, JB hasn't always been slow for me... it's just slowed down recently. Not saying I want to go back to JB for sure, but I like to know what options I am closing off when I move forward, and reviews of KitKat are not universally splendid.... I hear you about the custom ROM but for various work-related reasons I may be better off staying stock (well, stock + root) for a while at least.
Again, thank you for your help.

dlc2001 said:
OK, I will spend a little more time absorbing/reading and then I'll give it a shot, thanks muchly. I want to do some backups just in case, so it'll take a while...
Couple of followup questions based on the reading I've done so far from the links you provided, just so I know what I'm doing before I do it:
1. I think I get Steps 1 and 2. After Step 2 I am rooted and on stock KK, correct? So if I stop there do I still need to "flash supersu" per your comment at the end? Does the root in step 2 put supersu in my apps, and if not can I not just install it from google play?
2. Seems like I can use the Step 1 method to flash back to JB (or any other FXZ I can find) if I want. If I do that, is there any way to root JB, or is this trip I'm about to take, a one-way trip? Just to clarify, JB hasn't always been slow for me... it's just slowed down recently. Not saying I want to go back to JB for sure, but I like to know what options I am closing off when I move forward, and reviews of KitKat are not universally splendid.... I hear you about the custom ROM but for various work-related reasons I may be better off staying stock (well, stock + root) for a while at least.
Again, thank you for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you can install it from playstore, but once your bootloader is unlocked you can always root by flashing in custom recovery. you dont need exploits anymore

All done, worked great!

Need a little guidance

Hey everyone. I was wondering if some here with a HTC One can point me in the right direction. I am looking to finally take the plunge and permanently root, flash a custom recovery, backup my stock, and install a new custom rom on my Verizon M8.
This is my first HTC device playing with, I have always had Motorola stuff and am pretty familiar with the process on those, but this HTC stuff is still a little blurry. S-on/off, CID, MID, RUUs????
I have been reading these forums for quite a bit and still a little unsure about what the steps would have to be. I am currently on the latest stock VZW temp rooted with the new weeksauce basically just to have tethering via a 3rd party app (Wifi tether router). I actually really, really like the stock Sense 6.0 UI and this phone is pretty much perfect all around.
What I want to do is, permanently root, install TWRP as that's what i've used on Moto and my Sammy Tab, backup my stock system so I can go back, and then install a custom ROM. Can TWRP on this do more than one ROM slot and run dual roms? What if everything gets jacked up and I have to go back to complete out of the box stock? How is that done with HTC? I think with Moto it was like an .FXZ file or something like that and you boot the phone into download mode and just flash that file from the computer and you're back to 100% stock. Same with Samsung using ODIN.
I'm also not sure what ROM I want to try, so I am open to suggestions there too. I would like to maybe try a pretty clean Lollipop ROM with good battery life and very stable. Would that be the GPE?
Thanks for reading and for any help.

baune7 said:
Hey everyone. I was wondering if some here with a HTC One can point me in the right direction. I am looking to finally take the plunge and permanently root, flash a custom recovery, backup my stock, and install a new custom rom on my Verizon M8.
This is my first HTC device playing with, I have always had Motorola stuff and am pretty familiar with the process on those, but this HTC stuff is still a little blurry. S-on/off, CID, MID, RUUs????
I have been reading these forums for quite a bit and still a little unsure about what the steps would have to be. I am currently on the latest stock VZW temp rooted with the new weeksauce basically just to have tethering via a 3rd party app (Wifi tether router). I actually really, really like the stock Sense 6.0 UI and this phone is pretty much perfect all around.
What I want to do is, permanently root, install TWRP as that's what i've used on Moto and my Sammy Tab, backup my stock system so I can go back, and then install a custom ROM. Can TWRP on this do more than one ROM slot and run dual roms? What if everything gets jacked up and I have to go back to complete out of the box stock? How is that done with HTC? I think with Moto it was like an .FXZ file or something like that and you boot the phone into download mode and just flash that file from the computer and you're back to 100% stock. Same with Samsung using ODIN.
I'm also not sure what ROM I want to try, so I am open to suggestions there too. I would like to maybe try a pretty clean Lollipop ROM with good battery life and very stable. Would that be the GPE?
Thanks for reading and for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First you need s-off/unlocked boot loader to perma root..also there is multi ROM support for this device. An if you want to return to pure stock cause something got messed up then you download the ruu an use fast boot via pc to flash your ruu.zip it will wipe your whole phone an return you to out of the box. if your looking for a sense Lollipop from. Santod has a nice ROM an you can also check out the ROM by andybones is also runs very nice an has themes an mod support. If you like GPE then there is one of those also for our device.

Thanks for the info. So in my reading up on doing this, is the "firewater" method of achieving S-off and root no longer working on this phone with 4.4.4? And also, as I understand it, the Sunshine method of achieving the two may or may not work on 4.4.4 either, kind of a 50/50 shot??? So I guess at this time it might just be worth it to wait until either the new sunshine is released or Verizon pushed the 5.0 update out and see what that is like.

baune7 said:
Thanks for the info. So in my reading up on doing this, is the "firewater" method of achieving S-off and root no longer working on this phone with 4.4.4? And also, as I understand it, the Sunshine method of achieving the two may or may not work on 4.4.4 either, kind of a 50/50 shot??? So I guess at this time it might just be worth it to wait until either the new sunshine is released or Verizon pushed the 5.0 update out and see what that is like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firewater is dead....sunshine might work you can download the app for free an run it to see if it will work with your device is free too. Then if you want to run sunshine that's when you pay the 25...so I would advice against taking anymore ota till you r able to s-off.

Giving this phone away...

Hi everyone,
I am giving this phone to my mom since I don't need it anymore (bought Samsung S6 few months ago)! Phone is currently on Android 4.4.4 kangkat 5.1 and is customised pretty nicely( no Ads, working fast , no FC ,pretty snappy).
Should I update to Marshmallow before I give it to her or should I just leave it the way it is? She is just the regular user and will not use anything more that dialer, sms, browser, weather, calendar, calculator, camera, etc.. So just basic apps and I will strip this phone to bare minimum but was just wondering should I get her Android 6 on this (at least battery live maybe inproved?)
Any thoughts or ideas will be appreciated.

If you have the knowledge to do it, then yes, it's probably worth installing MM as stock and leaving it like that - no custom recovery, no root. That way she can get the regular security updates with the minimum of fuss. The uninterested user doesn't need the hassle of a rooted device. And easier for you in not having to strip the phone - a new installation will do that for you anyway, and will allow her to sign in as herself and properly own the phone.

dahawthorne said:
If you have the knowledge to do it, then yes, it's probably worth installing MM as stock and leaving it like that - no custom recovery, no root. That way she can get the regular security updates with the minimum of fuss. The uninterested user doesn't need the hassle of a rooted device. And easier for you in not having to strip the phone - a new installation will do that for you anyway, and will allow her to sign in as herself and properly own the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have knowledge (well maybe I might remind myself a little using Google). I am running Xposed on this build and like I've said phone is super stable with this build but also pretty simple to use for basic /regular user. Future updates are just going to confuse her.. The only thing I would like for her is maybe improved battery live and that's why I would go to MM. I was also thinking to maybe get new battery on this one(don't know how hard is to change it?). Anyway thanks for responding ,

Flash latest 6.0.1 MM on it and lock bootloader... give it to her barebones and let her enjoy it...
just did that with my oldest brother who lost his phone to a muggin.... and its the easiest way for them to stay up to date on latest security patches, etc

"maybe get new battery on this one(don't know how hard is to change it?)"
It's actually pretty simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSGNUrpwIno
Though there's another thread that I read just today that shows there's a certain risk: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/nexus-doesnt-boot-fastboot-t3282033

chaco81 said:
Flash latest 6.0.1 MM on it and lock bootloader... give it to her barebones and let her enjoy it...
just did that with my oldest brother who lost his phone to a muggin.... and its the easiest way for them to stay up to date on latest security patches, etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually never gone back to stock so I don't know how hard is it and how time consuming is it? I am on TW recovery v2.7.0.0. should I just flash nandroid or do I have to flash factory image first and than lock bootloader?

dahawthorne said:
"maybe get new battery on this one(don't know how hard is to change it?)"
It's actually pretty simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSGNUrpwIno
Though there's another thread that I read just today that shows there's a certain risk: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/nexus-doesnt-boot-fastboot-t3282033
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right , I am not going to mess with battery replacement. The old one should be OK for some time ...

I would also not bother relocking the bootloader. How many threads in these forums contain wails from people who have cacked their devices and there is no way to recover because the bootloader is locked?
This thread actually refers to the Nexus 6, but since Nexus devices are so similar in many ways it's probably still relevant, and should put you off taking this unnecessary step: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/guide-safely-lock-bootloader-android-5-1-t3067302
Stock is extremely simple. Download the factory image (Google "factory image"), unzip and run flash-all - obviously after you've got all your drivers set up to communicate with the device. If you haven't yet, I'll bore you again with recommending Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit, which has a really helpful button to walk you through the driver setup. If the flash-all script doesn't work (it doesn't for some people), you can unzip all the components, put them in your ADB/fastboot directory and flash each component separately.

dahawthorne said:
I would also not bother relocking the bootloader. How many threads in these forums contain wails from people who have cacked their devices and there is no way to recover because the bootloader is locked?
This thread actually refers to the Nexus 6, but since Nexus devices are so similar in many ways it's probably still relevant, and should put you off taking this unnecessary step: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/guide-safely-lock-bootloader-android-5-1-t3067302
Stock is extremely simple. Download the factory image (Google "factory image"), unzip and run flash-all - obviously after you've got all your drivers set up to communicate with the device. If you haven't yet, I'll bore you again with recommending Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit, which has a really helpful button to walk you through the driver setup. If the flash-all script doesn't work (it doesn't for some people), you can unzip all the components, put them in your ADB/fastboot directory and flash each component separately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just updated Wugfresh Nexus Root Toolkit since I had old version on my laptop. Should I use RESTORE/UPGRADE/DOWNGRADE option and than FLASH STOCK + UNROOT?
P.S. DONE.. Running MM now on it.
Thank you all

roundel.... easy to do
make sure u have latest ADB installed on your PC.... so open SDKManager and run it so it updates...
download the latest Factory Image
extract the image, place it on the platform tools folder of your SDK and double click the flash.all.bat file... let the magic happen
google returning back to stock, there are tons of tutorials out there showing how to do this.

chaco81 said:
roundel.... easy to do
make sure u have latest ADB installed on your PC.... so open SDKManager and run it so it updates...
download the latest Factory Image
extract the image, place it on the platform tools folder of your SDK and double click the flash.all.bat file... let the magic happen
google returning back to stock, there are tons of tutorials out there showing how to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it and phone is running MM now. I am amazed with battery life now, it is crazy good comparing to KK!
So I am now back to stock unrooted but I left bootloader unlocked. Will she (my mom) get any updates if this Nexus get OTA updates?

A stock unrooted rom with stock recovery is all that is needed for ota updates. The bootloader can remain unlocked for ota updates.

Update it now and give her. I was doing the same stuff with my mom and she denied which then later made me try this phone out. Overall it's good but battery sucks.