[Q] HTC - What exactly does S-ON restrict? - General Questions and Answers

So, I have often received mixed answers to this and wish to put this to bed once and for all. I know that Motorola specifically restricts writing to /system (right?). But what about HTC's S-ON?
What partitions does S-ON protect? People have been telling me that S-ON also protects the /system partition but HTC's FAQ says otherwise. Here's a portion of their FAQ that talks about S-ON:
Your device is shipped with Security on (S-ON) to protect your system software configuration (such as the bootloader, radio, boot, recovery, system and others). After you have unlocked the bootloader, however, you will have lifted the restrictions on boot, recovery and system. This means you can customize boot, recovery and system images on your phone as you desire. You can easily see that you have successfully unlocked the bootloader by looking at the top of the screen when entering the bootloader screen. Security is left on to protect things like the radio, and SIM lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They also say that:
There are those who will insist on disabling S-ON purely to have full access regardless of security implications or to primarily promote specific tools and installation techniques that have taken the more convenient route of assuming all security is off. If a command line tool is deemed as inconvenient, developers can easily develop alternatives that would allow others to install their custom roms without having to alter their device’s Security-ON status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, then why do apps like Xposed Framework and others require me to be S-OFF to use them? Do they need to make serious changes to my radio and SIM lock? Going by what HTC says, S-ON shouldn't be a problem to me if my device is factory unlocked, should it?
Request someone to shed some light on this.

buggerman said:
So, I have often received mixed answers to this and wish to put this to bed once and for all. I know that Motorola specifically restricts writing to /system (right?). But what about HTC's S-ON?
What partitions does S-ON protect? People have been telling me that S-ON also protects the /system partition but HTC's FAQ says otherwise. Here's a portion of their FAQ that talks about S-ON:
They also say that:
So, then why do apps like Xposed Framework and others require me to be S-OFF to use them? Do they need to make serious changes to my radio and SIM lock? Going by what HTC says, S-ON shouldn't be a problem to me if my device is factory unlocked, should it?
Request someone to shed some light on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i could be wrong, its different for every HTC phone, For instance, i was able to Flash a recovery and rom on my S-ON ( but my bootloader is unlocked) HTC incredible but for my HTC inspire 4g and my HTC evo 4g it was required to unlock the bootloader and S-off the devices. As for something like Xposed framework, You are messing around with the framework = Ui changes which Sense Roms would not take too kindly, You cant even Use Xposed on Sense Custom Roms (i could be wrong again, but i think you can only Flash Sense Roms with S-ON only) as for your radio and sim lock question, im not sure what you mean to that. You shouldn't have to do anything to your Radio or Sim if you are going to S-OFF. s-on is to keep us developers from doing stuff and lock down some areas. Its late in my end so if you didnt understand something thats because i stayed up to late and such, ill be happy to try again to re-explain.

Trozzul said:
i could be wrong, its different for every HTC phone, For instance, i was able to Flash a recovery and rom on my S-ON ( but my bootloader is unlocked) HTC incredible but for my HTC inspire 4g and my HTC evo 4g it was required to unlock the bootloader and S-off the devices. As for something like Xposed framework, You are messing around with the framework = Ui changes which Sense Roms would not take too kindly, You cant even Use Xposed on Sense Custom Roms (i could be wrong again, but i think you can only Flash Sense Roms with S-ON only) as for your radio and sim lock question, im not sure what you mean to that. You shouldn't have to do anything to your Radio or Sim if you are going to S-OFF. s-on is to keep us developers from doing stuff and lock down some areas. Its late in my end so if you didnt understand something thats because i stayed up to late and such, ill be happy to try again to re-explain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for replying.. Really appreciate it.
Let me elaborate more to make the question more specific. The device in question is an HTC One E8, which is very similar to the HTC One M8 but differs in build material (it is plastic) and camera (which is better). You can call it a relatively poor man's M8.
The stuff I wrote is from HTC's website. As far as I know, Xposed works with Sense, since I see many Sense specific tweaks in the Xposed plugin library.
I am aware that with an unlocked bootloader I can flash a custom recovery like TWRP and flash an SU Manager like SuperSU. What I wanted to know is why do some apps (like Xposed Framework for example), which do not even supposedly touch radio and carrier locks, need S-OFF? Would tweaks like SDFix work without S-off?

Related

[Q] S-ON/OFF?

Any word on whether this phone will include S-On or S-Off? I know with the Amaze the vast majority of them were sold with S-On, which has proven to be somewhat of a hindrance when it comes to development. Progress has been made towards achieving s-off, but a sure-fire reliable method has yet to be obtained.
I really hope this phone isn't sold with S-On, because that will put a real damper on things.
Probably about a 99% guarantee it'll come with S-ON. By the time it's out we'll have something, plus you can S-OFF through HTC's site although what's the point if we already will have custom H-BOOT/Recovery on here!
pls excuse my ignorance but what is S-ON/OFF?
nks2105 said:
pls excuse my ignorance but what is S-ON/OFF?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"In a nutshell, S-OFF means that the NAND portion of the device is unlocked and can be written to. The default setting for HTC’s devices is S-ON, which means that neither can you access certain areas of the system nor can you guarantee a permanent root. Furthermore, signature check for firmware images is also ensured by the S-ON flag."
Since I have less than 8 posts I'm not allowed to post links so I can't link the source of this info but if you need it just PM me.

[Q] Unbrading? S-Off?

Hi im new to HTC devices but i have experience with samsung devices and i just have a few questions
Unbrandingmy HTC Sensation 4G? what does this do and what are the benefits of unbranding my device?
S-OFF? what does this mean and what are the benefits of doing this to my device?
if someone could just tell me what they do that would be great, samsung never needed any of this for its devices?
srkrono said:
Hi im new to HTC devices but i have experience with samsung devices and i just have a few questions
Unbrandingmy HTC Sensation 4G? what does this do and what are the benefits of unbranding my device?
S-OFF? what does this mean and what are the benefits of doing this to my device?
if someone could just tell me what they do that would be great, samsung never needed any of this for its devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unbranding your device means to remove the carrier apps that you don't really need or want, any carrier boot animations, logos, stuff of that nature. The benefits are that you will have less crap on your phone and it won't be a walking advertisement for whoever you are on. Tmobus I assume since your on a 4g
S-off means you have full access to every part of the device much like you would with Odin. S-off means that the bootloader and all partitions are fully unlocked and you can edit whatever you like.
Benefits include being able to change firmware whenever you like, being able to downgrade whenever you like, being able to flash splash screens. (The static image that says htc before your boot animation starts up).
Were as if you just unlock your bootloader via htcdev not all the partitions of the device are unlocked, and you cannot downgrade your hboot or firmware. You also will need to enable 4exts smart flash in order to flash roms.
Its easier in the long run to just s-off your device as then you can do what you like, when you like and htc has no as in it. It also makes rom flashing a bit simpler as you don't need to worry about smartflash
Also this should have been posted in Q&A pal
Tapped out from my sexy nexus 7

[Q] What exactly bricks the device?

My apologies if this has been repeated before but i would like to just clear some things i have in my mind?
it may have been repeated but i would sincerely appreciate if someone just elaborates!
My understanding at present is:- i know root gives you more access,bootloader is a script or a code to load up os and kernel,s off gives us extended rights to some partitions,supercid makes it possible to flash any ROM irrespective of carrier and region,the firmware essentially contains the bootloader (hboot) and radio and lastly RUU is a utitlity to upgrade rom which can be region and carrier specific.
PLS correct me if m wrong?
So RUU+Supercid+SOFF can cause bricks?
which implies if at all RUU is used we need to be be on SON and CID should be 0000000?
also if i have OTA updates for a ROM that is from some other Service Provider and I am on SOFF and SUPERCID it still will brick my phone?
and lastly i have S0FF SUPERCID and Unlocked Bootloader and obvioulsy rooted
so what all on earth i should avoid doing?
You've got it the wrong way around. It goes like this: SuperCID + s-on + jb RUU = brick. Having s-off means you can run any RUU (Evita) without bricking. Other things that can cause a brick are flashing software not intended for our device (ROM/kernel/radio etc), running an RUU not intended for our device, in some cases altering the hboot has caused bricks. In some other cases running an Evita RUU has caused bricks if something goes wrong during the process. You shouldn't take an OTA unless you have the correct preceding ROM/firmware already on the device, plus you need stock recovery and I believe (not 100% sure) the correct CID. Personally, I wouldn't take an OTA on a modified device.
Sent from my Evita
Given this background if something happens and I need to go back entirely to a factory configuration what can be done?
i have always wondered does EVITA have any Application Utility (with a user friendly GUI ,terminals and prompts scare me)?
i have the all in one tool kit!! besides that?
and can flashing ROMS cause brick cause in The OP's of various ROM release threads i have read something like "brick fixed"?
and is it appropriate to use Goo Manager and the ROMS listed there?
btw after my epic failure of flashing a kernel ( now u see m really a noob) i accidentally happened to wipe my entire phone through TWRP and by mounting it i was able to get it back again that time i observed that the phone still has the bootloader but not the OS so which led to another question that is the boot loader a part of the firmware?
I know m wrong but somehow i just cant connect the dots!
excuse me for my bad English!
I really wonder at times why people like me total newbies take the risk.. but then i realize when u just have that little more control of your device and it stands out in the crowd its worth the effort and the calculated risk!
Cheers to all the developers!! :good::laugh:
timmaaa said:
You've got it the wrong way around. It goes like this: SuperCID + s-on + jb RUU = brick. Having s-off means you can run any RUU (Evita) without bricking. Other things that can cause a brick are flashing software not intended for our device (ROM/kernel/radio etc), running an RUU not intended for our device, in some cases altering the hboot has caused bricks. In some other cases running an Evita RUU has caused bricks if something goes wrong during the process. You shouldn't take an OTA unless you have the correct preceding ROM/firmware already on the device, plus you need stock recovery and I believe (not 100% sure) the correct CID. Personally, I wouldn't take an OTA on a modified device.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know what.... you are a savior and a hope for many! :good:
thanks!
so Supercid + SOFF + JB Ruu is not bricking your device (exceptional failures and human error in the process not considered)
Absolutely correct, sir.
Sent from my Evita
---------- Post added at 10:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 AM ----------
Sonone said:
Given this background if something happens and I need to go back entirely to a factory configuration what can be done?
i have always wondered does EVITA have any Application Utility (with a user friendly GUI ,terminals and prompts scare me)?
i have the all in one tool kit!! besides that?
and can flashing ROMS cause brick cause in The OP's of various ROM release threads i have read something like "brick fixed"?
and is it appropriate to use Goo Manager and the ROMS listed there?
btw after my epic failure of flashing a kernel ( now u see m really a noob) i accidently happened to wipe my entre phone through TWRP and by mounting it i was able to get it back again that time i observed that the phone still has the bootloader but not the OS so which led to anorther question that is the boot loader a part of the firmware?
I know m worng but somehow i just cant connect the dots!
excuse me for my bad english!
I really wonder at times why people like me total newbies tkae the risk.. nut i realize when u just have that liitle more control of your device and it satnd out in the crowd its worthe the effort and the calculated risk?
Cheers to all the developers!! :good::laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to go back to a factory configuration all you need to do is run an RUU.
I think the ROM threads with the "brick fixed" would be the cm threads. There were a few builds a couple of months ago which had caused bricks but they've been fixed now.
I personally don't like or encourage the use of any automated flashing tools like Goo Manager, I simply don't trust them. Many users do use it with success though.
The bootloader/hboot is part of the firmware, this partition is unable to be wiped through recovery. So even if you do accidentally wipe everything in recovery you can always get to your bootloader and recovery.
To be honest I think it's totally worth the calculated risk. You have so much more freedom with your device, the ability to flash pretty much any ROM you want is awesome, plus you're able to access features that a stock configuration can't provide. In saying that, there is obviously a certain level of knowledge required to do this. Without that level of knowledge the risk is far higher, this is why we see many people bricking their device, because they've rushed into modifying it without doing the appropriate research first. It takes some work to learn it all, but the information is freely available and easy to access. We have a great community here, some great people with a combined pool of knowledge that can be called upon if someone gets into trouble with their phone.
Sent from my Evita
Why s-on is brick friendly since it's a safety measure?
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 4
For the "what exactly causes the brick" my theory goes like this:
AT&T yelled at HTC that devices were ending up unlocked.
In that yelling someone decided the best way forwards was to block AT&T users using supercid 11111111 to get unlocked on HTCDev. This meant that even if a new root method was found a user with supercid still could not unlock. As a side thing it looks like they attempted to block supercid users getting future updates also.
We saw on HTCDev that they blocked supercid 11111111 for AT&T devices. It looks like as a simple oversight either by HTC or because AT&T only requested 11111111 be blocked that all other supercid variations still work. The oversight is likely because whoever decided on the block did not realize that 11111111 is only one of many supercid strings.
So now back to the side effect of attempting to block supercid users getting updates causing bricks. This issue is maybe deliberate or more likely accidental, it appears the block was not well thought through or tested before being implemented as seen by the HTCDev oversight.
I believe somewhere in the update the software checks that it is being installed on a device with the correct CID and in this portion of code ALL supercids were removed from being allowed.
There is at least one check right at the start(the update-script) that still includes the supercids as being allowed, which is why the updates starts, but later on another check in a different piece of code has had the supercids removed as valid cids. Because of this the device gets half way through the update and stops, leaving the device in a brick state.
I think whoever "designed"/made the change to remove supercids may not have understood that they had not removed the supercids from all required places to prevent bricks as we have seen. But at least they understood that there is many supercid strings and managed to block/remove them all.
Having s-off is allowing the check half way through to pass successfully. Likely because the update code doesn't bother checking CIDs if you have s-off and s-off checks were not what HTC/AT&T were looking to block at the time(s-off came later).
Why they wanted to block supercid users updating might be related to AT&T saying users that had not purchased their device from AT&T were being able to use AT&T propriety code without paying them to do so.
Silly argument but something large corp execs would get insane and illogical about.
I doubt the bricks were intentionally designed by HTC or AT&T. It is a side effect of poorly thought out blocks requested by AT&T related to blocking unlocks and blocking non AT&T users using AT&T software..
twistedddx said:
For the "what exactly causes the brick" my theory goes like this:
AT&T yelled at HTC that devices were ending up unlocked.
In that yelling someone decided the best way forwards was to block AT&T users using supercid 11111111 to get unlocked on HTCDev. This meant that even if a new root method was found a user with supercid still could not unlock. As a side thing it looks like they attempted to block supercid users getting future updates also.
We saw on HTCDev that they blocked supercid 11111111 for AT&T devices. It looks like as a simple oversight either by HTC or because AT&T only requested 11111111 be blocked that all other supercid variations still work. The oversight is likely because whoever decided on the block did not realize that 11111111 is only one of many supercid strings.
So now back to the side effect of attempting to block supercid users getting updates causing bricks. This issue is maybe deliberate or more likely accidental, it appears the block was not well thought through or tested before being implemented as seen by the HTCDev oversight.
I believe somewhere in the update the software checks that it is being installed on a device with the correct CID and in this portion of code ALL supercids were removed from being allowed.
There is at least one check right at the start(the update-script) that still includes the supercids as being allowed, which is why the updates starts, but later on another check in a different piece of code has had the supercids removed as valid cids. Because of this the device gets half way through the update and stops, leaving the device in a brick state.
I think whoever "designed"/made the change to remove supercids may not have understood that they had not removed the supercids from all required places to prevent bricks as we have seen. But at least they understood that there is many supercid strings and managed to block/remove them all.
Having s-off is allowing the check half way through to pass successfully. Likely because the update code doesn't bother checking CIDs if you have s-off and s-off checks were not what HTC/AT&T were looking to block at the time(s-off came later).
Why they wanted to block supercid users updating might be related to AT&T saying users that had not purchased their device from AT&T were being able to use AT&T propriety code without paying them to do so.
Silly argument but something large corp execs would get insane and illogical about.
I doubt the bricks were intentionally designed by HTC or AT&T. It is a side effect of poorly thought out blocks requested by AT&T related to blocking unlocks and blocking non AT&T users using AT&T software..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So in a way they were trying to avoid HTC devices being used on the other carrier networks and hence resorted to block such devices getting official software updates but the check for supercid occurred at a later stage of the procedure and it abruptly discontinued the entire upgrade causing bricks!
it seems reasonable although but rendering the device completely useless seems a bit harsh!
so users with supercid should stay away from RUU?
and Soff doesn't have any effect on the procedure it seems?
and u also mentioned Sir that there are multiple CID thread would you please elaborate!:angel:
The unlocking process he's talking about is the bootloader unlock, which is entirely separate from a SIM unlock. A bootloader unlock doesn't allow a non at&t SIM to be used. Basically, at&t didn't and don't want their phones to be able to have their bootloader unlocked and have custom software installed.
Users with SuperCID are totally fine to use an RUU, but they MUST have s-off first. Having s-off makes the RUU process safe.
Sent from my Evita
Sonone said:
so users with supercid should stay away from RUU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Supercid + s-off is fine.
Being s-off turns off the current check for CID that is bricking devices.
11111111, 22222222, 33333333, 44444444, 55555555, 66666666, 77777777. 88888888. 99999999 are all valid supercids. But shhhh don't tell AT&T, as I'm sure in the next update 22222222 will get blocked and we will all move to 33333333.
This isnt about a user that bought an AT&T phone and wants to use it on Sprint USA etc. It is about a user buying a phone from Canada(or Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia etc) and importing it to USA and then switching it over to AT&T software. Or pretend for a minute AT&T made some amazing image editing app that they dont want to give out for free, but Australians users are getting it for free because they have supercid. It all seems like a knee jerk reaction to understanding supercid, how it was allowing their devices to be unlocked and a realization that overseas users might have supercid also and have AT&T software(and therefore potentially access to servers) for free.
"You told us the bootloader was locked, why are users still unlocking?!!"
It appears AT&T have told HTC to block supercid(in particular 11111111) for their devices. Exactly where blocking supercid translated to only 11111111 on HTCDev is unclear, it is likely AT&T's fault for not understanding the technical details of what exactly they were requesting.
"Well if they will likely be able to find a root exploit just block supercid 11111111(that they keep using) from HTCDev for our devices, then the problem is fixed!!!!"
And in my fictional version of the story the programmer that was told to block supercid 11111111 from being able to receive updates managed to correctly translates that request back to any supercid, but stuffed up by blocking the update too late in the update process.
Things get very pedantic in these types of cases. AT&T might have said "our propriety software must not be installed on supercid devices", so the non AT&T code starts installing but at the moment AT&T code is about to be transferred the update stops or something.
twistedddx said:
Supercid + s-off is fine.
Being s-off turns off the current check for CID that is bricking devices.
11111111, 22222222, 33333333, 44444444, 55555555, 66666666, 77777777. 88888888. 99999999 are all valid supercids. But shhhh don't tell AT&T, as I'm sure in the next update 22222222 will get blocked and we will all move to 33333333.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL like that!!
twistedddx said:
This isnt about a user that bought an AT&T phone and wants to use it on Sprint USA etc. It is about a user buying a phone from Canada(or Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia etc) and importing it to USA and then switching it over to AT&T software. Or pretend for a minute AT&T made some amazing image editing app that they dont want to give out for free, but Australians users are getting it for free because they have supercid. It all seems like a knee jerk reaction to understanding supercid, how it was allowing their devices to be unlocked and a realization that overseas users might have supercid also and have AT&T software(and therefore potentially access to servers) for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big corporations and their big plans!
but again we cant blame them!
so having S-OFF actually has given the users a lot of freedom!
it is an important thing!
(just realized it now)
explained really well btw!

[Q] AT&T HTC ONE XL custom rom & recovery installed on locked phone

Hello everyone.
I am new to this part of the forum for i just received a somewhat non working AT&T HTC ONE XL from a friend.
I presume he did not read much into his issue at the time and messed up this phone one way or the other.
Basically the phone works, just not as a phone.
So i will take my time to explain the whole situation with as much detail as possible.
I am personally familiar with rooting, setting up recovery and installing custom roms on android phones (just not on this model yet).
The phone details in its current state are:
- android version 4.0.4
- htc sense version 4.0
- software number cleanrom 4.5 beta2
- htc extension version htcextension_403_1_ga_20
- kernel 3.0.8-01564-gdc95f45
- baseband 0.16.32.09.01_3_10.79.32.08L
As soon as i received the phone, i contacted at&t to ask for an unlocking code, they gladly oblige.
I insert the new SIM card (non AT&T) and the phone asks me to insert the code. After correctly inserting it, the phone accepts the code and proceeds to reboot. After the reboot i get the phone locked screen again and asks me for the code one more time.
At this point i start searching online for the official firmware from htc for this specific model and find the 4.2.2 version and proceed to install it according to their requirements and steps (in manual mode from a desktop pc since the rom installed doesn't have the update feature).
The process gets locked at a point and cannot proceed further.
Phone boots normally again and i decide to do a factory reset. This i when i notice a teamwin custom recovery was installed which is what is blocking the official rom installation.
So at this point i am open for ideas.
I'm positive the issue is not very hard to solve but i also know that i am missing the original recovery. I can only guess no official updates were installed so the phone was running the original 4.0.4 version.
Meanwhile i will be scouting this forum on how this phone exactly works for i understood that there were two forms of recoveries for it (one full and one partial).
I still don't know the recovery version, if it's good, how to access it (different combinations of volume and power pressing didn't work for me).
Finally your opinion on how to make the phone unlocking code work, as in would i need to go back to official, or would a custom different rom work as a solution.
Wish you guys a good day and awaiting your feedback.
Cheers.
Need more info. Boot into bootloader by holding down both the volume down rocker and the power button. After the power button is held for a few seconds, you should see the capacitive buttons flash a few times, and the phone will reboot. Let go of the power button, but DO NOT let go of the volume down rocker until the while hboot screen comes up. When you see the hboot screen, tell us what it says.
In particular, we need to know if it says s-off or s-on, if it says CID 11111111, and hboot version. Also, if it says LOCKED, UNLOCKED, or RELOCKED.
Official RUU will not run if the bootloader is UNLOCKED (needs to be RELOCKED or LOCKED). But be aware, if the phone is superCID and s-on, running a Jellybean RUU or OTA will brick the phone. Which is one of the reasons we need the bootloader info.
RUU does not need to have stock recovery to run, only OTA does. My guess is your bootloader is unlocked, or its the wrong RUU. Any error message when the RUU fails (if so, what does it say)?
Hi, thank you for your quick reply.
I'm going to write down all that is written in the recovery for i still don't understand what locked or unlocked means, s-on or s-off.
anyway, here goes:
tampered
unlocked
evita pvt ship s-on rl
hboot-1.09.0000
radio-0.16.32.09.01_3
opendsp-v25.1.0.32.0405
emmc-boot
i can't find anything related to cid and i'm still not used to this recovery just yet. wouldn't want to press anything just yet.
i hope i gave enough info and i guess it doesn't look too good just yet.
thank you again for your help.
you should remind me to reduce the use of "just yet".
i'm doing some more reading about superCID and S-on or S-off.
I understand there's a utility from this thread that could determine the supercid status.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1672284
again i'd like to point out i have no clue what has been done to this phone so i am trying to handle it with as much care as possible in order not to brick it.
in case superCID is 1111111 and naturally i don't have the original CID, where would that leave me?
As i am understanding slowly how this phone works, if the previous user managed to install a custom rom and a custom recovery on it, would only make sense to assume the superCID has been modified? (i'll be running the tool shortly unless someone jumps and says NOOOOOOOOO don't do it!!!)
I also noticed the teamwin recovery installed is 2.1.8.1
next is understanding what s-on and s-off are all about.
i have a feeling my chances of reverting to stock firmware are slimming. this is quite a complicated phone, nice challenge.
i'm going to point out again what my main problem is: i can't unlock the sim using the code provided by at&t since as soon as the phone reboots it asks me again. so i don't mind whichever route to take, whether custom or stock, as long as i can unlock the sim the simple way.
cheers.
srasiroslayer said:
At this point i start searching online for the official firmware from htc for this specific model and find the 4.2.2 version and proceed to install it according to their requirements and steps (in manual mode from a desktop pc since the rom installed doesn't have the update feature).
The process gets locked at a point and cannot proceed further.
Phone boots normally again and i decide to do a factory reset. This i when i notice a teamwin custom recovery was installed which is what is blocking the official rom installation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not correct (the text I've bold faced above). OTA requires stock recovery, but RUU does not.
What stopped the RUU from working, is that you bootloader is unlocked (as indicated by the "unlocked" text in hboot). But in your case, you are lucky, since if you were trying to run the 3.18 Jellybean RUU, if it had gotten past the bootloader lock check, it would have bricked the phone (known bug) if you have SuperCID (which is pretty likely).
To reiterate: DO NOT try to relock the bootloader and run the 3.18 RUU, as with S-on and SuperCID, this will brick your phone.
If you have a working adb/fastboot environment, you can easily check CID with the command: fastboot getvar all
---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------
srasiroslayer said:
i have a feeling my chances of reverting to stock firmware are slimming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is far form the truth. Getting back to stock is not that hard.
But if you only want to SIM unlock, I'm not sure that going stock will necessarily help you. You are on CleanROM now, which is pretty close to stock, and I don't think there have been many issues getting SIM unlock on CleanROM.
redpoint73 said:
This is not correct (the text I've bold faced above). OTA requires stock recovery, but RUU does not.
What stopped the RUU from working, is that you bootloader is unlocked (as indicated by the "unlocked" text in hboot). But in your case, you are lucky, since if you were trying to run the 3.18 Jellybean RUU, if it had gotten past the bootloader lock check, it would have bricked the phone (known bug) if you have SuperCID (which is pretty likely).
To reiterate: DO NOT try to relock the bootloader and run the 3.18 RUU, as with S-on and SuperCID, this will brick your phone.
If you have a working adb/fastboot environment, you can easily check CID with the command: fastboot getvar all
---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------
That is far form the truth. Getting back to stock is not that hard.
But if you only want to SIM unlock, I'm not sure that going stock will necessarily help you. You are on CleanROM now, which is pretty close to stock, and I don't think there have been many issues getting SIM unlock on CleanROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wunderbar,
Thank you again for clarifying things up.
I've been taking this time to read more about this phone on this thread:
- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1671237
So i am starting to understand how it works.
i have to admit that i should consider myself lucky for if the phone had a locked bootloader, it would've been bricked.
i've been reading a bit about superCID and i don't have a working linux environment (other than virutal) running right now.
but i'll figure out how to check if it's superCID or not (more likely yes).
now that i've figured out one way or the other that the simlock has nothing to do with the firmwares or recovery........... what could cause it?
again i just want it to work and then i'll take the time to play with the custom roms.
I have the correct unlocking code from AT&T since it wouldn't have accepted it to reboot the phone if it was wrong.
so what could be messing it up?
Cheers
srasiroslayer said:
Wunderbar,
i've been reading a bit about superCID and i don't have a working linux environment (other than virutal) running right now.
but i'll figure out how to check if it's superCID or not (more likely yes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need a Linux environment to get fastboot/adb working. And you will need them if you want to get s-off or change the CID (which would be the solutions to your problem of running the RUU).
To get fastboot/adb going, I'd suggest you start here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1754018
There are some apps what will read the phone's state including CID. Others here have mentioned the name of one (or more) such app, but I can't recall, and I don't use it. I'm used to using fastboot.
srasiroslayer said:
now that i've figured out one way or the other that the simlock has nothing to do with the firmwares or recovery........... what could cause it?
again i just want it to work and then i'll take the time to play with the custom roms.
I have the correct unlocking code from AT&T since it wouldn't have accepted it to reboot the phone if it was wrong.
so what could be messing it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure. Going back to stock might help. Its all I can think of. But don't be disappointed if it still doesn't work.
Alright,
So i figured out my CIDnum is 1111111111 using fastboot.
I understand there's a tool that can revert that.
I should also switch to s-off next.
Then at the end lock the bootloader using the adb commands.
Am i on the right track?
At this point i'll try running the RUU and cross my fingers.
My question is, shouldn't i have the original CID number?
and another off topic point, i have no clue what s-on or s-off are.
i'll get into that reading mode again in a bit.
Thank you again, i feel i'm on the right track now and confident.
Cheers
P.S.: do you need me to post the "fastboot getvar all" results? or only thing missing to be sure of was the CID?
Hang on, you're s-on and SuperCID, don't run the RUU or you'll brick your phone. You need to do some reading and research all this before you try these things.
Sent from my Evita
Guys I am Vivek Rajput, from India. I have AT&T HTC oneX. Anything related to internet is not working except whatsapp. Every app is showing network error msg. Showing some data here which i got after reading here. Assume me complete novice about software/cellphones.
***LOCKED***
EVITA PVT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-1.14.0002
RADIO-0.19as.320911_2
OpenDSP-v29.1.0.45.0622
eMMC-boot
Jun 11 2012,14:36:28
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked your APNs?
Sent from my Evita
srasiroslayer said:
Alright,
So i figured out my CIDnum is 1111111111 using fastboot.
I understand there's a tool that can revert that.
I should also switch to s-off next.
Then at the end lock the bootloader using the adb commands.
Am i on the right track?
At this point i'll try running the RUU and cross my fingers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are going to s-off, you DO NOT want to change the CID. SuperCID (11111111) is needed to s-off.
As mentioned, make sure you s-off before RUU, or you will brick.
Once you are s-off, it shouldn't matter whether you lock the bootloader or not. S-off means all security checks are bypassed, including the check for bootloader lock.
srasiroslayer said:
and another off topic point, i have no clue what s-on or s-off are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
s-off, as mentioned above means all security checks are off. There are good and bad points to this.
The good, is that you will be safe of the SuperCID + RUU brick condition. Custom ROMs will also be easier to flash, if you are interested in doing that (do not need to flash boot.img separately).
The bad of s-off, is that because all security checks are off, there are no safety checks to prevent you from flashing the wrong things. You have to be very careful you don't flash something that is not intended for the device, as it may brick the phone.
Are you are okay with that, then proceed with s-off. If not, the alternate solution is to change the CID back to the proper AT&T CID (cws__001). This will also prevent the SuperCID + RUU brick condition. But may make the phone harder to s-off in the future, if you later choose that route.
It looks like then that the s-off route is the one to take, since i will definitely in the future be interested in flashing custom roms.
And it looks relatively easy as per:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2155071
After doing some reading, it also looks safe to achieve s-off on custom roms such as my case.
I'm still reading if s-off will work on my bootloader version or if there are any specific versions to run it at. (so far no mention so good)
I'm guessing i will run s-off today and if everything works out as it should will post my results here.
Only then will i proceed to run the RUU which i downloaded from htc for the at&t model specifically (no chance i could go wrong with that).
Thank you for all the help, i honestly don't think i would've found my way around easily without guidance.
Cheers
Yes, the s-off method is easy, and it should work on any hboot version.
Good luck.
Could just having S-off fix my sim locked issue?
In any case new questions arise in my head such as since my model number is PJ8310000 and that with s-off i will be installing PJ8312000-OneX.zip, will that affect running the RUU later on?
srasiroslayer said:
Could just having S-off fix my sim locked issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it. SIM lock and s-off are not related, to my knowledge.
srasiroslayer said:
In any case new questions arise in my head such as since my model number is PJ8310000 and that with s-off i will be installing PJ8312000-OneX.zip, will that affect running the RUU later on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you are s-off, all security and safety checks are off by definition. As long as you are running an RUU meant for EVITA, you will be safe, and it should run properly.
Looks like i got the 99 error thing.
at first i had the error 92 and all was working good but after the final reboot didn't get s-off
the second try i'm getting error 99.
I'm going to read more into it.
I'm still s-on so.......
So here are the current updates.
As i mentioned in the previous post, running it the first time resulted in error 92 which is normal, followed instructions and didn't get s-off.
second time i had error 99. still no s-off.
I turn off the device and power it back on, run the script all over again with a real good attention and precision (i usually don't f*ck things up).
This time i get the error 92 again and still no success at the end. (did this over 4 times now and no s-off).
would i be logical for me to assume that once the rom is booted it's messed up somewhere? hence the last part of the script not working and also hence sim unlock not working?
what's a good custom rom that would i could install using recovery and not brick my phone?
maybe just installing one would solve all my issues.
Cheers
What ROM are you attempting s-off on?
PS. Asking for a suggested/best/favourite ROM isn't allowed here.
Sent from my Evita
timmaaa said:
What ROM are you attempting s-off on?
PS. Asking for a suggested/best/favourite ROM isn't allowed here.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I'm trying it on CleanROM 4.5 beta2.
And by best rom in my case was asking one that would be compatible with my situation, as in hboot 1.0.9, teamwin 2.1.8.1 recovery, supercid, unlocked, s-on.
Cheers.

Possible Root for AT&T HTC_One_X_RUU_5.18.502.1

I'm having reception issues and would like to try the 5.18 update (with its included 1.35a.32.45.27_10.144.32.34a radio) but I require root (I read the thread here that says the WeakSauce Root works on the AT&T ONE X but am not sure about using an exploit that has to reroot on every boot, albeit automatic). Searching for rooting information for the latest AT&T 5.18 update, I came across this Chinese thread: Translated Chinese forum link. The OP includes the AT&T ROM, Chinese language pack file, Chinese APN file, and a root file. I can't read Chinese and there is much lost in the Google translation but from what I can tell this is the American AT&T 5.18 ROM, and at least one poster said the rooting worked.
My current setup is:
Ver: 4.1.1
ROM: 3.18.502.6.71ORD
HBOOT-2.14.0000
RADIO-0.24p.32.09.06
Bootloader unlocked, Super CID, S-OFF, rooted
Faked locked and S-ON status
1. My first and most important question is, being S-OFF with Super CID, If I update to 5.18 and I can't root it, can I still reflash with something else?
2. The root package (which I am attaching) is a zip. I assume after flashing 5.18 I'll have to flash a custom recovery by this means, "fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img," correct?
3. I also assume the bootloader will be relocked and will need to be unlocked again. Can this be done by the normal method?
4. Will I need to Super CID again?
Thanks!
You're over thinking it. Since you are s-off, you can do almost anything, and not worry about having to root, SuperCID, unlock the bootloader, etc. again.
You also have several options:
a) Yes, you can run the 5.18 RUU if you like. I don't even think you have to relock the bootloader, since you are s-off. You will still be SuperCID and S-off after RUU. Although since RUU re-installs stock recovery, you will need to install TWRP again. At that point, you can always flash SU to root, and/or install custom ROMs.
b) If its just the radio you want to try, you can just install the 2.18 firmware: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2651052
This will keep your current ROM intact, but it might be your desire to update that anyway.
c) Just because a radio is newer, does not necessarily mean it will be "better" in your particular area. The "best" radio is often a trial and error exercise. Since you are s-off, you can flash any of the radios here to see if they yield any improvement: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1694012
Also, while a different radio may give some improvement, I won't expect any miracles. Might even find reception is worse.
@redpoint73
Thanks for the response, just what I was wanting to know... and yes, I often over think things. I"ll give 5.18 a try.
Also, the answers to your questions in blue font:
1. My first and most important question is, being S-OFF with Super CID, If I update to 5.18 and I can't root it, can I still reflash with something else?
Since you are s-off, you can still flash custom recovery, install custom ROMs, run older RUUs, etc. So there would be a variety of ways to revert, if you wanted to.
2. The root package (which I am attaching) is a zip. I assume after flashing 5.18 I'll have to flash a custom recovery by this means, "fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img," correct?
If the intent of the method is to root a phone that was never bootloader unlocked (which is also the only reason you would ever need a new root exploit) then NO that doesn't make any sense. If the bootloader is locked, you can't flash custom recovery.
3. I also assume the bootloader will be relocked and will need to be unlocked again. Can this be done by the normal method?
With S-off, I don't believe you need to relock the bootloader to run the RUU.
4. Will I need to Super CID again?
No, you will still have SuperCID. This only gets changed if you do so deliberately. Same with S-off.
The above options are very good, but if you are interested in the weaksauce root method I can assure you it is very simple and hassle free. You won't even know its a "temp root" because it reroots on reboot instantly. The only downside, is that no custom roms or recoverys may be flashed to my knowledge. If this is a problem then I suggest using redpoint73's answer.
Also if you have luck, please let me know I would be interested and greatly thankful.
He doesn't need to root his device, he's already rooted. Did you not read the thread?
Sent from my Evita
moved to Q&A forum.
I did indeed read the thread, he was asking about the weaksauce root method so i was explaining it to him. Also, if he updates to 5.18 he will need to root (that is of course if he chooses RUU). Bringing me to my next question, did you in fact not read the thread?
FlubbedJohn said:
I did indeed read the thread, he was asking about the weaksauce root method so i was explaining it to him. Also, if he updates to 5.18 he will need to root (that is of course if he chooses RUU). Bringing me to my next question, did you in fact not read the thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's already S-OFF, he does not need any root exploits -_- he can just flash su.
I flashed the 5.18 RUU without issue and was still bootloarder unlocked. S-OFF, and Super CID but did lose my faked locked and S-ON status. I then flashed TWRP then booted to recovery and when I went to reboot, TWRP asked if I wanted to root so I selected, yes. Upon booting into the system it went straight to Google Play and downloaded and installed SuperSU as TWRP said it would--rooted.
I still had the same signal issue with 5.18 ROM so I tried flashing several older radios but still had the same problem. When I got the phone (used) it had 2.20 ROM. Signal was not as good as my SGS3 or Lumia 920 but at least I could get a couple of bars sitting 12' from my repeater ( 3-4 bars on the other phones, no signal in my house without the repeater). After flashing up to 3.18 ROM I could no longer get a signal in my chair, only if I set the phone inches from the repeater. Since the initial flashing to 3.18 if I step inside my local Walmart (before the registers) I will have 3 bars LTE but when I dial after a few seconds it will lose all signal and the call will fail. Outside with 3 bars it works fine. I'm at a loss.
FlubbedJohn said:
I did indeed read the thread, he was asking about the weaksauce root method so i was explaining it to him. Also, if he updates to 5.18 he will need to root (that is of course if he chooses RUU). Bringing me to my next question, did you in fact not read the thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if he updates to 5.18 he will not need any root exploits. He is s-off so he can run any RUU he likes without having to relock his bootloader. This means all he needs to do is flash a custom recovery afterwards, and flash SuperSU or Superuser.
If you're going to give advice here on the forums, bring your knowledge up a bit so that you are able to give advice that is accurate and relevant. Giving the wrong advice will at the very least send another user on a wild goose chase doing things that are irrelevant (like weaksauce), and worst case scenario you could end up bricking someone's phone. I doubt you want that on your conscience.
Sent from my Evita
Pop45398 said:
I flashed the 5.18 RUU without issue and was still bootloarder unlocked. S-OFF, and Super CID but did lose my faked locked and S-ON status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense. I believe the spoofed BL lock and S-on are hacked hboot. The RUU replaces (overwrites) hboot.
Pop45398 said:
I still had the same signal issue with 5.18 ROM so I tried flashing several older radios but still had the same problem. When I got the phone (used) it had 2.20 ROM. Signal was not as good as my SGS3 or Lumia 920 but at least I could get a couple of bars sitting 12' from my repeater ( 3-4 bars on the other phones, no signal in my house without the repeater). After flashing up to 3.18 ROM I could no longer get a signal in my chair, only if I set the phone inches from the repeater. Since the initial flashing to 3.18 if I step inside my local Walmart (before the registers) I will have 3 bars LTE but when I dial after a few seconds it will lose all signal and the call will fail. Outside with 3 bars it works fine. I'm at a loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind that comparing signal "bars" between different phones means nothing. There is no standard to what the bars even represent. You can read the signal strength (dBm) in Settings>About>Network.
But if I understand properly, its not just a matter of the "bars" but actual reception (dropped calls, etc.). If it worked fine on the 2.20 setup, did you try the radio associated with 2.20 (radio 0.19as.32.09.11_2_10.105.32.25)?
Also keep in mind that certain buildings do not play well with phones at all. Big box stores can be particularly notorious for this. Not sure what combination of concrete, steel, etc. interferes with cell signal, but I often get zero signal in Target, IKEA, etc. At the climbing gym where I go every week (not a huge building, but steel beams with concrete face) none of my friends get any signal regardless of phone (my HOX, iPhones, all on AT&T) when we are inside. Then we will get a flood of SMS messages the minute we walk out the building!
timmaaa said:
Even if he updates to 5.18 he will not need any root exploits. He is s-off so he can run any RUU he likes without having to relock his bootloader. This means all he needs to do is flash a custom recovery afterwards, and flash SuperSU or Superuser.
If you're going to give advice here on the forums, bring your knowledge up a bit so that you are able to give advice that is accurate and relevant. Giving the wrong advice will at the very least send another user on a wild goose chase doing things that are irrelevant (like weaksauce), and worst case scenario you could end up bricking someone's phone. I doubt you want that on your conscience.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was the one who was looking for the root method, I just delivered. He was looking for a way to root, I gave it to him. You can the rest to him.
Yes, that's correct. But as respoint had said prior to you first responding he didn't need a root method. Plus, it's our responsibility as people giving advice here to firstly know what we're talking about, and secondly to steer someone in the right direction if they're on the wrong track. Not to just provide incorrect information because that's what they think they need to do.
My statement from earlier still stands, if you want to help people on here you need to bring your knowledge up a bit first. I'm not trying to be harsh, the fact is that accuracy and relevancy are absolutely paramount on XDA, providing incorrect information is dangerous. Please don't take that the wrong way! You're new here so welcome to our forum
Sent from my Evita
FlubbedJohn said:
He was the one who was looking for the root method, I just delivered. He was looking for a way to root, I gave it to him. You can the rest to him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with timmaaa on this. Its just my own opinion (but many others will likely agree) that any temp root solution (even one that re-temp roots with every boot) is inferior to a true permanent root. Especially when the temp root requires an app to be installed.
For the OPs particular case, WeakSauce looks to be more complicated (or at least more contrived) and less comprehensive solution than the s-off status and unlocked bootloader he already has. It probably would have made more sense to present the issue in a way such as: Yes, WeakSauce will work for temp root, but the other provided options are probably better choices.

Categories

Resources