Related
I bought a used XT925 today. While the previous owner did go to some trouble to clean it, it still has a bunch of apps and some settings that I really don't want. Also, as a privacy paranoiac, I'm worried that there may be something malicious (however slight the possibility).
The device is rooted and running JB 4.1.2. I would love to factory reset it but having read a few reports of people losing root or worse (here, here, here and here, to list just a few) that plan seems ill-advised.
I've been toying with trying to script some kind of fs compare against a fs from a rom, but I'm not sure if this is even feasible. So far the only other thing I can think of to do is uninstall all the apps and manually sift through and delete all the other junk in the filesystem.
Does anyone have any suggestions on returning my device to the most "virgin" state possible while retaining root?
triplexdoubledadevelopers said:
I bought a used XT925 today. While the previous owner did go to some trouble to clean it, it still has a bunch of apps and some settings that I really don't want. Also, as a privacy paranoiac, I'm worried that there may be something malicious (however slight the possibility).
The device is rooted and running JB 4.1.2. I would love to factory reset it but having read a few reports of people losing root or worse (here, here, here and here, to list just a few) that plan seems ill-advised.
I've been toying with trying to script some kind of fs compare against a fs from a rom, but I'm not sure if this is even feasible. So far the only other thing I can think of to do is uninstall all the apps and manually sift through and delete all the other junk in the filesystem.
Does anyone have any suggestions on returning my device to the most "virgin" state possible while retaining root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simplest way is to use RSD Lite to send your device back to stock 4.1.2 -- then you can use the recently posted root method to gain root back. It should take < 15 minutes to do, most of that spent flashing with RSDLite. It'll actually take longer to download all the ADB drivers, Moto drivers, etc -- if you don't have them already.
triplexdoubledadevelopers said:
I bought a used XT925 today. While the previous owner did go to some trouble to clean it, it still has a bunch of apps and some settings that I really don't want. Also, as a privacy paranoiac, I'm worried that there may be something malicious (however slight the possibility).
The device is rooted and running JB 4.1.2. I would love to factory reset it but having read a few reports of people losing root or worse (here, here, here and here, to list just a few) that plan seems ill-advised.
I've been toying with trying to script some kind of fs compare against a fs from a rom, but I'm not sure if this is even feasible. So far the only other thing I can think of to do is uninstall all the apps and manually sift through and delete all the other junk in the filesystem.
Does anyone have any suggestions on returning my device to the most "virgin" state possible while retaining root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats up,
Cpudan80 is right, your best bet is to flash stock 4.1.2, and to reroot. And it does take about 15 minutes if you don't already have drivers and stuff, but I can help you out, by linking you to my utility, which essentially does the heavy lifting of finding all of the programs and stuff, and puts it together into one convenient package.
Find it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2241788
Cpudan80 said:
Simplest way is to use RSD Lite to send your device back to stock 4.1.2 -- then you can use the recently posted root method to gain root back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mr.Parkinson said:
Cpudan80 is right, your best bet is to flash stock 4.1.2, and to reroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies! Would you link me to that root method, Cpudan80? All of the root methods I've been able to find say that you must flash 4.0 or CWM first in order to root, then protect root and upgrade to JB again. Is there a new better way which doesn't require downgrading?
triplexdoubledadevelopers said:
Thanks for the replies! Would you link me to that root method, Cpudan80? All of the root methods I've been able to find say that you must flash 4.0 or CWM first in order to root, then protect root and upgrade to JB again. Is there a new better way which doesn't require downgrading?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread on here somewhere -- but here's the thread I followed (after using RSDLite to go back to clean 4.1.2). No hard steps at all, just run a bat file - press enter and viola - you're rooted.
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/15208-root-motochopper-yet-another-android-root-exploit/
Cpudan80 said:
There's a thread on here somewhere -- but here's the thread I followed (after using RSDLite to go back to clean 4.1.2). No hard steps at all, just run a bat file - press enter and viola - you're rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazing, thanks! I had seen that exploit at one point when I was considering getting an earlier RAZR version and was looking into how easy it was to root it. I thought that exploit didn't work with the XT925 since there was no link to it in the forum (and searches only revealed many tales of failed root attempts and downgrades). Thanks again!
Hello everyone,
This is the first time I am going to own an Android Device so am new to Android devices (Coming from the Apple ecosystem)
I'm going to get my hands on the LTE version of the nVidia Shield Tablet over this weekend.
I read through Pichu's Rooting guide and a lot of it went over my head. Wish there was TowelRoot for Lollipop since most of the iDevices get a 'one click' Jailbreak option like TowelRoot.
The rooting and unlocking bootloader process seems to be quite cumbersome or probably I just need to do it a few times to get the hang of it.
So my questions are...
1. Could anyone explain to me what are the Pros and Cons of Rooting and unlocking the bootloader specifically for the Shield Tablet. (Will it cause any loss of nVidia stock Apps etc?)
2. Also a step-by-step guide for newbies of unlocking the bootloader and rooting the Shield Tablet would be of great help.
3. Can unlocking bootloader or rooting cause irreversible damage to the device (bricking it maybe)?
And just FYI,
I think that the Tablet will be on Kit Kat out of the box and will have a locked bootloader and won't have root access (from what I have googled so far).
Also, I will not have warranty coverage on the device since it is being shipped from the States to India where it hasn't yet launched.
I've heard about various touch screen, battery and 'cracked edges' issues and not having warranty coverage might be a big concern but I just couldn't wait to buy this since I am a heavy gamer.
Hopefully most of these manufacturing defects are fixed on the LTE version. *fingers crossed*
jigar7 said:
Hello everyone,
This is the first time I am going to own an Android Device so am new to Android devices (Coming from the Apple ecosystem)
I'm going to get my hands on the LTE version of the nVidia Shield Tablet over this weekend.
I read through Pichu's Rooting guide and a lot of it went over my head. Wish there was TowelRoot for Lollipop since most of the iDevices get a 'one click' Jailbreak option like TowelRoot.
The rooting and unlocking bootloader process seems to be quite cumbersome or probably I just need to do it a few times to get the hang of it.
So my questions are...
1. Could anyone explain to me what are the Pros and Cons of Rooting and unlocking the bootloader specifically for the Shield Tablet. (Will it cause any loss of nVidia stock Apps etc?)
2. Also a step-by-step guide for newbies of unlocking the bootloader and rooting the Shield Tablet would be of great help.
3. Can unlocking bootloader or rooting cause irreversible damage to the device (bricking it maybe)?
And just FYI,
I think that the Tablet will be on Kit Kat out of the box and will have a locked bootloader and won't have root access (from what I have googled so far).
Also, I will not have warranty coverage on the device since it is being shipped from the States to India where it hasn't yet launched.
I've heard about various touch screen, battery and 'cracked edges' issues and not having warranty coverage might be a big concern but I just couldn't wait to buy this since I am a heavy gamer.
Hopefully most of these manufacturing defects are fixed on the LTE version. *fingers crossed*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am familiar with android but I just purchased this tablet for my son for Christmas. he is 7 and I would not let him mess around with rooting or anything like that but I wanted the tablet to be ready to roll when he opened it on Christmas. I just received it on Sunday. This is what I did
I have a 64gb Samsung Class 10 sd that I formatted to NTFS and placed in tablet
Tablet came with Kit Kat. I used Towel Root to root and Flashify to flash Phil's Recovery. I chose this recovery because I have read that CWM has issues sticking with Lolipop.
Once I had recovery I went into recovery and did a backup to my external sd of my current setup just in case anything went wrong I could restore as long as I could still get into recovery
The tablet had 2 OTA updates to install so I let them both. I intended on unlocking my bootloader although I could of opted to not do so because I was rooted on Kit Kat. Having an unlocked bootloader gives you a better chance to recover in the case that something goes wrong. Yes it "voids" warranty although there has been some debate on if Nvidia will hold that against you as long as it is a hardware problem or if the bootloader is flagged once unlocked because you can always re lock it. It wipes your device but does not remove NVidia apps
I had ADB on my PC but it was not a version that liked my tablet. I had to download the minimal ADB package in order to communicate with my shield. I got the drivers from Nvidia and followed their instructions on making sure the tablet found it. Once connected I ran some simple commands to make sure the 2 devices communicated.
I followed unlock procedure then I flashed Phil's recovery following the instructions to flash CMW form the thread in development. Then selected recovery from bootloader menu. Once in recovery I did another backup to my external sd.
I could of downloaded the flashable supersu zip and push to my device via adb but instead I decided to just boot my tablet at that point. I downloaded the latest version of the flashable supersu zip and then put my tablet into recovery
I realized that my tablet no longer had phils recovery, possibly because I did not root so I had to go back to bootloader to flash recovery again then I flashed supersu and rebooted
I went to app store and downloaded foldermount and opened the app to make sure my device can write correctly to my external sd
all is well and I am rooted with full access to my external sd. Side note you need to go to app store to download the new Nvidia Hub. The one that was on my tablet did not have Grid on it and I was scratching my head a bit
not everything I did was needed it was just the steps I took to make myself comfortable. Unlocking or rooting your tablet alone will not kill your device. I opted to unlock because the version of supersu for lolipop is relatively new and although no real issues have been reported what if I flash it and I get boot loops? No I am panicking trying to get ADB/Fastboot to see my device so that I can unlock my bootloader. I wanted to make sure I could establish a connection between the devices prior so I knew I could make corrections if needed
I did not take the time to link anything and it is all there to be found but if you can not find something ask away
Alright, have successfully updated KitKat to 1.2.1 via OTA and even have root now. I even got a 64GB Sandisk Ultra SD card and moved some huge game files via the 'Apps' tab under settings
The battery life, however, is so bad on this while playing games like TWD/Trine 2/Half Life 2... doesn't charge while playing... I read reviews that Lollipop does improve the battery so I'm going to try to upgrade to L and hopefully have a root without bricking the device.
Thank you for the info, appreciate the help.
Now comes the confusing part... I am going to try and unlock the bootloader but before that, is there a tool to backup my entire device? Currently I have nothing important on the device except a few nVidia Hub games... but I'd like to learn the back up process since unlocking the bootloader will completely wipe the device. It is really a pain and a waste of bandwidth to re-download entire 1+ GB games again from the Play store/nVidia Hub.
Also, nVidia hasn't yet uploaded Lollipop recovery images officially that I could use for a clean install... or flashing the device with it (I need to get acquainted to the android terminology now... lol). Flashing recoveries is the same as restoring ipsw firmware files on Apple devices right? Which in turn gives you a clean/fresh install.
What exactly is CWM and Philz recoveries? Should I wait for nVidia to upload Lollipop factory images officially?
The battery life, however, is so bad on this while playing games like TWD/Trine 2/Half Life 2... doesn't charge while playing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a 2A charger (such as the one included with the tablet) seems to be enough to keep my tablet alive while gaming
Now comes the confusing part... I am going to try and unlock the bootloader but before that, is there a tool to backup my entire device? Currently I have nothing important on the device except a few nVidia Hub games... but I'd like to learn the back up process since unlocking the bootloader will completely wipe the device. It is really a pain and a waste of bandwidth to re-download entire 1+ GB games again from the Play store/nVidia Hub.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Titanium Backup
Also, nVidia hasn't yet uploaded Lollipop recovery images officially that I could use for a clean install... or flashing the device with it (I need to get acquainted to the android terminology now... lol). Flashing recoveries is the same as restoring ipsw firmware files on Apple devices right? Which in turn gives you a clean/fresh install.
What exactly is CWM and Philz recoveries? Should I wait for nVidia to upload Lollipop factory images officially?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good explanation, and you can just flash KitKat and upgrade to Lollipop through the OTA update (and factory reset afterwards if you want a clean install, maybe even backup your system partition to use that instead until they release the factory image).
CWM or Philz Recovery?
Wow! Thank you for those links Bogdacutu. That was a good read. Will try out Titanium Backup over the weekend. I wish droid manufacturers come up with a backup/restore software of their own. Coming from the Apple ecosystem, this was the only time I missed iTunes... for backup/restore. Otherwise iTunes is crap!
Does Titanium Backup also take backups the huge OBB application files? I need to back those up because I have purchased games like The Walking Dead Season 1/Wolf Among Us etc and the episode downloads are humongous... wouldn't want to waste time (on a slow connection) and bandwidth downloading them again.
Is there any other reliable backup software on the play store that does not require a rooted device?
Heading back to rooting the Shield Tablet on Android Lollipop, I don't think there is a way to root it without installing a custom recovery/ROM... currently I'm rooted on 1.2.1 KK (LTE US Version)
Which custom recovery would you suggest... Philz or CWM? So that the OTAs from Lollipop don't cause any future issues and I can go ahead and root the tablet.
hey, i just registered here to inform you all that ive figured out a way to root the new rca viking pro, but i cant seem to get supersu to install its updated binaries... i went about it like this, i searched google for kingroot app, installed it, followed the instructions it came with, and for my own benefit, i ran it twice just to make sure it worked. and wala, root! but the downside is they have their own form of su called king user. and i hate it. i hope this info helps someone, as ive came to this site on so many occaisions and everytime something on here bailed me out of a jam, i figured it was bout time i gave to a site that contributed so much to me. i love xda, and i hope someone here can get some nice things going with this tablet. thanks for your time... May
info on the RCT6303W87DK
also, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, DO NOT CHANGE THE GENERIC.kl file on this device!!! the keyboard that comes with it, and the volume and power buttons on the device will NO LONGER function!!! just got a replacement from wallyworld because of my epic failure.... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! :good:
I tried a few different methods last night to install supersu binaries effectively breaking root a few times all resulting in using king root to "reroot". The main issue I'm having is it immediately has an update to version 1.9.1 (tablet firmware).. To get around this prompt lock the tablet, turn screen back on but unlock it with camera (bottom right). After doing this you get home rows back. Now since root I'm getting failures to install the update and every time it comes on I'm promoted for the update multiple times. Any ideas?
reemobeens19 said:
I tried a few different methods last night to install supersu binaries effectively breaking root a few times all resulting in using king root to "reroot". The main issue I'm having is it immediately has an update to version 1.9.1 (tablet firmware).. To get around this prompt lock the tablet, turn screen back on but unlock it with camera (bottom right). After doing this you get home rows back. Now since root I'm getting failures to install the update and every time it comes on I'm promoted for the update multiple times. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have to be unrooted to apply system updates... then re root. king root should have an unroot option in app, so un rooting isnt hard. or you can hook the tab to your pc and use kingo to unroot. it will unroot, but it wont root...
I can confirm that kingroot does in fact have an option to unroot. I can also confirm that it is able to reroot after the 1.9.1 update.
Mine updated to that the first time I turned it on and I lost the update file. Can anyone tell a difference before and after the update?
I'm going to do a full stock ROM dump tonight to share. Just in case me or anyone else screws theirs up. I want to install a custom recovery and don't want to take any chances with it. Locked mtk bootloaders are ugly. Especially on these newer chipsets which cannot be unlocked as easily as the old ones.
Btw, before I finally found kingroot I must have tried about thirty different ways to root this thing. I tried several on phone root apps and a bunch of ones which required a pc connection to work and I came up short.
I got partial root with iroot 1.7 something for PC. It installed kingroot and would say that it was granting root to apps but noting actually had root.
Finally I found the latest version of vroot. V1.8 something, it had the same root database number as the earlier iroot which I had, though. Then I installed the pdanet drivers and ran the vroot and it worked! Finally! I spent hours on the stupid thing.
I did try the kingroot (iroot) apk and it couldn't root it and suggested I try the PC version.
What I'm getting at is that possibly fw 1.9.1 is just a security patch that makes it harder to root. Because when I tried the apk it couldn't handle it and I had to use the PC version with pdanet drivers to get it to work. While the apk worked for you on v1.9.0 (mine updated the first time I powered it on).
So if you install the update you might want to watch out for that.
It may be possible to stop the forced ota with fotakill. Just Google the apk and place it in your /system/app folder, then delete it rename the update in your cache folder and restart.
That has always worked for me so far on all of my other Android devices.
Cheers,
-SS
Used titanium back up to freeze the updater. Went to Dev options, enabled show processor usage or something to that nature.. Watched for any thing popping up that said update. I don't remember the exact apk but a simple search with in titanium for the word update returns the only app containing it. This did indeed solve my problem about the constant update. Also another work around to bypass the update, tell it to "download and install" then immediately his stop/cancel download. This will be my last post for now on the device as I no longer own it.
Have a blessed day!
For those wanting wired controller support, tincore works wonderfully. Im using an official xbox360 control and it controls the ui and a majority of my games. Emulators as well. This is pretty much the only way to use a wired control on this tablet as far as i know. I've tried dozens of methods to no avail. Still trying to get su up and running as well. King root does function but id prefer something im used to. Anyone know of a custom recovery that'd work on this thing???
simstimstar said:
I can confirm that kingroot does in fact have an option to unroot. I can also confirm that it is able to reroot after the 1.9.1 update.
Mine updated to that the first time I turned it on and I lost the update file. Can anyone tell a difference before and after the update?
I'm going to do a full stock ROM dump tonight to share. Just in case me or anyone else screws theirs up. I want to install a custom recovery and don't want to take any chances with it. Locked mtk bootloaders are ugly. Especially on these newer chipsets which cannot be unlocked as easily as the old ones.
Btw, before I finally found kingroot I must have tried about thirty different ways to root this thing. I tried several on phone root apps and a bunch of ones which required a pc connection to work and I came up short.
I got partial root with iroot 1.7 something for PC. It installed kingroot and would say that it was granting root to apps but noting actually had root.
Finally I found the latest version of vroot. V1.8 something, it had the same root database number as the earlier iroot which I had, though. Then I installed the pdanet drivers and ran the vroot and it worked! Finally! I spent hours on the stupid thing.
I did try the kingroot (iroot) apk and it couldn't root it and suggested I try the PC version.
What I'm getting at is that possibly fw 1.9.1 is just a security patch that makes it harder to root. Because when I tried the apk it couldn't handle it and I had to use the PC version with pdanet drivers to get it to work. While the apk worked for you on v1.9.0 (mine updated the first time I powered it on).
So if you install the update you might want to watch out for that.
It may be possible to stop the forced ota with fotakill. Just Google the apk and place it in your /system/app folder, then delete it rename the update in your cache folder and restart.
That has always worked for me so far on all of my other Android devices.
Cheers,
-SS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first got the tablet, i let it update then got the kingroot apk, installed it and it rooted. The one i used is in chinese but it had instructions and i followed them to the t. It worked. And the back up of the rom would be greatly appreciated by ALOT of us trust me. Especially me...?
Overall, this is a pretty nice tablet to own. The space alone is worth the price of admission. The specs are decent as well. Quad core, mali gpu, one gb ram, the detachable keyboard, oh i could go on. Im a heavy gamer and this is perfect for me. I have all the power i need to run everything i use. And with a 32 gb sdcard and 32gb internal, thats plenty storage for pretty much anything. I recommend this device to anyone looking for performance on a budget. 10/10
Yes, I'ts very nice. I couldn't find anything else that would even come close to it in that price range. Even used ones....
I was able to edit some config files for mrkdroidtools and got it working properly with mt8127 for the most part. At least now it will create the proper scatter file (in the correct format) for mt8127. Even though it's working properly to create the scatter, you have to use Windows enabler to allow to click the greyed out scatter file button. Before if you did that it would create a scatter in the old format without correctly identifying partition types and even not setting the correct partition sizes in the scatter. Also the chip was identified incorrectly before and now it's not.
All of the mt8127 scatters I have seen use scatter v1.1.2 (not the old format) and now I got it to output that. With proper scatter you can manually pull each partition correctly in spft.
Mtkdroidtools will now partially work for backup. It will pull firmware.info, mounts.info, and phone.info. along with NVRAM and /system only. Can't pull the others because the partitionsions are locked. Even with insecure adb (root ADB) and selinux set to permissive.. You can get old style scatter from firmware.info and mtk studio, but better to let mtkdroidtools pull the correct one.
It will try to make the CWM recovery but fails out. Magic twrp will now create the correct recovery and push it to the phone (with files from spft backup) but the recovery won't work due to the locked loader.
At least I know my backup works now because I was able to reflash the original recovery with it (this is how I screwed up my first one, which ended up going back to Wal-Mart). That first one stopped booting, but it was still recognized by spft. I just had no backup to fix it with. If they rma it, I'm sure it can be reflashed with original firmware and resold.
I will be putting this all in a toolkit and uploading. This can benefit all devices with mt8127, not just us. I also have the latest spft and I even found the checksum.exe in another package somewhere. This can be used to generate the firmware checksums for spft so you don't have to flash with checksum turned off (safer).
Haven't tried to reroot with mtkdroidtools because I think the supersu is pretty old. Don't think it will work properly in lollipop.
I wish there was a way to unlock the bootloader. I poked around in my backup of it and it clearly references files from NVRAM. Files with checksums and lists. I would think that there would be some other tablet sold under a different brand which is unlocked out there
Somewhere which is the same as ours.
Gotta run. I'll try to upload the toolkit after work if there is time. I need to clean up my backup to remove personal files from data before uploading. If it's an emergency and someone needs backup without /data I can provide now. Don't know if it will work though because kingroot resides on data. Perhaps it will work just can't authorize root.
Cheers!
-SimStim
Again, with the new one I got I couldn't root with the latest iRoot from the PC until pdanet was installed on the phone. Then it worked fine.
Without pdanet it will get temp root, then restart and when kingroot automatic root check runs it says no root and will try again and again in a loop.
With pdanet, temp root, reboot, and it's permanent root.
Just in case anyone is trying to root via this method.
Cheers!
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
Again, with the new one I got I couldn't root with the latest iRoot from the PC until pdanet was installed on the phone. Then it worked fine.
Without pdanet it will get temp root, then restart and when kingroot automatic root check runs it says no root and will try again and again in a loop.
With pdanet, temp root, reboot, and it's permanent root.
Just in case anyone is trying to root via this method.
Cheers!
-SimStim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may be right... The first one i had i let kingoroot on the pc download and install some drivers. And i used pdanet awhile ago for a previous rca tab and never deleted the drivers, so maybe thats why it worked flawlessly the second time. If you have a custom recovery installed, which did you use and how'd you install it?
I tried the "magic" auto-build of CWM and TWRP, but neither one works because of the locked boot loader.
Which also makes me wonder if my backup would work on someone else's tab... The 7" RCA tab on here with the prerooted ROM works because they found another tablet which was the same and had an unlocked bootloader. At least that's what understood from it. I could be wrong though. I didn't read all 35 pages (or however many).
I'll try and double check that
Cheers,
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
I tried the "magic" auto-build of CWM and TWRP, but neither one works because of the locked boot loader.
Which also makes me wonder if my backup would work on someone else's tab... The 7" RCA tab on here with the prerooted ROM works because they found another tablet which was the same and had an unlocked bootloader. At least that's what understood from it. I could be wrong though. I didn't read all 35 pages (or however many).
I'll try and double check that
Cheers,
-SimStim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any progress yet? ive been searching hi and lo for custom recoveries that work to no avail. i want to try and unlock the bootloader but im afraid i may screw somthing up if i cant restore a backup. i guess its a chance im willing to take if it furthers development on this tablet. i honestly want to rip lollipop off of here and run jb 4.2.2. personally i think thats the best version of android yet. at least with funcionality. and the fact you can just plug and play on that version is a plus for me!!! hope you come across something....
may
I'm planning to return mine. I started looking around at tablets in this price range and have decided to buy a Pipo M9S instead. The price is pretty close and it absolutely spanks this device in hardware specs.
I'm somewhat biased, because I have an Android tv device based on the RK3288 and I know how fast it is. The hardware video decoder is the best I've seen yet. Plus it is so nice not to have to deal with the locked bootloader.
I wanted an RK3288 based tablet before, but was put off by the $200-300 price range which I had seen on the Pipo P9 and the P1. Then just recently I found that I could get a p7 for ~150 and an M9S for ~$175, so I've decided that I would much rather go that way(M9S).
I will hang on to my backup of this device in case it will come in handy for anyone else in the future.
Cheers,
-SimStim
simstimstar said:
Yes, I'ts very nice. I couldn't find anything else that would even come close to it in that price range. Even used ones....
I was able to edit some config files for mrkdroidtools and got it working properly with mt8127 for the most part. At least now it will create the proper scatter file (in the correct format) for mt8127. Even though it's working properly to create the scatter, you have to use Windows enabler to allow to click the greyed out scatter file button. Before if you did that it would create a scatter in the old format without correctly identifying partition types and even not setting the correct partition sizes in the scatter. Also the chip was identified incorrectly before and now it's not.
All of the mt8127 scatters I have seen use scatter v1.1.2 (not the old format) and now I got it to output that. With proper scatter you can manually pull each partition correctly in spft.
Mtkdroidtools will now partially work for backup. It will pull firmware.info, mounts.info, and phone.info. along with NVRAM and /system only. Can't pull the others because the partitionsions are locked. Even with insecure adb (root ADB) and selinux set to permissive.. You can get old style scatter from firmware.info and mtk studio, but better to let mtkdroidtools pull the correct one.
It will try to make the CWM recovery but fails out. Magic twrp will now create the correct recovery and push it to the phone (with files from spft backup) but the recovery won't work due to the locked loader.
At least I know my backup works now because I was able to reflash the original recovery with it (this is how I screwed up my first one, which ended up going back to Wal-Mart). That first one stopped booting, but it was still recognized by spft. I just had no backup to fix it with. If they rma it, I'm sure it can be reflashed with original firmware and resold.
I will be putting this all in a toolkit and uploading. This can benefit all devices with mt8127, not just us. I also have the latest spft and I even found the checksum.exe in another package somewhere. This can be used to generate the firmware checksums for spft so you don't have to flash with checksum turned off (safer).
Haven't tried to reroot with mtkdroidtools because I think the supersu is pretty old. Don't think it will work properly in lollipop.
I wish there was a way to unlock the bootloader. I poked around in my backup of it and it clearly references files from NVRAM. Files with checksums and lists. I would think that there would be some other tablet sold under a different brand which is unlocked out there
Somewhere which is the same as ours.
Gotta run. I'll try to upload the toolkit after work if there is time. I need to clean up my backup to remove personal files from data before uploading. If it's an emergency and someone needs backup without /data I can provide now. Don't know if it will work though because kingroot resides on data. Perhaps it will work just can't authorize root.
Cheers!
-SimStim
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if you still have it, can you upload that stock image and the tools you have? or send them to me via email? ive done something terrible and i wish to go back to stock until i figure something else out. if you can do it via email, heres my [email protected]- thanks
How can I contribute
While I haven't had any issues with my DK on v1.9.1, I'm always interested in the latest and greatest Android ROM. I've got my fingers crossed for you on making restore images so you can get another ROM built on this. So, if I can contribute, even if it is paypal'ing $20 to pay toward a second tablet for you to work on, let me know.
Regards,
David
Is anyone working on unlocking the bootloader of this device? Fastboot allows me to see the "press volume up key to unlock" screen using fastboot oem unlock, however it does not respond to volume keys. Being that I got that far could it possibly succeed if it didn't have to prompt for permission?
It's going to be really tough to try and crack it. The RCA 7" tablet here on xda that got an unlocked loader because they found out that there was a Cube branded tablet which was identical, except it had an unlocked boot loader.
RCA is not the actual manufacturer (I forget who is, but cpu-z will tell you I think). Perhaps if someone were to contact the manufacturer and find out which other companies they OEM that tablet hardware to. Then check them out for unlocked bootloaders.
I would be willing to bet that they may not reveal that info so easily, so try looking around for similar hardware.
I found on a benchmarking site that the RCA 10" which doesn't have the keyboard is also the same spec and model number as a model sold by gigabyte. I don't know the status of the bootloader, though. If you flash it you risk bricking your tablet.
MTK is pretty much the opposite of rockchip, who has made their devices nearly brick proof. MTK devices with locked bootloaders are very likely to brick because of the security measures built in, odd and often encrypted filesystems with specific hashes for certain partitions, write protection on the main system partions. It's really a massive pain in the neck. Those are the reasons why I decided to get rid of mine.
It's rooted and someone who doesn't want to build custom ROMs will be perfectly happy with it. Me, I want full access! Really the tablet is pretty nice. Just not if you want custom recovery, kennel, unofficial ROMs, etc.
I'm still looking. It's probably out there somewhere. I'll be sure to post if I see anything.
Cheers,
-SS
How do you know the bootloader is locked? I see walmart has cut the price on them, I haven't seen any rca tablets with bootloader locked.
A couple of months ago I bought a used Samsung Galaxy S 7 edge from a place called Aarons. A friend and I quickly realized that the phone had been rooted at one point, and I only recently believe I figured out what was used. The phone of course was wiped when I got it, but whatever was used was never removed. Normally I wouldn't care so much however it is preventing security updates. I'm not very good with this kind of stuff so I am NOT sure what to do to either remove it from my phone or get the updates I need.
if nothing helping you should considering flashing stock firmware as last option, i think this will work
If you want to unroot, I think some unroot.zip files that can found across the net might be helpful.
Also, if it is rooted with magisk, I don't think there is a reason to remove it.
First you have to figure out what app it was rooted with. It's probably Magisk or SuperSU. If it's one of them you can either unroot the phone through the parameters of the "root control" app or flash the unrooting zip which you can download it from the official magisk thread or the supersu website.
This is what I found concerning what was on the phone. I may not every be right about it. Which is why I wanted someone with more knowledge to help. As I said my main concern is my inability to do security updates. whatever it is, it's even preventing me from connecting my phone to my PC.
If you'll can determine the best course of action from the screenshot that would be great. Like I said, I know nothing about this kind of thing, so I have no idea where to start with flashing the firmware our weekday unroot.zip I should be looking for.
Edit: so apparently I'm prevented from posting the image because I have under 10 posts. I'll figure that out later, but I was using sd maid when I found this info. Under device it says hero2lte @ 6.0.1 (23). Under root status it says none for su binary, but that there is a built-in superuser app.
I will take delivery of a new Pixel 3a later this week. I will thoroughly read through “How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted” and “How to Root Your Pixel 3a and Install Magisk (on Pie & Q) with or without TWRP”. But before unlocking bootloader and rooting should I accept all updates first during the initial setup?
MrTooPhone said:
I will take delivery of a new Pixel 3a later this week. I will thoroughly read through “How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted” and “How to Root Your Pixel 3a and Install Magisk (on Pie & Q) with or without TWRP”. But before unlocking bootloader and rooting should I accept all updates first during the initial setup?
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Yes
bejunk said:
Yes
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Thanks. The little reading I have done so far, it sounds like you can not flash or boot TWRP in Android 10. Won't all the updates take me to 10? I will want to back up my ROMs.
MrTooPhone said:
Thanks. The little reading I have done so far, it sounds like you can not flash or boot TWRP in Android 10. Won't all the updates take me to 10? I will want to back up my ROMs.
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Oh, i forgot as i dont use TWRP anymore.
Yes TWRP only works on Android 9.
However you can't install it like in the past time. You can only boot it via fastboot. You need to do this everytime you want to use TWRP. However when i tried it in past times it did not work well afaik, a full backup did not work at all.
So yeah try it with Android 9 first.
But with all the google backups nowadays i dont have the need for a nandroid (twrp backup)...
Especially as you can just reflash the stock image with deleting /data.
Here is the main thread, i think it will be more helpfull than i am https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-3a/development/twrp-3-3-1-pixel-3a-t3943413
The very first thing to do is minimal setup so you can enable developer settings and allow bootloader unlocking. That's a sticky setting, so then you can update, factory reset, etc. before actually unlocking the bootloader and rooting. Especially important if you're US/Verizon (don't put your SIM in until bootloader unlocking is enabled).
mike.s said:
The very first thing to do is minimal setup so you can enable developer settings and allow bootloader unlocking. That's a sticky setting, so then you can update, factory reset, etc. before actually unlocking the bootloader and rooting. Especially important if you're US/Verizon (don't put your SIM in until bootloader unlocking is enabled).
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Thanks. So I read the two rooting threads I referenced above. I have always used TWRP in the past, but seeing it not supported in Android 10, I am considering skipping that. Do you think TWRP will support Android 10 in the future? I am a little nervous making changes without a backup. My plan would be to stick with a rooted stock at first than consider migrating to a custom ROM. Any recommendations are appreciated. Phone will be delivered tomorrow.
bejunk said:
But with all the google backups nowadays i dont have the need for a nandroid (twrp backup)...
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I am not sure what you mean by "google backups nowadays". Is it the availability of stock ROMs?
MrTooPhone said:
I am not sure what you mean by "google backups nowadays". Is it the availability of stock ROMs?
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No , I think most people use a TWRP backup because it restores you to a specifiic point with all your apps, user settings and your data in those apps.
Thats why i used it in the past times. Setiing up a phone in the past could be really time consuming and frustrating.
But nowadays, if you use the google backup (in Settings > System > Backup) (and the whatsapp one for messages - thtas the only messenger i use, but every other popular messager has a backup feature now) setting up the phone takes maybe 10 mins when i flash the factory image, it even gets my homescreen layout and my wallpaper back, also my settings. Apps which support that also keep their settings.
In the past i allways had a custom rom, because stock rom sucked. But with the Pixel theres no reason for me to use a custom rom anymore.
About root, i rooted my phone since i first used android, ca. 2010. But now I really dont need it anymore, so i just keep things stock.
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MrTooPhone said:
Thanks. So I read the two rooting threads I referenced above. I have always used TWRP in the past, but seeing it not supported in Android 10, I am considering skipping that. Do you think TWRP will support Android 10 in the future? I am a little nervous making changes without a backup. My plan would be to stick with a rooted stock at first than consider migrating to a custom ROM. Any recommendations are appreciated. Phone will be delivered tomorrow.
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Click to collapse
I dont think TWRP will be supported in the futur on A10. Google locked up /system and some other partitions the TWRP team needs to find new solutions but there id not much hope.
Did you buy your phone unlocked? If yes, the worst part you should be worried about is losing you app data from some apps. You cant really brick your phone. In the worst case you just need to flash a factory image.
You should know that rooting your phone will probably break google pay and banking apps. May i ask what did you want use root for?
I dunno, I really like Lineage OS, but it just feels like a downgraded stock rom.. (I used it before all the time on all phones before getting a pixel).
Also, for every update (monthly) you need to patch your boot.img, flash it, and the apply the update. Its some work which i dont think is worth it anymore.
bejunk said:
May i ask what did you want use root for?
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Thanks for the detailed reply. I am coming from a MotoG3 (rooted stock), a 2015 era phone. So a lot has changed. I really have not seen a mid range phone I really liked, so I jumped on the P3a when I heard the news they were being discontinued.
I use root mainly for Adfree, SD-Maid, and Titanium Backup. I used to use Cerberus until the developer reneged on a lifetime subscription. I don't mess with the system apps much, but I do keep a few apps frozen except for the times when I seldom need them.
Magisk is the best way to root your phone as it still passes the SafetyNet check and google pay and banking apps continue to work. There is an excellent thread here on how to do it.
[Guide] How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted
Every month, I "uninstall" magisk (which really just restores the original boot files) and sideload the latest update, then I install the magisk-patched boot.img and my phone is rooted again.
To be honest, I don't miss twrp at all. adb and fastboot are all that's needed. The backup in android 10 is perfectly sufficient.
This phone is practically impossible to brick. I love my Pixel 3a, except for the one problem I had when the bottom speaker died and I had to have it repaired under warranty at the local ubreakifix in less than an hour.
MrTooPhone said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I am coming from a MotoG3 (rooted stock), a 2015 era phone. So a lot has changed. I really have not seen a mid range phone I really liked, so I jumped on the P3a when I heard the news they were being discontinued.
I use root mainly for Adfree, SD-Maid, and Titanium Backup. I used to use Cerberus until the developer reneged on a lifetime subscription. I don't mess with the system apps much, but I do keep a few apps frozen except for the times when I seldom need them.
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Yeah, I had that phone too It was pretty good for its time. I even replaced the screen once, but its really complicated on that phone... To your needs:
Adfree: you can setup a custom DNS server (i think it was adguards one) in the settings menu which will block all ads, so no real need anymore for adaway or root for this. Just google a bit.
Titanium backup: I does not work so well is what i heard and like said nowadays most apps backup over Google backup. With Android11 it will get even harder as /data partition is even more protected now. Not really worth it imho.
Froze system apps: Pixel Android is really barebones. The few apps which i dont need (like Google Music/Video PixelBuds app etc) you can just disable them in the settings. This will freeze them, its like uninstalling them, they wont show up at all.
SD Maid is great but only rooting it for using it, is not worth it. You can clear the cache of the apps which hoard a lot of data by yourself. Also, when you uninatll an app, it asks you if you want to delete your userdata as well. The phone takes care of the rest.
Cerberus: If you keep your bootloader locked, when your phone gets stolen, nobody can access your phone. Even if they reflash it, on first boot it will ask to login to the gmail last time set up. Theres no workaroud. Google aslo has a find my device thingy, wher you can track or delete your device remotly.
I would suggest to use your phone unrooted for some time, and if you really need to root it for something, you can still do it.
Welcome to team Pixel, mate!
(sorry my grammer im to lazy to double check it...)
@bejunk Just a not to say thanks again. I took your advice and did not root. However, I did flash with GrapheneOS and then re-locked the bootloader. Time will tell if I like it.