Related
I have an eeePad TF101 (no G) and its serial number starts with B80, so I guess that makes it an SBKv2. My questions are whether the following are possible and what some terms mean.
1) What does SBKv2 mean? Why is nvflash incompatible with it?
2) What is the homepage of nvflash? Is there any other flasher that is compatible with SBKv2?
3) Is it possible to install any custom rom?
4) I read it's possible to run Ubuntu with chroot after rooting. Will that make it slower? Is it possible to get a full linux bash terminal with the option to install stuff?
5) Will rooting give me complete system access? (I once had a Galaxy gt-i5510 which gave me 'permission denied' error even after rooting, for stuff like copying files to system folders running apps etc).
6) Is it possible to use a USB modem (ZTE MG478/AC8700, EvDO) using:
a) wvdial from chrooted linux and then use from android (I know it's crazy).
b) wvdial directly.
c) Any other method.
7) Will rooting cause any problems or 'side effects'?
Sorry if I asked questions that were already asked.
Uh...this is way too many questions to answer when all of the answers can be found by searching. This is your first lesson..you need to search. These are all common questions.
Ok i've only recently got a transformer but ill try answer these questions...If i've got something wrong feel free to correct me.
1) SBKv2 is the newer model of the transformer, Nflash isn't compatible because it runs on a newer bootloader.
2) I'm not sure...
3) Yes.
4) Yes you can run linux ubuntu, but only for the older model :/
5) Yes it will.
6) I'm not entirely sure, You'll have to wait for someone else to answer this
7) Probably not
1. the guy above is not quite right it is that the sbk (secure book key) is diferent and was leaked for the original rom but not the 2nd version
2. wait what? use cwm
3. yes
4. it runs a virtual immage vnc'd within android so ya it is slower
5. as long as you make the system r/w instead of r/o
6. maby try the usbethernet drivers
7. it will casue ota's to fail and you will not be able to purchase movies from the market
Every piece of information here is already here learn to search
mrevankyle said:
1. the guy above is not quite right it is that the sbk (secure book key) is diferent and was leaked for the original rom but not the 2nd version
2. wait what? use cwm
3. yes
4. it runs a virtual immage vnc'd within android so ya it is slower
5. as long as you make the system r/w instead of r/o
6. maby try the usbethernet drivers
7. it will casue ota's to fail and you will not be able to purchase movies from the market
Every piece of information here is already here learn to search
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2) So custom roms work, dual booting doesn't?
4) But I will still get a full linux bash terminal with the option to install apps and all right?
5) How do you get r/w access? Is that the default mode in nachoroot?
6) Usb modem not ethernet!
7) Movies? What about everything else? OTA? That will be resolved if I use OTA Rootkeeper right? What about the updates from asus website?
I kinda did search. But I guess I'll search more next time....
phoenixv5 said:
2) So custom roms work, dual booting doesn't?
4) But I will still get a full linux bash terminal with the option to install apps and all right?
5) How do you get r/w access? Is that the default mode in nachoroot?
6) Usb modem not ethernet!
7) Movies? What about everything else? OTA? That will be resolved if I use OTA Rootkeeper right? What about the updates from asus website?
I kinda did search. But I guess I'll search more next time....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the only way to dual boot is nvflash ubuntu/andorid and that requires nvvflash so no you cannot dualboot
you should but be wary as it is ubuntu arm and not all apps are compatable
it is in the file manager you use ubt in consol you will have system access and if in root explorer you click read/write
i know you said usb. it may work by default not garenteed .you can increace the likleyhood of it working with the 3g dongle drivers and the usb internet drivers (Usb etherent)
it depends if you have a custom recovery installed (CWM) if you do not get cwm you need otarootkeeper and ota's will work if you do install cwm then you will not get the ota's installed
mrevankyle said:
you should but be wary as it is ubuntu arm and not all apps are compatable
it is in the file manager you use ubt in consol you will have system access and if in root explorer you click read/write
if you do install cwm then you will not get the ota's installed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Won't the installer (apt or synaptic) auto detect arm like it did in N900 and all?
What's ubt? Do you mean manually add r/w permission to all files?
What about update files downloaded directly from asus website? Will I still get market?
phoenixv5 said:
Won't the installer (apt or synaptic) auto detect arm like it did in N900 and all?
What's ubt? Do you mean manually add r/w permission to all files?
What about update files downloaded directly from asus website? Will I still get market?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am not sure probably though
its a mistype i ment "but"
no in root explorer there is a buton at the top to change mount type it says "mounted as r/0" by default and there is a buton beside it to "Mount R/W"
they may work as they are the same files as the OTA's so it is the same case as the ota's.
Yes the market does not change besides the inability to purchase videos
So lemme summarize.
Nvflash doesn't work, CWM recovery does, so flashes using that also works.
OTA updates or (maybe) the ones downloaded won't work. But OTA's can be modified into ones that are recognized by cwm and retains root (with supercurio's script?).
Rooting without installing cwm doesn't interfere with OTAs.
Use OTA Rootkeeper to retain root after updates (not needed with cwm as cwm flashable stock upgrades are already rooted).
And root+cwm is undo-able.
Did I get all that right?
Please, before you ask any more questions, read THIS GUIDE;
Asus Transformer EPIC NOOB GUIDE
Almost every question you have asked is answered for you now. And probably a lot of future questions. And practice searching before posting new threads, most things you will find are already dealt with by now and the answers are just a search away no need to wait for people to answer you.
luna_c666 said:
Please, before you ask any more questions, read THIS GUIDE;
Asus Transformer EPIC NOOB GUIDE
Almost every question you have asked is answered for you now. And probably a lot of future questions. And practice searching before posting new threads, most things you will find are already dealt with by now and the answers are just a search away no need to wait for people to answer you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. Right before posting my previous reply.
BTW thanks for the guide.
Edit: I guess that's it. Close / delete the thread!
Hey guys,
I have 30 TF700 tablets that need to be identical and was wondering if there was a way to clone them.
How would one go about doing this?
Thanks!
PS: I originally tried making back-ups with CWM, Nandroid, & Titantium with no luck. The apps don't recognize any SD card even though the OS & file viewers do. I've manually moved the back-ups onto the card, but still no luck. It's probably user error as I am fairly new to Android.
Also, this is running 4.0 ICS, rooted and unlocked.
Anyone?
Both options you've tried should work. It appears your issue is with the SD card, not the method. I would focus on that. Perhaps it's a simple matter of how the SD card is formatted?
I'm curious as to what you have 30 Infinities for... are you the IT person for a private school or something?
Sent from my XT894 using xda premium
danger-rat said:
Both options you've tried should work. It appears your issue is with the SD card, not the method. I would focus on that. Perhaps it's a simple matter of how the SD card is formatted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With ICS did they change the SD card pathing? I think what's happening is CWM is not recognizing the actual external SD card, but is reading from the mnt/sdcard path which is on the internal memory. I may be way off base here. Still trying to troubleshoot.
I also cannot get the CWM recovery to start, so I may have it flashed incorrectly. (I used the ASUS tool to unlock the bootloader. Upon start-up it says "This device is unlocked," but is it possible it's actually not? Tried running the tool again with no luck. Just trying to figure out why I can't get CWM recovery to start on boot-up)
moah909 said:
I'm curious as to what you have 30 Infinities for... are you the IT person for a private school or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. If the first 30 are successful, there will be significantly more tablets on the way. So it's imperative I resolve a way to image and standardize them all. I'm unfortunately not having the best luck right now.
Just following this thread.
I was wondering if one could flash TWRP instead of CWM \ set up a tablet as required \ backup with twrp.
Flash twrp to all the other tabs \ create backups \ then hopefully use 1 compatible backup on an SD for the other tablets.
(TWRP folder on external SD)
I'm certainly no expert and quite possibly something low level prevents backups from tab to tab.
Still sounds like quite a bit of work to do in any case.
Good luck there.
Thats OK said:
Just following this thread.
I was wondering if one could flash TWRP instead of CWM \ set up a tablet as required \ backup with twrp.
Flash twrp to all the other tabs \ create backups \ then hopefully use 1 compatible backup on an SD for the other tablets.
(TWRP folder on external SD)
I'm certainly no expert and quite possibly something low level prevents backups from tab to tab.
Still sounds like quite a bit of work to do in any case.
Good luck there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thinking. I'm trying TWRP now and will let you know how it goes.:good:
In order to load that backup onto a clean, stock tablet, it will have to be rooted and unlocked correct? At first I thought it might only need to be unlocked, but I think flashing the recovery in GooManager requires root access correct? ( So I'll need to root and unlock all 30 tablets? )
You have two options:
1 - Root and flash recovery via Goo Manager
2 - Unlock and flash recovery via fastboot
If these tablets are for a school, then the first option would preserve your warranty, which could be beneficial.
Are you really planning on letting students have rooted slates? What kind of software are you trying to install, and do you really need the data to be copied also?
danger-rat said:
You have two options:
1 - Root and flash recovery via Goo Manager
2 - Unlock and flash recovery via fastboot
If these tablets are for a school, then the first option would preserve your warranty, which could be beneficial.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom recovery can be flashed without unlocking? That would be new to me.
danger-rat said:
You have two options:
1 - Root and flash recovery via Goo Manager
2 - Unlock and flash recovery via fastboot
If these tablets are for a school, then the first option would preserve your warranty, which could be beneficial.
Are you really planning on letting students have rooted slates? What kind of software are you trying to install, and do you really need the data to be copied also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The software will be comprised of custom apps currently in developement and yes the data needs to be nearly identical.
It's not for traditional students. They'll be used by technicians/engineers. I know it sounds silly to give a bunch of tech savvy people rooted &/or unlocked slates, but we're more concerned about having the slates standardized with our custom software and settings.
I think for this use case you only need root, not even unlock. If you just want to clone installed custom apps, it should be enough to pack /data/app/(your_apps) and /data/data/(dirs_of_your_apps) into a tar file on one tablet and then extract it on another. This does not register the apps with the package manager or the market, but it may be enough in your case. To do this, you'd just need root and busybox installed, and then run the appropriate tar command line via adb shell from a connected PC (using adb pull and adb push to get/put the tar from/to the tablet). For "mass duplication" you could create a fancy distribution solution via network involving netcat.
If you also want to clone the launcher layout, also copy the content /data/data/com.android.launcher/databases.
_that said:
Custom recovery can be flashed without unlocking? That would be new to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typically, on most Android devices, yes.
Never tried on this...
Hi there,
I am new to xda and new to Android hacking.
What I wanna ask is, (I guess it's of most newbies concern as well), can we have a 100% backup of our system (stock ROM)? Obviously, it is important because:
If we perform an official (OTA) update to a new Android version. And we don't like it. It is possible to get back to the old original one which we are used to. (not everybody likes new things, and/or not every new thing is good)
If our phones are having some problems. And we have to give it back to the company for a fix. In most cases they will flash a new ROM for us. If we wanna keep using the old one (explained in #1), we have to keep a copy of it by ourselves.
If we want to try new custom ROMs, we may want to switch it back after trying.
Whenever we do any modifications, it's always better to keep a backup/roll-back point. In case anything goes wrong, we have a safeguard.
For the official warranty issue.
Yup I do see there are some official stock ROMs downloads for some particular phones. But those are not really a backup of our original ROMs. And it's always hard to verify if those downloads are the original official releases. And, if those downloads are 100% stock ROMs, this means some guys out there could make it, so what is the way to do so?
Or, how those mobile phone companies do it in their labs?
I have been doing researches on this topic for a few days. Some posts claim that their methods are "backup stock ROM" or "backup before rooting". But after digging into it, they requires rooting and/or flashing CWM. Here comes a few questions:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
In addition, I have found some related pieces. which could be useful to anyone viewing this post, and might be useful for you to solve this (my) question. :fingers-crossed:
* as I'm a new user, I can't post links directly. Please delete the blank spaces in between.
ht tp://www .modaco .com/topic/351269-backup-original-rom/
In reply #5, user C3C0 raised a method of backing up the original stock ROM without root. But it seems he is flashing CWM and that method is only for ZTE Skate.
adb backup tool of Android SDK
At the first sight i came across this approach, I thought it is the official method to do whole system (ROM) backup (WOW - how nice!). But after studying for a few more posts, I think adb backup can only backup app+app_data, and possibly some system settings only. Am I correct? And also, adb backup is only for ICS (Android 4.0), isn't it?
adb backup usage: ht tp://forum.xda-developers .com/showthread.php?t=1420351
(But mentioned in the bottom of #1 the poster is having some issues on using adb backup. Perhaps there are some bugs and not reliable(?)
One more question on adb backup: Can it backup just one app+app_data, and restore just one app+app_data, without affecting other things? If yes, we don't need to root and don't need Titanium Backup (which requires root) for backup app+app_data. Isn't it?
** In case I have said anything or any terms wrongly in this thread, please DO correct me, for helping me and helping others.
P.S. i am using LG Optimus 3D.
Thanks a lot, wholeheartedly,
midnite_
Backup phone before root
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ya,
It's so nice that you are having the same concern as I do.
As far as i know, the approaches of rooting differ from phones to phones. So we may have to find our own specific rooting method in the phone model sub-forums. It won't be hard for your popular S3
I would like to have a look at that Mr. Robinson's thread. If he can backup the stock ROM, those app+app_data wont a big issue (i guess).
cheers,
midnite_
midnite_ said:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, http://www.android.com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.
wildstang83 said:
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, ht tp://www .android .com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out ht tp://developer .android .com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: ht tp://developer .android .com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Wildstang,
Thanks very much for your warm welcome and very informative reply. So are you a Flashaholics or Crackflashers yet?
As I am a newbie, please forgive me if I am asking dumb questions.
As far as I understand,
The steps of root is
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
** does "flash a custom recovery" means "flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk"?
"Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk" is just "add SU binary to system/bin" and "add Superuser.apk to system/app". Then why not just copy them into place?
I just found on the web that "flashing" means replacing the OS of the phone with a new ROM. Would that still keeping the stock ROM?
To have a backup of the original stock ROM, can I
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
3. Perform the backup
And later, after I have flashed a new ROM, or whatever I do, as long as I didn't brick it, when I want to rollback my phone to its original, I can
1. Restore the backup
2. Delete "SU binary in system/bin" and "Superuser.apk in system/app"
3. re-lock the bootloader
Is this correct?
I don't mean to challenge you. But does adb pull \ really backup the system, or just all the files?
Thanks very much again!
midnite_
Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.
bump... midnite_ r u still around?
Hi Descent2,
Yes i am still around but i am busy with other stuffs at this moment. Thanks very much for your reply. You have studied a lot and you really did good summarisations. Very informative and I learnt a lot from it. Hope some of the masters or experienced ones would come by and bring us out of the mist
cheers,
midnite_
Descent2 said:
Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check here
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
mf2112 said:
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must unlock your bootloader then flash a custom recovery. You will then use that custom recovery to make a backup of your rom. That backup will be stored on your sd card.
Now, I have tried to help you and so have a couple other folks. You expect us to just give you answers step by step. I am sorry but this is simply not how XDA works. XDA is set up in a way which makes it for any users to find quickly what they want to know. Use the search feature on the site and you will find many answers. I tell you to go do your own research now and be proud of what you learn on your own. And if you cannot, please do not try to modify your phone further, you may just brick it if you aren't careful.
midnite_ said:
Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put in the GS3 links since the OP was using that phone. Every phone will be different so I don't think a general way or guide would be practical.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
Hi,
I'm working on a project where I would sale an android tablet with dedicated App. (not for consumer market but Business to business)
the chosen tablet is Asus TF300T with the Ethernet port.
The problem I have is :
I would like my Application would have access in read/Write to the Ethernet Card settings (not Wifi)
This is relatively easy to do if the tablet is rooted -> but the rooting is something we can't do for many reasons.
by a work around, we succeeded to change the Ethernet IP address but didn't success to apply it (caused by the custom "apply" Asus button in ethernet settings page)
to apply the IP Adress we have to ask to the application user to go to the Settings page and push by himself the "apply" button ..... it's not the best.
My question is :
Is it possible to build a auto-signed flashable zip containing my Application, This flashable zip would install the App and give it the right access to the Ethernet card settings, without root rights needs?
or
Does exist a way that the Application reboot a tablet without root rights?
Thanks a lot for your help
You won't be able to flash anything without unlocking the device as you need a custom recovery installed. You don't need to be rooted to do what you require.
Thanks for your reply,
I understand that the device needs to be unlocked, However, I didn't know a custom recovery was needed to do that.
do you confirm I cannot do it from the standard recovery?
Underscan said:
Thanks for your reply,
I understand that the device needs to be unlocked, However, I didn't know a custom recovery was needed to do that.
do you confirm I cannot do it from the standard recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device won't accept anything from the stock recovery unless it is signed by Asus.
Ah I just got what you are saying - you want to try and flash something on the stock recovery on an unlocked device? How will you do that?
Why can't you put TWRP onto the device and flash your app?
"you want to try and flash something on the stock recovery on an unlocked device? How will you do that?"
I don't know
"Why can't you put TWRP onto the device and flash your app?"
we would like to reduce at maximum the number of TF300T handling between the Asus tablet reception and the shipping to our customer.
If we had found a solution to just flash theTF300 with a flashable zip -> that it ! the App is installed with the good user right (only for our App). -> it would be awesome!
It seems the only way to have it, is to get the Asus signature... seems impossible...
In essence you are wanting to put a custom stock ROM on it.
There are two ways to achieve this
1: unlock, flash twrp via fast boot and then flash the app.
2: root using moto chopper and manually place your app in /system/app
Alternatively you could just ask the user to sideload your app by allowing that through the settings on the device.
sbdags said:
In essence you are wanting to put a custom stock ROM on it.
There are two ways to achieve this
1: unlock, flash twrp via fast boot and then flash the app.
2: root using moto chopper and manually place your app in /system/app
Alternatively you could just ask the user to sideload your app by allowing that through the settings on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't look like the sideloading would grant sufficient privileges though, at least if you're referring to the sideloading I'm thinking of.
hi,
I'm afraid that installing a custom rom on my asus tf300 would break compatibility
with the keyboard dock. Also mine is azerty .
I'm looking for cyanogenmod in particular, what do you think ?
Also there are other consideration for a custom rom:
- my main motivation to install a custom is to get rid of the bloatware.
I just do not wish to spend time with every added apps to understand their purpose,
and they take space.
- ads. I've installed overcome rom in my previous tablet (unfortunately bricked),
and one thing I really liked, is how lot of ads in apps were filtered.
Too much ads popping from nowhere now , which discourage the use of "free" apps.
- if there's some built in mechanism to limit the risk of bricking that would be nice.
My previous tablet was bricked without any reason, perhaps because I didn't use the original charger.
- somehow all the updates that pop up frequently, nags me.
To summarize, I'm looking for a custom rom, that is compatible with my azerty keyboard dock of the tf300;
and preferably all the criteria mentioned above ( no bloat, blocked ads, anti bricking mechanism, less updates).
Thanks
extrabigmehdi said:
hi,
I'm afraid that installing a custom rom on my asus tf300 would break compatibility
with the keyboard dock. Also mine is azerty .
I'm looking for cyanogenmod in particular, what do you think ?
Also there are other consideration for a custom rom:
- my main motivation to install a custom is to get rid of the bloatware.
I just do not wish to spend time with every added apps to understand their purpose,
and they take space.
- ads. I've installed overcome rom in my previous tablet (unfortunately bricked),
and one thing I really liked, is how lot of ads in apps were filtered.
Too much ads popping from nowhere now , which discourage the use of "free" apps.
- if there's some built in mechanism to limit the risk of bricking that would be nice.
My previous tablet was bricked without any reason, perhaps because I didn't use the original charger.
- somehow all the updates that pop up frequently, nags me.
To summarize, I'm looking for a custom rom, that is compatible with my azerty keyboard dock of the tf300;
and preferably all the criteria mentioned above ( no bloat, blocked ads, anti bricking mechanism, less updates).
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious AZERTY Keyboard is french layout? But still ASUS Brand Keyboard Dock correct?
Lummers said:
Curious AZERTY Keyboard is french layout? But still ASUS Brand Keyboard Dock correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes. With US keyboard the first letters you see in top left are QWERTY, while for french keyboard it' s AZERTY.
If I set improperly the local, I guess I'll get the Q letter when I type A on keyboard and so on.
I think the layout of keyboard was selected, with first run (choose you language , hour etc...).
My guess is that asus use a "standard rom" despite the different keyboards , but I'm not 100% sure.
Maybe cyanogenmod handle this ?
Annoying, with my samsung P1000 using a custom rom, was more straightforward.
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
extrabigmehdi said:
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Comi-X a well, I didn't know you were looking for that I had a post earlier that I had great help from people on the board.
I'm using Hund's Kernel so I'm overclocking a little on that machine.
No more lag!! It's amazing how much faster it is with the rom.
Please let me know if you need a hand with anything, I'm still a noob but I'll try my best to help you out.
extrabigmehdi said:
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest doing the NvFlash for your tablet so it becomes unbrickable now that you have a custom ROM. Link in sig
cmendonc2 said:
I would suggest doing the NvFlash for your tablet so it becomes unbrickable now that you have a custom ROM. Link in sig
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I just find this nvfash thing just too much confusing.
For miscellaneous reasons:
1) there's no "official" tutorial to restore bricked tablet with nvflash
2) I don't understand what nvflash (or the steps to create "nvflash backup files" ) will exactly change to my current install, if there's a risk of incompatibility/conflict, if I'll need to re-install twrp afterward. Would the bootloader be changed ? Its there a nvflash bootloader ? Unclear.
3) Sorry the part " you will need to flash the AndroidRoot patched custom bootloader" is just Chinese to me.
4) If I install in future , a new rom based on a new android version (and I guess a new bootloader ?) , would I loose the ability to use nvflash ?
5) which file do I need to keep exactly, and where. Let's say I want to save space, do I need to keep blob files etc inside tablet ?
6) ironically there's a risk of bricking my tablet while following this "anti-brick" tool, and with the not so clear tutorial, I have reasons to hesitate.
extrabigmehdi said:
Unfortunately I just find this nvfash thing just too much confusing.
For miscellaneous reasons:
1) there's no "official" tutorial to restore bricked tablet with nvflash
2) I don't understand what nvflash (or the steps to create "nvflash backup files" ) will exactly change to my current install, if there's a risk of incompatibility/conflict, if I'll need to re-install twrp afterward. Would the bootloader be changed ? Its there a nvflash bootloader ? Unclear.
3) Sorry the part " you will need to flash the AndroidRoot patched custom bootloader" is just Chinese to me.
4) If I install in future , a new rom based on a new android version (and I guess a new bootloader ?) , would I loose the ability to use nvflash ?
5) which file do I need to keep exactly, and where. Let's say I want to save space, do I need to keep blob files etc inside tablet ?
6) ironically there's a risk of bricking my tablet while following this "anti-brick" tool, and with the not so clear tutorial, I have reasons to hesitate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
cmendonc2 said:
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading about the NvFlash as it was just recently released.
Couple of questions (sorry if hijacked this thread)
Does it work with TWRP? Or will I have to use CWM?
I've read the NvFlash Guide but I'm still unsure of the necessities.
Lummers said:
I was reading about the NvFlash as it was just recently released.
Couple of questions (sorry if hijacked this thread)
Does it work with TWRP? Or will I have to use CWM?
I've read the NvFlash Guide but I'm still unsure of the necessities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So to get TWRP, u flash a custom CWM, but after you have your backups and blobs, you can flash back TWRP
cmendonc2 said:
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All right , basically you replace the "recovery tool" with one custom that allows to save the nvflash files (how I interpret it).
I tried to follow the steps but not without problems.
I tried to install "Universal Naked Driver" , but it didn't work.
I uninstalled the asus official driver first , but the universal naked driver wasn't recognized.
Reading some discussions, suggested that it doesn't work with win 7 x64 anyways.
So I re-installed again the "ASUS Pad PC Suite" in order to get the driver again, but also all the stuff I don't care , such like asus clouds and asus sync (if I try to skip, the setup freeze).
Then I followed the step for nvflash, and I got a problem at step where I type "adb pull /data/media/AndroidRoot " . I got the error "device not recognized" .
I retyped again the menu command to generate the blob ; thinking it might help, and all I got is a new wifi error.
So I searched a bit on the web, some discussion suggesting I do the adb command in regular android mode, and after enabling "debug mode".
But enabling the debug mode is not anymore straightforward, you must do some kind of magical trick, where you tap seven time the version build :crying:. I'm happy I didn't install the java sdk, some people suggest to install it in order to use the adb thing :silly:.
So I finally got 8 files .
Reboot in "APX mode" , I get this time the error in windows that the driver is missing. This time I used "universal naked driver " for this,
driver recognized. Reboot of windows, just in case.
Finally I got a frightening black screen, making you think that the tablet might be bricked (they say "blank screen" in tutorial , but I was hoping a white background ).
But fortunately I ended all the nvflash steps successfully.
And then I reflashed TWRP.
extrabigmehdi said:
All right , basically you replace the "recovery tool" with one custom that allows to save the nvflash files (how I interpret it).
I tried to follow the steps but not without problems.
I tried to install "Universal Naked Driver" , but it didn't work.
I uninstalled the asus official driver first , but the universal naked driver wasn't recognized.
Reading some discussions, suggested that it doesn't work with win 7 x64 anyways.
So I re-installed again the "ASUS Pad PC Suite" in order to get the driver again, but also all the stuff I don't care , such like asus clouds and asus sync (if I try to skip, the setup freeze).
Then I followed the step for nvflash, and I got a problem at step where I type "adb pull /data/media/AndroidRoot " . I got the error "device not recognized" .
I retyped again the menu command to generate the blob ; thinking it might help, and all I got is a new wifi error.
So I searched a bit on the web, some discussion suggesting I do the adb command in regular android mode, and after enabling "debug mode".
But enabling the debug mode is not anymore straightforward, you must do some kind of magical trick, where you tap seven time the version build :crying:. I'm happy I didn't install the java sdk, some people suggest to install it in order to use the adb thing :silly:.
So I finally got 8 files .
Reboot in "APX mode" , I get this time the error in windows that the driver is missing. This time I used "universal naked driver " for this,
driver recognized. Reboot of windows, just in case.
Finally I got a frightening black screen, making you think that the tablet might be bricked (they say "blank screen" in tutorial , but I was hoping a white background ).
But fortunately I ended all the nvflash steps successfully.
And then I reflashed TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woah....
Totally sounds like a little bit of a challenge for people that are new to the android scene..
I'm going to give this a whirl this week sometime and get it backed up.
Im also looking into NVflash, my bootloader is unlocked but I have yet to root and pick a rom. I am also looking for something that will work with a keyboad, I have yet to buy one but my birthday is coming up.