Marshmallow Root, am I missing something? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I was running CM 12.1 on my N5 and wanted to give stock 6.0 a try so I flashed the factory image using the meathod in this article.
'androiding.how/marshmallow-rom-nexus-5-recovery-flashable/'
Have no problems and everything seems to be normal. However, I did want root access so I was going to follow the method described in that article which mentioned using fastboot to load a new boot.img. All I had to do was boot into TWRP flash the hellscore Kernel, then flash Superuser SU2.46.
However all the threads on this forum suggest that rooting marshmallow should not be this easy and requires a new boot.img ect......Am I missing something?

Ridley78 said:
I was running CM 12.1 on my N5 and wanted to give stock 6.0 a try so I flashed the factory image using the meathod in this article.
'androiding.how/marshmallow-rom-nexus-5-recovery-flashable/'
Have no problems and everything seems to be normal. However, I did want root access so I was going to follow the method described in that article which mentioned using fastboot to load a new boot.img. All I had to do was boot into TWRP flash the hellscore Kernel, then flash Superuser SU2.46.
However all the threads on this forum suggest that rooting marshmallow should not be this easy and requires a new boot.img ect......Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, u need a kernel built for M that allows root access, something like HellsGod, the kernel that is packaged with XtraSmooth. I'm on the Nexus 6 running M and this is what did to achieve root access, I flashed XtraSmooth ROM thru twrp, downloaded 6.0, extracted the system, bootloader, and radio from the factory image and flashed them using fastboot, then I booted back into twrp and flashed SuperSU v2.50, u don't wanna use 2.46, it will bootloop, now I'm on M, rooted and loving it
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
And it's always been that easy to root Nexus devices, that's what they're for, is primarily a developers phone, so they make it easy cut devs
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input, however I am still unsure why you need to use fastboot to load the bootloader and radio? I downloaded the zip files and used TWRP and it worked with no issues? and I did not get stuck in a boot loop using SU2.46?
I guess I am wondering if the update I flashed from the posted article was infact a full version of Marshmallow or just the preview since I did not need to use fastboot, and SU2.46 worked fine? at this point I am under the assumtion I did not go back to full stock 6.0 when I flashed the update.

The kernel you flashed (also known as a boot.img) was modified to allow root. It is no more complicated than that. If you didn't have a nice twrp zip file to flash (hell's kernel) you could have used fastboot to flash the kernel(boot.img) instead. Also, because you used a rom that was packaged as nice twrp flashable zip file you didn't have to use fastboot to flash the bootloader and radio, etc...it was in that rom zip file. You can use 7-zip or winrar to browse it and you can see all the files that zip flashed for you if you want.
This is why a lot of times after a new version of android drops the Q&A gets loaded with people asking for a stock flashable zip of the roms. It's just an easy way to upgrade without having to use fastboot which seems to be difficult for a lot of people to grasp.
Marshmallow cannot be rooted without a modified kernel right now so maybe that's what people mean by it"s "hard" to root marshmallow? Who knows. I thought it was easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Awesome. That is kinda what I thought but I just wasn't sure. it seemed too easy. I know enough to follow steps with out bricking my phone, and how to get out of a bootloop, but some of the finer details are still greek to me. I appretiate your input.:good:
Evo_Shift said:
The kernel you flashed (also known as a boot.img) was modified to allow root. It is no more complicated than that. If you didn't have a nice twrp zip file to flash (hell's kernel) you could have used fastboot to flash the kernel(boot.img) instead. Also, because you used a rom that was packaged as nice twrp flashable zip file you didn't have to use fastboot to flash the bootloader and radio, etc...it was in that rom zip file. You can use 7-zip or winrar to browse it and you can see all the files that zip flashed for you if you want.
This is why a lot of times after a new version of android drops the Q&A gets loaded with people asking for a stock flashable zip of the roms. It's just an easy way to upgrade without having to use fastboot which seems to be difficult for a lot of people to grasp.
Marshmallow cannot be rooted without a modified kernel right now so maybe that's what people mean by it"s "hard" to root marshmallow? Who knows. I thought it was easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I looked at that site you linked and it is possible you are still using the old radio and bootloader. It seems they had separate zip files for those things. The old ones might work with marshmallow though, I am not sure. You can go into your settings and look to see if the radio you have is up to date. Did you flash both of those zips or just the rom? The current one is baseband version M8974A-2.0.50.2.27. If yours is older you could flash that bootloader/radio zip file they have on that site. However, if your phone is working properly and you get good signal and everything there is not really any need. (I honestly can't remember if the bootloader and radio files can be included in flashable rom zips since I always update that stuff using fastboot, lol. Now that I think of it I don't think radios are typically included when people develop roms. I am trying to think back to when I flashed cyanogenmod like over a year ago... Either way it seems you get the idea of what to do.)

Related

[Q] Downgrade From Android 3.2 to 3.0.1

Hi guys,
I'd like to downgrade from Android 3.2 (build HTJ85B) to Android 3.0.1 (build HWI69), since this was the last version that allowed me to flash a new kernel without getting stuck at the Motorola logo. The Xoom is rooted, using the rootboot.img floating around here. Is it just a matter of flashing the stock boot, system, recovery, and userdata images back onto the Xoom? Or is there more to it than that? This will effectively unroot the phone too, correct, since it will be wiped clean? Thanks in advance for any help!
mattberman said:
Hi guys,
I'd like to downgrade from Android 3.2 (build HTJ85B) to Android 3.0.1 (build HWI69), since this was the last version that allowed me to flash a new kernel without getting stuck at the Motorola logo. The Xoom is rooted, using the rootboot.img floating around here. Is it just a matter of flashing the stock boot, system, recovery, and userdata images back onto the Xoom? Or is there more to it than that? This will effectively unroot the phone too, correct, since it will be wiped clean? Thanks in advance for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, there's obviously something else going on with your Xoom that is not related to the Honeycomb version you have updated to. My suggestion is to very logically figure out what may have happened to get you stuck so we can get you unstuck.
Of course, if you go to the Moto Dev site you can download the stock images for your Xoom model (be careful to choose the correct model) and flash them through fastboot.
Don't relock.
You can reroot at HC3.01 or you can OTA update to 3.1/3.2 as desired and then root.
It's all up to you.
I know there's something else wrong, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what it is. I've tried different kernels (stock, Tiamat, different branches of each), but whenever I try to build and flash a new kernel, I get stuck at the Motorola logo, and have to reboot and reflash the older rootboot.img from these forums. I tried different mkbootimg offsets (it should be 0xe19f8000 for the Xoom I believe, correct?) and different ramdisks, but still the same problem. Unless there is some other special step I missed for building Xoom kernels, I'm out of ideas, and I know I had better luck building and flashing kernels on Android 3.0.1, so this is sort of my final fallback method.
These are the steps I took to get where I am:
1. Upgrade Android 3.2 OTA (build HTJ85B) for US WiFi Xoom (which is my model)
2. Unlock Xoom via fastboot
3. Copy su files over for root access
4. Build 2.6.36.3 kernel from source tree (many different branches, etc like mentioned above)
5. Extract ramdisk and combine with zImage kernel output using mkbootimg (tried both no offset and offset=0xe19f8000, which I found after digging around on the Xoom)
6. Flash new boot image via fastboot and reboot. This is when I get stuck a Motorola logo..
Any advice?
mattberman said:
I know there's something else wrong, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what it is. I've tried different kernels (stock, Tiamat, different branches of each), but whenever I try to build and flash a new kernel, I get stuck at the Motorola logo, and have to reboot and reflash the older rootboot.img from these forums. I tried different mkbootimg offsets (it should be 0xe19f8000 for the Xoom I believe, correct?) and different ramdisks, but still the same problem. Unless there is some other special step I missed for building Xoom kernels, I'm out of ideas, and I know I had better luck building and flashing kernels on Android 3.0.1, so this is sort of my final fallback method.
These are the steps I took to get where I am:
1. Upgrade Android 3.2 OTA (build HTJ85B) for US WiFi Xoom (which is my model)
2. Unlock Xoom via fastboot
3. Copy su files over for root access
4. Build 2.6.36.3 kernel from source tree (many different branches, etc like mentioned above)
5. Extract ramdisk and combine with zImage kernel output using mkbootimg (tried both no offset and offset=0xe19f8000, which I found after digging around on the Xoom)
6. Flash new boot image via fastboot and reboot. This is when I get stuck a Motorola logo..
Any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick question: are you using CWM Recovery to flash the zip files, and if so what version of recovery do you have installed?
The version which works best for the Xoom is v3.2.0.0 R4c. However if you "updated" through Rom Manager to v4.0.0.X, that version is incompatible with the external sdcard and if you are trying to flash from your internal sdcard, it will seem like it's working but will not work, will just hang or revert to previous state. So maybe I'm really off base...you seem to know a lot...but I've seen similar problems caused by that bad recovery version.
I'm not using CWM at all, since I still don't have an SD card to use (I'm waiting on an order from a few weeks back). So that is probably not the issue. I hope to test using CWM after my card arrives, maybe that will fix the issue, but I doubt it.
Edit: Also, just to clarify, I'm not flashing any zip files, just the boot image .img files.
mattberman said:
I'm not using CWM at all, since I still don't have an SD card to use (I'm waiting on an order from a few weeks back). So that is probably not the issue. I hope to test using CWM after my card arrives, maybe that will fix the issue, but I doubt it.
Edit: Also, just to clarify, I'm not flashing any zip files, just the boot image .img files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are decomposing the zip files and flashing image files through fastboot? Because you know you can't flash zip files through fastboot.
mattberman said:
Hi guys,
I'd like to downgrade from Android 3.2 (build HTJ85B) to Android 3.0.1 (build HWI69), since this was the last version that allowed me to flash a new kernel without getting stuck at the Motorola logo. The Xoom is rooted, using the rootboot.img floating around here. Is it just a matter of flashing the stock boot, system, recovery, and userdata images back onto the Xoom? Or is there more to it than that? This will effectively unroot the phone too, correct, since it will be wiped clean? Thanks in advance for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worst logic EVAR
mattberman said:
I'm not using CWM at all, since I still don't have an SD card to use (I'm waiting on an order from a few weeks back). So that is probably not the issue. I hope to test using CWM after my card arrives, maybe that will fix the issue, but I doubt it.
Edit: Also, just to clarify, I'm not flashing any zip files, just the boot image .img files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Annnnd here is the problem....flash in a custom image would be a good start to fixing ur trouble. Search solarnz custom clockwork recovery image and flash through fastboot
rockhumper said:
Annnnd here is the problem....flash in a custom image would be a good start to fixing ur trouble. Search solarnz custom clockwork recovery image and flash through fastboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He doesn't have his microsd card yet. But might as well get ready.
okantomi said:
So you are decomposing the zip files and flashing image files through fastboot? Because you know you can't flash zip files through fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry if I was unclear, I am not using any zip files anywhere in the flashing process, except when dealing with the ramdisk. I've done this many times before with other devices, I'm not completely new to the process.
rockhumper said:
Worst logic EVAR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is that bad logic? If something isn't working as it should, go back to the last stable point when it did.
rockhumper said:
Annnnd here is the problem....flash in a custom image would be a good start to fixing ur trouble. Search solarnz custom clockwork recovery image and flash through fastboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could try this but how would that help? Do I need a custom recovery image to flash a new kernel? It won't work with stock? I'll give it a shot, thanks for the input. Okantomi, he's talking about the recovery .img file (flashed via fastboot), and not the .zip via CWM (I think).
Just get a 2gb or 4gb sd card, or borrow one from a phone, it's pretty simple...
To go back just grab the stock images from my sticky. Fastboot flash them, wipe cache and start over.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

Boot Image?

I've searched up and down for this and have yet to find a solid answer, so here I am. I have an AT&T One X (Evita), unlocked, rooted and flashed. Currently running TWRP & GooManager for recovery and ROMs and I'm on Viper 3.2.6.
Initially, my choice was to flash CM10, this failed and went into boot loop. So I recovered and tried Viper. No problems....everything installed just fine. However, I'd like a more lightweight OS - Viper is a little too heavy for my tastes. I saw in GooManager yesterday a new ROM, Liquidsmooth (4.2.2) - decided to flash it and the same thing happened as with CM10 - everything went fine through install and then black.....second install attempt resulted in another bootloop.
I recovered back to Viper without issue, but I can't help but wonder why both CM10 and Liquidsmooth fail to install, but suspect I'm missing a certain boot img? Am I correct here?
(I'd post this to the specific ROM forum but don't have enough posts to submit to developer forums - apologies)
originalseven said:
I've searched up and down for this and have yet to find a solid answer, so here I am. I have an AT&T One X (Evita), unlocked, rooted and flashed. Currently running TWRP & GooManager for recovery and ROMs and I'm on Viper 3.2.6.
Initially, my choice was to flash CM10, this failed and went into boot loop. So I recovered and tried Viper. No problems....everything installed just fine. However, I'd like a more lightweight OS - Viper is a little too heavy for my tastes. I saw in GooManager yesterday a new ROM, Liquidsmooth (4.2.2) - decided to flash it and the same thing happened as with CM10 - everything went fine through install and then black.....second install attempt resulted in another bootloop.
I recovered back to Viper without issue, but I can't help but wonder why both CM10 and Liquidsmooth fail to install, but suspect I'm missing a certain boot img? Am I correct here?
(I'd post this to the specific ROM forum but don't have enough posts to submit to developer forums - apologies)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there is a sense kernel and one for non-sense roms (aosp)
Usually the dev will have a kernel link posted on their page
If you are hboot 1.14 or higher, and S-on, to be perfectly safe you should extract the boot.img for the ROM zip you are trying to flash, and flash it manually.
Also, be careful installing ROMs with GooManager (or similar apps, like ROM Manager). Not sure if it properly differentiates between the dual and quad core versions of the One X/XL.
redpoint73 said:
If you are hboot 1.14 or higher, and S-on, to be perfectly safe you should extract the boot.img for the ROM zip you are trying to flash, and flash it manually.
Also, be careful installing ROMs with GooManager (or similar apps, like ROM Manager). Not sure if it properly differentiates between the dual and quad core versions of the One X/XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it better to just boot into recovery (TWRP) and go that route, instead of having Goo flash it?
I checked the page where the ROM exists but I'm not seeing a link to any specific kernel. However, I downloaded to ROM again to my desktop just now, unarchived it and now see a 'boot.img" file. So this file.....this gets placed on my sd card, I boot into TWRP and flash it?
If you can point me to a how-to on this, I'd appreciate it - I hate filling boards with asinine questions.
originalseven said:
I've searched up and down for this and have yet to find a solid answer, so here I am. I have an AT&T One X (Evita), unlocked, rooted and flashed. Currently running TWRP & GooManager for recovery and ROMs and I'm on Viper 3.2.6.
Initially, my choice was to flash CM10, this failed and went into boot loop. So I recovered and tried Viper. No problems....everything installed just fine. However, I'd like a more lightweight OS - Viper is a little too heavy for my tastes. I saw in GooManager yesterday a new ROM, Liquidsmooth (4.2.2) - decided to flash it and the same thing happened as with CM10 - everything went fine through install and then black.....second install attempt resulted in another bootloop.
I recovered back to Viper without issue, but I can't help but wonder why both CM10 and Liquidsmooth fail to install, but suspect I'm missing a certain boot img? Am I correct here?
(I'd post this to the specific ROM forum but don't have enough posts to submit to developer forums - apologies)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
viper doesn't require you to flash the boot image, it does it for your.
For cm10 or liquidsmooth you need to, an easy way is using Flash GUI. its available on the market and xda. you don't need to hook up to a computer to flash boot image, makes things much easier and faster.
originalseven said:
Is it better to just boot into recovery (TWRP) and go that route, instead of having Goo flash it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For flashing the actual ROM, I don't think it matters. I think Goo Manager is still using TWRP, just automating the process.
originalseven said:
I checked the page where the ROM exists but I'm not seeing a link to any specific kernel. However, I downloaded to ROM again to my desktop just now, unarchived it and now see a 'boot.img" file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The boot.img has the kernel in it. They are usually not posted separately in ROM threads. ROMs always contain a kernel, which normally just flashes with the rest of the ROM zip. But hboot 1.14 and above (if you are S-on) prevents the kernel from being flashed in recovery (TWRP). So you need to extract it from the ROM zip manually.
originalseven said:
So this file.....this gets placed on my sd card, I boot into TWRP and flash it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, you can't flash boot.img from TWRP, which is the whole point. Couple methods:
1) Leave the boot.img on your PC, and flash using fastboot. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952076
2) Alternately, you can use the app "Flash Image GUI" on the Play Market. With this app, you place boot.img in the top directory of your SD card, then use the app to flash it.
Or you can S-off, and not have to mess with flashing boot.img seperately every time you flash a ROM.
redpoint73 said:
For flashing the actual ROM, I don't think it matters. I think Goo Manager is still using TWRP, just automating the process.
The boot.img has the kernel in it. They are usually not posted separately in ROM threads. ROMs always contain a kernel, which normally just flashes with the rest of the ROM zip. But hboot 1.14 and above (if you are S-on) prevents the kernel from being flashed in recovery (TWRP). So you need to extract it from the ROM zip manually.
Again, you can't flash boot.img from TWRP, which is the whole point. Couple methods:
1) Leave the boot.img on your PC, and flash using fastboot. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952076
2) Alternately, you can use the app "Flash Image GUI" on the Play Market. With this app, you place boot.img in the top directory of your SD card, then use the app to flash it.
Or you can S-off, and not have to mess with flashing boot.img seperately every time you flash a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome - thank you so much. Cleared that up completely.
redpoint73 said:
For flashing the actual ROM, I don't think it matters. I think Goo Manager is still using TWRP, just automating the process.
The boot.img has the kernel in it. They are usually not posted separately in ROM threads. ROMs always contain a kernel, which normally just flashes with the rest of the ROM zip. But hboot 1.14 and above (if you are S-on) prevents the kernel from being flashed in recovery (TWRP). So you need to extract it from the ROM zip manually.
Again, you can't flash boot.img from TWRP, which is the whole point. Couple methods:
1) Leave the boot.img on your PC, and flash using fastboot. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952076
2) Alternately, you can use the app "Flash Image GUI" on the Play Market. With this app, you place boot.img in the top directory of your SD card, then use the app to flash it.
Or you can S-off, and not have to mess with flashing boot.img seperately every time you flash a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so I looked at this Flash Image GUI on G-Play and the OneX isn't listed as a supported device - is it simply not listed, but is actually supported? For instance, I see this in the reviews...
"I own the AT&T model of the HTC One X (the Evita with a Snapdragon 4 processor) and unfortunately I got it on the 2.20 version. This means that I need to run the "fastboot flash boot boot.img" from my computer if I want to flash a Rom or kernel. It was a pain, I just wanted to be able to download a new Rom whenever and where ever I wanted (I have a very large data cap) and flash it on the go. I can actually do that now it's worked with both AOSP and Sense based Roms, so I'm happy. Great job to the dev "
Failing that, I'll run it from terminal (im on a mac) and assume those same commands apply (but with -mac after bootloader).
originalseven said:
Ok, so I looked at this Flash Image GUI on G-Play and the OneX isn't listed as a supported device - is it simply not listed, but is actually supported? For instance, I see this in the reviews...
"I own the AT&T model of the HTC One X (the Evita with a Snapdragon 4 processor) and unfortunately I got it on the 2.20 version. This means that I need to run the "fastboot flash boot boot.img" from my computer if I want to flash a Rom or kernel. It was a pain, I just wanted to be able to download a new Rom whenever and where ever I wanted (I have a very large data cap) and flash it on the go. I can actually do that now it's worked with both AOSP and Sense based Roms, so I'm happy. Great job to the dev "
Failing that, I'll run it from terminal (im on a mac) and assume those same commands apply (but with -mac after bootloader).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flashimagegui is perfectly supported. got support awhile back. [APP] Flash Image GUI - Flash Kernels and Recoveries from normal Android mode!

Update Rooted Nexus

I am new to this. I have a rooted nexus 5. It is stock rooted with TRWP recovery. I don't have a custom ROM. When the newest update is available, am I safe to update?
ILowry282 said:
I am new to this. I have a rooted nexus 5. It is stock rooted with TRWP recovery. I don't have a custom ROM. When the newest update is available, am I safe to update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since your post was made today, and the update was released yesterday I'm assuming you are thinking that you will be getting the update over the air? You won't. When you have a custom recovery (TWRP) you won't get OTA's.
But don't be disheartened, not in the LEAST. Unless you've removed or altered the default system apps (you would know if you did) all you have to do is download the update to your phone, boot into TWRP, flash the update, and let the phone reboot.
Due to how the OTA updates are rolled out, even if you had not loaded a custom recovery onto your phone, you might not have had it pushed to you for a couple of weeks.
Read this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2523217
From what you have described you are "scenario 2". Proceed directly to step B. Like many people, I was also step B. It is easier than making toast.
So if I update that way will I lose my data and root? Also do I unzip the file or flash the zip file?
ILowry282 said:
So if I update that way will I lose my data and root? Also do I unzip the file or flash the zip file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you flash a custom ROM via TWRP it is generally recommended you do a clean wipe beforehand (and before doing that, obviously create a backup). There are cases where you can go straight to flashing without wiping, which is called a dirty flash. Although this is used when you're flashing an updated version of the ROM you're currently running. Following instructions under Section B won't cause you to lose data.
2. You won't lose root because ROMs will generally take this into account. However, if you do happen to lose root, just download and flash SuperSU and you're back on track.
3. Just flash the zip file.
ILowry282 said:
So if I update that way will I lose my data and root? Also do I unzip the file or flash the zip file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first part of the reply above is certainly correct, (the rest is also, but I'm just speaking to the first part of it) but I feel it is just going to confuse you.
You did not flash a custom ROM, you flashed a custom RECOVERY. Two different things. When you copy the update onto your phone, in the form that exists in the thread I linked earlier, it is not an entire image. It is an UPDATE to the stock image, which you are already using. As for your concern of losing root, it shouldn't be a concern. As was mentioned in the reply above mentioned, while you are in recovery you can simply just flash SU again.
In fact, I'd be willing to bet the file to flash SU is still on your phone.
As for me personally, I happened to have unlocked the pro version of SU (because why not...it's only $2.50 and I like the app) and just toggled the "survival mode" option. But even if I had not, it would have been a very small thing to loading SU again.
In short, don't worry about losing root. When you first rooted this phone, most of the steps involved were not in rooting the phone, but in unlocking the bootloader. Loading this update has nothing to do with that, so in your case, since you didn't flash a custom ROM (Such as CyanogenMod) and you didn't make any modifications to the system apps...quite literally all you have to do is copy the stuff onto your phone, load into TWRP, fire up the update, and either fire up SU, or have survival mode already enabled, and reboot the phone.
(and no, you don't have to unzip the file pasted in the thread, just copy it directly) The instructions in that thread are really simple, and that's probably giving you a bit of pause, but seriously, it really is that simple in your case, as it was mine.
So I updated but lost root. How do I flash SU?
ILowry282 said:
So I updated but lost root. How do I flash SU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you still have custom recovery cwm or twrp? If so download su zip from either of those posts and flash in recovery if not you can flash recovery with adb or flashify and then flash su zip.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Worked perfect. Thanks

Can someone answer these couple newbi questions for me

So I am new to htc and new to what to do, been on Samsung for years and htc is way different.
First, once I update firmware will it be safe to flash the roms in the android development section even if they are from July or August ?
Do the Roms include kernels or do I need to find one and flash it after I flash the rom along with gapps ? If so what kernels do you recommend and /or do you have a list of some of them ?
What is fastboot and how do I use it? I am updating the firmware through sd card method but also want to update the twrp and I heard that is done through fast boot. Does that require a computer or?
Thank you for taking the time to read my questions
thrgk said:
So I am new to htc and new to what to do, been on Samsung for years and htc is way different.
First, once I update firmware will it be safe to flash the roms in the android development section even if they are from July or August ?
Do the Roms include kernels or do I need to find one and flash it after I flash the rom along with gapps ? If so what kernels do you recommend and /or do you have a list of some of them ?
What is fastboot and how do I use it? I am updating the firmware through sd card method but also want to update the twrp and I heard that is done through fast boot. Does that require a computer or?
Thank you for taking the time to read my questions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off I assume you are s-off and unlocked via firewater or sunshine.
1) this is only anectodal but I ran ViperROM 1.8 (4.4.2 based) with the 4.4.3 firmware for a few weeks without issue.
2) all Roms come with a kernel. Some are stock, some are custom but they all come with one. ASSUMING you are s-off then the packaged kernel will be flashed along with the rom. If you're looking for a custom kernel make sure you find a Sense/GPE/AOSP kernel which matches your rom type (SENSE/GPE/AOSP) and flash it AFTER flashing the rom. Flashing a rom will overwrite whatever kernel you previosly had installed with the new rom's kernel. I am currently runing ViperROM 2.5 which is a Sense ROM with the EliteLunar kernel (sense version) with no issues.
3) fastboot is an interface between a computer and your phone. I always find it alarming when people ask this question. Learn and become familiar with fastboot BEFORE YOU FLASH ANY ROMs OR ZIP FILES IN RECOVERY. I'm not being rude, I assure you this is sound advice. Many fastboot tasks can be performed with apps like flashify or by a flashable zip file which many devs are kind enough to create. However, having fastboot set up and functional (that includes knowledge of how to use it) is irreplaceable if/when things go downhill.
cntryby429 said:
First off I assume you are s-off and unlocked via firewater or sunshine.
1) this is only anectodal but I ran ViperROM 1.8 (4.4.2 based) with the 4.4.3 firmware for a few weeks without issue.
2) all Roms come with a kernel. Some are stock, some are custom but they all come with one. ASSUMING you are s-off then the packaged kernel will be flashed along with the rom. If you're looking for a custom kernel make sure you find a Sense/GPE/AOSP kernel which matches your rom type (SENSE/GPE/AOSP) and flash it AFTER flashing the rom. Flashing a rom will overwrite whatever kernel you previosly had installed with the new rom's kernel. I am currently runing ViperROM 2.5 which is a Sense ROM with the EliteLunar kernel (sense version) with no issues.
3) fastboot is an interface between a computer and your phone. I always find it alarming when people ask this question. Learn and become familiar with fastboot BEFORE YOU FLASH ANY ROMs OR ZIP FILES IN RECOVERY. I'm not being rude, I assure you this is sound advice. Many fastboot tasks can be performed with apps like flashify or by a flashable zip file which many devs are kind enough to create. However, having fastboot set up and functional (that includes knowledge of how to use it) is irreplaceable if/when things go downhill.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for all the info. So if I am on 4.4.3 and want to flash a 4.4.2 rom just flash the 4.4.2 firmware just to be safe before flashing the 4.4.2 rom?
Also where are the kernels located ? Are they carrier dependent as I didn't see any yet browsing but didn't look hard either.
So I can do flash boot through flashify and be ok? Now all roms and kernels are flashed through twrp tho right ?
EDIT: actually fastboot can flash rom and kernels so no real need for custom recovery other then for convenience?
Btw do you have a kernel recommendation for aosp, sense, ? I already saw your recommendation for sense above.
Thanks !!
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app
I have a feeling that it's simply not necessary to downgrade your firmware in order to run a 4.4.2 rom but you should find a more reputable source than myself. I'm just trying to answer these easy questions to save time for the guys who really know what they're doing. Once you do start flashing things, always make sure 1) they are for your device (and carrier, unless unified for all carriers) and 2) the md5 of the downloaded file matches that provided by the hosting website or the OP.
I'm not a fan of flashing utilities simply because I've heard of instances where they don't work correctly. For example, I keep hearing how the TWRP manager app flashes TWRP to the system partition on Verizon devices and sends the phone into a sort of recovery loop. I would suggest gaining knowledge about the fastboot flash command "fastboot flash <partition name> <filename.extension>" and how to enter and flash within RUU mode.
My experience is that ROMS and kernels are easiest flashed through a custom recovery especially when the developer packages it with an Aroma installer script.
A few Sense/GPE custom kernels exist for verizon. There's MassStashed and Checkm8 (no longer maintained?) for 4.4.2 roms. Also, for 4.4.3 roms I only know of the EliteLunar kernel which isn't on XDA although you can find a few links to it in the forums if you search. Last I knew, there weren't any AOSP kernels which work with verizon but that might not be true anymore. The general HTC One m8 forum may have some kernels which aren't represented in the verizon-specific forum. Just make sure and find out if they're compatible with verizon devices. I'm pretty happy with sense so I haven't wondered off to AOSP like I usually do.
so do you recommend to use flashify or no?
thrgk said:
so do you recommend to use flashify or no?
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Its the easiest way
thrgk said:
so do you recommend to use flashify or no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying you shouldn't use flashify, it's awfully convenient. Just make sure you're using it for the convenience and not because you don't know how to accomplish the same tasks in recovery/fastboot.

Update Build W/O a Computer

Ok, let me start by saying that I'm fully capable of updating my phone with a computer, I'm just hoping there is a better way. So far every time I've downloaded a new firmware, update the flash-all.bat and run it, something will fail towards the end of the update and the only way I've been able to successfully update is by using one of those tool kits (forget which one, it's on my computer). I'm not that concerned about all of that with this thread. I'm wondering if there is a way to do it without a PC.
I'm on NMF26O (root, ElementalX, etc) and tried flashing Pure Nexus over the weekend. Since it's based on NMF26V, I kept receiving an error on boot about updating my vendor.img. So I downloaded that firmware, extracted it, and flashed the vendor.img in TWRP. That led to a plethora of other issues that I couldn't resolve by flashing the boot.img, reflashing the rom, ect. Several hours later I ended up flashing the boot.img and vendor.img for NMF26O, restoring my backup, re-installing Elemental, and rooting again.
Since these updates will be coming out every month, and roms will always be based on the latest update, I feel like I'll be pulling out the computer every month, downloading the updates, modifying the flash-all.bat, and running it through the tool, just to be able to update my rom. The first time I forget to update flash-all.bat, I'll lose the 60+ GB's I keep in internal storage. There has to be an easier way. TWRP is capable of flashing images. Has anyone been able to update without using a computer? I don't care if my radio is out dated, or something is mismatched as long as my phone works as intended.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Not sure why you ran into issues with PN. You need to be on the latest build NMF26U. You can flash the ROM via recovery. Then tku have to reboot once and go back to recovery and flash the V vendor image because the ROM is based on NMF26V. Each time a new ROM comes out on a new build you can flash in recovery.
If your talking about flashing stock OTAs via recovery that's not possible yet. No need to do this if you're going to be using custom ROMs though
aholeinthewor1d said:
Not sure why you ran into issues with PN. You need to be on the latest build NMF26U. You can flash the ROM via recovery. Then tku have to reboot once and go back to recovery and flash the V vendor image because the ROM is based on NMF26V. Each time a new ROM comes out on a new build you can flash in recovery.
If your talking about flashing stock OTAs via recovery that's not possible yet. No need to do this if you're going to be using custom ROMs though
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I'm on NMF26O. What's the difference between it and NMF26U and why would the vendor image from NMF26V work with NMF26U but not NMF26O?
Seems like all you would need is the /system from the rom, the vendor image, and maybe the boot image (or a custom kernel). I think I'm missing something here.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
If you install PN its based on NMF26V. So unless you are already on that then you would need to flash the ROM, reboot back to recovery, then flash the NMF26V vendor image.
I'll play devil's advocate here... Yeah there is an easier way, use your Pixel stock and take OTA's. Enjoy a phone that always works, with or without a laptop!
I understand my audience and realize this isn't a popular mantra here but I felt exactly like you did with my 6p and vendor images. I got to the point where I sacrifice root now just for my own sanity. My phone works for me, not the other way around.
What I do is side load the full OTA ( which you can get from the same place you get the factory images ). I only use the fastboot boot version of TWRP so that my stock recovery stays in place. Then all you have to do is boot into the stock recovery, adb side load the OTA file and re root. Then you're fully up to date without worries of your data being wiped :laugh:!
( Although if you look in the flash fire thread from Chainfire, he's working on a version that will let rooted pixels flash otas like normal ones :fingers-crossed: )
I think you guys are missing the point. I have no desire to ever be stock, which rules out the possibility for an OTA in any form.
What I'm trying to figure out is exactly what is necessary to make a custom rom (based on the latest OTA), work if flashed over an older build, without first somehow applying the full OTA. Or is it impossible?
On just about every other phone I've owned, we could piecemeal the files needed for minor updates, along with a custom rom. The only time we'd have to flash a full update is for major updates ( 4 to 5 to 6, etc).
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Ok, I figured it out. Just download the OTA.zip (not the full firmware), flash in TWRP, immediately flash TWRP again, and reboot.
I'm now on nmf26u.
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joshw0000 said:
Ok, I figured it out. Just download the OTA.zip (not the full firmware), flash in TWRP, immediately flash TWRP again, and reboot.
I'm now on nmf26u.
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I don't think we can just flash OTAs in twrp yet. Haven't heard of Antone doing it. There is a beta Flashfire out that I guess works to flash updates. J have it but haven't needed to try it cause I'm running PN and DU
aholeinthewor1d said:
I don't think we can just flash OTAs in twrp yet. Haven't heard of Antone doing it. There is a beta Flashfire out that I guess works to flash updates. J have it but haven't needed to try it cause I'm running PN and DU
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Click to collapse
I've done it several times tonight. Went from O to U to V, flashed Pure Nexus, screwed up the rom, restored to O, then O flashed back to U and V.
Just flash it like a rom in TWRP RC1. Make sure you flash TWRP again before rebooting if you want to keep it.
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