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Well, i would like to root my Xperia J, but i am afraid... if i do something wrong, will i be able to restore?
What should i do before rooting?
My version is 11.2.a.0.31
First of all: great name you have and welcome to this awesome forum!
Second:
Rooting on it's self can be very dangerous, in the beginning of Android, rooting was a delicate process that easily could go wrong. Luckily, because Android was open source, and because out awesome devs exploits were discovered. Those exploits could be used to gain root acces
But I think you understand what rooting is capable off.
On this moment, getting to the point , rooting is incredibly safe. A lot of "one-click" root tools have been released, and if they fail nothing happens. So don't worry. Plus, I don't know of any way you could hardbrick your device with rooting. It's nearly impossible. I also haven't heard of someone who got theor device soft-bricked! In the extremely rare case this happens, You can always recover by flashing a stock firmware.
So I hope your question is now answered!
Have a nice day!
Sent from my C1505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
The Safest method is Doomlord's Method
To avoid any possible problems
Make Sure you have installed adb drivers for your device and enabled USB Debugging before rooting.
Hi guys,
Long time Android hacker, first time Sony user.
Im sorry if this has come up before but i have a question about the Bootloader unlock and TA partition wipe.
Based on experience of say the Z2, even if you acquire root first and backup your TA partition, are you able to run custom roms/kernels with the DRM/screen/camera optimizations at the same time? Or is the only point of the backup to restore if you are re-locking the bootloader?
I ask because if i cant have the screen optimization and root at the same time, i wont bother waiting to see if a root exploit becomes available as ill never run the phone stock anyway. If based on previous phones it might be possible to have both once you have a backup i will probably wait as i have other phones to use.
Thanks for your time.
With an unlocked bootloader you cannot have those DRM keys
If you restore the TA backup then you automatically relock the bootloader as well.
You can not have your cake and eat unfortunately.
Danthemanz said:
Hi guys,
Long time Android hacker, first time Sony user.
Im sorry if this has come up before but i have a question about the Bootloader unlock and TA partition wipe.
Based on experience of say the Z2, even if you acquire root first and backup your TA partition, are you able to run custom roms/kernels with the DRM/screen/camera optimizations at the same time? Or is the only point of the backup to restore if you are re-locking the bootloader?
I ask because if i cant have the screen optimization and root at the same time, i wont bother waiting to see if a root exploit becomes available as ill never run the phone stock anyway. If based on previous phones it might be possible to have both once you have a backup i will probably wait as i have other phones to use.
Thanks for your time.
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Click to collapse
No, backup is only if you want to relock bootloader and run Stock rom again.
You cant use DRM with other ROMS/KERNELS
EDIT
Sorry gregbradley, you was a little bit faster
Thanks for the quick response guys.
Looks like I'll start the unlocking process and get this baby up and running!
Danthemanz said:
Thanks for the quick response guys.
Looks like I'll start the unlocking process and get this baby up and running!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a quick note, if you unlock before you backup the TA partition, you will never be able to restore the DRM keys
This hasn't really been answered, or I couldn't find it
1) Can I unlock the bootloader and then restore the TA partition and keep the DRM functions working on the original ROM?
2) Is the TA partition erased once on unlocking or is it erased on every boot with unlocked bootloader?
I want to unlock the bootloader, install a custom kernel (to be able to boot into recovery) and then restore the TA partition, thus keeping DRM working.
Thanks
Zviratko said:
This hasn't really been answered, or I couldn't find it
1) Can I unlock the bootloader and then restore the TA partition and keep the DRM functions working on the original ROM?
2) Is the TA partition erased once on unlocking or is it erased on every boot with unlocked bootloader?
I want to unlock the bootloader, install a custom kernel (to be able to boot into recovery) and then restore the TA partition, thus keeping DRM working.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's answered...
If you check how to lock bootloader again, or relock if you want you'll see you can't have both.
You are unlocking bootloader to flash custom kernel, if you relock it, you have to flash stock kernel again...
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I know I can relock and restore the TA partition.
What I don't know is if I can keep it unlocked and restore the TA partition, or if it will keep erasing itself, and this is what I need answered
Basically it boils down to:
Is the TA partition erased when unlocking, or is it kept erased when unlocked?
Zviratko said:
I know I can relock and restore the TA partition.
What I don't know is if I can keep it unlocked and restore the TA partition, or if it will keep erasing itself, and this is what I need answered
Basically it boils down to:
Is the TA partition erased when unlocking, or is it kept erased when unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure which way it is working, but I guess if you try to restore TA on unlocked bootloader it will either fail or you end up with a hardbrick.
Afaik it gets erased when the BL gets unlocked and you can't restore it with an unlocked bootloader (don't know why, may be protected?).
If this would be possible what would the point of DRM's be if you could restore them easily after unlocking?
So nobody has tried that before? Why hardbrick? It's not like I will be restoring a TA dump from a different phone - the worst that can happen is that it won't boot and I will have to relock/unlock to erase it again, no?
We're not supposed to "backup" the DRM partition anyway, but we can because we have root without unlocking, so I don't think keeping it unlocked and restoring is unimaginable...
Don't you think if it would be possible or easy somebody would've at least tried it? But that's not the fact (at least what I know). For most devs this would be an unnecessary hard work as the only way to utilize the DRM keys is on a stock ROM and therefore unlocked bootloader would solely be useful for custom stock based kernel.
For now I think the needed work isn't in relation to its use. The DRM functions can mostly be utilized without the keys and the lost functions are not that important for most users, so where's the point?
Zviratko said:
I want to unlock the bootloader, install a custom kernel (to be able to boot into recovery) and then restore the TA partition, thus keeping DRM working.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that you can boot into recovery without a custom kernel, don't you?
I can't speak for others but I am personally quite happy with the stock ROM, but I want and need root (Titanium backup, call recording and some security software). Right now all that is working on Lollipop, but recovery isn't, and I am not comfortable not having that safety net.
The only way to have a working recovery is a custom kernel, that means losing DRM keys, and that means some parts of ROM will lose functionality - whether that functionality is important or not is a good question that I can't answer as I haven't really dug into that, but I'd prefer to simply keep it after unlocking.
I don't understand why it should not work, and if I were Sony I'd probably just erase the DRM partition when unlocking and then forget about it - who says it can't be restored after that? Maybe it really is that simple and nobody tried?
I have heard nothing definitive here, so maybe I will be the first to try.
Omario-242 said:
You know that you can boot into recovery without a custom kernel, don't you?
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On Lollipop I can't. Or maybe I can with fastboot boot...? Can you clarify?
Zviratko said:
On Lollipop I can't. Or maybe I can with fastboot boot...? Can you clarify?
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Click to collapse
Did forget about Lollipop and its recovery problem. I'm sorry.
But for the other thing: it isn't possible to restore the TA partition after unlocking. That's it. There's no way so far that we can do this and I guess it won't be possible in future.
Whether it is too much work or not possible at all, there's no need in discussing this any further as it is way easier for devs to get the recovery on lollipop working instead of the TA partition on an unlocked bootloader.
EDIT: A quick google search brought up this: "Restoring the TA (Trim Area) partition on a device like the Z2 [same goes for Z3] relocks your bootloader and restores your specific DRM keys with all it's functions."
So that's what happens if you restore the TA on UB. No brick (if you have stock kernel/ROM) but no UB anymore.
Omario-242 said:
Did forget about Lollipop and its recovery problem. I'm sorry.
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Click to collapse
No problem, I just though I've missed something
Omario-242 said:
But for the other thing: it isn't possible to restore the TA partition after unlocking. That's it. There's no way so far that we can do this and I guess it won't be possible in future.
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Are you talking about getting back completely to stock and relocking, or about restoring TA on unlocked bootloader? I am confused. AFAIK there's a procedure for flashing the full FTF _and_ restoring DRM, there just isn't one for keeping it unlocked.
To be honest I'm still not convinced - restoring the TA should be quite simple with root (just a simple dd...), and I don't understand why it shouldn't just work - IMO the worst that can happen is a soft brick until it is erased again (which can be done by relocking and unlocking, or from recovery). I'm hoping someone will chime in with a definitive answer.
Omario-242 said:
Whether it is too much work or not possible at all, there's no need in discussing this any further as it is way easier for devs to get the recovery on lollipop working instead of the TA partition on an unlocked bootloader.
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately, it looks like we won't be getting recovery on Lollipop anytime soon - Sony did their homework and circumventing SELinux might not be that easy. I expected a working recovery within a day of LP release, but it's been quite a while longer and no progress in sight. The options are not good - you either lose DRM or don't have recovery. I think that having an unlocked bootloader _and_ a working DRM should be the ultimate goal for all, as it allows free switching between ROMs and easy rooting of Sony Lollipop ROMs (without downgrading/rooting/upgrading and hoping for the best - it's not really a foolproof thing right now).
Zviratko said:
I can't speak for others but I am personally quite happy with the stock ROM, but I want and need root (Titanium backup, call recording and some security software). Right now all that is working on Lollipop, but recovery isn't, and I am not comfortable not having that safety net.
The only way to have a working recovery is a custom kernel, that means losing DRM keys, and that means some parts of ROM will lose functionality - whether that functionality is important or not is a good question that I can't answer as I haven't really dug into that, but I'd prefer to simply keep it after unlocking.
I don't understand why it should not work, and if I were Sony I'd probably just erase the DRM partition when unlocking and then forget about it - who says it can't be restored after that? Maybe it really is that simple and nobody tried?
I have heard nothing definitive here, so maybe I will be the first to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like good idea.. Why nobody tried before? Simply because they get it for granted that unlocked with DRM is not possible... Someone has to be the first. I am no bootloader expert but my understanding resorting TA partition will relock bootloader so boring custom kernel will not be possible... But it's my only guess..
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
As I said if you have an unlocked bootloader (with whatever ROM/kernel) and you restore the TA partition your bootloader gets locked automatically. The devs definitely would've thought about getting the DRM keys to work on UB if this would be easy. If you have some Dev skills please go on and try it yourself, if not please stop discussing a topic you don't have enough knowledge about.
Omario-242 said:
As I said if you have an unlocked bootloader (with whatever ROM/kernel) and you restore the TA partition your bootloader gets locked automatically. The devs definitely would've thought about getting the DRM keys to work on UB if this would be easy. If you have some Dev skills please go on and try it yourself, if not please stop discussing a topic you don't have enough knowledge about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I think I understand now. I didn't realize that the locked/unlocked state was part of the TA partition. (Seems like a pretty odd place to store that info, though).
I still believe there is a way to do it - pointing the TA partition in the system to either a loopback device or a different partition with TA contents should fool the system into using the DRM keys on it while keeping the bootloader unlocked (unless of course the hardware looks at the partition directly, which I doubt).
No, I am not a dev, and it's unlikely I will attempt it at this point.
P.S. I don't appreciate a STFU attitude - this is a Q&A section, and I am fairly confident this has not been discussed or at least I couldn't find it. If you have a link that explains how exactly TA partition contents work then please post it. I don't feel stupid for asking questions I can't find answers to.
Omario-242 said:
As I said if you have an unlocked bootloader (with whatever ROM/kernel) and you restore the TA partition your bootloader gets locked automatically. The devs definitely would've thought about getting the DRM keys to work on UB if this would be easy. If you have some Dev skills please go on and try it yourself, if not please stop discussing a topic you don't have enough knowledge about.
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Click to collapse
Please refrain from telling people what they should or should not discuss. Everyone is free to open the thread he wants to discuss and it is your free decision to participate or not. You comment is rude and shows pretty nosey attitude.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
ondrejvaroscak said:
Please refrain from telling people what they should or should not discuss. Everyone is free to open the thread he wants to discuss and it is your free decision to participate or not. You comment is rude and shows pretty nosey attitude.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
Zviratko said:
Thanks, I think I understand now. I didn't realize that the locked/unlocked state was part of the TA partition. (Seems like a pretty odd place to store that info, though).
I still believe there is a way to do it - pointing the TA partition in the system to either a loopback device or a different partition with TA contents should fool the system into using the DRM keys on it while keeping the bootloader unlocked (unless of course the hardware looks at the partition directly, which I doubt).
No, I am not a dev, and it's unlikely I will attempt it at this point.
P.S. I don't appreciate a STFU attitude - this is a Q&A section, and I am fairly confident this has not been discussed or at least I couldn't find it. If you have a link that explains how exactly TA partition contents work then please post it. I don't feel stupid for asking questions I can't find answers to.
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Click to collapse
I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be rude at all. English is not my mother language and I may have used the wrong terms.
I didn't mean to tell you to stop discussing whether it will be possible or not in the future, I just wanted to clarify that if you do it right now you will lock your bootloader (what I thought you didn't understand from my previous posts) and that there's no point in discussing that particular step.
If some devs will actually make the DRM keys work on UB with a custom kernel I guess there's a lot of happy users. Though I still think that it would be a lot work (looking into other Xperia devices there's never been success for DRM keys in that case).
Hello everyone.
I apologise if this has been answered, but I couldn't find one. I own an Xperia Z3 (D6603) running 6.0.1 build 23.5.A.0.570.
I am looking to root my phone, but I don't have a clue where to start. I don't want to brick it, preferably don't want to lose any stuff on the phone, but that doesn't matter so much.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Sam.
My favourite way: forum.xda-developers.com/z3/general/guide-rootrecovery-how-to-root-install-t3017056
Does require a full data wipe though when you downgrade to do the initial rooting, but unless you wanna unlock the bootloader (you may decide to though it has drawbacks) this will likely need to happen anyway.
Other methods are available but this never failed for me. You might need to run giefroot a few times. It does work it just takes a couple goes unless you're really lucky, but that's part of the fun
If you do unlock the bootloader I recommend using this to backup the TA partition. Then if you want the features like camera processing etc back after unlocking you'll be able to do so: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Personally I never unlocked so that's up to you to find info on it and decide if it's worth it for your needs.
It's a lot of info but actually really easy. Read the guides,digest info, read again and then follow every step as you do it and you won't make any mistakes.
To update back to marshmallow after rooting you'll need a pre-rooted .zip of your chosen country on MM (or a custom Stock Based ROM). Just make sure it's for your model (D6603) and you're good to go
Edit: best way not to lose stuff is back it up on the computer when you can. Not just now but always (root helps this also with nandroids) as at any point phone can die or something. Learnt hard way when I dropped my old S3 and the 64GB SD card inside broke due to poor design. Thanks Samdung...
Does anyone have any idea if we'll ever get the ability to do a DRM key backup, root and DRM key restore on on XZP?
I absolutely love this phone but not having root is killing me...
Unlocking the bootloader and getting root has been achievable since day one.
You can forget about the DRM keys backup though.
I was going to ask you how you missed the thread called "Root Achieved" but then I saw you were on mobile so eh.
Thanks for the reply. I know root has been achievable for ages but I'm not gong to root without a way to backup the DRM keys or patch around them. I'm not losing camera functionality on a $800 phone.
So still waiting for Tobias or someone else to make a method like on the Z5.
Have fun waiting I guess.
Also, the backup tool doesn't even work on Nougat so there's another problem.
Two problems that is unlikely to be solved in the near future.
leijonasisu said:
Does anyone have any idea if we'll ever get the ability to do a DRM key backup, root and DRM key restore on on XZP?
I absolutely love this phone but not having root is killing me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I got my X Performance last year, I waited about three months to unlock it, due to the lack of temporary root exploit to run the backup of TA partition, but the tool for that was developed, and finally I was able to do things the right way!
Xperia devices, imo, are "camera phones", also, I do not like to lose their main functionality/differential (root can wait).
It sounds like now sony has just changed the way drm keys are stored and wiped after the device is unlocked, so it will be a bit difficult to achieve this, but not impossible!
Anyway, it's up to you mate. For now, enjoy your powerful device with stock camera!!
serajr said:
When I got my X Performance last year, I waited about three months to unlock it, due to the lack of temporary root exploit to run the backup of TA partition, but the tool for that was developed, and finally I was able to do things the right way!
Xperia devices, imo, are "camera phones", also, I do not like to lose their main functionality/differential (root can wait).
It sounds like now sony has just changed the way drm keys are stored and wiped after the device is unlocked, so it will be a bit difficult to achieve this, but not impossible!
Anyway, it's up to you mate. For now, enjoy your powerful device with stock camera!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Missed your updated xposed modules on my x. They were crucial for Z and Z3 haha. You're right, this beast is not that bad without root. Some non root tweaks here and there make the experience bearable.
But when root becomes a win win solution for XZp and xposed available for n / o, I'm expecting to see some of that quality work of yours on the repo. I'll be within the firsts to bootloop... I mean test haha ?
Glad you're on XZp dev side.
I'm definitely not rooting just to lose the camera. It's one of the main reasons why I bought this phone. Hopefully someone works out how to root the phone and keep the DRM keys intact. I'll come back every month and see how things go.
Now with recovery we can flash all the amazing sound mods, magisk + modules.
Root <3.
I'm also holding out on getting new Sony devices to replace my Z5P, I refuse to use a phone without Adaway (and friends).
In my opinion keeping the DRM keys so we can enjoy the camera on this great phone is really important. We have DRM backups for the Z, Z1, Z3, Z+ etc. I hope we can get them for the XZP. There has to be a way someone can work out to backup the TA partition before rooting. I'll cross my fingers, because I know that there's never been a case where a device hasn't ended up being totally bypassed. I just hope it won't take too long.
It would be so easy to backup the DRM on this device.
Too bad I'm not really a developer.
Now you have to wait until I learn programming.
lebigmac said:
It would be so easy to backup the DRM on this device.
Too bad I'm not really a developer.
Now you have to wait until I learn programming.
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Click to collapse
If it was "too easy" now we would have the backup. As you can see it isn't.
FartyParty said:
Now with recovery we can flash all the amazing sound mods, magisk + modules.
Root <3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to do these without loosing the dm and having to root?
I dont understand why would people wait for DRM backup... I mean even if you do backup your DRM keys, once you restore them your bootloader automatically relocks so you lose root...
if you want aosp roms with google camera, nothing would change because once you root you lose they keys, and only way you can restore them is when you reflash the stock FW version you backed up the DRM keys from.
so yeah, devs already got a drm fix so if your problem is the camera functionality its not gonna work on root even with back up, so you might wanna go back to stock with working camera thats ok, you can flash a stock rom and flash a fix and it works just as good.
unless its warranty thats your problem, then yah you gotta wait for backup, but besides that its really pointless to wait, i mean with drm fix you get full camera functionality on a stock rom plus you got root, plus you get to modify the device as you like so its really not a big deal here, as for AOSP roms with or without backup, camera functionality is not gonna be at its best (unless kernel supports its full potential) again, you can not restore DRM keys to AOSP, you can only restore them once you reflash the FTF you had when you backed up the keys...
madshark2009 said:
unless its warranty thats your problem, then yah you gotta wait for backup, but besides that its really pointless to wait
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For me, it would be warranty, and resale-value.
You'll have hard times reselling a device that needs special care with every software update released.