Clarification on rooting prerequisites and steps - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

Hi,
I spent hours reading dozens of threads and I'm still confused about main steps I should follow to root my phone safely and without losing data or features. Maybe clarifications will also be helpful to other noobs.
I read in detail this thread (and several other threads, to be honest..) but I'm still not yet clear about several aspects.. Can you help me ?
I have a M4 Aqual Dual (E2333) in 26.1.B.2.147 and 5.0 android. My phone states "Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes"
My target is to root the device to be able to "clean" a few things (like apps starting up at boot..), but ideally I'd prefer keeping the OTA capability.
1) I understood from some posts that I need first to unlock my bootloader. I could do it using Sony's website, but then I understood from other threads that I'd lose OTA capability and also that it would factory reset my phone. Is it correct ? Is there a way to unlock bootloader on my phone without losing OTA (like in question 2) below) ? (I obviously did not accept automatically every OTA update, but being able to benefit from it in future could be useful)
2) I read in other threads that it seems possible to flash my phone with earlier FW (like 26.1.B.1.85) (without root nor unlock bootloader), then use rootkitxperia to be able to "backup TA" and "DRM" to re-enable later on the OTA capability. Is it correct ? I found a thread on how to flash back to old FW and "backup TA" but I did not understand how to restore DRM and OTA later on: do you know a tutorial explaining how to restore DRM and OTA feature ?
3) I read a long thread for rooting (http://forum.xda-developers.com/m4-aqua/general/root-t3421932) which seems most often successful. But can I apply that method on my device, or do I need to first update to latest official firmware from Sony ? (since that thread titles "6.0")
4) to avoid losing my personal datas (SMS, pictures, documents, configurations of apps,..), what is best approach for backup ? Using an app like Titanium and backing up each app separately with all its datas (incl apk) ? Any trick to avoid huge backup files ?
Thanks a lot for your explanations and all the work you did already on this forum.
br,

I can't answer to all your questions as they are too technical for me (like OTA capatibility, TA, DRM). But I can describe how I have down.
1) How to root M4. I have unrooted my phone. I followed this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHAcze1T4sQ
I had to try 2 times before being the phone was rooted
2) Backup APPS and Datas
I used Titanium Backup : http://www.android.gs/backup-and-restore-your-android-device-using-clockworkmod-recovery-2/
and Sony PC companion for all your SMS
3) Install ADBTools : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48915118#post48915118
I had lots of troubles with the Driver. Sometimes when I plugged my phone, Windows didn't recognise my ADB driver or Fastboot driver. I had to do it manually
4) Unlock Bootloader : http://rootmygalaxy.net/unlock-bootloader-android-using-fastboot-commands/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeoPc0yvLE
http://developer.sonymobile.com/unlockbootloader/imei-verification/8c153d164f691864749b033fed40cd57/
When I had to press the button at the button, I always read Press ON + VOLUME DOWN, for me it was VOLUME UP Oo I don't know why, but did work
The Led becomes blue
5) Install TWRP - To make a recovery of everything if you have any problem with the system
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bvhPSvrbY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Qeb8DhQfc
To launch the recovery mode, I boot the system, and while there is the Sony logo, I wait phone vibrating + led has a colour. At that moment I press VOLUME DOWN repeatdly as long I could see TWRP.
I hoped that help
Also I have a problem after installing Xposed Framework. If you can tell if you encounter any problem.
Thank you

About the TA partition, it seems impossible to have an unlocked bootloader WITH TA partition files, because the TA partition relocks bootloader.
EDIT: For MM, as there is no way to root LB

Related

[Q] Installing CM-10.2 Android-4.3

Hey guys, I've rooted, installed CWM Recovery, Unlocked Bootloader, and installed CyanogenMod on another phone before.
The thing is, I've had this phone for about 6 months and wanted to do the same. However, after browsing through the forums, man are there a lot of scary sh*t going down. I would like the request the procedure to install CyanogenMod safely, without losing any Keys/IMEI/XReality/DRMkeys/Etcetera.
I dont know if the method given by FXP is supposed to be this straight forward, but I too like others, do not want to risk losing important stuff if it can be avoided (Keys/IMEI/XReality/DRMkeys/Etcetera).
HOWTO
Install instructions:
first time
- power off the phone:
- hold vol+ and plug usb to boot into fastboot (blu led)
- fastboot flash boot boot.img (from cm10 zip)
- fastboot reboot
- enter recovery, on boot led will be violet for 3'', during this period press vol+
- flash rom zip
- flash gapps zip
- wipe
- reboot
for update just flash rom zip from recovery
Google Apps are not included in this ROM. You'll need to find those yourself if you want them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Frankly speaking, the forums is pretty much jumbled up, and the existing [Guide] Threads are either incomplete (Lacking important steps), or Unclear (Non-Specific steps).
Perhaps someone could do me a favour by using the template that I have below to help me, and possibly others, to install CM 10.2 on our beast of a phone.
Template:
1. Backup TA and DRMkeys and stuff: http://forum-xda-developers-com/backup
2. Root: http://forum-xda-developers-com/root
3. Recovery : http://forum-xda-developers-com/recovery
4: Unlock Bootloader: http://forum-xda-developers-com/ulbl
5: Install FXP's CM 10.2 :http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461286
Something like that would suffice I think, as long as no important steps are missing that would cause me to lose stuff unique to my phone, that cannot be recovered if I didn't back it up.
P.S. My version is 14.1.B.2.257
P.P.S. Thank you in advance.
1. Root
2. Backup TA (VERY IMPORTANT)
3. Install Recovery and unlock the bootloader, or the other way around. Both ways work.
4. Install ROM by following the "guide" that you quoted above.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
I'm on 14.1.B.2.257, I believe reverting to the previous version causes data to be lost unless you back it up right. *Sighs* How troublesome.
Xenogenics said:
I'm on 14.1.B.2.257, I believe reverting to the previous version causes data to be lost unless you back it up right. *Sighs* How troublesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you will have to back up the data anyways. I think unlocking the bootloader does a factory reset, as well one is needed going from stock to CM if i unforget correctly
I am also wondering about this. I'm currently running firmware .257.
I understand that I need to back up the TA partition first (though I'm not exactly sure on what I will loose if I don't). I also understand that to do this I need to root the stock rom. I understand that in order to root, I'll need to first downgrade to an earlier firmware using flashtool. However, after that I'm not so sure what I need to do. As far as I can see, the only method of gaining root currently is to use vRoot, which is currently under investigation for IMEI mining.
How else can I root the device? I was thinking of maybe using the recovery for locked bootloaders here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2426739
Following by flashing SuperSU from recovery as per usual.
Will this work, keeping the TA partition intact so that I can back it up before flashing CM? Assuming so, would I even need to downgrade from the .257 firmware at all?
Thanks,
i have CWM now so can flash custom roms like i did on other phones right?
what does unlocking the bootloader give me? unless i'm wrong and i have to unlock to flash?
all i've done so far is do a backup is all. (did a TA backup a while back though)
stiggy2012 said:
I am also wondering about this. I'm currently running firmware .257.
I understand that I need to back up the TA partition first (though I'm not exactly sure on what I will loose if I don't). I also understand that to do this I need to root the stock rom. I understand that in order to root, I'll need to first downgrade to an earlier firmware using flashtool. However, after that I'm not so sure what I need to do. As far as I can see, the only method of gaining root currently is to use vRoot, which is currently under investigation for IMEI mining.
How else can I root the device? I was thinking of maybe using the recovery for locked bootloaders here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2426739
Following by flashing SuperSU from recovery as per usual.
Will this work, keeping the TA partition intact so that I can back it up before flashing CM? Assuming so, would I even need to downgrade from the .257 firmware at all?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so looking into this further, you already need to have root to be able to flash the "CWM for locked bootloader" rocovery. So as far as I can see, the only way to get root in order to back up the TA partition is to give your IMEI to the Chinese via vRoot?
Thank god the stock rom is so good.
tommo123 said:
i have CWM now so can flash custom roms like i did on other phones right?
what does unlocking the bootloader give me? unless i'm wrong and i have to unlock to flash?
all i've done so far is do a backup is all. (did a TA backup a while back though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to unlock the bootloader to flash custom ROMs. You can flash stock ROMs without unlocking it, but you have to unlock it if you want CM, PAC, PA etc.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
really, so what would happen if i tried to flash an aosp rom now? would the system partition essentially be read only?
sorry for the Qs but haven't had a locked bootloader since the htc desire (although the s-off for that one was to remap the partitions to allow more room for data) and the reasons for unlocking don't seem to be the same.
tommo123 said:
really, so what would happen if i tried to flash an aosp rom now? would the system partition essentially be read only?
sorry for the Qs but haven't had a locked bootloader since the htc desire (although the s-off for that one was to remap the partitions to allow more room for data) and the reasons for unlocking don't seem to be the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing will happen if you try it now. You can easily unlock the bootloader by going to Sony's Dev site, request your key and use Flashtool to unlock it. It takes a couple of minutes once you have Flashtool and the drivers installed. It's also perfectly safe to unlock it and you will lose your warranty. BUT you can easily relock it again if something happens to your ZU and the warrenty will be back.
Remember to backup your TA before you unlock your bootloader. It contains a lot if device info and your unique DRM keys. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe the system partition, but you will still have root, photos, music etc. (But do a backup of those just in case).
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
i think that's where i got confused with drivers - unlocking.
i have already done a backup of my TA part so that side of it is ok. i'll leave unlocking until there's a rom i want to try. possibly a complete 4.4 or something.
cheers LM
tommo123 said:
i think that's where i got confused with drivers - unlocking.
i have already done a backup of my TA part so that side of it is ok. i'll leave unlocking until there's a rom i want to try. possibly a complete 4.4 or something.
cheers LM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've already backed up your TA, it means that you have the drivers installed, so job done All you have to do is to install Flashtool and get your key from Sony (which you will get on your email straight away). Either way, just ask here if/when you want to unlock it so we can guide you through it (it's very easy though).
ran flashtool but gave me driver errors - missing. unable to install the drivers included (i guess due to windows 8 driver signing)

[Q] Bundle of issues (Z2 4.4.4)

hi
i own a Z2 (d6503)
-bootloader unlocked (everything else is custom) i had rooted it previously but i think i lost the root access while updating the firmware to 4.4.4 using EMma
my problems
1. Google services are not working over wifi, but there is no problem with mobile data.
i have tried clear cache method already, factory reset, date/time thing. Sometimes few retries make playstore work.
2. Phone isn't turning on in recovery mode. neither manually (with buttons) nor with quickboot or PC
everywhere i found the same method: turn off, power on and wait for led to light up then press either of the volume buttons repeatedly. But the led doesnt light up
3. I have lost my DRM keys while unlocking the bootloader. (no TA backup). my bad.
what did i looose other than xreality engine? can it be recovered? how?
4. How can i root the new version of firmware android 4.4.4 (23.0.1.A0.167)
Please help
i am familiar with rooting and know a little more than an average user. But at the end of the day i am a noob too.
1. no idea, sounds weird that it works over data but not WiFi.
2. If your running stock rom then you don't have recovery installed hence you can't access it.
3. AFAIK The play station remote won't work, there is no way to recover DRM keys they are device specific so your out of luck.
4. Downgrade to .314 and flash a pre-rooted zip, there is currently no known exploit for 4.4.4 so no direct root method.
Although you have discouraged me completely, thanks anyway.
Can you explain the pre root zip thing? Shouldnt I just wait for the new rooting method to come up?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Absarock1 said:
hi
i own a Z2 (d6503)
-bootloader unlocked (everything else is custom) i had rooted it previously but i think i lost the root access while updating the firmware to 4.4.4 using EMma
my problems
1. Google services are not working over wifi, but there is no problem with mobile data.
i have tried clear cache method already, factory reset, date/time thing. Sometimes few retries make playstore work.
2. Phone isn't turning on in recovery mode. neither manually (with buttons) nor with quickboot or PC
everywhere i found the same method: turn off, power on and wait for led to light up then press either of the volume buttons repeatedly. But the led doesnt light up
3. I have lost my DRM keys while unlocking the bootloader. (no TA backup). my bad.
what did i looose other than xreality engine? can it be recovered? how?
4. How can i root the new version of firmware android 4.4.4 (23.0.1.A0.167)
Please help
i am familiar with rooting and know a little more than an average user. But at the end of the day i am a noob too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once rooted, you can recover most features flashing this : DRM FUNTION RESTORATION FOR UB
Absarock1 said:
Although you have discouraged me completely, thanks anyway.
Can you explain the pre root zip thing? Shouldnt I just wait for the new rooting method to come up?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK devs aren't putting a huge amount of effort into finding a new root exploit, why bother when achieving root through downgrade and flashing pre-rooted is fairly trivial.
The pre-rooted zips are just that stock .167 roms that have been pre-rooted, they can be flashed over earlier fw without data loss.
So where can i get one?
ghostofcain said:
AFAIK devs aren't putting a huge amount of effort into finding a new root exploit, why bother when achieving root through downgrade and flashing pre-rooted is fairly trivial.
The pre-rooted zips are just that stock .167 roms that have been pre-rooted, they can be flashed over earlier fw without data loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[/CODE][/CODE]
oh damn! In my first post i made a mistake i meant to say (everything is stock) but wrote custom instead.
terribly sorry
Where can i get one of these roms u just mentioned?
Even if i get it, how do i flash it? I dont have a custom recovery installed and if there is a stock recovery i cant enter it.
can u elaborate the procedure i mentioned below?
[ how to flash this kernel ] (via fastboot)
download the kernel image
save the boot.img to the folder containing fastboot binary
flash the boot.img using fastboot:
Code:
fastboot flash boot boot.img
reboot from fastboot
Code:
fastboot reboot
the device should now start booting
enjoy!
THAnks
thanks man. 3/4 of my problems are solved now. 1 is going to be solved soon hopefully.

Best practices for out of box 4.4.4 tablet root/backup/bootloader etc

I just bought a Z3CT(SGP612) and am a bit confused.
The first big question is about DRM key thing. Why do I care about them if I don't have any other Sony devices (Playstation etc.) and probably won't ever. I read in one thread that these keys may be non-recoverable, but in another thread it was said they could be saved and restored. What are the best practices for doing this?
Second, and I'm stuck here until this thread works, or further research surfaces the answer. I just bought this unit, it's brand new out of box. I'm probably the last man on earth to buy one, but....The device is nagging me to update, but I think that may end in tears. I'm afraid Sony official updates may render the device unrootable, or permanently lock the bootloader forcing me to beg Sony to do whatever I want to my own device. I think on 4.4.4 there is a way to unlock the bootloader without begging Sony to do it. The device is presently 4.4.4, build 23.0.1.A.0.167. The nagging update will take me to 23.0.1.A.3.12. I'm assuming there may be further updates beyond that to get to 23.4.xxxx. Should I accept this, and do any other updates, or proceed directly to one of the pre-rooted stock ftf files (sorry, what is ftf and acronym for?). I'd like to get to the latest 5.11 and have the ability to run adaway, make backups, have proper working SD card and USB OTG, and maybe run a few Xposed apps all of which mean I need root. As it's a virgin device I don't care about if I have to wipe the device in the process.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/noob-guide-to-sony-ericsson-xperia-t3209012
http://xperiafirmware.com/8-firmware/77-sony-xperia-z3-tablet-compact
as i´m in the same situation as you i will share my experience / research so far:
1. Rooting works on different firmware with different methods, kingroot being one rather easy but with the drawback of sending personal phone data to uncertain chinese servers. Rooting 4.4 seems easier than 5.x.
2. Research showed that the DRM keys / TA partition is something to be backed up, just in case. But for backing up you need root but no unlocked bootloader (unlocking erases the keys).
3. Recoveries can be installed without unlocking the bootloader but need root(?).
This is where im right now with my progress - rooted, TA/DRM keys backed up and on a custom recovery but bootloader still locked and TA intact .. getting root demanded some patience and several tries though.
4. next step will be installing a prerooted 5.1 firmware i guess and everything has to be running fine

Root E5823 6.0.1 32.2.a.0.305

Hi All,
I am looking for a tutorial that explains how to root the cellphone build under 32.2.a.0.305 running with Marshmallow. I haven't found any topic that state someone succeeded to root this one. Any chance someone can give me some guidance. On some other website it is mentionned that we cannot root it for the moment. So I was thinking maybe downgrade it and go back to Lollipop? But even for that I need some guidance.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers.
francisci said:
Hi All,
I am looking for a tutorial that explains how to root the cellphone build under 32.2.a.0.305 running with Marshmallow. I haven't found any topic that state someone succeeded to root this one. Any chance someone can give me some guidance. On some other website it is mentionned that we cannot root it for the moment. So I was thinking maybe downgrade it and go back to Lollipop? But even for that I need some guidance.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres a perfectly detailed guide in general section , you should downgrade to lolipop so you can use the temp root tool to back up drm keys before unlocking the bootloader , but if you dont care about drm keys , you can in fact just skip to the boorloader unlock part and root. Its so simple , but i would suggest going through the whole proccess and back up your drm keys cuz once lost , forever lost so ... Yah
madshark2009 said:
Theres a perfectly detailed guide in general section , you should downgrade to lolipop so you can use the temp root tool to back up drm keys before unlocking the bootloader , but if you dont care about drm keys , you can in fact just skip to the boorloader unlock part and root. Its so simple , but i would suggest going through the whole proccess and back up your drm keys cuz once lost , forever lost so ... Yah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Madshark
Thanks for your prompt reply. Appreciate it.
I'm at rookie level in terms or rooting smartphone, so I don't know even the basics. Can you send me the link of the "detailed guide" and also explain me what does the "drm keys" stand for?
francisci said:
Hi Madshark
Thanks for your prompt reply. Appreciate it.
I'm at rookie level in terms or rooting smartphone, so I don't know even the basics. Can you send me the link of the "detailed guide" and also explain me what does the "drm keys" stand for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the link to the post that I used and followed its instructions to root my phone personally.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/general/how-to-backup-restore-ta-partition-root-t3479532
if you lose DRM keys (and that happens when unlocking the bootloader) then some functions in the device will stop working like Bravia engine, Track ID, etc and on our z5 compact some say even stock camera stops from working, and when you lose those keys you can NEVER get them back because each device has its OWN TA partition that includes its OWN DRM keys and no other device has the same so thats why each and every one who owns an Xperia device must perform this TA backup in case they ever wanted to get back to stock (unroot and relock bootloader) they can restore these keys and functions to factory functionality. if you dont back them up and unlocked the boot loader then you will never get some functions to get back to working properly if you ever wanted to get back to stock and relock your boot loader!
However; there is some thing that is called DRM fix in certain roms that when you install these roms, you will not feel like you lost your functions because they already include a fix that behaves like the DRM keys.
still, losing your DRM keys will cause your device to lose its warranty and if you didnt back them up then you will never get it back even if you relocked your bootloader. so I personally backed them up because my device has a 2 year warranty and I dont want to waste them if any thing goes wrong I would restore them and send it to get fixed.
yet the only problem is warranty to me so if you have no warranty or dont care about it you can skip the back up process but yet again I dont like taking chances so just back them up its a 2 minute thing.
and I say again, all stock based roms in this Z5 compact forum have drm fix...
and to give you my personal opinion I dont like the Xperia z5 compact rooted because as I saw, there is so little roms and so little kernel variations and all the stable roms are based on stock MM firmware and CM roms arent fully stable yet , (they are but they have bugs that I hate having) and I only rooted so i can increase the volume of my phone speakers and headset and increase the strength of the torch but it all turns out to be that all sound mods have bugs and torch mod only work properly on any thing but STOCK ftf but any thing besides stock ftf isnt fully stable so I dont see any point in rooting this device I so regret buying it I should have checked how little the modifications are that can be made on it I owned Z2 and HTC devices in the past and boy! if I wanted to try different things every day for the past 2 years I wouldnt have finished by now there is sooo much to test and so much to try and to customize ...
the only rom that can be customized and can be enjoyed as much that we have is Kryptonian - the rom of awesomeness!
I hope I was helpful
madshark2009 said:
this is the link to the post that I used and followed its instructions to root my phone personally.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/general/how-to-backup-restore-ta-partition-root-t3479532
if you lose DRM keys (and that happens when unlocking the bootloader) then some functions in the device will stop working like Bravia engine, Track ID, etc and on our z5 compact some say even stock camera stops from working, and when you lose those keys you can NEVER get them back because each device has its OWN TA partition that includes its OWN DRM keys and no other device has the same so thats why each and every one who owns an Xperia device must perform this TA backup in case they ever wanted to get back to stock (unroot and relock bootloader) they can restore these keys and functions to factory functionality. if you dont back them up and unlocked the boot loader then you will never get some functions to get back to working properly if you ever wanted to get back to stock and relock your boot loader!
However; there is some thing that is called DRM fix in certain roms that when you install these roms, you will not feel like you lost your functions because they already include a fix that behaves like the DRM keys.
still, losing your DRM keys will cause your device to lose its warranty and if you didnt back them up then you will never get it back even if you relocked your bootloader. so I personally backed them up because my device has a 2 year warranty and I dont want to waste them if any thing goes wrong I would restore them and send it to get fixed.
yet the only problem is warranty to me so if you have no warranty or dont care about it you can skip the back up process but yet again I dont like taking chances so just back them up its a 2 minute thing.
and I say again, all stock based roms in this Z5 compact forum have drm fix...
and to give you my personal opinion I dont like the Xperia z5 compact rooted because as I saw, there is so little roms and so little kernel variations and all the stable roms are based on stock MM firmware and CM roms arent fully stable yet , (they are but they have bugs that I hate having) and I only rooted so i can increase the volume of my phone speakers and headset and increase the strength of the torch but it all turns out to be that all sound mods have bugs and torch mod only work properly on any thing but STOCK ftf but any thing besides stock ftf isnt fully stable so I dont see any point in rooting this device I so regret buying it I should have checked how little the modifications are that can be made on it I owned Z2 and HTC devices in the past and boy! if I wanted to try different things every day for the past 2 years I wouldnt have finished by now there is sooo much to test and so much to try and to customize ...
the only rom that can be customized and can be enjoyed as much that we have is Kryptonian - the rom of awesomeness!
I hope I was helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful ! Thanks v much - I'll let you know if I succeed!
Ok, 2 more things.
Probably the most important: warranty has nothing to do with DRM keys, unlocked bootloader or what more. Sony is not/never gonna repair smartphones when there're problems caused by custom ROM or kernel, they're not gonna fix a bootloop caused by a bad flashing procedure and so on. But it's not true that you're automatically losing warranty by unlocking bootloader or getting root access.
Next to that, you don't have to go through that process of backing up your own TA, if you don't want. It's much easier to root and flash a kernel with DRM keys patched. Procedure to root is really simple. Flash new rom, unlock bootloader, fastboot to flash compatible twrp , flash supersu, flash modded kernel, done. There're already quite some tutorials to guide you through this proces.
--jenana-- said:
Ok, 2 more things.
Probably the most important: warranty has nothing to do with DRM keys, unlocked bootloader or what more. Sony is not/never gonna repair smartphones when there're problems caused by custom ROM or kernel, they're not gonna fix a bootloop caused by a bad flashing procedure and so on. But it's not true that you're automatically losing warranty by unlocking bootloader or getting root access.
Next to that, you don't have to go through that process of backing up your own TA, if you don't want. It's much easier to root and flash a kernel with DRM keys patched. Procedure to root is really simple. Flash new rom, unlock bootloader, fastboot to flash compatible twrp , flash supersu, flash modded kernel, done. There're already quite some tutorials to guide you through this proces.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yah well if the bootloader is unlocked and the system has modification on it , they have every right to refuse fixing it for you because its hard to prove that what bricked the device isnt some modification that you made... Unless they have a really good heart , i had a z2 before and it was rooted but the ftf on it was custom but was on it for like 7 months and all the mods were working properly untill all of the sudden it wont turn on so they told me that what i.did caused it but i didnt do anything wrong i know they lying but can u prove it!? No..
Hi guys,
How do I flash the boot.img using cmd and fastboot ?
francisci said:
Hi guys,
How do I flash the boot.img using cmd and fastboot ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first you gotta download ADB folder
you can find it here if im not wrong : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
then place the adb folder in C:\
I think it automatically place it there when installing so no need to do that if so
2. go to cmd (start - type in CMD) and once it launches direct it to where the adb folder is "cd c:\adb" without the quotes of course
3. to flash boot type in "fastboot flash boot boot.img" without quotes and one space step between words only.
4. to flash recovert just type is "fastboot flash recovery "recovery name".img wihtout the quotes and copy recovery name exactly the way it is.
that it
keep in mind that any time you want to flash any thing , that thing must be inside the adb folder for example ,boot.img file must be there in the adb folder with all the other files when installing adb, and also recovery and every other thing you want to flash using fastboot.
hope this is helpful.
Hi madshark, thanks again for your help. I have been able to flash the boot img and then rename twrp into recovery and flash it as well.
Now I'm stuck the device cannot reboot so I cannot transfert the SuperSU files in to the device...
And when I type adb devices in cmd, it do not mention the device ! Seems that I'm facing an issue.
francisci said:
Hi madshark, thanks again for your help. I have been able to flash the boot img and then rename twrp into recovery and flash it as well.
Now I'm stuck the device cannot reboot so I cannot transfert the SuperSU files in to the device...
And when I type adb devices in cmd, it do not mention the device ! Seems that I'm facing an issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well youre new, mistakes like these happen Ive been there, sorry for the late reply XDA isnt giving me notification
any way, make sure after backup TA (which is on lolipop firmware) you gotta get back to original .305 firmware (MM) the process of you getting back to lolipop in the first place is so you can use Ivoyroot tool for temporary root so you can backup your TA partition, once that is done you must get back to .305 because you are flashing a kernel (boot.img) that is for build .305 I guess the guide guy didnt mention this?
second when I said copy recovery name as it is I meant what recovery name you have for example
fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.2-0-E5823-20160417.img
thats my recovery name the one that I downloaded, yours might say some thing else its OK I meant copy YOUR recovery name to CMD the way it is exactly in the ADB folder
and now your stuck, if your bootloader is already unlocked, just flash .305 firmware with flashtool the same way you flashed the lolipop firmware, once that is done, do the first boot settings and once device is launched into the software , just flash boot again
make sure you follow instructions to the POINT, so you gotta turn of your phone, press the volume up button keep it pressed while connecting your phone to the PC and flash boot and recovery and thats it
and after youre done with this process , then you turn on your phone connect it to your PC and place the superSU zip file in it and then go to recovery and flash it
adb isnt recognizing your device?
thats weird if you just connect your device nothing will happen, so you turn off your phone and press the volume up button and connect it, (thats how you enter fastboot mode) and if still doesnt recognize then do what I told you to do already and see what happens next
keep me updated and if its urgent just send me a PM because I dont see notification otherwise...
Thanks Madshark for your help, it has finally worked!

Limit ROOT to ADB?

Hello, until now I avoided to root my device (SGP612 / Stock Marshmallow), because I did not want to risk to lose the drm-keys or do other damage.
Besides that, there some apps, which will not run on rooted devices as netflix (at least I suppose so).
Now working on Tasker and other tools the demand of root is increasing more and more. But still I want to take it restrained and looking for a way to limit the root via ADB. I'm not sure, if that is possible, but I think, that would be a good compromise. Online I found a huge amount of guides and threads "how to root", but all of them, at least it looks like that, ending with an unlocked bootloader, TPRP, SuperSU and so on. I did not read all of them, because that would take years and these guides may also be outdated or even worse incorrect.
Therefor I'm here to ask you about yours assessment.
My main goal would be to:
- Make a full backup
- Protect the DRM-Keys and other irreversible stuff
- No app should be able to detect that the device has been rooted respectively modified on system-level
- Void a reset of the current setup
- Install some apps to system via adb and grant some permissions, uninstall few oem-apps
- Tweak a few settings via adb
Is that possible? And if so, are there some good and simplified guides, which I should read?
Wrong forum. This is for Z3 Compact phone. What you want is https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-tablet-compact
You can root the phone without unlocking the bootloader, so I would assume that you can do the same with the tablet. You have to flash with an older ROM/kernel first, though, but it is doable.
temporary2010 said:
Wrong forum. This is for Z3 Compact phone. What you want is https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-tablet-compact
You can root the phone without unlocking the bootloader, so I would assume that you can do the same with the tablet. You have to flash with an older ROM/kernel first, though, but it is doable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will ask the moderation to move my thread, thanks for the hint.
That sounds complicated to flash an older ROM, especially if no suitable instructions are known to me.
BTW. I prefer to stay at stock.
I am pretty sure you posted in the right forum. Everything you mention is possible, except making a full backup. I wouldn't know how without root or twrp. You can backup your TA partition with a special tool to save your drm keys. It uses the 'dirty cow' exploit so you may need to downgrade first (which wipes your data).
I think root via ADB requires a custom rom. You need to unlock your bootloader, which wipes all data. Alternatively, you can root your device with Magisk. It can hide itself from detection for a set of apps that you select.
M1chiel said:
I am pretty sure you posted in the right forum. Everything you mention is possible, except making a full backup. I wouldn't know how without root or twrp. You can backup your TA partition with a special tool to save your drm keys. It uses the 'dirty cow' exploit so you may need to downgrade first (which wipes your data).
I think root via ADB requires a custom rom. You need to unlock your bootloader, which wipes all data. Alternatively, you can root your device with Magisk. It can hide itself from detection for a set of apps that you select.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thread has been moved by now, so that should be ok.
But still, I do not want any custom-rom. My experience with such on other devices in the past was very frustrating and a waste of time. Had always stability issues on driver-level and other misbehavior. On one samsung device I tested around ten or more roms and all of them was quite ****ty...
And until now it sounds like, I need to install a custom before I even can start to make backups and such. But I want a backup of the status quo, to which I could always rollback, if things gets ugly.
I like the current stock, is a good and stable base, a few tweaks and it would be perfect for me. Of course, I did not test any customs on my current device to be able to make some substantiated conclusion on that but I'm to distrustful to follow this path, especially not when there is no way back.
I miss any imagination what is possible and what is not, or what effect a particular measure entails. Therefor I can't estimate the accuracy of any guide and there are hundreds of them out there, and it looks like the approach is sometimes different. I started reading some of them, but stopped it because I could not retrace the content.
Can you recommend a good guide, which could work out for me and whats the name of the tool to backup the drm-keys? Thanks...
Check here for the TA backup https://forum.xda-developers.com/cr...rsal-dirtycow-based-ta-backup-t3514236/page47
I am very happy with this rom, the developer recently issued a Pie alpha (which I haven't tried yet)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3...m-aicp-android-ice-cold-project-o8-1-t3731197
There's a guide for rooting + recovery @ https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3...to-rooted-lollipop-locked-bootloader-t3083980
Be sure you follow the instructions very carefully, since you are flashing (the system partition) with the ROM from a Z3 phone.
The process is similar to the Z3 phones:
- flash to an older ROM
- root
- install custom recovery
- using custom recovery, flash with a prerooted, updated ROM
No need to unlock bootloader and no need for custom ROMs.
Asides from that, I don't know how to do the rest of the stuff in your list.
(I'm debating on getting a used Z3t, which is why I'm researching root possibilities .)

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