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I've been getting a lot of requests from people, simply asking how I went about Rooting and Flashing new ROMs to my lovely G2 Vision. Well, I'm gonna make a guide with step by step instructions on how to do so. This Guide will teach you how to Root, Unroot, S-OFF (security off, to enable development), and how to Flash a new ROM to your G2.
NOTE!: I am NOT a developer, and i will only accept thanks for putting this information together, I did not create these instructions. Thank the individual developers/posters for their information!
WARNING!!: These procedures are not only dangerous if you don't follow them to the point, but also void the warranty on your phone!! Following these steps incorrectly can brick or otherwise damage your phone!! XDA-DEVELOPERS as well as MYSELF accept NO RESPONSIBILITY to what happens to your phone!!
Just in case you didn't get the message.. WE AREN'T RESPONSIBLE. HACK AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
I will do my best to help anyone along their way, but you've been warned. We aren't here to take the blame for a mistake, we're here to help you do what you're seeking to do.
Got it? Let's proceed, shall we?
First off? The Rooting!
ROOTING: Allowing the phone and it's softwares to have access to the "Root", or complete control, of the phone itself.
This procedure includes two major steps. Temporary Root and Permanent Root. The rooting process for the Temp Root will revoke itself after a reboot. The Perm Root method will not. The rooting process is not complete until the Perm Root process has been finished and the Root is still active after a reboot!
Temp Root the G2:
1. On your phone, go to Settings > Applications > Development > and make sure USB Debugging is ON (it MUST be ON) and make sure Fastboot is checked OFF (it MUST be OFF).
2. Visionary was removed from the Market, please download it from Here instead. Save it to your phone's memory card, then simply open it on your phone with any file manager app. (like Linda File Manager for free from the Market, for example) Find the visionary .apk file in the file manager and click it and follow the prompts to install it.
3. Install Visionary from Modaco.
4. Once installed, open Visionary and check ON Temp Root After Reboot, and check ON System R/W After Root. Then click TempRoot Now, and wait for it to finish. DO NOT CLICK ATTEMPT PERMROOT NOW! We'll get to that momentarily.
5. Once it is done, you have temp root and can use rooted apps without rebooting, OR continue to the next procedure to gain persistent root access.
Perm Root & S-OFF the G2:
An explanation of what S-OFF is and why you might want it - S Off means security off for your HBoot mode (aka Bootloader). The bootloader is what allows you to flash updates and write to the file system of your phone. By turning the Security OFF, we can flash any updates/ROMs we want without the phone checking to see if it is an official update or not.
Let's continue.
1. Download the rooting files: Right here.
2. Extract the files somewhere to your computer.
3. Plug your phone in via USB cable and mount the SD card so we can transfer files to it.
4. Copy the .ko and .img files from inside the extracted folder from step 2 to the root of your sd card on your phone (NOT in any folders, just on the SD card itself).
5. Unplug the phone.
6. Go to the Market on your phone and download/install Android Terminal Emulator (free).
7. Open the Terminal Emulator app and type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line (to get the touch screen keyboard to come up hit the menu button then toggle soft keyboard):
Code:
su
cd /sdcard
insmod /sdcard/wpthis.ko
*After typing the last line, you should see an error saying failed:
(function not implemented). If you DO see that, you have done it correctly
and can continue.
8. Now, type the following line in the terminal emulator hitting enter at the end of the line.
Code:
dd if=/sdcard/hboot-eng.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18
[the last part is mmcblk(zero)p(one)(eight)]
9. After you have typed the dd line for your specific phone, it should say something was written etc. Now, type the following into the command prompt with hitting enter at the end of each line:
Code:
sync
10. After that is done, reboot the phone. When it boots back up, turn it off and back on holding down Volume Down and Power until the HBoot screen comes up. Confirm it says S-OFF at the top. If so, you have S-OFF.
11. Now, to get permanent root, turn the phone back on to get to the normal home screen.
12. Open Visionary and Uncheck TempRoot on Boot and click Temproot Now.
13. Then select Attempt Perm Root Now and the phone should reboot.
14. Once the phone reboots, open Terminal Emulator on the phone and type su and hit enter. If you get the # symbol, you have permanent root access and S-OFF!
Next? The ROM Flashing!
Alright, guys. If you've made it this far, You're golden. Grade A directions taker, In my opinion. Let's get to the last step, yeah?
Getting Recovery:
1. Once you have done the above to procedures, open the Market on your phone and search for ROM Manager (Free).
2. Install it.
3. Open the ROM Manager app and click Menu, then Settings and turn ON Delete Recovery.
4. Click Back and then select Flash Recovery.
5. Choose your phone model and then let it flash the recovery.
6. Click Reboot Recovery and you should be put into the custom recovery image screen. If so, you are all set.
Now, to Flash a Custom ROM:
1. Head over to theunlockr.com's ROM page here and choose your preferred ROM. Download it and save it to your computer.
2. Once it is saved, plug in your phone via USB cable and mount the SD card so we can save files to the sd card.
3. Copy the ROM's .zip file over to the root of the sd card (NOT in any folders on the sd card, just on the root of the card) (do NOT extract it, leave it as a .zip).
4. In the custom recovery screen, Backup/Restore and backup your current ROM.
5. Then select Wipe Data.
6. Then select Apply .zip from sd card and choose the ROM you downloaded earlier.
7. Once it is done flashing, click reboot system. Once it reboots, you are all set!
Congrats! You've flashed a new ROM to your G2! Hopefully..
There are some known issues out there, that prevent mostly the Rooting process. I'll touch on one of them real quickly.
The main issue I experienced was that I accepted and flashed the update that T-Mobile released to prevent Rooting. I've found an article on how to downgrade your firmware to pre-OTA, so that you can Root. Try this if you have severe issues trying to complete the Rooting process. Thanks to Apache14 for this info!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831398
There's now also a process to UNROOT your phone! Here's the link. Thanks to David Cogen from theunlockr for all this information!!
http://theunlockr.com/2010/12/01/how-to-unroot-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision/
Thanks for reading, XDA friendlies, and Happy Rooting!!
Thnx for the link to the unroot man
Sent from my HTC Vision
No problem!
Sent from my HTC G2 using XDA App
Thanks for the effort. But I'm not sure what this is achieving other than duplicating the existing rooting guides in the dev forum.
Also this isn't a very up-to-date guide, it only seems to use one version of "wpthis.ko" and it isn't clear if this is for pre-OTA or post-OTA G2s. And it doesn't cover the DZ either, so it's not a "Vision" guide, just a G2 one.
The existing wpthis.ko was found by scotty not really to work properly anyway, and the newer gfree method of rooting (fully documented in the Wiki) is more reliable (though still does not work with all kernels). And you know Visionary hasn't been updated for months now, right ?
Sorry if this seems like I'm just trashing your guide, but I don't see how posting old information is going to help people ?
steviewevie said:
Thanks for the effort. But I'm not sure what this is achieving other than duplicating the existing rooting guides in the dev forum.
Also this isn't a very up-to-date guide, it only seems to use one version of "wpthis.ko" and it isn't clear if this is for pre-OTA or post-OTA G2s. And it doesn't cover the DZ either, so it's not a "Vision" guide, just a G2 one.
The existing wpthis.ko was found by scotty not really to work properly anyway, and the newer gfree method of rooting (fully documented in the Wiki) is more reliable (though still does not work with all kernels). And you know Visionary hasn't been updated for months now, right ?
Sorry if this seems like I'm just trashing your guide, but I don't see how posting old information is going to help people ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may be old, but I had yet to see a collective guide on xda developers' website about rooting, s-off, and flashing the 'G2' vision. In which I clearly stated this was for the G2. Not the Desire Z. This is the only method I knew about, and this guide was for a few select friends, and whomever else felt the need to use it. Its okay if you don't agree this post was helpful. But come on. This was the surefire way I used to root my G2, so I'm spreading the knowledge. Let not hate.
So visionary still works right?
Just checking before I go threw with this.
ijoshv2 said:
It may be old, but I had yet to see a collective guide on xda developers' website about rooting, s-off, and flashing the 'G2' vision. In which I clearly stated this was for the G2. Not the Desire Z. This is the only method I knew about, and this guide was for a few select friends, and whomever else felt the need to use it. Its okay if you don't agree this post was helpful. But come on. This was the surefire way I used to root my G2, so I'm spreading the knowledge. Let not hate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, it's old. If you're writing a new guide, why use very old, out-of-date info, when you could easily provide the latest info (e.g. from the Wiki).
Yes, it's a collective guide, but one with old info in, so I don't see how that's helpful.
Your guide uses wpthis.ko, but makes no reference to G2s that might be running the original shipped ROM, or the OTA update. So this will only work on some of those phones.
Your article talks about something that T-Mobile did "to prevent rooting". I don't know where you got that information from, but it's not correct. T-Mobile did nothing to prevent rooting, because the OTA came out before root was fully achieved. It's just that the way of disabling NAND write protection needed to be done differently on the OTA (more as an accident than anything that T-Mobile did).
You refer to Visionary as a "sure-fire" way of rooting. Are you sure ? Have you seen how many phones have ended up stuck in a boot loop after using Visionary ?
Also, I find it kind of weird/interesting how your guide points people to another website to choose their list of custom ROMs. Why not point them to the dev forum on this site ?
Sorry but your guide is full of mistakes and out of date. You haven't even posted it in the right forum, this is the Q&A forum.
It worked for me. Bottom line, That's because i did it step by step and actually followed directions.
Old or not, IT WORKS.
If you want to make something better, then do so. Otherwise, silence your lout. Thank you.
Thank you for this write up. I was having problems getting my root to stick even though it was showing s-off but I followed your steps
10. After that is done, reboot the phone. When it boots back up, turn it off and back on holding down Volume Down and Power until the HBoot screen comes up. Confirm it says S-OFF at the top. If so, you have S-OFF.
11. Now, to get permanent root, turn the phone back on to get to the normal home screen.
12. Open Visionary and Uncheck TempRoot on Boot and click Temproot Now.
13. Then select Attempt Perm Root Now and the phone should reboot.
14. Once the phone reboots, open Terminal Emulator on the phone and type su and hit enter. If you get the # symbol, you have permanent root access and S-OFF
AND IT WORKS!!!!
You're welcome, fellow G2 owner.
Why don't you join my group, for those who love their G2? just check my groups in my profile, hopefully we can get a good set of owners together. You never kno what a mass of similar thinking people could accomplish!
Plus, i'm going to start posting some cool guide on how to further customize / enhance your device! Good stuff to kno.
Can i use this tutorial for HTC Desire Z?
Dimitri1992 said:
Can i use this tutorial for HTC Desire Z?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This tutorial was create for THE G2. I would NOT recommend you trying this method. Go around and search google for a tutorial MADE FOR YOUR PHONE. Although the phones are almost exactly alike, they don't necessarily mean they are exactly the same.
Find a different method.
Need help
This is not working for me. I temprooted my phone using visionary but when i try to use terminal to permroot, whenever i type "su" it say permission denied. Please help. I've been trying to do this all night and have been unsuccessful.
steviewevie said:
Exactly, it's old. If you're writing a new guide, why use very old, out-of-date info, when you could easily provide the latest info (e.g. from the Wiki).
Yes, it's a collective guide, but one with old info in, so I don't see how that's helpful.
Your guide uses wpthis.ko, but makes no reference to G2s that might be running the original shipped ROM, or the OTA update. So this will only work on some of those phones.
Your article talks about something that T-Mobile did "to prevent rooting". I don't know where you got that information from, but it's not correct. T-Mobile did nothing to prevent rooting, because the OTA came out before root was fully achieved. It's just that the way of disabling NAND write protection needed to be done differently on the OTA (more as an accident than anything that T-Mobile did).
You refer to Visionary as a "sure-fire" way of rooting. Are you sure ? Have you seen how many phones have ended up stuck in a boot loop after using Visionary ?
Also, I find it kind of weird/interesting how your guide points people to another website to choose their list of custom ROMs. Why not point them to the dev forum on this site ?
Sorry but your guide is full of mistakes and out of date. You haven't even posted it in the right forum, this is the Q&A forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...It is true that it is out of date but for me it works fine. I didn't use the wiki way cause it was to confusing for me and Unfrogivens method was working fine on me. Not saying this method is better or anything and I know this method is unsafe "if" you do not fallow what it says. Like always people try Gfree method 1st before trying this one...(Only for G2)
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 Using XDA Premium App
lainvalenajr said:
Hmm...It is true that it is out of date but for me it works fine. I didn't use the wiki way cause it was to confusing for me and Unfrogivens method was working fine on me. Not saying this method is better or anything and I know this method is unsafe "if" you do not fallow what it says. Like always people try Gfree method 1st before trying this one...(Only for G2)
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 Using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I rooted my DZ, I combined all referrences and guides
It was very hard at the beginning to understand the instruction, but after read and tried, it become easier to understand.. and I finally could root my DZ...
Cheers
Hello
Hello all totally new to android and was trying to root my g2. I followed instructions thourghly ( so i thought at least) and the s is still on after i exit the emulator and reboot. The last part about typing sync threw me off, how many times am i supposed to type sync while hitting enter after each line? Which lines, im sure overanaylzing something but didnt seem to work and tried multiple times. Thanks for your time..
Hey guys,
I'm kinda new to the HTC/Android world, found this community a damn good place to find support.. But now I've hit a road block.
Basically, I've been eager to root from day 1 of getting my first htc handset, I came across from jailbreak and loved the fact of customizability with Android.
So I had the Google play edition(I think, all geared towards Google) running Kit Kat 4.4.4. Love it, big Google user so this all tied together lovely.
Here is the Situation.
I found a video on youtube, cannot provide URL as I'm in work at the moment, but it was root guide from scratch. Fresh windows OS, seemingly a phone fresh out the box.. you get the idea.
I used the Hasoon2000 tool to root the device. Installed ADB etc on my pc, signed up as a a dev, got the Key for device, sent in and received my .bin file. I got up to actually rooting my device, well pleased and happy. Using TWRP via Hasoon2000.
But here is where **** hits the fan.
The device needed to update, It took me back to 4.4.2 but Im unsure on how to get back to most up to date OS and keep the root.
But when I reboot to install this, it goes into TWRP. no other way around this.
Queried this on another forum, decided to continue to be patient... but no replies, in the mean time I restored my apps and have a fiddle, see what the root function can do for myself.
I installed "Freedom 1.0.6" and a program called "Market Share"- Hate iAP, some games are ridiculously priced for the smallest of things, I just wanted to sandbox plague inc. ;(
Now the device is stuck in a boot loop, phone starts up, see the home screen for a bout 40 seconds/ one minute.. Some times I unlock the device and it goes back to flash screen then.. others I boot an app and its slides away once more.
This happened close to 15x before I left for work this morning and I imagine its just going to repeat this and run the battery - I tried to stop this loop by going into TWRP and possibly choosing to boot system this way may of stopped it.. but when I was on the boot screen with those options.. It said Tampered at top of screen and S-On- which has scared me quite a bit..
What the hell has happened!?
I'm desperate to know and don't want to have this damn thing bricked! Please help.. try explain like I'm 5, as said I'm new to a lot of this! >.<
first off, if the screen comes on, its not bricked.
esenfur said:
But here is where **** hits the fan.
The device needed to update, It took me back to 4.4.2 but Im unsure on how to get back to most up to date OS and keep the root.
But when I reboot to install this, it goes into TWRP. no other way around this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean you accepted an official OTA? I think that is what you are saying. You should not be accepting OTAs on a phone that has been bootloader unlocked, custom recovery, etc. unless you know exactly what you are doing and what the result will be (which is clearly not the case).
Stock recovery is needed to install an OTA. That is why it keeps going to TWRP, then it doesn't find stock recovery and reboots, hence the loop you are stuck in. Try to find the OTA file and delete it.
redpoint73 said:
first off, if the screen comes on, its not bricked.
Do you mean you accepted an official OTA? I think that is what you are saying. You should not be accepting OTAs on a phone that has been bootloader unlocked, custom recovery, etc. unless you know exactly what you are doing and what the result will be (which is clearly not the case).
Stock recovery is needed to install an OTA. That is why it keeps going to TWRP, then it doesn't find stock recovery and reboots, hence the loop you are stuck in. Try to find the OTA file and delete it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for fast response.
Official OTA - being that the phone its self said "Update the OS" - I just accepted this, hit download and began install as a reboot- didnt spot implications. As said, noob, followed a tut. If it highlighted DO NOT UPDATE or.. IF U WANT UPDATE NOW FOLLOW THIS- Great, but nothing of the sort?
Is the OTA file basically the .exe for the OS- so find it and delete it.. although I dont have enough time to navigate and establish where the file actually is located!
Or do you have any links to tutorials I could possibly follow?
Side note- when this loop started I deleted
esenfur said:
Or do you have any links to tutorials I could possibly follow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really your main issue. By following a YouTube video and using a Toolkit, you've failed to actually learn anything or gain any real understanding or knowledge. Do yourself a favor and ditch the tutorials and videos (and toolkit for that matter) and do it the old fashioned way . . . by reading. Videos and step-by-step guides do you no good when things go south (as you've now discovered). And with the prior proper knowledge (usually not gained by following tutorials) this whole mess probably would have never happened in the first place.
A cardinal rule of Android phone modding: DO NOT accept/download/install OTAs (official OS updates) on a modded device unless you know what you are doing, and what the result will be. If in any doubt, simply DO NOT do it.
esenfur said:
Is the OTA file basically the .exe for the OS- so find it and delete it.. although I dont have enough time to navigate and establish where the file actually is located!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.exe file is Windows specific. You are looking for a zip file, and it typically starts with "OTA". Don't remember where its saved to, so you will have to search for it. If you can't keep the phone running long enough to do so, mount the memory on your computer and search that way.
Deleting the OTA file worked for me on a past device, although one M8 user in the same position said deleting the file didn't get him out of the loop. Flashing your ROM again, or wiping the internal memory (backup any important personal data first) might be options for you.
redpoint73 said:
you've failed to actually learn anything or gain any real understanding or knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive seen quite a fair few ratings for Hasoon2000 and decided to go with it..
redpoint73 said:
Videos and step-by-step guides do you no good when things go south (as you've now discovered).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed.. theres FAR much more I need to learn.. its scary haha.
redpoint73 said:
DO NOT accept/download/install OTAs (official OS updates)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
taken on board. I know with my jailbreaks in past it has been a pain, assumed Android would be alot more stable to over write- due to functionality of OS and unlocked features.
I was being generic when I said .exe- basically the installer..
I returned from work to see phone stopped looping.. i could stop the install and deleted the file ASAP.. but now what.. Phone is still bugging me to update, lost the root(got a checker).. so whats the correct procedure!?
I am confused to what you are trying to accomplish at this point, is it to install a OTA, or a recovery? What exactly is going down here?
Me personally to take an OTA is to relock bootloader, install stock recovery, and make sure CID matches. I am S-Off so bootloader means very little, but you can unlock and relock at will when you are S-Off. You will not lose S-Off accepting an OTA.
Try to re-flash the ROM, with stok ROM, using TWRP and clean install. It should work.
hack14u said:
I am confused to what you are trying to accomplish at this point, is it to install a OTA, or a recovery? What exactly is going down here?
Me personally to take an OTA is to relock bootloader, install stock recovery, and make sure CID matches. I am S-Off so bootloader means very little, but you can unlock and relock at will when you are S-Off. You will not lose S-Off accepting an OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to update the phone, root and then some..
What file am I looking for and how do I flash a ROM on a M8
esenfur said:
I am trying to update the phone, root and then some..
What file am I looking for and how do I flash a ROM on a M8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all once the bootloader is unlocked you don't have to relock it to get OTA.
As I undersand you have done the following:
1) Unlock using HTCDev-Method
2) flashed a custom revocery (TWRP in your case)
3) flashed a supersu too!?
To install the OTA means loosing root acces. Thus you have to re-root it after the OTA is done. The other problem ist that STOCK OTAs don't work with a custom recovery. Meaning you would have to flash a stock recovery first, install the OTA second (as long as you didn't change anything an just root), and re-root third.
Let's have a look which stock recovery you would need:
1) reboot to bootloader
2) connect the phone to you PC and open cmd in you adb/fastboot folder
3) enter "fastboot getvar all"
4) paste this information here (but DELETE the IMEI and SERIAL NUMBER before posting!!)
As soon as we know which stock recovery you need we will go on.
esenfur said:
Ive seen quite a fair few ratings for Hasoon2000 and decided to go with it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying there is anything "wrong" with the toolkit, per se. For the most part, it does what its intended to do.
But it also shortcuts the learning process, and facilitates folks rooting the phone without gaining the proper knowledge. This is a dangerous thing.
This is just my opinion. But I strongly believe it. If you can't accomplish these things without a toolkit, you shouldn't be rooting your phone in the first place.
Others use the toolkits, and love them. They are more than entitled to have their own opinion. But when things go south, the toolkits aren't going to help; and those folks don't have the proper knowledge and they come running here. So you tell me what is the "best" way to root the phone?
esenfur said:
I was being generic when I said .exe- basically the installer..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already figured this was probably the case. But I found it better to provide the exact information on what file to delete; rather than leaving it open to the possibility of you and/or others being misinformed.
esenfur said:
Phone is still bugging me to update, lost the root(got a checker).. so whats the correct procedure!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you still have TWRP installed, so just flash SU or SuperSU to gain root.
After that, you can use Titanium Backup or similar app to find the update process and freeze it, to stop the update notifications.
Don't remember the exact process (this is where searching and reading comes in for you) but its something like "drm..." or "updater".
I have this situation before,what i do is find the right stock recovery and flash..after ota done flash back custom recovery..?
esenfur said:
I am trying to update the phone, root and then some..
What file am I looking for and how do I flash a ROM on a M8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point after seeing this, I would suggest you take some time and start reading. All of your answers are here in the forums. Knowledge is power and within the pages of this site you will find everything you need.
To take the OTA find a stock recovery, to flash ROM's find the one you like and flash via your favorite recovery.
After countless hours of searching over all related posts I am still confused and pretty much intimidated on the flashing aspect. From all my searching expeditions till now I managed to outline some of the points but I don't know how to move forward with them. Also I am concerned with the possibilities of getting the device unresponsive just because of my stupidity, want to gain full knowledge before going forward with the process.
So as per my findings, for installing a CFW like CM12, I require the following things,
1. Unlocked Bootloader.
The Bootloader on my XM SS can be unlocked, I did a check on that but the thing that's bugging me is the occurrence of bootloop.
Question for this point: What is the proper method to unlock the bootloader?
2. Rooted phone.
This is the step that has confused me from the beginning. Some posts mention that rooting is essential requirement to get a fully functional CFW and in some posts there is a not a single mention for the requirement of a rooted phone.
Question for this point: Is rooting essential? What is the best step by step method that you use to root your device?
3. Back up data.
I read somewhere that unlocking the bootloader erases some of the important information like the IMEI number, DRM keys and other important stuff? Also the importance of backing up data like contacts and other stuff externally.
Question for this point: How to do a proper backup? How to go on backing up contacts, whatsapp databases etc?
4. Installing a custom recovery?
Honestly I am totally confused with this topic. What does custom recovery actually do? Best custom recover for CM12?
Question for this point: How to select and install a custom recovery?
5. Adb, Fastboot drivers.
Is it essential to actually download the full adb package that google provides to develop android apps? And are fastboot drivers available for windows 8.1? Will the phone management software provided by Sony work as a driver?
Question for this point: ADB, Fastboot driver installation?
6. Flashing the CM12.
The most important step in the whole process? How to go on with this step so as to successfully flash the firmware? Restoring the backed up data?
Question for this point: Steps to properly flash the CM12?
7. Link2SD, App2SD?
Which one will you suggest and how to go on installing it?
I know that most of you will find it bothersome to answer so many questions in a single go but I intend this topic to be a guiding thread for noobs like me who are beginners that want to flash some CFW on their devices.
So all the posts that you make are really appreciated! Please link in the posts that you think will answer the questions in layman terms for everyone to understand.
Thanks for taking your time to read this thread
Have a good day! :fingers-crossed:
Can anyone please help? :crying:
1. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2484622 Follow everything he said, while using some common sense. Just to avoid you in doing so much research on some common problems I faced, :
i) If any errors occur, just close flashtool and re-open it, even if the errors continue to happen, just close and open flashtool again.
ii) You will experience bootloop and the end of the procedure, so just flash the tft http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2779412
2. Just stay rooted, better safe than sorry Here's the guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m/general/towel-root-steps-to-root-t2789990 Understand the procedure first then continue.
3. You can export your contacts into your sim card tho, just open up the telephony app and go to contacts and open up the option or menu thingy in it (I think the icon was a 3 dot to access the options menu) and you'll see the Export/Import tab on it. You know what to do after this After root, I suggest getting the app Titanium Backup, really helpful. If possible, after the backup, move the folder to the sdcard, so it will never be lost (or to your pc, much safer).
4. Custom recovery.. well, I'm no expert but just think it this way, you're life saver when you do something wrong to your phone (and that it can still turn on, but couldn't get pass the boot animation) and provided that you had made a Nandroid backup before(a system backup). It can restore your phone back to the last time you've backuped it. This one for Stock 4.3 http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m/development/recovery-philz-touch-6-41-6-xm-dual-t2795778 and this one for afteryou've installed CM12 http://forum.xda-developers.com/xpe...very-cwm-twrp-recoveries-custom-roms-t3016507
5. I'm not sure on this one, sorry:crying: ADB drivers and the fastboot drivers installed automatically for me:silly:
6. I think this video would be a bit helpful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNu0tiNro8
7. I don't know on this, I never used them. Soz :C
All the best:fingers-crossed: though my advice would be to stay Rooted for awhile before unlocking the bootloader, so you'd at least familiarize yourself with the terms that'll you'll most probably face.
The fastboot driver from google didnt work for me, use the ones from the sony bootloader unlock site. For win8.1 you need to disable signature verification to install them.
Thank you so much @AndyPhoenix9879
You are a lifesaver! I was finally able to flash CM2.1 on my Xperia M
It seems that few ever talk about the ZE500CL variant of the zenfone 2. I've read a whole lot of posts on rooting, unlocking the bootloader, and installing TWRP, but most do not even mention this variant.
I started this thread to collect some information about this device. I would like to know from those who have this device, what has worked for you so far, and what hasn't? I'm especially interested in finding out the 3 things mentioned above.
I've only recently bought the device, and I only rooted it (though I did first get one bootloop already). The method that worked for me is described in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/root-ze500cl-z00d-t3116531
The OP of the thread linked above also said that the second method on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/root-newbie-root-instructions-zenfone-2-t3114063 works as well.
Btw, make sure the drivers are installed, else the computer won't be able to recognize the device when it is in bootloader mode.
Installing Xposed works as well using the ADB method mentioned in the thread linked below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/guide-to-install-xposed-installer-t3116476
I can add any info you find to the device index in the general section for the 500CL.
Djalaal said:
I've only recently bought the device, and I only rooted it (though I did first get one bootloop already). The method that worked for me is described in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/root-ze500cl-z00d-t3116531
The OP of the thread linked above also said that the second method on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/root-newbie-root-instructions-zenfone-2-t3114063 works as well.
Btw, make sure the drivers are installed, else the computer won't be able to recognize the device when it is in bootloader mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you fix/handle the bootloop?
Do you know if it is possible to update the phone after rooting it?
cmendonc2 said:
I can add any info you find to the device index in the general section for the 500CL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, that post is much more likely to be noticed than this one. Although I might not find out much. I'm a lot less daring without custom recovery. Hence this thread.
crisbal said:
How did you fix/handle the bootloop?
Do you know if it is possible to update the phone after rooting it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, seeing that I do not have a custom recovery (bootloader is still locked), I had to do it the hard way, reflash stock rom. Good news is, apparently your userdata (installed apps+settings and internal memory) is not wiped in the process.
First, you gotta download the rom. Get it from http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748. Although I got mine here: http://www.asus-zenfone.com/2015/03/asus-zenfone-2-stock-rom-ze500cl-ze550ml-ze551ml.html, which is the old version.
Second, go into recovery mode (from bootloader mode), and use adb sideload ("apply update from ADB") to flash the .zip downloaded before. This is described under "Flashing Zenfone 2 via ADB" on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/asus-zenfone-2-flashing-recovery-mode-t3096596
Btw, the bootloop was caused by a mistake I made, not the rooting process.
any news update in our bootloader? hope someone could work for that..
How to get rid off couldn't add widget?
crisbal said:
Do you know if it is possible to update the phone after rooting it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After more than a week of feeling unsure to update mine to WW_12.16.5.118, updating it today after finish uninstalling SuperSU. This is what I have done.
1 - uninstall SuperSU from SuperSU setting - reboot.
2 - update firmware.
3 - re-root using Temporary_CWM method as describe here
Chinaphonearena said:
Method 2: Root through temporary CWM
This is a temporary CWM with the primary purpose of injecting SuperSU onto your Asus Zenfone 2. It doesn't permanently replace recovery. This process looks long, but really is bam 1,2,3 done. Just laid out step by step for the newbie.
link removed due to post count limitation
Unzip the package
Copy SuperSU.zip to the base of your SD card
Enable USB debugging (Settings > Phone info > Tap build 7x > Back button > Developer options > USB debugging)
If you don't already have ADB drivers installed, you may need to [post count restriction] and install them (most PCs have them already, but trying installing these if you're having trouble getting your PC to issue commands to the phone via USB)
With your phone on, attach it to PC via USB
Run 'cai_dat_CWM.bat' from the CWM package
In the black command window that opens, type ACCEPT
Type T4
Phone will reboot into fastboot and you'll see commands being issued from the PC cmd window copying the temporary recovery
You may see some funked up images on your display for a bit. Remove the USB cable and within 30 seconds should then see it booted into CWM
Select install update
Navigate to SuperSU.zip and install
Bam, done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4 - Success!!! now my phone are rooted and all rooted apps installed previously are working.
Note: Previously (before updating FOTA) I also root my ZE500CL using Temporary_CWM since One Click root method aren't working for me.
Recover from bootfreeze while fully stock
Well, after getting a bootfreeze being on a fully (old version) stock ze500cl (Z00D), I figured out something useful. How to recover from a bootfreeze with locked bootloader, non rooted stock rom, without loosing what was saved on your internal storage.
Given that you have not messed with system files (since you aren't rooted), I'm assuming you got either corrupted userdata files or your internal storage is so full, the phone fails to even boot. I had the latter. If system files are the problem, this method might (or probably?) not work. The trick is to use tethered TWRP for backing up your internal storage.
1: Download CWM_Zenfone_2_Intel.zip here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/w70w7r1a65840/Zenfone_2 (gotten from source 1)
2: Download Recovery.zip here: https://drive.google.com/folderview...T0xRMVRkcTg3MHdlc1o0cVFBc3RPeTQ&usp=drive_web (gotten from source 2)
3: Extract the zip from Step 1.
4: Go to the FB_RecoveryLauncher folder you have extracted, and replace the recovery.zip there with the one downloaded in Step 2.
5: Boot into your stock recovery and connect your phone to the computer. Make sure you have adb and the phone's drivers installed (gotten from source 3).
6. Run the cai_dat_CWM.bat script and you should boot into temporary TWRP recovery after a minute or so.
7. Use TWRP to copy your sdcard folder (internal storage) into your ext_sdcard folder (external storage/microsd) for the sake of backing it up.
8a. In the case of having too full internal storage, simply delete some things in there, and you should be able to boot it again.
8b. Not tested, but in case of corrupted userdata, a factory reset is probably necessary, and will solve the bootfreeze issue.
source 1: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/root-newbie-root-instructions-zenfone-2-t3114063 (method 2)
source 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/development/alpha-tethered-twrp-asus-zenfone-2-t3123532
source 3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/asus-zenfone-2-flashing-recovery-mode-t3096596
@cmendonc2 , if you want, you can add this to your index.
Djalaal said:
It seems that few ever talk about the ZE500CL variant of the zenfone 2. I've read a whole lot of posts on rooting, unlocking the bootloader, and installing TWRP, but most do not even mention this variant.
I started this thread to collect some information about this device. I would like to know from those who have this device, what has worked for you so far, and what hasn't? I'm especially interested in finding out the 3 things mentioned above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for providing this thread. Found it after hours of scouring the internet in search of help after somehow getting my phone locked in boot-loop. There isn't much support for the ZE500CL, but I will be posting on some blogs while I begin work on mine, and I will reference others to this thread and the few others I've found. Thanks again! :good:
Xanathide said:
Thank you so much for providing this thread. Found it after hours of scouring the internet in search of help after somehow getting my phone locked in boot-loop. There isn't much support for the ZE500CL, but I will be posting on some blogs while I begin work on mine, and I will reference others to this thread and the few others I've found. Thanks again! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, was out of town for 3 months. Glad to be of help. You know where the thanks button is .
I should note that the this phone is now the daily driver of both my parents so I stopped tinkering with it, although I left one of them rooted (and the other not lol). So don't expect more updates from me sadly.
Djalaal said:
Sorry, was out of town for 3 months. Glad to be of help. You know where the thanks button is .
I should note that the this phone is now the daily driver of both my parents so I stopped tinkering with it, although I left one of them rooted (and the other not lol). So don't expect more updates from me sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's quite alright, I've had my fun with Z00D, got myself a LG V10 to break now
I dont ask for directions...
This is my first time asking questions as I have always been able to reverse-engineer (R-E) or as the hacker in swordfish would say "the code just comes to me". Ive been around computers since my dad took me to work at UT and commands were issued with punch out cards....I've been a long time android self taught enthusiast turned professional. ITT Alum etc. I research, I surf, I R-E, and I try every possible option etc...only this has me stumped. And this is the first android that has stumped me. I double checked everything but I keep getting this error in BBQLinux: I followed all pre-update instructions to the T.
fw: ATT_12.16.10.92
adb sideload
This package is not for ATT (WW)
E: Error in /sideload/package.zip
(Status 7)
yes I did with root cmd line, yes cd to zip file location, yes I verified correct fw, even tried different fw zips ZE500CL downloaded officially and from here.
I greatly appreciate any help and I do apologize for "asking for directions"
Computer John dba Austin Computer Techs
cuervo233 said:
This is my first time asking questions as I have always been able to reverse-engineer (R-E) or as the hacker in swordfish would say "the code just comes to me". Ive been around computers since my dad took me to work at UT and commands were issued with punch out cards....I've been a long time android self taught enthusiast turned professional. ITT Alum etc. I research, I surf, I R-E, and I try every possible option etc...only this has me stumped. And this is the first android that has stumped me. I double checked everything but I keep getting this error in BBQLinux: I followed all pre-update instructions to the T.
fw: ATT_12.16.10.92
adb sideload
This package is not for ATT (WW)
E: Error in /sideload/package.zip
(Status 7)
yes I did with root cmd line, yes cd to zip file location, yes I verified correct fw, even tried different fw zips ZE500CL downloaded officially and from here.
I greatly appreciate any help and I do apologize for "asking for directions"
Computer John dba Austin Computer Techs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?? Is that att ota youre trying to sideload? Att doesn't have fw, ze500cl does. But just unlock your bootloader, flash twrp, then install whatever, cm, aicp, custom stock or straight stock. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=64991762
Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
Cool, I didn't read anywhere about unlocking BL first otherwise Ida made that "turn at the first light". We will ULO thru Asus and continue on our journey. These little Asus trinkets are little buggers being Intel based. Only line of Android devices that have ever stumped me. I am much obliged, fellow XDA brethren. Much obliged.
After pondering a little I came to this conclusion:
UL BL is basically the first step one should take when doing any kind of flashing of internal partitions be it a boot.img, recovery.img, FW etc... at least for the higher end devices. I don't recall having to do that for my sm-n900t recently. Does it only apply for flashing back to stock and not custom roms? Although I didn't have to UL BL first when I heim-dall/Odin flashed my note3 back to stock rom after being boot-looped. Cause once I did that I was able to try out a majority of custom roms available for it whether flashed thru HD/fastboot, Odin, via twrp update zip, or adb sideload. Hmmm, I might understand once I think it thru and look at all the different variables.
Good day gentlemen.
Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting androids...
:good:
@cuervo233 Yes most devices you have to unlock the bootloader first. But there are some devices that already come unlocked. And then there are even some that have bootloaders that cannot be unlocked due to carrier restrictions. In order to get custom recovery to boot you must unlock the bootloader or it must come unlocked. With a custom recovery you can Flash the stock zip file from the Asus website or a custom ROM have fun
Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
Thank you. I was able to ULBL, flash TWRP, flash to ww 118, root, and now its time to explore the neat wonderful world of custom ROMs. This was by far the hardest yet. Next in line is the cricket Stylo which was also giving me hell, but now I dont think I should have any problem getting it done. I'll keep ya'll posted.:good:
Lg stylo should have way more development, have fun brother. Remember tmobile phones( cricket, walmart family mobile, and metro pcs) you can easily unlock the bootloader . att on the other hand usually has locked down bl.
Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
First off I want to preempt by saying I have searched for answers to the best of my abilities and haven't found a solution that has worked. However I might have missed one. I will attempt to be as thorough as i can here.
I have a rooted unlocked pixel 2xl, Magisk no twrp. I have attempted to sideload the Ota but it fails before it gets off the ground. I get a verification error and the Ota fails to load.
Dumb question #1) do i need to unroot to sideload the ota with the setup I have.?I thought unrooting was only necessary with partitioned recovery like TWRP.
I have the latest tools, the latest OTA for my model phone, a hope a prayer, but little else.
"E: footer is wrong
update package verification took 0.0 s (results 1)
E: signature verification failed
E: error 21
installation aborted.
"
What am I missing? Any help would be appreciated.
You can always just flash-all the 8.1 image (open up flash-all.bat and take out the -w at the bottom and leave 1 space) then fastboot into twrp temporarily then flash magisk then reboot.
Would the end result in any data loss as in a clean install?
filthysanches said:
Would the end result in any data loss as in a clean install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, that's why you remove the -w (=wipe)
So that's what that stands for. And that's why you are a senior member.
filthysanches said:
So that's what that stands for. And that's why you are a senior member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a senior member because I'm old! And, I've Jimmy Jacked enough phones in my day to gain a little bit of knowledge :laugh:
Well as a semi old obstinate consumer, I appreciate your help.
filthysanches said:
Well as a semi old obstinate consumer, I appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahahahaha...welcome my friend :good:
Badger50 said:
Hahahahahaha...welcome my friend :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well im back at it. couldn't get the OTA to sideload. I'm ready to go nuclear and restore my phone to factory in order to download 8.1 the pedestrian way and start from scratch. I already reset the phone via the normal way but root and unlock remains. documentation for unrooting is patchy and assumes I know more than I do. Is there any way you can help a brotha out with some instructions on how to unroot so i can install the OTA?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
filthysanches said:
Well im back at it. couldn't get the OTA to sideload. I'm ready to go nuclear and restore my phone to factory in order to download 8.1 the pedestrian way and start from scratch. I already reset the phone via the normal way but root and unlock remains. documentation for unrooting is patchy and assumes I know more than I do. Is there any way you can help a brotha out with some instructions on how to unroot so i can install the OTA?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My post HERE might be able clear some things up for you and/or help you out -- specifically the bottom section (even if you don't use TWRP, it may still apply in getting OTA to work for you "TWRPless". If anything, I was able to do it (OTA via sideload), so my steps may make it happen for you...
filthysanches said:
Well im back at it. couldn't get the OTA to sideload. I'm ready to go nuclear and restore my phone to factory in order to download 8.1 the pedestrian way and start from scratch. I already reset the phone via the normal way but root and unlock remains. documentation for unrooting is patchy and assumes I know more than I do. Is there any way you can help a brotha out with some instructions on how to unroot so i can install the OTA?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The post right after yours by simplepioni177 has a link to a very good guide for OTA's. As far as removing root, open the magisk app, hit uninstall, and select the option on the right. It will uninstall all root, then reboot, and done. Personally, I would ditch the whole OTA thing, learn fastboot, then just flash factory images going forward. But that's just me. BTW...stop trying to turn your phone into a desk top ornament! ??
Badger50 said:
The post right after yours by simplepioni177 has a link to a very good guide for OTA's. As far as removing root, open the magisk app, hit uninstall, and select the option on the right. It will uninstall all root, then reboot, and done. Personally, I would ditch the whole OTA thing, learn fastboot, then just flash factory images going forward. But that's just me. BTW...stop trying to turn your phone into a desk top ornament!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually i ditched sideload specifically cause it kept failing. as for the unrooting, I have seen all related posts including the one you mentioned. Magisk failed to uninstall. Everything i have seen looks simple including all fastboot methods but for whatever reason I have had no luck with all methods of updating. It was only after this nonsense that i decided to start from scratch to do it the way lord google demands, but even that fails. I got my phone unrooted by rebooting into recovery mode and flashing the factory 8.0.img via adb. And i did attempt to do the 8.1.img but that obviously failed .
So right now i have a stockish p2xl running 8.0 with an unlocked bootloader and twrp installed, but cant get magisk back on although i wont put much effort in rooting again until i have the appropriate update.
Im sure you know how frustrating it is to follow along the easiest tutorials ever and getting errors they dont address cause no one ever gets them. I suspect my phone is possessed.
And if i brick this 1k phone it will be a drywall ornament not a desk ornament.
Im going to watch winchester, drink a huge beer, eat some good italian food and try again later. I will be back with screenshots and error messages /codes
filthysanches said:
Actually i ditched sideload specifically cause it kept failing. as for the unrooting, I have seen all related posts including the one you mentioned. Magisk failed to uninstall. Everything i have seen looks simple including all fastboot methods but for whatever reason I have had no luck with all methods of updating. It was only after this nonsense that i decided to start from scratch to do it the way lord google demands, but even that fails. I got my phone unrooted by rebooting into recovery mode and flashing the factory 8.0.img via adb. And i did attempt to do the 8.1.img but that obviously failed .
So right now i have a stockish p2xl running 8.0 with an unlocked bootloader and twrp installed, but cant get magisk back on although i wont put much effort in rooting again until i have the appropriate update.
Im sure you know how frustrating it is to follow along the easiest tutorials ever and getting errors they dont address cause no one ever gets them. I suspect my phone is possessed.
And if i brick this 1k phone it will be a drywall ornament not a desk ornament.
Im going to watch winchester, drink a huge beer, eat some good italian food and try again later. I will be back with screenshots and error messages /codes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The end of your post cracked me up....NICE! Question, I know you said you have an unlocked bootloader, but did you execute both unlocking commands.
fastboot flashing unlock
And
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
Just curious is all? ?
equlizer said:
You can always just flash-all the 8.1 image (open up flash-all.bat and take out the -w at the bottom and leave 1 space) then fastboot into twrp temporarily then flash magisk then reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quoting this as it's exactly my opinion also. Why even mess with flashing the OTA (has some official history of failing even in stock) when the full image with the-w removed flash-all.bat is almost fool proof.
Alright for any other sad sack scouring the span of human knowledge who happen to land here with a similar issue which consists of equal parts ignorance and reckless abandon...
Make sure you are unlocked with:
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
If for some godamn reason all you get is a list of availible commands vs the result you want, try the following:
Code:
./fastboot flashing unlock
Code:
./fastboot flashing unlock_critical
The "./" got me there. Dont know why, I'm sure someone smarter than I can explain that nonesene. Now I know in other languages, this just allows you to not have to be so specific with the path you are looking for; however, since no files are being referenced I dont think that is it. It is by pure chance and a tut somewhere that i stumbled on that.
After trying to sideload, pushing, flashing, and smashing:
boot into bootload mode
download the FULL official 8.1 or i suspect 8. anything going foward and extract into your platform tools folder where your adb and fastboot live. Make sure you copy the files contained within and paste them along side the adb and fastboot files.
if you don't want to wipe your info, open the flash-all.bat file in the program notepad++ and remove the reference "-w" which is somewheres towards the bottom of the file--save.
double click the "flash-all.bat" file.
Thats it basically. what a **** show. the amount of brain power i used on something this simple makes me want to choke kittens. But I have to tie my bit of failure up here with a bow just in case someone else stumbles into the same folly. Please check my work and let me know if i missed anything. viva la 8.1!