Develop Bugs

[Q] Rooted AFTV with 51.1.4.1 firmware??

Hi all. I bought a pre-rooted Fire TV today that came with Kodi and a bunch of other things installed. I'm new to Android and am a bit puzzled about something: the current firmware is 51.1.4.1 but that's unrootable....but my AFTV is definitely rooted and Amazon updates are turned off.
Can someone please elaborate on how my AFTV can be rooted but currently running an unrootable firmware?
Cheers

Sounds like you got used one from some local seller. He might have installed pre-rooted stock rom by rbox
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/development/prerooted-stock-images-t2882337

I bought it from a guy on eBay who sells a lot of these. I'm almost certain it was new but had been rooted and set up prior to sale in order to boost his profit. I originally purchased a brand new unopened unit from him but when I turned it on, I realised it had 51.1.4.1 firmware and couldn't root it.....so I contacted the guy and paid extra to get a rooted/set-up unit instead. He told me that his latest batch of AFTVs had the newer firmware and therefore couldn't be rooted, but he still had a few rooted units available (which is what I ended up getting). However, I'm still confused as to how the current firmware can be 51.1.4.1 but still be rooted?!?
Sorry for the noob question....my background until now has been iOS and I've been running jailbroken ATV 2s with XBMC. WIth iOS, if you upgrade from a jailbroken firmware to a non-jailbreakable firmware then you lose the jailbreak. I'm puzzled as to how my AFTV is essentially "jailbroken" but running a non-"jailbreakable" firmware version....that doesn't make sense to me.
EDIT: I just remembered that when my AFTV boots, Rbox's Boot Menu appears with Boot Kernel and Launch Recovery options. I'm going to have to do a lot more reading about all of this stuff. I guess I'm lucky in that I have a rooted AFTV but from what I understand so far, I'd lose root if I mucked around and tried to downgrade.

You,'ve got custom recovery so you can upgrade, d mowngrade , factory reset , etc. This is done through clockworkmod recovery. But...if you don't know what I'm talking about you should read aftvnews starter's guide.
Btw--you're good right where you're at. There's nothing to upgrade, and far as I know, no reason to downgrade.

Thanks KLit75, that makes more sense to me. I really appreciate your advice.

Questions regarding rooting.

I've got a nexus 7 (2013) on android 6.0. Over the two years I've spent with it, I've ran into many features that require root. Now I've finally decided to do it. Right now, I'm doing it for the multi window thing.
Q.1: How long will Nexus 7 OTA updates continue to come?
Q.2: Will I get a notification that I got a system update if I'm rooted? And will I be able to keep my root while updating?
Q.3: I found a way for rooting the Nexus on Lollipop through one click( I think wugtoolkit). Will it work on Marshmallow? If not, whats the easiest way, preferably without connecting it to a computer?
Q.4: Any risks or cons? I've heard its impossible to brick a Nexus, is it true?
Thanks 

Tranquility. said:
I've got a nexus 7 (2013) on android 6.0. Over the two years I've spent with it, I've ran into many features that require root. Now I've finally decided to do it. Right now, I'm doing it for the multi window thing.
Q.1: How long will Nexus 7 OTA updates continue to come?
Q.2: Will I get a notification that I got a system update if I'm rooted? And will I be able to keep my root while updating?
Q.3: I found a way for rooting the Nexus on Lollipop through one click( I think wugtoolkit). Will it work on Marshmallow? If not, whats the easiest way, preferably without connecting it to a computer?
Q.4: Any risks or cons? I've heard its impossible to brick a Nexus, is it true?
Thanks 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a dev, but I have some experience rooting the N7 (2012 and 2013).
1) Well, it looks like 6.0 isn't coming to the N7 2012, so there is a good chance support for major versions will be dropped soon (within the next year?). They might continue to release patches and security fixes for 6.x a year or two after that, like they appear to be doing with the N7 2012, but this is all speculation. There are probably number crunchers looking at the sales figures and survey results to gauge interest, and there were some rumors recently of a new N7 possibly in the works. Those will both factor into whether support will continue.
2) You will get a notification, but everything I've seen has indicated that the install will fail (won't brick the tablet, but will just show an error and reboot to its previous state). What I think most people do, including me, is just flash the stock image in 'no wipe' mode and re-root after the update. You can also sideload the OTA update, depending on rooting method (I think, but haven't done this myself). Lastly, if you don't mind reconfiguring all your apps or if you have a good backup scheme, you can just do a fresh install then root. I have never had trouble flashing stock in no-wipe and re-rooting, but I've heard some people have had problems. (It's worth noting that if your bootloader hasn't been unlocked, you will have to wipe the device anyways. The unlocking survives flashing, so it's a 'one and done' thing. You only really need to lock it again if you're sending it in for warranty service.)
3) Wug's toolkit is currently borked for most people (version 2.0.6), so avoid it until the thread in the N7 development subforum has some success stories. Also, rooting in Marshmallow is possible, but seek out instructions specifically for M and use the latest versions of any linked utilities (like SuperSU and TWRP). I used Wug's toolkit 90% of the time for updating and rooting, and when it works, it's a breeze. It might be worth waiting for it to be updated to address the current issues. You can use the previous version to do some basic things and as a launchpad for manual tweaking, but the main, one click and done options will not work - I tried and was greeted with a bootloop due to an out of date SuperSU. But, in version 2.0.5 you can unlock the bootloader and flash the latest stock (haven't tried the U or V versions, but MRA58K worked fine). From there you have to root mostly manually, but there are shortcuts for some of the steps in the Advanced Utilities section.
4) It's always possible to brick a device, but it's very rare. There are 2 kinds of 'bricks'. 'Hard' brick is what most people worry about - something happens that prevents access to even the lowest level of the device. It's as if there was a hardware failure. 'Soft' bricking is what less tech literate people equate to hard bricking because to them the device is useless. In reality, it's a software issue that prevents some early stage of the boot up process. It is almost always recoverable with enough time and research. In basic computer terms, hard bricking is failing to post and soft bricking is failure of the OS to load (basically, though there are nuances). With root, you have access to everything and you're trusting whatever you install that takes advantage of that power to use it wisely. An ad blocker shouldn't need to adjust the CPU voltages. This is rare if you don't intend to overclock or mess with low level hardware tweaks. It is much more likely, but still pretty rare, to soft brick the device, which means you just have to reflash the system image. Worst case is you have to wipe the device and start over, or spend a few hours researching exactly what caused it.
Hope that helps. I'm not an obsessive ROM flasher and my experience has been only with Nexus devices, but these are my impressions.

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply.
1) I was under the impression that 6.0 would be the last updated for Nexus 7. Guess I'm wrong.
2) How long would "flashing the stock image in no wipe mode" take?
3) I'll wait then for an updated version ._.
4) Guess if I follow the steps correctly that won't happen. Prepared to take the risk.

Tranquility. said:
Thanks a lot for your detailed reply.
1) I was under the impression that 6.0 would be the last updated for Nexus 7. Guess I'm wrong.
2) How long would "flashing the stock image in no wipe mode" take?
3) I'll wait then for an updated version ._.
4) Guess if I follow the steps correctly that won't happen. Prepared to take the risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android M is the last official update for N7 2013, the first gen N7 is done with updates. Once rooted you will not get any OTA updates anyway.
Flashing usually takes about 3-4 minutes. Booting up can take up to 10-15 min.
Just don't root on M until a stable method has been discovered.

Kay thanks.
Could you please update me when a stable way is found? Or at least provide a link where I can check myself.

You can check the marshmallow and the beta thread for updates. http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/supersu

Tranquility. said:
Kay thanks.
Could you please update me when a stable way is found? Or at least provide a link where I can check myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root 6.0 pretty easy if you have fastboot installed. I've done it and can confirm it works. You just need to download the ElementalX-N7 kernel and SuperSU to your device then flash TWRP in fastboot then flash the kernel and SuperSU in TWRP. There are threads on here I believe with instructions to help you. If you need any help you can message me.

The beta SuperSU and elementalx method worked great for me and seems totally stable. I'd recommend learning fastboot/adb as mentioned. That has saved me a few times from the dumb things I've done messing around with root access.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Rooting
As I mentioned in a previous post rooting using TWRP, SU I don't think fully roots
the device. When I loaded Multi-Rom, it installed in the usual fashion but only boots to the TWRP recovery utility.
In the past, one could globally root the device but the problem appears new.
Kurt

Fire TV2 - Rooted on 5.0.3.1 and have some questions

Hi all, I've had Fire TV 1's and rooted them since the day they got rooted, the main thing I use them for is Kodi and as a launcher.
I followed zeroepoch's thread and attempted root in windows but it stopped midway through, not bricked or anything, the only thing I noticed is I could not check for updates anymore (I did not disable the ota service or block in router or anything) since no root access at that point. Well I decided to spin up an Ubuntu VM and use linux to root (MUCH faster/easier btw!) I followed the video guide posted here (Thanks!) and it was a breeze.
Here's my question now though, I want to update to 5.0.4. @AFTVnews.com posted a topic about 5.0.4 but had suggessted unrooting first, then upgrading officially, then re-rooting. I"m good with doing this, I'm sure it will take some time to complete but that's fine. I'm just not sure how to go about doing this. I have kept my linux box VM, is there a guide I missed or anything? I'm sure it's similar to the rooting process I just want to make sure I do it right, don't want a brick.
Also with FTV1, xposed was working and rbox module to override launcher and this is what I used a lot of, as well as modified Kodi Confluence skin from @elmerhueso. I know xposed is not yet up and running on ftv2 but for those running Kodi, is Firestarter the best launcher replacement, even with root? Last question is, I noticed team Kodi dropped libstagefright in Jarvis, this was a major problem for the FTV1 as is was a regression in some video playback as mediacodec is not quite as mature. Is this still the case with FTV2? Or what is the reccomended version of Kodi everyone is using?
Thanks for everyones help, without your work the fire tv would be nowhere compared to what it is now!
P.S. - Any other Root programs/tips&tricks for the FTV2 now that I've successfully rooted, I'd love to hear what others are using root for on their FTV2.

I use the latest stable version of Kodi 15.2, running Konfluence skin (modded confluence), get yourself a Logitech K400 plus keyboard their great & have also a mouse touch pad (make sure you unable us debugging or your usb socket won't work). Their isn't a proper guide yet I've looked! We will have to wait I'm sure it won't be long? Their is a quick upgrade in the forums but also some have reported bricks with the "quick upgrade" , so for me I'm not taking the risk just yet, I'd rather do a longer flash of my AFTV2 than a super quick flash & end up with a "brick".

Skater4599 said:
Here's my question now though, I want to update to 5.0.4. @AFTVnews.com posted a topic about 5.0.4 but had suggessted unrooting first, then upgrading officially, then re-rooting. I"m good with doing this, I'm sure it will take some time to complete but that's fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just enable OTA via package manager then install the 5.0.4 update. It will unroot your device and you have a stock 5.0.4. Then just root as you did for 5.0.3. There is no reason/need to go to stock 5.0.4 and then rerooting. I've done 3 devices with exactly this method, no issues.

I'm sure it's safe but I would rather wait for an official guide than take a risk
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone!
Good info here, I'm glad to hear that re-enabling the OTA is "safe" to just go ahead and update and re-root, I thought there might be something else needed but I aired on the side of caution as I'm pretty new to the FTV2 and the rooting method used for it.
Your tips/input is much appreciated!

Skater4599 said:
Thanks everyone!
Good info here, I'm glad to hear that re-enabling the OTA is "safe" to just go ahead and update and re-root, I thought there might be something else needed but I aired on the side of caution as I'm pretty new to the FTV2 and the rooting method used for it.
Your tips/input is much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about OTA'ing from 5.0.3 to 5.0.4 being "safe". It SEEMS to work... but I still have some reservations about it.

rbox said:
I don't know about OTA'ing from 5.0.3 to 5.0.4 being "safe". It SEEMS to work... but I still have some reservations about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, I recall from previous experiences in the past with many rooted devices (mainly phones or consoles) that in most cases that you don't install OTA updates straight from a rooted device because 9/10 times It leads to Bricks! Now I don't know if this would be the same with the AFTV2 but I'd unroot then install the OTA & then reroot.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

deanr1977 said:
Same here, I recall from previous experiences in the past with many rooted devices (mainly phones or consoles) that in most cases that you don't install OTA updates straight from a rooted device because 9/10 times It leads to Bricks! Now I don't know if this would be the same with the AFTV2 but I'd unroot then install the OTA & then reroot.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There any instructions to do this? I would rather do it the safer method, dont care if it takes longer thats ok. Im not sure how to full unroot, use an app or reflash stock image or something? Thanks again

Skater4599 said:
There any instructions to do this? I would rather do it the safer method, dont care if it takes longer thats ok. Im not sure how to full unroot, use an app or reflash stock image or something? Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully someone will provide a full working guide very soon, it is almost Xmas so I can't see anyone putting a guide up anytime this week? Or Amazon doing another update until at least the end of January? So we will have to just wait. Ask in the main Root thread for AFTV2 if you like?
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/root-update-5-3-0-1-to-5-0-4-3-min-t3277997 @aboshi posted this 5.0.3.1 to 5.0.4 guide. It's not an official OTA update but a few people have used it with success.

gen3benz said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/root-update-5-3-0-1-to-5-0-4-3-min-t3277997 @aboshi posted this 5.0.3.1 to 5.0.4 guide. It's not an official OTA update but a few people have used it with success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers mate I've seen this already & as tempting as a 3-5min flash upgrade I think I'd rather be safer with the longer root process than the quicker one, I'm not gonna jump in feet first when rooting (especially when we have no recovery yet).
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

I hear ya man. I havent tried it either. Im happy with my flawless kodi streaming from my pc to my ftv and phone. Dont really see a need for the 5.0.4 update myself, since i use Firestarter anyways. Cheers bud and merry xmas.

I have a 4k fire TV box and have kodi installed etc,what's the benefits of rooting them

More features, mod the look of stuff, have more control over everything, if in the future Amazon blocks kodi, if your on an earlier update (custom firmware) you maybe able to still use (because we block the ota updates with root), get rid of ads in apps, more accessories options/mods, the list goes on.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Rooted Gen 1 FireTV - I don't really use Root, am I missing anything updating to 5.0?

So I rooted my 1st Gen FireTV as soon as I got it, and I think I'm on the very first Firmware. I had blocked OTA updates and as far as I know have never updated. that being said, I don't think I've ever done much that actually used the Root functionality. The only thing I really do is use Kodi 15.1 annnnndddd thats it.
I do own an Amazon Echo, and saw that Alexa is now part of the new FTV update. Not sure if I can link them together and just boss my FTV around via the Echo or not, but I like the idea of more / updated functionality from my FireTV
Soooo thoughts? Am I missing anything great by updating and giving up Root? I have seen that I could update with pre-rooted firmware but then I would have to install CRM / Recovery, then do incrimental upgrades after installing a Bootmenu, etc. That seems like a lot of stuff I need in place and a lot of points of failure or bricking for something I'm not sure I even need =/
If so, what would you suggest is the easiest way to re-enable OTA updates? I was going to ADB and use pm enable com.amazon.dcp Thanks for any advice, by the way, I'm pretty new at this.

Well OK then =/

Well, like many things, the answer is up to you.
If you have no need for root then you have no need to for root.
I like, many others, prefer the option of having root, recovery and unlocked bootloaders.
If you don't use anything Amazon and only use it for Kodi then root will give you the ability to freeze the FireTV Launcher have Kodi set as Home.
Installing recovery and a updated pre-rooted ROM isn't too difficult and you've done the 'hard' part by having root already.
Update wise, unless you want to be running the latest versions then yes you'll have to on top of it otherwise you can just update to the current version and be done with it.
You can check back every now and then to see what the additional updates from Amazon fix or what features it adds and decide then if you want to update.

Can't get root twice for bootloader unlock. Got it once, can't do it again.

I had 5.1.1 installed. Couldn't get KingRoot to give temp root (lots of people say you can only do it on 4.4.4, lots of other people say they got it to work on 5.1.1 if you read around).
So I tried downgrading to 4.4.4. Odin failed every time.
So I tried downgrading to 5.0.1. That worked. But kingroot still was unable to get root.
I then found King O Root. Tried that once, no luck. Tried it a 2nd time, and success. I then ran the samsund_fix file. And it changed my CID.
But then you have to restart the phone and run the fix file again.
I have run king o root (and tried kingroot) each at least 30 times now. And I can't get either to give me root access again. I've even tried the desktop version of king o root. Nothing.
I'm SOOO close I feel. But I can't get that last step. Its killing me.
Can anyone help with where to go next?
I figure either 1) I have to find a way to get temporary root one more time. OR 2) find a way to get down to kitkat 4.4.4 to get temporary root.
One other quick question, is the reason I can't get to 4.4.4 because I upgraded all the way to 5.1.1? EVERYTHING I read says 'yeah you can downgrade' but mine won't downgrade. Odin fails with an error So how do I get to 4.4.4? Am I just screwed?
NAND Write Start!
boot.img
FAIL! (Auth)

Are you sure you have to push the file again?
Sometimes it doesn't take and you need to push it again. The last couple of times I unlocked it went on the first try. Go into download mode and see if it says "developer mode."
I was able to unlock on 5.1.1. Kingroot and Kingoroot are extremely unstable besides being Chinese software with all of the risks that entails. There is supposedly a PC version of one of them (shudder) that is allegedly a bit more stable.
Where are you getting the firmware you're trying to use to downgrade?

douger1957 said:
Are you sure you have to push the file again?
Sometimes it doesn't take and you need to push it again. The last couple of times I unlocked it went on the first try. Go into download mode and see if it says "developer mode."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I'm not 100% sure I have to push the file again. I know when I ran the fix file in adb shell the first time, it said I have to run the fix script again. And then when I boot into download mode, I see nothing that says "developer mode".
But, on the other hand. When I check with the eMMC Brickbug checker thing. That says the CID did change according to what the samsung_fix script said it changed it to.
So I *think* the CID changed? But I don't have developer mode. So I think I need to run the fix script again to finish the job.
douger1957 said:
I was able to unlock on 5.1.1. Kingroot and Kingoroot are extremely unstable besides being Chinese software with all of the risks that entails. There is supposedly a PC version of one of them (shudder) that is allegedly a bit more stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually tried a PC version of kingoroot. It also failed numerous times.
douger1957 said:
Where are you getting the firmware you're trying to use to downgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting it from androidfilehost.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?w=search&s=n910v
That's where I got the 5.0.1 version that worked when I went from 5.1.1 to 5.0.1. But I guess I could try finding a 4.4.4 version from somewhere else. I don't know where though.
It passes md5 check in odin. Though I'm not sure that means much.

nertskull said:
So I'm not 100% sure I have to push the file again. I know when I ran the fix file in adb shell the first time, it said I have to run the fix script again. And then when I boot into download mode, I see nothing that says "developer mode".
But, on the other hand. When I check with the eMMC Brickbug checker thing. That says the CID did change according to what the samsung_fix script said it changed it to.
So I *think* the CID changed? But I don't have developer mode. So I think I need to run the fix script again to finish the job.
I actually tried a PC version of kingoroot. It also failed numerous times.
I'm getting it from androidfilehost.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?w=search&s=n910v
That's where I got the 5.0.1 version that worked when I went from 5.1.1 to 5.0.1. But I guess I could try finding a 4.4.4 version from somewhere else. I don't know where though.
It passes md5 check in odin. Though I'm not sure that means much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may be your problem. I don't think you can flash a rooted ROM with a locked bootloader with success. Try this one. (Thanks, @hsbadr!) It's the OEM firmware. This will mean that you'll need to start from scratch. I should note that another poster has had trouble flashing this firmware although other posters including myself have used it successfully.
@hsbadr has a repository of firmwares. What you're looking for is the full firmware. Sammobile is another source of firmware, but they're terribly slow to download from.

douger1957 said:
This may be your problem. I don't think you can flash a rooted ROM with a locked bootloader with success. Try this one. (Thanks, @hsbadr!) It's the OEM firmware. This will mean that you'll need to start from scratch. I should note that another poster has had trouble flashing this firmware although other posters including myself have used it successfully.
@hsbadr has a repository of firmwares. What you're looking for is the full firmware. Sammobile is another source of firmware, but they're terribly slow to download from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that firmware you linked to. That took me back to 5.1.1. I tried kingroot and kingoroot, and still no luck. After 8 or 9 tries each, I still can't get temproot.
I thought it would be better to go back to 4.4.4, and looked through hsbadr's list of roms you linked me to. I tried both of the 4.4.4 full firmwares (NJ5 and NI1) and both fail on odin.
It would seem to me I'm never getting back to 4.4.4/kitkat am I?
Should I just keep running kingroot/kingoroot until I can get temp root? I ran kingoroot at least 30 times last night on 5.0.1 and never got root again. I really don't understand why I could get it once but never again.
Should I try running it a million times on 5.1.1 where I now am again? Or should I go back to 5.0.1? Is there any other way to get temporary root?

nertskull said:
I tried that firmware you linked to. That took me back to 5.1.1. I tried kingroot and kingoroot, and still no luck. After 8 or 9 tries each, I still can't get temproot.
I thought it would be better to go back to 4.4.4, and looked through hsbadr's list of roms you linked me to. I tried both of the 4.4.4 full firmwares (NJ5 and NI1) and both fail on odin.
It would seem to me I'm never getting back to 4.4.4/kitkat am I?
Should I just keep running kingroot/kingoroot until I can get temp root? I ran kingoroot at least 30 times last night on 5.0.1 and never got root again. I really don't understand why I could get it once but never again.
Should I try running it a million times on 5.1.1 where I now am again? Or should I go back to 5.0.1? Is there any other way to get temporary root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to unlock my bootloader twice on 5.1.1. I used Kingroot to unlock Lollipop and Kingoroot to unlock Marshmallow. See if you can find an older version of either root methods. I think I remember reading somewhere that the newer version is flakier than the older stuff. I'm fairly convinced that the rooted ROM you flashed is part of the problem.
As I said, Kingroot and Kingoroot are highly unstable. You may need to spend quite a bit of time in multiple attempts. It comes down to how badly do you want root?

douger1957 said:
I was able to unlock my bootloader twice on 5.1.1. I used Kingroot to unlock Lollipop and Kingoroot to unlock Marshmallow. See if you can find an older version of either root methods. I think I remember reading somewhere that the newer version is flakier than the older stuff. I'm fairly convinced that the rooted ROM you flashed is part of the problem.
As I said, Kingroot and Kingoroot are highly unstable. You may need to spend quite a bit of time in multiple attempts. It comes down to how badly do you want root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy success. I have no idea why. But after rebooting the phone for the umpteenth time and running kingoroot another 20 times. It finally gave me another successful temp root, this time while on 5.1.1.
I ran the script again, and now when I got into download mode, I have Mode: Developer showing. Hooray.
BUT....then bootloops. I couldn't get it started.
I then accidentally wiped everything, completely wiped. No operating system according to twrp.
So I looked around, and it appears JasmineRom and CM13 by hsbadr are mentioned as good custom ROMs. So I grabbed CM13, used twrp to install it. And success. I have a working phone. At least, for the past couple minutes.
So a tremendous thank you for giving me some guidance.
I have two more questions for the moment though.
1) How easy/hard would it be to lose developer mode? Do I need to be careful about what roms I flash? Could I lose that? Or now that it is in developer mode, should I be pretty safe in that sticking around?
2) Can I try any Rom on it right now. There don't appear to be a lot of verizon note 4 specific roms around for this phone, because it hasn't had root for long. Will any of the other note 4 roms work? Or should I make sure to stick to only 'proven verizon' roms.
Thanks again for the help.
....
Oh, and how bad do I want root? Badly. Super badly. If I had the money I would have ditched this phone forever ago. I will never buy another phone again on the hope/promise that it will get root soon.

nertskull said:
Holy success. I have no idea why. But after rebooting the phone for the umpteenth time and running kingoroot another 20 times. It finally gave me another successful temp root, this time while on 5.1.1.
I ran the script again, and now when I got into download mode, I have Mode: Developer showing. Hooray.
BUT....then bootloops. I couldn't get it started.
I then accidentally wiped everything, completely wiped. No operating system according to twrp.
So I looked around, and it appears JasmineRom and CM13 by hsbadr are mentioned as good custom ROMs. So I grabbed CM13, used twrp to install it. And success. I have a working phone. At least, for the past couple minutes.
So a tremendous thank you for giving me some guidance.
I have two more questions for the moment though.
1) How easy/hard would it be to lose developer mode? Do I need to be careful about what roms I flash? Could I lose that? Or now that it is in developer mode, should I be pretty safe in that sticking around?
2) Can I try any Rom on it right now. There don't appear to be a lot of verizon note 4 specific roms around for this phone, because it hasn't had root for long. Will any of the other note 4 roms work? Or should I make sure to stick to only 'proven verizon' roms.
Thanks again for the help.
....
Oh, and how bad do I want root? Badly. Super badly. If I had the money I would have ditched this phone forever ago. I will never buy another phone again on the hope/promise that it will get root soon.
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The only way I know to lock your bootloader is to flash an OEM firmware, take an OTA or mess with flashing bootloader without knowing what you're doing..
What you can flash depends upon which bootloader you have unlocked. Lollipop? You can flash a ROM based on a Lollipop bootloader. Jasmine 4.3 and CM 13 before 6/20 are Marshmallow ROMs based on Lollipop bootloaders. You can also run ROMs made for the N910F/G (also based on Lollipop bootloaders) if you use the proper data fix.
If you want to run a pure Marshmallow ROM, you need to do the unlock dance again. If you're interested in wifi calling, you'll need to stick with a fairly stock OEM ROM like Jasmine 6.0 or 7.0 (both versions are buried pretty deep in the thread) or PaulPizz which I haven't tried but hear good things about.

douger1957 said:
The only way I know to lock your bootloader is to flash an OEM firmware, take an OTA or mess with flashing bootloader without knowing what you're doing..
What you can flash depends upon which bootloader you have unlocked. Lollipop? You can flash a ROM based on a Lollipop bootloader. Jasmine 4.3 and CM 13 before 6/20 are Marshmallow ROMs based on Lollipop bootloaders. You can also run ROMs made for the N910F/G (also based on Lollipop bootloaders) if you use the proper data fix.
If you want to run a pure Marshmallow ROM, you need to do the unlock dance again. If you're interested in wifi calling, you'll need to stick with a fairly stock OEM ROM like Jasmine 6.0 or 7.0 (both versions are buried pretty deep in the thread) or PaulPizz which I haven't tried but hear good things about.
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Awesome. I downloaded CM13 from before the 20th and it seems to work great. I had to flash the CM13 rom and open GApps at the same time, otherwise the GApps kept crashing. But flashing them at the same time before turning on CM13 for the first time seemed to work.
Thanks for the help. Don't follow things closely enough to have known that I needed a pre 20th build.
Perhaps one more question.
Would you recommend taking the time to unlock the marshmallow bootloader? I don't need wifi calling. And I seem to be getting most of the benefits of 6.0.1 now even though using a lollipop bootloader.
I'm hesitant to try to unlock the marshmallow bootloader, because according to the instructions, it looks like I have to deal with kingroot/kingoroot again to do it. And I had such a hard time getting those to work this first time (easily 80+ tries running kingoroot) before I got temproot, that I'm not sure I want to take the risk of doing it again.
In your opinion, is it worth the risk to unlock the marshmallow bootloader? Or is running marshmallow on the lollipop bootloader reasonable enough?
Thanks

nertskull said:
Awesome. I downloaded CM13 from before the 20th and it seems to work great. I had to flash the CM13 rom and open GApps at the same time, otherwise the GApps kept crashing. But flashing them at the same time before turning on CM13 for the first time seemed to work.
Thanks for the help. Don't follow things closely enough to have known that I needed a pre 20th build.
Perhaps one more question.
Would you recommend taking the time to unlock the marshmallow bootloader? I don't need wifi calling. And I seem to be getting most of the benefits of 6.0.1 now even though using a lollipop bootloader.
I'm hesitant to try to unlock the marshmallow bootloader, because according to the instructions, it looks like I have to deal with kingroot/kingoroot again to do it. And I had such a hard time getting those to work this first time (easily 80+ tries running kingoroot) before I got temproot, that I'm not sure I want to take the risk of doing it again.
In your opinion, is it worth the risk to unlock the marshmallow bootloader? Or is running marshmallow on the lollipop bootloader reasonable enough?
Thanks
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That's a difficult question to answer and for me would boil down to whether I wanted features available in Marshmallow based ROMs or not.
Wifi calling is a nice to have feature for me but it's not really a dealbreaker. There's a bit more security baked into Marshmallow which is always nice to have.
The development atmosphere is more active over at the generic Note 4 forum. You can now get one of the super ROMs (Note/S7 combo ports) in either flavor. You'll want to stick with ROMs developed for the N910F or G models. They're international phones with fewer integration headaches for our N910V phones. To use those ROMs on our phone, you'll need a data fix most kindly provided by @louforgiveno.
My suggestion in picking a ROM is to zero in on one that seems to have the features you'd like to have and read the entire thread. Look for threads in either the General or Q&A subforums that are dedicated to answering questions about the ROM and read those, too. Some of those threads are upwards to 1,000 posts or more, you say? You'll discover what problems people have had with the ROM and the solutions or workarounds needed to overcome them. You'll also discover just how lazy many posters are either not reading thoroughly or failing to use the search function.
Final suggestions? Do a full nandroid backup before you flash anything. In TWRP, check off all of the boxes. In many of today's ROMs, you'll have a 8 to 10 gig backup file. If you can't keep that on the phone, move it to your PC. There will be far fewer tears if something goes wrong. When you flash a ROM, do a full wipe. I check off Dalvik/ART cache, system, data, and cache. For your first ROM, I would move anything that you have on internal storage off the phone and wipe internal storage too. If you have any Kingroot/Kingoroot cooties, that should clear them off the phone. When you're done flashing a ROM there's an option to wipe the cache. Do it. If you've installed a bunch or apps or deleted them, wipe the Dalvik and cache. It'll help bring the Android stars into alignment as that forces the system to optimize.
Good luck and happy flashing.

You need to go to 5.1.1 use kingOroot and then do it again. Cid will remain that's what I did. Its different for everyone these root methods are pulled from the internet and it will usually take a few time and it will try dufrrent methods of rooting
nertskull said:
I had 5.1.1 installed. Couldn't get KingRoot to give temp root (lots of people say you can only do it on 4.4.4, lots of other people say they got it to work on 5.1.1 if you read around).
So I tried downgrading to 4.4.4. Odin failed every time.
So I tried downgrading to 5.0.1. That worked. But kingroot still was unable to get root.
I then found King O Root. Tried that once, no luck. Tried it a 2nd time, and success. I then ran the samsund_fix file. And it changed my CID.
But then you have to restart the phone and run the fix file again.
I have run king o root (and tried kingroot) each at least 30 times now. And I can't get either to give me root access again. I've even tried the desktop version of king o root. Nothing.
I'm SOOO close I feel. But I can't get that last step. Its killing me.
Can anyone help with where to go next?
I figure either 1) I have to find a way to get temporary root one more time. OR 2) find a way to get down to kitkat 4.4.4 to get temporary root.
One other quick question, is the reason I can't get to 4.4.4 because I upgraded all the way to 5.1.1? EVERYTHING I read says 'yeah you can downgrade' but mine won't downgrade. Odin fails with an error So how do I get to 4.4.4? Am I just screwed?
NAND Write Start!
boot.img
FAIL! (Auth)
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For me, I had to run Kingoroot from my laptop, and Kingroot never worked.