Develop Bugs

What is the cleanest way to install updates?

I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick

C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer using multirom. What I do, is wait for a flashable full version of the latest and greatest stock from Tasssadar (he usually has one the same day or 2), then flash it as secondary, root it, install xposed, gb, and a couple other modules and viper4android, qualcom dalvik and bionic patches, flash elementalx, go into primary, make backups with TiB, go into recovery and do a complete nandroid, put them onto my meenova (and pc), delete all the big apps that take up a lot of room, then boot into secondary, restore android ID with TiB, install only small apps I need (I prefer reinstalling instead of restoring from backup), then use TiB to restore app data only (only the things I need) and wifi networks, once I am satisfied with it being complete, I use multiroms swap rom function to swap secondary to primary, then confirm it works, then I delete the secondary (which is the old version), then I install and restore data for the big items. If you have a 32GB N7, you probably can be more careless with the deleting of big app data.
This way I get a clean start, loose nothing and have multple ways of going back if I need to, also I can take my time restoring stuff and still use my working older version until I am ready.

C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, i think it depends a bit on what kind of update it is. Usually the "smaller OTA updates (like 4.3.1 to 4.3.2) doesnt wipe your system, so all you have to do is re-root it again (if you want). All Apps and Data is kept. If the update is one that changes the Android Version like 4.1 to 4.3 (wich wont happen on the Nexus) then i would suggest a factory-reset before and maybe even after again, yes.
Off topic a bit: To be honest, i never bothered with backup systems because i somehow doesnt feel its a good idea but that is really my own thinking, im very aware that many ppl use backups successfully.
Games i play are usually saved on the server anyway, contacts, emails and all that are automatically there anyway if you use a google account and if your system is set to automatically restoe apps then all the apps get automatically downloaded again anyway.
Somehow i dont seem to use a single app that needs data to be backed up. And theres none that comes to my mind, besides savegames of non-server-saved games probably. But for that theres Helium. The cloud (be it "owncloud" or the official ones) saves me all this trouble with backups.

For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.

espionage724 said:
For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.

mdamaged said:
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience

espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own I guess.:good:

Thanks to all who responded. Good info and ideas on installs. I may end up doing a clean install and following the methods you all mentioned. Right now, I'm monitoring the performance to see if anything further is necessary.
Thanks,
Rick

espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that it's not too much trouble to unlock the bootloader BUT... you will completely wipe your entire device everytime you unlock the bootloader! There is only one way that I know of to get around that. "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" is supposed to be able to unlock the bootloader without wiping the device but for it to work you will have had to unlock the bootloader to gain root beforehand, then you can use the app to lock unlock. I've never used "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" so I can't make any claims as to how well it works or if it will continue to work after future updates. If you ever want to fastboot flash the factory image or parts of a factory image the bootloader will need to be unlocked. And as far as I know to flash images with a toolkit (I don't use any) like Wug's the bootloader needs to be unlocked. Unlocked bootloader from a security standpoint? You're absolutely right that there is a risk! IF your device physically ends up in someone else's possession. We do have the "Android Device Manager" now that gives the ability to locate and wipe our devices. And, I have an additional theft warranty provided by Ruger so I don't spend much time worrying about losing any devices. ; ) There are much bigger security risks from just being rooted and/or having "unknown sources" enabled, web exploits and sideloaded apps. Unless you leave your device completely stock and unrooted, relocking your bootloader can create a significant hurdle that needs to be overcome to solve problems, especially for inexperienced android users. For what it's not worth, just my 2 cents! ; )
Update: after doing some research and installing BootUnlocker it seems to work well! Sweet! I don't need it and prefer to just stay unlocked so I'm deleting the app. Downside of having a locked bootloader is if you can't boot up and want to flash the system or factory images you'll need to "fastboot oem unlock" which equals "wiped device"
C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you and I feel the same way about OTA updates. I've always felt that flashing the factory image will provide a much more consistent and reliable result. I'm not a big fan of using the OTA's but do use them occasionally for very small updates like 4.4.4. Usually the bigger OTA updates will fail because I have too many modified files in the system and because they are bigger I would rather flash the image anyway. Generally, for the most part, I will open the factory image and pull (extract) from there the specific images that were updated in the OTA and fastboot flash those. On the N7 only the system image was changed with the 4.4.4 update. The 4.4.3 update changed the boot and system images. You can either flash the images that are needed for the update individually or the whole factory image. Flashing the individual images will not wipe your storage, settings or user apps and the factory image Can also be flashed without wiping your storage, or losing your installed apps and settings. When you extract the factory image you will see;
bootloader-flo-flo-04.02.img
flash-all.bat
flash-all.sh
flash-base.sh
image-razor-ktu84p.zip
Inside the "image-razor-ktu84p.zip" is where you will see the individual images;
android-info.txt
boot.img
cache.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
To flash the factory image without wiping data all you have to do is open up the 'flash-all.bat' with editpad lite or whatever notepad you use and remove the -w from the text. The -w flag will cause the userdata.img to be flashed which wipes your device. If you really want to make sure the os is clean you can do a factory reset with TWRP after flashing the images which will wipe the cache, data and dalvik and remove any settings but will leave your storage intact. I seldom do that though. If you are using a custom recovery it will be replaced with the stock recovery image when you flash the factory image which is why I generally flash the images separately. Not a big deal though because it only takes a few seconds to fastboot flash a custom recovery. My bootloader is always unlocked and I always have TWRP installed on my devices. Leaving TWRP installed gives the ability to flash an OTA that you sideloaded if you don't want to wait for it to get to your device. When you flash the system image, factory image or an OTA you will always lose the supersu binary which causes you to lose root. Before booting up after flashing the images you can go into your custom recovery and flash the supersu zip to regain root. Which is what I always do and I always leave a recent copy of the supersu zip on my devices. I always recommend learning how to use adb/fastboot, toolkits work fine for a lot of people but learning adb/fastboot is not hard and gives you more options and a better understanding of what is being done. A lot of problems you see posted here in the forums are from inexperienced users that are using toolkits. Just saying! ; )

Thanks for the response. I'm actually going back to just using adb/fastboot and flashing. I seem to run into more hiccups using toolkits that just a command line window.
Rick

[Q] CyanogenMod not getiing installed. SuperSU Crashing.

Hello All,
I am a beginner to all this stuff. I wanted to root my phone after seeing OnePlus One running on CyanogenMod. So, first I tried to directly install the Mod using the softwares downloaded from Cyanogen's website. But the software gave the error "Unsupported Firmware". Then I researched a bit on manually installing the mod. I followed the instructions.
- First I rooted my phone with Odin 3.09v
- Installed ROM Manger on my phone (Meanwhile the SuperSU app kept on crashing)
- Somehow I managed to install ClockworkMod (What I did was downloaded SuperSU apk, installed it again. It started working and then, not losing the chance I installed ClockworkMod).
- Then I tried to install CyanogenMod through ROM Manager
- My phone re-booted and then gave a error "Can't install package on incompatible data".
- I'm having the latest snapshot version on CyanogenMod.
- Then I left the things as it is. No rooting, unrooting, etc.
- So, now I tried to take backup of my current ROM, in case something happens at least I'll be having something with me to recover
- I used ROM Manager to take backup. But it gave the error "Can't create the image"
So, now I'm stuck between middle of nowhere. Please help me out to reach to some point.

svikramajit said:
Hello All,
I am a beginner to all this stuff. I wanted to root my phone after seeing OnePlus One running on CyanogenMod. So, first I tried to directly install the Mod using the softwares downloaded from Cyanogen's website. But the software gave the error "Unsupported Firmware". Then I researched a bit on manually installing the mod. I followed the instructions.
- First I rooted my phone with Odin 3.09v
- Installed ROM Manger on my phone (Meanwhile the SuperSU app kept on crashing)
- Somehow I managed to install ClockworkMod (What I did was downloaded SuperSU apk, installed it again. It started working and then, not losing the chance I installed ClockworkMod).
- Then I tried to install CyanogenMod through ROM Manager
- My phone re-booted and then gave a error "Can't install package on incompatible data".
- I'm having the latest snapshot version on CyanogenMod.
- Then I left the things as it is. No rooting, unrooting, etc.
- So, now I tried to take backup of my current ROM, in case something happens at least I'll be having something with me to recover
- I used ROM Manager to take backup. But it gave the error "Can't create the image"
So, now I'm stuck between middle of nowhere. Please help me out to reach to some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, first I think your SuperSu is not working properly. Open the Supersu app to see if it needs to update binaries. If it continues to crash, go into recovery manually (not using rom manager) and flash the latest SuperSu. Wipe Cache, go to advanced and Wipe Dalvik. Reboot. Your phone will say "android is upgrading" for a bit. Once it's booted up, go back into the supersu app and see if it needs to update binaries, if so- let it update, if not- move on. Here's a link to download SuperSu 2.02
Go back into recovery manually and select backup and restore-> backup to sdcard (or sdcard1, external sd, is my preference) This will start the backup process.
Once that is done, you need to find the CyanogenMod file specific to your phone, then you can enter recovery and flash it.
If you have trouble entering recovery, you can flash a new one via recovery or with odin.

Hello absinthesummer,
I followed every instruction you told. Now I'm done till creating backup. The problem now I'm facing is this 'Status 7' error. It says "Can't install package on incompatible data.....". Now what to do?

Status 7 is a very specific error. It means your recovery is out of date. Get the absolute newest you can find and try again. This is good news though, you've got progress!
---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
Edit: flash the latest recovery you can find via Odin. You probably won't be able to do it in recovery while you're getting the status 7 error.

absinthesummer said:
Status 7 is a very specific error. It means your recovery is out of date. Get the absolute newest you can find and try again. This is good news though, you've got progress!
---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
Edit: flash the latest recovery you can find via Odin. You probably won't be able to do it in recovery while you're getting the status 7 error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I've got the latest recovery. But I figured out the problem. It was with the package I downloaded. The CM 11 M9 version was giving errors. I researched and tried few fixes, but still it didn't work.
The fixes I tried :-
1. Deleting some coding lines from the updater-script file. But this fix gave the status 6 error.
2. Changing the updater-script file format to UNIX format. Then again it gave the status 7 error.
So, what I did, when I had no more brain to fix it, I downloaded the CM 11 M6 version and tried installing it. And VOILA! It worked. Then I updated it to M9 version through phone. Now it's working. Though it has some bugs. And some features are missing too that I wanted badly.

svikramajit said:
No, I've got the latest recovery. But I figured out the problem. It was with the package I downloaded. The CM 11 M9 version was giving errors. I researched and tried few fixes, but still it didn't work.
The fixes I tried :-
1. Deleting some coding lines from the updater-script file. But this fix gave the status 6 error.
2. Changing the updater-script file format to UNIX format. Then again it gave the status 7 error.
So, what I did, when I had no more brain to fix it, I downloaded the CM 11 M6 version and tried installing it. And VOILA! It worked. Then I updated it to M9 version through phone. Now it's working. Though it has some bugs. And some features are missing too that I wanted badly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! I'm glad you got it working. You can also try comparing the two files to see what's different, or maybe swap the updater script. Maybe you'll be able to get the one you wanted working with a little modification

absinthesummer said:
Awesome! I'm glad you got it working. You can also try comparing the two files to see what's different, or maybe swap the updater script. Maybe you'll be able to get the one you wanted working with a little modification
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to you. You too helped me in working it out!
But, I have some more questions
Question 1 : If I flash stock ROM on my rooted phone, will I receive the new updates? If yes, will I be able to install them via Kies on my phone without getting into any trouble?
Question 2 : If I install stock ROM of any other phone, say Galaxy S5, will it work on my phone properly without any problems? If yes, will I receive the updates for that too and able to install them via Kies? If no, is there any way to install it? Cause I have seen people using S5 ROM on Note 2.

First question the answer is yes. As long as you have the stock recovery and stock kernel (along with the stock rom) you will receive ota updates. You can use ota root keeper (an app) to keep root during an ota update. There are many people who choose to stay fully stock but root to get rid of bloatware & stuff. However, if you want to get ota, I recommend freezing the bloatware instead of uninstalling, because an ota usually replaces old bloatware with new bloatware and can sometimes abort the ota if those apps are missing... but keep on mind this is not always the case, only certain devices.
Second question, no you cannot. Roms from other devices have to be ported to be compatible. But if you look in the development forums, you can find many roms that are basically stock but have specific features from other roms, along with the system ui (ie S5, note 3, & so forth). These rom devs have ported either parts/features or full on roms to be compatible on our device. They are excellent! I recommend reading up them and if you see some you like, try them out!

absinthesummer said:
First question the answer is yes. As long as you have the stock recovery and stock kernel (along with the stock rom) you will receive ota updates. You can use ota root keeper (an app) to keep root during an ota update. There are many people who choose to stay fully stock but root to get rid of bloatware & stuff. However, if you want to get ota, I recommend freezing the bloatware instead of uninstalling, because an ota usually replaces old bloatware with new bloatware and can sometimes abort the ota if those apps are missing... but keep on mind this is not always the case, only certain devices.
Second question, no you cannot. Roms from other devices have to be ported to be compatible. But if you look in the development forums, you can find many roms that are basically stock but have specific features from other roms, along with the system ui (ie S5, note 3, & so forth). These rom devs have ported either parts/features or full on roms to be compatible on our device. They are excellent! I recommend reading up them and if you see some you like, try them out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Stock Recovery
- Stock Kernel
- OTA Root Keeper
- Bloatware
Well, to be honest, just right now I learned these new terms but know nothing about them. Can you please give me a brief description for these four terms so that when I do advanced search on them, I'd have a idea in my mind about what these are. It will make it easy for me to understand the advance things.
And I'm looking for S5 ROM for my phone. Let's see what I get.

One more question. I made a backup of my rooted stock ROM via latest ClockwordMod, manually. Now, if I reset the binary counter using Triangle Away and then wipe Cache and Dalvik and then flash my stock ROM which is located on my memory card and then after flashing I use SuperSU to unroot and then a factory reset (I don't know the method of factory reseting cause I'm confused. Whether to do it manually, like going into recovery mode or just from the phone settings. So please tell me this also.), will my phone be unrooted totally?
And sorry for bugging you so much. I hate to do that, but I don't want to take risk with my phone. So I am just collecting information. I hope so many queries are not a problem for you.

Ok...
You already know what a rom is. A kernel is a lower-level base. It controls the hardware. So when you do something on the interface, in the rom, it tells the hardware how to react. (Ie if you're playing music it tells which speakers to play and how loudly). The kernel controls almost everything you can't see, it relates to performance. Most stock kernels can be limiting as they underclock the cpu by a certain percentage. Because of this, people seek out custom kernels to max out their device's potential. Louder speakers, faster cpu, better graphics, etc. This is all stuff the kernel can optimize... but because you can change so many factors there is a risk of instability if you push your device too hard (max performance) or limit it too much (max battery saving).
Recovery is exactly what it sounds like. When you boot your device the very first screen that pops up is the bootloader. It's giving you time to boot in 3 different modes. The first mode, by doing nothing, is a normal boot into the rom/OS. The second mode, which you get to by one button combination, takes you to recovery. The stock recovery is very limited. It gives you the option to factory restore, wipe cache, update, or boot normally. Stock recovery only exists for emergencies, if your phone fails to boot normally. We have custom recoveries so we can do more stuff, flash custom roms and tinker with things. The third mode is download mode/Odin mode. This is the bootloader interface itself. It's the last resort for recovery if your recovery has been damaged or corrupted. It allows you to connect to Odin or kies and perform an emergency recovery of the device. If you damage your bootloader, your device is completely bricked.
So the order of operation is this:
Lowest level- bootloader
Second level- recovery
Third level- kernel
Fourth level- rom
Bloatware is all the pre-installed apps that your carrier adds to your phone. Most people don't use it, don't like it, and don't want it. That why we root. Without root we basically are just guest users of the device. With root we become the administrators of the device. Until you root, your carrier has admin rights over your phone (to use windows terms).
When you receive an ota update, your carrier can make it to where the update won't proceed if their pre-installed apps have been removed (although this isn't always the case). Additionally, the update package itself checks the integrity of the device. It checks recovery, kernel, and rom. If any have been altered, it will not proceed because it could cause conflict and potentially brick your device. That's why those things have to be stock.
Ota root keeper is simply an app that backs up your superuser rights before an update and restores them after its done.
You should be able to find plenty of roms with S5 features. I'm using one that makes my device fully like an S5 (my device even thinks it is an S5 and every app identifies it as such) I can think of at least 2 others as well. There's plenty to choose from, and if you see a rom you like but it's mudding a particular feature, you can probably find that feature as a stand-alone installation in the forum's themes & apps section. Just about every feature of S5, S4, and note 3 has been ported to this device, so look around!
Also, for future reference, if someone helps you on the forum, hit the thanks button instead of saying it. I don't mind either way, but some people get annoyed and will stop helping them if they don't hit that button lol. It's silly, but it's part of "forum decorum"
---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:44 AM ----------
svikramajit said:
One more question. I made a backup of my rooted stock ROM via latest ClockwordMod, manually. Now, if I reset the binary counter using Triangle Away and then wipe Cache and Dalvik and then flash my stock ROM which is located on my memory card and then after flashing I use SuperSU to unroot and then a factory reset (I don't know the method of factory reseting cause I'm confused. Whether to do it manually, like going into recovery mode or just from the phone settings. So please tell me this also.), will my phone be unrooted totally?
And sorry for bugging you so much. I hate to do that, but I don't want to take risk with my phone. So I am just collecting information. I hope so many queries are not a problem for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're fine, I don't mind answering your questions. Yes, you can unroot fully in the way you just mentioned but you don't even have to go through all the trouble of factory reset. Just unroot in the app. The app can be uninstalled afterwards via the play store.
You can factory reset either way, the same commands are given no matter which way you go about it. But it can be more efficient to do it from recovery because when you do it from the rom it has to create a wipe script for when it reboots, and it has to shut down the rom first. If you do it from recovery it doesn't have to anything, the rom isn't running and it can execute the wipe command immediately. (The wipe command is wipe /data /cache etc)

Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?

svikramajit said:
Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you damage the bootloader it's a hard brick and you would have to send it in for jtag services (this is a low level emmc chip flash service) The bootloader won't get damaged unless you do something to corrupt it. If you ever feel the need to flash a new bootloader, do it via Odin, never recovery! If you remember that you should be fine.

svikramajit said:
Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to tell you I'm using DN3 rom. It has an aroma installer that lets you choose whether you want an S5 ui, a note 3 ui or a mixed ui. Choosing S5 ui & S5 build prop allows your device to work with S5 apps & it looks just like an S5. It's not the only rom out there, but it's beautiful, fast, and stable & the team works hard on it.

absinthesummer said:
I meant to tell you I'm using DN3 rom. It has an aroma installer that lets you choose whether you want an S5 ui, a note 3 ui or a mixed ui. Choosing S5 ui & S5 build prop allows your device to work with S5 apps & it looks just like an S5. It's not the only rom out there, but it's beautiful, fast, and stable & the team works hard on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey absinthesummer!
I tried to unroot my phone with the method I told you. But in the restore option, I am stuck at 'Checking MD5 Sums..'. What to do now?

MD5 checking takes forever! You have to wait it out. Most recoveries offer a way to turn it off. You shouldn't have to factory reset though, just click unroot in the super su app and then uninstall the app from the play store.

absinthesummer said:
MD5 checking takes forever! You have to wait it out. Most recoveries offer a way to turn it off. You shouldn't have to factory reset though, just click unroot in the super su app and then uninstall the app from the play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I waited and the system was restored. But I got an error on 'Restoring Data'. I rebooted the phone and now it's showing glowing Samsung logo from like 3-4 minutes.

I've seen that before. Can you get back into recovery? You may have to flash stock in Odin, flash recovery and then do the Restore again. Data got messed up.

absinthesummer said:
I've seen that before. Can you get back into recovery? You may have to flash stock in Odin, flash recovery and then do the Restore again. Data got messed up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try removing the battery now. Let's see what happens.

Ok if you can get into recovery, do a fresh flash and then try to restore again. And see if it offers a way to turn off MD5 checking. That's why I use philz or twrp, they offer that and move much faster through MD5 check by default.
---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
If you still fail on data, flash stock in Odin, flash custom recovery, then you should be able to enter recovery and have a successful restore.

No longer able to boot my Note 2 into recovery mode

1. I started with fully working Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 (Rooted)
2. I'm a newbie to flashing ROM, and read numerous articles to build awareness (and have never used a forum before - so please be gentle!)
3. Installed ClockworkMod Recovery using "ROM Manager"
4. Flashed Slim6 (Slim-6.0.1.alpha.0.1-UNOFFICIAL-20160522-1030) ROM, then Gapps, then re-booted and all OK (Note2 seemed to work fine)
5. Kernel is now3.0.101-Haxynox
6. Spotted (and surprised) that Note 2 no longer rooted (and in particular, want to use Titanium Backup)
7. So, flashed CWM6-root-note2.tar using ODIN, resulting in "Pass"
8. Note2 still not Rooted, and suspect that I should have flashed SuperSu after Slim6 ROM and before Gapps
9. So, tried to reboot to ClockworkMod reccovery using "ROM Manager" but hangs. Tried using VOL+ and HOME and POWER (many times, and for different intervals) but see Samsung logo followed by some "stripes" on the screen (rather like the horizontal hold needs to be adjusted for those that are old enough to remember such things!), but it will not boot into recovery mode.
10. In addition, Odin no longer appears to see the Note2
11. Note2 will boot conventionally, but I'm extremely keen not to have to live without rooting and flashing capability
12. I've searched hard for hints for this particular issue, but would really appreciate some advice, at least so that I don't make my beautiful Note2 any worse (and hope I've not missed any posts that I should have spotted!).
13. Please let me know if I've missed any key information.
Thanks in advance.

Flash the tar version of TWRP for your phone using Odin. You can root by flashing supersu from TWRP.
CWM is very outdated and cannot be used to flash current custom ROMSs.

Many thanks, I've moved over to TWRP and it seems much better.
I also tried to find a more "suitable" (reliable) ROM and chose Resolution Remix, especially as services kept stopping on Slim6.
So now I can get to recovery mode, but still I have issues. Mainly...
a) I've so far failed to flash a compatible Gapps file
b) I've flashed supersu and busybox (Root_SuperSU.0.98-Busybox.1.20.2-signed.zip) but root is still not available. Sometimes I see a "Grant" prompt but it hangs for ages when I grant. The SuperSU app can be seen, but is not responsive. Titanium Backup responds eventually to confirm that Root is not available.
c) Downloading from the Playstore is problematic (sometime very slow to download, usually extremely slow to install - go for a walk type of slow!)
d) Typically the pre-installed applications "stop" shortly/immediately after trying to start them (for example, "Browser", "Clock",...), but then appear after "OK"ing the Close infor box
e) Is my choice of ROM reasonable? And/or is there a ROM which has ROOT "baked in"? (Or, should I go back to JellyBean as being more suitable for a Note2?)
f) Is there some "fine tuning" to the flash process that I need to learn about?
Any hints/tips would be welcome, and many thanks for your initial suggestion to move to TWRP

Is the ROM pre-rooted? If yes, don't flash supersu.
You performed a full wipe, including data, before flashing the ROM?
Phone is running these latest bootloader and modem?
Various versions of gapps are here and flash there version that matches your ROM and processor: http://opengapps.org

Many thanks for your further questions/prompts...
a) Yes, I believe I had done a full wipe before flashing, but haven't touched bootloader and modem so they may well be "old"
b) More reading suggests that Cyanogenmod 13 is a very popular ROM, so flashed this with TWRP
c) Found that with this ROM there were no issues when flahsing openGapps
d) Eventually discovered/realised that CM13 is pre-rooted (but has to be enabled in Settings) and that flashing supersu was causing problems
So, with the benefit of hindsight, if I'd used TWRP/CM13/OpenGapps without flashing supersu, it would have been straightforward! I've certainly learned a lot and you supporting questions have led me to what seems to be a nice, stable implementation of Marshmallow - thanks again.
I'm still looking for a quick/easy way to take a screenshot (just used a palm-swipe before), and a free "real" FM radio, but pretty much everything else works.
Great!!!

Glad you got the phone working on CM. We're all here to help and learn from each other.
Last time I looked, which was a while ago, there was no custom AOSP or CM rom that supported radio functions. If you want the FM radio, look into custom ROMs based on a stock Samsung kernel.

[root] [ZS570KL] Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe fast rooting method. Despite TWRP

Not tested on nougat.
I use adb and fastboot , twrp, supersu.
Files We need:
TWRP: It's bogus, in my phone the screen flips upsidedown: Connect a mouse thru female usb or try to figure out how to tap in a rotated screen with a non rotated touch panel.
TWRP Download -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0XMYw0cbs_cdm5FZW1DQXl4MFU/view
SuperSU file - > https://download.chainfire.eu/1021/SuperSU/SR3-SuperSU-v2.79-SR3-20170114223742.zip?retrieve_file=1
For ADB access thru MAC:
1.- First of all we have to get open USB debug mode to get adb acces to the phone by going to Settings -> About -> Software Information -> Tap 7 times over Build number.
2.- After we get Developer options available we have to put the phone on usb debugging by goig to "Settings-> Developer Options" Activate USB Debugging.
3.- Install android platform-tools on your PC/Linux/MAC , in my case had work on MAC and no devices acces thru ADB on PC :silly: .
platform-tools -> http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/0...ble-without-full-sdk-android-studio-download/
Here you have the 3 options to download ADB and FASTBOOT
4.- Connect your phone to the PC (USB) and copy SuperSu to the root of your phone, a place that its easy too acces, cause TWRP, for the moment flips the screen.
5.- Copy TWRP3.0.XXX.zip to the folder where you have platform-tools installed.
6.- Reboot your phone to bootloader and in Linux could work too:
./adb reboot bootloader [./ is placed cause I don't put platform-tools on the my PATH]
After the boot, then we have to boot on TWRP
./fastboot boot twrp-3.0xxxx.zip (you don't flash anything) If you want to flash TWRP, at your awn risk, ./fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0xxxx.zip".
Well, now you have to see TRWP on your phone screen.
My recomendation is to play a little bit with the flipped screen if you don't have a female USB to plug a mouse.
7.- Trying to make a complete backup of the phone could be a good practice to move on TWRP with the flipped screen . Tap backup option and make a Backup. Always recomended!
8.- After Backup, you can go to INSTALL SuperSU.zip file. "Install -> look for your SuperSU.zip file "
9.- Go to Playstore and install supersu app.
Now you can test your root, after reboot for example tryin to install some APP that requires root. Fast move:
./adb shell
su root
It has to appear a screen to grant root access to the phone.
10. Done!
Well I think thats my second post at all, hope can help someone to root the phone.
I placed In Questions and Answers cause XDA says want to protect us from SPAM.
Feel free to correct me anything.
Kronen_75

Your links do not work.

jnmacd said:
Your links do not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Links are corrected. Thanks!

You can also substitute Magisk instead of Supersu if you need to use any of the pay apps or have root sensitive apps...

Without the right Twrp, many benefits to rooting are missing such as removing stock rom applications. Seems without being able to boot to a recovery, even Titanium cannot remove apps because it needs to clean the dalvic.. Can't do it without a recovery
Sent from my ASUS_Z016D using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Download the right twrp here: https://mega.nz/#F!EkFF1CJD!C8o2wXMARW3YJFOipDttbA

You should change your title !!
Tested on nougat.
The variant ZS550KL can be rooted with same method on latest firmware with nougat

Very nice guide, Thank you. Could you please provide updated links to both TWRP and SuperSU. I am currently using TWRP 3.1.1-0 and it functions properly after hanging for approximately 45 seconds on boot. This may be due to the fact my phone is encrypted. I initially rooted without installing TWRP (fastboot boot twrp.img) but have since flashed it. Both ways work well. The posted version of SuperSU did result in root but caused me to lose cell service! The phone could "see" the sim card but not use it. Updating to SuperSU 2.82 solved that issue. This was all done on my finally rooted ZenFone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (Z016D)!!!

I unfortunately figured something out the other day. Using TWRP 3.1.1-0 I am able to install zip files, complete wipes, make & restore backups. The issues only arise after you restore your nandroid image. Everything works except for two things.
1. The ability to hear audio during phone calls. The phone is actually able to place calls but you are unable to hear or record any phone audio. Oddly enough I was able to play music and use voice dictation. It was only in-call audio that seemed to be affected.
2. If you have a pin set when you create your nandroid image your pin will no longer work once restored. You will be locked out of your own phone!!
Fortunately both are fairly easily resolved and keep TWRP relatively useful, although a bit bothersome!
To resolve the pin issue it is necessary to use the TWRP file manager or ADB to delete 5 files (listed below) and regain entrance to your phone. Once deleted simply reboot the phone and reset your pin. If you remove your pin before creating a backup this issue is averted completely.
/data/system/gatekeeper.pattern.key
/data/system/gatekeeper.password.key
/data/system/locksettings.db
/data/system/locksettings.db-wal
/data/system/locksettings.db-shm
To re-enable call audio use TWRP (install zip) to reflash the same version firmware from the Asus website over your current install without wiping. This will restore any system apps you may have removed but you should still have root and can easily remove them again. There will be two errors when performing the flash, which is why I believe root is retained but the system image will be reflashed. Reboot and enjoy
I sincerely hope I have not caused anyone any issues! Or that someone else finds this information useful. I have tested everything in this post at least three times. All testing was done on the most recent Android 7 firmware on my ZenFone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (SnapDragon 821/6/256).

Sandman45654 said:
I unfortunately figured something out the other day. Using TWRP 3.1.1-0 I am able to install zip files, complete wipes, make & restore backups. The issues only arise after you restore your nandroid image. Everything works except for two things.
1. The ability to hear audio during phone calls. The phone is actually able to place calls but you are unable to hear or record any phone audio. Oddly enough I was able to play music and use voice dictation. It was only in-call audio that seemed to be affected.
2. If you have a pin set when you create your nandroid image your pin will no longer work once restored. You will be locked out of your own phone!!
Fortunately both are fairly easily resolved and keep TWRP relatively useful, although a bit bothersome!
To resolve the pin issue it is necessary to use the TWRP file manager or ADB to delete 5 files (listed below) and regain entrance to your phone. Once deleted simply reboot the phone and reset your pin. If you remove your pin before creating a backup this issue is averted completely.
/data/system/gatekeeper.pattern.key
/data/system/gatekeeper.password.key
/data/system/locksettings.db
/data/system/locksettings.db-wal
/data/system/locksettings.db-shm
To re-enable call audio use TWRP (install zip) to reflash the same version firmware from the Asus website over your current install without wiping. This will restore any system apps you may have removed but you should still have root and can easily remove them again. There will be two errors when performing the flash, which is why I believe root is retained but the system image will be reflashed. Reboot and enjoy
I sincerely hope I have not caused anyone any issues! Or that someone else finds this information useful. I have tested everything in this post at least three times. All testing was done on the most recent Android 7 firmware on my ZenFone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (SnapDragon 821/6/256).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The second issue happens in all the phones/twrp.
It's possible to install the firmware from asus website with twrp?? To update i flash the stock recovery, install the firmware, then reflash twrp and supersu. Didn't know that! It updates successfully with twrp??

Thank you Ryder for confirming my suspicion that the pin issue may have been a more common one with TWRP. This is the first phone I actually cared enough about to use a pin. I was thrown for a loop when I first booted my fresh nandroid restore and the pin I know I've been using was incorrect!
As for installing firmware, with the two errors that occurred during I don't know that you would be able to do full scale upgrade to a higher version. To reinstall the system partition however it does seem to work quite well. I tested this part four times. To do so download the correct device/version firmware to the phones storage, click install, and select that file. After it completes I like to wipe both the cache and the dalvik cache before restarting the phone. The audio issue was unfortunately easily reproduced on my phone, but thankfully equally easy to resolve. This worked for me each time without fail.

Sandman45654 said:
Thank you Ryder for confirming my suspicion that the pin issue may have been a more common one with TWRP. This is the first phone I actually cared enough about to use a pin. I was thrown for a loop when I first booted my fresh nandroid restore and the pin I know I've been using was incorrect!
As for installing firmware, with the two errors that occurred during I don't know that you would be able to do full scale upgrade to a higher version. To reinstall the system partition however it does seem to work quite well. I tested this part four times. To do so download the correct device/version firmware to the phones storage, click install, and select that file. After it completes I like to wipe both the cache and the dalvik cache before restarting the phone. The audio issue was unfortunately easily reproduced on my phone, but thankfully equally easy to resolve. This worked for me each time without fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said that the two issues occurred when you restored the nandroid backup and to fix one of them by installing the zip firmware from asus website with twrp... I don't understand. I can install zip firmware with twrp or i have to flash the stock recovery and install with it? Errors may occur using the twrp? Sorry

Everything done in my post so far has been in TWRP. Honestly I didn't even back up the recovery image. TWRP seemed to work flawlessly so I bit bullet and flashed it.
On a sidenote I am currently testing the usability of FlahFire on this device. It appears to create a very nice fastboot installable recovery image! I have yet to restore the image however. I will post my findings here once I have thoroughly tested it.

Sandman45654 said:
Everything done in my post so far has been in TWRP. Honestly I didn't even back up the recovery image. TWRP seemed to work flawlessly so I bit bullet and flashed it.
On a sidenote I am currently testing the usability of FlahFire on this device. It appears to create a very nice fastboot installable recovery image! I have yet to restore the image however. I will post my findings here once I have thoroughly tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. I'm interested in flashing zip firmware to update. Never tried that. I thought that firmware can be installed only with stock recovery. The stock recovery can be downloaded in an asus forum website

This is the first time I have flashed anything in almost a year. I got to thinking and this is the most success I have had was flashing a stock image with TWRP! I doubt it will perform a full flash. I believe the errors are most likely for the boot and recovery partitions. As a save my butt reflash the system partition it does work. It sounds like it's time to find some TWRP changelogs!

Sandman45654 said:
This is the first time I have flashed anything in almost a year. I got to thinking and this is the most success I have had was flashing a stock image with TWRP! I doubt it will perform a full flash. I believe the errors are most likely for the boot and recovery partitions. As a save my butt reflash the system partition it does work. It sounds like it's time to find some TWRP changelogs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't care about stock images... If i can't flash the zip with twrp to update successfully then i reflash the stock recovery and after the update root again with twrp and supersu. By the way, the zip firmare contains factory images? I thought it contains different kind of files

Ryder. said:
By the way, the zip firmare contains factory images? I thought it contains different kind of files
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lack the knowledge to answer that with enough certainty to even call it an answer! This is my foray into the insides of this phone and I don't want to start posting my hunches.
What I do know is you can flash the system partition using TWRP. I have done it several times. Asus's zips run as a script based zip install. You are offered no options during install. When the script runs you will see two errors quickly scroll past.

Ryder. said:
Download the right twrp here: https://mega.nz/#F!EkFF1CJD!C8o2wXMARW3YJFOipDttbA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you creating these TWRP builds? If so thank you very much! TWRP-3.1.1-0-Z016-20170826 seems to work flawlessly! No lag on boot and no known issues after restoring a backup unlike before.
I wanted to post my finding about FlashFire by Chainfire. I have had great success with the fastboot backup! It is the only option I have tested extensively however. I have been running the same fastboot restored phone since soon after my last post on this topic with no issues discovered.

Sandman45654 said:
Are you creating these TWRP builds? If so thank you very much! TWRP-3.1.1-0-Z016-20170826 seems to work flawlessly! No lag on boot and no known issues after restoring a backup unlike before.
I wanted to post my finding about FlashFire by Chainfire. I have had great success with the fastboot backup! It is the only option I have tested extensively however. I have been running the same fastboot restored phone since soon after my last post on this topic with no issues discovered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. It's not me. It's another user which i don't remember the nickname

Ryder. said:
No. It's not me. It's another user which i don't remember the nickname
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thank you. If you happen to find out/remember please let me know. I would like to give credit with my project and thank them for their hard work.

How Do I Flash Factory Image?

It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.

acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your wanting to flash a factory image, you'll need a few things first.
I would highly recommend that you look over the linked thread carefully. It has many links and tips to help you on your way :good:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/how-to/guide-unlock-flash-root-pixel-2-xl-t3702418

acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://developers.google.com/android/images

Make sure you have the latest adb and fastboot. Get them from Google...
Go get the latest image and Unzip it. Do not Unzip the folder inside. Move everything you just unzipped into the folder with adb and fastboot.
Now, if you've unlocked and unlocked critical, great. If you haven't unlocked critical, you'll have to. The system image won't install if the bootloader is out of date. Sadly, this will wipe your data.
If both are already unlocked, then open the flash-all file with a text editor and remove the,"-w" and the space preceding, then save the file. Removing the -w will keep your data. Run the flash-all.bat file and in about 10 minutes everything will be flashed.

back to stock
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls

lomski said:
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing!! Forget fast!! You need to fastboot flash a full factory image with the -w still in the script. Maybe even do it twice. Then go in and do a factory reset from the OS for good measure. Once that is done and you know it reboots you can go through the locking command. I would NOT toggle the OEM switch in dev though.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs

So this has been a a very frustrating experiance but I think I've got everything working again. I don't know how many times I've flashed different factory images and then tried to install TWRP and then install a new custom rom. So I want to explain all of the steps I took (if I remember them all).
0. I couldn't boot into my system but had TWRP installed. At this point I should have tried to get all my data from the sd card via "adb pull /sdcard" .
1. I didn't find any option to fix my system. So I followed this guide to install a factory image (link).
3. I skipped through all of the setup processes and gave my phone wifi. Then I went into the system and did a factory reset.
4. After skipping thourgh the setup again I enabled adb and bootet into the bootloader "adb reboot bootlader"
5. From the bootloader I booted into TWRP by "fastboot boot twrp-3.3.0.0-taimen.img. In the recovery I set the display time out to 300s because for some reason once the phone timed out I could get into twrp any more and the screen stayed black.
6. I transferred the twrp installer and my rom by " adb push TWRP_installer.zip /sdcard/Download" and " adb push ROM.zip /sdcard/Download"
7. I first added the TWRP installer to the flash queue and then I added the rom and then falshed them both. This allowed me to install the rom.
8. For some reason TWRP was not installed. So repeat step 5 and only flash the TWRP_installter.zip
Problems I had:
- In twrp I often got errors that said unable to mount system or vendor. I decided to ignore the error but this thread might help
- Installing TWRP while the stock rom is installed led to the problem that touch didn't work in TWRP
- Entering a pin for the stock rom and then installing TWRP led to TWRP asking for a pin to decrypt my data. Apparently this is not the case if you use a stock image which is older

After flashing stock ROM ota and twrp installer zip the only way to get TWRP to respond to touch is if you disable screen lock and connect to your PC before booting TWRP.
I've found the most reliable way to flash factory images is do it manually with fastboot, latest platform tools installed and a Linux OS like Ubuntu or pop os.
But first do some research and get comfortable with fastboot commands. And dear god don't relock your bootloader unless you're ?% sure it's totally stock.

@schpongo,
Also, a good point to keep when flashing via TWRP is to flash/install ONE AT A TIME. As per the great @Az Biker, you should even reboot to the bootloader after each subsequent flash/install. So, in your case, it seems that you might/should be rebooting to the bootloader three times; one for TWRP installation, one for flashing the custom ROM, and one more for any other subsequent installation (i.e. custom kernel or custom font)...
Also, as it's been said before, but stock kernel doesn't play nice with touch commands on TWRP, and (usually) the only way around it is to reboot into bootloader using the adb command -- as opposed to holding the volume-down button or from an app.
I know you figured this all out already, but it might bear repeating just in case you didn't know and/or to help any other users here...