I downloaded the Verizon update yesterday and it brought a question to mind. I am just curious about this. I do not have the DE, just the retail version. I assume in order to do the update as downloaded, the update had to somehow have root access. What makes the update so special it can achieve root access and many brilliant people can't? Is there something in the update that allows root access? If there is, what is so special about it that it couldnt be somehow extracted and used for other purposes? I have no knowledge in this area and am wondering if someone knows the answer.
bdraulston said:
I downloaded the Verizon update yesterday and it brought a question to mind. I am just curious about this. I do not have the DE, just the retail version. I assume in order to do the update as downloaded, the update had to somehow have root access. What makes the update so special it can achieve root access and many brilliant people can't? Is there something in the update that allows root access? If there is, what is so special about it that it couldnt be somehow extracted and used for other purposes? I have no knowledge in this area and am wondering if someone knows the answer.
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very elaborate signed keys. When the update comes from the phone, the phone is coded to look for specific signed authentic keys that gets created when samsung\verizon makes an update file. If the file is modified the update will fail because the keys wont match. A developer may be able to explain it in greater detail, but that's the tidbit i gathered
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By the question you can tell that i'm rather inexperienced at this, but a buddy of mine(who has a Droid on VZW) and i were debating whether or not doing an OTA update after you root would cause you to loose your ability to root forever.
I guess it's different on both devices, but he contends that he could unroot his droid, which is running a custom 2.2 ROM, install an OTA update, decide he doesn't like it, then just go back to a 2.1 RUU from VZW or Motorola, and then re-root.
Everything i have read here about the EVO indicates that if i am already rooted, and i accept an OTA update, then i will never be able to root again. Does never, really mean never? Or is it just mean that i won't be able to root using the current methods to root the phone?
What if i had never rooted and then accepted the OTA 2.2 from sprint that may be coming this week, would i then be able to root?
What exactly does the update do to remove the ability to get /root access to the phone? Something with the bootloader, HBOOT, or what?
Thanks for the information. Hopefully, this will settle this question for my friend and I.
Chris
OTA updates typically break any existing root methods, and disable any current root access.
Some OTA's also update the phone in a manner which prevents older official roms (that have working roots) from being reinstalled.
At that point, you have an updated rom with known roots removed, that can't be rolled back, so the only option is to wait until another root exploit is found and released. Which may or may not happen depending on the device and whoever is working on it.
Hope that helps.
You can take and accept as many updates as you want....you just have to modify that update by replacing the new hboot with the engineering one.....that way you can freely flash zip files
HTC is tricksy and they dont let you roll back after the OTA. Motorolla may not have this so your friend may in fact be able to roll back to 2.1 (however he may be misinformed as well).
To root basically they find a bug to exploit that allows us to gain access as a root user. when the OTA updates come out 99% of the time they will fix this bug. HTCat least blocks roll backs so now you are on a new version of the software that you can not go backwards and the bug to root is no longer there.
While there are normally other bugs that can be exploited to get root it is possible that there isnt one or that if there is no one can find it. if they cant find it then it could remove your ability to root permanently.
snandlal said:
You can take and accept as many updates as you want....you just have to modify that update by replacing the new hboot with the engineering one.....that way you can freely flash zip files
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Click to collapse
while true accepting an OTA will not give you the chance to do this for most.
ok, that explains things a little better. thanks.
I'm new to all of this as well. My EVO has already been updated OTA by a Sprint employee while I was purchasing the phone. From what I've read it looks like I'm SOL until someone cracks 2.2. One quick question though... How long did it take people to be able to root the first software on the EVO's?
Hey guys!
I just recently gotten T-mobile's G2! I already got it unlocked by paying $8 to get the unlock code .
Soo, I have been doing a lot of reading regarding rooting, perm and temp, android , etc! I was a iphone 3GS user, so I don't have that much experience or any at all with android.
What is OTA? Does it mean "over the air" update?!
I am interested in rooting my g2. I checked the wiki out. However, there are couple of things I am not sure of.
First of all, what does stock rom mean? Is it like the original android 2.2 (fyro)? that is unmodified by T-mobile and other such carriers?
Did my G2 come with stock rom? or came with T-mobile's stock rom?
Also, I did update my G2 via "OTA" i suppose. How do I know I have the latest OTA? I am really confused about this part. I have checked various threads about it, but they were not able to clarify it for me.
Any links that would explain it, would greatly help me!
thank you guys & gals for help and replying !
Just asked this question
1. http://theunlockr.com/2010/10/20/how-to-root-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision-visionary-method/
2. http://theunlockr.com/2010/11/30/how-to-gain-permanent-root-and-s-off-on-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision/
3. (Optional Custom ROM) http://theunlockr.com/2010/11/30/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision/
Watch the videos most helpful. Also OTA is over the air update that for offical updates t-mobile pushes out.
You know you've got the latest OTA when no more show up
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 running Cyanogenmod.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=android+root
Sent from a Western Union telegram.
blackknightavalon said:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=android+root
Sent from a Western Union telegram.
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Click to collapse
Haha that makes me laugh every time I see it
There's a lot of great reasons to root, but a lot of great reasons also to stay with stock (like warranty). You DON'T need root to use an unlocked handset with another carrier. Just the APNs for that carrier (see Android manual for how to add one).
So, that said, the XDA wiki under HTC Vision has a lot of great info on rooting and SuperCID and custom ROMs, as does Cyanogen's site.
Stock ROM basically means "official" or "pre-loaded" ROM -- the one that the phone came with.
But before you begin anything I strongly encourage you to Google what "root" means on Linux and what it allows you to do, and ask yourself if you really need root before you start trying to get it on your G2. If you're not a hacker and just plan on using apps from the market you probably don't need it anyway. But I'll leave that decision up to you.
Thank you for all your insightful replies!
Yes, I have read regarding rooting and linux . I am sort of an hacker , since I've worked on iphone stuff.
Thanks for the links. I will have a look at them! I appreciate all your efforts.
Ok you need to set up an androidsdk environment. You need jdk for it to work. And while not necessary putting the tools directory for the sdk in the path definitely saves a lot of typing copying and pasting.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
LimitsX said:
I just recently gotten T-mobile's G2!
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Click to collapse
Congratulations!
I already got it unlocked by paying $8 to get the unlock code .
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Click to collapse
$8 isn't too but but you didn't need to spend that, the recommended method for obtaining root has an (optional) side effect of unlocking the phone. You will see this referred to as the "gfree" method.
What is OTA? Does it mean "over the air" update?!
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Click to collapse
Yes OTA means "Over The Air" when your carrier sends an update for your phone over the cellular airwaves it's an OTA update. These updates are official an only designed for the stock ROM.
First of all, what does stock rom mean? Is it like the original android 2.2 (fyro)? that is unmodified by T-mobile and other such carriers?
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A "Stock ROM" is simply the ROM that came installed on your phone, any phones updated by an OTA update could also be considered to be running a stock ROM. Generally it refers to the OS version your carrier and manufacturer want/expect you to have. This is opposed to a "Custom ROM" which is a customized version of Android, there are a number of different custom ROMs for the G2 each with their own features and capabilities.
Did my G2 come with stock rom? or came with T-mobile's stock rom?
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Click to collapse
Every phone comes with a stock ROM, by definition.
Also, I did update my G2 via "OTA" i suppose. How do I know I have the latest OTA? I am really confused about this part. I have checked various threads about it, but they were not able to clarify it for me.
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Click to collapse
When a new OTA update is released, it takes a little while for the update to reach all the devices. There hasn't been a new OTA for the G2 in a while and AFAIK there has only been one so far. I would expect that if you just got your phone you would have received an OTA update within a day or two, and now would be up to date. As long as you are running a stock ROM you will receive new OTAs as they are released, if you root your phone but maintain the stock ROM (the state my own G2 is in right now) you would generally want to avoid installing any OTA because the update could cause you to lose root without the ability to get it back (if the OTA fixes the security hole that allowed root to be obtained)
Regarding temp vs permanent root. When the G2 first came out people had a hard time obtaining root, They first obtained "temp root" which persisted until the phone was rebooted. With a temp root any changes you make will be gone the next time you reboot your phone, because security settings of the phone prevent those changes from actually being committed to the phone. For example if you temp root your phone and remove the built in PhotoBucket application you will see that the app is back when you reboot next. Eventually they discovered how to obtain "permanent root" which will allow you to keep your root access across reboots and allows you to make permanent changes to your phone. An essential part of permanent root is defeating the security settings that prevent permanent changes to the phones memory. It should be noted that you first need to get temp root before you can get permanent root.
Just regarding the gfree method.... it does work quite well. But it did introduce a few unexpected quirks to my G2. I went back to all stock configs and decided I didn't need root so badly afterall. But it was nice to know how easy it was to do such a thing on a phone considered at one time to be unrootable.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Ignore this thread, I released BurritoRoot2 to deal with this issue
see
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1410223
Does this mean we don't have to worry about the update, ie the above works and/or there will be a new rooting method tomorrow?
haha, with twrp installed the OTA update couldn't install when I told it to update from the device settings. It rebooted into TWRP instead. I renamed it update.zip and installed, then now I'm trying to use BurritoRoot2 in order to gain root access back (posted in that thread). Thanks for your SUPER-FAST and hard work!
Woo-hook, looks like it was a late night. One rocking ars burrito, take it from someone who used to make those things on a professional level. Not the Taco Bell veriety either, talking 15$ gormet Santa Fae variety.
Hi Guys,
I am really new to the rooting customary process. Pardon me if there are information that I am not aware of. Okay, I always wanted to root to install apps that were restrictive to what I want and how to manage the phone properly. But I bought my Note 2 in Singapore, which is why I was hesitating as most of the guides were for AT&T and other American phone companies.
I was hesitating but a friend of me referred me to a very simple clip to root with using Odin
Needless to say, I rooted the phone and was able to install the couple of applications I wanted though there were a few I still couldn't find replacements for (Market Unlocker, AdAway).
However, I find myself not being to use ROM Manager to backup and change ROMS and being different with how normal people rooted. I think it has got to do with the how I had my phone rooted.
Please advice how I can place myself in what the general public is using as it would be easier for me to configure the phone if I were to try looking for assistance in the future.
Should I unroot and root using the XDA developer suggested way (I found the clip on YouTube but it wasn't for the firmware 4.1.2, thus I hesitated) ? After rooting my phone says its firmware is 4.1.1
Actually, if someone could also answer me whether
1) I can update my phone after rooting or do I need to unroot and update and root it again ?
2) Is the furthest update for Note 2 is 4.1.2 and in order to go for further updates I need to root ?
Again, pardon my knowledge on rooting. Thanks
McBrand said:
Hi Guys,
I am really new to the rooting customary process. Pardon me if there are information that I am not aware of. Okay, I always wanted to root to install apps that were restrictive to what I want and how to manage the phone properly. But I bought my Note 2 in Singapore, which is why I was hesitating as most of the guides were for AT&T and other American phone companies.
I was hesitating but a friend of me referred me to a very simple clip to root with using Odin
Needless to say, I rooted the phone and was able to install the couple of applications I wanted though there were a few I still couldn't find replacements for (Market Unlocker, AdAway).
However, I find myself not being to use ROM Manager to backup and change ROMS and being different with how normal people rooted. I think it has got to do with the how I had my phone rooted.
Please advice how I can place myself in what the general public is using as it would be easier for me to configure the phone if I were to try looking for assistance in the future.
Should I unroot and root using the XDA developer suggested way (I found the clip on YouTube but it wasn't for the firmware 4.1.2, thus I hesitated) ? After rooting my phone says its firmware is 4.1.1
Actually, if someone could also answer me whether
1) I can update my phone after rooting or do I need to unroot and update and root it again ?
2) Is the furthest update for Note 2 is 4.1.2 and in order to go for further updates I need to root ?
Again, pardon my knowledge on rooting. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do more research before doing anything but I would question if you have a custom recovery installed? You could use GooManager on the market to install a custom recovery (Open GooManager -> menu -> "Install OpenRecoveryScript") but check your phone model number first and make sure it matches the file you are about to flash. This would enable you to work with flashing and such. Also check your model number I believe the Verizon phones have locked bootloaders and don't know if your will or not (I believe this adds steps to flashing a custom recovery.) Wish I could be of more help.
Hi all, apologies if this has been answered but I've search for the last couple of days without finding the answer.
I have 2 AFTV's one on the latest update and one on 51.1.4.0_user_514005520.
I want to manually update from 51.1.4.0_user_514005520 to 51.1.4.0_user_514006420. I have the bin file but unsure if this is possible without being rooted and have su installed. Currently the latest Kodi and SPMC don't seem to work at all on this software version.
I would expect to be able to place the bin file somewhere on the machine a then do a "adb reboot recovery" but I've not had any luck in working out how this is done. It's signed after all so I see no issue in allowing the update.
The reason I'd like to not update any further than 51.1.4.0_user_514006420 is due to the fact the efuse is blown on the next increment of the updates. With all the great work been done on here to obtain root on higher firmwares has made me want to keep the efuse intact and on the lowest working updating.
Many thanks to anyone who can help.
o71g said:
Hi all, apologies if this has been answered but I've search for the last couple of days without finding the answer.
I have 2 AFTV's one on the latest update and one on 51.1.4.0_user_514005520.
I want to manually update from 51.1.4.0_user_514005520 to 51.1.4.0_user_514006420. I have the bin file but unsure if this is possible without being rooted and have su installed. Currently the latest Kodi and SPMC don't seem to work at all on this software version.
I would expect to be able to place the bin file somewhere on the machine a then do a "adb reboot recovery" but I've not had any luck in working out how this is done. It's signed after all so I see no issue in allowing the update.
The reason I'd like to not update any further than 51.1.4.0_user_514006420 is due to the fact the efuse is blown on the next increment of the updates. With all the great work been done on here to obtain root on higher firmwares has made me want to keep the efuse intact and on the lowest working updating.
Many thanks to anyone who can help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are not rooted it is no way of doing this. Your box can only be updated OTA and that will take it to the newest update available in the stream.