Related
It's been awhile since I did anything much with my phone and so I am a bit out of date on what is available these days, especially with the Bionic, I could use a little advice and some recommendations. I used to be into phone modding big "back in the day" with my DX but not so much anymore.
Firstly, I am not a nub and I spent a few hour's online reading before deciding to post anything so I am not trying to be spoon fed here, but I am a bit stuck here and I am not sure what to do. Anyway, I got the phone with 886 and rooted it, installed my stuff and have been using it since. Been having some issues with the phone (still do) so I decided to update it. I made backups via clockworkmod and did the forever root (where you edit with SQL editor) and ran the official update. The OTA said I would be getting 902 however after it installed I was on 893, so I assume I needed to be on 893 before I could go to 902, however when I try to go to 902 I get failed update.
I have tried two ways of updating.
1a. Updating to 902 from phone
2a. Updating from stock recovery using the 902 update file, named Blur_Version.5.5.893.XT875.Verizon.en.US.zip
1b. When updating from phone it downloads, "installs", phone reboots to "update failed".
2b. When installing update from stock recovery I get "package verification failed bla bla myverizon.apk".
So, I figured it was apps and such I either removed, froze, etc. I unfroze and restored any stock apps and still myverizon.apk failed. I read online about putting myverizon.apk in /system/apps however that did not work.
My goal is to keep my phone as is, I cannot really afford to reset it at this time. I feel what I need is the proper myverizon.apk file and someone with more knowledge than myself to tell me exactly what to do.
Any help is greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.
Go here and use Timmy10shoes files if needed...http://androidforums.com/bionic-all-things-root/480176-how-flash-5-5-893-5-9-902-rsdlite.html
Thank you but this does a full wipe, I am just trying to update to 902.
This will get you to 902 and Timmy10shoes file will prevent a wipe of the sd card.
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
Hey guys.. My System Version is listed as being 6.13.215.XT894.Verizon.en.us. (This phone is about a week or 2 old for me) I have installed safetsrap recovery just to see how it works etc and have successfully installed the Eclipse port on the non-safe system. Now that I am done having fun with that, I would like to upgrade my system to newer leaked versions. My question is this: Should I uninstall safestrap before attempting to flash any of the leaked updates? How should I go about removing safestrap the "best" way? Also could someone please enlighten me with the correct "order" of these releases? EG: 6.11.200, 6.11.202, 206 etc. I guess I'm confused bc my system version starts with 6.13 instead of 6.11. Any help much appreciated!
I'm in the same boat as you, safestrap w/eclipse setup and I think I want to just switch to ICS 211
Pretty sure there are 2 methods, one with fastboot, and one with safestrap.
Fastboot method (droidforums.net/forum/droid-4-roms/212634-simplified-211-update-guide.html) definitely requires you to uninstall safestrap, but I think that automatically happens when you flash w/stock 219.
Safestrap method (droidforums.net/forum/search.php?searchid=4780372) allows you to just use a 211 ICS rom. But, I'm not sure if you already have to have done the fastboot ICS, I think you may have to fastboot ICS then install safestrap and safestrap into 211 ICS from 206 or 208 ICS.... Anyways, that's about where I am right now, trying to figure out if I safestrap to a 211 ICS rom from my current stock 219 GB, will it brick my phone. :/
---------- Post added at 12:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------
Oh also (droidforums.net/forum/droid-news/212864-another-ics-leak-here-droid-4-maybe-closer-ota.html) says that "212 ICS should be leaked soon". You may want to just hold tight, lots of new leaks means that something big (and easy to install for noobs like me ) may be coming soon .
The adventure continues...
Thanks for the quick response man... I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in this situation! I've been "creeping" on this board for 2 years now, (which I can't believe how fast that time went by) and thought it was about time that I start posting etc... you know what I mean, I see that was your 4th post so, that makes 2 situations where we are in the same boat! Thanks for the links brother I have actually read those, but need to checkup on them again... ALSO, my system downloaded an update the other day, (OTA) and was automatically going to install it (I clicked on download, thinking it would just download and wait for me to do the install manually like i have been used to in the past...) So, I tried to interrupt the download by throwing my phone into airplane mode really quick and then forcing a shutdown. Next time I turned on my phone I end up seeing the "Green Android with a triangle" screen, and a progress meter.. and I KNOW what that means. Something was flashed automatically by the phone. I got nervous, but my phone booted up perfectly, and I still had root, along with safestrap intact. I'm still a bit confused by what might've happened, but am relieved that my phone is still working perfectly... strangeness. I'll update this thread w any more info I can find. Thanks again!
Time out guys! First off, you cannot flash the ICS leaks in safestrap. The leaks are updates, not full ROMs. Second, you cannot flash a ROM based off the ICS leaks in safestrap unless you update you stock system to an ICS leak first. Well, you probably could, but it wouldn't boot. If you are on GB .215 you will need to update to .219 first. If you are on GB .219, and have not installed safestrap, you should be able to flash the an ICS leak via stock recovery without fastbooting. If you have installed safestrap, I believe you have to fastboot using the .219 file since safestrap changes something in the build.prop that will cause the leak update to fail.
The Optimizer said:
Thanks for the quick response man... I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in this situation! I've been "creeping" on this board for 2 years now, (which I can't believe how fast that time went by) and thought it was about time that I start posting etc... you know what I mean, I see that was your 4th post so, that makes 2 situations where we are in the same boat! Thanks for the links brother I have actually read those, but need to checkup on them again... ALSO, my system downloaded an update the other day, (OTA) and was automatically going to install it (I clicked on download, thinking it would just download and wait for me to do the install manually like i have been used to in the past...) So, I tried to interrupt the download by throwing my phone into airplane mode really quick and then forcing a shutdown. Next time I turned on my phone I end up seeing the "Green Android with a triangle" screen, and a progress meter.. and I KNOW what that means. Something was flashed automatically by the phone. I got nervous, but my phone booted up perfectly, and I still had root, along with safestrap intact. I'm still a bit confused by what might've happened, but am relieved that my phone is still working perfectly... strangeness. I'll update this thread w any more info I can find. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, same here, I'm just taking as much info in right now as possible. I think our options are eclipse, stock 219 with frozen apps, or ICS. Oh if you use stock at all, I'd recommend upgrading to 219, I think that was a major update, my battery life has just about doubled... then again I only had my phone for about a week before upgrading, and about 3 weeks total now.
kwyrt said:
Time out guys! First off, you cannot flash the ICS leaks in safestrap. The leaks are updates, not full ROMs. Second, you cannot flash a ROM based off the ICS leaks in safestrap unless you update you stock system to an ICS leak first. Well, you probably could, but it wouldn't boot. If you are on GB .215 you will need to update to .219 first. If you are on GB .219, and have not installed safestrap, you should be able to flash the an ICS leak via stock recovery without fastbooting. If you have installed safestrap, I believe you have to fastboot using the .219 file since safestrap changes something in the build.prop that will cause the leak update to fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clarifying that ^^, kwyrt, I've read some of your other posts they are always quite informative!
Glad I could help! There are a LOT of nice, helpful people in these forums. Just keep asking questions! Doing some of this stuff can be nerve wracking even if you know what your doing. I actually, finally, got up the nerve to jump on the ICS leak train last night. If you decide to take the leap, I highly recommend using jsnweitzel's Droid 4 Utility located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1714596. Made the process much easier than it has any right to be.
Android 4.0.4 flash Success! =)
So I decided to take the leap last night... first thing I did was every way of factory resetting I know how to do hehe. (Privacy, factory reset under settings, then a data and dalvik clear in recovery) Downloaded the GB219 file, put it on my SD, fired up the Droid 4 Utility (thanks to everyone who contributed!) and had no problems at all upgrading. I wasn't worried about root so I skipped the OTA rootkeeper process. Next I needed to get to an ICS build. Again, I used the Droid 4 utility.... only difference being that we had to flash the boot.img file first.. (ICSFIX.img). On my first go, I successfully flashed the new boot.img (ICSFIX), but then got a sig verification error when trying to flash the OTA zip. ****. Soft brick at 2AM... heh. at least I still had plenty of time. Re-DL the OTA file, copied it over again and repeated the entire procedure, this time with success. Really Glad I decided to upgrade! Thanks guys!
I have had my Bionic for a while now and have been thinking about rooting it. I finally got the ICS update but have been using GO Launcher too much to even notice it. Anyway, like I said, I want to root my phone. I am current on all updates. For some reason it's running at a tenth of it's memory tho not much is running that I can see. This leads me to believe there's things running in the background that I can not see. I am reluctant to get rid of all my apps, but I also don't want anything that's eating all my resources either. I kinda want to start new but kinda don't. I guess I just don't like letting go of anything.
I know this is selfish of me, but I am hoping that this thread will stay clean of others chiming in asking about their issues. I just don't want the thread to lose focus since this is about what I hope to get from my phone.
Ok, so here are my questions or favors to ask:
Since my phone is fully updated, do I need to do some other updated steps for rooting my phone or is rooting always the same no matter the build or version?
When I go to root my phone, I back up everything first and then I get it back, right?
I read somewhere that it's possible to brick the phone. What precautions should I take to avoid that?
Can I get all the benefits of a rooted phone without a ROM?
Are ROMs really that awesome that I should get one, or three?
I am interested in a ROM after some posts and pages I read. I was attracted to CM at first but so is everyone else probably at first. Does CM even work on the Bionic? And if it does, does everything work like the camera and Bluetooth?
As I said earlier, I use GO Launcher. One of the things I really like about it is the folders I can make in the App Drawer. Now CM is based off of ADW Launcher, but no options to make folders in the app drawer? Is it possible in any way if I choose CM as my main ROM?
Is CM overrated? Liberty and Eclipse look nice too. I also read a little, very little, about AOKP. Any suggestions? I want to get rid of a lot of extra processes and bloatware but I don't want to lose some of the apps pre-installed like Google Maps and Navigation, etc. Unless there are other, much better replacements that anyone knows of.
I know most of this is personal preference but I am hoping to find a comprehensive way at figuring out what's best for me.
I had more questions but I will wait and ask more as the thread continues.
Oh, I don't really need answers in step by step unless I ask. A simple link would suffice unless it's not covered anywhere.
Thanks for reading this, I hope I am not frustrating anyone as I am sure similar posts have been made.
You're basically asking to have this entire forum summarized into one post...
Spend some time reading, then ask smaller, more concise questions.
Not trying to sound like a ****, but i could spend an hour answering all of that. Half of those questions could be answered with some reading of the ROM specific threads.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Ok, I know that SOME of the questions are answered somewhere else. The thing is that after I read one thread only to find it unsolved, I read others that are are 50 pages long going nowhere as well. I haven't seen anything about my phone being fully updated and I am not going any further until I know for sure from someone like a DEV that I can.
Some of these questions are yes/no questions, which wouldn't take long at all to answer, maybe even less time it takes to write a complaint about my post. I certainly don't expect one person to write for an hour on every topic I asked about. I thought it would be a collective effort.
I guess I will take this slowly.
Since my Droid Bionic is updated to the current versions, do I need to do this differently than others have used in the past to root this phone?
Where is the best method to do this?
Before I start, I have to backup everything, right? If so, what's the best way to go about backing up everything?
I read somewhere that there are 3 things you should do to make sure you avoid bricking. I have since lost it. Does anybody know a surefire way to do this.
Please be gentle.
CycoPuppet said:
Ok, I know that SOME of the questions are answered somewhere else. The thing is that after I read one thread only to find it unsolved, I read others that are are 50 pages long going nowhere as well. I haven't seen anything about my phone being fully updated and I am not going any further until I know for sure from someone like a DEV that I can.
Some of these questions are yes/no questions, which wouldn't take long at all to answer, maybe even less time it takes to write a complaint about my post. I certainly don't expect one person to write for an hour on every topic I asked about. I thought it would be a collective effort.
I guess I will take this slowly.
Since my Droid Bionic is updated to the current versions, do I need to do this differently than others have used in the past to root this phone?
Where is the best method to do this?
Before I start, I have to backup everything, right? If so, what's the best way to go about backing up everything?
I read somewhere that there are 3 things you should do to make sure you avoid bricking. I have since lost it. Does anybody know a surefire way to do this.
Please be gentle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st question . No, your phone is not special since it is updated what worked for others will work for you.
2nd follow this link and the instructions to the letter http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/4026-samurihls-house-of-bionic/
3rd . Since you are stock. I would suggest using Verizon's back up services. TiBu requires root. IMHO I wouldn't bother because Google automatically backs up contacts and most roms require you to do a full data wipe.
There is no magic formula to keep from bricking your phone. Just follow directions and if you can't tolerate the risk don't do it.
From my EVOLVED bionic
Obsidian_soul said:
1st question . No, your phone is not special since it is updated what worked for others will work for you.
2nd follow this link and the instructions to the letter Can not post links
3rd . Since you are stock. I would suggest using Verizon's back up services. TiBu requires root. IMHO I wouldn't bother because Google automatically backs up contacts and most roms require you to do a full data wipe.
There is no magic formula to keep from bricking your phone. Just follow directions and if you can't tolerate the risk don't do it.
From my EVOLVED bionic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That link no longer works
Also I found an article named "Learn How-To Root, Custom Recovery, Backup, And De-Bloat Your DROID BIONIC" while searching around for ROM ideas and such. Anyway, after reading this, it almost seems as if I don't need to do factory reset. Is this ok?
CycoPuppet said:
That link no longer works
Also I found an article named "Learn How-To Root, Custom Recovery, Backup, And De-Bloat Your DROID BIONIC" while searching around for ROM ideas and such. Anyway, after reading this, it almost seems as if I don't need to do factory reset. Is this ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just last week I started with a stock ICS Bionic and followed this guide to root: http://droidbionicroot.com/droid-bionic-root/how-to-root-ics-on-droid-bionic-and-motorola-android/
That went very well. I wanted to try out JB 4.2.2, so I installed SafeStrap and an official CM 10.1 nightly. The net result was that I had a very unstable phone until I did a factory reset . As of this writing, however, it's behaving extremely well. YMMV.
Ratamacue said:
Just last week I started with a stock ICS Bionic and followed this guide to root: Can not post links
That went very well. I wanted to try out JB 4.2.2, so I installed SafeStrap and an official CM 10.1 nightly. The net result was that I had a very unstable phone until I did a factory reset . As of this writing, however, it's behaving extremely well. YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so you flashed the ROM, didn't work so well, then you did a factory reset. Doesn't a factory reset wipe the phone? If that's the case, doesn't it wipe out the ROM?
Oh one more thing. Following this link, does this wipe the data from my phone? Anything I should back up before doing this? Should I do any updates before flashing CM 10?
CycoPuppet said:
Ok, so you flashed the ROM, didn't work so well, then you did a factory reset. Doesn't a factory reset wipe the phone? If that's the case, doesn't it wipe out the ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, a factory data reset doesn't wipe the ROM, but it does require running the initial setup (as if you were setting up a brand new phone).
CycoPuppet said:
...one more thing. Following this link, does this wipe the data from my phone? Anything I should back up before doing this? Should I do any updates before flashing CM 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You definitely want to back up everything you're not willing to lose. I ran a backup the very first thing after installing SafeStrap, and it was a good thing because with all my messing around I managed to bork my stock ROM to the point that it wouldn't boot. Fortunately, all I had to do was restore it from a backup.
My phone on CM 10.1 had enough issues with freezing and crashing that I decided this morning to try a different ROM. So far, I've had really good results with Icarus HD (a custom ICS ROM). I really don't know if my experience with CM 10.1 was typical.
OK, so I want to root. Now does rooting wipe any data? Regarding Safestrap, I install that first before rooting?
Rooting doesn't wipe any data. Root first, then install SafeStrap.
Okay, I will be rooting and installing safestrap when I get home for work today. I will still have more questions I am sure. I do have a few before I actually start rooting or right after.
I know safestrap makes a backup/recovory, but is it full recovery only or can I recover portions, like say my Dolphin browser with the settings and bookmarks?
I read that when making a backup of stock ROM, use sdcard, I'm sure that means external but when flashing a ROM, will that wipe data from the external card?
When setting up slots for multi booting ROMs, gernally how much storage do they need?
If I have two different ROMs, does it act like user accounts in Windows, would I have to download the same app on each ROM or do both ROMs have access?
Can one ROM have stuff I don't want the other ROM to have visible?
CycoPuppet said:
I know safestrap makes a backup/recovory, but is it full recovery only or can I recover portions, like say my Dolphin browser with the settings and bookmarks?
I read that when making a backup of stock ROM, use sdcard, I'm sure that means external but when flashing a ROM, will that wipe data from the external card?
When setting up slots for multi booting ROMs, gernally how much storage do they need?
If I have two different ROMs, does it act like user accounts in Windows, would I have to download the same app on each ROM or do both ROMs have access?
Can one ROM have stuff I don't want the other ROM to have visible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. SafeStrap is full recovery only. Use Titanium Backup for backing up apps and data.
2. Flashing a ROM won't do anything to your external SD card.
3. When you set up ROM slots, you'll be asked how much room you'd like to allocate for data. The choices are 1, 2, or 3 GB. I started off allocating 3 GB to the stock ROM slot and was never able to load more than 3 separate ROMs before I ran out of room. I'd start with just using 1 GB for data.
4. Each ROM is an island. You have to download the apps separately (unless when you go through the initial setup you tell the system to restore apps and settings from the Google servers.)
Cool. I rooted and got safestrap but it's version 3.05 and not 3.11. Some ROM I was interested in said must have 3.11, which I am assuming that's the newest one so far. I did watch a tutorial about getting the current version, so no question there.
So the ROMs are separate islands and during flashing they can be in slots allocated up to 3GB. Does that mean that's the only amount of storage I can have when running that ROM? Say I like taking lots of photos and didn't save them to my external card, could I essentially run out of space or is the storage allocation just for the ROM itself and any updates it may have?
Sorry about these series of questions, just want to make sure I am doing it correctly in case I might make a mistake for future's sake.
The storage allocation is for the ROM, apps, and data that haven't been assigned to the external SD card. You can definitely run out of space if you load several ROMs and don't save any of your data to the external SD card.
Also, keep in mind that when VZW sends the OTA update to 4.1 next week, the only way to keep root is to root in ICS and use Voodoo OTA Rootkeeper to protect root before you take the OTA. If you flash the system image, you will lose root, and there is no known working root exploit for the Bionic JB release.
Lost Root
Hey, I used Voodoo before flashing the 4.1 update, but forgot to update the binary beforehand, and therefore lost root. Anyone have any luck yet with an exploit for the OTA?
And there's no working FXZ before this now, correct? This software is now the earliest version I can FXZ to?
auglove3rd said:
Hey, I used Voodoo before flashing the 4.1 update, but forgot to update the binary beforehand, and therefore lost root. Anyone have any luck yet with an exploit for the OTA?
And there's no working FXZ before this now, correct? This software is now the earliest version I can FXZ to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not root exploit yet for bionic JB. And if you try to FXZ back to an earlier version, you will brick your phone.
OK, so I rooted, got safestrap tho still not updated to 3.11, got TBU (free), got Voodoo. I had to race the clock today cuz it was updating android, or at least downloading the update. The root process I used gave me SuperSU and didn't tell me the version for the SU binaries. I searched around and all I could find was info on SuperUser in regards to backing up root. I uninstalled SuperSU, kinda. I just told it to use a different SU cuz when I used SuperUser and updated the binaries, SuperSU wanted to update them, then I opened SuperUser and the binaries reverted back. I was worried so I just told SuperSU to use a different SU. Was that ok? I didn't update to JB yet. Has there been luck with the Bionic using voodoo and keeping root after the JB update?
All this back and forth means I'm making a full image backup, then trying various ROMs. I've tried CM10.1, too many issues (no car dock, trouble installing lots of apps, no speakerphone). Next is... Whizzed Bean?
EDIT: Seems Speakerphone issue was fixed in the 0420 nightly. Will have to try it again.
AND I copied all the backups to my PC, so I can restore them at will (provided the phone still boots, that is... )
If I can't find a JB ROM I like I guess I can do HouseofBionic reflash (which did NOT cause me to lose data, as I upgraded to ICS that way) then allow the JB OTA to go through.
*sigh*... So much bull**** in these updates.
Hope someone sees my question above. I still haven't updated to JB yet. Once I do I will be flashing ROMs. I am interested in CM, Liquid Smooth, Icarus Hd and Wizzed Bean or Synergy (executioner ) Both WB and Synergy look indentical. What is the differences.
CycoPuppet said:
Hope someone sees my question above. I still haven't updated to JB yet. Once I do I will be flashing ROMs. I am interested in CM, Liquid Smooth, Icarus Hd and Wizzed Bean or Synergy (executioner ) Both WB and Synergy look indentical. What is the differences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WB is a fork of CNA (codename Android) 4.1 JB (which is itself based on AOSP)
while Synergy is a fork of the standard Moto ICS (.246).
Yes, they look identical because they both used the Samsung UI elements.
So its been awhile since I flashed a ROM to my BIONIC. That was back before ICS was even released for the BIONIC. So I started looking at updating to one of the more stable ROMS that has way better performance that this stock one. Currently I have 6.7.232 on my phone and I would like advice on which ROMs are best for this device. I have looked into some such as Gameblur, Raging Bionic, and Icarus HD. Thus far I havent really decided on one but I have noticed that some of them are on Jelly Bean. I am not sure if I have to return to the OTA path to update to any of these. I also have Safestrap 3.11 installed. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks.
Any help out there?? Thanks.
HarielA4 said:
I have looked into some such as Gameblur, Raging Bionic, and Icarus HD. Thus far I havent really decided on one but I have noticed that some of them are on Jelly Bean. I am not sure if I have to return to the OTA path to update to any of these. I also have Safestrap 3.11 installed. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Gameblur and Raging Bionic both require one to be on the 98.72.22 Moto 4.1.2 Jellybean update. Incarus HD however is ICS base and can be flashed with your current setup.
If you are destine to update your stock side I would first prep what you currently have on there right now. See this HERE for getting stuff ready.
I would backup anything on the internal storage before hand and make sure that you have a full battery.
You will find the proper FXZ files HERE. If you are on 6.7.2-223 update then use the one for 4.0.4. It would be easier to root again through the update process. After you have completed the restore processes and root through the HOB. Make sure you have VooDoo Root Keeper installed on your phone to back up Root and to disable Root. Then with a good Data connection you are going to take the update Via OTA. Once the update is complete and you are fully booted up. Use VooDoo to restore your Root and test using root explore or NoFrills CPU.
nobe1976 said:
See this HERE for getting stuff ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link provided there has a post from the OP that states House of Bionic is discontinued and to use House of Moto. Should I do that?
Secondly I havent for sure decided which Rom I will be moving to. I feel that the interface I have been using is kinda laggy. I installed Next launcher to see if that made a difference and it was more responsive but still my system memory usage skyrockets after a couple hours and sometimes the only way to resolve it is to restart the device. Any recommendations as to which Rom I should move to?
HarielA4 said:
The link provided there has a post from the OP that states House of Bionic is discontinued and to use House of Moto. Should I do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try using the House of Moto stuff also depending on what you feel more comfortable on using. The HOM was desighned to have one interface for all Moto devices instead of each having its own individual setup. I would still use HOB for your purpose only because I don't know if he added in the script to root the device, which was made for ICS versions not JB hence the discontinued portion of it.
HarielA4 said:
Secondly I havent for sure decided which Rom I will be moving to. I feel that the interface I have been using is kinda laggy. I installed Next launcher to see if that made a difference and it was more responsive but still my system memory usage skyrockets after a couple hours and sometimes the only way to resolve it is to restart the device. Any recommendations as to which Rom I should move to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tested and played around with a lot of different ROMs and tweaks to find the one that I am ultimately satisfied with. Flying Jelly, well the name speaks for itself, Rage, and GameBlur (which I had minor help in) all work fine for there purpose.. One must pick and choose which one suits there purpose. So my suggestion would be to install SafeStrap 3.60, which is the latest updated one, and create a few slots and run each the same as you would Stock or any other firmware to measure which one suits your needs.....
In a previous post you wrote "If you are on 6.7.2-223 update then use the one for 4.0.4.". I went to the FXZ site and it shows that the 4.04 rom has version 6.7.223 on it already. I already have root. Why would I need to install the same version again and reinstall root to get on the OTA. I just want to make sure I understand this to avoid making mistakes. Thanks.
Then if you feel confedent that all will go well then just install Voodoo to backup and disable root. Take the OTA update and see if it will install. The most that will happen is that if it detects that something is missing from the current firmware you have the installation process will fail and reboot back into what you currently have. At that point you will have to FXZ your stock back to the way it was installed originally, root, then backup root and disable, then take the OTA. ICS is way easier to root then JB. I have kept Root before via OTA when I got it, so I know it Voodoo will keep the backup and install it..
nobe1976 said:
Then if you feel confedent that all will go well then just install Voodoo to backup and disable root. Take the OTA update and see if it will install. The most that will happen is that if it detects that something is missing from the current firmware you have the installation process will fail and reboot back into what you currently have. At that point you will have to FXZ your stock back to the way it was installed originally, root, then backup root and disable, then take the OTA. ICS is way easier to root then JB. I have kept Root before via OTA when I got it, so I know it Voodoo will keep the backup and install it..
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I think I miscommunicated what my question was. The instructions say to install the FXZ for the 4.0.4 that has the same version of Android OS that is currently installed. the further instructions say to install the OTA from verizon but everytime I check for an update nothing shows up on my phone. Where else can I get the OTA?
In addition I want to know what I should do about safestrap. Should I remove it before installing the OTA or is it fine to leave as is when I go to install the OTA?
OK... If you cannot even get Big Red to send you the update. You can fxz the update, but at that point you will loose root, but have the option to keep your current data. Go see House of Moto or House of Bionic over at droidrazr.com
As far as Safestrap I would just uninstall recovery through the app the reboot so it clears out before the fxz process.
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fyi I think he took House of Bionic down, didn't see a link. I can however attest that House of Moto worked perfectly fine. Flashed fresh .232 and VZW sent me the OTA (I tried voodoo rootkeeper before updating). I did lose root despite following all of the steps. To get it back your best bet is to boot up a live Ubuntu disc. I tried the VM that someone compiled but it kept failing.
PS: nobe1976, how the hell did you fit 3 ROMS on your phone? I can only fit one ROM (besides obviously stock). Wish we could install ROMs through safestrap to SD (internal or external).
mikemikemikexxx said:
fyi I think he took House of Bionic down, didn't see a link. I can however attest that House of Moto worked perfectly fine. Flashed fresh .232 and VZW sent me the OTA (I tried voodoo rootkeeper before updating). I did lose root despite following all of the steps. To get it back your best bet is to boot up a live Ubuntu disc. I tried the VM that someone compiled but it kept failing.
PS: nobe1976, how the hell did you fit 3 ROMS on your phone? I can only fit one ROM (besides obviously stock). Wish we could install ROMs through safestrap to SD (internal or external).
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This is the Exploit I have been using the past few days.. HERE.
However Samuri didn't remove the HOB site, He just doesn't maintain it as much since HOM. Here is the LINK to that f needed.
G870A, Soft Bricked, Need 4.4.4 or 5.1.1 completely stock "Unrooted" firmware file
EDITED 12-27-15:
XDA Assist has sent me to this forum (Thanx). Info and questions follow, here are the basic details:
G870A variant of the samsung S5 (Active)
Stock, unrooted, carrier locked
interrupted power during OTA update from AT&T (most likely 5.1.1)
forced phone into "download mode" and attempted to flash 4.4.2 (NE4) instead of update (actual file used: G870AUCU1ANE4_G870AATT1ANE4_G870AUCU1ANE4_HOME.tar.md5)
Phone stuck in bootloop with freeze/repeat at AT&T logo
unable to locate completely stock firmware file for 4.4.4 (G870AUCU1AOA1 or OA2) to flash back to most recent functional OS.
still currently able to force recovery mode or download mode.
**update:
As far as i know, the OTA for 5.1.1 did completely download but i dont think it "installed" because i removed battery during initial auto-reboot. The existing ROM would have been 4.4.4 mentioned above, updated and active official firmware from AT&T.
Basic Explanation of actions: I do fully realize that my actions and subsequent "incomplete" attempt to patch the software were unwise but i was merely weeks away from paying off the phone, owning it, having it unlocked by AT&T, properly rooting and installing a custom ROM (as i had successfully done to my wife's G900A). In a moment of panic, not wanting to be locked out of my phone forever by Lolipop, I ripped out the battery during the reboot that was loading Lolipop... every time I put the battery back in and hit power, the phone still attempted to load and write 5.1.1. So I thought maybe, the official firmware copy from 4.4.2, which my phone shipped with in 2014, might flash, even though i was not rooted or unlocked. Clearly i was mistaken but it was all i could think of under pressure.
At this point, I am Completely unconcerned about almost all data on phone or even the hardware EXCEPT for some extensive "memo" notes, which i desperately want to recover. I also dont care anymore about avoiding Lolipop because the memo data is more important to me. I am literally willing to rip the internal memory from this phone and send the SD to a data forensics company if that's what it takes, i no longer care about the phone at all... Having said that, recovering it myself and keeping the phone might be nice also.
Question: where might i find a completely stock firmware for 4.4.4 factory, UN-rooted,to flash; or what procedure might i use to directly pull data from the phone, while soft bricked, before doing a full factory reset?
Alternately, any advice on directions i may not have thought of yet?
I have looked pretty deep into the existing XDA forums for this info but i am only finding "custom ROMs" which are rooted or factory stock ROMS for 4.4.2 and most advice deals with rooting, then flashing. I am not rooting but simply flashing fully unrooted stock firmware AND starting in a bootloop/soft brick state. This is why i did a fresh thread.
Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help!
rtlarkin said:
Hello XDA Assist! After reading the stickies, i see that you may be able to direct me to the correct forum in which to post my main question. Here are the basic details:
G870A variant of the samsung S5 (Active)
Stock, unrooted, carrier locked
interrupted power during OTA update from AT&T (most likely 5.1.1)
forced phone into "download mode" and attempted to flash 4.4.2 (NE4) instead of update (actual file used: G870AUCU1ANE4_G870AATT1ANE4_G870AUCU1ANE4_HOME.tar.md5)
Phone stuck in bootloop with freeze/repeat at AT&T logo
unable to locate completely stock firmware file for 4.4.4 (G870AUCU1AOA1 or OA2) to flash back to most recent functional OS.
still currently able to force recovery mode or download mode.
Completely unconcerned about all data on phone or even the hardware EXCEPT for some extensive "memo" notes, which i want to recover.
Question: where might i find a completely stock firmware for 4.4.4 to flash; or what procedure might i use to directly pull data from the phone before doing a full factory reset?
Alternately, advice on directions i may not have thought of yet.
Thanks a bunch!
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Greetings,
Thank you for using XDA Assist. To get you the expert help you need, I'm going to move this thread to the most relevant Q&A forum for your device. Good luck!
Hello,
I am not an expert or anywhere close but I understand the basics of Android flashing / rooting, etc.
I happened to have rooted my G870A from AT&T successfully using a thread from XDA and I noticed they also provided the original firmware for G870A in case of problems:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/att...to-root-g870aucu1aoa1-4-4-4-2-7-2015-t3025119
So I thought this may help you considering you're looking for an original firmware for your G870A.
What I suggest is to try to flash "G870AUCU1ANE4_Full_Odin.tar" (available from the thread I linked above, I didn't want to rip the links out of the thread) using Odin v3.09+.
I did not use this firmware to root my G870A (only used the updates) but everything worked on the first try.
Follow instructions in the thread I provided. If that still doesn't work, you may need an Android expert on the case.
I wish you good luck in your data recovery. And yes, I registered just to post a reply to your thread.
(also: if you want to root your G870A, the thread explains the proper way to do it!)
Appreciate the thought
dapr0b said:
I happened to have rooted my G870A from AT&T successfully using a thread from XDA and I noticed they also provided the original firmware for G870A in case of problems:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/att...to-root-g870aucu1aoa1-4-4-4-2-7-2015-t3025119
So I thought this may help you considering you're looking for an original firmware for your G870A.
What I suggest is to try to flash "G870AUCU1ANE4_Full_Odin.tar"
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Really appreciate the thought, however, that particular file is the file that i had originally used before posting. i think since my phone was factory locked and unrooted i did not have the permissions needed to basically "roll back" my phone to 4.4.2 but i am not educated enough to be sure of the exact problem flashing that file.
Thanks again for suggesting it though! I am nearing the time when I will just have to give up and send off the internal memory for physical extraction and data recovery
Hello,
I am also not an expert or anywhere close but I understand the basics of Android flashing / rooting, etc.
With that said: Let the OTA happen. You will not lose the files unless you already started a factory reset. Then your sol. You will not be able to root but you have a better chance of retrieving the files you are looking for. The phone is not like a computer. You can't just pull the HD and sent it out. You either already had the 5.0 kernel or the 5.1 kernel loaded before you stopped the process. This makes it impossible to go back. You can only go forward.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
re: take the OTA
Sgt.CM said:
With that said: Let the OTA happen. You will not lose the files unless you already started a factory reset.
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Thanks for that idea. the trouble at this point is that im stuck in a bootloop that catches on the att logo. I agree that the only option now is to continue forward. i just need a fully official software newer than 4.4.4 to load through kies or odin. at least i "hope" the newer file will work.
so far i have only been able to find stock ROMs that are rooted, and i dont think i can load a rooted stock ROM onto a carrier locked un-rooted phone.
The part you mentioned about the kernal is probably true. i had not thought of that before.