[Q] Rooting/unlocking - Xperia Z1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

[Q] Rooting/unlocking - Xperia Z1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So I've got myself a Sony Xperia Z1 and I'm a little unsure about how you root it.
From my understanding you need root to backup the DRM keys. but to get root apparently I need to unlock the bootloader to be able to put a certain version of the ROM on (which wipes the DRM keys).
Then I can root the phone.
Then I can backup the DRM keys
I'm seeing a loop here and I'm not sure what the first step would be. if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be heavily appreciated.

Hunter-Nyan said:
So I've got myself a Sony Xperia Z1 and I'm a little unsure about how you root it.
From my understanding you need root to backup the DRM keys. but to get root apparently I need to unlock the bootloader to be able to put a certain version of the ROM on (which wipes the DRM keys).
Then I can root the phone.
Then I can backup the DRM keys
I'm seeing a loop here and I'm not sure what the first step would be. if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be heavily appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not need to backup the TA area (Which contains the DRM keys) if you just want to root. you only need to do that if you unlock the bootloader.
First, read this about unlocking the bootloader
http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/
If you can and you want to unlock the bootloader then do so, making sure you have backed up your TA
If you cant (And in any case you must do this in order to backup your TA) you must
1) Downgrade to 4.2
2) Root using Bin4rys method, google it
3) Install dual recovery for 4.2, Its in the development thread
4) Flash a prerooted 4.4 Rom, in the development section.
If you still want to unlock the bootloader, backup the TA

Related

Rooting Xperia Z then restoring back to COMPLETE original state

Hi all,
I have a stock Xperia Z at the moment. Its a work phone.
I want to root it but because its a work phone I have to know I can go back to complete original state if I want to.
Now I have read the threads about backin up your TA partition but I am not sure if by doing this and also by having a stock image I can go back to 100% original?
I read this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2234627
Few questions:
- If I root the phone - does it do anything permanent or can I then just loose root easily and go back to exactly how it is now?
- What exactly is the difference between rooting your phone and unlocking your boot loader?
- If I backup the TA partition using the steps in the thread provided above, can I then just do anything else I want to the phone and then restore back to original or are there other steps? and if so, what are they.
Any and all up to date information from someone who knows what they are talking about hugely welcomed.
More nervous than usual just because its a work phone (rooted and used to Custom ROM my HTC Sensation all the time but didn't care as it was my own phone).
Thanks

No one?
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

nnila said:
Hi all,
I have a stock Xperia Z at the moment. Its a work phone.
I want to root it but because its a work phone I have to know I can go back to complete original state if I want to.
Now I have read the threads about backin up your TA partition but I am not sure if by doing this and also by having a stock image I can go back to 100% original?
I read this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2234627
Few questions:
- If I root the phone - does it do anything permanent or can I then just loose root easily and go back to exactly how it is now?
- What exactly is the difference between rooting your phone and unlocking your boot loader?
- If I backup the TA partition using the steps in the thread provided above, can I then just do anything else I want to the phone and then restore back to original or are there other steps? and if so, what are they.
Any and all up to date information from someone who knows what they are talking about hugely welcomed.
More nervous than usual just because its a work phone (rooted and used to Custom ROM my HTC Sensation all the time but didn't care as it was my own phone).
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - Rooting only changes things on the software side. So it allows you to get complete access to the system files and execute low level actions. So it doesn't do anything on the hardware side. That said, is your phone customized by your employer? Does it have anything specifically done to it? In that case two things might happen. The software is so customized that if you root it and flash a custom ROM on top of that, you WILL lose all the original apps and settings. So there might not be anyway of getting back to the original state. Secondly, your employer might have locked the bootloader permanently. This, I shall take up for answering your next question.
2 - As I mentioned, rooting is only a software level hack that gives unrestricted access. However, let's say you need to flash a custom KERNEL or flash CyanogenMod/AOKP/AOSP (based ROMS), then it's absolutely necessary to unlock your bootloader. This basically is telling the bootloader (which loads your kernel) to allow any unsigned kernels .i.e. non-stock kernels, to be flashed on to your phone. Now mind you, this will cause the DRM keys in your phone to be erased which means you will lose Bravia Engine enhancements for your Pictures. It does remain for the videos though. Lastly, you can relock your bootloader. But you can never get back the DRM keys and hence the Bravia Engine.
So you can either root by unlocking your bootloader or by using root exploits while keeping your bootloader locked.
3 - Since your bootloader is locked right now, I suggest you use DooMlord's rooting toolkit
Here's the link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2327472
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, backing up the TA partition is only necessary if you want to unlock your bootloader. This aims at backing up your DRM keys so that you can flash them back when you want to relock your bootloader. However this method is still dicey and I wouldn't recommend it considering it is a very risky method and can easily hard brick your device.
Upshot: Locked bootloader - Use Rooting toolkit. Will retain DRM keys.
Unlocked bootloader - For custom Kernels and CM Roms. Will lose DRM keys.

nnila said:
Hi all,
I have a stock Xperia Z at the moment. Its a work phone.
I want to root it but because its a work phone I have to know I can go back to complete original state if I want to.
Now I have read the threads about backin up your TA partition but I am not sure if by doing this and also by having a stock image I can go back to 100% original?
I read this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2234627
Few questions:
- If I root the phone - does it do anything permanent or can I then just loose root easily and go back to exactly how it is now?
- What exactly is the difference between rooting your phone and unlocking your boot loader?
- If I backup the TA partition using the steps in the thread provided above, can I then just do anything else I want to the phone and then restore back to original or are there other steps? and if so, what are they.
Any and all up to date information from someone who knows what they are talking about hugely welcomed.
More nervous than usual just because its a work phone (rooted and used to Custom ROM my HTC Sensation all the time but didn't care as it was my own phone).
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you backup your TA partition, you can restore it later. This doesn't include anything other than the TA partition.
Rooting the phone just means that you have root access just like on any other linux distribution. You can fully unroot at anytime without any problems. Flashing an unrooted ROM or flashing the original ftf will remove root.
Rooting implies getting root access. You have higher privileges & apps that run as root have higher privileges. Unlocking the bootloader gives you access to protected partitions. The only real question is, do you want to use a custom kernel? - If you do, then unlock. Some ROMs, such as CM, run on custom kernels, so if you plan on using such ROMs, you need to unlock.
No, backing up TA is not enough, Follow this thread to get yourself a full ftf for your current customization that can be flashed with the official flashtool for Unlocked bootloaders or the unofficial flashtool that works with locked bootloaders. Further, you also need to relock your bootloader to fully return back to the original state.
If you aren't comfortable with doing all this, don't.
The next time you want to ask a quick question, please post in the Help Thread.
These questions are nothing new, already been answered multiple times, just adding to the clutter in the Q&A forum.

[Q] Problem with vRoot/generally rooting the phone

Hello everyone,
i am having some problems to get the right (and safest) way to unlock the BL of my z1.
The sum of my last few hours is this:
1. Root the device
2. Make a TA Backup (for DRM keys and relocked BL)
3. unlock BL
4. install custom rom
(am i forgetting something here?)
But the very first point of the list is already a problem. I got that the camera will break,
if you root it in the .534 version, so i updated to .290 - but now i can't find any tutorial on
how to root the .290, without switching back to .534 and rooting it (what, afaik, will
break my camera). The only other version i found would be with vRoot, but vRoot doesn't
do the job - after about two minutes vRoot on the desktop just shows something else,
but not the picture showed in the tutorials (and, too bad, i can't read chinese/korean/...),
nor a check (and yes, i allowed the two apps on the phone).
Thanks in advance
Ps:
Could somebody tell me what "FTF" means?

Nath.Schwarz said:
Hello everyone,
i am having some problems to get the right (and safest) way to unlock the BL of my z1.
The sum of my last few hours is this:
1. Root the device
2. Make a TA Backup (for DRM keys and relocked BL)
3. unlock BL
4. install custom rom
(am i forgetting something here?)
But the very first point of the list is already a problem. I got that the camera will break,
if you root it in the .534 version, so i updated to .290 - but now i can't find any tutorial on
how to root the .290, without switching back to .534 and rooting it (what, afaik, will
break my camera). The only other version i found would be with vRoot, but vRoot doesn't
do the job - after about two minutes vRoot on the desktop just shows something else,
but not the picture showed in the tutorials (and, too bad, i can't read chinese/korean/...),
nor a check (and yes, i allowed the two apps on the phone).
Thanks in advance
Ps:
Could somebody tell me what "FTF" means?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to root is to downgrade to .534. This will NOT break your camera. Check out my video tutorial in the signature for a video guide on how to root coming from .290.
FTF 's are Sony's firmware files.

Out there are 2 ways only how to root your Z1, both are for Locked Bootlader. 1 best way is here step by step, page 2, Post #16 http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...2588331&page=2 or NUT method here http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2572988
After that you can Backup your TA first (DRM Keys) and then Unlock Bootloader, but only if you want to flash a Custom Kernel, if you don't do that do not unlock it, you will also void your warranty if you do.
BTW, at the moment you can't root your phone on .290 directly with Vroot or 360 without a downgrade.

Thanks you two, i will go after shem's tutorial, it seems to be the easiest one.

Clarification on Losing DRM

So the root process is a matter of unlocking the bootloader and flashing a new boot.img that includes CWM.
You're supposed to backup your TA partition to preserve your DRM keys.
There's some talk about a bunch of things that can be lost with the DRM keys -- camera quality, Triluminos, Bravia, etc.
Are these lost when the bootloader is unlocked, or only if TA is not restored?
If I backup TA, then unlock the bootloader, then dd TA image back into the partition (after rooting, I presume?), will that restore the camera quality, Triluminos, etc.? Is it possible to root without losing those things, or is it a choice? Because I don't think I want to root quite that badly...

This is my first sony phone so I don't know too much about backing up and flashing things on this particular phone yet, but it is my understanding that there is no way to root without unlocking the bootloader at this time. Unlocking the bootloader wipes the TA partition so that's where the loss of the DRM keys comes in. Unfortunately, in order to back up the TA partition, you need root. So, right now, it's a catch 22 until someone can figure out how to root the device without unlocking the bootloader. I'm personally going to wait it out. There's too much about this phone that I like about the stock sony experience with this device to lose a lot of functionality and have degraded camera quality. The only reason I would root is to be able to backup certain things and run xposed. Not worth unlocking the bootloader just to have those things IMO.

In order to get root access, right now you have to unlock the bootloader. In doing so, you erase the TA partition. So, once you have root access, you don't have a TA partition to backup anymore.
If you care about your TA partition, then wait for an exploit to be found that enables root access without the need of unlocking the bootloader. When (not if, problem is just when) this happens, you can have root access, unlocked bootloader and TA partition altogether. (that is, unless you've already unlocked the bootloader... in that case, you don't have a way to restore your TA)

Ah. So we cannot even read the partition without root?
So yes, then I will just have to wait until someone finds an exploit.

This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.

Cypher_01 said:
This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be better served visiting other sections of XDA, such as the Z1 Compact and Z2 forums here on XDa. They will be able to give you a little better glimpse into the future for how things are done.

Cypher_01 said:
This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relocking the bootloader when a modified stock firmware and a stock kernel with recovery is installed results in a device that doesn't boot, so I guess no, although I don't know which part exactly breaks in the process.

My understanding is that with a custom/unlocked recovery, you'll lose the TA partition with DRM keys. So you'll lose out on anything that needs the DRM keys. If a root exploit is found, then you could use the standard ROM with root and not touch the bootloader/recovery/TA partition. But as soon as an update rolls out, you'll lose root again (and likely the exploit with it).
Backing up the TA partition means that you can restore it to stock (i.e. to sell or for warranty repair).
Again, as per my understanding - any AOSP/CM based ROM will lose any of the Sony proprietary software and features anyway, no different to Samsung or HTC in that respect. I remember having a HTC One (M7) last year where the camera was worse on CM because HTC used their own post processing software within their camera app.
In theory, it may be possible for someone to come up with a stock based ROM with root baked in that keeps some the Sony proprietary software etc, but this is unlikely I would say.

I'm thinking about buying a Z3c, but it sounds as though there with be no AOSP rom with all the display and camera enhancements. The most concerning thing is that there is no way to go back completely to stock as you can with a Nexus for example. Maybe I should just hope for a Z3c Google Play Edition? I'm going to have to check the other Z phone forums to see how big of a factor this is.

[Q] Basic root / unlocking questions

I'm coming from the very easy, in relation to root and flashing, world of a Nexus device, so I wanna ask some basic questions regarding rooting, unlocking of bootloader and the whole DRM keys thing.
As I understand it, DRM keys are lost when you unlock the bootloader, unless you back them up first.
So, is this the procedure to use?
1. Root & backup DRM keys (following something like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/how-to-root-backup-drm-keys-t3013343)
2. Unlock bootloader with Sony's official tool & install custom recovery
3. Make a nandroid of the stock phone, for warranty use.
4. Flash any rom I want (will probably be Resurrection Remix, unless you have other suggestions?)
If I need to use my warranty:
5. Flash the nandroid from 3.
6. Relock the bootloader using the Backup TA tool (which will restore the DRM keys also, right?)
7. ???
8. PROFIT (and enjoyment of this wonderful handset).
I just wanna know, if I'm on the right track, and have understood the whole bootloader / DRM keys thing correctly. Thanks!

BetaLyte said:
I'm coming from the very easy, in relation to root and flashing, world of a Nexus device, so I wanna ask some basic questions regarding rooting, unlocking of bootloader and the whole DRM keys thing.
As I understand it, DRM keys are lost when you unlock the bootloader, unless you back them up first.
So, is this the procedure to use?
1. Root & backup DRM keys (following something like this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/how-to-root-backup-drm-keys-t3013343)
2. Unlock bootloader with Sony's official tool & install custom recovery
3. Make a nandroid of the stock phone, for warranty use.
4. Flash any rom I want (will probably be Resurrection Remix, unless you have other suggestions?)
If I need to use my warranty:
5. Flash the nandroid from 3.
6. Relock the bootloader using the Backup TA tool (which will restore the DRM keys also, right?)
7. ???
8. PROFIT (and enjoyment of this wonderful handset).
I just wanna know, if I'm on the right track, and have understood the whole bootloader / DRM keys thing correctly. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All correct

basti2909 said:
All correct
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks for the reply!
\Sent from my GNex

How to root Xperia Z4/Z3+? [Marshmallow]

I just received a Sony Xperia Z3+(E6533) on stock Marshmallow 6.0 and I've looked up how to root but only got ways to root while it's on Lollipop. Is there anyway for me to root on this software or downgrade from Marshmallow to Lollipop on this phone?

You can also root your phone while on MM. You can unlock the bootloader, flash a rootable kernel followed by a recovery and than flash the SuperSu zip. No problem.
But it is not recommended to do so, because you will loose the DRM keys/functionality when unlocking the bootloader. And once the keys are gone there is no way to get them back.
The better way is to downgrade to LP (e.g. .266), backup the DRM keys (TA Backup) and proceed with unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone.
That's also the way I did yesterday, when I got the Z3+.
And of course you will have to read... a lot...

Thanks for the heads up , I've been trying to figure out ways for my specific model all morning and last night.
So to downgrade I'll just unlock the bootloader first then get a Lollipop firmware and flash using flash tool then do the other steps such as getting a rootable kernel and so on?

No, that is not what I wrote. Before unlocking the bootloader you will have to flash a LP firmware assumed that you want to backup the TA partition with the DRM keys first. This can only be done under LP.
I think you will have to read a little bit:
How to root Xperia Z3+?!
iovyroot - (temp) root tool
[Rootable Kernel SXZ3+ IVY/IVY_DSDS Marshsmellow ] [32.1.A.1.163]

What are the issues if we loose Drm keys? Will it affect non DRM normal contents? Or will it altogether disable Netflix or any other apps using Drm or other encryption?

You may have a look here:
Loss of DRM Keys or
Unlock your boot loader (Risk section)

Why don't create a guide?

Do some readings

Database Develop

welcome