Root How to disable that damn system write protection

[Radix Libertatem]

OK. I have been rooting my phones since Cupcake. I just got the ZMAX and frankly, the root methods have me concerned. Having never used a method like this, I figured it's better to swallow my pride and ask questions before I turn this new phone into a paperweight.
If I obtain temp root and install TWRP, can I just flash a ROM and have all R/W privileges? Will I be good to go, or do I need to run the scripts from here? Also, will the temp root method, SU, and scripts ding my counter? If I brick this, I would like it not to be obvious that I was rooting it, if you get my drift...

 

[Masterchief87]

OK. I have been rooting my phones since Cupcake. I just got the ZMAX and frankly, the root methods have me concerned. Having never used a method like this, I figured it's better to swallow my pride and ask questions before I turn this new phone into a paperweight.
If I obtain temp root and install TWRP, can I just flash a ROM and have all R/W privileges? Will I be good to go, or do I need to run the scripts from here? Also, will the temp root method, SU, and scripts ding my counter? If I brick this, I would like it not to be obvious that I was rooting it, if you get my drift...

No, the bootloader has system write protection. When you boot normally, it mounts system read only. When you boot from the recovery partition, it mounts system rw. If flashing a new rom gave you the ability to mount system rw then this whole thread would be pointless. Also, this is not a Samsung so there isn't any Knox or counter or anything like that. As long as you don't brick the phone, all you need to do is flash the stock rom and recovery.img and nobody will know it was ever rooted. I have already had to get a warranty exchange two times because of how cheaply these phones are made.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Thanks. So if I follow these directions and everything goes fine, I'll be able to install ROMs and run like normal? I ask because standard Android is not nearly secure enough for my comfort. If I can't run something more modifiable (like CM) where I can control permissions and lock things down tight, then I'm taking this back and sticking with my Nexus 5.

 

[hammerdroid]

Do these scripts have any impact on the process of restoring a twrp backup from recovery?

 

[Masterchief87]

Do these scripts have any impact on the process of restoring a twrp backup from recovery?

The answer to your question is in the first two posts.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

So, just to verify before I move on any further:
I gained temp root with king root,
I removed all king apps,
I installed supersu,
I downloaded temp,
I have downloaded the carbon rom
I have downloaded the scripts for the carbon rom,
I have checked the md5's

Now I need to:
Run the twrp apk,
Reboot into twrp,
Flash carbon,
Reboot twrp,
Reboot,
Set up carbon,
Reboot into twrp,
Flash the switcher and reboot recovery,
Reboot system,
Enjoy rooted rom bliss?

If I understand it I flash the restore zip then reboot recovery when I go into twrp, and then flash the switcher zip then reboot recovery when I'm done in twrp before going into Android. Right?

 

[Radix Libertatem]

No, the bootloader has system write protection. When you boot normally, it mounts system read only. When you boot from the recovery partition, it mounts system rw. If flashing a new rom gave you the ability to mount system rw then this whole thread would be pointless. Also, this is not a Samsung so there isn't any Knox or counter or anything like that. As long as you don't brick the phone, all you need to do is flash the stock rom and recovery.img and nobody will know it was ever rooted. I have already had to get a warranty exchange two times because of how cheaply these phones are made.

Thank you for all you have done here. I can only imagine the time involved.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

To everyone who has been asking questions, I just want to say thank you. I would much rather that you ask questions (even if they seem like dumb questions to you) than go half cocked and mess up your phone.

Thanks for being so good at answering the questions we ask. I know it takes a lot of time to do what you do. I appreciate it and I'm sure many others do, too.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Yea I gotta say its better yo just ask. I'll be fully back now to answer question and such. I've been gone for a few weeks

Are you able to help with my long, rambling question above?

 

[Radix Libertatem]

So, I would switch out to use apps that require full r/w? And then to properly use twrp (for flashing and backups) I would restore back? Do I understand properly? Restore into twrp and switch out into Android?

 

[Masterchief87]

Once you have installed twrp, you would first make your backup, wipe, and flash your new ROM & GApps and then reboot and do your setup. Then if you need to add replace or remove system files you reboot to recovery and flash the switcher that goes with your rom, and after that your phone will boot backwards(regular reboot option=reboot to twrp, reboot recovery=regular reboot). Make sense? Also, when it comes time to flash a different ROM or restore a backup you made, you first need to flash the restore, and then reboot recovery for it to take effect.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Once you have installed twrp, you would first make your backup, wipe, and flash your new ROM & GApps and then reboot and do your setup. Then if you need to add replace or remove system files you reboot to recovery and flash the switcher that goes with your rom, and after that your phone will boot backwards(regular reboot option=reboot to twrp, reboot recovery=regular reboot). Make sense? Also, when it comes time to flash a different ROM or restore a backup you made, you first need to flash the restore, and then reboot recovery for it to take effect.

Thank you. That's what I thought (though I probably didn't write it very clearly...). Your help on this has been great. I'll post again after I get it done.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

I followed master odysues's wonderful guide and used hroark13's TWRP and Masterchief87's switcher and restore zips and my ZMAX (which was a slow block of nearly useless plastic) is now quickly becoming my favorite device ever. Thanks to everyone who helped by either working on the dev for these tools or by answering all my questions. You guys are tops!

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Once you have installed twrp, you would first make your backup, wipe, and flash your new ROM & GApps and then reboot and do your setup. Then if you need to add replace or remove system files you reboot to recovery and flash the switcher that goes with your rom, and after that your phone will boot backwards(regular reboot option=reboot to twrp, reboot recovery=regular reboot). Make sense? Also, when it comes time to flash a different ROM or restore a backup you made, you first need to flash the restore, and then reboot recovery for it to take effect.

Thanks for all your help and all your work on this. I have success! Loving my new phone. [emoji2]

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Thanks for all your help and all your work on this. I have success! Loving my new phone. [emoji2]

I know I asked a lot of questions about things that had already been discussed, but I wanted to make sure I understood what was being said. I saw enough posts from people who maybe didn't ask questions and thought they understood and wound up with their phones stuck in paperweight mode. I didn't want that to be me. In the end it all paid off and my ZMAX is awesome now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread and the other threads about rooting the ZMAX. Even if all you did was ask questions, it helped keep the conversation moving and bring things out in a way that made it all easier to understand.

 

[hammerdroid]

Read the whole first and second post before downloading and using these zips.

Post #1 Disclaimer, Credits, and Necessary Warnings
Post #2 Instructions For Use and Other Stuff You Should Know
Post #3 Download Links

Hi everyone, something that has been bothering me is the fact that in order to have write access to the system partition while booted in Android, you have to copy the boot.img to the recovery partition. This has been causing a lot of people to brick their phones because they messed something up and didn't have a recovery installed. My idea was to create flashable zips that will allow you to easily copy the boot.img to the recovery partition while still having TWRP installed (on your boot partition). This allows you to have full root capabilities while still having TWRP on your phone.

All credit goes to hroark13 for building TWRP for all of us and for building most of the ROMs that these zips are made for. Special thanks to xtremeasure ( Android Forums Profile, XDA Profile ) and imattmodz for helping test my zips for T-Mobile and for valuable advice which helped take the risk out of using these zips.
Please make sure that you thank hroark13 for his work. Hit the like/thanks button to show your support or buy him a beer.

DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE THESE ZIPS OR POST DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINKS!!!
This is very important because if you upload these zips and one of the files gets corrupted it may potentially brick someone's phone. It is also very important that you dont post direct download links because anyone who downloads these files needs to be able to check the md5 sums to make sure that they didn't get a bad download.

You must check the md5 sum for both zips after you download them in order to make sure that everything is good. If you skip this very important step you could mess your phone up badly. If your md5 does not match, delete the files and download them again and then check the md5 again. Also, I recently moved the switcher & restore zips that I use from my internal storage to my SD card and one of the files got corrupted. This means that you also need to check the md5 sums again whenever you to move or copy these files.
You can use md5 Checker to check the md5 and make sure that you did not get a bad download.
If there is anything that you are not 100% sure of, ask before you flash!!

I am not responsible for anything that happens to your phone. If you use my zips you are doing so at your own risk. I have thoroughly tested all four of these zips and they all work perfectly. If you have a problem after using my zips then you did something wrong.

DO NOT ACCEPT ANY OTA UPDATES.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRY TO FACTORY RESET FROM THE SETTINGS MENU. IF YOU HAVE FLASHED A SWITCHER ZIP YOU HAVE TO FLASH THE RESTORE ZIP AND REBOOT RECOVERY BEFORE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH TWRP.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE FLASH A SWITCHER ZIP BEFORE YOU FLASH A ROM BECAUSE THE BOOT.IMG THAT COMES WITH THE ROM WILL OVERWRITE TWRP AND AS SOON AS YOU EXIT TWRP IT WILL BE GONE WHICH WILL LEAVE YOU WITH NO RECOVERY INSTALLED AND THIS CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A BRICK IF YOUR PHONE SOMEHOW GETS STUCK IN A BOOTLOOP. IF YOU FLASH A SWITCHER ZIP AND THEN RESTORE A BACKUP (some users incorrectly refer to a backup as a recovery) THIS WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AND WILL LEAVE YOU WITHOUT A RECOVERY. LASTLY, IF YOU FLASH A SWITCHER AND THEN FLASH A KERNEL (ex: BankerMod or ButterKat) THIS WILL ALSO LEAVE YOU WITH NO RECOVERY INSTALLED. TO SUM IT ALL UP, YOU SHOULD NEVER FLASH, BACKUP, RESTORE, OR WIPE ANYTHING AFTER FLASHING A SWITCHER. THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD EVER FLASH WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR PARTITIONS SWITCHED OUT IS THE RESTORE ZIP THAT GOES ALONG WITH WHATEVER SWITCHER YOU USED. If you don't fully understand these warnings and instructions then don't do anything without first asking for help. I only ask that you try to use the correct terminology and proper grammar and spelling. The more clear and precise your explanation, the better help you can expect to receive.


@john buhrman (@beerthirty on XDA) found this out the hard way when he flashed CARBON5.1.1-SWITCHER, Carbon ROM, and GApps in that order back to back. This left him with no recovery installed and somehow he got stuck in a bootloop when he exited TWRP. Now his spare zmax (may it rest in peace) is stuck in a bootloop with the boot.img on both the recovery and boot partitions and adb won't recognize his phone so there is no way to fix it.

Man, I think I'm over-thinking all of this, lol, but your seriousness makes me question everything over and over! Generally, when flashing ROMs, since I have a backup already, I just go ahead and wrote system then install the ROM. I only use switcher/restore zips when making system mods, correct?

Now, I've tried a few ROMs but I want to go back to cyanogenMod 12.1. Only thing is, I want to incorporate the bankerMod kernel into it.

I have a cm12.1 backup but I don't it's got gapps and I'm recently taking leave from Google, do I don't want to use the backup, if rather wipe the system and start fresh. Again... And that's cool, but to install this kernel, can I just go ahead and copy and paste then over into the ROM, switcher, and restore zips? Seems like a good idea to me, what do y'all think?

ANY and ALL input is greatly appreciate it!

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Yes, the switcher and restore zips are for full r/w within both the UI and recovery. You need to run the switcher zip when you leave recovery, so that you have r/w in the UI. (Unless you don't need r/w in the UI.)
Then use the restore zip when you go into recovery so that the recovery can write to system. Otherwise, recovery won't backup or restore.

So: restore zip going into recovery (then reboot recovery) and switcher zip before leaving recovery (then reboot system).

The switcher essentially reverses the way reboot works. If you're switched, reboot system will take you to recovery and vice versa.

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Man, I think I'm over-thinking all of this, lol, but your seriousness makes me question everything over and over! Generally, when flashing ROMs, since I have a backup already, I just go ahead and wrote system then install the ROM. I only use switcher/restore zips when making system mods, correct?

Now, I've tried a few ROMs but I want to go back to cyanogenMod 12.1. Only thing is, I want to incorporate the bankerMod kernel into it.

I have a cm12.1 backup but I don't it's got gapps and I'm recently taking leave from Google, do I don't want to use the backup, if rather wipe the system and start fresh. Again... And that's cool, but to install this kernel, can I just go ahead and copy and paste then over into the ROM, switcher, and restore zips? Seems like a good idea to me, what do y'all think?

ANY and ALL input is greatly appreciate it!

How solid is 12.1? Any issues for you?

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Awesome! I figured the further "upstream" I went the better and more pure it would be. I love your Carbon ROM, but I'm having cm withdrawal...

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Think about it like this. Every ROM I have released has been based on cm12.1 so cm12.1 is usually gonna be really solid and other ROMs the more features they add the less solid usually.

Made the switch without a hitch. Loving CM 12.1 in my ZMAX!

 

[Andrew ziemba]

Sooooo, I'm a noob so forgive if this is a dumb question. I'm running cm12.1 on my zmax (metro Pcs) I've also flashed the bankermod kernel, now my next question is if I follow these steps correctly I should be able to run new boot images correct? I tried to install one in my root system folder, did everything correctly but it didn't work. Again I'm sure this is a noob question but hey we all start somewhere. Thanks again for all the awesome mods you guys have created!

 

[Radix Libertatem]

Sooooo, I'm a noob so forgive if this is a dumb question. I'm running cm12.1 on my zmax (metro Pcs) I've also flashed the bankermod kernel, now my next question is if I follow these steps correctly I should be able to run new boot images correct? I tried to install one in my root system folder, did everything correctly but it didn't work. Again I'm sure this is a noob question but hey we all start somewhere. Thanks again for all the awesome mods you guys have created!

The good thing is that you're asking questions instead of taking chances.

Yes. These zips will do the job for you. The switcher zip will give you full R/W in the UI. Without R/W you can't make system changes.

Make sure you download the zips for 12.1 and check the MD5's. Then flash the switcher and reboot system to activate it. Then your boot options will be reversed (boot system will take you to recovery and reboot recovery will she you to android). When you need to make changes in recovery (backup, restore, etc) flash the restore zip then reboot recovery to activate it.

Make sense?

 

[Andrew ziemba]

I know I've done everything right lol but still can't manage to change the boot image. Dunno if the bankermod kernel running with it that's messing it up or not. I'm flashing the switcher, reboot recovery, I make my changes in my root folder, I'm using fx file explorer with the root add on. After correct changes are made, I reboot into twrp flash restore, regular reboot into system to access android its saying failure to mount but then boots up normally, phone is 100 percent functional so I'm really confused.... Any help would be awesome, as always thanks in advance.

 

[Masterchief87]

I know I've done everything right lol but still can't manage to change the boot image. Dunno if the bankermod kernel running with it that's messing it up or not. I'm flashing the switcher, reboot recovery, I make my changes in my root folder, I'm using fx file explorer with the root add on. After correct changes are made, I reboot into twrp flash restore, regular reboot into system to access android its saying failure to mount but then boots up normally, phone is 100 percent functional so I'm really confused.... Any help would be awesome, as always thanks in advance.

For starters, if you want to change your boot animation that isn't in the root folder. It is located at /system/media/bootanimation.zip
What folder were you putting the new bootanimation in? Also, what was failing to mount? It is normal for twrp to say unable to mount system when you switch it out. Once you flash the restore zip it wont give you the error the next time you reboot to twrp.

 

[Andrew ziemba]

Unable to Mount system Is what it says. Glad that's normal. I get into the correct folder. I go into system/media/boot animations, make my changes then using my power button boot into twrp, flash restore, reboot system. Am I missing a step somewhere?