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Root [Verizon] flash CWM recovery on Galaxy S4

B

bdb318

Lurker
Hi,
I have rooted my Galaxy S4 (verizon) and am trying to backup my current ROM.
First I tried backing up in ROM manager, but it said I needed to install the CWM recovery. I tried doing this through ROM manager, but it wouldn't work.
Then I tried flashing the CWM recovery through ODIN, but the flash failed.
I read somewhere that if I turned off the phone, removed the battery, and then tried flashing again this would solve the problem, but the flash is still failing.
Is there something that I'm missing here? How can I get a custom recovery on this phone???
Thanks.
 
edit:
OK--so I gather that I can't flash a custom ROM, because the bootloader is locked. This explains why the flashes keep failing.
But does anybody know if I can install SafeStrap for my phone? It's the NK1 build of 4.4.2.
Thanks.
 
When you get it working, do not use a rebooter function or app to reboot into recovery. That will take you the stock recovery. To get into recovery, just reboot normally & choose recovery on the safestrap splashscreen that pops up after the samsung logo(menu button). If you don`t press anything while the safestrap screen is up, it will reboot to your system normally by default.
 
Thanks, Talontrax--it doesn't seem to be working, though.
I installed the safestrap app from my SD card as the instructions said, but when I tried installing the recovery in the safestrap app, the app interface still said that it had not been installed.
Then when I rebooted the phone (manually, as you say to do), I don't get a safestrap spashscreen at all, even after pressing the menu button. I get an initial samsung spashscreen with a broken lock, then an animated samsung splashscreen with annoying music and then the verizon splashscreen and then finally my system lockscreen.
Am I doing something wrong?
 
Last edited:
So, I take it that the problem might be that I can't set SE to "permissive". It is apparently stuck in "enforce" and I can't manage to change this at all, even in terminal emulator. Do I need to flash a custom kernel? Is there any other way to get safestrap working?

bdb318 said:
Thanks, Talontrax--it doesn't seem to be working, though.
I installed the safestrap app from my SD card as the instructions said, but when I tried installing the recovery in the safestrap app, the app interface still said that it had not been installed.
Then when I rebooted the phone (manually, as you say to do), I don't get a safestrap spashscreen at all, even after pressing the menu button. I get an initial samsung spashscreen with a broken lock, then an animated samsung splashscreen with annoying music and then the verizon splashscreen and then finally my system lockscreen.
Am I doing something wrong?
Click to expand...
 
Hmm . . . Only thing I can think of @ the moment is . . . Do you have busybox installed ? I assume yes or towelroot would have failed also. Let me think on it, if something comes to me I will check back in . . .
 
Yes, I have busybox.
Thanks for thinking it over. My two theories are that it has something to do with SE (which I don't know how to unenforce) or else there's some Knox process that's still going on, even though I disabled that also.

TALONTRAX said:
Hmm . . . Only thing I can think of @ the moment is . . . Do you have busybox installed ? I assume yes or towelroot would have failed also. Let me think on it, if something comes to me I will check back in . . .
Click to expand...
 
For the record, I didn't install busybox before I rooted.
I just flashed the NC5 kernel with Odin, then ran towelroot, and then flashed back to NK1. So, I don't think busybox will necessarily solve jamesy's problem. He probably just needs to learn how to flash firmware.
But he can start his own thread for that, I guess.

TALONTRAX said:
So . . . Are you going to install busybox & re-try . . . ?
Click to expand...
 
I can't set SE to permissive either. Tried everything, even SeLinux Permissions Changer from Play Store, which said it was successfully set to permissive but a quick check of about device still shows enforcing. I think that last OTA killed the ability to both unlock the boot loader as well as change SE status.

Those with the NK1 kernel can root but can't flash a rom.
 
You need to use terminal emulator. To temporarily set your bootloader to permissive do the following. First, start your terminal emulator. Next type "su" then hit enter. Next, type "setenforce 0". Now close the emulator and go and install safestrap. Enjoy.
 
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