Root [Verizon] Is the bootloader locked?

[Jerry-rigged]

Howdy gang -

I am currently running a GS3, and thinking of moving to a Note 3. (I am not waiting for the Note 4, and would not get it if it came out tomorrow).

My question - Is the bootloader for the N3 locked? If I root, do I have free access to flashing ROM's? Is there a good selection of decent ROMS for the N3?

I played with root/ROMs a lot back with my Moto Droid OG - was fun trying to get every drop of performance out of that under powered, under ram'ed phone. My last few phones have not been rooted. Current phone is a GS3, and as with so many other people, the recent 4.4.2 update is just not working for me. Locked bootloader on that phone means I can't ROM it, though.

So Note 3 - good for Root/ROM playing?

 

[Jerry-rigged]

No response?

So what can root do for the N3? Can I flash kernels? Modems? Roms? Is custom recovery available?

 

[The_Chief]

Well Jerry, the bootloader is locked... and there's this pesky thing called a KNOX counter. That is an indicator to Samsung whether you tried to root and ROM the device, therefore voiding the warranty. 0=0 is good. 0=1 is not.

Fortunately, there are root exploits that don't trip the KNOX counter. So you can root it. Then you'll need Safestrap, which is a bootstrap app that isolates the bootloader and the stock OS in its own little world, while you run a custom ROM in a Slot that is housed on the (very fast) microSD card. You can have several ROMs, as there are multiple Slots.

It's tricky, but we've done it with little issue.

 

[nickdalzell]

Wouldn't the warranty be just as denied by the large 'custom' padlock symbol on phone startup? My Knox wasn't tripped but there are other ways they can deny warranty to a rooted device, since it happened long before Knox existed...

 

[Jerry-rigged]

I will be buying a use phone from Swappa(or similar) so I don't care about warranties. What I do care about is Samsung OTA loading a crap modem to my phone that won't allow me to make/receive calls in my house, and them prevent me from rolling it back manually, as they have done with my GS3.

Other than the warranty, is there any reason to not to want to trip the knox counter? If I trip it can I go full custom recovery? Or still only safestrap?

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Well Jerry, the bootloader is locked... and there's this pesky thing called a KNOX counter. That is an indicator to Samsung whether you tried to root and ROM the device, therefore voiding the warranty. 0=0 is good. 0=1 is not.

Fortunately, there are root exploits that don't trip the KNOX counter. So you can root it. Then you'll need Safestrap, which is a bootstrap app that isolates the bootloader and the stock OS in its own little world, while you run a custom ROM in a Slot that is housed on the (very fast) microSD card. You can have several ROMs, as there are multiple Slots.

It's tricky, but we've done it with little issue.

And what ever you do Dont try and use the stock ROM slot as a slot to save or flash your custom roms from . once you wipe your custom slot your done.

 

[The_Chief]

Wouldn't the warranty be just as denied by the large 'custom' padlock symbol on phone startup? My Knox wasn't tripped but there are other ways they can deny warranty to a rooted device, since it happened long before Knox existed...

There is an app, once you're rooted and ROMmed, called Waman Xposed. You can actually trick the phone with a setting that changes the open padlock to official status. The padlock disappears. Now if you NEED to turn in a device for work, you'll definitely want to return to stock. You probably wouldn't want them booting into Hyperdrive

 

[nickdalzell]

I flashed hyperdrive to my stock slot, without issue. It refused to boot from any other slot and the XDA thread said it only works in the stock slot.

Speaking of padlock symbols, is there any way of removing the one next to the clock in hyperdrive?

 

[The_Chief]

I flashed hyperdrive to my stock slot, without issue. It refused to boot from any other slot and the XDA thread said it only works in the stock slot.

Speaking of padlock symbols, is there any way of removing the one next to the clock in hyperdrive?

First, Safestrap v3.65 is only for the Stock Slot. However, v3.72 Beta allows ROMs in ROM Slots.

To get rid of the lock in the Status Bar:

Settings --> Hyperdrive Tweaks --> Status Bar --> Scroll down and UNCHECK "Enable Lock Button". What this does is you can tap the lock icon and it instantly locks the phone.

I don't like it there, either

 

[nickdalzell]

I did uncheck that. In fact it was never enabled. Yet the icon shows up there anyway.

I had 3.72 SafeStrap but for reasons unknown it always produced a black screen of death right after rebooting if I flashed it to another slot. So I made a backup of the stock to external SD and flashed HD to stock. Worked fine after that.

 

[The_Chief]

Did you install BusyBox? Apparently 3.72 and 3.75 need BusyBox to work...

EDIT: Safestrap Developer calls it quits!

https://plus.google.com/111109372727398356624/posts/AtoJ3xLj35b

 

[nickdalzell]

I had to use Busybox in order to get SafeStrap to work period. Without that the splash screen would never come up on boot which would mean no Hyperdrive.

Regardless the XDA thread specifically says hyperdrive only works on stock slot. Especially in response to "black screen of death need to pull battery after flashing ROM"

Another question. Why is ART missing? With so many tweaks I'm left wondering why.

 

[The_Chief]

Not sure why ART is missing, unless Hyperdrive developer Scott Breen had serious development conflicts with it and the ROM.

Let me repeat my warning posted elsewhere about Hyperdrive and screens of death:

Do not EVER EVER EVER reboot to Recovery from the Hyperdrive Power Menu! NEVER!!!

You will be very sorry you did it! Lemme explain:

Safestrap works with a very limited version of TWRP, and is based solely on the microSD card. The "Reboot Recovery" option in the power menu assumes you have a full custom Recovery in the /Recovery partition. You don't.

If you reboot to Recovery from the Power menu, you will throw your poor phone into a seemingly never-ending bootloop from which there is no escape. It will look for TWRP, not find it, and reboot. Look for TWRP, not find it, reboot. Over and over. I'm not sure if it eventually times out or if there is a set number of loops before finally booting normally: but boot it will. Provided you have sufficient battery power available.

Nope, if you need to access Recovery, you do so in Safestrap. Power DOWN the phone, turn it back on and let it boot up to Safestrap- at which point the little dude pops up with the options "Recovery" or "Continue". Hit "Recovery" and you're golden.

I have contacted the Hyperdrive developer and asked him to eliminate the Reboot Recovery from the Power Menu... or at least make it a removable option. Hopefully RLS9 will have done away with it.

 

[nickdalzell]

yeah i avoid that option in power menu and normal reboot is the default. i saw that in the XDA thread as well