• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root [Verizon] Rooting concerns (4.1.2)

T

trale

Member
Hi all,

I'm about to take the plunge and root my S3, which was recently updated to 4.1.2. I'm looking at this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046439

1st question: this will NOT erase my data, right? (as I'm not installing a custom rom).

I'm rooting to remote bloatware and a few other things, but I don't think I will ever want to install a custom ROM. I'm fine with the stock ROM running Nova Launcher. I want to do the minimum I need.

2nd Q: This means I don't need the Unlocked Bootloader function right? Are there any benefits to an unlocked bootloader besides the ability to install roms?

3rd Q: Since I have no interest in a custom rom, do I still need ClockworkMod touch recovery?

4th Q: What are the chances of something going wrong? (assuming I follow steps correctly). What are the risks and how likely are they? Are there some "gotcha" spots I should be aware of?

Appreciate any insight into these! This is a scary but exciting undertaking for me.
 
Hello trale!
Yes that guide is the guide to follow:)
1.It will not erase your data.

2.Technically you do not need to unlock the bootloader if you do not desire to flash roms/kernels.

3.I would still recommend a custom recovery, it does so much more than stock. And go with TWRP. (personal preference I guess)..besides, you will need it to flash SuperUser.

4. The chances are slim of something going wrong. Read and fully understand the process and the one spot I see a few people having issues with, is installing the custom recovery in step 3. At step 3, bullet point 3, leave the phone plugged in for 5 minutes before unplugging at bullet point 4.
At step 4, where is says you will see a message "Disable recovery flash"---you wont see that if you install TWRP.

Here is a helpful video that kinda follows that guide:

Please don't hesitate to ask questions if you are not clear on something k? :D
 
Thanks mike! In general and for the tip about TWRP - I was going to use CWM since it got rated higher in the poll on that guide, but it appears that with a bit of reading, more ppl prefer TWRP

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881551
http://androidforums.com/metropcs-galaxy-s3-all-things-root/684375-twrp-cwm.html

Also now that I've done a bit more reading, I'm leaning back towards also unlocking the bootloader. It doesn't seem to add any extra steps or complication to that entire process (did I miss something?) Even if I don't use roms, it seems it'll speed up the boot process.

Although I'm still not completely sold on it... if I'm not doing any custom Roms, are there any apps that require the unlocked bootloader?

Are there any negatives to having it?
 
No negatives that I have seen. I have been rooted since day 3 of receiving my device.
In my opinion, just unlock the bootloader etc (step 1, #3, bullet point 3) and run thru all the steps. :thumbup:
Once you are done with all the steps, you will think to yourself, "hmm, that wasn't so hard after all" :)
And the best part is, you won't lose any data.
If you decide to remove some bloat ware, I have a link to a list of apps safe to remove.
The other app I highly recommend, is Titanium Backup. And also the ProKey for it.
I know it's a little expensive for an app, but well worth it. Having the paid version allows you to freeze apps before removal. If you freeze an app and your phone still functions just fine, then you can remove it.
If you freeze the app, and your phone acts wonky, then you know, it is not safe to remove.
 
Just went through the entire process. Took about 1.5 hrs!

I must have re-read every step 10 times and re-watched each little segment of these videos 5+ times:

How To Root Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 4.1.1 & Install CWM Recovery! SCH-I535 - YouTube
Verizon Galaxy S III ROOT OTA Official JB 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 How to Root+ Unlock + Install Recovery - YouTube

Double-and triple checking each step. It got a little hairy after flashed the TWRP recovery, since the videos show steps for CWM, but I pulled through, and everything seems ok so far.

Now for the fun stuff!
- changing boot animation
- removing items from the notification bar
- Disabling bloatware (I'm a little wary of uninstalling them, but freezing them should be sufficient
- etc etc etc!

If there's anything else I should do post-root, I'd be glad to take suggestions!

Thanks again Mike.
 
I would make a nandroid backup via recovery.
A nandroid backup is like a snapshot of your phones current state.
If anything should ever go wonky, you can restore that backup and bring your phone back to the state that the backup was made.
Kinda like a restore point on a computer or a game save, follow? :)
 
Mikestony said:
I would make a nandroid backup via recovery.
A nandroid backup is like a snapshot of your phones current state.
If anything should ever go wonky, you can restore that backup and bring your phone back to the state that the backup was made.
Kinda like a restore point on a computer or a game save, follow? :)
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^ Is the number one reason I root any Android device!! :) It should have been baked into the Android OS from day one. Nandroid backups put your device, all its apps, all your settings, etc. right back in time to the moment you made the nandroid. It can be a real lifesaver, especially if you like to try different apps or ROMS or whatever, and one of them messes up your device. It only takes a few minutes to restore a nandroid, vs sometimes hours to rebuild from the ground up, if you have a lot of customizations and apps set certain ways.
 
Just made the Nandroid backup! (before dumping all my non-essential content like music onto the phone).

On that point, can I exclude folders/content from a nandroid backup? (I don't want it to also backup my mp3s, which I transferred over some my PC).
 
The backup only backs up the system & settings. So, if you have media/picture files on the internal xdcard, they should still be there if/when you restore(unless you do a factory reset or complete xdcard wipe),but they're not backed up in the nandroid backup. I recommend you get an external xdcard for your media & picture files . . . Anything on there will survive any & all flashes/installations.
 
TALONTRAX said:
The backup only backs up the system & settings. So, if you have media/picture files on the internal xdcard, they should still be there if/when you restore(unless you do a factory reset or complete xdcard wipe),but they're not backed up in the nandroid backup. I recommend you get an external xdcard for your media & picture files . . . Anything on there will survive any & all flashes/installations.
Click to expand...

Right up to the point where the SD Card "fails", or up to the point where your device suddenly pulls "cannot read SD card - must reformat it" out of its hat. I recommend anything you value on the SD Card should also be backed up elsewhere, like on your PC.

This has happened to me several times across several Android devices. Back when we had apps on the SD, it made life even more interesting. :D

My Acer Iconia A500 Tablet likes to throw this at me on a regular basis, always when you are least prepared or have no time to deal with it. I make weekly backups. YMMV :)
 
Of course taking away the USB Mass Storage mode of connecting to a PC did not help in the efforts to keep backing up. But since I started making sure to ONLY use the Samsung S3 cable for USB connections I have not had much of an issue with the S3. My Android tablet is another story, however. Even using the S3 cable it still sometimes gives me grief, refusing to let the PC see its files. Backing that up works much better to my WinXP notebook then to the Win7 PC.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom