Flashing PA with locked bootloader?

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julbra18

julbra18

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2011
68
6
Vienna
Good morning!

So, yesterday evening I rooted my N5 with Towelroot, installed TWRP and then flashed the latest SuperSU! Everything went fine and now I want to install PA (4.4 RC1). But I'm not quite sure if I need to unlock the bootloader for that... I think that only needs to be done for a kernel. So what should I do? Leave it locked and flash PA, or unlock it and flash PA?

Also, if someone could set me up with the 4.4.3 gapps, that would be nice. I downloaded a file, but its not a mini version and only has 97MB. The full versions are a lot bigger if I remember correctly, aren't they?

Anyway thanks!

*edit: I'm currently on the 4.4.3 stock ROM. That means that I don't need to update my radio, because it should already be the latest version from the OTA... Correct me if In wrong though!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
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danarama

danarama

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2010
31,277
18,811
Oxenhope, West Yorkshire, UK
Please can you ensure you ask questions in the questions section ?

The bootloader only needs to be unlocked to flash recovery which you need for rooting. This isn't an issue for you because you used the new exploit that means you can root without having to unlock the bootloader

Even though you've rooted already, I strongly urge you to read the pre root section in the thread shown in my signature to bump up your basic knowledge

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
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julbra18

julbra18

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2011
68
6
Vienna
rootSU said:
Please can you ensure you ask questions in the questions section ?

The bootloader only needs to be unlocked to flash recovery which you need for rooting. This isn't an issue for you because you used the new exploit that means you can root without having to unlock the bootloader

Even though you've rooted already, I strongly urge you to read the pre root section in the thread shown in my signature to bump up your basic knowledge

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have basic knowledge (rooted my Nexus Phones before, every time with fastboot). I'm just asking if it is important to unlock the hootloader before flashing a ROM, as I'm not sure. Sorry for posting in the false section...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
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fxdil

fxdil

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2014
121
23
julbra18 said:
I do have basic knowledge (rooted my Nexus Phones before, every time with fastboot). I'm just asking if it is important to unlock the hootloader before flashing a ROM, as I'm not sure. Sorry for posting in the false section...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You can install custom ROMs, but only ROMs based on stock firmware and using stock kernel. ROMs like CyanogenMod, you can't install at all because you cannot flash the custom kernel that comes with it. Unlocked bootloader allows you to install unsigned kernels onto your phone.
 
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danarama

danarama

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2010
31,277
18,811
Oxenhope, West Yorkshire, UK
fxdil said:
You can install custom ROMs, but only ROMs based on stock firmware and using stock kernel. ROMs like CyanogenMod, you can't install at all because you cannot flash the custom kernel that comes with it. Unlocked bootloader allows you to install unsigned kernels onto your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Where did you get this information? My bootloader is locked and I can flash all kernels via recovery

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
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fxdil

fxdil

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2014
121
23
rootSU said:
Where did you get this information? My bootloader is locked and I can flash all kernels via recovery

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Isn't that the case, or have I been misinformed? I left my boot loader unlocked since the day I was rooted, mostly because of that fact (I remembered reading it somewhere) and also because I can't do a RMA.

Sent using Etch-a-Sketch
 
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Elluel

Elluel

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2014
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fxdil said:
Isn't that the case, or have I been misinformed? I left my boot loader unlocked since the day I was rooted, mostly because of that fact (I remembered reading it somewhere) and also because I can't do a RMA.

Sent using Etch-a-Sketch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You unlock the bootloader to flash a custom recovery. You flash kernels/ROMs in a custom recovery, not in bootloader.

Also this thread is in the wrong section.
 
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julbra18

julbra18

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2011
68
6
Vienna
So, if I just unlock my bootloader with bootunlock I won't have any problems?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
fxdil

fxdil

Senior Member
Jun 3, 2014
121
23
Lethargy said:
You unlock the bootloader to flash a custom recovery. You flash kernels/ROMs in a custom recovery, not in bootloader.

Also this thread is in the wrong section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

That was where I was getting at, since I learnt to root using the manual way and not using a toolkit, I had to unlock my bootloader first before flashing a custom recovery. Never occurred to me to relock it.

(if I made a mistake somewhere, I apologized. I'm still learning, and learnt something new today!)
 
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Elluel

Elluel

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2014
5,168
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えうれる
fxdil said:
That was where I was getting at, since I learnt to root using the manual way and not using a toolkit, I had to unlock my bootloader first before flashing a custom recovery. Never occurred to me to relock it.

(if I made a mistake somewhere, I apologized. I'm still learning, and learnt something new today!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You can flash a kernel/ROM in a custom recovery regardless bootloader state, but the bootloader needs to be unlocked to use fastboot (i.e. flash the custom recovery in the first place). A bunch of people relock their bootloader with an app (and unlock when necessary, doesn't delete internal storage through this method) for extra security (internal storage wipes if bootloader is unlocked via fastboot).
 
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  • 2
    danarama
    danarama
    fxdil said:
    You can install custom ROMs, but only ROMs based on stock firmware and using stock kernel. ROMs like CyanogenMod, you can't install at all because you cannot flash the custom kernel that comes with it. Unlocked bootloader allows you to install unsigned kernels onto your phone.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Where did you get this information? My bootloader is locked and I can flash all kernels via recovery

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    View
    1
    danarama
    danarama
    Please can you ensure you ask questions in the questions section ?

    The bootloader only needs to be unlocked to flash recovery which you need for rooting. This isn't an issue for you because you used the new exploit that means you can root without having to unlock the bootloader

    Even though you've rooted already, I strongly urge you to read the pre root section in the thread shown in my signature to bump up your basic knowledge

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    View
    1
    julbra18
    julbra18
    rootSU said:
    Please can you ensure you ask questions in the questions section ?

    The bootloader only needs to be unlocked to flash recovery which you need for rooting. This isn't an issue for you because you used the new exploit that means you can root without having to unlock the bootloader

    Even though you've rooted already, I strongly urge you to read the pre root section in the thread shown in my signature to bump up your basic knowledge

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    I do have basic knowledge (rooted my Nexus Phones before, every time with fastboot). I'm just asking if it is important to unlock the hootloader before flashing a ROM, as I'm not sure. Sorry for posting in the false section...

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    View
    1
    fxdil
    fxdil
    julbra18 said:
    I do have basic knowledge (rooted my Nexus Phones before, every time with fastboot). I'm just asking if it is important to unlock the hootloader before flashing a ROM, as I'm not sure. Sorry for posting in the false section...

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    You can install custom ROMs, but only ROMs based on stock firmware and using stock kernel. ROMs like CyanogenMod, you can't install at all because you cannot flash the custom kernel that comes with it. Unlocked bootloader allows you to install unsigned kernels onto your phone.
    View
    1
    fxdil
    fxdil
    rootSU said:
    Where did you get this information? My bootloader is locked and I can flash all kernels via recovery

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Isn't that the case, or have I been misinformed? I left my boot loader unlocked since the day I was rooted, mostly because of that fact (I remembered reading it somewhere) and also because I can't do a RMA.

    Sent using Etch-a-Sketch
    View

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