No, that's the whole point of this thread. You can flash older kernels and not trip Knox. You flash the kernel through Odin, run towel root, then flash back the newer kernel. Knox gets tripped if you flash an unofficial kernel, recovery, or system partition.I don't think you can flash an older kernel with a locked bootloader, especially with the Knox bootloader Samsung shipped out (you'll probably brick your device). The only way to revert to an older kernel (i.e. older firmware) is to unlock the bootloader. At which point, it's kinda pointless to use Towelroot, since I assume you don't want to void warranty. You might try Kingroot, but being Chinese, I'd be careful. Some other devs have been wary of the data the app sends back to its servers.
No, that's the whole point of this thread. You can flash older kernels and not trip Knox. You flash the kernel through Odin, run towel root, then flash back the newer kernel. Knox gets tripped if you flash an unofficial kernel, recovery, or system partition.
But really, this tablet is old enough that the manufacturers warranty is over, so Knox trip doesn't matter anymore.
Thats what i thought but then i saw that the warranty is 24 month from the store this is bought from, so thats why i started to look for this root method without voiding the warranty.
Anyway would you mind telling me which file i should use in Odin, since i can see two different files in the first post of this thread that are for the tab Pro 8.4 WiFi SM-T320.
I have a nordic model Tab Pro, i don't know if that matters and if i can use these files anyway for my Tab Pro SM-T320 Wifi?
Can you read off the model # from the box? Also, what kernel are you on? Located under the device settings.
We have to make sure the kernel is compatible, and you would also want a flashable copy of the existing kernel. This thread is a bit old so not sure how available that might be.
Thanks for your answer. The model number on the box says SM-T320 (8.4 inch screen, WIFI only), and the Kernel in the device settings says 3.4.0-2690686 / dpi@SWDD5510 #1 (Wed, Sep 3, 13:34:57, KST 2014)
And build number says: KOT49H. T320XXU1BNI1
Thanks in advance.
Here are some general steps. There are a few unknowns here though.
1. We would want to flash back a kernel that is before 6/3/2014. Yours is from afterwards, so the towelroot exploit is patched, probably. You can try running towelroot to see if it works and then test for root, but most likely it won't work.
2. First, get the necessary backups in case something goes odd.
You are currently running version NI1. Your region model is XXU1B, which seems to be most of Europe and some South American countries.
Go here: http://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model?r=NEE&v=&q=t320
and download it. This is the Nordic version of the firmware, though it's probably the same as the other countries with the XXU1B designation. This is the backup zip for exactly what you have now. In case something goes really weird, you can ODIN this and your tablet will be back to its current state, though your data may be wiped.
3. From what I've read from other users with the NI1 firmware, you can ODIN the rootable kernel in the original post here. If it doesn't work, you have your backup file to ODIN restore back to normal.
ODIN the rootable kernel from the first post, for the T320 wifi-only (that is what you have right?). See if it boots up and runs. If so, then run towelroot. Then install supersu.
4. Here's the decision point:
You can continue to run with the same kernel on this thread. I don't know if it matters at all.
OR
You can make your own kernel tar to restore yourself to the newer kernel specific for your region build. Or you can see if someone here has made it already. My quick and dirty search has not turned up any NI1 kernel links on this thread, though several users have done it.
If you decide you want to flash your original kernel back, and no one has it for you, you'll have to make it yourself. Go to this thread:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2446269
and use the utility to make the boot.img from your downloaded backup into a flashable N1 kernel tar file.
The kernel is in the boot.img file. It's pretty small, usually <10 megs. So take that from the backup zip you downloaded and use the script to make your flashable tar.md5 file. I've never used the script personally, but you can post on that thread.
I don't know of any real downside to having the mismatched kernel. I ran with the towelroot-able kernel for quite a while before flashing back the matching one and really did not see anything noticeable. But I was at least on the same country-build, so your results may differ somewhat. The hardware is the same though.
I am in the same boat. Haven't yet rooted my device with the same build. Your summary post is atleast helpful to me. If you could document your steps briefly, that would very helpful. Btw, does this method trips KNOX? Thanks