TRUE PermaRoot and the ULTIMATE S=Off!!! Check this out even if you're rooted!!!

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irrelephant

Senior Member
Jan 17, 2010
764
203
Houston
thanks from a noob

i must say that after being on this site for a while now, and never posting anything, nor having past experience hacking or modding anything, that i have spent a very long time reading all the literature in these forums... and doing so i have finally gotten brave enough to root my first phone and flashed my first rom.... now i screwed up a few times and went back and through trial and error, and reading even more, i fixed them all... and without asking a question!!! IT IS ALL HERE, YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE THE TIME TO FIND IT!!!

now i have unrooted and rooted my phone 3 times, just to make sure that i am sure of what i am doing...

i guess i just wanted to say THANK YOU, to all of you whom helped put this together!!! YOU ALL ROCK!!!
 

zeppelin481

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
93
15
Heed Warning

I highly recommend flashing the eng spl BEFORE you try to flash CW recovery from ROM Manager. This has been my only gripe about ROM Manager since it's existence. Yes, it is nice to flash from within the ROM and it's convenient. But, ROM Manager has a tendency to bork your recovery when attempting to flash. This happened to me while following this guide and luckily I flashed the eng spl first. Because I flashed it first, I was able to fastboot the recovery when it got screwed up. Just a heads up because I'm not sure that the shipped spl has all the same capabilities i.e. fastboot flash erase etc

Ryan
 

Kid Poker

Senior Member
Feb 22, 2008
788
39
NY
I just tried to get into /data/local but there is no folder inside data. The phone is factory fresh. Can the HBOOT be too new for this to work? My HBOOT is at 0.86.0000
 

everest.deth

Senior Member
Dec 22, 2010
921
163
Managua
I just tried to get into /data/local but there is no folder inside data. The phone is factory fresh. Can the HBOOT be too new for this to work? My HBOOT is at 0.86.0000

You need root access to see the folders, therefore you need to temp root first and use a file manager such as root explorer or astro...or, you can do as the guide says and push via adb :)

Sent from my rooted glacier running CM7
 

Essenar

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2008
145
11
Rename the OTA to PD15IMG.zip, place on sdcard, power off, hold volume down and power on.

Wait for it to load fully.

Press power and let it fully flash.

After that you'll be fully reverted plus stock rom.

If it didn't stick s=on, reroot and try again.

Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
 

Amac1222

Senior Member
Dec 3, 2010
213
41
Indianapolis, IN

rojovilla

Senior Member
Nov 29, 2010
832
304
HTX
yeah, i didn't revert the gfree. gues i was putting the cart before the horse there. this is what i did....rooted the phone using true root method as well as super cid. was having issues, just dumped pd15img onto sd card like i've done before with another device i returned, and then re-rooted after returning to s=off.

now, every once in a while since i rooted the second time around i'll get an upside down screen when clicking the track pad or hit power to unlock the phone. weird. at any rate, i'm not sure what to do as i have both part7backup files from each root....any suggestions?
 

everest.deth

Senior Member
Dec 22, 2010
921
163
Managua
yeah, i didn't revert the gfree. gues i was putting the cart before the horse there. this is what i did....rooted the phone using true root method as well as super cid. was having issues, just dumped pd15img onto sd card like i've done before with another device i returned, and then re-rooted after returning to s=off.

now, every once in a while since i rooted the second time around i'll get an upside down screen when clicking the track pad or hit power to unlock the phone. weird. at any rate, i'm not sure what to do as i have both part7backup files from each root....any suggestions?

After you re-rooted did you flash a custom rom?

I'd say re-rooting should have nothing to do with your upside down screen, you might want to try reflashing your current rom :) (make sure you do a full wipe before trying that though, that way you will have a clean slate)

Sent from my rooted glacier running CM7
 

Arthur101

Member
Apr 16, 2010
43
0
Ceres
having issue with flashing roms after using this method keeps getting stuck on bootloop i did everything even the eng hboot im having no luck at all any ideas? i have a newer mytouch and i do have s-off.....
 

DisturbedAle

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
53
0
I think I just successfully did this... It says S=Off and .86, please advise any other ways to verify?

Also, when I open superuser and tried to update it gave me "An error occurred and su was not updated. A zip file (su-2.3.1-bin-signed.zip) has been placed on your sdcard, please reboot into recovery mode and flash it to update your su binary."

Please advise how to fix that.
 

rojovilla

Senior Member
Nov 29, 2010
832
304
HTX
having issue with flashing roms after using this method keeps getting stuck on bootloop i did everything even the eng hboot im having no luck at all any ideas? i have a newer mytouch and i do have s-off.....

not sure what could be the issue. i have used this method for the first run of mt4g (inferior display) and for the most recent run (good display), and i haven't had an issue. maybe somebody else will have a suggestion.

i assume you followed the directions exactly?....
 

rojovilla

Senior Member
Nov 29, 2010
832
304
HTX
I think I just successfully did this... It says S=Off and .86, please advise any other ways to verify?

Also, when I open superuser and tried to update it gave me "An error occurred and su was not updated. A zip file (su-2.3.1-bin-signed.zip) has been placed on your sdcard, please reboot into recovery mode and flash it to update your su binary."

Please advise how to fix that.

haven't seen that zip file you're talking about...

however, if you see s=off and .86 in hboot, you're halfway there with this method. and yes, that is the only way i know of that you're able to verify s=off other than through the terminal emulator and entering "su" at a prompt with no error messages.
 
R

r3s-rt

Guest
I recently obtained a mt4g after owning a g2.... the usual g2 methods didn't work as every guide said it would... seems this is the only thing that worked for me. Thanks, OP!
 

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    Ok guys, first of all Scotty2 gets all the credit for the program R&D. I used my device as a test bed and have tried a couple different kernels (Gr8Gorilla's O/C Kernel and the stock kernel).

    Now for the boring stuff ...

    This is a very invasive way of rooting your device but the benefit is TRUE S=Off and root privileges throughout the system. As such, you do this at your own risk and if you brick your device neither Scotty2 nor myself are responsible, YOU ARE!!! Do this at your own risk!!!

    This is not for the faint of heart and if you have any reservations about doing things like this do not do it.

    This process will do three things for your device. I will explain them here:

    1. It will set up Super CID on your device allowing you to flash any carriers rom (not just tmobile). Giving you more freedom with your choice of software. The software still needs to be device specific to the glacier for compatability reasons though. Like vodafone glacier roms etc.

    2. It will subsidy unlock your device. In other words, it will SIMUNLOCK your phone allowing you to use an AT&T sim card and so on in your device without needing the unlock code from HTC.

    3. Most important of all it will turn the RADIO S=Off. This is the ultimate S=Off because the radio is what controls the security flag in the first place. Once you turn it off here it is off everywhere and will allow you pure unadulterated access to your device.

    This process will not change your bootloader (unless your on 0.86.0000 and you follow the optional steps).

    Now, you may be asking "Why do this? I already have root from your other guide and it has given me r/w access to system and recovery. I thought this meant we had permanent S=Off." This is only partially true. We have had an engineering bootloader and "Label" s=off not radio s=off. When you turn the security off in radio it is off permanently no matter what hboot you have installed engineering or otherwise. However, it is optional but you can still copy the engineering hboot over and it will allow you to flash whatever you like without (as much) fear of bricking your device.

    This guide assumes you know how to use ADB. If you do not there are guides all over XDA to show you how. There is even a really good one in this forum. Also here is a video on how to setup adb discovered by topgun303: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UF5w1dKe2U

    *NOTE*
    For some reason this process can bork your recovery. If you notice after following the steps below that in order to reboot from recovery you have to uninstall/reinstall the battery and hit the power button, just install/reinstall clockwork recovery through Rom Manager in the android market and it will fix your problem. :)


    CONFIRMED: Guide does work for pre-OTA devices!!! Thanks xanz!

    Here we go:

    If you are already permarooted per the other guide just follow the first 11 steps.

    Make sure you have visionary installed on your device. (If you were already permarooted w/s=off ignore this step.)

    Download this file:
    http://www.mediafire.com/?s7afymwe2wb3x60 New version of gfree with more options! See below.
    md5sum: b73c56ca0e21664c5756d4ad295063c5

    1. Now unzip the file into your SDK tools directory.

    2. Plug your device into your computer.

    3. Now open explorer and hold down shift at same time you right mouse click on your SDK tools directory (platform-tools if you have the R8 version of the SDK). Select open command window here. If you are in linux (ubuntu) right mouse click on your SDK tools folder, choose actions, and choose open command window(or whatever it's called). Otherwise, open a command prompt and cd your way to your SDK tools directory.

    4. Type "adb push gfree /data/local" and hit enter.

    Optionally, you could dl the file to your phone use androzip or something like it to unzip the file and then use root explorer to move the file named gfree to /data/local. Not the gfree.h file. All the other files are source code inlcuded for the gnu license. This would skip the first 4 steps. :)

    5. Now unplug your device from the computer.

    6. Run visionary to gain temp root. (If you were already permarooted w/s=off ignore this step.)

    7. Open terminal emulator on your device, type "su", and hit enter to gain root privileges.

    8. Type "cd /data/local" and hit enter.

    9. Now type "chmod 777 gfree" and hit enter to make the program executable.

    10. Type "./gfree -f" and hit enter.

    New features in gfree.
    gfree usage:
    gfree [-h|-?|--help] [-v|--version] [-s|--secu_flag on|off]
    -h | -? | --help: display this message
    -v | --version: display program version
    -s | --secu_flag on|off: turn secu_flag on or off
    -c | --cid <CID>: set the CID to the 8-char long CID
    -S | --sim_unlock: remove the SIMLOCK

    With the new features you can turn off one thing at a time. You can also turn security back on and set the CID back to stock if you wish. To turn simlock back on you still have to follow the revert procedures on this page as the information that is patched to turn the lock off is encrypted and we can't write back to it other than restoring the entire image.

    So, if you wanted to leave simlock on but turn security off and set super CID the command would be "./gfree --secu_flag off --cid 11111111" + enter. The -f switch after ./gfree that is now in the above step (./gfree -f) just tells gfree to patch everything.

    11. Wait for the program to finish and then reboot into HBoot to see if S=Off. Also, check your bootloader version. If it says s=off and has bootloader version 0.86.0000 it worked.

    If you already had hboot 0.85.2007 you can check it through the hboot menu. It gives you an option for "system info" in the hboot menu. Highlight it and hit power. It should say CID = 11111111 or something like that. If it does your golden. :D
    Congratulations!

    12. If this is the first time you have rooted your device you will need to run visionary again (temproot w/set system r/w after root checked and then attempt permroot) to make root privileges permanent and then reboot again. Now "su" should work properly for you.

    Gfree writes a backup of the file that it patches named Part7backup-numbers.bin on your sdcard. I suggest putting this file in a safe place as it is the only way to revert if you need to.

    [Optional] Steps to flash engineering bootloader.

    1. Restart your phone and plug it back into your computer.

    2. Download this file: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NN5726Z8
    md5sum: df4fd77f44993eb05a4732210d2eddc6

    3. Copy the file to your SDK tools directory.

    4. Open a command prompt again and cd into your SDK tools directoty (platform-tools if your on the new R8 SDK).

    5. Type "adb push hboot_dhd.nb0 /data/local" and hit enter.

    6. Now open terminal on your device and type "su" and enter to gain root priviliges.

    7. Type "cd /data/local" and enter.

    8. Now type "dd if=hboot_dhd.nb0 of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18" and hit enter.

    9. You should see something like: 2048 bytes in 2048 bytes out 1048576 bytes copied blah blah blah.

    10. Now restart the device into hboot and check if your bootloader version is 0.85.2007. That is what you want to see.

    Congratulations, you now have a TRUE root and engineering bootloader on your shiny MT4G!!!

    Procedure to revert

    1. Rename the part7backup file that you already have to something just so you know that it is the original backup.

    2. Open up terminal emulator or adb shell and type "su" + enter to get root privileges.

    3. Type "cd /data/local" and hit enter.

    4. Now type "./gfree -f" + enter to run gfree again. It will disable wp on the emmc and remove the brq filter in the kernel. (as well as make another backup, which you can delete if you wish)

    5. Now run the "dd if=/where/your/part7backup-numbers.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7" and it should show the output:
    xxxx bytes in
    xxxxbytes out
    xxxxxxxxxx copied in blah blah blah

    6. Run "sync" and then reboot. (I didn't do this and it worked fine but it won't hurt either. :))

    If you have the engineering hboot 0.85.2007 installed you will still be showing s=off when you do the above revert steps. Follow these steps to reflash the stock hboot and turn s=on:

    Download this file and unzip it to /sdcard on your device.

    unroot.rar
    http://www.mediafire.com/?12oi5elu7v2y8og
    md5sum: aad4e64126cf8d92d7e8b5abb48fdadd

    Terminal Emulator Method
    1. Open up terminal editor on your device.(I prefer this method b/c you can see the output.)

    a. Type "su" + enter to gain root privileges.

    b. Type "cd /sdcard/unroot" + enter.

    c. Type "sh unroot.sh" + enter.

    d. Follow the onscreen prompts.

    File Explorer Method

    2. Open root explorer, sufbs, or some other file browser with root access.

    a. Navigate to /sdcard/unroot.

    b. Click on unroot.sh and allow it to run. Some file browsers ask permission before they execute scripts.

    c. Wait 18 to 20 seconds and reboot your phone into the bootloader to check if S=on.

    You now have S=ON again.


    Here is a pic of the stock HBoot 0.86.0000 with S=Off to prove it. :D
    2
    The latest MIUI build... do I have to be on froyo?

    Yes, download a rooted stock froyo ROM, then try it

    If I helped, give thanks, if you please.
    ........Death before dishonor........
    2
    Sorry for the bump, but can I get some feedback on this? I'm still not certain if it's "Better" to go with the engineering bootloader or the stock.

    Go with engineering boot instead, you can fully modify your phone, with custom splash screens. An having the engineering boot, there less likely of a change of you flashing something that requires eng an possibly messing up the phone.

    From my fist to your face, enjoy.
    2
    Needing a mirror to the engineering bootloader...since megaupload is down forever...

    Here's the engineering HBoot for ya.

    http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/HTC_Glacier:_Support_Downloads
    2
    Hey Grankin, thanks again for all your hard work and quick replies...I have to unroot and send my phone back, but I'm unsure what to type in this area, please help...thanks
    Now run the "dd if=/where/your/part7backup-numbers.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7" and it should show the output:
    xxxx bytes in
    xxxxbytes out
    xxxxxxxxxx copied in blah blah blah
    my part7backup is on my sd card named Originalpartbackup7, so would I type
    "dd if=/sdcard/Originalpart7backup-numbers.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7 ?
    Thanks again

    Yes, that is correct.

    Hallo please advice
    I am going to purchase a locked t-mobile 4G
    Can I have it unlocked with that method? (and rooted and s-off)?
    what can I do and watch?

    Yes you can root this way and I'm not sure if there is a video on it. :confused: