[Q]Possible to root without unlocking bootloader?

[thecrunked]

my concern is that I don't want to lose TA/DRM keys just to root. not sure exactly what Ill be missing out on without it or if i can get the functionality back. also not sure, but if i do unlock bootloader, install the custom kernal, am i free to update the device with normal updates or will that break something? sorry, i went through a lot of the threads, but the info is a bit confusing and lots of redirects thru all the different threads.

edit, if you do unlock bootloader, can you relock without those keys? just worried for warranty purposes, i.e. if i get screen creaking and then can't return it cause i wanted to root but now i cant set it back to stock

 

[hasenbein1966]

No, it's not confusing, it's only confusing for people who are a bit lazy to really read.

It has been very clearly stated numerous times that ATM root is only possible with unlocked bootloader and losing TA data, because for a locked-bootloader-root an exploit is needed. It's very unclear whether such an exploit will be found or whether it's even possible.

You should ask Sony - I can't imagine that the service would refuse warranty when your screen creaks, because that problem very obviously has NOTHING to do with software modifications!

The DRM keys and X-Reality engine are superfluous anyway, so losing TA data should not be a concern when unlocking.

 

[Chefproll]

No, it's not confusing, it's only confusing for people who are a bit lazy to really read.

I also found different statements regarding that matter. BECAUSE I read.

You should ask Sony - I can't imagine that the service would refuse warranty when your screen creaks, because that problem very obviously has NOTHING to do with software modifications!

Right !

The DRM keys and X-Reality engine are superfluous anyway, so losing TA data should not be a concern when unlocking.

DRM keys are superfluous to people who don't use DRM protected services. If you don't use that services, it doesn't mean others do the same.
X-Reality is a great feature. I compared two Z2s with and without X-Reality: The benefits are real obvious, sometimes close to overwhelming.
Losing X-Reality is the one and only reason for me not to root my Z2, yet.

 

[thecrunked]

thanks for the clarification. i wasn't being lazy, there are several threads that redirect to several other threads each (some of which aren't even about the z2 tablet specifically) and the message tends to get blurred after digging through several pages of threads that may or may not even have bearing on what you're trying to do.

i am assuming that without drm keys it will be impossible to return to stock (at least with working bravia engine and other protected services) would this be true? is there any work around to get these services back after you root, or are they gone forever?


also, my main reasons for wanting root are for removing restrictions on SD card, is there any non-root work arounds for this? (also xposed)

My z2 tablet should be arriving today, I am going to try to use it without root for a while to see if i can mentally deal without having xposed and full access to sdcard, hopefully i can hang, cause i'm not crazy about losing functionality (superfluous or not) forever from a brand new device i just paid lots of money for

also still trying to find clarification on updates, once unlocked & rooted can i just use regular updates or will that break the modified kernal and cause issues? i'm not sure if the modded kernals out there are for the latest version on firmware and how that is handled, all of my rooting experience just comes from flashing new updates of ROMs to my device (like AHRD or Hyperdrive), so i've never dealt with system updates to stock firmware while being rooted and unlocked.

 

[Chefproll]

... and the message tends to get blurred after digging through several pages of threads that may or may not even have bearing on what you're trying to do.

Exactly.

i am assuming that without drm keys it will be impossible to return to stock (at least with working bravia engine and other protected services) would this be true? is there any work around to get these services back after you root, or are they gone forever?

No workaround, yet, keys and X-Reality seem to be gone forever.
I just don't understand why Sony doesn't provide a means for backing up that data...

also, my main reasons for wanting root are for removing restrictions on SD card, is there any non-root work arounds for this? (also xposed)

Nothing known at present. :/

also still trying to find clarification on updates, once unlocked & rooted can i just use regular updates or will that break the modified kernal and cause issues?

No regular updates, you need to flash new firmware manually.


Note: I did not root my Z2, yet - because I don't want to lose DRM keys and X-Reality, so my answers are not based on my own experience.

 

[joth135]

copy this into the search forums
Rooting Sony tablet z2 keeping warranty with locked bootloader

 

[meteor999]

Just reading this thread and something caught my attention; you lose x reality when you root.. Now if I root and keep stock firmware, I would assume I still have x reality. Please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[degraaff]

Just reading this thread and something caught my attention; you lose x reality when you root.. Now if I root and keep stock firmware, I would assume I still have x reality. Please correct me if I'm wrong

You don't need to unlock your bootloader anymore (for .402 firmware), so you won't lose anything except for a security measurement

 

[joth135]

my concern is that I don't want to lose TA/DRM keys just to root. not sure exactly what Ill be missing out on without it or if i can get the functionality back. also not sure, but if i do unlock bootloader, install the custom kernal, am i free to update the device with normal updates or will that break something? sorry, i went through a lot of the threads, but the info is a bit confusing and lots of redirects thru all the different threads.

edit, if you do unlock bootloader, can you relock without those keys? just worried for warranty purposes, i.e. if i get screen creaking and then can't return it cause i wanted to root but now i cant set it back to stock

search "Rooting Sony tablet z2 keeping warranty with locked bootloader" in the forum search bar
I've rooted mine with a locked bootloader.

 

[cmd-line34]

Currently, probably the easiest way to root it is to just use Towelroot. You will need to download the APK (via clicking the red icon on the site), save the APK, and install it. root it (via the application you just installed, just click the button!), then go over to the Google Play Store and download SuperSU (or any other root manager, altough it seems that SuperSU stands the most supported to date). It will probably ask you to update your SU binary (if it gives you an error doing so, just reboot the device). Once your rooted, head over to the Sony TA Backup forum, download the program (as I know of it only works on MS Windows), run it, and backup your TA's. If you ever need to restore your TA's, just run the script again and follow the menu in the command prompt to restore it (if I am correct it relocks the bootloader too).

Last note, if you need to restore your TA's, whatever you do, DO NOT USE SOMEONE ELSES! This will brick your device as I have read from many.

Also, if you want to unlock the bootloader, you can head over to http://developer.sonymobile.com/unlockbootloader/ and unlock it, however I would use it for a few months just in case if you can't relock it. I would recommend that you do not unlock it until you back up your TA's.

Hope this will save a few hours for some! If anyone wants me to clear up on something too you can ask.

 

[Elliander]

I tried using Towelroot on my Z2 Tablet (SGP561; Build: 17.1.D.0.417) and it said it was successful, but I couldn't get SuperSU or Superuser to work no matter what I tried (and I previously had success rooting other devices) so I am assuming at the moment that it gave me a false positive on success.

I tried a few other methods each without success. Cyanogenmod doesn't support it and neither does "Safe Root". I did appear to have some success with Motochopper n7, but when it failed to reboot the device (didn't give me an option to do it manually) and then cleaned up.

Manually rebooting the device after it finished resulted in no improvements, but trying the Motochopper exploit again indicated that it recognized a previous rooting and so it failed for that reason:

[*]
[*] Motochopper: Android root exploit (Windows version)
[*] v1.0
[*] by Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss)
[*]
[*] Tested on the Motorola Razr HD, Razr M, Razr Maxx HD, and Atrix HD.
[*] Supports lots of other devices as well. ;)
[*]
[*] Before continuing, ensure that USB debugging is enabled, that you
[*] have the latest USB drivers installed, and that your phone
[*] is connected via USB.
[*]
[*] WARNING: This will likely void the warranty on your device. I am
[*] not responsible for any damage to your phone as a result using this
[*] tool.
[*]
[*] Press enter to root your phone...
Press any key to continue . . .
[*]
[*] Waiting for device...
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
[*] Device found.
[*] Pushing exploit...
2109 KB/s (1283460 bytes in 0.594s)
[*] Pushing root tools...
1952 KB/s (91980 bytes in 0.046s)
2296 KB/s (1867568 bytes in 0.794s)
2446 KB/s (969701 bytes in 0.387s)
        pkg: /data/local/tmp/Superuser.apk
Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_ALREADY_EXISTS]
[*] Rooting phone...
[+] This may take a few minutes.
[-] Failure.
[*] Cleaning up...
[*] Exploit complete. Press enter to reboot and exit.
Press any key to continue . . .

Of course, root checkers say the device isn't rooted, but on my towelrooted phone it says that anyway unless it is given super user privileges, so I have no way of knowing if it is rooted or if it isn't. I am inclined to believe that it isn't though because TA backup fails:

 [ ------------------------------------------------------------ ]
 [  Backup TA v9.11 for Sony Xperia                             ]
 [ ------------------------------------------------------------ ]
 [  Initialization                                              ]
 [                                                              ]
 [  Make sure that you have USB Debugging enabled, you do       ]
 [  allow your computer ADB access by accepting its RSA key     ]
 [  (only needed for Android 4.2.2 or higher) and grant this    ]
 [  ADB process root permissions through superuser.             ]
 [ ------------------------------------------------------------ ]

Waiting for USB Debugging...OK
Pushing Backup TA Tools...OK
Checking for SU binary...FAILED
Requesting root permissions...FAILED

=======================================
 CLEAN UP
=======================================
Deleted file - C:\Users\Elliander\Desktop\Backup-TA-9.11\Backup-TA-9.11\tmpbak\r
ootPermission
Deleted file - C:\Users\Elliander\Desktop\Backup-TA-9.11\Backup-TA-9.11\tmpbak\s
u
Removing Backup TA Tools...OK
Killing ADB Daemon...OK

Press any key to continue . . .

I actually do want to Unlock the boot loader, it's just that I want to back up the DRM keys first. My tablet it already unlocked to be used with any carrier, but I think it's ludicrous that these types of restrictions are allowed on such expensive hardware. At the very least Sony should officially have a tool to backup the keys when unlocking so that it can be restored to the same device.

EDIT: When I looked in:

About Tablet > Status

On the bottom under "Rooting Status" it says "Rooted"

So I'm guessing my only problem is in getting the Super User binaries to work?

EDIT 2: BusyBox Installed (from Play Store) also says my device is rooted, so something I did in the above worked. Unfortunately, the install of Busybox also failed.

 

[wintermute000]

I don't know why you've had to jump through hoops, but search for "easyroot"

I ran v5 on the older firmware and v11 on the latest firmware 17.1.2.A.0.314, works perfectly, installed supersu from play store immediately afterwards.

FWIW towelroot did not work for me either on .314 but I never tried it on the last firmware

 

[Elliander]

I don't know why you've had to jump through hoops, but search for "easyroot"

I ran v5 on the older firmware and v11 on the latest firmware 17.1.2.A.0.314, works perfectly, installed supersu from play store immediately afterwards.

FWIW towelroot did not work for me either on .314 but I never tried it on the last firmware

It's a nice idea, but it doesn't work. "operation not permitted". Here's the output from Easy Root:

==============================================
=                                            =
=             Easy Root Tool v11             =
=      Supports various Xperia devices       =
=            created by zxz0O0               =
=                                            =
=     http://forum.xda-developers.com/       =
=        showthread.php?p=53448680           =
=                                            =
=       Many thanks to:                      =
=       - [NUT]                              =
=       - geohot                             =
=       - MohammadAG                         =
=       - cubeundcube                        =
=       - nhnt11                             =
=       - xsacha                             =
=                                            =
==============================================

=============================================
tr.apk not found. Trying to download from
https://towelroot.com/tr.apk
=============================================
######################################################################## 100.0%

=============================================
Extracting libexploit.so using 7z
=============================================
OK

* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
=============================================
Waiting for Device, connect USB cable now...
Make sure you have only one Android device connected
BlueStacks emulator can also cause problems
=============================================
Device found

=============================================
Getting device variables
=============================================
Device model is SGP561
Firmware is 17.1.D.0.417

=============================================
Sending files
=============================================
221 KB/s (1585 bytes in 0.007s)
3452 KB/s (657704 bytes in 0.186s)
368 KB/s (1133 bytes in 0.003s)
1854 KB/s (9496 bytes in 0.005s)
2670 KB/s (13672 bytes in 0.005s)

Copying kernel module...
2805 KB/s (34473 bytes in 0.012s)
249 KB/s (767 bytes in 0.003s)
1659 KB/s (13592 bytes in 0.008s)
Kernel version is 3.4.0-perf-g31245c3
Version does not match 3.4.0-perf-ge4322cd, needs patching...
1+0 records in
0+1 records out
19 bytes transferred in 0.001 secs (19000 bytes/sec)
Kernel module patched.

modulecrcpatch (by zxz0O0)

module_layout: patched to 0xCFADE050
__aeabi_unwind_cpp_pr1: match
kallsyms_lookup_name: not found
printk: not found
mem_text_write_kernel_word: not found
__aeabi_unwind_cpp_pr0: match
successfully patched

=============================================
Loading towelzxperia
=============================================
2211 KB/s (13592 bytes in 0.006s)
3211 KB/s (197320 bytes in 0.060s)
=============================================

Waiting for towelzxperia to exploit...

towelzxperia by zxz0O0 (EasyRootTool Version)
libexploit by geohot

libzxploit.so created
doing the magic
creating vm (loljavasucks)
mount: Operation not permitted
cleaning up

Also, as I said before, my firmware is 17.1.D.0.417. Yours can't be the latest firmware if my firmware is a higher number. I'm still stuck in this limbo where some apps think it's rooted and other apps don't.

EDIT: Despite the error it gave me, I tried installing SuperSU by chainfire again and I seemed to get farther at least, but it failed. Rebooting to try again.

EDIT 2: It also gave me this error on my computer when I rebooted the device:

Checking if device is rooted...
error: device not found
Error: device not rooted
Press any key to continue . . .

But when I went into SuperSU it didn't give me any errors. I went into Root Explorer and it actually asked me if I wanted to grant super user privileges, but I don't think it's fully rooted though. The root folder is empty, and although I can see the files of other directories, it fails to touch a few things. I kind of expected that would happen to bootanimation.zip, but I also can't edit Platform.XML to restore write permissions. I have done this before on other devices so I know I was doing it correctly, but it just failed to edit. I even tried an app to do so, but it also failed. It's rooted enough to see the files and open them. I can even copy files otherwise hidden and it appears to be able to mount as read/write. It's just that it always fails to do anything with it.

I then went and installed "Mount /system (rw / ro)" and although it appeared to work successfully after granting it super user privileges, it still didn't allow me to edit the files in root explorer, so I installed FX and and it's root add on module. I tried to edit the files, but it wasn't mounted as "Read/Write" as far as it's concerned and when I tried doing so within it's menu it just said "Error" The operation could not be completed"

So... am I rooted or not? Easy Root definitely helped me get farther, but not far enough to actually do what I needed the root to do.

EDIT 3: After a few minutes, for some unknown reason, Root Explorer allowed me to edit Platform.XML to add <group gid=”media_rw” /> under WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (still won't work in FX though) and of course I still can't edit bootanimation.zip, but as a test I successfully moved some files from the internal memory to the 128 GB micoSD so I'm at least rooted enough to restore access to the SD card so I will give it some time to see how much I can do with it.



P.S. - There is a forum bug. When I edit posts on a tablet there are no problems, but when I do so on a computer it tells me I have to wait 5 minutes before writing a new post to prevent spam - even though it's not a new post, it's an edit of an old post. Just like there is a weird thing where it will let me post links in a tablet, but not in a PC. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any bug report form or moderator contact links so just putting it here.

 

[wintermute000]

well sorry no idea what state you're in. I notice you are SGP561 (whatever the heck that is!!! ), I am SGP511.
Can only say that for my device, easyroot worked 100%.

EDIT: I think you are Verizon user? well in that case good luck and get used to it lol. Verizon always have different firmware / build for their devices so you're always in the XDA development minority. Sometimes exploits and/or unlock bootloader is never available.