On Friday 13 February 2015
Check your device model ! Settings -> About device -> Model number. This stuff is made for the GT-I9300 and GT-I9300T, if your model number has a suffix, it may not work, or if it is a totally different model, it will not work (may even brick) !
CF-Root is the root for "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root is meant to be used in combination with stock Samsung firmwares, and be the quickest and easiest way for your first root.
CF-Root is the root for "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root is meant to be used in combination with stock Samsung firmwares, and be the quickest and easiest way for your first root.
What's installed
- Root: SuperSU
- Recovery: ClockWorkMod
- Util: CWM Manager
(See Below for installation instructions)
Kernel
Unlike CF-Root for some other devices, this iteration of CF-Root does not include a custom kernel. Your kernel remains the stock kernel, and thus goodies like insecure adbd (ro.secure=0), custom boot scripts, and custom boot animations are not supported by CF-Root. You can of course flash a custom kernel that supports these.
At the same time, this also means that there will not be a different CF-Root for every firmware revision. You can just use the latest CF-Root on any firmware version!
Root - SuperSU
The root permission management app installed by CF-Root is Sup
erSU. This will allow your apps to gain root (superuser) access.
Recovery - ClockWorkMod (CWM)
A custom CWM 5.5 build is included in CF-Root, This provides for the ability to install custom ROMs, and do nandroid (full device) backups and restores. Now also support OTA updates, but an OTA update itself will probably remove CWM, so you need re-flash CF-Root after OTA.
Not compatible with ROM Manager ! Use the CWM Manager provided instead (installed by CF-Root automatically)
Util - CWM Manager
My management application for CWM is also installed, see the recovery thread linked above for further details. It allows you to command CWM (install a ROM, make/restore backups, etc) from normally booted Android.
Not included (yet) - Busybox
Busybox is currently not automatically installed. I will probably be adding busybox installation in the near future, but I want to test / adjust it some more before going there. (No idea what this about ? Don't worry about it !)
Not included - Triangle Away
Triangle Away can be used to reset the flash counter after installing CF-Root. The flash counter keeps track of how manycustom firmwares you have flashed, as this voids warranty. (No idea what this about ? Read up on it, you will want to use this !)
Not included - adbd Insecure
As this CF-Root does not include a custom kernel, adb shell does not have root access by default (you can still get it by typing su inside the shell), nor is adb remount supported, nor will adb push and adb pull work on system files. adbd Insecure can be used to remedy this situation. (No idea what this is about ? Don't worry about it !)
- Root: SuperSU
- Recovery: ClockWorkMod
- Util: CWM Manager
(See Below for installation instructions)
Kernel
Unlike CF-Root for some other devices, this iteration of CF-Root does not include a custom kernel. Your kernel remains the stock kernel, and thus goodies like insecure adbd (ro.secure=0), custom boot scripts, and custom boot animations are not supported by CF-Root. You can of course flash a custom kernel that supports these.
At the same time, this also means that there will not be a different CF-Root for every firmware revision. You can just use the latest CF-Root on any firmware version!
Root - SuperSU
The root permission management app installed by CF-Root is Sup
Recovery - ClockWorkMod (CWM)
A custom CWM 5.5 build is included in CF-Root, This provides for the ability to install custom ROMs, and do nandroid (full device) backups and restores. Now also support OTA updates, but an OTA update itself will probably remove CWM, so you need re-flash CF-Root after OTA.
Not compatible with ROM Manager ! Use the CWM Manager provided instead (installed by CF-Root automatically)
Util - CWM Manager
My management application for CWM is also installed, see the recovery thread linked above for further details. It allows you to command CWM (install a ROM, make/restore backups, etc) from normally booted Android.
Not included (yet) - Busybox
Busybox is currently not automatically installed. I will probably be adding busybox installation in the near future, but I want to test / adjust it some more before going there. (No idea what this about ? Don't worry about it !)
Not included - Triangle Away
Triangle Away can be used to reset the flash counter after installing CF-Root. The flash counter keeps track of how manycustom firmwares you have flashed, as this voids warranty. (No idea what this about ? Read up on it, you will want to use this !)
Not included - adbd Insecure
As this CF-Root does not include a custom kernel, adb shell does not have root access by default (you can still get it by typing su inside the shell), nor is adb remount supported, nor will adb push and adb pull work on system files. adbd Insecure can be used to remedy this situation. (No idea what this is about ? Don't worry about it !)
Installation
How to install using: (desktop) ODIN
Short: unpack the ZIP download, you will end up with a TAR, flash this in ODIN as PDA, and optionally install and runTriangle Away afterwards to reset the flash counter. Beware that this should boot your device into recovery mode (for a few seconds to install SuperSU and CWM Manager) after flashing. Sometimes it doesn't, just flash it again in that case.
Long:
- Follow these instructions to the letter. Do not touch any buttons or checkboxes that are not listed below to touch!
- Unzip the attached Odin3-vX.X.zip file
- Download and unzip the CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.zip file (see posts below this one)
- If you end up with a recovery.img and cache.img file, you've extracted twice. You need to end up with a .tar file - don't extract that one
- (USB) Disconnect your phone from your computer
- Start Odin3-vX.X.exe
- Click the PDA button, and select CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.tar
- Put your phone in download mode (turn off phone, then hold volume-down + home + power to boot - if it asks you to press a button to continue, press the listed button, or run adb reboot download command)
- (USB) Connect the phone to your computer
- Make sure Repartition is NOT checked
- Click the Start button
- Wait for Android to boot
- Done (if it took you more than 30 seconds, you need practise!)
- NOTE: Sometimes the device does *not* boot into recovery mode and root your device. Just do the entire procedure again if this happens. If it still will not install root and such, make sure that in Odin "Auto Reboot" is not checked. Then after flashing, pull the battery, and boot with VolUp+Home+Power button to boot into recovery manually. This will start the install process.
New to Samsung? Unfamiliar with Odin? Think all the above is a hassle? Get used to it. It's very simple, and us Samsungfolk use Odin (or Mobile ODIN
) for everything! It's so very very convenient once you get used to it. Notice the 30 second comment above? For experienced users, the entire process indeed takes only 30 seconds!
You may now optionally want to install and run Triangle Away to reset the flash counter.
How to install using: Heimdall (Linux)
This is hearsay, I have not tried it myself. But extract the ZIP, then extract the TAR, so you end up with recovery.img and cache.img files. If you have heimdall setup right, this should do it:
sudo heimdall flash --recovery recovery.img --cache cache.img
How to upgrade with: custom ROM
If you are flashing a custom ROM, chances are it will include root and/or recovery, and there's no manual action to take.
How to upgrade with: Samsung ROM
If you are flashing a stock Samsung ROM, you will probably lose SuperSU (root), CWM (recovery) and the CWM Manager app. Just follow the entire installation procedure again
How to uninstall
This is by no means an extensive guide for unrooting, but if you want to sell or warranty your device, I advise the following procedure:
- Use Triangle Away to reset the flash counters, and pull the battery immediately after rebooting starts
- Boot into recovery and perform a wipe, and pull the battery immediately after rebooting starts
- Go to SamMobile and get the stock firmware for your region
- Flash that stock firmware on your device
- Let Android boot, go through device setup (without doing any logins) until Android is fully usable again
- Reboot
- Wait at least 10 minutes
- Check Settings->About device->Status and make sure Device status is not "Modified"
- Perform another factory reset
- Boot into download mode and make sure the flash counter and system status are all set to official
Some of these steps may require further info, if you can't figure it out, do some more searching,
OTA updates
CF-Root v6.3 supports OTA updates to be flashed by the system, but when you flash an OTA, that OTA will probably replace recovery (and keep trying to do so at every boot). You need to re-flash CF-Root after applying an OTA. Just re-flashing CWM will not work and stock recovery will keep coming back.
Short: unpack the ZIP download, you will end up with a TAR, flash this in ODIN as PDA, and optionally install and runTriangle Away afterwards to reset the flash counter. Beware that this should boot your device into recovery mode (for a few seconds to install SuperSU and CWM Manager) after flashing. Sometimes it doesn't, just flash it again in that case.
Long:
- Follow these instructions to the letter. Do not touch any buttons or checkboxes that are not listed below to touch!
- Unzip the attached Odin3-vX.X.zip file
- Download and unzip the CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.zip file (see posts below this one)
- If you end up with a recovery.img and cache.img file, you've extracted twice. You need to end up with a .tar file - don't extract that one
- (USB) Disconnect your phone from your computer
- Start Odin3-vX.X.exe
- Click the PDA button, and select CF-Root-SGS3-vX.X.tar
- Put your phone in download mode (turn off phone, then hold volume-down + home + power to boot - if it asks you to press a button to continue, press the listed button, or run adb reboot download command)
- (USB) Connect the phone to your computer
- Make sure Repartition is NOT checked
- Click the Start button
- Wait for Android to boot
- Done (if it took you more than 30 seconds, you need practise!)
- NOTE: Sometimes the device does *not* boot into recovery mode and root your device. Just do the entire procedure again if this happens. If it still will not install root and such, make sure that in Odin "Auto Reboot" is not checked. Then after flashing, pull the battery, and boot with VolUp+Home+Power button to boot into recovery manually. This will start the install process.
New to Samsung? Unfamiliar with Odin? Think all the above is a hassle? Get used to it. It's very simple, and us Samsungfolk use Odin (or Mobile ODIN
) for everything! It's so very very convenient once you get used to it. Notice the 30 second comment above? For experienced users, the entire process indeed takes only 30 seconds!You may now optionally want to install and run Triangle Away to reset the flash counter.
How to install using: Heimdall (Linux)
This is hearsay, I have not tried it myself. But extract the ZIP, then extract the TAR, so you end up with recovery.img and cache.img files. If you have heimdall setup right, this should do it:
sudo heimdall flash --recovery recovery.img --cache cache.img
How to upgrade with: custom ROM
If you are flashing a custom ROM, chances are it will include root and/or recovery, and there's no manual action to take.
How to upgrade with: Samsung ROM
If you are flashing a stock Samsung ROM, you will probably lose SuperSU (root), CWM (recovery) and the CWM Manager app. Just follow the entire installation procedure again
How to uninstall
This is by no means an extensive guide for unrooting, but if you want to sell or warranty your device, I advise the following procedure:
- Use Triangle Away to reset the flash counters, and pull the battery immediately after rebooting starts
- Boot into recovery and perform a wipe, and pull the battery immediately after rebooting starts
- Go to SamMobile and get the stock firmware for your region
- Flash that stock firmware on your device
- Let Android boot, go through device setup (without doing any logins) until Android is fully usable again
- Reboot
- Wait at least 10 minutes
- Check Settings->About device->Status and make sure Device status is not "Modified"
- Perform another factory reset
- Boot into download mode and make sure the flash counter and system status are all set to official
Some of these steps may require further info, if you can't figure it out, do some more searching,
OTA updates
CF-Root v6.3 supports OTA updates to be flashed by the system, but when you flash an OTA, that OTA will probably replace recovery (and keep trying to do so at every boot). You need to re-flash CF-Root after applying an OTA. Just re-flashing CWM will not work and stock recovery will keep coming back.
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