yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Hmm, i'll be honest and tell you that i have never flashed NUT's ROM, so i'm not sure what's up, but i believe the whole idea with NUT's ROMs is that you can downgrade without losing your IMEI, so my guess is no, you don't have to exclude the baseband (correct me if i'm wrong, people)

You'll soft brick it if you lock your bootloader on a custom kernel. Jackie's root kernel is a custom kernel (since it has recovery), so that won't work as far as i know. There may be a way of doing it though.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Confus3d:
Hi! I'm here again.

I've been reading and reading, and get into that thread: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2608708

Can i install GPe with that ROM?? That's amazing! What rom you recomend me? Sony stock 4.4 or GPe? Can i try GPe and then Flash the .681 FTF?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Sure you can. You're on 681 right? The GPe ROM is bugfree, while 681 isn't quite there yet. Both are good though, and have their strengths and weaknesses. Just try them both and see what you like the best.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
Just flash it as it is, baseband and all, it is crafted to keep the imei
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ch3mn3y:
Hi. I just got my ZU and would like to root it. Im on .532 SG generic and trying to use Binary method. However after it send backup to phone and I try to restore im getting:

"Selected backup records cannot be used due to incompatible software versions. Please select a more recent backup file."

What should I do now?

I will try UK generic too, but It should work on all .532, right?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Use option "0".
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ch3mn3y:
Thanks. It worked. U are my hero!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
First post is updated. I've made it a little more minimalistic, so it should be a little easier to follow from now on. I have removed the "HIDE" tags, since they did more damage than good in my opinion, especially when a lot of them chose to not function properly.

The fact that the table of content looks like an arrow is totally random, but it's also quite awesome :p
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
Just had a quick read.

I think that the first section should be a warning about DRM Keys and the TA partition
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yeah, I added a short warning in red under the title, but yeah, it should probably be a little bigger and more noticeable :p
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Confus3d:
Hi! I'm here again!

But this time is only to say THANKS! I've rooted the phone and unlocked the BL!

And... Now what? Something interesting to do with root? I have been searching and my prefered tweak is xposed framework =D

Bye!!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
You've already discovered Xposed, so.. you're already there, but i also use AdAway, and that's pretty much all. Be sure to remove some bloat too with Titanium Backup or a file explorer.

Xposed modules:

- App Settings (change the DPI of apps, i.e want to use the tablet UI of Chrome? Change it to 320 DPI and 1280x800 DP. Use the same setting on all other apps that you want to use in tablet mode)

- Advanced Power Menu (Adds reboot options etc. to your power menu)

- YouTube AdAway (removes ads from the Youtube app)

- GravityBox (Everything you can think of)

- Tinted Status Bar (Add color to the statusbar and navbar, like in iOS. Sorry, i'm not sureh how to explain this one)

Just search Xposed for "Xperia" stuff and you'll discover some cool things.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jpfo:
First off, big thanks to LordManhattan for coming up with this very useful guide.

I've been on the official KitKat rom for a couple of weeks now and im really missing root access. Too bad the only way to get it right now is to unlock bootloader. I know this has been asked a lot but recently I've read some conflicting statements regarding X-Reality and other features tied to DRM keys. (Sorry but I can't seem to find the exact post where it says these restrictions were removed on KitKat and we retain these features even with an unlocked bootlader.)

So the question is, what do we lose when we unlock bootloader on KitKat? Simple concrete answers would be greatly appreciated.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
It looks like we get to keep X-Reality on an unlocked bootloader on KitKat, which wasn't the case on older firmwares, so you won't lose much.

TrackID and Netflix are two things that will break I believe.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] maxld:
Wait, what? So if I unlocked my bootloader on .681 that means that I am still able to use X-reality mode?

Second question is, why my TrackID is still working after the unlock...
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yup.

Oh, it's working? Well then.. Looks like Sony changed some other stuff too in KitKat. Do you have Netflix? If so, can you see of it works with an unlocked bootloader?

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] maxld:
No, unfortunately it isn't available in Poland. However, in this case, there is a big chance it will work too.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jpfo:
This is great news! Thanks a lot for confirming this! Now there's nothing holding me back from unlocking my bootloader. :good:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR TA PARTITION.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
How can i back up my TA if it requires root but cant get root unless you unlock boot ??? confused
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Lc1975:
You have to downgrade first then root then backup the TA

Go to first post and read...
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Downgrade to 532, root, backup TA, unlock bootloader, update again and root again if you want to.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
Seem that you dont lose TA when you unlock as i just unlocked then rooted and then tried to back up TA id it did it . would i be rigt in saying this

---------- Post added at 03:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:40 PM ----------

seems you do lol cant like tunes on facebook on walkman now :( EDIT i can so it seems you don't lose anything
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SpyderTracks:
You can always backup your ta, but if you've unlocked it sets it to null. Like loosing imei. So if you backed up after unlocking bootloader, it would just be a null drm set which would be invalid. So yes, you've lost your warranty.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
I did a dry run with the backup i made after unlocking my bootloader if they had gone would it not say null beside each one ? see attached pic
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
after i had unlocked my bootloader i did a TA backup, eveything seems ok then i did a dry run restore have a look at the attached photo would all the settings not be set to null ??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
I don't know what's real anymore. KitKat does some strange things. Can you PM me your TA backup so I can have a look at it?

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
i have sent it here as pm wont give me option to attach
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
here it is
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
You have always been able to back up a TA with a unlocked BL. The TA will still contain stuff like firmware version, IMIE, S/N etc and it will be a vaild backup that will restore.

This IS usefull as you can take a backup both pre and post unlock. Then you can use the pre version to lock the BL and the post one to unlock the BL after relocking it. Doing a re-unlock this way saves the format of data that using the unlock key will cause.

[MENTION=3126675]shadstheman90[/MENTION] I would remove the TA from public view as it may contain data you dont want public
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
So drm keys will be gone :( but everything still works like it did before so no great loss
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Well **** me, i'm never trying that again. Do you know how to extract an .IMG file that's not an archive? Neither do i. Seriously, **** that ****. I've tried half a dozen tools, but non of them are capable of unpacking satans best joke yet, the TA file. You got a system.img? Oh, that's okay. TA.img? **** you.

One thing i did notice though (that doesn't actually mean anything)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
Humm thanks for trying I have no idea how to extract image file lol love the clip
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
right tool for the right job...

Linux and hexedit will pull stuff out

It looks like there are still keys in there, whether they are the original one or not will need more digging (and my TA backups are not on this PC)

Some interesting things in the .img:

C6833

EURO-LTE_14.3.A.0.757 - Current firmware

1271-5715_14.3.A.0.681 - Last firmware?

<.D.E.V.C.E.R.T. .v.e.r.s.i.o.n.=.".1...0.".>.<.C.E.R.T.I.F.I.C.A.T.E. .t.y.p.e.=.".D.E.V.I.C.E.".>.<.D.A.T.A.>.<.U.N.I.Q.U.E.I.D. .p.r.i.v.a.t.e.=.".1.".> [what looks like a key here]

Certs for w3, lots of marlin TMO urls, octopus DRM urls and what look like keys, X509 certs,

urn:marlin:drmservices

a 'keytable' that is all 0's for a few bytes at the start

GPS time-server stuff

And it looks to have a backup of it's self within the TA
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Ah yes, Linux. Too bad my Ubuntu laptop is dead. Your TA backup isn't on that computer? Do you like living on the edge? I assumed a smart man like you would keep a copy in the cloud, in case some sheep decides to steal your HDD. It's pretty obvious they're up to something.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
Brand new i7 laptop :victory:, should belt out the builds of Carbon a bit quicker than the desktop. I do have the TA backups on SWMBO dropbox, should mirror that to google drive I guess.

About the sheep and how they are out to get us: Blacksheep
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
So would that mean if i restored TA back it would lock bootloader and would be back to normal this is looking promising :)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
No I'm not saying that
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
I tried to relock and phone would not boot to system so unlocked and it came back on
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SpyderTracks:
What kernel are you on? You have to be on stock or it won't boot with relocked bootloader.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
yeah forgot about that i dont have stock kernel :( forgot to do backup skool boy error :( IS THERE ONE ON HERE I CAN D/L ???
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jutley:
While waiting for GPE rom just put official cm 10.2 on runs and feels great
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] madgalaxy:
This is good stuff! Thanks LordManhattan! This should be pinned!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] kramnod:
Yes indeed.. It has a user interface and even have the option to unroot... So I guess it would be better for everyone if you update the link for the tool to root.. Once I was able to download the root tool it easily rooted my phone.. And no more japanese characters anymore which is nice (makes it universal) and makes you know what it is doing on your phone..
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] YrrchSebor:
That's what i was thinking about the Sony bootloader unlock too.... I have never had to fastboot flash a boot image, so i assumed that the unlocked bootloader allows to flash to the boot partition thru recovery. I'm glad i found some others with the same experience lol.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ChillyChan:
Ha ha cool. It's not all Z Ultras though. So far, C8602 seems to allow flashing kernel from recovery.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] YrrchSebor:
Haha yeah, that's what i have is the 6802. Are there differences like that between the different models?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] ChillyChan:
It seems there is. C8633 needs fastboot to flash boot.img. Don't know about c8606 though. My guess is it's just like ours.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
The Japanese one is now replaced with Bin4ry's version :) Thanks!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] fastest83:
I tell you, I'm freaking out. I read the OP like ten times and clicked all the links (and saw all the GIFs)... I'm tapatalking though, do I have to search through a normal we browser?

And BTW, 168 achievements???? WTF??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Hahah, I got you looking didn't I? No, there are no hidden easter eggs :p It would probably be a lot more fun if I didn't tell you this, but I'm not that evil.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] fastest83:
Oh. Thank you for letting me know. XD
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] mottyengel:
Hey, finding this so complicated.... I'm having an issue with the drivers, The flashtool drivers installer is giving me errors and i installed the sony companion program but when i use flashtool, it says the drivers need to be installed.... what do i do??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Ah, yes. Windows 8 and drivers. This is a known issue, but i don't use Win8, so i don't know how to solve this. I think you have to disable some driver checker or something. We can check in with [MENTION=4642591]hamdogg[/MENTION] and [MENTION=614742]Reb0rn[/MENTION] and see if they know what to do.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] iBuzman:
Are you on win8, if so you'll need to search for the instructions to install the drivers specifically onto win8 (you need to reboot in a very specific way, sry don't have the detail at hand)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] techpal:
Check this http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2240614. It will solve your problem. Very detailed description with pics.

[MENTION=655433]LordManhattan[/MENTION]

you can add this in OP.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Thanks. OP updated.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] EVO'D_OUT:
[MENTION=225651]op[/MENTION] - VERY DETAILED AND THOROUGH GUIDE...one of the best I've seen!!

Now I'm assuming this guide will not work on the new .290 4.3 firmware?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Thanks! No it won't, but that's okay. We'll root it soon enough (i hope) and i'll update it then :)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] mottyengel:
I feel like an idiot needing help every step of the way... but now during root "Adb server is out of date. killing..."

Anyone have any idea

Ok... i didn't realize it's supposed to work through that... How long is the initial boot supposed to take basuse I just see a black screen with no logo...

Ok, I'm just an idiot... went through fine... I'm sure I'll be back though..
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Hahah, alrighty. We'll be here; waiting :good:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
Any of the striped FTFs or even a full one
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
You're looking for stock kernel? I'm not near a computer right now, but I would think that it has been posted a couple of times in the dev section.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shadstheman90:
I am d/l it now :)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] peekeesh:
quick question, why would the .757 rooting link goes to the rooting .681 thread when there's a thread specific to .757? i'm just curious.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2714511

By the way, I've used the .681 rooting method on my zu which has ,757 and it works fine.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
That's because the rooted 757 kernel didn't exist when I edited the guide. The 681 kernel works fine on 757, but I'll change it to the 757 later when I'm near computer.

Sent fra min C6833 via Tapatalk

EDIT: .GUIDE UPDATED. Thanks for reminding me, Peekeesh.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] luca_vivi:
HY, i have a question for you!

After i unlocked the bootloader, i have to restore the backup of TA partion?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
No. Make a backup of the TA partition and then unlock your bootloader. Restoring the TA partition will re-lock the bootloader, and that's not what you're trying to achieve.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] luca_vivi:
Ok thanks!!

Inviato dal mio C6833 utilizzando Tapatalk
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] nashi20002003:
Hello Sir...thx for your thread. It helped me a lot. Can you also add root on locked bootloaders.

It surely help somebody.

for 757....http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2712899&page=7

for 681 ...http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2687848
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
This is probably a noob question but here it goes:

Is there a way to check if your bootloader is unblocked?

I have the. C6833 international (non carrier)

Thanks.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] pTeronaut:
You follow the instructions at Sony's Dev site which is linked to in the very first post of this thread, in the section Unlocking the bootloader
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yeah. Open the dialer and enter *#*#7378423#*#* and go to Service Info and then Configuration.

Sent from my Z Ultra
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] FatherD:
So .. if it shows Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes

Is that an indication it is ready to be rooted, or still needs the bootloader unlocked first?

Many thanks
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
That means your bootloader is currently locked, but you're allowed to unlock it :)

You should downgrade to 532, root it, then backup your TA partition (if you value your warranty), then update to the current firmware again (757), and then unlock the bootloader and root it (by flashing Jackie's kernel). Any questions?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] halifage:
Yes, just one: so I can actually root + unlock bl and restore my warranty somehow? Links please, especially for the downgrade. Warranty was the only thing stopping me from rooting and unlocking so far. Thanks man. You the man ;)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
You are in the main thread, and look in this same section for the downgrade guide
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] samwham1407:
Root Xperia Z Ultra 4.4.2 6833 14.3.0.A 757

Hi

I wanted to root the above model i am as far as i think doing everything right but after i try to Flash the kernel i get the following message. Would highly appreciate if someone could help me. Big Thanks in Advance

Have attached a jpeg of the screen shot If the Jpeg did not attach as i am not sure of that the last 4 lines it says are as below

INFO sending boot(16832kb)...

INFO OKAY [0.597s]

Info writing boot

Info FAILED (remote command not allowed)

INFO Finished total time 0.597s

Am using Windows 7 Flash tool 9.16
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Have you unlocked the bootloader?

Sent from my Z Ultra
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] samwham1407:
Do I have to unlock the.bootloader? As I am not used to Sony phones.this being my first ever have always been a Samsung man. Is it.possible to root without unlocking as I read it will erase Drm keys too.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
No, you'll have to downgrade to 532, root, backup the TA partition (DRM keys) and then unlock the bootloader.

Sent from my Z Ultra
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] diji1:
Not sure if this has been brought up, my apologies if so but anyhow ...

I think the "How to Flash A Custom ROM" section needs to be changed as I flashed the suggested .img onto my device with stock firmware and just got a black screen when I booted.

I'm new to Sony devices so not sure if it was me or the guide that caused this but just to let you know.

Thanks for all the effort to make the guide!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Ah yes. We're no longer on 4.3, so thanks for pointing that out :)

Sent from my Z Ultra
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Damisa-Sarki:
Does this still work for the GPE on 4.4.2..or is there a different method now??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
The GPe was released with 4.4.2, so it's still the same.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Kyoshimadoshi:
So here's my story..

I was rooted with bootloader unlocked. Lost DRM keys and didn't care.. Then my screen cracked and I sent it in for repairs.. $320 later, when I got it back they upgraded to the latest firmware and my DRM keys are back. X Reality etc is now working...

So question is... Is it possible for Sony to restore DRM keys or did they change more than just the screen?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Damisa-Sarki:
ok, thank you for the response and help
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Are you sure you still have your old Ultra, and that you didn't get a new one?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
I wonder if they may have flashed a complete img to the nand?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Kyoshimadoshi:
The back panel still has an old scratch on it, so definitely not a whole new phone. The IMEI number however is different which made me suspect something .. But then why would they replace something that isnt faulty and not charge me?:confused:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] kramnod:
Guys just got my Xperia Z Ultra again, this time with the white one.. Looks really good.

Anyways, kinda mastered the steps before when I still had the black one, but after going though 2 cellphones after. I'm kinda lost again.. Hehe

Need help, I already updated mine to. 757 but don't mind downgrading..

Can someone have steps so that I'll be able to back up my TA and have an unlocked boot loader and root access.

Thanks.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
1. Downgrade to 532

2. Root using Bin4ry's tool

3. Backup Ta

4. Unlock bootloader

5. Update to 757 again

6. Root by flashing Jackie's 757 kernel and flash SuperSU

Once you have an unlocked bootloader you can start at step 6 the next time :p An unlocked bootloader solves everything, lol.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] kramnod:
As expected, you'll be the first one to answer. Good to inow you still have your XZU.. Thanks a lot, it made the whole research thing solved with your answer.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] zaxharu:
sorry im just new in Sony Xperia. If i downgrade my XZU from 757, is there a possibility of losing the baseband, network signal, drm keys and most specially the x reality engine? Im an Asian and the link given for 532 is not an asian firmware, is it okay if i flash that file? will i loss my network signal?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
Yes, you'll lose your signal unless you flash NUT's 532 firmware. You'll get your signal back once you update again though, so it's nothing to be afraid of.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] zaxharu:
Thank you so much Sir.you're really very helpful. By the way, once downgraded, I can use any regions firmware right?I'm from the Philippines, I'm afraid my baseband will change and loss my signal.thanks again in advance
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] kramnod:
Also from the Philippines, followed LordManhattan's instructions and used different FW from other regions with no issue. Currently using MonX
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] zaxharu:
How about the X-reality engine? Is it still intact after downgrade,root,unlock activities?

Thank you so much Sir. Have a great day!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
X-reality is still intact after bootloader unlock. This wasn't the case on 4.2/4.3, but Sony clearly figured out something on 4.4, so it works fine.

Sent from my C6833
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tiger aea:
root didnt work

Hello , i want to root my phone z ultra 6833 .757 i watch this video youtube . com/watch?v=uFSeSe8gQOY

i unlock bootloader after this install 757.img by flashtool so i can open recovery but after this i didnt find the same file he run i try run supersu.zip but the phone havent rooted plz what the problem
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] arlmsk:
downgrading

Filename:

C6833_14.1.B.1.532_NUT.ftf

sorry for the silly question

can i use this file in my c6802 for downgrading? currently using .757. thank u for the help.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
Yep, the c6802 will think that it is a c6833 for a while (will have lte in the settings) but will just use 3g. If you are just using it before rooting then there is no real difference
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] arlmsk:
thank u blue. i will downgrade now....any recommend Custom ROM ?:angel:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] blueether:
I'm biased as I'm put many hours into building Carbon, but SliKat and LiquidSmooth are both nice as well... It all depends on what you want, if you want all the bells and whistles the PA or PAC might be more to your liking

ps

If you are going to a custom ROM first flash a full 757 firmware with flashtool or you will have no radio
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] arlmsk:
ok, maybe i will try carbon first. thank u blue for the help.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tiger aea:
ftf ?

Plz what FTF file ? Why we use it when root sony xperia? So how i can use this file i watch the video to root 757 but forget ftf file because this i havent root ?

I reply before this in page 62 but no answer !