[ZenFone 2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jessehclark:
So, I think I might be the first to be able to confirm [MENTION=5440412]saltii[/MENTION] method of achieving ze500cl/z00d/zenfone 2e unlocked bootloader with stock asus firmware and twrp custom recovery. I actually did this BEFORE seeing that he had been able to achieve the same thing, simply by taking it one step at a time. Here is what I did FROM THE BEGINNING.

1) Purchased brand new in box AT&T Go Phone Asus Zenfone 2e on sale at Best Buy for $50 - 10% off so... $45 =)

2) IMMEDIATELY requested an unlock code using the AT&T unlock request site. (This was the entire purpose, I have a ze551ml but wanted something cheaper for when i travel abroad this summer, and my wife is NOT taking her 6s+ hahah) Seriously i did this right away. I didnt even turn the phone on. I took the at&t sim out, threw it away, and requested the code. Apparently this is the way to do it because if you activate it on at&t they require you to have it on an active account for 6 months before they will unlock, and if you activate on another att mvno they wont unlock. i just requested as a non att mobility customer. took almost a week but they did it. Got the code, put in a verizon sim, entered the pin, phone is carrier unlocked.

3) Then i wandered over to XDA figuring that there would be a rom by now (cue sad trombone sound) and started by downloading the following files:

CWM fastboot tethered recovery launcher (cai_dat_CWM.bat)

SuperSU (SuperSU2.52.zip)

Asus stock firmware (UL-ASUS_Z00D-WW-12.16.5.118-user.zip)

TWRP for Z00D (skyrimus for4pda)

ZE500CL_unlock.apk

and a 118recovery.img just in case

I placed SuperSU and Asus stock firmware in the root of the internal sd of the phone. INTERNAL NOT EXTERNAL. I messed up the first time. ugh.

4) Then, I plugged in my phone and verified that debugging was on and that i had a fastboot connection (used minimal adb). Then, I ran cai_dat_CWM.bat, typed ACCEPT, hit enter, typed T4, hit enter, screen went from red to teal, phone rebooted into CWM recovery. I hit install from zip, navigated to the root of storage, and selected the stock firmware file. It said "installing zip" i think, but nothing else until it said that the script was successful. Then I went back to Install from Zip and selected the SuperSU zip and installed that. lots of progress notifications, jobs done, back out of menu, reboot.

5) Now the phone is at the homescreen of the non-AT&T ****-ware OS. Yay. Proceed to immediately delete everything. Yay. I have root. OK. Copy ZE500CL_unlock.apk to root of internal storage, enable install apps from unknown sources, install app. Run app. scroll to bottom, clock accept. repeat. click to unlock. phone reboots without warning. See a flash of a white splash screen. Phone reboots. I booted back into fastboot but did not see anything changed. Only indication of unlock was white boot screen, which I now have. Double yay.

6) Now to put it to the test. Plug phone back in, verify debugging on, power off. hold vol up and power, wait for the vibration, release power but hold volume up, now in fastboot. run flashtwrp.bat and before i know what happened it says done. press vol twice, select boot into recovery with power button. See punsiher icon. rejoice. power off. boot into recovery again. repeat. yay.

________

Now, I realize that I can flash the stock image to take things back to a safe place, but I'd rather be able to flash a debloated version back on rather than bone stock, so I figured I'd make a backup. Well, weird.... In TWRP I can't access the phone's internal storage (unable to mount /data) and I can't complete a backup (unable to mount /system) I know I was able to flash the zips originally from the internal storage and that when using the tethered recovery i couldn't access the external storage, so what happened? now its the reverse?

Anyways, the phone is carrier unlocked, bootloader unlocked, running stock Asus firmware, completely debloated using google now launcher. Unfortunately I won't be happy until I turn in into a nexus, basically. So, does anyone have any advice regarding porting over perhaps a Z008 or A500CG rom? (Zenfone 5... very similar processor, dual core, 720p screen, etc.) Any ideas about mounting system and data? What am i missing here?