yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 5X General] Travisdroidx2:
All good bro. I am just happy to be rooted and the encrypt off finally. Thanks again!
[Nexus 5X General] DriesDeCoen:
Quick question,

I'm on stock 6.0.1 and i've rooted with systemless SuperSU and flashed the ElementalX kernel but i'm encrypted, now i would like to unencrypt.

Do I just format the userdata and flash SuperSU/Kernel again? Or do i have to do anything else?

Thanks for the help.
[Nexus 5X General] Sytheii:
Great clarification! Especially the bit about pattern PW conversion.
[MENTION=4153349]Heisenberg[/MENTION]

Maybe something to think about adding to #1?
[Nexus 5X General] qcinosi:
I followed this guide and rooted my Nexus 5X, but not without some problems (using TWRP 2.8.7.1+), and several scary moments where I thought I had inadvertently bricked my phone. A couple of important things that might be useful to add to the guide:

For windows users, you might need to install the ADB drivers as well as the fastboot drivers. If "adb devices" doesn't work, the ADB driver needs to be installed. In Device Manager (when the phone is connected in USB debugging mode) click the device (it might show a question mark or a yellow exclamation mark), and chose to update drivers. After that, install the google USB drivers that were downloaded to C:\SDK\extras by the Android SDK manager. Here's a helpful link with screenshots... it's not allowing me to post links, so google: "setup-adb-fastboot-drivers-for-nexus-oneplus-samsung-or-any-android"

For fastboot drivers, do "adb reboot bootloader" to reboot your phone in bootloader mode, and make sure it is connected. If "fastboot devices" doesn't work, go to Device Manager and find the device (it might/should show a question mark or a yellow exclamation mark, and be named something like "Android"), and right click > properties > driver tab > update driver. Manually install the driver by selecting Android > Android Composite ADB interface. Here's a helpful link: android.stackexchange.com/questions/128178/how-to-install-nexus-6-5x-6p-drivers-in-windows-7-properly-where-fastboot-ca

After unlocking the bootloader and flashing the TWRP recovery 2.8.7.1 or later, and booting into recovery mode, TWRP will request the device password. Entering it will not work, it won't be able to see your data to flash SuperSU, so the device needs to be formatted first. Select "cancel" and then wipe the device with the following steps:

Factory Reset, swipe to confirm

Format Data, swipe to confirm and type "yes" (no quotes)

You'll need to copy the SuperSU binaries to the device. I didn't know how to do this, so I used the regular USB copy after rebooting the phone to the regular OS and restoring everything (enter Google account, set up everything etc.). However, after doing this and booting to recovery (TWRP), TWRP was unable to mount the data partition because it was encrypted. At this point I was frustrated that I might have to redo the whole process and wipe my phone again, but I tried to Decrypt the phone with the option in TWRP, using my device password, and it was successful! The data partition was mounted and I was able to find the SuperSU binary I had copied to install. Note that after wiping the dalvik cache and rebooting, the phone will ask for your device password to decrypt twice. I got scared when it asked for the password the second time, fearing I might have gotten into a boot loop, but it eventually booted up to the OS with all my programs intact.
[Nexus 5X General] Sytheii:
I noticed this as well when reading through chainfire's systemless root post # 3 here, refrenced in Heisenberg's guide,

"If TWRP offers you to keep /system read-only, indeed keep it read-only."

That seems to be the only bit of info besides the pattern to pin code transcription I found earlier that is missing from the section on systemless rooting.

[MENTION=4153349]Heisenberg[/MENTION]

Maybe add that too? People who follow guides, especially those without much general knowledge or experience in rooting etc, when faced with something that isn't covered in the guide, will literally pause what they are doing and post a question, then wait for an answer till they proceed, if they're smart. I'm reading and asking every question I can before doing anything because I've jumped the gun in the past.
[Nexus 5X General] Heisenberg:
Added.
[Nexus 5X General] tpayne2345:
Might be a dumb question but asking for myself and hopefully others wondering..

So the new image (MMB29P) can be flashed and there is no need for a modified boot.img because we can flash TWRP and then flash systemless root to fix the stock boot.img and disable forced encryption, is this correct?
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
Correct.

However, if you desire to be decrypted, formatting userdata in fastboot is required before booting into the rom. This step will wipe everything off of the phone and it will remain unencrypted due to SuperSU having patched the boot.img.
[Nexus 5X General] LegoFarmer:
In a bootloop... Flashed recovery, entered it, kept it read only... Sure enough, I can't get out of the bootloop. PLEASE HELP :(

EDIT: Got back in the OS! Will try flashing later on!
[Nexus 5X General] sylar10001:
on reference to this thread

http://xdaforums.com/nexus-5x/general/guides-how-to-guides-beginners-t3206930

I was able to unlock the bootloader, after that im already setting up my custom recovery

1.) downloaded twrp-2.8.7.2-bullhead.img and put it on C:\SDK\platform-tools

2.) navigated to C:\SDK\platform-tools and opened "open command window here"

3.) issue the command C:\SDK\platform-tools>fastboot flash recovery twrp-2.8.7.2-bullhead.img

4.) restarted the boot loader

5.) i try to select recovery mode, but its going to the dead android bootscreen

what did I do wrong?

EDIT:

It's already working, I just repeated the command fastboot flash recovery twrp-2.8.7.2-bullhead.img
[Nexus 5X General] freakshock:
OTA locked me out of root?

I hope someone can help me with regaining root after updating to MMB29P.

I had systemless root beforehand.

I updated to MMB29P by flashing boot, system and vendor via fastboot.

When I try to boot TWRP, for some reason I cannot decrypt data anymore.

For this reason I cannot reflash SuperSU.

Where did I go wrong? How can I regain root?
[Nexus 5X General] qcinosi:
So if you try to start the phone by holding down power+volume down, you are not able to get into the bootloader to select recovery mode? Or you can get into the bootloader, but selecting recovery mode does not work? Perhaps the twrp img file you downloaded is somehow corrupt? To verify this, on the page to download TWRP (linked on the main thread), there is also a link to download the md5 for it. Download that md5 and open it in notepad, and then download a tool (google for one, there is an official one from Microsoft if you are using Windows, search for: "Download Microsoft File Checksum Integrity Verifier"), and verify that the md5 of the img file you downloaded matches the md5 that was posted.
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
They could also type "md5" in terminal then drag the file over, and hit Enter as well. It would calculate the md5 after a few moments.
[Nexus 5X General] hperera:
Locked bootloader with custom recovery on accident

"Locking the bootloader while you have a custom recovery installed can result in a brick"

I accidentally did this by rushing and forgetting to type in the one command that installs the recovery.... I know I'm an idiot...

Now the thing is stuck at the colorful loading thing, CMW recovery is still there but it won't let me wipe anything.

What do I do :( I'm new at this and have no idea what to do.
[Nexus 5X General] Mawth:
Can you fastboot to the bootloader? If you can, if it were me, I'd follow Step 11 and try to get everything back to stock. And then start again fresh.
[Nexus 5X General] sylar10001:
how am I suppose to know that my phone is already unencrypted? I installed TWRP 2.8.2.7, I already flashed to PureNexus
[Nexus 5X General] joetheshmo:
Go to settings > security and check whether it gives you the option to encrypt phone or not
[Nexus 5X General] sylar10001:
it says encrypted, I already wiped everything using TWRP except storage
[Nexus 5X General] Sytheii:
Good guide, but I'm still on the fence

Well, I finally had a chance to finish reading this thread in its entirety along with any refrenced threads/topics I thought important, and reread through Heisenberg's guide portion a couple of times to familiarize myself with it very well. This is the first guide I have read on rooting that stresses using officially supported tools (android SDK-adb-fastboot-etc,) which was very well explained step by step. In the instructions I had read in oyher guides in the past, it assumed the user had the background knowledge of commands etc, so this guide made it very easy and strait forward.

It was interesting to see the development of what was reflected in the guide by going through all the contributions made by others here. Many thanks to all who helped further rooting on the 5X. I had missed the simplicity of of my old Galaxy Nexus, which prompted me to ditch my Verizon HTC One and grab the LG Nexus 5X.

After going through everything available here, I, like others, still have a few questions that maybe others can help me out with;

1. So my first question is this: Traditional or systemless root, which is most versatile? At first I thought they were just two ways to achieve root access, but after reading this I'm not sure I want to do systemless...

Does that mean that after doing systemless root steps, you gain root, but can't access TWRP unless you flash and boot into it every time you want to use TWRP? I suppose if you just want to one-off root and then never mess around with anything, but still, from what I've read about systemless, it's still a work in progress and some root access apps still have compatability issues, even with adding>

But after doing so it's not really systemless anymore, right?

2. I have read that some people have rooted (I think most were traditional root) and still were able to use Android pay...it seemed to depend on which version of superSU was used.

I would like to root if doing so only adds to the functionality of the phone, I'm not really keen on losing out on key features of a Google device.

Does anyone know why some versions of superSU don't mess up Android pay, while other, more recent versions disable it?

3. Is there really a system update every month?

When I unboxed my phone (still haven't popped my SIM in from my old phone cuz I'm still on the fence about rooting and don't want to do the 'make it mine' process all over again) I got my first update to MMB29k from MMB29p, and just today I see another notification that the next update is available.

Are these really rolled out for security every month like clockwork? I suppose I could pick and choose which updates I deem flash worthy and skip the tedium here and there, but that's a lot of flashing to keep your phone current.

Does anyone know where you can find information about each update, and what it fixes, security or otherwise?
[Nexus 5X General] koostamas:
Lucky Patcher doesn't seem to work with the systemless root. When I try to patch an app, it completes, then says that the device is not rooted properly. And it even corrupts root, so I have to root it again. Anybody with the same problem?
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
Not sure what you mean by "most versatile." Please explain.

If you keep TWRP as R/O, just install SuperSU 2.6x (systemless root) in TWRP and you can boot into TWRP anytime. Compatibility with root apps is a toss up. Test and see what is not working for you. If the app does not work, email the developer and ask them for compatibility with systemless root.

Some (most?) modifications to /system will instantly cause Android Pay to fail. Delete or rename (aka just add ".bak" to the file) "su/xbin_bind" to have working Android Pay with systemless root. There is a Safetynet Helper app that can be downloaded from the Play Store to help check whether Android Pay will work. Idk about system root and working Android Pay.

Yes. Here is the handy Android Security Bulletin.
[Nexus 5X General] Sytheii:
By versatile I just meant, which is more stable/usuable, mainly this bit about having to flash TWRP again after booting into Android when going systemless...

After reading Heisenberg's note which was added in in the guide:

When TWRP boots up you'll be asked whether you want to allow system modification or keep it read-only, if you're going to use systemless root you must choose to keep it read-only. There is a pitfall with keeping it read-only, however. TWRP isn't able t persist without modifying system, so you'll lose it after booting into Android, you'll need to flash/boot it to access it again....

I took that to mean that even if you flashed supersu for systemless root, after booting into android to use the phone, you wouldn't be able to access TWRP again subsequently usless you flashed and booted into it again from the bootloader... Is that incorrect? Still a little confused on that point.

Thanks for the link to the bulletin, I found it earlier today, so I knows what the updates are about.

Is getting Android pay to work that simple to achieve? Or is it just that chainfires supersu isn't tailored to specific devices so a workaround has to be achieved after the rooting business is done?

Thanks for the help.
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
By default, I would say system root since systemless root may have some root app issues. Systemless is under active development as well.

Oh, I understand how you came to that reasoning. But no, I assure you that is not the case. Flash SuperSU and TWRP will persist!

Yes to both. For the first question, if you have no modifications to /system then renaming or deleting xbin_bind is pretty much all you need to do then reboot of course. You are welcome.
[Nexus 5X General] hruweg:
Tutorial 10 error

Tutorial 10 did not work for me. I was trying to update to the latest security patch. When I booted up, I received an error that stated there's an internal problem with your device, and when I checked my device settings, I found that I'm still on the version I was on before. However, my phone still works find aside from not having root or TWRP. I did some research about this error, and apparently it occurs when your vendor.img does not match the version of Android your phone is on. So, I believe that some things may have failed to flash, but at least the vendor still correctly flashed. I'm fairly certain I entered all of the commands correctly, and I'm not sure where I could have went wrong.
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
Without a copy of the terminal commands that typed on your computer, we can't really help you. Something as small as a mistyped letter would cause the vendor.img to fail its flash. Flash the MMB29P vendor.img again. Step 10 is just a list of commands to flash the partitions separately.
[Nexus 5X General] suckregistration:
nexus 5x does not have an SD card (as wrongfully stated above) so when doing a full wipe do zip files get wiped too???
[Nexus 5X General] Mesmurized:
While there is no external SD card, the 5X has several logically separate areas, two of which are called data and media. Data is where user apps are stored and typically wiped with a clean flash. Media (/sdcard, external, etc) is another area used for pictures, music, videos, user downloaded files, etc and can typically be retained during most flashes. If your zip file resides in this area it will not be wiped unless you specifically wipe this area.
[Nexus 5X General] rekd0514:
So after updating to MMB29P and rooting with SU beta 2.66 I can't edit the build.prop anymore. I can't seem to get R/W access on the /system folder in any root explorer I try. Anyone else having this issue and found a workaround. I want to edit the build.prop so I can tether and enable EIS again.
[Nexus 5X General] rumbitas:
Can I revert my Nexus 5X to stock version? I have it rooted, with unlocked bootloader and with a Custom Recovery (TWRP).

Thanks
[Nexus 5X General] joetheshmo:
Follow step 11 in the OP
[Nexus 5X General] discslinger:
Please clarify this boot.img question

Since buying and rooting a Nexus One since Mar of 2010 I finally upgraded to a Nx5x. My build number is MMB29P.

Like tpayne2345 was wondering - and asked:

"So the new image (MMB29P) can be flashed and there is no need for a modified boot.img because we can flash TWRP and then flash systemless root to fix the stock boot.img and disable forced encryption, is this correct?"

However, I am still not clear and satisfied with the answer to his question even though I read that. I too am STILL wanting more specific clarification:

My understanding is that I do NOT have to flash ANY boot image whatsoever because SuperSU 2.60 or above will modify the current stock image already on my phone. Is this correct?

I'm all ready to go - except for making sure I need not flash any boot image whatsoever - and after unlocking and installing TWRP - then just flash Chainfire's SU zip.

Thanks for a completely specific answer on this. I think it should be stated, "A new modified boot image will be flashed as a consequence of flashing SuperSU 2.6x or above". Sine I am stock - then there is NO NEED to flash either a modified boot image or the stock MMB29P and then flash SuperSU. Correct?
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
SuperSU 2.6x will patch your existing boot.img. There is no need to install a modified boot.img. Starting with SuperSU 2.66, you can enter a terminal command while in TWRP to force systemless root to install for when you flash SuperSU.

More SuperSU specific info for Marshmallow can be read here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3219344

Edit: Long story short, whatever OTA you are currently on, flash SuperSU then boot up. If you want to decrypt, read my response to the person you mentioned in your post and do that.
[Nexus 5X General] usererror:
Thank you for these guides! I followed Section 10 to update to the latest image skipping the recovery.img step since I already have a custom recovery installed. This worked as explained on my first time doing this process.
[Nexus 5X General] discslinger:
Last question before rooting!

Thanks Snoop! ... as well as to everyone else here. I have read all 49 pages of this entire thread and am ready to root except for one thing.

I have repeatedly downloaded and compared the md5sums for

twrp-2.8.7.2-bullhead.img

with the

md5sum check file

. (From the TWRP link posted in the OP: https://dl.twrp.me/bullhead/

Each time I check - the former sum is:c3ab0692ae0f59c4e291f67320d09f47

and the latter is:

2316eb1708d65d9f48c07d3d03c9cb95

What's up with this? Are these not supposed to match? Is there a need to check the md5sum for the TWRP file from their official site at all?

Please advise

Otherwise ready to go and on the edge of my seat.
[Nexus 5X General] SlimSnoopOS:
I just tried and I can replicate the md5 of "2316eb1708d65d9f48c07d3d03c9cb95" when I download using Safari (OSX). Do not use that file. I had to download the TWRP img using Google Chrome. On OSX, I have that issue with Safari so I use Chrome for files that need to be flashed onto my 5X.
[Nexus 5X General] Judim:
Decrypt but keep data?

I'm quite familiar with root process and rom flashing and nandroid backup and such, having done that since a few years now on different devices.

Lately, I comited myself to the systemless rooting process, and I'm quite confident that I understood how it works, for I had no problem at all.

But. Applying the OTA by unrooting then reflashing the SuperSU2.66 (systemless) I made a mistake: letting the phone boot after having applied the OTA. Therefore all my datas are now encrypted again and I can feel the difference in term of performance of my Nexus 5X (especially with the camera). So I want to decrypt everything again.

I was so confident that everything would go well that I didn't do a backup.

I don't know much yet about encryption or decryption. This is the first phone I have that do that. Can somebody help me finding a process that can decrpyt my data, but without loosing everything?

I guess that if I do an nandroid backup and restore it, it still will be crypted, right?

If anybody have an idea, I would be so glad!

Thanks everybody.
[Nexus 5X General] rumbitas:
I need help, I tried to restore my nexus 5x to rom stock, but when I try to enter Recovery I see a droid with a red warning icon like the next img.

[IMG="Droid Red Warning"]http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/08/ahasarud.jpg[/IMG]

Please help me :´(

---------- Post added at 12:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:15 AM ----------

Sorry, Power button plus Volume UP take to the next screen. Why I'm getting this icon??
[Nexus 5X General] churchey360:
That's just how you have to boot into stock recovery lol its normal for all Nexus 5x
[Nexus 5X General] Schrotty35:
I have the same question. I use also latest Stock with twrp and root (not systemless) and elementalx kernel.
[Nexus 5X General] discslinger:
Stuck in TWRP last step

After unlocking the bootloader successfully, flashing TWRP, then loading TWRP in read only mode, I am NOW looking at the TWRP menu.

Before starting the process, I did originally on the phone activate oem unlocking and check the adb in the developer options ... AND placed the SuperSU zip version 2.64 onto my internal storage.

I am aware to NOT install the superuser from TWRP and manually install the zip in my storage from TWRP's menu.

Problem... I do not see the zip and the menu says I have 0mb in storage.

WHAT is wrong?

FYI - my understanding is that after unlocking - i could flash TWRP (version 2.8.7.2) and this would modify the original boot image on the fly. I'm saying I did not flash a boot.img after unlocking. Just making sure that that is not the problem.

Thank you.

Please advise... thanks!!