[Verizon Galaxy S 5 General] Barabba11:
INTRODUCTION

(don't skip it if you want understand what you are reading)

Here we are, as promised.

A guide for beginners who hardly understand all the brief steps described in guides: root Galaxy S5 G-900V, unlock-bootloaders, etc. thanks for everyone who helped me with big patience (jrkruse, Bryanx86, XeCuTioN, youdoofus and all other guys) and who developed the scripts/guides. This guide is to help you keep focusing there :)

I'll try to be as brief as possible, remembering me when I entered in theis world without knowing this phone, and eager of flashing quickly the desidered ROM. I admit I've spent different days and a bounch bad words around figuring out all the obstacles that appeared time by time: you should know from the beginning that a small variation of the process described here may force you start from zero, loosing an amount of time, and that there are different phone models and also with different chipset, so you need carefully understand which phone you have before learning the process or losing time with wrong experiments, they will not work.

Anyway this guide will help many figuring out different aspects of phone, useful to everyone who is appraching flash the S5, it's a collection of important things I've read arond and experimented myself.

PHONE:

I have a S5 G900V with Toshiba chipset "CID11", and I tested all the following only on this phone, for questions/explanations read this article:

http://xdaforums.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370

I'm not going to give any support to other versions, but post me if I forgot something :)

DEFINITIONS:

PHONE: unfortunately there are a moltitude of Galaxy S5 released, they are dedicated to particular geographic areas and particular service operators, the 900V is created for Verizon brand and it has a native ROM with SIM locked. If you bought one with SIM unlocked (and you may even read under "about" it is a 900F for example! check the right one starting the download mode) and you want root it/upgrade you should consider that the first rom uploaded to begin the following process is Verizion original, and it contains SIM lock: you will not use your phone later till you flash the final desidered rom! Chances are also, if you have like I do a CID11 chipset, the SD card will stop be recognized, and that's a boring thing. EDIT: the SD card will work, it was my phone with the SD gold contacts spoiled, accurately I lift them up and sd worked always later.

CHIPSET:

as I know there are two variants around, one with Chipset Sasmung "eMMC" and one with Toshiba "eMMC". Before you start you need to read the file /sys/block/mmcblk0/device/cid under the root path, the first two bytes will be 11 or 15, if you have 15 you're lucky and you may even remove the locked bootloader, if you have 11 there are not solutions yet for unlock, but you can install Marshmellow 6.0.1 (unrooted/without root). To check the file CID I suggest to install xplore from Lonelycatgames (you may find a copy around, google it and download apk, open the folder root, the path /sys/block/mmcblk0/device/ and at file cid push long and use the hex editor.

BOOTLOADER

: The Verizon phones accept ROMs only containing their certificate (it's more complex but let's say it's like that), they are called stock ROM (ROMs coming from brend, original, untouched). To load other custom roms you need to unlock the Bootloader to avoid checks on certifications, and this is possible only if you have a CID 15 and only after rooting phone, and unlock bootloader. Then you will you are able to flash TWRP which is a nice console for upload any kind of rom.

Anyway, anyCID, there is a "workaround" called Safestrap that loads a TWRP console instead of the classic Android operative system (OS).. and it happens when you will reboot from its Safestrap applications: the console will load instead of Android on next reboot, and when you will reboot from Safestrap console, itself will restores Android the next boot. It's the only way to load ROMS when your CID is 11, but only very particular releases (read about down); and the way to unlock bootloader on CID15. We're waiting that someone in future will unlock also the CID11..

the "bootloader" or "download mode" can be opened only from phone switched off by pressing VolDwn+Home and when u sure u're pressing them correctly then press power keeping them pressed(!) until u see the bootloader, press then volume up.

"recovery console" or "recovery" is reached from phone switched off in the same way, but pressing Volup+Home (the power) until u see the recovery.

ROM:

it's a file containing usually the kernel, the system with main applications (excluded google apps), some scripts (commands) to cancel datas before installing.

GOOGLE APPS:

you have to flash them after flashed the rom (if the rom asking explicitly for them because made without (it means it doesn't contain inside any google apps that may be crucial for booting), or.. you have to flash them if you're targeting the final result (the last flash) and you want have apps updated in your "new flashed phone". It's not necessary when u're in process of root phone/unlocking.

FLASH A BOOT IMAGE

/package: it's a file used to replace the bootloader, when it's needed, for example if you are upgrading from Lollipop to Marshmellow the bootloader can't stay in lollipop version, the versions should match, be sure to have both compatible already downloaded.

ROOT:

it means gain the administrators privileges to edit system files on phone.

TWRP:

it's a smart console to manage the phone with full control, allows to change the Android versions and many other things.

RECCOMENDATIONS

:

1) have battery on phone around 100%, looks because it seems that at lower values make the phone react sometime unexpectly (power safe) during operations, that means you may loose after a lot time to figure out what problem occured/process skipped.

2) During the flashing, in download mode, the phone may not be charged from USB, and the PC power is much less powerful then the charger, you may see a quite impressive battery draining even when connected to PC, this is why is better to start near 100%.

3) During update, the USB up/downs may use lot of CPU of your PC due to driver recognition, keep then your Windows "clean" for the process, no apps in backgroud which use lot of RAM and CPU (for example browsers with many tabs opened), so the driver detection could be faster, avoid programming interruptions (for example installing apps in root.bat)

NOTICE: any time u'll use Odin you don't need to change its flags/settings (for example auto reboot), leave them as they are. If you uploaded something wrong/not certifed under download mode and the phone refuses that, you need to switch off the phone and restart in download mode again, it's not up to software Odin in your PC; you can leave it opened.

Odin will check the checksum of files that are loaded, so for big rom files you have to be patient and give it time to read all file.

When Odin is open and USB connected, you have to see the phone connected by COM, if it doesn't connect the phone may be bricked or you have to install the latest Samsung drivers (!! **you can't forget installing them if it's the first time using a Samsung device!!)

HOW IT WORKS:

useful to understand how is reached the goal here to prevent bricks, solve easier problems, find yourself an overcome. This root kit targets to install 3 applications on the phone, then use a temporary "bricked" kernel to allow edit system files and root the phone before it loads all Android, then restore the previous kernel working, and it ends by using applications installed before to install Safestrap into boot, to have a TWRP console even if the phone is locked.

As the Safestrap substitute the normal Android boot, if there is any problem on the process (=Safestrap will not boot when it's supposed to boot = you started it from its application) the phone may brick here, because when Safestrap stars it need to restore Android normal usage: if it will hapen the Android won't load again, the phone is bricked, read in that section how to solve it.

The first application, Kingoroot,it's made for allow the root permission into other two applications, it's a supervisor. If you use it gently and its installation succeded ok in the beginning of root.bat it will be enough for do all the job (even if the main Guide author suggest to buy SuperSUme).

Busybox it's a software that allows Safestrap to install, whothout it Safestrap won't work.

Safestrap it's a simple application, that if used in right way (I failed lot of times, but I always recovered my phone) permits to have a powerful console on next reboot.

IMPORTANT:

Whne in process, wait always that the USB drivers finishing detecting phone and become "stable" (CPU and hard disk aren't working, keep check them to be sure, as well the icon of the phone should appear in Windows resouces). You may need to start from zero if u miss this, a really stupid reason to lose time.

FILES YOU NEED:

G900VVRU2BPB1_G900VVZW2BPB1_G900VVRU2BPB1_HOME.tar.md5 as the main old rom, that works as starting point.

OK3_ROOT_V5.exe: set of tools and scripts for rooting.

Find them all in the first post here:

http://xdaforums.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370

PROCEDURE:

1) Open OK3_ROOT_V5.exe in one folder, if you use windows with particular language and not latin chars avoid to extract it on desktop, prefer a path like C:\galaxy for example.

2) Switch off phone, remove SIM card and SD, switch on in recovery mode and wipe data system and cache, then boot to bootloader

2) open Odin, open under AP G900VVRU2BPB1_G900VVZW2BPB1_G900VVRU2BPB1_HOME.tar.md5 and wait until it finished read file, connect phone USB, be sure phone is recognized, start flashing. Wait until phone boots, wait until it shows the beginning screen.

3) choose english, then wi fi button down, then skip the connetcion and everything else asked, insert any fake name.

4) When setup ends don't activate Wi fi, go to settings, about, press 8 times build number, get the development menu active, go into it and enable usb debug, wait for popup and allow your PC always, then disable the verify usb application installation in the same menu. The driver may set itself again after this, wait some seconds befor go over and be sure the phone is seen by Windows resources, when you see the icon of the phone on Windows file explorer and the CPU is low again it's time to run root.bat, not before! Go into OK3_ROOT folder, run root.bat, a black old DOS window will open (this is not Odin! Not confuse this window and what you read there with Odin messages, please!) and follow the steps you read in this new DOS window..

it will install apps, reboot in download mode and show you a new Odin window, select NK2_kernel.tar and flash it, now put your eyes over DOS window of root.bat, it should recognize your firmware and after some seconds display a full page of ########, if it doesn't something went wrong, you need to go to recovery console, wipe everything, and flash again the main big flash (=start from zero).

If succeed, and you will read it in the DOS window, as the last step, you have to disconnect USB, pull battery, switch phone on in download mode and flash VZW_BOK3_KERNEL_ONLY.tar with Odin

5) After reboot open KingRoot application already installed, Click The Up Arrows a couple of time until you get to Try It and yes click Try It, then on the main circle, go back with arrow and you will have confirm that is rooted. Close Kingroot, open busybox free app, allow the root access, click on install (even if it start scannig) and wait some seconds, when it say it completed close it. Open Safestrap, allow root, click on install, the app will quit itself, open it again and click on install, it will quit again. Now reboot phone by the power key, hen rebooted open again Safestrap and now you'll be finally ready to click on the button "Reboot to recovery". Before doing it be ready to organize the next step, like files for unlocking bootloader or flashing a locked phone to 6.0.1.

END rooting phone procedure.

BRICK/RECOVERY:

if it happens during root, before you upload any other ROM, there may be three ways to solve that:

Pull the battery out (it's almost safe) and:

1) Light: go under download mode and flash VZW_BOK3_KERNEL_ONLY.tar, see if the phones later boot up normally.

Chances are, with "dirty" chache data that lead the phone to brick, you can't start the root.bat procedure again succesfully (use root2.bat to avoid the install of the three applications that supposed already installed). Then you may try to:

2) medium: go under recovery console, wipe data and cache, boot fom there to download mode and flash again VZW_BOK3_KERNEL_ONLY.tar.

Or, if still not successful:

3) Strong: go under recovery console, wipe data and cache, boot fom there to download mode and flash flash full G900VVRU2BPB1_G900VVZW2BPB1_G900VVRU2BPB1_HOME.tar.md5 (that means start from zero)

SAFESTRAP WORLD:

WARNING: you should follow at the letter the above process above, any difference may result in a fail of Safestrap recovery to open and phone bricked at samsung logo (+custom). If so don't worry, you have just to start the download mode and flash VZW_BPB1_KERNEL_ONLY.tar.md5 again to see the phone working. But chances you probably now have to repeat all the procedure from zero because your phone is "dirty" and Safestrap won't work more, proceed to what I called "strong" reflashing in brick section.

NOTICE: when you reboot to Safestrap, after Samsung logo, you need to wait 5-10 seconds to see Safestrap.

FLASH FIRE METHOD:

You may prefer to use FF (Flash Fire) to flash your room, it is a app (apk) that needs t be installed on phone when the phone works in normal mode, it allows you to create a list of different "orders" to execute exactly one after the other after you give it the final "ok". The app reboot the phone and starting itself to flash. It may be faster then Safestrap, but when I tried once it didn't work for me, it flashed partially and rebooted before it finished, I had a soft brick and I should restart from zero. Probably it was me pretending to flash something wrong, there is only one way to upload 6.0.1 on a CID11 phone and I did only once with Safestrap.

For dealing with FF you need the phone rooted, after you followed the process above you don't need to install Busybox, neither Safestrap, but you need to find and install SuperSUme.apk, which is another "root manager" program as Kingoroot is, but FF doesn't work with Kingoroot.

After loading kingoroot copy the Flashfire apk and SuperSUme in your phone, install both of them, start first SuperSUme, allow the root, and let it remove Kingoroot in its procedure, when it finished launch FF and let him the root as well.

You need to find these two apk, google them, since SUperSUme is available only paying you should know what you are doing. I used these versons and they worked: supersume-6.0.apk, flashfire-0-50-android-apk-download (notice there is 0.52, but I tested 0.50)

PS: if you feel this useful, please thank me pressing the button