Root [Virgin Mobile] [MK5 4.3] All Things Knox Discussion

[TheBritton]

So how did you guys root 4.3?

Looks like it's time for me to create new thread on rooting this but for now I'll quote what I posted earlier. Basically use the same method as in Austrie's root guide here in the forums with some additional steps:

Flash SuperSU with a custom recovery. This puts superuser.apk in the system/app folder. Once you boot up the first time and you try to open a root only app you will get the security alert saying SuperSU has been blocked and you will also notice that is missing from the app drawer. What I did was navigate to system/app with Root Explorer and click on superuser.apk and install it. Then I saw SuperSU in the app drawer and was able to open it up. Do not open a root app just yet.. once in SuperSU click on settings and select "Reinstall: Cleanup for reinstallation from Google Play" and once that completes (it should reboot) reinstall SuperSU from Google Play and you should be good to go. Open Titanium Backup and see if it achieves root access. If it does, freeze the following apps before rebooting to get rid of the Knox security software:
ContainerAgent.apk
KLMSAgent.apk
KnoxAttestationAgent.apk
KNOXStub.apk
Those are the steps that I took and it worked for me. Good luck!

(Or just wait for a rooted version of 4.3 to be released possibly by punkmaxx)

 

[cg1324]

I'll probably wait until theres another simpler method thanks anyways for your help!

 

[Total1nsan1ty]

Just tried to back-up and restore on cwm 6.0.2.3 and had md5 mismatch. Just in case anyone else was thinking about trying to instal a custom rom post update...it's a rough life

 

[mpmcderm]

I'm going to chime in since I have used these forums extensively and have not contributed much so moving on I want to give some advice on this update and the problems I ran into and what I did to get things working. I flashed the update as soon as it got posted on here and ill say so far if you have not flashed it you should probably stay away ATM. Don't get me wrong the update in my opinion brought new features that were nice but not worth the two days I spent trying to fix issues to workaround this Knox system. First once you install the update, you will need odin most likely to flash a custom recovery and to answer the question yes it does trip the counter and it says warranty number:1. You can see this in download mode if you tripped the counter like I did. I tried ever combination I knew to install root with different root apps from recovery and did not see an option anywhere to freeze Knox as soon as I stopped it in app manager it was immediately back open. Superuser was on the phone but like others have mentioned you get an error message nonstop saying it is blocked and is installed as a system app which can't be uninstalled without root access and this causing most Google apps to force close every other minute and with this update you can't reinstall the update if something like this happens it's basically a one shot install with no Odin files or stock files to flash on this new bootloader. Even factory resets will leave you with the superuser app that doesn't work since it's a system app once installed through recovery. With the knowledge I have which isn't an extreme amount I realized the only way I was going to get my phone working was to install a sprint 4.3 ROM most should work. You have to edit the asserts of the roms which basically disables the system from only letting sprint bootloaders from being flashed which can be easy or very difficult depending on your computer knowledge. I'm driving now and I hope this helps some because I know how frustrated this has made me but if I missed any points or you want more details ill be here to help to the extent of what I know.

 

[mpmcderm]

I forgot to mention I also tried all the fixes mentioned through all the topics with root including root explorer and trying to reinstall from there which superuser did open after that but there was no root permission and I continued getting the Knox security blocks.

 

[struckn]

No offense mpmcderm, but most of this has been covered one way or another over the course of this past weekend, especially rather extensively by TheBritton. And if you have already been an avid user of these forums, you will know there is already a thread for this:

With the knowledge I have which isn't an extreme amount I realized the only way I was going to get my phone working was to install a sprint 4.3 ROM most should work. You have to edit the asserts of the roms which basically disables the system from only letting sprint bootloaders from being flashed which can be easy or very difficult depending on your computer knowledge.

http://androidforums.com/virgin-mobile-galaxy-s3-all-things-root/791952-all-in-one-guide-modifying-custom-sprint-roms-virgin-mobile-use.html
Not trying to hype myself, but a lot of effort went into putting that thread together, and I assume by this point that the VM SGS3 users who wish to run custom Sprint ROM's are aware of this thread and the methods involved.
P.S. I hope by "driving" you mean you are a passenger while browsing and typing on your phone.

 

[mpmcderm]

I certainly agree with you a lot of what I wrote has been covered I just wanted to try and give people a idea basically what not to do and to put it into a post. There is lots of great info by everyone I just couldn't find all the information grouped together because it took me a long time of searching and didn't see this approach but I didn't want to offend anyone and its not meant to be instructions just a better general idea since this a very new topic to our phones.
P.S yes I was the passenger lol

 

[ron scubadiver]

Let me provide an executive summary. If you want to have a rooted S3 and especially if you already have a rooted S3, skip this update for the time being. In a while there will be solutions, but right now there are difficulties.

Now those that are already rooted don't have to do anything because their phone isn'g going to take an OTA. If you are stock, it is a bit more difficult of a choice because eventually that thing will land on your phone. I would say if you want a rooted phone do it before the update. You can always go back to stock and take the OTA later.

I have the 4.3 update on my phone, and am not experiencing any problems with it, but I am stock. USB tethering with Clockworkmod works. I block ads with adblock in firefox, and so on. There is life without root, but I also believe once a person buys something they should be free to hack it at will.

 

[mpmcderm]

And the reason the custom sprint rom was mentioned and I don't think I explained this too clear was because I had no other option and was basically forced to do that if I wanted to continue using a phone. If you mess the files up at all after the update, I at least didn't see another option of fixing the problems at this point.

 

[mpmcderm]

Well put Ron and again not looking to step on anyone's toes. I'm honestly just happy to see our phones getting official updates.

 

[TheBritton]

which superuser did open after that but there was no root permission and I continued getting the Knox security blocks.

You are correct at this point. However, once you finally have it open you need to open settings in SuperSU and select "reinstall". The phone reboots, uninstalls itself from system and SuperSU is now a user app. Open SuperSU and it prompts you to update the binaries. Do so, and you should now have root access. That worked for me.

Keep in mind I used the latest SuperSU flashed through recovery and not superuser.

Edit: and once you do, freeze Knox immediately

 

[struckn]

Let me provide an executive summary. If you want to have a rooted S3 and especially if you already have a rooted S3, skip this update for the time being. In a while there will be solutions, but right now there are difficulties.

Now those that are already rooted don't have to do anything because their phone isn'g going to take an OTA. If you are stock, it is a bit more difficult of a choice because eventually that thing will land on your phone. I would say if you want a rooted phone do it before the update. You can always go back to stock and take the OTA later.

I have the 4.3 update on my phone, and am not experiencing any problems with it, but I am stock. USB tethering with Clockworkmod works. I block ads with adblock in firefox, and so on. There is life without root, but I also believe once a person buys something they should be free to hack it at will.

Well put!

 

[struckn]

I certainly agree with you a lot of what I wrote has been covered I just wanted to try and give people a idea basically what not to do and to put it into a post. There is lots of great info by everyone I just couldn't find all the information grouped together because it took me a long time of searching and didn't see this approach but I didn't want to offend anyone and its not meant to be instructions just a better general idea since this a very new topic to our phones.
P.S yes I was the passenger lol

Thank you for clarifying. And happy you weren't the driver!

 

[mpmcderm]

I tried both superuser and SuperSu. Without using root explorer just like you said neither open. When I tried SuperSu I saw the file in root explorer and even though it flashed through recovery it was not letting me access it to open it or install it so that's how I ended up trying superuser. Superuser opened with no error messages than within a few seconds Knox was back.

 

[mpmcderm]

I have the older s3 without mg2 if that makes any difference. And I didn't introduce myself I'm Matt and great job with your explanations everything is very well written.

 

[struckn]

I have the older s3 without mg2 if that makes any difference. And I didn't introduce myself I'm Matt and great job with your explanations everything is very well written.

Cool man, thanks for introducing yourself. I'm Nathan. Sorry that you're experiencing the Knox mess firsthand and not enjoying everything this phone has to offer after rooting and customizing. Quick piece of advice, DO NOT try to flash any stock-based zips which contain either of the previous bootloaders (MD7 or MG2) as Knox will step in and give you an expensive paperweight. Good luck getting Superuser and root back.

 

[Higgs_Boson]

Looks like it's time for me to create new thread on rooting this but for now I'll quote what I posted earlier. Basically use the same method as in Austrie's root guide here in the forums with some additional steps:



(Or just wait for a rooted version of 4.3 to be released possibly by punkmaxx)

Do we have to update the recovery version, or can we use the flashable one from the link you provided?

 

[TheBritton]

Do we have to update the recovery version, or can we use the flashable one from the link you provided?

I used this recovery from the root guide: http://k0nane.info/rom/ecm/CWM-Recovery-LTE-SGS3-v5.tar.md5

and this SuperSu

I'll be making a new thread on rooting MK5 soon. Even though the method I used hasn't been reported working by a few users, there are others who have found it successful so it should be worth sharing in its own thread.

UPDATE: New thread on Rooting MK5 can be found here: http://androidforums.com/virgin-mob...gs-root/799711-mk5-wip-rooting-mk5-4-3-a.html

We can move discussion about rooting there while discussions about Knox can stay here

 

[TheBritton]

Known Facts About KNOX:

• Upgrading to newer Samsung firmware MK5 will upgrade the bootloader to KNOX bootloader. this will give an additional 2 lines in download mode about KNOX status.
• Not possible to downgrade to KNOX-disabled firmwares/bootloaders without tripping the KNOX flag (An attempt sets 0x1) (even though some people state, downgrade is possible when omitting the bootloader file in a firmware package: see http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2444671, not confirmed)
  
• Even if you flash a KNOX-enabled firmware via Odin (e.g. the latest fw) Knox will be set to 0x1
• Flashing unsigned or modified images via Odin will set KNOX to 0x1
• Once the KNOX flag gets set to 0x1 there is no way to set it back (that anyone has found yet anyway!) Samsung stated, resetting the flag is impossible
• KNOX is mandatory and can not be completely removed (yet)
  
• Warranty Void is no counter, it is a flag (0,1) it was never seen 0x2 or so
• Mirroring all partitions from a clean 0x0-Device to a 0x1-Device via JTAG produces an unfunctional device (reversible by restoring the 0x1 partitions on the phone)
• KNOX bootloader verifies signatures of kernels and recoveries. No custom ones possible without voiding the KNOX warranty
• If the KNOX warranty void line says 0x1 then you cannot use KNOX software as your device has been flagged as insecure. By this I mean that if your workplace / company supports bring your own device to work for corporate emails etc and they use KNOX to keep security your device will not allow this. You are still able to use future Samsung firmware releases with the KNOX flag 0x1.
• with the new KNOX bootloader root will work, however rooting will trip the KNOX flag

 

[peter counias]

Sorry miss read the post on the knox app remover zip!!

 

[l train]

No offense mpmcderm, but most of this has been covered one way or another over the course of this past weekend, especially rather extensively by TheBritton. And if you have already been an avid user of these forums, you will know there is already a thread for this:



http://androidforums.com/virgin-mobile-galaxy-s3-all-things-root/791952-all-in-one-guide-modifying-custom-sprint-roms-virgin-mobile-use.html
Not trying to hype myself, but a lot of effort went into putting that thread together, and I assume by this point that the VM SGS3 users who wish to run custom Sprint ROM's are aware of this thread and the methods involved.
P.S. I hope by "driving" you mean you are a passenger while browsing and typing on your phone.

does this include slim bean? or is that not a full fledged rom. It seems like people are flashing it from cwm to their stock unrooted 4.3 vm s3. People dont seem to be mentioninghaving to edit those lines/

Thanks in advance

 

[TheBritton]

Has anyone successfully achieved wireless tether after the latest update to 4.3 with Knox bootloader?

 

[TheBritton]

Moved everything related to the MK5 rooted stock rom here:

http://androidforums.com/virgin-mob...k-rom-mk5-stock-stock-4-3-mk5-rom-rooted.html

Hope this helps things stay organized for us

 

[peter counias]

can will still flash roms the way we did before or is it going to be a problem ?