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Root [Boost Mobile] To knox or not

alpha2k

Android Expert
Nov 19, 2009
929
114
Well, things have turned kinda sour on my end. I say this not to say poor me, but do people understand what I mean in a better way.
In short I am living in my van currently, and while I have 2 part-time jobs that I get about 35-45 hrs a week from, this is good, but I now have no access to a pc of any kind, and cannot borrow one anywhere. The short of it is I won't be able to enjoy roms or phone modifications anymore.
This brings me to my question, since I do not have a pc and won't for some time, possibly 6-8 months or better, I'm thinking about just upgrading to 4.3 official. I will have knox but I'm not uncomfortable with that at all.

What I'm curious about is, I am currently on jdsingle's 4.1 stock TW rom.......if I do an ota, will it un-root the phone and set everything back to stock?

So, there you have it. Any thoughts or ideas are welcome. Keep in mind a pc of any sort for now and possibly upwards of until a year from now is out of the picture, otherwise I wouldn't even think about.doing 4.3.
 
Sorry, things are going tough right now. I have been in similar situations in the past and I can relate. Hey, you got a Van.

Can't you find an old cheap XP laptop and Just use free Wi-Fi?

Also, I rarely even use my PC to Download roms anymore. I download them to my phone using public wifi. The d2lte roms require no modification and can be flashed immediately. Even the d2spr versions can be modified on your phone if necessary.

I personally would never consider taking the 4.3 OTA, but that is your choice. I believe that you will need to be on straight stock with the stock recovery for this to work. The only good side is that you will be set for the 4.4.2 Kitkat OTA whenever we get it. At this point, who knows how much this will lock down the phone even more. I would rather wait until the devs have time to work on it.

I am not a big TouchWiz fan as a rule and I much prefer the Kitkat roms that are currently available.

Good luck and don't leave the AF community. We appreciate your contributions.
 
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Thanks. Yeah it's not to awfully bad really. I have a van, and even a 7.5 inch color digital tv (so no box needed) just an antenna and the tv. It could be WAY WAY worse really.
Anyways, so if I have mobile Odin, think I can just do everything from the phone? IE: download, edit as needed, etc? Only thing I can think of I may have an issue with its, the modem.....not sure what else though.
Only reason I was thinking about doing this is, this rom right now seems like it's a bit choppy or laggy at times.

No worries about me leaving, I read almost daily, just had so much crap going on lately, haven't posted. Van is on the blink right now so gotta repair that.....power steering pump......this after just spending $110 on a new battery just a week ago. Ah well, just gotta go with it I guess, don't have much choice BUT to go with it I guess. Makes life interesting and/or exciting I suppose, huh
 
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Sorry to hear about what's going on right now bro. Keep ya head up. I too have been in a similar situation and can relate.
I agree with Wy on not taking the update. As he mentioned, a lot can be done without a pc. All you need to do is find a few local free hot spots so you don't use up the 2.5gigs and get throttled. A lot of places have them now. McDonald's is pretty much a for sure thing and their Internet speeds aren't bad at all. Many other public places have them too. You can use those for major downloads like ROMs and stuff. Modems can also be flashed via your recovery too so no pc needed for those.

As long as you have a custom recovery you're good to go for flashing ROMs, kernels, modems, and even changing recoveries if needed.

I wish you all the best and nice to hear you're not leaving the forum. If you have any questions about modding your phone without a pc just post your questions in here. Between all of our active members, there's a lot of help in here if you need it.

Take care man.
 
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Thanks for the support. I'm in good spirits really. As always like in life even in the best of things and times, bad situations always end up cropping it's ugly head up, just gotta sift thru the crap part of it and look for the good. Kinda a challenge actually. Example: instead of making it to my work parking lot I could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere.....but thankfully I made it to my work parking lot.

As for the update, I will hold off since it looks as if I can do most of what I want to do from my phone. Another good thing amidst the crap life throws at ya :thumbup: :D

Hopefully I can save after this bill for the van, and save enough for a laptop...that'd be ideal really, mcdonalds would probably get tired of seeing me, $1 drink for 8 hours on the internet lol
 
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Thanks for the support. I'm in good spirits really. As always like in life even in the best of things and times, bad situations always end up cropping it's ugly head up, just gotta sift thru the crap part of it and look for the good. Kinda a challenge actually. Example: instead of making it to my work parking lot I could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere.....but thankfully I made it to my work parking lot.

As for the update, I will hold off since it looks as if I can do most of what I want to do from my phone. Another good thing amidst the crap life throws at ya :thumbup: :D

Hopefully I can save after this bill for the van, and save enough for a laptop...that'd be ideal really, mcdonalds would probably get tired of seeing me, $1 drink for 8 hours on the internet lol

Park real close to the McDonalds or Starbucks and see if the WiFi extends to the parking lot. ;)
Here's to hoping that your situation improves, keep us posted, and feel free to PM me or Biker if there's anything we can do that you don't want shared publicly. There's a reason this is called a community, if we can't do it directly, there are enough connections here to make things happen, I am confident!
 
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Thanks for the support. I'm in good spirits really. As always like in life even in the best of things and times, bad situations always end up cropping it's ugly head up, just gotta sift thru the crap part of it and look for the good. Kinda a challenge actually. Example: instead of making it to my work parking lot I could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere.....but thankfully I made it to my work parking lot.

As for the update, I will hold off since it looks as if I can do most of what I want to do from my phone. Another good thing amidst the crap life throws at ya :thumbup: :D

Hopefully I can save after this bill for the van, and save enough for a laptop...that'd be ideal really, mcdonalds would probably get tired of seeing me, $1 drink for 8 hours on the internet lol

I'm really glad to see you're in good spirits bro. Seriously, I've been there and I know it can be tough. As far as sifting through the crap and looking for the good, there's a lot of good there bro. All we need to do is open our eyes and look for it. :)

Another place you may want to look for Internet is your local public library. Some have them and some don't. It's worth a look. The library computers where I live will even let you save files to an external device. All you would need is a micro SD card to USB converter. It's a USB stick with a slot to slide your micro SD card into. They are cheap too. That way you could use the library computers to download a ROM or other files directly to your SD card if they don't have a wifi connection. :thumbup:

I've got some other info that may help. I'm gonna send you a PM.
 
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I have a usb to micro sd converter setup.......also have two 32gb class 10 micro sd cards, also have a 8gb class 10, as well as 8gb class 6. I also have a us to micro usb plug made for the Samsung phones, and is an actual Samsung branded as well. Use it abd I can use most any usb device on/with my phone ie: usb mouse, keyboard, I can even use a ps2 controller to play games in my phone. :-D.

I'm glad I saved that stuff.
 
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I have a usb to micro sd converter setup.......also have two 32gb class 10 micro sd cards, also have a 8gb class 10, as well as 8gb class 6. I also have a us to micro usb plug made for the Samsung phones, and is an actual Samsung branded as well. Use it abd I can use most any usb device on/with my phone ie: usb mouse, keyboard, I can even use a ps2 controller to play games in my phone. :-D.

I'm glad I saved that stuff.


Oh yeah. You're good 2 go then. ;)
 
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I agree. Don't stress it too much. Just have a reasonable plan and implement it one day at a time. Do something every day that improves your life. Seek out successful people and people who uplift you. Read and listen to motivational stuff. I like podcasts. Perfect for a van dweller. I don't mean to sound like Pollyanna because each persons situation is different, but I can honestly say that the time I was homeless was in some ways one of the best times of my life. I had time to think. I would never want to do it again, but it was a learning experience. You will learn who your friends are and how the world treats you when you have no money. It is an eye opener.

Don't give up but don't get too used to it either. You have to want something better and you will get it.


BTW, what recovery are you using? I have not had to use ODIN since I rooted the phone. You can flash all the Rom zips from recovery if you are on CWM, TWRP, or Philz. I recommend Philz. You can flash a zip to update to Philz. You really only need Odin if you Bork your phone. Modems and kernels have zips too.

Stay on the rom you are on if you want to, but I would not take the OTA. You will lose root and you don't want to do that without a PC. Also, you don't want Knox limiting your options in the future.
 
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Talk about support/help... this particular forum is the best I've ever been on. So touching lol. I have never seen such a friendly group of people -online- that are so willing to help...

The guys that have been commenting on your thread are all great helps in this community. Vast arrays of knowledge and always kind about sharing it. :) This is a good place to be.
 
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alpha2k if you live in the South Jersey - Philadelphia area I'd be willing to let you use my PC or help you out in anyway I possibly can. I know its a long shot, but I figured I would throw it out there.

Thanx.
I truly appreciate the offer and jesture. It's things like this that make a better world to live in.
So many times people they are living in their vehicle s are treated like common criminals and have to sneak around like some thief.
I know it's hard to believe but some of us are put in that situation, yet we all get categorized into the same "bum" or "worthless" category when we really don't belong there.
I hold 2 part time jobs, (total of about 40-45 hours a week) at min wage....About $750 to $800 a month, I also pay child support of $220 a month, as well as pay normal stuff such as car insurance, phone bill etc.. so I consider myself a very worthy contribution to society as much as anyone else, only difference is I live from a van.
So when I say I appreciate it, I truely do.

I live in Kansas City Missouri / Overland Park Kansas / Belton Missouri area, but as I said I appreciate the offer greatly.
 
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Hey wyelkin, thanx for the wifi tip. I new about wifi just never thought at all about using it instead of 3g. Bring put in this situation you sometimes don't think about the little things here and there. I am at a McDonald's right now grabbing liquid smooth Rom.

I tried moar but whenever I come out of sleep mode sometimes my 3g doesn't always kick back on, I end up having to toggle it off and back on again. Perhaps someone had a fix for this, not sure what's up. I am using mk5 modem right now, maybe I should be using a different one?

I hope liquid works ok, it's always been a nice Rom.
 
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I tried moar but whenever I come out of sleep mode sometimes my 3g doesn't always kick back on, I end up having to toggle it off and back on again. Perhaps someone had a fix for this, not sure what's up. I am using mk5 modem right now, maybe I should be using a different one?

They say you need to be on mk3, but mk3 and mk5 are the same (one's for sprint and one's for boost) and people report being fine on both.

What do you mean by coming out of sleep mode, turning the screen on?

I have not read about data not coming back on. So all I can think of is a flash glitch.
I haven't had any problems myself so i don't know, I am on mk3 though.
 
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Hey wyelkin, thanx for the wifi tip. I new about wifi just never thought at all about using it instead of 3g. Bring put in this situation you sometimes don't think about the little things here and there. I am at a McDonald's right now grabbing liquid smooth Rom.

I tried moar but whenever I come out of sleep mode sometimes my 3g doesn't always kick back on, I end up having to toggle it off and back on again. Perhaps someone had a fix for this, not sure what's up. I am using mk5 modem right now, maybe I should be using a different one?

I hope liquid works ok, it's always been a nice Rom.

I am at the Dairy Queen near my house getting LS and AICP right now. Lol. I don't worry too much about it. I get to know the folks working there and most of them don't care about it anyway. At some locations you can park outside and get a good signal. Nobody cares if you do.

I don't think that it matters whether you use MK3 or MK5. I stick with MK3.

Edit

Just dirty flashed the newest LS. So far so good. I think I will clean flash AICP. It is a release and my last backup is a about 2 weeks old. I also downloaded the newest AICP Gapps. I found out the last time when I used PA gapps that the OTA didn't work with them.
 
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About public Wifi :

A few weeks ago I saw a mother and her 3 kids at McDonald's. Each of them had a device connected to the Internet. Kids from probably 5 to 10. They were well behaved and doing their homework or playing. Much better than a lot of kids. The mother was on a laptop. The rest were on phones, tablets or games. I thought it was cool as they did not look like they were upper income. But she had bought food for them and they were welcome customers.
 
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I think it may be the way I flashed it although I'm not really sure why it's reacting this way. I flashed the modem, then flashed the Rom.

At any rate I am going to give LS a shot for a bit.

I had this issue once before bit cannot remember eddy it was, I vaguely remember it being a wonky flash.
 
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Well, just a small update. I'm still in the van doing good. I'm one of the lucky ones who has a place to stay at my work, I port cars to auctions locally so my work has a truck lot. I stay the 5 nights a week and there is a Porta-potty there.
The people already know I'm in my van and pretty much leave me be, so I'm thankful for that at least.

I've been looking at YouTube about homeless living and van living and there are quite a few out there in the same predicament as I am, it's nice to know I'm not alone in all this and it'll all be OK even if I'm still in my van a year from now, it's OK.

I thought about shooting my own YouTube just to kinda chime in, maybe give some others hope that they aren't alone also....... What do ya think? I've never done a video so it'll be probably kinda cheesy.

I did do some checking into an apartment and it looks like that is out of the picture for now, I make $700-$800 a month. By the time child support and taxes get taken out, I end up with about the $700-$800 monthly take home. Well a studio apt runs $425 a mo at the least and goes to $490 a MO. That's kinda out of my grasp unless I either get a better paying job (not holding my breath on that one these days), or find a roomy (hopeful for that one) I guess I'll be here in my humble abode for awhile :)

I did find a way to go off the grid for what I need. A place called Harbour freight had a solar kit, 45 Watt, 3x3 panel that comes with everything but a regulator that is $200, that along with a $100 deep cycle marine battery and a regulator so I don't overcharge and explode the battery, grand total of about $400 in all. I could really watch TV 4-6 hrs a night as well as charge my cell phone overnight, and it would keep the battery topped off too.
Not a bad setup really, but at the moment is out of my reach. Pretty cheap though considering it would sustain me for a long time!

Killer part right now is the down time, IE: the weekends, no TV, no gas to spare, it's harsh!
I've been thinking about doing volunteer work to at least pass the time. Idle time is or can be disastrous.

Anyway there you have it, I'm doing good so far.
 
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Sorry to hear about your situation alpha2k, but at least you have your health, a job, food, a sweet phone, and at least a few nice things in life. Believe me brother, it could be MUCH worse. As far as the down time, have you thought about the library? Do you have a library card? The memberships are normally free or dirt cheap everywhere. Additionally, the Goodwill always has a ton of books that are really cheap. You can also get epubs or ebooks on your phone, that's what I do. Moon+ Reader is a great ereader for this phone, with tons of customization. Not sure if you took the update or not, I know I've been off the grid awhile, but for me personally, as much as I was so anti-Knox before, since flashed Sprint's KK 4.4.2, which obviously has Knox, personally I can't tell much difference. There's nothing I do now that I couldn't do before. The thing that put me over the edge, is I tried to remember the last time I downgraded a bootloader....and couldn't remember :) Hope things get back on track for you man, and keep your head up.
 
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Funny we're talking about public WiFi. I feel ya alpha. I downloaded wicked x 6.0 earlier today at my local Wendy's sitting in my girlfriends car outside. I got the throttle of death and rely on work or public wifi now. I'm working 50-60 hours a week making crumbs so I'm hardly home besides sleeping. I'm remote flashing on lunch break praying for good flashes and no hiccups.
 
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Ok advice/idea time.
First off you all know my situation, so that outta the way. Next I have no bank account only a check card.
So that given I checked into two gyms. One is a $10 a month with $25 signing fee or whatever they call it. Hrs are 24/7 from Mon morning at 5am to Friday at 9pm.... then 7-9 on the weekend.

Second one is 24hr fitness. The name speaks for the hours of corse, and the price is $25 mo and $26 signing fee.

Both are month to month but here is the kicker, the $10 mo one says they need a canceled check and cannot deduct from my check card. The 24hr fitness I have had before and CAN deduct from my check card, so seeing as how I don't have a checking account, it looks as if 24hr fitness is the choice I have.

Keep in mind I try not to get all hot and sweaty right now simply because I don't have a shower. I do wash up, basically sponge bathe, so I do keep clean I just have to be careful not to get all piggy sweaty. So far it's worked well but I really don't get much exercise and since I'll be hitting 50 this year I'm kinda concerned at not getting much exercise.
I try my best to eat healthy but having no fridge that is also hard to do, not impossible just harder than average.

Now to my question. Being as I am in my situation I'm in currently, would $25 a month be a wise choice? I figure it would give be a workout place again which is a plus and a shower as well. It "seems" like a good idea, but I've learned over time to not rush things and to get second opinions or other ideas if I can.

Thanks ahead of time for any help and ideas.
 
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