Getting OTA Ice Cream Sandwich on Bionic while rooted

[erich93063]

So I have a rooted Bionic. I haven't installed a custom ROM, I'm just rooted. I'm reading all over that we can expect to receive ICS at some point. Will the OTA update just not happen because I am rooted, or will it happen and just get rid of my root privileges? I read somewhere there is a way to allow the OTA update to happen without getting rid of root. What's everyone else doing? What's the best way to handle this? I sure don't want to miss out on ICS.

 

[brandon9559]

You can receive the update successfully while rooted as long as all system files are in place. Normally after the update you would lose root but there is a way now to update and stay rooted. I will try to find the link for you unless someone beats me to it.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

So I have a rooted Bionic. I haven't installed a custom ROM, I'm just rooted. I'm reading all over that we can expect to receive ICS at some point. Will the OTA update just not happen because I am rooted, or will it happen and just get rid of my root privileges? I read somewhere there is a way to allow the OTA update to happen without getting rid of root. What's everyone else doing? What's the best way to handle this? I sure don't want to miss out on ICS.

How to maintain root through any upgrade (Motorola Devices Only) by p3droid
Doing the following will allow your device to maintain root through any upgrade (unless motorola changes things)

I use root explorer, but you can also use adb pull and push.


RootExplorer Method

go to /system/bin/
open in text editor - mount_ext3.sh
add the following lines to the very bottom

chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
chmod 4755 /system/app/Superuser.apk


ADB method

adb pull /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh
open the file in your favorite text editor
add the following lines to the very bottom

chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
chmod 4755 /system/app/Superuser.apk
Save file

adb push mount_ext3.sh /data/local
adb shell
mount -o rw,remount /dev/null /system
cat /data/local/mount_ext3.sh > /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh
chmod 777 /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh

 

[ripper2860]

Will Voodoo's "OTA RootKeeper" accomplish the same thing??

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsIm9yZy5wcm9qZWN0dm9vZG9vLm90YXJvb3RrZWVwZXIiXQ..

 

[projektorboy]

Given the extremely overhauled architecture going on in Ice Cream Sandwich, I wouldn't expect root access to survive an OTA ICS release from Moto/Verizon whatsoever.

However, with the SDK being out, maybe someone smarter than me can shed some more light on this and possibly prove me wrong.

 

[bigtex52]

I'm thinking that weeks before you see an ICS OTA for the Bionic, devs will already have us on their ICS based roms, just like the GB process. Just a wild *** guess.

 

[kbatrph]

How to maintain root through any upgrade (Motorola Devices Only) by p3droid
Doing the following will allow your device to maintain root through any upgrade (unless motorola changes things)

I use root explorer, but you can also use adb pull and push.


RootExplorer Method

go to /system/bin/
open in text editor - mount_ext3.sh
add the following lines to the very bottom

chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
chmod 4755 /system/app/Superuser.apk


ADB method

adb pull /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh
open the file in your favorite text editor
add the following lines to the very bottom

chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
chmod 4755 /system/app/Superuser.apk
Save file

adb push mount_ext3.sh /data/local
adb shell
mount -o rw,remount /dev/null /system
cat /data/local/mount_ext3.sh > /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh
chmod 777 /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh

i want to do this, and right now, have Th3ory's 2.0 rom on my phone...am trying to go back to stock, but when i try to sbf (fxz), it fails....do i need to do a factory reset on the phone first, and then use RSD lite to return to stock??? or do i go into recovery and format the system first? any help would be appreciated...thanks

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

i want to do this, and right now, have Th3ory's 2.0 rom on my phone...am trying to go back to stock, but when i try to sbf (fxz), it fails....do i need to do a factory reset on the phone first, and then use RSD lite to return to stock??? or do i go into recovery and format the system first? any help would be appreciated...thanks

Have you done the .893 update?

If not, this should work: (read the entire thread first) One-click fastboot restore and root for the bionic v2.1 I've read of people that had to do this multiple time to get it to work.

If you have, then this should work (read the entire thread first as there are changes from the OP): [ROOT] R3L3AS3D W/FOR3V3R ROOT V1.0 (Get ROOT after 893 OTA OOPS)

 

[oldguy]

So I have a rooted Bionic. I haven't installed a custom ROM, I'm just rooted. I'm reading all over that we can expect to receive ICS at some point. Will the OTA update just not happen because I am rooted, or will it happen and just get rid of my root privileges? I read somewhere there is a way to allow the OTA update to happen without getting rid of root. What's everyone else doing? What's the best way to handle this? I sure don't want to miss out on ICS.

I have a rooted Bionic. Just downloaded the ICS OTA last night and tried to run the install this morning. It failed. Here are the last few statements from the log (/cache/recovery/last_log):

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<blk: partition "emstorage" size 8603435008 not a multiple of io_buffer_size 524288
blk: partition "" size 63861041152 not a multiple of io_buffer_size 524288
Verifying current system...
file "/system/bin/mount_ext3.sh" doesn't have any of expected sha1 sums; checking cache
failed to stat "/cache/saved.file": No such file or directory
failed to load cache file
script aborted: assert failed: apply_patch_check("/system/bin/mount_ext3.sh", "1810bb2cd607e2f6cfbeafa158bb3a89629d60b7", "3a8382950bd4a6226349607d099afcbd93653d48")
assert failed: apply_patch_check("/system/bin/mount_ext3.sh", "1810bb2cd607e2f6cfbeafa158bb3a89629d60b7", "3a8382950bd4a6226349607d099afcbd93653d48")
E:Error in /cache/Blur_Version.5.9.905.XT875.Verizon.en.US.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I infer that the chmod commands that have been added to /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh to maintain root through an OTA that are causing the check to fail and the installation to abort.

Looking forward to someone with hacking skills to sort this out for us....

I don't want to lose root. I really don't want to do an FDR and don't think it would necessarily restore this file, anyway. Probably an RSDLite restore would work. However, the experiences of those who have successfully download ICS seem to indicate a not quite ready release as various functions seem to be buggy.

 

[oldguy]

...and, just a postscript to my last comments: It looks like VZW is really intent on rooting out the rooted users and preventing ICS from having root. So, I hope that their goal can be defeated. Meanwhile, I will stay on Gingerbread until this settles out.

 

[lm2]

Thanks for these ruminations. I'm having the same issue on trying to move a rooted 905 to ics.

Please please please keep us posted--keep ME posted--about the moves you end up making from here.

 

[oldguy]

Thanks for these ruminations. I'm having the same issue on trying to move a rooted 905 to ics.

Please please please keep us posted--keep ME posted--about the moves you end up making from here.

OK. So, here is what happened. I already had Voodo OTA Rootkeeper and had made a protected su backup. I had downloaded the OTA (which ends up in the /cache/ folder at the root directory. I used ES File Explorer to copy the OTA file to my 64GB external SD card (see my earlier post for its name). That was a very fortunate move as we will see. I then tried to go in and edit the /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh file to remove the chmod commands placed in it to maintain root. That seemed to work and I saved the file. I then went to the Voodoo application and unrooted. However, on my subsequent reboot, the phone went into a hard bootloop. The Droid boot animation would start, make the broken glass sound and then the boot sequence would restart. I had to remove the battery to stop it. In desperation, I did the hard key sequence to bring up the boot tool menu. I did a cache wipe and that didn't work. I removed the battery again, got back to the boot menu, and thought, "what the heck" and did a factory reset. However, that didn't cure the boot loop. At wit's end, I removed the battery again, went back to the boot tools menu (recovery, fastboot, etc.), and performed the operations to get to the system update tools menu (I googled "bionic hard reset" to get to the instructions for those power up key sequences). One of the menu items was to update from the SD card. That is where I remembered that I had backed up the OTA. So, not knowing if it would work, I selected that option, navigated to my external SD card, and selected the OTA file. Voila! It started the update. I waited breathlessly for it to fail as it had previously but it didn't. Either I had removed the issues or, equally likely, it was not doing all the same checks as it would have done when launched by the download. It took about 15 minutes to complete the update. The reboot took longer than usual and then I had to set the phone back up again. However, I had lost very little of my data and the apps all began downloading immediately (including Voodoo OTA Rootkeeper). The phone was not rooted. However, after all the apps had finished downloading, I went into OTA Rootkeeper and restored root. So, now I have a rooted Bionic on the ICS OTA. Hopefully this will help some of the rest of you....Good luck!

 

[oldguy]

For rooted users I would recommend

If you are on 905 and rooted, I would recommend dowloading the OTA and then copying it from the /cache/ folder at the root of the phone to a folder of your naming (I named mine OTA) on your external SD card. Then use Voodoo OTA Rootkeeper to backup your su and make a protected copy. I have no idea how it does this but it seemed to work. Then, unroot the phone using the same Voodoo application and reboot into the boot tools menu using the hard keys. advance from that menu to the menu that allows loading a system from your SD card. Instructions for these built in menus are available on the web by googling bionic hard reset or similar key words. After getting to the update menu, you can select the update from SD Card option and navigate to your saved OTA file and start the update. After the update finishes, go back to the Voodoo application and restore root. Good Luck!

Can I be promoted from Junior Droid now? Just kidding! I have no idea what that takes.

 

[JonnyCobra]

If you are on 905 and rooted, I would recommend dowloading the OTA and then copying it from the /cache/ folder at the root of the phone to a folder of your naming (I named mine OTA) on your external SD card. Then use Voodoo OTA Rootkeeper to backup your su and make a protected copy. I have no idea how it does this but it seemed to work. Then, unroot the phone using the same Voodoo application and reboot into the boot tools menu using the hard keys. advance from that menu to the menu that allows loading a system from your SD card. Instructions for these built in menus are available on the web by googling bionic hard reset or similar key words. After getting to the update menu, you can select the update from SD Card option and navigate to your saved OTA file and start the update. After the update finishes, go back to the Voodoo application and restore root. Good Luck!

Can I be promoted from Junior Droid now? Just kidding! I have no idea what that takes.

I have tried this twice now and am getting an error when recovery tries to apply the update from SDCard;

"assert failed: mount("ext3", "MTD", "system", "/system")
E:Error in /tmp/sideload/package.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted."

Any thoughts?

Edit:

I had Safestrap (non-3.0) installed with the nICEcream Eclipse ROM installed.

Before all of this I ran Safestrap and uninstalled the recovery. Then uninstalled Safestrap. Ran TiBu and unfroze all apps. Ran Voodoo, did all that jazz. Downloaded and moved the ICS update .zip to SDCard. Temp-unrooted, then reset phone into External Hard Reset and tried to install the ICS .zip from SDCard. Got that error.

Thoughts?

 

[oldguy]

Thoughts on rooted bionic intalling ics

I have tried this twice now and am getting an error when recovery tries to apply the update from SDCard;

I had Safestrap (non-3.0) installed with the nICEcream Eclipse ROM installed.

Before all of this I ran Safestrap and uninstalled the recovery. Then uninstalled Safestrap. Ran TiBu and unfroze all apps. Ran Voodoo, did all that jazz. Downloaded and moved the ICS update .zip to SDCard. Temp-unrooted, then reset phone into External Hard Reset and tried to install the ICS .zip from SDCard. Got that error.

Thoughts?

Just one thought. Are you speaking of SDCard in the precise sense or in the general sense? I was imprecise in the specific name in my post but referenced the external location generally. The location of the actual folder containing the OTA .zip file is my external SD card which shows in the root directory as sdcard-ext. The internal SDCard shows simply as sdcard. It is possible that the internal card can't be mounted/unmounted as required for a sideloaded OTA. If you actually, as I did, loaded from the external SDCard, then I don't have much wisdom beyond what I did. The only thing I could suggest beyond that is to edit the /system/bin/mount_ext3.sh file and remove any chmod 4755 /.... commands that you find after the last fi statement at the bottom. Your installation script may still be objecting to those artifacts of the "forever root" exploit. Of course, that was the last thing I did prior to getting into an endless boot loop. After the endless boot loop, I did a cache wipe (no joy), a factory reset (no joy), and then the installation of the OTA from the external card. The good news is that the factory reset didn't do as much damage as I thought it would. All the contents of the internal sdcard seemed to be intact (including media and most applications' data) and everything backed up to google was still there and the market remembered all my apps once I entered my gmail account credentials.