Develop Bugs

[GUIDE] Perm-root, write access, Clockwork recovery and overclocking on the Desire Z

Edit: This guide is for EXPERIENCED users ONLY! For less experienced users please check UBERROOT easy full Root, S-OFF, SuperCID AND SIM UNLOCK for DZ/G2/DHD inc Voda .
Remember to always read and research before rooting! Discussion can be found starting on post #101 - #118 ~TheRomMistress
__________________________________________​
Please be aware that I am not responsible for any bricks etc. This is playing around with the phone internals, so be careful.
To get full write access to the Desire Z, we now have an Engineering HBOOT which was posted by MrPaveL (Thanks for that!).
To get your device to the engineering hboot stage [this is not full radio S-OFF, but 99% of people won't need radio S-OFF], please follow the guide below.
If you want full Radio S-OFF, SuperCID or want to remove the simlock on your phone, please follow this guide on instead. Once you have full Radio S-OFF you can use any Desire Z HBOOT and still have access to flash ROMs etc.
Credit goes out to scotty2, and all of the wonderful folks at #G2ROOT!
Donate to scotty2 (for root): [email protected] (PayPal)
This guide was derived from the guide for the G2, created by unrevoked512 on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=833965. Also many thanks to vro25 for improvement suggestions.
You will need the following files:
VISIONary r14
wpthis-Z.ko MD5 c73c5e77c91d306c418983c002b60b93
hboot_7230_0.84.2000_100908.nb0 MD5 2ce1bdd5e4c1119ccfcecb938710d742
Step 1
Download and run VISIONary r14
Leave everything uncheck and click "temp root" now.
Once that's done click "Attempt Permroot Now!"
You now have permaroot.
Step 2
Push the files wpthis-Z.ko and hboot_7230_0.84.2000_100908.nb0 to /data/local/
Note: You might want to verify the MD5 sums, particularly for the hboot file, as if your download was corrupted, the file will brick your phone.
Step 3
Open a terminal on your phone, or open an adb shell from your computer.
Step 4
Code:
$ su
# insmod /data/local/wpthis-Z.ko
Note: make sure your screen is on before doing this as it will raise a root request on your phone (if you haven't previously granted it) - click ok on your phone to grant root.
It should return:
Code:
init_module 'wpthis-Z.ko' failed (Function not implemented)
That is good.
Step 5
FINAL WARNING: THIS STEP COULD SEVERELY DAMAGE YOUR PHONE. USING THE INCORRECT FILE COULD CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE, MAKING YOUR PHONE NOTHING MORE THAN A BRICK.
That noted, if you would like S-OFF, go ahead and run this command in your terminal.
Code:
# dd if=/data/local/hboot_7230_0.84.2000_100908.nb0 of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18
Step 6
I think this is optional, but there are controversial opinions at the moment. In any case it will not hurt to run
Code:
# sync
to make absolutely sure everything will be saved.
Now reboot your phone gracefully and check that everything sticks.
Step 7 (optional)
This step is optional, if you want to install Clockwork Recovery.
Download ROM Manager from the market and install Clockwork, telling it that you have an HTC G2 when it asks. It will work without problems on the Desire Z.
Step 8 (optional)
This step is optional if you want to install an overclocked kernel. You might want to do a nandroid backup first, in case you want to go back later (just restore boot).
This overclocked kernel seems to crash the phone after Youtube videos are played in fullscreen. This issue is being investigated, but could take a while to resolve, since HTC hasn't released the actual DZ kernel source...
I have now recompiled the overclocked kernel for the Desire Z (all credit goes again to coolbho3000 for publishing the source!), to get the FM Radio to work as well. To get it to work please follow the guide on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=834219, but instead of the zImage posted there (which breaks FM Radio on the Desire Z), get the one from http://www.opencodes.org/node/14 . You still need to use the bcm4329.ko file from the other thread. Also note that this will change your kernel version to 2.6.32.17 (instead of 2.6.32.21 stock). Please blame HTC for not releasing the newest kernel source. In any case I have not spotted any disadvantages...
So far I have not spotted any problems with this kernel, but if you do, let me know.
PS Bacon-bits by cyanogen do not fully work on the DZ. It won't boot with that ramdisk and the lights hack seems to fail as well. It is probably safest to wait for a full CM release, but this guide gets you 90% of bacon-bits.

stridger said:
Hi all,
I have just managed to get clockwork recovery work on the Desire Z. It's a bit hacky at the moment, and will probably get much easier in the due course. I am not going to post every little step that you can find out by googling, and please be aware that I am not responsible for any bricks etc. This is playing around with the phone internals, so be careful.
The reason it is this hacky is that we do not have an engineering bootloader for the Desire Z yet.
Download wpthis-Z.ko and wpthis-pre-OTA.ko from
http://content.modaco.net/dropzone/wpthis-Z.ko and
http://unforgiven512.udderweb.com/downloads/wpthis-pre-OTA.ko and put them in /data/local on the phone.
Download newest version of ROM Manager
Disable write protection via wpthis-Z.ko
Flash clockwork recovery from ROM Manager
Reboot into recovery
Make a nandroid backup !!!!!
Mount /data in Clockwork
Use wpthis-pre-OTA.ko in recovery to disable write protection.
You now have a fully working recovery. (note you will need to use wpthis-pre-OTA.ko step everytime you boot into recovery and want to write something from recovery [not needed for nandroid backups])
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your a genius dude Keep up the good work
We need quality devs like you to get this party started
JD

As soon as I did this step:
Disable write protection via wpthis-Z.ko
EDIT:
this is exactly what I did:
$ su
# insmod /data/local/wpthis-Z.ko
got this as result: failed (Function not implemented)
then all applications stopped working, ROM Manager crashed as soon as I select G2 from confirmation dialog when trying to flash Clockwork.
I then tried GMails and got loads of error popups, had to restart phone to get back to normal
EDIT: I do have Visionary installed set to Root on boot.

schriss said:
As soon as I did this step:
Disable write protection via wpthis-Z.ko
EDIT:
this is exactly what I did:
$ su
# insmod /data/local/wpthis-Z.ko
got this as result: failed (Function not implemented)
then all applications stopped working, ROM Manager crashed as soon as I select G2 from confirmation dialog when trying to flash Clockwork.
I then tried GMails and got loads of error popups, had to restart phone to get back to normal
EDIT: I do have Visionary installed set to Root on boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I urge you not to do anything in this direction, if you haven't even got permroot yet. Look at the G2 permroot forums, where all of these things are answered. The error is supposed to appear. Please be very careful if you don't want to end up with a brick.

I was afraid to do the G2 permanent root because it involved dd command and some G2 HBOOT file. There was one Desire Z user who ended up stuck in bootloader and have seen no other desire Z owners confirming this to work.
I guess I wait...
Sent from Desire Z

I flashed the desire z rom on my g2 yesterday after root, is my g2 now considered a desire z? if so it should be okay for me to follow these instructions right?

schriss said:
I was afraid to do the G2 permanent root because it involved dd command and some G2 HBOOT file. There was one Desire Z user who ended up stuck in bootloader and have seen no other desire Z owners confirming this to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need the eng hboot to get permroot... You just need to temproot with write-protection disabled. But as you say, it's best to wait until the right tools come out.

stridger said:
You don't need the eng hboot to get permroot... You just need to temproot with write-protection disabled. But as you say, it's best to wait until the right tools come out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, that's what the logic sugests.
I was hoping to:
Temp root with Visionary (already done)
Disable write protection via wpthis-Z.ko
then try "sync" command to write changes.
Then, after reboot, I should have perm root and nand on read-only.
But I got scared by the errors I got after I disabled write protection.

g1junky said:
I flashed the desire z rom on my g2 yesterday after root, is my g2 now considered a desire z? if so it should be okay for me to follow these instructions right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amazing,
thanks for reporting,
good news

g1junky said:
I flashed the desire z rom on my g2 yesterday after root, is my g2 now considered a desire z? if so it should be okay for me to follow these instructions right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've probably still got a G2 hboot, right ? Like the G2 eng hboot ? If so, then it's still really a G2 running a Desire Z ROM. But I can't answer your main question, I'm sure someone else will be able to though.

g1junky said:
I flashed the desire z rom on my g2 yesterday after root, is my g2 now considered a desire z? if so it should be okay for me to follow these instructions right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, your phone still has the G2 partition layout, so none of this is probably needed for you as your bootloader should already show S-OFF...

I have a g2 so most of this doesnt pertain to me, but as im trying to help someone currently stuck in a hard place thought maybe u could help.
My question has to do with after clockwork is installed. Why do u have to run wpthis.ko in recovery. Shouldnt wp be turned off in recovery? thats how the phone updates stock.

fastludeh22 said:
I have a g2 so most of this doesnt pertain to me, but as im trying to help someone currently stuck in a hard place thought maybe u could help.
My question has to do with after clockwork is installed. Why do u have to run wpthis.ko in recovery. Shouldnt wp be turned off in recovery? thats how the phone updates stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tested doing a nand restore without using wpthis-Z.ko and it *seems* to be working. I haven't flashed anything yet so i can't be sure but it seems like it worked

Sphaerophoria said:
I just tested doing a nand restore without using wpthis-Z.ko and it *seems* to be working. I haven't flashed anything yet so i can't be sure but it seems like it worked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for me it was able to flash system, but not boot. My guess would be hboot wouldn't work either. [Obviously it won't return an error... It will think it had written, when in fact it hadn't.]
As for the post before that, the fact that stock recovery can flash images says nothing about other recoveries being able to do the same. Stock recovery could disable wp for example.
In any case it would be nice to have permanent write-access...

stridger said:
Well, for me it was able to flash system, but not boot. My guess would be hboot wouldn't work either. [Obviously it won't return an error... It will think it had written, when in fact it hadn't.]
As for the post before that, the fact that stock recovery can flash images says nothing about other recoveries being able to do the same. Stock recovery could disable wp for example.
In any case it would be nice to have permanent write-access...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont take this as arguement, cause as ive said i dont have a z, just going by what ive thought to be right. With that being said, the fact that wp is off in stock recovery does say something. The bootloader is what sets wp on/off so if the bootloader is loading the recovery(which it thinks is stock) wp SHOULD be off. i guess a good way to test would be after a nandroid, flash a zip thats only a boot.img and see if it takes.
Heres another question then, what about using the g2 eng recovery?

stridger said:
No, your phone still has the G2 partition layout, so none of this is probably needed for you as your bootloader should already show S-OFF...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried the G2 method for obtaining clockwork and it didn't work it says it flashed from the app but when i try to backup rom im still on the stock recovery.. would u recommend i try the D-Z method?

fastludeh22 said:
Dont take this as arguement, cause as ive said i dont have a z, just going by what ive thought to be right. With that being said, the fact that wp is off in stock recovery does say something. The bootloader is what sets wp on/off so if the bootloader is loading the recovery(which it thinks is stock) wp SHOULD be off. i guess a good way to test would be after a nandroid, flash a zip thats only a boot.img and see if it takes.
Heres another question then, what about using the g2 eng recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wp is definately off in recovery but the problem is probably "your update-binary or updater-script (don't use update-script)" in koush's own words. Anyways i hope we find a way around this soon

FYI: Method updated to reflect the fact that we now have an ENG hboot.

stridger said:
Follow G2 guide on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=833965, but instead of wpthis-*.ko use the file http://content.modaco.net/dropzone/wpthis-Z.ko. ALSO DO NOT FLASH THE hboot-eng.img INSTEAD USE THE FILE ON http://www.multiupload.com/4U9P14R86Y. IF YOU FLASH THE WRONG FILE IT COULD POTENTIALLY BRICK YOUR DEVICE! .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good work.
Just a suggestion, but I think it would be a lot clearer if, instead of two lots of "follow this except don't do this bit", you were to copy out the whole procedure and change those two bits appropriately ?
Just trying to help minimise the chances of bricks.

steviewevie said:
Good work.
Just a suggestion, but I think it would be a lot clearer if, instead of two lots of "follow this except don't do this bit", you were to copy out the whole procedure and change those two bits appropriately ?
Just trying to help minimise the chances of bricks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I agree and would like to do that, but wanted to ask unforgiven512 first to integrate it into his guide, as it seems to much overhead to maintain two guides of essentially the same procedure...
Now both devices have a fully working eng bootloader, we really need to merge these two forums into an "HTC VISION" one!

[Q] Help and question with s-off and permroot

Sorry if this in the wrong place, feel free to move or delete if so, but I had some questions.I really want to root and s-off so I can but CM on it but I'm so chicken to do it. Should I just wait for a one-click root and s-off? Or am I going to have no such luck??

Rooting the g2 is significantly easier than it was before now that we have the gfree method. I decided to stop being a chicken last night and rooted mine. It took around two hours for me to read all the instructions and set everything up. I suggest you read the guide on how to setup adb. If that seems too hard, you might want to wait but there's no telling if or when a one click root is gonna be available.

Doesn't VISIONary support basically a 1-click root? Download, install, and click "attempt perm root now" i thought.

VISIONary is VERY unreliable, rage method is quick and painless and only requires the knowledge of simple adb commands

omarsalmin said:
rage method is quick and painless and only requires the knowledge of simple adb commands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actualy it doesn't. All you have to do is relax and copy/paste. There's a nice and simple guide on CM Wiki
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Thank you to everyone who replied. Maybe now ill get the guts to do it. Could you give me the link to that CM Wiki you were talking about though?

niiza said:
Thank you to everyone who replied. Maybe now ill get the guts to do it. Could you give me the link to that CM Wiki you were talking about though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=TMobile_G2:_Rooting

awesome, so i can copy and paste those commands into the terminal right? to try and avoid any mistakes

Yes, basically that stuff in Cyanogen's Wiki has been copied and pasted from the XDA Vision Wiki at http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik...cess_.28Permanent_Root_.2F_.22Permaroot.22.29
If you need a guide on how to get adb setup on your PC, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865685

okay so i permrooted my g2, im pretty sure it worked because when i type 'su' into the terminal now i get # instead of $. and first time i got the superuser permissions prompt as well.
so i did that correct right?
does this also mean i have s-off???

niiza said:
okay so i permrooted my g2, im pretty sure it worked because when i type 'su' into the terminal now i get # instead of $. and first time i got the superuser permissions prompt as well.
so i did that correct right?
does this also mean i have s-off???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can get the root (#) prompt after a reboot then yes, you have permanent root.
This is not connected with S-OFF though. To check that (how did you do the root/S-OFF ?) you can reboot into the bootloader (hboot) - with the phone switched off, hold Volume Down and then hold Power till it switches on. Check the line at the top which will say "S-ON" or "S-OFF".
If you used gfree to get S-OFF, then you can use gfree_verify to check it did everything it was supposed to - see the Wiki for details on this.

gfree problems

I have a problem rooting a friend's phone using gfree.
When I rooted my phone, I used a different method since it was in the early days of rooting the desire z. I've followed the instructions found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision#Rooting_the_G2
Everything seems to work correctly until I execute ./gfree -f
At this point I get the error "Error reading input file" and the phone gets stuck (I have to remove battery to boot it up again).
Anyone has had this problem before? Possible fixes? Any help is appreciated.

Has he done the OTA update??
Edit: @Dan.. Oh yeah... my bad

MacaronyMax said:
Has he done the OTA update??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at the picture
The # is there.
Which means root.
WHich means rage / VISIONary worked.
He hasn't OTA'd

yea rage seems to have worked, i'm just getting that error at the end and can't proceed with the rooting.

If I'm not mistaking I believe he is rooted.already ( don't flame me if he's not I can't really see the pic on the xda app ....)
tsubus said:
yea rage seems to have worked, i'm just getting that error at the end and can't proceed with the rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

unfortunately i am not rooted (i can't even sync after ./gfree -f, gives an i/o error)

tsubus said:
unfortunately i am not rooted (i can't even sync after ./gfree -f, gives an i/o error)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're running as root though (# prompt), so you have at least got temp root even if it isn't permanent.
You're getting an error when it tries to disable the write protection though, so I am guessing it is indeed temp root and you lose it after a reboot.
What ROM/kernel are you running exactly ? Some don't work with gfree.

Am having the exact same problem as Tsubus.
Orginal rom, no updates applied.
details:
Vision PVT SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.85.0005
MIRCOP-0425
RADIO-26.03.02.26-M
Did try Visionary, rage and gfree03 without luck

stringbean82 said:
Am having the exact same problem as Tsubus.
Orginal rom, no updates applied.
details:
Vision PVT SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.85.0005
MIRCOP-0425
RADIO-26.03.02.26-M
Did try Visionary, rage and gfree03 without luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which original ROM exactly though ? There are loads.

steviewevie said:
Which original ROM exactly though ? There are loads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android version 2.2
Kernel 2.6.32.21
Software version 1.34.405.5

stringbean82 said:
Android version 2.2
Kernel 2.6.32.21
Software version 1.34.405.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, gfree should work fine on that version
What happened with Visionary ? I wonder if Visionary messed things up somehow ?
How much of a pain would it be for you to re-flash the ROM and see if it's happier after that ? (e.g. how difficult to get your data/settings back ?)
Let's see if anyone can come up with another idea.

Am available for any test, been busy for the last 6 hours at work trying to get it to work.

stringbean82 said:
Am available for any test, been busy for the last 6 hours at work trying to get it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it should work perfectly with that ROM version. That's the same version that I'm using. If you don't mind re-flashing your ROM (with the same version) it could be worth a try. I am not saying that I think it will definitely fix it, this is a long shot, but I can't think what else to suggest right now.
Edit - have you also tried the older method using the "insmod" command, the one in the threads on rage ? That would be interesting to double-check that the insmod is coming up with the "wrong" error message, similarly showing that it failed to disable the NAND write protection.

doesn't work with this on my friend's phone:
android version 2.2
kernel 2.6.32.21
software number 1.34.166.5
haven't tried visionary, only gfree...might give visionary a try later on if you guys think it could work.

Tomorrow am going to load the same image as i have now on it and then try again.
What is the recommended method?
Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk

tsubus said:
doesn't work with this on my friend's phone:
android version 2.2
kernel 2.6.32.21
software number 1.34.166.5
haven't tried visionary, only gfree...might give visionary a try later on if you guys think it could work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't try to perm-root with Visionary it'll soft-brick... Just a warning

alright, thanks for the heads-up.
not sure what i should try now though, it kind of seems like there is no way to root it atm. i guess time will tell.

same problem for me =/

You probably need to push superuser to your phone in a different way. I had a similar problem using gfree. Hold on and I will send you a link to the nook method that I used. You do this after you run rage and are in the root shell on terminal emulator. (Pound symbol at the beginning of the command line). once you push superuser this way it locks in itself. then you can run the ./gfree command hopefully. I never had a problem with that command before I got the proper superuser but it might help you. Wait 1 and I will send the link.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Installing_su_and_the_Superuser_app
That should take you to the proper page. Don't run the first command that starts with unzip. Its easier to download the superuser zip to your desktop and then extract it to the root of Your android sdk tools folder. Aka put it in the tools folder and not inside any other folder that might be in your tools folder. Then run the next two commands on adb after you navigate to your androidsdk/tools folder to install. The next commands that you run in your root shell are run with terminal emulator. You should still be in a root shell if you used rage and haven't rebooted your phone. Pound sign will be present. Pm me if you have problems or if you are confused in any way.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Gfree S-OFF

I recently Perm-Rooted and S-offed my T-mobile G2 using the Rage method and I just wanted to know is the S-off Method used the same as the Gfree True S-Off I am reading about?

Baphometa said:
I recently Perm-Rooted and S-offed my T-mobile G2 using the Rage method and I just wanted to know is the S-off Method used the same as the Gfree True S-Off I am reading about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless when you rooted you pushed the gfree file to your data/local with this command in adb :
$ adb push gfree /data/local
and the entered the following commands:
# cd /data/local
# chmod 777 gfree
# ./gfree -f
# sync
Then no you probably dont have radio s-off, super CID, sim unlock yet
Heres a link to the gfree guide on the HTC Vision Wiki.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision#Rooting_the_G2
There is a diffrence between perm rooting with just Rage, and perm rooting with gfree+root. Follow the link above to the wiki for more detailed explainations.

First off Thanks for the reply I'm guessing since this guide i used http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=834228 didnt have those commands anywhere i could see that i dont have the radio s-off
Is it possible to just use those commands you posted to apply the radio s-off or will i have to go through a longer process?

Baphometa said:
First off Thanks for the reply I'm guessing since this guide i used http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=834228 didnt have those commands anywhere i could see that i dont have the radio s-off
Is it possible to just use those commands you posted to apply the radio s-off or will i have to go through a longer process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heres the link to gfree instructions, all you have to do is read and follow the instructions, shouldn't take you more than 10 or 15 minutes to gfree, remember some custom roms and kernels arn't working with gfree also some radio fireware versions, so make sure you have a compatible rom first, there is a list on the link I just gave you, after gfree is ran you can load any rom you want onto the phone and will still be gfree.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=855764

Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it espcially since im about as noob as it get with this stuff.
BTW got the gfree to work properly Thanks again!

Baphometa said:
Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it espcially since im about as noob as it get with this stuff.
BTW got the gfree to work properly Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could help and believe me if you got ADB up and running and pushing commands to your phone thats half the battle so your not that much of a noob.

So need help perm rooting

Okay I have a G2, just got it and I need to perm root it. I looked at the sticky guide but most of the links aren't loading for me, don't know why, either thread isn't there or link expired or w/e. I don't know, but I need some help.
First, how do I find out if I have 1.72 or an earlier version
Second, do I use "rage"? method or VISIONary and what's the latest version of visionary?
Third, about how long does the process take?
Any help is appreciated.

James_Caliber said:
Okay I have a G2, just got it and I need to perm root it. I looked at the sticky guide but most of the links aren't loading for me, don't know why, either thread isn't there or link expired or w/e. I don't know, but I need some help.
First, how do I find out if I have 1.72 or an earlier version
Second, do I use "rage"? method or VISIONary and what's the latest version of visionary?
Third, about how long does the process take?
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every thing you need to know about rooting is in here http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision just start reading from Rooting the Vision (G2/DZ) and DHD or you can read the whole page. Don't use VISIONary, you have a chance of getting stuck in a boot loop, use Rage and GFree. You'll need the android SDK to get ADB. I'm not sure how long rooting takes, I haven't done it yet as I don't have my G2 until next week but I have been reading about root for the past week. From what I know, 1.72 is only if you have a Desire Z. If you have any more questions, I'm sure me or another member can answer you.

KoolKidsKlub said:
Every thing you need to know about rooting is in here http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision just start reading from Rooting the Vision (G2/DZ) and DHD or you can read the whole page. Don't use VISIONary, you have a chance of getting stuck in a boot loop, use Rage and GFree. You'll need the android SDK to get ADB. I'm not sure how long rooting takes, I haven't done it yet as I don't have my G2 until next week but I have been reading about root for the past week. From what I know, 1.72 is only if you have a Desire Z. If you have any more questions, I'm sure me or another member can answer you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know what the 1.72 # refers to? Is it the build number or something else?
Thanks a lot for your help though. I'll start reading

James_Caliber said:
Do you know what the 1.72 # refers to? Is it the build number or something else?
Thanks a lot for your help though. I'll start reading
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a Tmobile G2 (from your first post, I assume you do) you don't need to worry about 1.72 it for the Desire Z. There are three methods to root with, them being Visionary, Rage, gfree. Gfree by far has caused the least amount of problems. If you know ADB rooting should be pretty simple, just follow the wiki on rooting with gfree. If your not familiar with ADB, there are methods to root without having to use it. But its always good and recommended to have it installed and running. There are guide here to help walk you thru it, but if for some reason its to difficult or you don't quite understand it, like I said there are methods to root with out it. There is a modified way to run gfree with your home computer and terminal emulator on your phone. Also the visionary method too, now many people have had problems with visionary, I'm not one of them, it is how I rooted my phone, but I can't stress the importance of reading and putting the time into understanding what you are and want to do to modify your phone, far to many people act before understanding and run into many problems including bricking there phones, I know some of the threads are really long in this forum but that's no excuse, whenever I try something new I read the entire thread first start to finish because any problems you may have, the solution has probably already been givin somewhere in the thread. There is no rush to jump into something you don't understand, my suggestion is to invest the time to read and understand how to root you phone first.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Even if you root using rage, you can still install and use gfree on your phone. I can confirm that it works.
Just stay away from Visionary.

blackknightavalon said:
Even if you root using rage, you can still install and use gfree on your phone. I can confirm that it works.
Just stay away from Visionary.
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This.
This is my first Android phone and I was able to follow the Wiki and root it pretty easily. The only part I didnt do was installing the Engineering Hboot. Just cause it is labeled as optional and unnecessary and the warning about bricked phones scared me away from it.
This ADB Guide for Noobs was pretty helpful in the process too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865685
With that link and the Wiki your all set.

boost3d23 said:
This.
This is my first Android phone and I was able to follow the Wiki and root it pretty easily. The only part I didnt do was installing the Engineering Hboot. Just cause it is labeled as optional and unnecessary and the warning about bricked phones scared me away from it.
This ADB Guide for Noobs was pretty helpful in the process too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865685
With that link and the Wiki your all set.
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Click to collapse
You're missing out with the engineering bootloader. You'll have more recovery options with it installed.

blackknightavalon said:
You're missing out with the engineering bootloader. You'll have more recovery options with it installed.
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I might install it later on, if that is possible and wont cause issues.

boost3d23 said:
I might install it later on, if that is possible and wont cause issues.
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Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to root the phone then when I feel more comfortable, I'm going to flash the engineering HBOOT. It's not that I'm scared, well I sorta am but I would rather not do something that isn't necessary. I'm coming from a rooted G1 so I know what it does and everything, I just don't think its necessary. The way I look at is is this, if you flash the HBOOT then your a lot safer because you can use fastboot flash to save your self from a semi-brick, but at the same time, flashing the HBOOT is also dangerous because you can brick your phone beyond repair.

*bump*
Sorry guys, I know this is an old thread, but isn't it better to post on something existing rather than creating a new thread? Hopefully I'm right...
Anyhow, I'm a Sprint convert and I now have the G2. Rooting the Samsung Epic I had was super easy, because I downloaded a one-click script that did everything for me. However, I'm fairly tech-savvy and accomplished just about everything for the rooting procedures using gfree and rage.
However, when I use gfree_verify, I get the message 'verify could not initialize the device!'. I think I run into my problem when I get to this part:
# /data/local/tmp/root
# sync
when I run the first line, I get a message about file existing that it says to expect... but it also says that "the rest of the script should still run ok". Well, after I get the file existing message, it goes back to the prompt. If there was a script that ran after that message, wouldn't I see other messages before it returned to the prompt?
I hope I'm making sense... and I hope I posted this in the right place. I'm dying to get a Sense ROM on my phone, but I need to get some sleep for work tomorrow. Any help that everyone could provide would be EXTREMELY appreciated Thanks so much!!
...EDIT...
Apparently, despite my lack of luck with verification, root is in place in my phone and has stayed after reboot. I've flashed clockwork and have used Superuser access... all seems to be well! Thanks anyway