Develop Bugs

[Q] Unroot EVO and still keep a custom rom?

Is this possible? I know most unroot the phone to take it in for service/exchange etc but my situation is different. I have to use Good for Enterprise to access my company's email and as you may know, Good does not allow rooted phones. So, I have no choice but to unroot my Evo.
The image that is used in unrooting is a stock ROM. What I want to do is setup my phone - the way I want it with Mikfroyo - with all the tweaks etc and then "just do the unrooting part". If that makes any sense - I don't need any superuser permissions etc.
Long story short - can a phone be unrooted with a custom ROM instead of a stock ROM?

im pretty sure this is impossible dude, sorry, just leave it all rooted, whats the problem

I know you can't unroot and keep a custom ROM but I wonder if there is a way to hide the fact that you're rooted from the app. What kind of message pops up when you install it?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

It just says that Good cannot run on a rooted phone and just locks the app - I have to call IT to get an unlock code using the device ID that is displayed in Good's pop-up message.

It has to be checking for something specific and I bet there is a way to fudge it but unfortunately that's outside my realm of understanding. I would ask one of the devs here about it.

What permissions does the App request when you install? It could just check for SuperUser

SSjon said:
What permissions does the App request when you install? If could just check for SuperUser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I which case you could either delete superuser or use it to block the app... perhaps?

I am sure its more complicated than that - if they are touting themselves as a replacement for blackberry security for iPhones and Android - I seriously doubt a simple fudging of the superuser permissions will deceive it. Also, I'd like to comply with my company's requirements for using an Android phone so I don't get into trouble.
So from what I understand - you cannot have a custom ROM on an unrooted phone. Thanks so much guys - I'll just have to learn to live with the bloated stockware and manual restores arghh......

It's not possible.... to unroot, you'd have to RUU, which returns the phone back to stock. And then, you'd have no way of flashing a custom rom unless you rooted again

ok this is one thing that I am starting to not understand here...
so many people when they answer - say "yes" it can be done or "no" it can not be done...
...ummm where is the why? It would be very informative to know such things or if someone has even tried said thing before.
like why can't you just run a ROM or other flash file from renaming the file and letting the stock loader do the flashing? ......answer: because the stock loader does a file signature check - see? that makes sense and answers the why. it also helps users to retain the information as well as understand it.
I would love to know why the OP can't just run the unrevoked s-on tool from here http://unrevoked.com/rootwiki/doku.php/public/forever#custom_splash (in the FAQ section) without removing his custom ROM and just make sure he doesn't use any apps that need the su access. sounds like it should work? has someone done this and found that it does not work? flashing back to s-on should just prevent flashing to any other ROM's I would think from everything I have read in this forum.
or once s-on is back does it also check the current ROM on the phone and would cause some issues? would be great information to know. because if the security only checks file signatures of flies to be flashed and not the current ROM it seems like the OP could do what he is wanting to.
well, just thought I would ask to see if I could gain some more understanding as to the mechanics of everything

It would be good to know if this works with Good for Enterprise. I am stuck on an SGS 2.1 with Telstra and want a non stock ROM but really need to use Good.

ushkand said:
Is this possible? I know most unroot the phone to take it in for service/exchange etc but my situation is different. I have to use Good for Enterprise to access my company's email and as you may know, Good does not allow rooted phones. So, I have no choice but to unroot my Evo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not know that, and that SUCKS. My company's piloting Good now, and I was really looking forward to it. This just infuriates me. Mobile device makers are getting away with things that desktop/laptop makers never dreamed of trying. We shouldn't even NEED to "root" a phone. Imagine if you needed to hack your Windows machine in order to get the admin password and be able to install whatever you want. Now yes, I get that companies often do add those restrictions on their devices, and that they need to protect their data. Allowing access to company data on a personal device might make it a little more of a gray area, but it still blows. Good should be able to develop a system that can be secure, even if you have root access.
Here's a thread I just found. It sounds like you can just delete su and the superuser.apk. I think you can keep the custom rom, but you probably wouldn't be able to run anything that needs root, like Wireless Tether, Titanium Backup, or whatever. But you could probably have a flashable zip to re-add them when you need them. Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work. But it makes me furious that this is needed.
http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/207397-good-enterprise.html

bkrodgers said:
I did not know that, and that SUCKS. My company's piloting Good now, and I was really looking forward to it. This just infuriates me. Mobile device makers are getting away with things that desktop/laptop makers never dreamed of trying. We shouldn't even NEED to "root" a phone. Imagine if you needed to hack your Windows machine in order to get the admin password and be able to install whatever you want. Now yes, I get that companies often do add those restrictions on their devices, and that they need to protect their data. Allowing access to company data on a personal device might make it a little more of a gray area, but it still blows. Good should be able to develop a system that can be secure, even if you have root access.
Here's a thread I just found. It sounds like you can just delete su and the superuser.apk. I think you can keep the custom rom, but you probably wouldn't be able to run anything that needs root, like Wireless Tether, Titanium Backup, or whatever. But you could probably have a flashable zip to re-add them when you need them. Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work. But it makes me furious that this is needed.
http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/207397-good-enterprise.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly

Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.

ushkand said:
Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. What is the ROM that you are using?

bkrodgers said:
Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are there still temp root methods that work on the EVO?

I am using Mikfroyo 4.5.

Just came across this thread and was seeing if your GFE was still working? I have a DX and put a custom ROM and could not get it to work. I'm waiting for my new PIN and have removed SU to see if it works.

ushkand said:
Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my HTC Salsa to install apps2sd which is great, but what commands do i have to run and where to be able to rename su.apk ?
Thanks,
Mike

[Q] Thinking of trying new ROMs

As the Title says, I am thinking of trying new ROMS for my phone. I am posting this in the T-Mobile Q & A because...well...I have a T-Mobile phone and I am not sure if other manufacturers have their file systems the same as T-Mobiles.
Anyway before I go ROM happy so-to-speak...I am just wondering a few things;
STATEMENT: My phone is unlocked (I called TMo and got the code from them)
QUESTION: will my phone retain it's unlocked status?
STATEMENT: My phone is rooted
QUESTION: Will my phone retain it's Root Status?
ASSUMPTION: Yes so long as the ROM I flash too has SU.
STATEMENT: I purchased apps from the Market such as Titanium Backup Pro, Super User Elite, Root Explorer, ect...
QUESTION: Will these be "Carried over" to the new ROM and still be installed or would I have to re-install them?
QUESTION: Are all the apps from the market compatible with all the roms out there? (For example: ES File Explorer, or games that use the accelerometer, or Market Enabler as I am in afghanistan right now as a civilian contractor) and if not, how can I tell if an app is compatible with a certain ROM?
If I could get answers to these questions before I go and flash a new ROM (Especially the Unlocked Phone question) that would be great.
-Neo

neotrin2000 said:
STATEMENT: My phone is unlocked (I called TMo and got the code from them)
QUESTION: will my phone retain it's unlocked status?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize as I do not know this. Maybe try to find someone in here that is using this phone on ATT. As an assumption I do not think flashing a custom rom will overwrite your unlocking.
STATEMENT: My phone is rooted
QUESTION: Will my phone retain it's Root Status?
ASSUMPTION: Yes so long as the ROM I flash too has SU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assumption Correct. ANY custom ROM will have root.
STATEMENT: I purchased apps from the Market such as Titanium Backup Pro,Super User Elite, Root Explorer, ect...
QUESTION: Will these be "Carried over" to the new ROM and still be installed or would I have to re-install them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES, any app you have purchased in the market will carry on to any ROM or phone you use so long as your sign in with the google account you used to purchase the app. Well, as long as it's a compatible app with that phone.
QUESTION: Are all the apps from the market compatible with all the roms out there? (For example: ES File Explorer, or games that use the accelerometer, or Market Enabler as I am in afghanistan right now as a civilian contractor) and if not, how can I tell if an app is compatible with a certain ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any app that you are currently using will be compatible with any TouchWiz ROM. There is, however, a couple AOSP/CM7 ROM's out there and you could, not probably, but could run into compatibility issues.

All of your paid apps are liked to your Google sign in and account. So as soon as you reload on your new rom you can redownload them whenever. It will usually give you an option in the first startup to keep it linked and autobackup.
Most roms (if not all) have root. So You should be autorooted. As far as unlocking I am not sure, but if not couldn't you just unlock it again using the code they gave you?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

You will not lose the SIM unlock when you flash a new ROM. What I did find though, was that I was unable to unlock the phone while running CM7, I had to flash back to a stock-based ROM.

kuechlea1 said:
All of your paid apps are liked to your Google sign in and account. So as soon as you reload on your new rom you can redownload them whenever. It will usually give you an option in the first startup to keep it linked and autobackup.
Most roms (if not all) have root. So You should be autorooted. As far as unlocking I am not sure, but if not couldn't you just unlock it again using the code they gave you?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well before I flashed to Juggernaut I backed up my APKs and of course had to reinstall them. Redownloading them from the market was a last resort as our internet speeds out here in afghanistan would of meant it would of taken HOURS to download.

Why do people root?

I'm still rather new to Android, and I was wondering- why do people root their phone exactly? If I root my phone, will it run slower? Also, can I run the stock ROM my phone ships with if I root it?

unity04 said:
I'm still rather new to Android, and I was wondering- why do people root their phone exactly? If I root my phone, will it run slower? Also, can I run the stock ROM my phone ships with if I root it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We root, because we must... It doesn't make the phone slower. It does the opposite (With the right kernel, that is )
Rooting ONLY means, that you have the right, to accss the ROM (Read-only memory) where the system files are saved...
Which means, yes. You can have root access, on a stock-ROM phone
(If interested, check my signature ^^)

unity04 said:
I'm still rather new to Android, and I was wondering- why do people root their phone exactly? If I root my phone, will it run slower? Also, can I run the stock ROM my phone ships with if I root it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting just gives you more control over your phone, the ability to easily freeze/delete system apps, flash alternate kernels, etc... You can run your stock ROM whilst rooted, it won't slow you down.
Rooting also opens the door to being able to flash (i.e. install) alternate, custom ROMs among other things.
A basic rooted stock ROM is a good place to start out, and learn your way around things before you decide, or not, to start flashing custom kernels, ROMs, etc... OR you can happily cruise along on a fully stock phone.
Just a quick summary; there's lots more specific info available on this site, and the intarwebz to give you more detail if needed.

I'm fairly new, so hopefully I get this right. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
My guess is that you're coming from iPhone if you're asking if it will slow it down since jailbreaking tended to do that. It won't slow it down unless you install apps and mods that run in the background and stuff.
All rooting is, is allowing programs to run as the root user (I *think* I'm right here). This means that they can access parts of the system that are unavailable to be modified on unrooted ROMs. This means you can get things that tweak system level functionality. It's very similar to jailbreaking an iPhone except apps in the Play Store aren't prohibited from having root functionality baked in.
Yes you can root the stock ROM.
Hope that answers it for you, and I hope I got it right. It's tough trying to figure some of this stuff out. Nothing out there really explains why things are done, but only HOW they're done. Bit of a nuisance trying to get into this in that regard.

myrdog said:
I'm fairly new, so hopefully I get this right. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
My guess is that you're coming from iPhone if you're asking if it will slow it down since jailbreaking tended to do that. It won't slow it down unless you install apps and mods that run in the background and stuff.
All rooting is, is allowing programs to run as the root user (I *think* I'm right here). This means that they can access parts of the system that are unavailable to be modified on unrooted ROMs. This means you can get things that tweak system level functionality. It's very similar to jailbreaking an iPhone except apps in the Play Store aren't prohibited from having root functionality baked in.
Yes you can root the stock ROM.
Hope that answers it for you, and I hope I got it right. It's tough trying to figure some of this stuff out. Nothing out there really explains why things are done, but only HOW they're done. Bit of a nuisance trying to get into this in that regard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just said, what I said ((and the other bloke, after me) xD
Yes, you answered it. But in a way, that no n00b would understand, unless he wrote it himself (You) lol

There are many reasons to root, my favorites are that I can access the root or the phone, meaning I can replace the rooms, kernels to my liking. I can overclock or underclock the phone. One more than I like to do it use ad blocker so I don't need to deal with the stupid ads that are in free apps
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

We root because we like to have good phones .
And the benefits like custom colors, kernels, ROMs, and all that is nice.
Nexus S (GSM i9020a)
GummyNex (9.0)
Air Kernel (3.45)
OC 1000/200 (Lionheart)
Live OC (100 -Noop)
v6 Supercharged

To get the most out of my phone. Especially in the g1 days, you pretty much had to root because of the phones limitations
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

You root to gain admin access to your phone. You'd never use a computer without admin access, same on a phone. You can tweak and change anything you can imagine with root access.
And no it doesn't make it slower, actually can make it faster.

Root access doesn't do anything in itself. It just gives you administrator access to all of the system files.
Once you have that access, you can start tweaking.
Root is only required for deep-level back-up programs, some file explorers, and rom tweakers such as Rom Manager.
Day to day stuff, Android is pretty open to anything.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Rooting allows you to release the full potential of your phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=21328733
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Its not just system access, its a way of life!

Can you root the nexus without command prompts?

Back in my htc evo days rooting was easy (to me at least). Easy because I didn't know how to use and command prompt and still don't. I returned my nexus s because I was a little intimidated by the process. I just purchased the nexus and want to root. What is the easiest way to root this bad boy hopefully without using command prompt

You can use a toolkit for a "one click" method.
I recommend you just learn how to open the command prompt and time like 10 lines to root your phone. Honestly if you can't figure out how to do that then I'm not sure you deserve to gain root lol. Whether you choose to use that method or not, the knowledge will help when (see how I said when, not if?) things go wrong.

Easiest us the toolkit. On my phone otherwise I would link you to it just search toolkit. Others will say to learn the command prompts, I won't since you just asked for the easiest way.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1529058
This will show you how to do it properly.
You could use a toolkit but learning is the best way otherwise you will end up posting here that you have some problem you can't fix all because you didn't bother learning at the start.
The nexus is probably the easiest phone to root/flash roms and kernels to.

Thanks guys i will try to learn the command prompt

Sorry for the hijack, but it is (somewhat) related.
I just purchased a Galaxy Nexus from the play store this afternoon. I am coming from an Infuse, running a Custom rooted GB rom.
I had to flash back to stock, because of a no-root policy being pushed down from my work, since I use my handset to collect work email.
For the Nexus, is there a temporary unroot process/application I could run so that the [GOOD] application will not detect root?
I have already cleared that config/situation with our infrastructure team.
- Thanks, Kevin

KevinAlbrecht said:
Sorry for the hijack, but it is (somewhat) related.
I just purchased a Galaxy Nexus from the play store this afternoon. I am coming from an Infuse, running a Custom rooted GB rom.
I had to flash back to stock, because of a no-root policy being pushed down from my work, since I use my handset to collect work email.
For the Nexus, is there a temporary unroot process/application I could run so that the [GOOD] application will not detect root?
I have already cleared that config/situation with our infrastructure team.
- Thanks, Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think supercurio has a temporary unroot app in the market.

Thanks. I tried all of those apps when I was first presented with this obstacle. It did not work for the rom I was using because they had developed some sort of auto root on reboot, built in.
So I guess I am asking if anyone has experience with them working. I plan in keeping it stock, but wanted to know if this was an option.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium

[Q] Custom ROM with un-root ability

Hey everyone,
Just got a GN a few weeks ago, and I am dying to try a custom ROM, but I got dinged by my work with my infuse because they have a no-root policy strickly enforced when accessing our corporate email.
I was not able to use an un-root app like root keeper, apparently because the ZEUS rom I was using had an autoroot on startup.
I am hoping the nexus has better options for using the un-root app, to (temporarily) unroot my phone when accessing my mail.
I have been reading that it is better to manually root the handset, rather than use a toolkit, which I am OK with; but I really would be interested in hearing from someone that has successfully used an unroot app to remove root.
- Thanks!

KevinAlbrecht said:
Hey everyone,
Just got a GN a few weeks ago, and I am dying to try a custom ROM, but I got dinged by my work with my infuse because they have a no-root policy strickly enforced when accessing our corporate email.
I was not able to use an un-root app like root keeper, apparently because the ZEUS rom I was using had an autoroot on startup.
I am hoping the nexus has better options for using the un-root app, to (temporarily) unroot my phone when accessing my mail.
I have been reading that it is better to manually root the handset, rather than use a toolkit, which I am OK with; but I really would be interested in hearing from someone that has successfully used an unroot app to remove root.
- Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C m9 has this option I believe
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

How can they tell if you are rooted just through email use?

CM9 lets you restrict root access to ADB only. Might want to check that out

imnuts said:
How can they tell if you are rooted just through email use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We access our corporate mail through the GOOD for enterprise application, and and that scans for root on load.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

If the app scans for just the root binary or Superuser app, then I don't see a way to prevent it from detecting root without actually being unrooted. It likely looks in all $PATH dirs for su, and then in /system/app or /data/app for the application to grant permissions. Any ROM can be unrooted, just remove the su binary (and any symlinks) and the Superuser app before flashing.

Damn, they take the fun out of the whole Nexus experience.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

imnuts said:
If the app scans for just the root binary or Superuser app, then I don't see a way to prevent it from detecting root without actually being unrooted. It likely looks in all $PATH dirs for su, and then in /system/app or /data/app for the application to grant permissions. Any ROM can be unrooted, just remove the su binary (and any symlinks) and the Superuser app before flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks. I guess what I am asking is if any of the unroot apps work with the custom ROMs the Nexus has. The ZEUS rom I was using with the infuse had something related to voodoo that kept ROOT, and the unroot apps did not have an affect.
I have only flashed two android ROMs with my infuse, but am an application developer by trade, so I am not skeered by the command prompt. I know there are a few CM9 based ROMs out there. I was looking at the PARANOID rom just cause that seemed interesting with the tablet hybrid. I just would like to know before I go through the whole flashing proc. that I can unroot before I connect to my work email (about once a week).
- Thanks for the replys so far. - Kevin

Just wondering...what is so dangerous about having root when accessing email?

fredryk said:
Just wondering...what is so dangerous about having root when accessing email?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on the apps, root permission allows an app to gain full control of your device, so if one is not careful, he may let a rouge app into the phone. From a security standpoint, the rouge app may steal data from the email, which no company wants.
Think root as your computer's "Run as Administrator", same reason companies/schools limit user permission using User Policy(or whatever it's called)

Could just make a script to delete su and superuser and busybox, and make a flashable zip to put them back again.
Would require a couple of reboots every time but would still be quick to do once you had the zips set up
Sent from my Cyanogenmodded GNex

dr.m0x said:
Could just make a script to delete su and superuser and busybox, and make a flashable zip to put them back again.
Would require a couple of reboots every time but would still be quick to do once you had the zips set up
Sent from my Cyanogenmodded GNex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I asked if anyone had success with the RootKeeper app. Although I would be interested in building an android script, my experience is soley with vb/C# web & desktop applications.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper&hl=en

Use SuperSU. What I did was temporarily block root, installed whatever MDM app was needed, set up the stock Exchange information, and allowed root again.
Let me know if this works for you.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Thanks shanky,
I will look into super su. The GOOD application checks on every launch, and so I will need to run it whenever I need to check work email, and but that is only once or twice a week from my phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

KevinAlbrecht said:
Thanks shanky,
I will look into super su. The GOOD application checks on every launch, and so I will need to run it whenever I need to check work email, and but that is only once or twice a week from my phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Kevin,
did you have success with that? Or any other suggestion?
I have the same problem, my IT wants to wipe GFE container if my device keeps rooted.
Thanks..

Hi RTHppc,
Sorry for the very late reply. I can confirm this does work with GFE. The unroot effectively does not cause a compliance violation.
Overall it was a hassle to verify, even though our infrastructure team was completely on board. GOOD was balking when I attempted to register a second device (even temporarily) with the same sim card. It would only throw an ambiguous error 'unknown error'.
I could go on, but that is the subject for a rant thread.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app