[Q] Root Without Wipe - Droid Incredible Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have an old HTC Incred running 2.3.4 and on it is an application (KakaoTalk for those who are familiar) that I would like to pull app data (messages) from. For those that don't know, once you activate this app on another phone any previously used phones will be locked out and have no access to the messages or export option on the old phone. Messages are saved on the phone not on a server, so I need access to my phone's data without wiping the memory in the process.
Is there any way to gain access to my Incred's data without clearing app data (messages)? I've seen it is possible on other phones, but I haven't seen something specific for the Incred.

I think so. If you follow the first part of the 'downgrade and s-off via htcdev' guide, you should be able to get root access without wiping data if I recall correctly. The basic steps would be:
1. Upgrade HBOOT to 1.02 or greater if it isn't that already.
2. Unlock the bootloader through the htcdev website.
3. Flash a custom recovery such as ClockwordMod or TWRP via fastboot.
4. Flash a superuser .zip from recovery.
At this point you have a rooted phone and should be able to get what you need.

musical_chairs said:
I think so. If you follow the first part of the 'downgrade and s-off via htcdev' guide, you should be able to get root access without wiping data if I recall correctly. The basic steps would be:
1. Upgrade HBOOT to 1.02 or greater if it isn't that already.
2. Unlock the bootloader through the htcdev website.
3. Flash a custom recovery such as ClockwordMod or TWRP via fastboot.
4. Flash a superuser .zip from recovery.
At this point you have a rooted phone and should be able to get what you need.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! I poked around on the htcdev website, however when I started the process I was warned that data would be erased. Since I've never unlocked through htcdev; is this always the case?

Yea pretty sure when you unlock the bootloader it does erase the phone.

Yep, that's my understanding too: when the bootloader is unlocked the phone is erased. However I have seen some threads on how to gain root without touching the bootloader. While these threads are for some newerish phones, I was wondering if there was a way to do it with the Incred.

Related

random noob questions...

OK,
1st Hi all and thanks for not bashing my lack of knowledge. I have done many searches and am now more confused than before.
I am comming from a droid X, I did the z4 root on it to get wifi tether working, it was on 2.2.1 I believe. Well it went very good, but I never got a push for an update. Got the new GN on verizon and tried to restore it back to stock, didn't work, so instead of selling it I gave it to my mom. Also, did this on a friends and he did get the update push and lost the root and superuser access.
This story is just so you know I am a complete noob. Other than following someones set by set on using Z4 I have really not done anything and have some questions on my new phone.
1. why would I want to unlock the bootloader?
2. after reading about the wifi hotspot by svtp do I need to root?
3. If i root and/or unlock the bootloader will this stop the updates from google (main reason I bought the phone)?
4. I am not into overclocking or modding but I want to be able to have wifi if I ever need it. That is the only thing I want.
Basically I am looking to unlock the wifi and still get all the google updates, is this possible? As of right now I think buying the svtp app is my best bet, I just don't want an unexpected bill showing up.
ok, still not rooted or unlocked. cannot get svtp to work wifi
Follow this guide --> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1382163
re #1: you need to unlock the bootloader to do pretty much anything non standard with your phone.
Since unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone it's a good idea to do it early. You can leave it otherwise stock while you think about it, you can even relock it if you need to return the phone for some reason.
Neither unlocking nor rooting the phone will stop you getting the OTAs, it's custom roms that will do that. However most OTAs will stop your root access because they reset the permissions on your su files.
hth
Clancy_s said:
Neither unlocking nor rooting the phone will stop you getting the OTAs, it's custom roms that will do that. However most OTAs will stop your root access because they reset the permissions on your su files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add further to this... not only will custom ROMs stop you from getting OTA updates, having custom recovery (ClockworkMod) will prevent them from applying, even with the stock ROM. If using a stock ROM with custom recovery, you'll need to do the update manually. If you wait until you get the update notification, your phone should have downloaded the update to /cache. You can then use the custom recovery to apply the update. Alternatively, you can look on these forums for someone to post the URL to the OTA update zip file, download it, and flash it manually (this way you don't need to wait until your phone gets the update, you can download it and have it sooner).
In either case, you'll usually need to re-root, as stated. This is easier with a custom recovery, because you should just have to flash superuser immediately after flashing the update, before rebooting.
Until CM9 is stable, I'm running the stock ROM with ClockworkMod recovery. I can download the OTA updates manually and flash them with ClockworkMod then flash superuser and I'm good to go. Custom recovery makes it nice and easy to retain root, as well as the ability to do nandroid backups, etc.

Root without unlock?

Is there a way to unroot Build JSS15J without unlocking the device first? All I want is root for some apps not a fulyl unlocked device yet, unless is there a way to unlock without wiping the device?
Sorry if this is a common question im just used to motorola phones where you root first then unlock (if there ever is one for the phone)
I am not exactly sure how they implemented the lock on Nexus.
On HTC when the unit was in S-ON lock, it would prevent you from booting or writing unsigned (custom) recoveries. Even if you had a root exploit to get root in the kernel, when you tried to write files to /system it would only be done in memory, and wouldn't survive a reboot.
I only verified that Nexus 7 lock won't allow writing or booting unsigned recoveries (and kernels). Not having a root exploit for 4.3 I couldn't tell you if you'd be able to write a root exploit that worked without unlocking. If locking is done the way HTC does it, then no. If you can still write to /system persistently even with locking, then you could theoretically root w/o unlocking, if you could find an exploit.
When you unlock through fastboot, the process will force a factory reset. This is to protect against somebody unlocking your tablet to access your user files.
I don't know if it is technically necessary for an unencrypted device, but it is enforced by Google's unlocking process. I also don't know if it is enforced by the bootloader or the fastboot program. If latter, you might be able to kill the process after the unlock is done but before the wipe gets sent, however you risk problems if the timing isn't correct, which will probably be difficult to do give how fast everything occurs.
So IMO the first thing you should do is unlock so you can just bite the bullet and do the factory reset when you have nothing installed. It doesn't change anything other than set a flag the you are unlocked and the factory reset. You can run stock like that forever if you wish.
When you are ready, you can boot custom recovery and install your root. You don't even need to flash custom recovery onto the tablet. You can just run it one time from memory.
Main thing is I only want root for a few random apps that allow more functionally with it. I'm never gonna use kernels roms or recoveries I've done it before and it's fun and all but to unstable and unreliable I need the tablet for school and already had my stuff on it before finding out its not like my phone. I have to unlock and wipe then root. On my DROID RAZR hd it's root and unlock no wipe required.
As I mentioned, the unlock is being enforced when you type the fastboot oem unlock command.
I would just bite the bullet and do the unlock as the first thing you do.

Backup before root?

I want to try some custom ROMs on my M8. Before I do this I want to do a full back up. From everything I've read Titanium is by a long shot the most popular so I see no reason not to go that route. However, from what I've read rooting the M8 will wipe my phone, but I can't use Titanium until I'm rooted. So it seems I'm stuck, and wondering what the best way is to proceed.
Thanks,
Ryan
Ryan_Mc said:
I want to try some custom ROMs on my M8. Before I do this I want to do a full back up. From everything I've read Titanium is by a long shot the most popular so I see no reason not to go that route. However, from what I've read rooting the M8 will wipe my phone, but I can't use Titanium until I'm rooted. So it seems I'm stuck, and wondering what the best way is to proceed.
Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting by itself won't reset your phone, using the HTC unlock token to unlock the bootloader will. However, if you can S-off, you can also unlock your bootloader without tripping the factory reset. Once your bootloader is unlocked, you can install a custom recovery and backup your (unrooted) OS image - then use that recovery to install su.
Unfortunately, the prerequisite to all of that is getting S-off. If you can't, or won't, do that, then yeah - as soon as you unlock the bootloader your /data partition will get nuked. It's a safety measure to prevent someone from stealing your phone, unlocking the bootloader, and bypassing the OS protections to get the data on it. Fortunately, it only happens when you unlock. If you subsequently leave the bootloader unlocked, it won't happen again.

Root access for the Moto Z Play without bootloader unlock

Hello,
Is it possible to get root access on the Moto Z Play without needing TWRP? I tried to use this guide but my phone doesn't want to flash TWRP. It may require a unlocked bootloader. My question is that is it possible to get root on this phone without TWRP or unlocked bootloader?
PS. I only want root access to get Viper4Android/ Dolby. If there are any other alternatives, please let me know below.
Thanks,
mPreet
mPreet said:
Hello,
Is it possible to get root access on the Moto Z Play without needing TWRP? I tried to use this guide but my phone doesn't want to flash TWRP. It may require a unlocked bootloader. My question is that is it possible to get root on this phone without TWRP or unlocked bootloader?
PS. I only want root access to get Viper4Android/ Dolby. If there are any other alternatives, please let me know below.
Thanks,
mPreet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your title says without unlock bootloader - no
Your text says without twrp - you can fastboot boot twrp.img - that will boot to it but not flash it permanently. But, again, not if the bl is not unlocked - gotta have that.
KrisM22 said:
Your title says without unlock bootloader - no
Your text says without twrp - you can fastboot boot twrp.img - that will boot to it but not flash it permanently. But, again, not if the bl is not unlocked - gotta have that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So just to make sure that I understand, I have to get the unlock key from Motorola in order to unlock the bootloader. There is no other way around it, right.
mPreet said:
So just to make sure that I understand, I have to get the unlock key from Motorola in order to unlock the bootloader. There is no other way around it, right.
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Click to collapse
Pretty much - the process of obtaining your key will void your remaining Motorola warranty (though you may still have some protection depending on your local consumer laws), and the process of actually using the unlock key on your device will wipe your device in a factory reset. Ensure you back up your device (and adopted SD card as well) beforehand.
After that, you should be able to flash or boot TWRP, then root and flash Viper4Android (or ARISE Soundsystems) or Dolby. If you get OTA updates, you will not be able to flash them unless you can revert back to full stock, so ensure you have a TWRP backup without modifications or access to a stock ROM of the same build that you have now.
mPreet said:
So just to make sure that I understand, I have to get the unlock key from Motorola in order to unlock the bootloader. There is no other way around it, right.
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Click to collapse
correct. afaik.
echo92 said:
Pretty much - the process of obtaining your key will void your remaining Motorola warranty (though you may still have some protection depending on your local consumer laws), and the process of actually using the unlock key on your device will wipe your device in a factory reset. Ensure you back up your device (and adopted SD card as well) beforehand.
After that, you should be able to flash or boot TWRP, then root and flash Viper4Android (or ARISE Soundsystems) or Dolby. If you get OTA updates, you will not be able to flash them unless you can revert back to full stock, so ensure you have a TWRP backup without modifications or access to a stock ROM of the same build that you have now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I just boot off the TWRP instead of flashing, would that backup constitute as stock? So boot the TWRP instead of flashing then make a backup before rooting.
Thanks,
mPreet
mPreet said:
If I just boot off the TWRP instead of flashing, would that backup constitute as stock? So boot the TWRP instead of flashing then make a backup before rooting.
Thanks,
mPreet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
be aware you will be walking on shaky ground. Be sure you have a spare phone that works in case you brick this one.

Need to Backup Current HTC one M8 - Before unlock bootloader

my device is locked & not rooted before
all i'm looking for Is way to root without unlocking the bootloader? I just want root apps, no custom ROMs.
I need to take backup for HTC one M8 before proceed in unlock boot loader , to describe the problem more
the problem is that to take a backup for the whole device , as far as i know i should install custom recovery APP "CWM Recovery , TWRP Recovery ,.........."
which need unlock bootloader in which all data on mobile will be formatted due to unlock bootloader
so is there a solution to backup the current device status to restore them back after unlock the bootloader .
First of all, you posted to the forum section for the M8s variant, not the M8. This is an easy mistake to make, and pretty common. In any case, see my responses below in red font:
Wael-HTC said:
all i'm looking for Is way to root without unlocking the bootloader? I just want root apps, no custom ROMs.
Simple answer, you need to unlock the bootloader to root.
Long answer, some folks have rooted with an app called kingroot. But results are very inconsistent. I've seen a good number of folks who ended up with kingroot unsuccessful, having no root, and also no way to unlock the bootloader! So not a good place to be.
And in any case, in my opinion, any root attempt should be preceded by backing up your data anyway, in case anything goes wrong. So if your intent (in not unlocking the bootloader) is to bypass the data wipe (and skip backing up your data), then we are basically defeating the purpose.
Moral of the story, I would strongly recommend to just bite the bullet, and stick with the "standard" process to unlock the bootloader in order to root.
I need to take backup for HTC one M8 before proceed in unlock boot loader , to describe the problem more
the problem is that to take a backup for the whole device , as far as i know i should install custom recovery APP "CWM Recovery , TWRP Recovery ,.........."
which need unlock bootloader in which all data on mobile will be formatted due to unlock bootloader You are correct, in that you have a "chicken and egg" problem. You can't install custom recovery (TWRP) until you unlock the bootloader. And you can't make a TWRP backup, until you install TWRP.
Side note, CMW never officially supported the M8. There are some unofficial CMW ports for the M8, all very old. Which will almost certainly cause problems. I strongly recommend sticking with latest TWRP for the M8.
so is there a solution to backup the current device status to restore them back after unlock the bootloader .
"Current device status" is a little vague. It depends on what you want to backup:
- For things like contacts, I would suggest just backing up to Google (may already be the case)
- Things like photos, music: use a cloud solution, or simply backup (copy and paste) to your computer
- Stock ROM: You can back this up once you have TWRP installed. There are also stock backup collections, as well as official HTC RUUs for some M8 versions.
- App data: This one is a little tougher. One option is the app "Helium" from the Google Play Store. This is supposed to be able to backup app data, settings, etc. without root. I personally haven't used it (one of the first things I do with a new phone is root, lol). But other folks on XDA seem to have some success with Helium. It is developed by the CWM team.
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