Related
Please feel free to move this in another section if a mod feels like it's out of place.
I'm new to Android, but not new to HTC devices. I used to have a WM6.1 (later 6.5) HTC Fuze/Touch Pro. Part of the reason I preferred an HTC phone over a Samsung or other manufacturer is the XDA community.
That being said, I understand that rooting seems to be the equivalent of doing the hard SPL on WM which enables you to flash a custom ROM.
I also understand there was an OTA patch on the launch day that addressed the microSD card issue and the root vulnerability.
So I guess this is really a two part question - the only thing I'm interested in rooting for is free tethering (I don't really care if it's over wi-fi or USB cable, either is fine but I suppose I'd prefer wi-fi). As far as programs and all that, I'm happy with everything that is already on the phone.
I've also read that cooked ROMs "degrade" over time - is this true? And is it true for stock ROMs as well?
1. Is there a root that gets by the latest OTA update?
2. Other than wi-fi tethering and some other apps, what advantages does rooting have? I'd rather not totally **** my phone up... but if it's just as easy if not easier to root than it is to do a hard SPL, then PLEASE let me know. I feel dumb reading some of these "easy guides" for rooting and they don't answer all of my questions. For example, if any of the root methods bypasses the most recent OTA.
Perhaps there are more answers in the comments, but I don't want read that much while I'm at work. Yes, call me lazy if you want.
Many, many thanks in advance, and if someone wanted to write a pre-school level rooting guide with pics, that would be AWESOME and I'd be eternally indebted to you... that is if rooting gives me more hookups then just wi-fi tethering.
pekosROB said:
I've also read that cooked ROMs "degrade" over time - is this true? And is it true for stock ROMs as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what you mean by the "degrade"... but if you're talking about ROM's not being maintained for their entire life cycle, that happens rarely here. Alll the Dev's here seem to maintain there ROM's very well, users send feedback in a variety of ways so that the ROM's are always up to date and customized with each new version. Stock ROM's are just that, stock. They don't usually get much customization and aren't maintained, because of the newer more customized ROM's that are put out by the Dev's.
pekosROB said:
1. Is there a root that gets by the latest OTA update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can use either the UnRevoked method or Toast's method -- I recommend using Toast's method as it will give you full root access.
pekosROB said:
2. Other than wi-fi tethering and some other apps, what advantages does rooting have? I'd rather not totally **** my phone up... but if it's just as easy if not easier to root than it is to do a hard SPL, then PLEASE let me know. I feel dumb reading some of these "easy guides" for rooting and they don't answer all of my questions. For example, if any of the root methods bypasses the most recent OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're someone that likes to overclock your phone, you now have that ability; on top of the other things you mentioned (tethering, customizable ROM's, etc). Also, rooting isn't very hard at all, just follow the directions as stated and you'll be good to go. If you really want a seamlessly (but limited) root hack -- you can use the UnRevoked method, which is a simple application that basically toggles root access for you on your phone. Toast's method is a bit more in depth, but if you have experience with hacking your phone, you'll be fine.
And yes, these root methods BYPASS! the most recent OTA.
pekosROB said:
Perhaps there are more answers in the comments, but I don't want read that much while I'm at work. Yes, call me lazy if you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed you are.
pekosROB said:
Many, many thanks in advance, and if someone wanted to write a pre-school level rooting guide with pics, that would be AWESOME and I'd be eternally indebted to you... that is if rooting gives me more hookups then just wi-fi tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a couple of threads already featuring "How-To" root with pictures. Please look in the Android Development thread.
I did a root. The only real positive thing is the free wifi tethering. But you can do that w/ the unrevoked root which is mind numbingly easy.
The different ROMs aren't dramatically shocking exactly. When 2.2 is final and error free I will flash to that. Otherwise my phone works just fine.
pseudoremora said:
Yes, you can use either the UnRevoked method or Toast's method -- I recommend using Toast's method as it will give you full root access.
rutter9 said:
I did a root. The only real positive thing is the free wifi tethering. But you can do that w/ the unrevoked root which is mind numbingly easy.
The different ROMs aren't dramatically shocking exactly. When 2.2 is final and error free I will flash to that. Otherwise my phone works just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it sounds like I just need to look for the UnRevoked method since all I really care about is wifi tethering.
Has this been working with full 4G access as well? Not that it matters right now since I'm not in a 4G market, but soon hope to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pseudoremora said:
Yes, you can use either the UnRevoked method or Toast's method -- I recommend using Toast's method as it will give you full root access.
Oh yeah, and anything that backs up all the apps and settings and **** on my phone? Otherwise I'd have to write it all down the old fashion way... that's the main reason I don't wanna fully root, because I'm lazy and I doubt I'll use all the benefits... but then again... if i Could find something that backed everything up and my info, I'd be in heaven.
Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pekosROB said:
Oh yeah, and anything that backs up all the apps and settings and **** on my phone? Otherwise I'd have to write it all down the old fashion way... that's the main reason I don't wanna fully root, because I'm lazy and I doubt I'll use all the benefits... but then again... if i Could find something that backed everything up and my info, I'd be in heaven.
Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to have the ability to backup everything on your phone, you can use Titanium Backup (it's in the Market; and you mighr need root -- use UnRevoked) or use Toast's method and be able to do Nandroid back ups, which would image your phone and save it, so you can restore it at a later date.
pseudoremora said:
In order to have the ability to backup everything on your phone, you can use Titanium Backup (it's in the Market; and you mighr need root -- use UnRevoked) or use Toast's method and be able to do Nandroid back ups, which would image your phone and save it, so you can restore it at a later date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it sounds like my best option is to use unrevoked in order to use Titanium Backup and then after that save the backup on the SD card and use toast's method to get full access, use titanium backup to recall info, and then use nandroid from there on out? Sounds like a lot of work - but at least I don't have to redownload and enter all my info in everything again.
pekosROB said:
So it sounds like my best option is to use unrevoked in order to use Titanium Backup and then after that save the backup on the SD card and
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skip this ^ part, it's redundant with the next part.
use toast's method to get full access, use titanium backup to recall info, and then use nandroid from there on out? Sounds like a lot of work - but at least I don't have to redownload and enter all my info in everything again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: nevermind, forgot you wanted to back it all up prior to full root.
pekosROB said:
So it sounds like my best option is to use unrevoked in order to use Titanium Backup and then after that save the backup on the SD card and use toast's method to get full access, use titanium backup to recall info, and then use nandroid from there on out? Sounds like a lot of work - but at least I don't have to redownload and enter all my info in everything again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No No No.
You don't even have to worry about backing up your phone before rooting; there is a stock RUU image that will allow you to bring your phone back to factory default settings if you happen to screw up anything during rooting your phone or if you just want to go back to Stock period.
I would just root your phone using Toast's method, its really not that hard. If you want to tether and be able to backup your phone; having a full root access hack is preferred, plus then you have the ability to customize your phone with new themes, kernels, etc... and you may say you don't want to do that; but believe me you will.
Also, in regards to "recalling info" -- what do you mean? Since you're new to Android, i'll tell you that Google manages all your information for you. Your contacts, you Email, your apps, etc. If you move to another phone, your contacts and your Email will come with you. When you first get your phone, you have to sign in with a Gmail account, that account houses all your information for the phone and as such also keeps tracks of all your contacts and what not. Titanium Backup isn't really needed, if you're worried about losing information or whatever initially before rooting, then sure -- use it. Otherwise, if you already have all your information associated with your Gmail account that's being used by the phone, then I'd just root and after you've rooted, then do a Nandroid backup.
Jye75 said:
Skip this ^ part, it's redundant with the next part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I thought doing a full root wipes your device clean? I'm trying to back it up before doing Toast's root in order to not have to configure everything again (Besides phone settings).
pekosROB said:
But I thought doing a full root wipes your device clean? I'm trying to back it up before doing Toast's root in order to not have to configure everything again (Besides phone settings).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I edited my post... forgot about that.
pseudoremora said:
Also, in regards to "recalling info" -- what do you mean? Since you're new to Android, i'll tell you that Google manages all your information for you. Your contacts, you Email, your apps, etc. If you move to another phone, your contacts and your Email will come with you. When you first get your phone, you have to sign in with a Gmail account, that account houses all your information for the phone and as such also keeps tracks of all your contacts and what not. Titanium Backup isn't really needed, if you're worried about losing information or whatever initially before rooting, then sure -- use it. Otherwise, if you already have all your information associated with your Gmail account that's being used by the phone, then I'd just root and after you've rooted, then do a Nandroid backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Recalling info" means website logins, eBuddy accounts, settings for particular programs, my checkbook program with all the info in it.
I understand a lot of programs put **** on the SDcard, but will the actual programs that I've downloaded to the phone still be there? Rooting doesn't require a hard reset unless you mess up the process?
I understand the contacts and email - I'm not worried about that. Since I'm such a dedicated Gmail user I wanted to get into Android.
pekosROB said:
"Recalling info" means website logins, eBuddy accounts, settings for particular programs, my checkbook program with all the info in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't do any of that, I wipe my cache and history, just because. But I would presume Titanium backup would take care of this, I've never needed to use Titanium, so I don't know.
pekosROB said:
I understand a lot of programs put **** on the SDcard, but will the actual programs that I've downloaded to the phone still be there? Rooting doesn't require a hard reset unless you mess up the process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently the programs will not be there. Froyo 2.2 should allow for this to happen though. Our phones are currently running Android 2.1 and Toast's method will wipe everything on the phone when you begin the rooting process (so yes, its a "hard reset").
Here is an awesome question and answer blog to root or not to root. Good read for the noobs!
http://www.androidcentral.com/rooting-it-me-some-qa
I come from a similar background as you, WinMo to Android. I will say the current options after rooting are limited. I went ahead and did it, and honestly the only thing I feel happened was I spent hours reconfiguring my home screens and settings/apps. The phone doesn't feel any faster and it doesn't have any new capabilities.
I appreciate the time the people put into ROMs and rooting and I know its hard work, its just too early to get a lot of tangible benefits.
If I could I would go back, I would just use UnrEVOked (I did for a few days). It's your stock ROM with the ability to tether. That's all most people would really want right now anyways.
Breakthecycle2 said:
Here is an awesome question and answer blog to root or not to root. Good read for the noobs!
http://www.androidcentral.com/rooting-it-me-some-qa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks!
Pops_G said:
I come from a similar background as you, WinMo to Android. I will say the current options after rooting are limited. I went ahead and did it, and honestly the only thing I feel happened was I spent hours reconfiguring my home screens and settings/apps. The phone doesn't feel any faster and it doesn't have any new capabilities.
I appreciate the time the people put into ROMs and rooting and I know its hard work, its just too early to get a lot of tangible benefits.
If I could I would go back, I would just use UnrEVOked (I did for a few days). It's your stock ROM with the ability to tether. That's all most people would really want right now anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I might just stick with UnrEVOked then. Do I just search for a tether app on the marketplace that says "root required"?
pseudoremora said:
I don't do any of that, I wipe my cache and history, just because. But I would presume Titanium backup would take care of this, I've never needed to use Titanium, so I don't know.
Currently the programs will not be there. Froyo 2.2 should allow for this to happen though. Our phones are currently running Android 2.1 and Toast's method will wipe everything on the phone when you begin the rooting process (so yes, its a "hard reset").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so will the Sprint TV program and that kinda stuff be back? Because it sounds like it'll wipe it back to factory settings, allow for root access, but it'll still have the default programs when I'm done rooting that came with the phone out of the box?
Sorry, I am a total noob at Android Rooting. But I can hard SPL and flash cooked ROMs on WM all day long... haha pathetic.
XDA members ARE THE ****! :-D
pekosROB said:
OK, so will the Sprint TV program and that kinda stuff be back? Because it sounds like it'll wipe it back to factory settings, allow for root access, but it'll still have the default programs when I'm done rooting that came with the phone out of the box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. That's exactly what will happen. You'll have a stock, rooted phone, which you can now install a custom recovery image onto (The recovery image is how you would make backups of your phone, install custom themes, ROM's, wipe your phone, etc).
pekosROB said:
Sorry, I am a total noob at Android Rooting. But I can hard SPL and flash cooked ROMs on WM all day long... haha pathetic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's understandable, everyone here at some point or another was a "noob", but that changes quickly!
pseudoremora said:
Yes. That's exactly what will happen. You'll have a stock, rooted phone, which you can now install a custom recovery image onto (The recovery image is how you would make backups of your phone, install custom themes, ROM's, wipe your phone, etc).
It's understandable, everyone here at some point or another was a "noob", but that changes quickly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm doing this at work and want to make it as stress free as possible...
I'm looking at the Rooting instructions by Toast, and I've noticed it says to not accept any OTAs once you root. So is there a chance my microSD card will not work? Or has this issue been resolved/updated?
Here is the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690762
or this one? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=685835
Once I root with the PC36IMG, do I then immediately have to install a ROM like this to get it back to stock?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=693980
But only after doing the Recovery? I think I got this figured out about 75%... heh
pekosROB said:
I'm doing this at work and want to make it as stress free as possible...
I'm looking at the Rooting instructions by Toast, and I've noticed it says to not accept any OTAs once you root. So is there a chance my microSD card will not work? Or has this issue been resolved/updated?
Here is the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690762
or this one? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=685835
Once I root with the PC36IMG, do I then immediately have to install a ROM like this to get it back to stock?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=693980
But only after doing the Recovery? I think I got this figured out about 75%... heh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright,
You need to follow the steps in THIS thread first. This is the first part of rooting your Evo using Toast's method. The first part will allow you to gain only about 50% root access and you'll also be able to use Amon_RA's recovery to make a Nandroid backup and flash a custom ROM; but hold off on that until you've completed the next step, continue reading...
Then you need to follow Toast's SECOND part of the rooting process, this process will complete the root hack altogether. This second part will give you full root access on every partition on the phone (which was missing in part 1). After you complete this second part, you can NOW install a custom ROM, recovery, etc.
So, basically, do the first part -- after you've completed it, do the second part... the second part will look similar to the first, but download all the new files and follow the directions as written! You'll see that the last step in the second part will instruct you to install Amon_RA's recovery image, do that. After that's done, you now have:
1. Full root access
2. A Custom recovery image (Amon_RA's)
3. You can make a Nandroid back up
4. Can install/flash custom ROM's
5. Tether
6. Etc.
To boot into recovery mode, do as follows:
1. Turn of your phone -- hold the power button, choose power off.
2. Press Volume Down + Power, until you see a white bootloading screen, using your Volume rocker keys (up and down), choose recovery.. then to select "recovery", click the Power button. Your phone will reboot, and go into recovery. This is where you can make a Nandroid backup and flash custom ROM's. Follow the instructions in recovery to navigate around it.
Also, as far as flashing custom ROM's goes, please look at this link
This is the Wiki page for all the current ROM's that have been made for the Evo.
If you get stuck or need anymore help -- continue asking questions; but please also look at this before doing so.
pseudoremora said:
Alright,
You need to follow the steps in THIS thread first. This is the first part of rooting your Evo using Toast's method. The first part will allow you to gain only about 50% root access and you'll also be able to use Amon_RA's recovery to make a Nandroid backup and flash a custom ROM; but hold off on that until you've completed the next step, continue reading...
Then you need to follow Toast's SECOND part of the rooting process, this process will complete the root hack altogether. This second part will give you full root access on every partition on the phone (which was missing in part 1). After you complete this second part, you can NOW install a custom ROM, recovery, etc.
So, basically, do the first part -- after you've completed it, do the second part... the second part will look similar to the first, but download all the new files and follow the directions as written! You'll see that the last step in the second part will instruct you to install Amon_RA's recovery image, do that. After that's done, you now have:
1. Full root access
2. A Custom recovery image (Amon_RA's)
3. You can make a Nandroid back up
4. Can install/flash custom ROM's
5. Tether
6. Etc.
To boot into recovery mode, do as follows:
1. Turn of your phone -- hold the power button, choose power off.
2. Press Volume Down + Power, until you see a white bootloading screen, using your Volume rocker keys (up and down), choose recovery.. then to select "recovery", click the Power button. Your phone will reboot, and go into recovery. This is where you can make a Nandroid backup and flash custom ROM's. Follow the instructions in recovery to navigate around it.
Also, as far as flashing custom ROM's goes, please look at this link
This is the Wiki page for all the current ROM's that have been made for the Evo.
If you get stuck or need anymore help -- continue asking questions; but please also look at this before doing so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sweet, thanks. I've already gotten the first part of the root access done, I'm just on that part where I have rename the file on the card.
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
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.
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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!
I followed instructions to root it and its rooted, but have never been able to get Cyanogenmod to Install (I always get the same error everyone else does), and when I try to check out different ROMS, no one even posts many pics to show what the difference will be to use that ROM.
My phone looks the same as before and I'm just using ADW launcher to set it up the way I want it to look.
So how can I tell exactly what point of rooting my phone has reached? Do I actually have a different ROM, etc? I don't know much about this stuff and I'm not bricking my phone messing around with it until I know exactly where to start.
What custom recovery and bootloader are currently loaded on the phone?
kmodek said:
So how can I tell exactly what point of rooting my phone has reached? Do I actually have a different ROM, etc?
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Hi!
Go to your phone's System Settings --> About phone.
In there, you should be able to figure out which Android version is currently installed on your phone; if you have a custom ROM, most of the time ROMs developers will also add an additional line somewhere on that screen to tell exactly what revision of their ROM is installed. If not, you may be able to grab some more information by checking your build number or your kernel revision.
If you tap a few times on where it says Android Version, under Settings>More>About Device , it usually does a little animation of the rom version. Im trying to decide on a rom so mine is kit kat 4.2.2 at the moment and dislpays an Android logo in the Kit Kat logo style.
Since the bootloader version is not displayed on the About Phone page, you will need to determine that with another method. A simple way would be with the Samsung Info app from the PlayStore, the one posted by vndnguyen.
I personally use Terminal Emulator commands to determine phone info.
Code:
getprop ro.bootloader
getprop | grep version.baseband
I got the app from the Play store and it shows I'm on 4.4.2, but that the Knox has been tripped (I know it's rooted because I have an app that verifies root), but other than that, I can't tell any difference from how it was originally.
Guess I just thought rooting it would make it look a lot different and after reading through all of the forums, there seems to be 100 steps just to try out one new ROM and I don't even know what you do if you get it and decide you don't even like it. I just don't want to brick my phone.
kmodek said:
Guess I just thought rooting it would make it look a lot different and after reading through all of the forums, there seems to be 100 steps just to try out one new ROM and I don't even know what you do if you get it and decide you don't even like it. I just don't want to brick my phone.
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i was watching youtube videos of reviews of the different custom ROMs gave a good idea on the features and layout of each rom. I as well am having difficulty deciding on a ROM to flash as this is my first smart phone and am new to it. ive been reading and watching a bunch of tutorials but finding information on whats currently stable for our particular phone can be somewhat dated. i know moderators want to avoid a "best roms" thread but for those of us just starting out with a rooted phone it sure would be handy to have opinions on what ppl use for the SGH-I747 and why, so its easier to decide on one.
is it reccommended to upgrade or downgrade? in order to compare ROMs its watching a video for 15 min to see what features it had at the time the vid was made and reading the developer forums on each mod to see what bugs are present in the current release but its not all compiled anywhere. its that or randomly flash ROMs on there to test them out and risk making mistakes. its usually always better to have advice from those with expertise and perhaps avoid making commonly made mistakes. ive read a bunch of helpful and handy guides on here but doesnt seem any way to easily compare roms or get feedback on what users have decided on sticking with or anything additional specific to this phone that should be considered before flashing certain ROMs.
kmodek said:
I got the app from the Play store and it shows I'm on 4.4.2, but that the Knox has been tripped (I know it's rooted because I have an app that verifies root), but other than that, I can't tell any difference from how it was originally.
Guess I just thought rooting it would make it look a lot different and after reading through all of the forums, there seems to be 100 steps just to try out one new ROM and I don't even know what you do if you get it and decide you don't even like it. I just don't want to brick my phone.
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this thread may help to explain some badic things.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2343223
my advice , for what its worth ...
1) READ READ READ
2) make a backup of your current setup so you have it to fall back on.
3) NEVER downgrade your bootloader , flash any ROM/kernel not meant for your device (sure way to brick it).
theres always risk when flashing anything , but the risks can be minimized by understanding what your doing , or rather the process.
as far as flashing roms , its pretty simple once you understand it (as with most things. lol). reading thru a ROMs thread will give a general idea of any features , issues that the users have. the OP , first post ; will tell you alot about the ROM/features.
good luck and happy flashing.!
"all i can really do , is stay out of my own way and let the will of heaven be done"
kmodek said:
.... (I know it's rooted because I have an app that verifies root), but other than that, I can't tell any difference from how it was originally.
Guess I just thought rooting it would make it look a lot different and after reading through all of the forums, there seems to be 100 steps just to try out one new ROM and I don't even know what you do if you get it and decide you don't even like it. I just don't want to brick my phone.
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The act of rooting does not outwardly change the look and feel of a ROM in any way. It's what you do after rooting that makes the difference.
Some like the Stock Rom of a device and/or do not want to lose some of its unique features. These people will root but not flash a custom ROM.
I've had two android phones and one tablet. Initially I root a new device but leave it on the stock ROM. At that time I will use an app that requires root to freeze any of the pre-installed apps that I don't use (My definition of bloat.) I don't remove/delete them at the beginning. If freezing them breaks some other functionality I want that app still on the device so that I can unfreeze it and make everything work again. Both of my phones have been Samsungs, a SGS Captivate and a SGS3. After a while on rooted stock I have changed to custom ROMs on each. The Captivate went from stock to CyanogenMod to a CM derived ROM. The SGS3 went from stock to a re-themed, custom ROM based on stock but with much removed (carrier bloat) and some other functions added. I expect to soon change to a later version of the same ROM with even more removed. Others want to have a ROM with every bell and whistle possible to have present. It's all individual preference.
havok6669 said:
i was watching youtube videos of reviews of the different custom ROMs gave a good idea on the features and layout of each rom. I as well am having difficulty deciding on a ROM to flash as this is my first smart phone and am new to it. ive been reading and watching a bunch of tutorials but finding information on whats currently stable for our particular phone can be somewhat dated. i know moderators want to avoid a "best roms" thread but for those of us just starting out with a rooted phone it sure would be handy to have opinions on what ppl use for the SGH-I747 and why, so its easier to decide on one.
is it reccommended to upgrade or downgrade? in order to compare ROMs its watching a video for 15 min to see what features it had at the time the vid was made and reading the developer forums on each mod to see what bugs are present in the current release but its not all compiled anywhere. its that or randomly flash ROMs on there to test them out and risk making mistakes. its usually always better to have advice from those with expertise and perhaps avoid making commonly made mistakes. ive read a bunch of helpful and handy guides on here but doesnt seem any way to easily compare roms or get feedback on what users have decided on sticking with or anything additional specific to this phone that should be considered before flashing certain ROMs.
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Click to collapse
There are so many variations on what is possible that a compilation thread to cover all situations would seem as huge as wikipedia. Your approach, reviewing videos and checking rom OPs, has merit but it also has limitations. Unfortunately some of the devs give you almost no information about the features and customizations of their ROMs. Others will simply state that they have made a change or two to some base, expecting you to be familiar with the base. Which means a lot of more reading/reviewing for a person new to customizing their phone.
To advise any one questioner on what can be installed on their phone a responder must first know what bootloader and modem is on the device, are you already rooted, do you have a custom recovery installed yet, are you willing to risk breaking your warranty; the list goes on. Then the hard part comes - they have to recommend something that is in the realm of what you are expecting, even if you do not know what you are expecting.
dawgdoc said:
To advise any one questioner on what can be installed on their phone a responder must first know what bootloader and modem is on the device, are you already rooted, do you have a custom recovery installed yet, are you willing to risk breaking your warranty; the list goes on. Then the hard part comes - they have to recommend something that is in the realm of what you are expecting, even if you do not know what you are expecting.
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well i made sure i learned a bunch before even attempting to ask a question so i got as much as possible prepared i'll try to provide the best information i can. my phone is rooted with superuser su2.0 i have cwm 6.0.1.2 installed, ive done a cwm nandroid backup which i copied to my pc as well as a backup of my efs folder and done a titanium backup as well. i have odin 3.07 on my pc and am currently running kitkat 4.4.2 on my sgh-i747m (sasktel version) currently trying to figure out how to determine the modem and bootloader versions . i followed the galaxys3root.com guide galaxys3root.com/galaxy-s3-root/how-to-root-galaxy-s3-on-android-4-34-4-2-new and the highonandroid youtube vid in order to root my phone and made sure i read re read and was very cautious to follow instructions to the letter also read some worst case scenario information first like how to cause a phone to become bricked and how to fix it should it happen etc so before ive done anything else ive made sure to back everything up and ask a few more questions befor ei take the final plunge :] as for what ROM would tickle my tailfeathers was liking how carbon looked but it seems it hasnt been maintained :[ something good on battery life that runs fast n stable and is has a bunch of customization features is what i was hoping for. the main reason i decided to root my phone was to learn more about it and customize my os away from the stock look and feel and unlock some of the potential it has that a stock rom would otherwise neglect. the more i learn the sooner i can help by giving back to the community :]
havok6669 said:
....
my phone is rooted with superuser su2.0 i have cwm 6.0.1.2 installed, ive done a cwm nandroid backup which i copied to my pc as well as a backup of my efs folder
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CWM 6.0.1.2 is a bit dated, their latest version is 6.0.4.7 and even it is a bit dated. You may find that to flash a current ROM you will need to update CWM. For some of the newer ROMs even 6.0.4.7 is not current enough. You will need to change to Philz Recovery, based on CWM, or TWRP. Bear in mind that if you change to TWRP you will not be able to use your CWM nandroid. I don't know if the same applies to Philz Recovery.
https://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager
https://goo.im/devs/philz_touch/CWM_Advanced_Edition/d2lte/ (page is down at the moment)
http://teamw.in/devices/samsunggalaxys3canada.html (d2can TWRP, though I think you can use d2att, check before using d2att)
There is definitely a newer version of SuperSu (by Chainfire) available. It went through a lot of development to handle issues related to Knox that came out with Touchwiz 4.3. SuperSu is now up to 2.49 and I would recommend upgrading it no matter what ROM you should end up choosing. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1538053 There is a zip you can flash from you current CWM there.
It's not a bad idea to have several fallbacks for imei/nvdata. Give this tread a look: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255&highlight=synergy+nvbackup I used the reboot nvbackup from there and EFS Backup developed by wanam
... am currently running kitkat 4.4.2 on my sgh-i747m (sasktel version) currently trying to figure out how to determine the modem and bootloader versions .
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Sasktel has released 4 versions of Android 4.4.2, each with a different bootloader and modem. Any should be fine no matter what ROM you choose, even a Lollipop based ROM. But to check you can get Phone Info - Samsung by vndnguyen from the Playstore. Or you could use a pair of commands in Terminal Emulator
Code:
getprop ro.bootloader
getprop | grep version.baseband
... as for what ROM would tickle my tailfeathers was liking how carbon looked but it seems it hasnt been maintained :[ something good on battery life that runs fast n stable and is has a bunch of customization features is what i was hoping for. the main reason i decided to root my phone was to learn more about it and customize my os away from the stock look and feel and unlock some of the potential it has that a stock rom would otherwise neglect. the more i learn the sooner i can help by giving back to the community :]
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You could either go straight a Lollipop based ROM or start with a KitKat ROM. The KK ROM would probably be a bit more stable, although some of the nightly 5.1.1 LP ROMs are looking good according to many of the people installing the nightly versions. If you want something already customized with options for your choosing look to CM and its derivatives or one of the AOSP roms that are already tricked out. The other direction would be to install the most barebones AOSP ROM you could find and use XPosed with the GravityBox or Wanam module to tweak just about everything, but not both at the same time.
wow thanks that all helps a ton ill work on locating and updating all of that :]
My OnePlus 3 was lost/(more likely stolen) a few days back. It wasn't insured so I have accepted the fact that I probably won't get it back. I was then researching things that I could have done to prevent it from happening, and came across an app called Cerberus.
Cerberus seems to be a really cool app because you can do stuff like activate data via SMS, so if the thief disables it you can re-enable it. I know that they could also take out the SIM or clean flash a ROM, and then you're basically screwed unless there is somehow a Wi-Fi connection. If you integrate it as a system/app, it should survive a factory reset. And AFAIK, if the SIM is still in it it automatically connects to data on reboot so should be able to get info from cerberus' servers.
Is it possible to get a ROM zip, put the .apk to system/app, add cerberus_conf.xml from system/etc and put it into the stock ROM zip so it will always survive factory data reset.
By getting the .apk from their website and the cerberus_conf.xml from a temporary TWRP recovery or rooting temporarily just to make sure it is there and/or to gain access to it.
Then when that is done, re-zip the rom, relock bootloader, clean flash the ROM via adb sideload. <--- Is this part possible???
Because it is based on stock rom, would this work on a locked bootloader without root?
(I still want to use Android Pay)
I understand due to the nature of the cerberus_conf.xml file it will only work for personal use but is it theoretically possible?
Also, I haven't fully used Cerberus yet but it sounds like it could be worth it/ a lifesaver (metaphorically).
Basically the question I am asking is whether or not you can make small modifications to the system/app folder and still rezip and install successfully without having to unlock bootloader?
AlvieOP said:
Basically the question I am asking is whether or not you can make small modifications to the system/app folder and still rezip and install successfully without having to unlock bootloader?
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I don’t really think so because If u lock bootloader on anything modified then either locking will fail or either brick ur device
Edit: after thinking a bit it may be possible but to know that it works you or someone else has to do it and report.
I once met a guy here who locked his bootloader on modified rom and his device got bricked but in case of semi stockish rom it may be possible
Any furthur insight will be helpful from the community
Dupleshwar said:
I don’t really think so because If u lock bootloader on anything modified then either locking will fail or either brick ur device
Edit: after thinking a bit it may be possible but to know that it works you or someone else has to do it and report.
I once met a guy here who locked his bootloader on modified rom and his device got bricked but in case of semi stockish rom it may be possible
Any furthur insight will be helpful from the community
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Click to collapse
Yeah I know that a custom ROM will brick it, but what if it is just one extra file in system?
Does anyone else know?