To root or not to root, that is the question - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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.

Related

Unrevoked 1-click apk defeated in recent update?

My Evo is doing fine, but I was trying to help a friend root his yesterday and the Unrevoked 1-click apk didn't appear to be doing the trick. The only difference I can think of between our two phones is that I haven't downloaded the update that came this week. Has Sprint defeated this root method in the most recent patch?
Yes...they are up to UnrEVOked 3.
chazglenn3 said:
Yes...they are up to UnrEVOked 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, this method requires you to use a PC though, right? I'm wondering if its still possible to root it using the unrevoked on-phone application, or has this been defeated? And if so, was the defeat in the most recent patch?
bump. I'm afraid the answer given is still a bit unclear to me. Can someone please clarify?
Make sure you are going to 'unrevoked.com/m' if you want to use it on your phone and avoid having to use the pc method. I forgot the /m when I first tried it and got pretty confused as well.
ashbare said:
Make sure you are going to 'unrevoked.com/m' if you want to use it on your phone and avoid having to use the pc method. I forgot the /m when I first tried it and got pretty confused as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is exactly what I did. The apk downloaded and installed, but didn't appear to gain root when I ran it. I ran it several times, but every time I attempted to run wifi tether, it would say that I wasn't root.
You can try downloading the Simple Root app from the development forum, Its only 4 clicks and its a legitimate full root. It does require the PC, but you seem to know how to use one of those as you got to this website.
Don't take shortcuts because your not sure what you're doing, learn
Mast3rpyr0 said:
You can try downloading the Simple Root app from the development forum, Its only 4 clicks and its a legitimate full root. It does require the PC, but you seem to know how to use one of those as you got to this website.
Don't take shortcuts because your not sure what you're doing, learn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply. I'll probably end up Simple Root for myself, but this is for a somewhat elderly friend of mine. He only needs root for wifi tether, since he can't get broadband where he lives (3g is okay). I figured the apk root method would be suitable for him since he would know how to uninstall it if he needed to claim is warranty or something. I won't be around to support his phone for him.
Anyway, thanks again. I'm still learning myself and appreciate the advice.
Ahh ok, he can always hit the wipe button and it will go back to a state good enough for the average sprint rep.
I Installed unrevoked 3by usb because i got last version 147.651.1. Its anyway to unroot and get back to stock rom. I tried different ways and nothing for example i wiped data, hard reset . etc.
Right now i dont have wifi is unable and that why i would like get back to stock. Also i use the method with htc sync and the ruu 132.651.1 andgive me error 171 then reintall the ruu give me error 140 and boot to the main screen/
Please any solution to get back to stock .
thanks in advanced,

Questions about rooting an EVO

Let me first say I'm a noob to this whole rooting thing and I would like to get some more info on. I tried searching the forums for the answers, but I failed to find what I was looking for.
1) What is this nand people are talking about? RUU? ROM (what's the difference between sense and no sense)?
2) How do I backup my apps, etc before trying to root?
3) Which guide do I use? My Evo came with 2.1, but I did the stock update to Froyo.- I don't wanna end up with a 500 paperweight.
4) If I need to bring my phone in for service how do I return it to stock?
5) I know you can turn your phone into a free wifi hotspot after rooting, what are some other advantages to rooting?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ok now let me remind you im not far ahead of you so let me tell you i would wait for a few more posts before taking what i have to say to heart, but i cant leave someone i may be able to help (even a little in need)....
1. the phrase "NAND" refers to the term nandroid backup, which is when you create a backup file. like a system restore point for windows, so when u start doing some different customizations or just try flashing some different roms assuming something goes wrong you will always be just one click away from doing a restore back to a fully functioning rom that you backedup previously. i believe the 2 main programs associated with this is amon_ra and clockwork.....
2. as far as backing up apps i just save the .apks on my pc and reinstall them once i reflash a new rom, but from what im reading you can use a program like titatnium backup, app brain...etc. but then again as far as personal experience goes...none here just what ive gathered from reading.
3. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=765496
(personally ive rooted with this method and it was very simple just read through the steps before starting and follow them accordingly, dont be discouraged general computer knowledge is needed though) or atleast the ability to move about the computer)
4. returning your phone from the method discribed below is simple as it seems...but again have not done personally only from what ive read: you are rooted (assuming you've used the thread above) with unrevoked3 meaning you have s-off(in laymen terms: the position of the bootloader {ON or OFF} which checks images being flashed to make sure they are signed with the htc security signature),,,you just need to download the unrevoked s-ON file and use that to return the phones security settings and re-download an RUU(RomUpdateUtility) thats official from the htc site and ull be back to unrooted good old-fashion stock evo.
5. and as far as the wifi tethering goes just go to the market place and download a wifi tethering .apk, once rooted of course ....and run it from your evo to connect to your pc wirelessly
*this should help*
http://handheld.softpedia.com/progDownload/Wifi-tether-download-76020.html
and as far as why root, well because when you buy a phone i assume you wanted it to be YOUR phone and with rooting its all about flashing opensource/custom roms to your phone and other things such as kernels to customize the phone to your liking and you cant flash unsigned data to your phone without having su permission, meaning you need ROOT access....
-now again let me disclaimer myself i am also very very new to the whole android community and may be spewing lots of wrong info and am probably quite confused my self but i figure id risk making a fool of my self to help u in the off chance that what im saying makes any sense at all....but yea
If I can root a phone trippin on 28 triple cs you can do it
Boss dextromethorphan.....is no fun, and I dunt suggest rooting ur phone or opperating heavy machinery under the influence of triple c's....
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Bump
Victory for L---S---U

considering buying an evo

Hi all,
Considering picking up an EVO to replace my touch pro2. If not evo, then an epic.
I was just wondering if there's a good intro link i should read up on, especially as far as installing custom rom's etc goes. I believe i need to get root access on the phone to do that, correct? is there a beginners guide on how to do that? Or a guide on available custom ROM's?
thanks
merkk said:
Hi all,
Considering picking up an EVO to replace my touch pro2. If not evo, then an epic.
I was just wondering if there's a good intro link i should read up on, especially as far as installing custom rom's etc goes. I believe i need to get root access on the phone to do that, correct? is there a beginners guide on how to do that? Or a guide on available custom ROM's?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just peruse the development forums for the Evo- each link is either a custom rom available, or a root method. Read through the root methods on how to go about rooting and nand unlocking the evo.
Check the wiki first - it will point you to all of the roms, radios, tutorials, etc.
The best place to get all of that info is the wiki, the stickies, and this thread, which benchmarks over 40 kernels and will help you choose the ones you want to try. If you don't quite understand all of the data in that thread (and the website it point you to), it will make more sense once you go through the wiki and stickies.
some quick answers - you do need to be rooted to flash a rom, which may or may not come with a custom kernel that breaks the fps cap, and may or may not be over/underclocked. If you don't like the kernel the rom comes with, try another, until you find a combo that works best with your phone (because not all evo's are created equal).
Most important thing to know is nand backup (with either amon ra, or clockwork/rom manager) before flashing ANYTHING.
nand backup? does that backup the original rom of the phone in case i muck something up and need to restore it? or should i just go RTFM before i ask more questions?
merkk said:
nand backup? does that backup the original rom of the phone in case i muck something up and need to restore it? or should i just go RTFM before i ask more questions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and yes.
merkk said:
nand backup? does that backup the original rom of the phone in case i muck something up and need to restore it? or should i just go RTFM before i ask more questions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, yeah, do your reading so you understand everything before you actually do anything. One of the subpages has a sticky on common misconceptions. It's pretty good, and someone posted a set of questions in that thread that you should be comfortable answering before you attempt root.
As far as nand goes, it backs up the current state (like a restore point in windows) of the phone at that time - so do one right before you flash anything, weather its a new Rom, kernel, radio, etc. That way if you run into bootloops or something, you can always go back to a working version of your Rom.
Sent from my blah blah blah blah
rugedraw said:
Yes, and yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. It doesn't back up your original rom, just whichever one you have on it when you back it up.
IE you can't do a nand backup of a completely stock unrooted rom. You have to root in order to install the custom recovery which will allow you to back up
There are a few posts that explain how to unroot. The easiest way I have found is to run the first part of SimpleRoot then run the RUU program that you can find in various places in the forum.
Also a good habit to get into is wiping before you flash. It's a pain for having to backup settings, but I've had to unroot and reroot a few times because my 4g would get borked and stuff like that.
ok - one last question, i promise (maybe). Does the method of rooting change significantly from phone to phone? i.e. if i get an epic instead of an evo, will that make much of a difference? My guess would be no since they are running the same OS. I'm still not sure if i want an evo or epic. Gonna try and take a look at them both when i head out for lunch.
FattySparks said:
Not true. It doesn't back up your original rom, just whichever one you have on it when you back it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP is new; not new to planet Earth. Obviously it's going to back up whatever you have on it.
merkk said:
ok - one last question, i promise (maybe). Does the method of rooting change significantly from phone to phone? i.e. if i get an epic instead of an evo, will that make much of a difference? My guess would be no since they are running the same OS. I'm still not sure if i want an evo or epic. Gonna try and take a look at them both when i head out for lunch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they can vary. like for the evo all you have to do is click a button now and your are rooted. go to the epic forums to see how they work. there are a lot of complaints w/ the epic for data uploads and gps. but then again the evo had problems when it first came out too. (now it's awesome )
rugedraw said:
The OP is new; not new to planet Earth. Obviously it's going to back up whatever you have on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the OP said will it back up your original rom. No it does not. It backs up the custom rom that you put on in order to root.
The OP may not have known that, and I really don't appreciate your snide remark when all I'm trying to do is help someone out.
rugedraw said:
The OP is new; not new to planet Earth. Obviously it's going to back up whatever you have on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LoL. Thanks. And yeah - i meant it would back up whatever is currently on the phone when you run it. Obviously if i need to root the phone before using that particular backup utility, it wont be backing up the original rom.
FattySparks said:
the OP said will it back up your original rom. No it does not. It backs up the custom rom that you put on in order to root.
The OP may not have known that, and I really don't appreciate your snide remark when all I'm trying to do is help someone out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate both your comments. I wasn't aware that that backup utility required the phone to be rooted first before using it. So I assumed i could install it unrooted, and use it to backup the phone. I do realize though that it's not going to be able to backup something that''s already changed before i install the backup program.
FattySparks said:
the OP said will it back up your original rom. No it does not. It backs up the custom rom that you put on in order to root.
The OP may not have known that, and I really don't appreciate your snide remark when all I'm trying to do is help someone out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, then let me put it another way:
In order to create a nand back up, your phone is already rooted with nand unlocked one way or another. In which case, the "original" rom is not even on the phone. If the original rom was on the phone, you wouldn't be able to back it up anyway, so by definition, what I said is correct.
I assumed the OP meant whatever rom he was on before he started experimenting with roms. I wasn't trying to be snide; my apologies if I came across that way. Maybe next time I'll put a smiley face next to my comments so they aren't taken out of context.
merkk said:
I appreciate both your comments. I wasn't aware that that backup utility required the phone to be rooted first before using it. So I assumed i could install it unrooted, and use it to backup the phone. I do realize though that it's not going to be able to backup something that''s already changed before i install the backup program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently, both FattySparks and I were wrong. lol Yes, your phone needs to already be fully rooted to back up a rom, because it requires reading/writing from/to the system. However, once you root the phone and unlock nand, the back up you create will not be the original rom anymore. The original rom is available (called an RUU) if you search the Evo development section.
ok got it - thanks for the info/explanations
Best phone I have ever had, by far...love it.
Just got the phone yesterday and so far I like it. I really don't like the on screen keyboard though . but the speech to text kind of makes up for that
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Newb questions about rooting/roms

So i have an HTC Evo with the latest OTA update 3.70.651.1. Completely stock, non rooted. I know very little about both rooting and roms other then what i quickly went over in a few Q&A's here.
Im not sure what to do, if anything, so i thought id ask here. Primarily id like to be able to delete unwanted stock apps/bloatware and backup the entire phone (like making a recovery image). Itd be nice to be able to wirelessly tether but this isnt necessary. Other then that id like to keep it the same.
Is it possible to root but use the stock rom? if so what does this accomplish?
Is there a risk free way to accomplish my goals?
Thanks
Im not sure what to do, if anything, so i thought id ask here. Primarily id like to be able to delete unwanted stock apps/bloatware and backup the entire phone (like making a recovery image). Itd be nice to be able to wirelessly tether but this isnt necessary. Other then that id like to keep it the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would need to root to do this.
Is it possible to root but use the stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely. Thats what I do. The only reason I rooted was for wireless tether, and titanium backup. Other than that, I didnt want another rom, I love the stock one.
if so what does this accomplish?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what you just asked for in the previous paragraph.
Is there a risk free way to accomplish my goals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. There is ALWAYS a risk when doing anything in life, and rooting your phone in no different. However, it is actually quite difficult to completely brick your phone. Most of the time, if you follow the directions, you will be fine. But if you do screw up, you can usually just flash a stock ruu and redo it.
Thanks for the information. Is there anything the free version of titanium backup doesnt backup? What does a nandroid backup save?
Also will rooting alone allow me to delete any app on the phone?
Lastly what would be the recommended way for someone new like me to root my phone (or resources i can use to pick a method)? Is there a way to restore my phone back to stock if i need to?
Thanks again. As i ask these questions im also digging into the forums looking for specific answers
Hey welcome to XDA.
I don't know when you received your phone, but it seems very brand new to me, I would say your best luck is to try to look for the details of your main specs in your phone, when you start to root your phone, you look for instructions here to setup properly on How to do the root process with the same exact phone detail specs of it.
I was rooted with an older OTA at first, but I see these new OTAs are up on new EVOs but It's kinda fishy to think of how to root it with the latest OTA on the old leet legit methods that toastcfh had...you know...The Manual Professional way, without the risk of bricking your phone completely, if you had the chance to root successfully with idiot proof instructions, I say that was quite a day for me then.
Actually ive had my Evo since release, ive just been too scared to risk bricking it til now lol.
i currently have:
hboot 2.10
software 3.70.651.1
hardware 0002
i took down some other info but idk if it matters for rooting directions.
So far from my searches it appears the only option for hboot 2.10 + 3.70.651.1 is a pretty lengthy/difficult for beginners method. Is that accurate?
Also my primary concern is deleting bloatware/included apps, does rooting alone allow me to delete these?
Also none of the guides ive seen detail how to backup your phone before the root, is there an easy way to make like a backup image of the stock stuff + data,sms,phone log, etc?
Thanks again everyone, still digging but your help will make it go much more smoothly
So ive pretty much discovered that my 2 options are do it the "hard" way or wait for unrevoked to update their stuff for the newest evo software/hboot. Im probably going to wait.
In the meantime i want to make sure of a few things, deleteing apps, backup, wireless tether. How would i approach each of these; can i use the built in app manager to delete apps? the built in wireless tether to tether? what exactly does nandroid backup compared to titanium backup?
Does the stock rom support netfilter?
Is there any scenario in which ota updates wont break root?
Thanks again
ctbenk said:
In the meantime i want to make sure of a few things, deleteing apps, backup, wireless tether. How would i approach each of these; can i use the built in app manager to delete apps? the built in wireless tether to tether? what exactly does nandroid backup compared to titanium backup?
Is there any scenario in which ota updates wont break root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To delete apps, you will want to use Titanium Backup. After removing stock apps, some of them still stay indexed, so you will need to boot to recovery and wipe your cache and dalvik to clear them from the apps list.
You won't be able to use the built-in wireless tether to tether unless you flash a new rom that unlocked that feature. Once rooted, there is a an app on the market called Wireless Tether for Root Users that will accomplish what you are looking for.
Titanium Backup will also allow you to backup your apps and data so that in the event you do flash a new rom, you can restore them without losing anything.
Titanium Backup is designed to backup your apps and data, Nandroid(recovery) will backup your entire ROM, so if you do flash a new rom, you can always revert back to your stock setup exactly how you left it.
OTA updates will always break your root, but at the same time don't offer much in the terms of upgrading. Plus 90% of the time the dev's here release a rooted version of the OTA update very shortly after it goes live.

[Q] Rooted, didn't do nandroid backup -- any chance of recovering data?

My fiancee's EVO 4g was in desperate need of replacing, so we went and got new phones. She had been playing this damned Smurf Village game for about a year and a half, and I thought I'd pull a white knight -- root the phone, back it up on Titanium, transfer the backup to the new phone, root that, restore. She insists she's okay starting over, but I thought it'd be a nice gesture. Rooting the new phone (LG Optimus G) was a piece of cake. The EVO 4g took me some time to get it to work ...
In my poor attempts at multitasking, I didn't do a nandroid backup and completely overlooked where it said it would restore to factory settings.
Is all lost? I did a search on it while it was plugged into the PC as an external drive and found a bunch of (edit: Smurf-related) files, so I feel like the data might still be there.
If not, it's all good. I learned from my mistake (I mean, c'mon, big_onion, every damn set of instructions says "make a nandroid backup") but if there's any way to get it back it might make her day.
Data restoration aside, after flashing Superuser, I still can't get TitaniumBackup to obtain superuser privileges. Any ideas what I might've done wrong? The method I used was to unlock the bootloader via HTC site, then flashboot recovery, then flash superuser. The app is there, but it doesn't seem to issue SU rights to TitaniumBackup.
Best way to gain root is to flash any custom rom here on xda. Unless it is a completely stock rom it is rooted and works without any issues. I rooted my second og evo a few days ago and had the same issue with the stock rom. After flashing a custom rom I had full root access.
Now as far as data goes most apps store that on the sdcard. I suggest installing the game on the new phone then power off and insert your old sdcard into the new phone. Hopefully it will use the old data and return your wife's game to her last state and make you look like a champ.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
jlmancuso said:
Best way to gain root is to flash any custom rom here on xda. Unless it is a completely stock rom it is rooted and works without any issues. I rooted my second og evo a few days ago and had the same issue with the stock rom. After flashing a custom rom I had full root access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm...
You don't root android by flashing a rooted custom rom on a non root phone.
Rooting a phone must be done via a PC there is no other way.
Some stock roms ARE root.
The reason you had problems is because you were root and tried to install a non-root stock rom, if you would have installed a rooted stock rom you would of had no problems.
smh
Umm root is done by rom. Unlocking bootloader is the part done by pc.
You can be unlocked without root but can not root until you are unlocked. Rooting is the granting of admin rights to the user's apps.
I did not have an issue because I installed a non rooted rom. The rom was already on the phone which is the same spot the op is in. He is unlocked but not rooted. The htcdev unlock does not grant root rights to the current stock rom. Also the flashable zip did not grant the rom root rights.
jlmancuso said:
Umm root is done by rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't go from not being rooted to being rooted by flashing a custom rom on the phone from the recovery menu, unless you accidentally flashed a non-root rom while you were already root.
Unlocking bootloader is the part done by pc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're both done via PC at the same time with the same program (Unrevoked3 is only temporary nand)
Unrevoked Forever unlocks the bootloader permanently via recovery with an .img
http://wiki.rootzwiki.com/UnrEVOked
Wow man this will be my last response here about this but I want to say a couple quick things. First did you even read the link you posted? Yes with unrevoked you can gain nand unlock and root at the same time but if you also read it says this.
Does unrevokedĀ³ give me root?
Yes. It previously did not; as of version 3.0, it does.
So root and nand unlock are not the same and is not always done at the same time. It is possible to be nand unlocked and not have root. Which is the case when you use htcdev unlock. Do your homework before you go making statements please.
I am not here trying to run anyone down and start fights but I am here to spread knowledge and help out others with problems. If you give someone bad information it will cause problems down the line later. Most people will assume you know what you are talking about when you make a post even if the information is not correct. So please take the time and make sure your information is correct before you post it.
So take a look at links I have posted and see what root is, how it is used, and see the difference.
This is a general overview of the root permission (depending on os it is called many different things)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superuser
This is what it means with the android
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/05/rooting-for-android-what-why-and-how/
Again not fighting but giving information that is benifical to everyone.
Peace,
Love, and
Happiness
Fail troll is fail.
OP has the information he needs.
He already is rooted and needs permanent unlock which is what Unrevoked Forever does, which is linked in the link I posted.
Edit: The PM j sent me.
jlmancuso said:
Hey man. I am not trolling. The information is real. I am a knowledgeable dev and don't want anyone getting the wrong information. Bad information leads to big mistakes that can be a devs worst nightmare. Just read the articles and if you still don't agree well that is fine by me. I at least tried to give you the correct information.
Have a nice day and enjoy this beautiful day.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess he thinks Unrevoked Forever is bad information and harmful to Evos.
Backedup
If you backed up the game, you can always download titanium backup and restore. Make sure you didn't delete the files from sd-card (they should be there). Sorry if this was already answered or i'm wrong. :fingers-crossed:
edit: if its a stock rom and you backup every app with titanium back up you could.
jlmancuso is having a hard week. i would give him a break. as far as i can tell he's genuinely trying to be helpful and is catching crap from all sides these days. eventually he will slow down and not accidentally provoke people (or take things personally). but he seems like valuable asset to the community overall so i'm rooting for him. OP good luck with your issue.
It's already unlocked, via the instructions from the HTC dev site. I didn't use Unrevoked -- I tried, and got a message about something being too new of a version. I'll dig around more, but I before I spent too much time I wanted to make sure I could restore the data on the stupid Smurf game for her.
I did NOT do a Titanium Backup of anything on there before I started. The LG Optimus G doesn't have an SD card, so I can't just swap SD cards. I can copy files from the EVO to the PC then to the LGOG. I think I might install Smurfs on the new phone, root it, then just try and copy the Smurf files from the EVO over to the Optimus G and see if overwriting the data files would restore her game.
Will report back on whether or not it works, or if I can't get superuser working.
And chill out, friends. I appreciate all sorts of info, even if it's not what I'm looking for. Y'all rock.
I am not taking it personally and dont think unrevoked is harmful. I am not going to argue with anyone about the facts. I posted the articles al5uwtqind if anyone wants to read them and learn more than cool. The information is for the benefit of everyone. Call troll or a$$ or whatever. I am here to help like most everyone.
Knowledge is power so empower someone else today.
Peace,
Love, and
Happiness
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
big_onion said:
Data restoration aside, after flashing Superuser, I still can't get TitaniumBackup to obtain superuser privileges. Any ideas what I might've done wrong? The method I used was to unlock the bootloader via HTC site, then flashboot recovery, then flash superuser. The app is there, but it doesn't seem to issue SU rights to TitaniumBackup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he meant "Htcdev site" then "fastboot flash recovery", but it seems like Big_Onion did everything right as far as rooting the phone, but there can be other reasons why Titanium is not working properly. It could be Titanium data needs to be wiped or it could be an issue with busybox. He never said he was not rooted, he only said that superuser was not giving Titanium root permissions, which has happened to me also. I wish he would have ran the root checker app too, to verify did he really have root or not. Then it would be easier to tell which path to take.
And also, why are we arguing over unrevoked and unrevoked-forever? Those don't work on the newer stock roms, because they were patched in 2011 by the first Gingerbread update on. Since big_onion used the Htcdev site, he is likely on Gingerbread. They, unrevoked3 and forever, would only work if he downgraded the radios to the ones which came with either Eclair or Froyo, the two previous operating systems. Titanium backup only needs an unlocked bootloader from the Htcdev site, and superuser permissions from the superuser app to work. Anything else is just extra, at least on Gingerbread.

Categories

Resources