Why do people root? - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related

I'm Rooted, now what?

So, a Huge thanks to all those who worked on the method to get 2.2 rooted. I followed the directions and I am here, rooted. I used the Amon_Ra for my recovery back to 2.2. Now, this might be a stupid question, but What now? My phone looks the same, and I still can't remove sprint stuff. What are the next steps, I know i can install a custom "higher speed ROM", but can i just work from where i am now? I have the Superuser icon, but when i open it, i get "no apps in list" ? what do i need to install to start taking advantage of all that rooting has to offer?
Thanks for your replies!!
monetmonet said:
So, a Huge thanks to all those who worked on the method to get 2.2 rooted. I followed the directions and I am here, rooted. I used the Amon_Ra for my recovery back to 2.2. Now, this might be a stupid question, but What now? My phone looks the same, and I still can't remove sprint stuff. What are the next steps, I know i can install a custom "higher speed ROM", but can i just work from where i am now? how do i get that little superadministrator icon on my phone? what do i need to install to start taking advantage of all that rooting has to offer?
Thanks for your replies!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choose a new fancy ROM, download it to your SD card and use Amon to flash it. Easy as pie.
They are many great ROMs from many great developers here. Everyone has their preferences, mine is Fresh. I've never been dissapointed.
Agreed.....I can tell a big difference in speed and battery life but now what? I also can't delete any of the Sprint bloatware and I am on Baked Sense 1.6.
I don't understand: Why would you root your phone if you don't even know what it does? Not trying to be a ****; I'm just saying.
Firstly, if you rooted, all you did was revert your phone back to 2.1 so you no longer have Froyo. (edit: nevermind.....I see you want back to 2.2; I'm guessing you flashed a 2.2 stock rooted rom to your phone). The superuser app is empty because it hasn't given superuser permission to any apps that require it. If you want to see your superuser app in action, download ShootMe or screenshot from the market, and you will see the app asks for superuser permission.
I rooted my phone because I thought it was ridiculous to pay Sprint $30 a month to use the wireless tether option that was built into the Evo by HTC and which I already paid for when I purchased the phone. Now I use my root privileges to do a lot more, but my point is that I had a reason to root my phone to begin with. Download wireless tether and try it.
If you want to uninstall apps, download Titanium Back up (that's what I use anyway) and go to town removing stuff. I am not sure if the free version removes apps or not because I got the paid one from the beginning, but now that you are rooted, it is well worth the price for the premium license. You can use this app to move stuff to your SD card and free up your phone's internal memory, too. You can also back up all your apps and system data which is handy when you flash from one rom to another and you have to do a full wipe of your phone.
ddublu said:
Agreed.....I can tell a big difference in speed and battery life but now what? I also can't delete any of the Sprint bloatware and I am on Baked Sense 1.6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of the ROMs have all that stuff removed for you, such as Fresh.
First thing to do: Head over to the developer forum and flash Netarchy's kernel, which will uncap your FPS. Do it ASAP, DO IT NAO!!!!1!!1!1!eleven. Then come back here and tell us how amazing it is.
thanks for the input
Thanks for all the replies! Rugedraw - i especially appreciate your indepth answer despite the fact that you are clearly somewhat annoyed by the question.
Here's the thing. The android revolution is ongoing and picking up steam. and i could talk about that all day long. Opensource, kick blackberry in the berry, and send apple back to where it was after its huge popularity boom in the 90s - struggling to overcome its fatal closed system flaw. Beyond that, I bought my Evo for 2 reasons. My 16 month son threw my blackberry into the toilet (nice work - i now appreciate it), and my tech guy at work has been raving about his rooted Droid x2. as of 10 days ago it didn't seem possible to root the 2.2 froyo, but he told be to be on the lookout. I figured this is a little like an arms race and that the sooner i rooted my phone when the method was avail. the better. (tech guy is in italy with his fiancee right now, or i would be asking him all these questions)
Soooo, it seemed to me, that in the spirit of owning an opensource device and joining the android revolution, that i should root my phone and unlock all the magic.
I'm no computer programming whiz, i dont write code, and i learned all of the terminology on this board in the last 2 days. So lost, but learning fast.
I did not root my phone for no reason. I clearly understand the utility of having superuser status (besides, most guys are wired to want that kinda thing regardless) - deleting annoying sprint apps that chew power, "re-tuning" the device to run more efficiently, and of course, free wifi tethering.
But, after completing the most excellent root method described in this forum, i found myself staring at a rooted 2.2 and wondering what the next step was. There are NO google results for "i've rooted my evo 4, now what?" so thats why i started this thread, figuring that I was not the only one in my situation
THAT enormously long winded explanation complete, I would love to aggregate the appropriate options in this thread. Method to wipe, list of Flash Roms for a rooted 2.2 EVO.
Again, thanks for all the replies,
btw what does "uncap your FPS" mean?
If you did unrevoked then I would flash the latest Amon-RA recovery image. No offense to clockworkmod, amon is just my preference.
Poke around the recovery console and learn how it works.
NAND FIRST!! haha, develop that habit before you flash anything (roms, kernels, etc.), just in case
-Flash a rom that suits your needs. Read their OP's and threads to learn what they are about and what the people that use them think. I would suggest you just flash the stock rooted 2.2, play with it for a week or two to see how root works and explore what you can do with it. Also look into backup methods so you are familiar with how to preserve your stuff when you flash a different rom.
FPS = frames per second. There are kernels that will lift the 30fps cap.
Read about kernels and how to take advantage of them.
I know I've been pretty general, just pick a trail and start walking, when you have questions ask em
I like your logic of titling the thread exactly what you searched for, usin yer brains to make this thread more beneficial to the next guy (imagine a thumbs-up smiley here)
zeuzinn said:
First thing to do: Head over to the developer forum and flash Netarchy's kernel, which will uncap your FPS. Do it ASAP, DO IT NAO!!!!1!!1!1!eleven. Then come back here and tell us how amazing it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is highly recommended that you do what he says! You'll see a major improvement in lots of areas. In case you're curious here is my setup: STOCK 2.2 w/ Netarchy kernal. I chose the stock 2.2 so that I may do with it what I like. It's very fast and very stable.
monetmonet said:
So, a Huge thanks to all those who worked on the method to get 2.2 rooted. I followed the directions and I am here, rooted. I used the Amon_Ra for my recovery back to 2.2. Now, this might be a stupid question, but What now? My phone looks the same, and I still can't remove sprint stuff. What are the next steps, I know i can install a custom "higher speed ROM", but can i just work from where i am now? I have the Superuser icon, but when i open it, i get "no apps in list" ? what do i need to install to start taking advantage of all that rooting has to offer?
Thanks for your replies!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can remove Sprint stuff, just have to spend some time and learn to use ADB. Rooting an EVO is not the same as rooting an iPhone, you can pretty much do everything you can from rooting an iPhone without even rooting Android so the difference is not that great.
Most of what you gain from rooting Android is being able to do things the carrier doesn't wan't you to do such as install free wifi tethering, remove their apps etc... You can also install others roms where they have already done this stuff for you but from what I have seen on the EVO and 2.2 battery life suffers greatly on pretty much any rom other than stock rooted so there is a lot to be gained from learning adb and just working with the stock rooted rom to remove the apps you wan't to.
I'm in the same boat. I got my new EVO on Tuesday, it was rooted an hour later. Why? Because that's how we do things! First thing for me it was important to have tethering. Work blocks damned near everything. As I learn more about the Android system I'll get more use out of root.
I was carefully paying attention to the thread and particularly bluehaze's answer. I'd like to learn more about using adb to remove sprint crap. That amazon app is always restarting itself. If there an ADB for newbs guide around here anywhere? I looked but didn't see.
There are a few things that I use which make root a necessity.
- custom ROMs provide a setup more tailored to what you are personally looking for
- using wireless tethering without being artificially limited to Sprint's commercial offering
- backups! I can boot into recovery and make a backup image of my setup at any point. That way no matter what settings I change or what ROMs I test out, I can always go right back to my stable daily driver in 5 minutes if needed.
- custom recovery and superuser allow you to install things, uninstall things, theme things, etc. Nothing worse than not being able to change something on my own device
- speed, battery, etc. via tweaked kernels. I'm using Baked Snack's ROM and kernel now and it's way faster and nicer on battery than stock
nOObs need love too
monetmonet said:
...There are NO google results for "i've rooted my evo 4, now what?" ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now there is...thanks. My Google search on those words led me here. I've been lurking on these boards since I got my EVO a while ago, but I haven't had the guts to root until right now, 2nite, it's happening... I'll be back soon with my *new and improved* phone.
Whoo! Good Luck!
Indeed, you'll be a flash addict in no time. You may want to check out the link in my sig - it points to my post in a more recent version of this thread, with more current and relevant information throughout. Good luck!
Sent from my blah blah blah blah
I searched the exact same thing in google 'cept im on an x10, this thread looks like a good place to start
New guy...
Same here, I just rooted my Evo today and everything seems to be working great. But I'm clueless on how to put a rom on to my sd card so I can flash it to my evo.
Can any one send me a link to a basic how to..
Thanks
Rich

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

Is this possible? I know most unroot the phone to take it in for service/exchange etc but my situation is different. I have to use Good for Enterprise to access my company's email and as you may know, Good does not allow rooted phones. So, I have no choice but to unroot my Evo.
The image that is used in unrooting is a stock ROM. What I want to do is setup my phone - the way I want it with Mikfroyo - with all the tweaks etc and then "just do the unrooting part". If that makes any sense - I don't need any superuser permissions etc.
Long story short - can a phone be unrooted with a custom ROM instead of a stock ROM?
im pretty sure this is impossible dude, sorry, just leave it all rooted, whats the problem
I know you can't unroot and keep a custom ROM but I wonder if there is a way to hide the fact that you're rooted from the app. What kind of message pops up when you install it?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
It just says that Good cannot run on a rooted phone and just locks the app - I have to call IT to get an unlock code using the device ID that is displayed in Good's pop-up message.
It has to be checking for something specific and I bet there is a way to fudge it but unfortunately that's outside my realm of understanding. I would ask one of the devs here about it.
What permissions does the App request when you install? It could just check for SuperUser
SSjon said:
What permissions does the App request when you install? If could just check for SuperUser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I which case you could either delete superuser or use it to block the app... perhaps?
I am sure its more complicated than that - if they are touting themselves as a replacement for blackberry security for iPhones and Android - I seriously doubt a simple fudging of the superuser permissions will deceive it. Also, I'd like to comply with my company's requirements for using an Android phone so I don't get into trouble.
So from what I understand - you cannot have a custom ROM on an unrooted phone. Thanks so much guys - I'll just have to learn to live with the bloated stockware and manual restores arghh......
It's not possible.... to unroot, you'd have to RUU, which returns the phone back to stock. And then, you'd have no way of flashing a custom rom unless you rooted again
ok this is one thing that I am starting to not understand here...
so many people when they answer - say "yes" it can be done or "no" it can not be done...
...ummm where is the why? It would be very informative to know such things or if someone has even tried said thing before.
like why can't you just run a ROM or other flash file from renaming the file and letting the stock loader do the flashing? ......answer: because the stock loader does a file signature check - see? that makes sense and answers the why. it also helps users to retain the information as well as understand it.
I would love to know why the OP can't just run the unrevoked s-on tool from here http://unrevoked.com/rootwiki/doku.php/public/forever#custom_splash (in the FAQ section) without removing his custom ROM and just make sure he doesn't use any apps that need the su access. sounds like it should work? has someone done this and found that it does not work? flashing back to s-on should just prevent flashing to any other ROM's I would think from everything I have read in this forum.
or once s-on is back does it also check the current ROM on the phone and would cause some issues? would be great information to know. because if the security only checks file signatures of flies to be flashed and not the current ROM it seems like the OP could do what he is wanting to.
well, just thought I would ask to see if I could gain some more understanding as to the mechanics of everything
It would be good to know if this works with Good for Enterprise. I am stuck on an SGS 2.1 with Telstra and want a non stock ROM but really need to use Good.
ushkand said:
Is this possible? I know most unroot the phone to take it in for service/exchange etc but my situation is different. I have to use Good for Enterprise to access my company's email and as you may know, Good does not allow rooted phones. So, I have no choice but to unroot my Evo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not know that, and that SUCKS. My company's piloting Good now, and I was really looking forward to it. This just infuriates me. Mobile device makers are getting away with things that desktop/laptop makers never dreamed of trying. We shouldn't even NEED to "root" a phone. Imagine if you needed to hack your Windows machine in order to get the admin password and be able to install whatever you want. Now yes, I get that companies often do add those restrictions on their devices, and that they need to protect their data. Allowing access to company data on a personal device might make it a little more of a gray area, but it still blows. Good should be able to develop a system that can be secure, even if you have root access.
Here's a thread I just found. It sounds like you can just delete su and the superuser.apk. I think you can keep the custom rom, but you probably wouldn't be able to run anything that needs root, like Wireless Tether, Titanium Backup, or whatever. But you could probably have a flashable zip to re-add them when you need them. Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work. But it makes me furious that this is needed.
http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/207397-good-enterprise.html
bkrodgers said:
I did not know that, and that SUCKS. My company's piloting Good now, and I was really looking forward to it. This just infuriates me. Mobile device makers are getting away with things that desktop/laptop makers never dreamed of trying. We shouldn't even NEED to "root" a phone. Imagine if you needed to hack your Windows machine in order to get the admin password and be able to install whatever you want. Now yes, I get that companies often do add those restrictions on their devices, and that they need to protect their data. Allowing access to company data on a personal device might make it a little more of a gray area, but it still blows. Good should be able to develop a system that can be secure, even if you have root access.
Here's a thread I just found. It sounds like you can just delete su and the superuser.apk. I think you can keep the custom rom, but you probably wouldn't be able to run anything that needs root, like Wireless Tether, Titanium Backup, or whatever. But you could probably have a flashable zip to re-add them when you need them. Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work. But it makes me furious that this is needed.
http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/207397-good-enterprise.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly
Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.
ushkand said:
Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information. What is the ROM that you are using?
bkrodgers said:
Or maybe one of the temp root methods would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are there still temp root methods that work on the EVO?
I am using Mikfroyo 4.5.
Just came across this thread and was seeing if your GFE was still working? I have a DX and put a custom ROM and could not get it to work. I'm waiting for my new PIN and have removed SU to see if it works.
ushkand said:
Update- I was able to get Good running finally on a custom rom - However, I had to forgo my superuser capabilities. I just renamed both the Su and Superuser.apk and then was able to run Good without any issues. I can easily restore Superuser access by adb when I need to. The good thing is that with the recovery being there, I can still flash updates without needing superuser access.
Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my HTC Salsa to install apps2sd which is great, but what commands do i have to run and where to be able to rename su.apk ?
Thanks,
Mike

[Q] Root My Desire Z But Keep HTC Sense?

Basically the title says it all.
I'm a total nub to Android in general, and rooting probably isn't something I should worry about. But unfortunately I'm an organizational / resource freak, and want to be able to uninstall any app I wish.
But I also love the HTC Sense UI.
Is there any way I can root to get permission to remove the apps I don't want while still keeping the HTC interface intact? I'd just rather not run the stock UI.
Bloodlvst said:
Basically the title says it all.
I'm a total nub to Android in general, and rooting probably isn't something I should worry about. But unfortunately I'm an organizational / resource freak, and want to be able to uninstall any app I wish.
But I also love the HTC Sense UI.
Is there any way I can root to get permission to remove the apps I don't want while still keeping the HTC interface intact? I'd just rather not run the stock UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is just rooting; it does nothing to your OS beyond unlocking it. After rooting, the only way you'll lose Sense is if you flash a Senseless ROM.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Well actually yes getting root will allow you to delete anything you wish however once you have root make sure you don't delete important stuff.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
So that being said, can anyone point me in the right direction to root the phone?
And if I root it, is there any way to restore it back to non-rooted condition should I decide to sell it?
How to root is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision#Rooting_the_Vision_.28G2.2FDZ.29_and_DHD
How to unroot and return to stock for warranty purposes is also in the same Wiki. You may or may not have to worry about unrooting, if you decide to sell the phone. People actually pay money to have their phones rooted, or pay extra for pre-rooted phones. Depends on who you sell to, they might not care about the phone being rooted, and may even prefer it. But unrooting is required if you need to send the phone for warranty repair. If they find your phone rooted, your warranty is VOID.
Sticky page has ton of links to various useful guides and other stuff.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=916431
Just get reading, and you will be up to speed in no time.
Rooting does not remove and change anything. It just changes the permissions on the phone, so you have access to system files which are normally not accessible. You can remove/change what you want after you root. And you can also backup everything using ROM Manager (free app on the market) in case you mess anything up. Keep in mind that some system files/apps are tied into Sense or Android, so removing them can cause problems. Just be careful what you change. Don't go messing around by trial and error. Everything you can think of has been attempted by somebody else, so can come on here and read what is safe to remove, and what is not.

How to get more out of desire?

I am a normal user, not a developer. Had my desire for about a year now, its quite decent, I think I am gonna keep it when my contract runs out. Althought sometimes it freezes and forces apps to close.
It is very standard, android 2.2 with basic apss, sat nave being the most usefull app.
How do I get more out of this phone?
What will exactly rooting do? If I was to successfully root it (with your help obviously, i hope you have some good tutorials on here), is it likely that it will crash and brick later on?
No way of bricking it if you follow all the steps, even if you screw up something it's really hard to brick it completly...
Root is giving you multiple advantages, its all on the forums tho just have a read!
DanVanBam said:
I am a normal user, not a developer. Had my desire for about a year now, its quite decent, I think I am gonna keep it when my contract runs out. Althought sometimes it freezes and forces apps to close.
It is very standard, android 2.2 with basic apss, sat nave being the most usefull app.
How do I get more out of this phone?
What will exactly rooting do? If I was to successfully root it (with your help obviously, i hope you have some good tutorials on here), is it likely that it will crash and brick later on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting is a relatively risk-free procedure. Having root access means you'll be able to flash custom roms and modify/remove/add system apps, plus you'll be able to overclock or underclock for battery saving purposes. Other than this you'll be able to remove ads from free apps, plus much more things i can't recall.
Rooting is the first thing to do, then, if you want top performances you should really try out a custom rom, maybe an aosp one (aosp are the fastest, hands down). I'd recommend you to use Oxygen 2.1.4, bug free, insane battery life, really fast and even more stable than stock. Imho the best you can do is using Oxygen with its custom partition table and no ext partition: so you can keep all of the sd storage for your music, photos, videos or whatever you want, and you'll still have room for 80+ apps on the phone, and having all of the rom on nand makes it even faster. In order to do this you have to follow the s-off procedure and then flash the oxygen hboot, there is plenty of tutorials for all of this, just use the search function.
Actually if you wanna jump in and enjoy the epicness of Desire roms (we got some of the best devs ever playing with this device) you really should setup your android debug bridge (adb) on your pc: it's a program packed with drivers that will help you controlling your device for debug purposes and is essential for flashing radios, recoveries, partition tables, pushing apps to the system partition and much more things really handy. There are many tutorials also about that, it takes some minute to setup correctly but it's essential if you wanna play with android for real.
I hope i pretty much covered the matter, feel free to ask whatever you want.
Thanks, that helps.
I will attempt to root it over next weekend.
DanVanBam said:
Thanks, that helps.
I will attempt to root it over next weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice tutorial:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016084

[Q] Rooting and ROM

Hello, this is the first time posting on this forum and relatively new on the android platform after jumping ship from blackberry. So, i have afew questions i hope you guys can help me with.
1. I heard/read alot regarding rooting to bring out the full potential of an android(s4) phone. What is the full advantage of rooting my phone? How does granting administrative access affect my phone performance?
2. I often see the jargon of bloatware on this forum, what does it exactly mean?
3. What is the function of ROM?
Sorry if these qns are repeated, please direct me to the answer if it is already present in the forum. thanks
1. Ans
2. Ans
3. Ans
---------------------------------
Still confused between Samsung Galaxy S4 and 10 acres of land in London
Rooting your phone gives you access to do anything you want ie (Apps 2 sd) that the phone dosent permit you to do.
A ROM is just a different feel, and its a faster alternative in upgrading your android ios. (S4 has touchwiz, can change it to Htc Sense)
Bloatware is a bunch of unnecessary apps that Carriers know youll never use but have it just cause. Its annoying and it takes up space. Rooting allows you to delete these apps, cause if its not you wont be able to remove it.
I hope this helped, ask again if you have any more questions.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
I was wondering if there is a sort of rooting guide for dummies out there. I want to root my phone to get rid of some of the bloatware that I will never use, and also to delete the annoying start up and shut down sounds. Other than that, I'm happy with Touchwiz so far, but I suppose adding custom themes would be fun.
I rooted my last phone (Samsung Vibrant) over 2yrs ago and don't remember how I did it. I know I installed a custom ROM, but don't remember how to do that either. I remember following a really good guide with pictures and step by step instructions though. It's early days yet with the S4, but I really hope someone will do the same kind of guide because it's very helpful for those of us who like to customize but don't have the time or knowledge to seriously get into it. When I look at some of the threads on rooting it just seems like a foreign language to me!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
mahgnillig said:
I was wondering if there is a sort of rooting guide for dummies out there. I want to root my phone to get rid of some of the bloatware that I will never use, and also to delete the annoying start up and shut down sounds. Other than that, I'm happy with Touchwiz so far, but I suppose adding custom themes would be fun.
I rooted my last phone (Samsung Vibrant) over 2yrs ago and don't remember how I did it. I know I installed a custom ROM, but don't remember how to do that either. I remember following a really good guide with pictures and step by step instructions though. It's early days yet with the S4, but I really hope someone will do the same kind of guide because it's very helpful for those of us who like to customize but don't have the time or knowledge to seriously get into it.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the motochopper method - the guide is pretty simple and self explanatory however if you're on latest kernel then rooting is a no go as of now
---------------------------------
Still confused between Samsung Galaxy S4 and 10 acres of land in London
nikufellow said:
Try the motochopper method - the guide is pretty simple and self explanatory however if you're on latest kernel then rooting is a no go as of now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I looked at that and it seems straightforward, but I'm concerned about what to do after the actual root. Things like how to back the phone up in case I mess it up, how to delete things, how to add things. Also I find a lot of the terminology confusing... not quite sure what all the acronyms stand for either, like ODIN or CWM, or what each thing does exactly. This is the kind of thread which would be totally useful: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=849028 (this one is for the Vibrant though, so I think a lot of it would be different on a different device?)
As far as the kernel... as far as I know nothing has been updated. I got the phone on the first day it came out so I'm assuming it doesn't have the latest kernel. How would you find out? Not even sure what the kernel is or what it does :\ I would like to find out though!
^^^then you might be on an earlier kernel version anyway trying to root by motochopper method won't brick your device even if it doesn't go successful so no worries.
ODIN is the same software that service centres use to revive your bricked device - as a matter of fact with Samsung drivers, a usb cable and stock rom downloaded from online sources like sammobile, you can revert almost any instances of soft brick. Simply saying ODIN will flash back factory/stock rom anfd make your device as it was when you bought it. And yeah flashing via ODIN and all are more or less same procedure for all Samsung devices
Cwm is a custom recovery. If you don't know what recovery means it might be worth googling for better understanding the concept as even my knowledge is limited and my explanations might fall short of your expectations
---------------------------------------------------------
" Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor"
with regards to rooting my s4 which is running on 4.2.2 jellybean, does motochopper actually brick my phone? In addition, can i root my phone to remove the bloatwares and afterwhich, unroot my phone again, with all the bloatwares already permanently removed? Is it possible to download the full list of softwares of the s4 online such that if i accidentally remove an important software, i will be able to restore it. As I am someone who is not into very much customization and over-clocking, i believe i dont need my phone rooted for custom ROM right? I can use stock ROM when my phone is unrooted and clear of bloatware?
Mami-dalous said:
with regards to rooting my s4 which is running on 4.2.2 jellybean, does motochopper actually brick my phone? In addition, can i root my phone to remove the bloatwares and afterwhich, unroot my phone again, with all the bloatwares already permanently removed? Is it possible to download the full list of softwares of the s4 online such that if i accidentally remove an important software, i will be able to restore it. As I am someone who is not into very much customization and over-clocking, i believe i dont need my phone rooted for custom ROM right? I can use stock ROM when my phone is unrooted and clear of bloatware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Steps
#1. Locate GS4 box, place phone inside box.
#2. Return to store and get iPhone.
Serious tho. Best thing you can do is READ. SEARCH and READ. SEARCH and READ.
If you are unsure about something, READ again. Most questions have already been asked and answered.
If you find yourself lost......SEARCH and READ. Believe me this is this most useful advice you will ever get here.
Stuff is so easy now compared to when android 1st started. I remember rooting my G1 on a terminal prompt and installing recovery with wicked long commands. Now everything is automated and the hardest (NOT) part is reading the step by step instructions provided on almost every mod and tweak.
Welcome and goodluck !

Categories

Resources