[FAQ] Begining with Android! [5/21/11]

[DJGHOSTS3V3N]

Before we start you may see the word SU or SuperUser or Rooting to make it more familiar these three terms can be close to the word Jailbreaking.

Lets start with some FAQ:

1.What is Rooting?
a.Rooting allows you to gain SU access to your phone. It allows you to flash custom ROMs, install custom themes, lock screens and more. It basically gives you complete and full control over your phone.

2.If I root my phone does it void the warranty?
a.Yes.

3.If I root my phone, can I go back to the original stock settings?
a.Yes. But first you must un-root the phone.


4.If I root my phone, what do I need to do before I take my phone in for service to my carrier?
a.You need to un-root it.

5.If I root/ROM my phone, and a new version is released (for example 2.1) by my carrier, how can I get it?
a.If a new version is released by your carrier and you are rooted, the only way to get it is to restore to factory defaults and then upgrade to the new version. After that you can re-root your phone. However, keep in mind that by the time a new version is released by your carrier, the Devs of the custom ROM you are running will likely have an update out already to take you to the new version.

6.Can I un-root my phone?
a.Yes.

7.Is there an auto-root/1 click root tool?
a.Yes there is. The best one out there right now is One Click Root. You can download it from here:
http://modmymobile.com/forums/491-ro...arket-app.html

8.Do I need to have drivers installed in order to root my phone?
a.Yes you do. All just depends on which phone you have.


11.How do I backup my contacts before rooting?
a.Use Google, just make sure your contacts are sync'd with your gmail account then make a backup of it just in case. You shouldn't lose them anyways rooting your phone, but if you feel more comfortable making a backup feel free.

Sign into google, then go into gmail, and choose contacts. Once in there, click on export and simply export your contacts to back them up.

12.Can I install custom Lockscreens, taskbars, icon, etc. ?
a.Yes you can. Some Lockscreens can be found here. Other customizations can be found here. Please keep this in mind; Each and every ROM is different. Customizations that were made for 1.5 based ROM's will not work on 2.1 based ROM's. Each ROM is packaged different. Make 100% sure that what you are flashing to your phone was made for your current ROM. Also, be sure to have a nandroid backup before flashing anything!

13.Will rooting my phone make it super fast and everything?
a.No. Rooting alone will not do this for you. Installing a custom ROM and using setCPU will help speed up your phone, and can improve battery life.

15.I am having problems with the auto root what should I do?
a.Start by going through this thread and see if anyone else has had the same problem you have, as there is likely a solution here. If you are still having problems, I suggest trying to manually root your phone. Be sure when doing this, to copy and paste the commands, as this will help avoid typing errors. If all else fails and you have troubleshot, and read and tried with no luck, feel free to post in this thread for help. If at all possible, please take a screen shot of your problem (Hit Prt Scr [Print Screen]) on your keyboard, upload the photo somewhere like flicker or something, and then post it here. This will help us to help you.

16.I am trying to create a nandroid backup but it is failing, what do I do?
a. Check the amount of free space on your SD Card. Nandroid backups are big files that require a good amount of space on your SD Card.

17.I am trying to restore a nandroid backup and it is failing. What happened, what do I do?
a. Chances are you re-named your backup. This is fine, however nandroid backups CANNOT have spaces in the name. So instead of "fresh backup with custom screen" you would make it "fresh_backup_with_custom_screen" (without the quotes in both cases of course).

18.How do I boot into Recover Mode from Power Off?
There are various ways to do this post your phone model and we will be glad to help you

19.How do I remove my carriers "Bloatware"?
a. Many custom ROMs already have several carrier apps removed. Some of those you may want back.

20.After I root/ROM/etc can I delete the .zip files?
a. Yes you can. After you have already flashed the files to your phone, you may delete the .zip files.

21.How do I wipe my phone?
a. To wipe your phone first you must boot into recovery (from command line: adb reboot recovery). Once in recovery chose Wipe. Typically you only need to choose "Wipe data/factory reset." However, sometimes you must choose "Wipe Dalvik-cache" and sometimes even "Wipe SD:ext partition" it all depends. If you wipe data and are still having problems, you can always wipe Dalvik as well. You typically only need to wipe EXT either if the ROM Dev tells you to, or if you previously had apps2sd enabled on a different ROM.

22.When do I have to wipe my phone?
a. You have to wipe your phone anytime you change from a 1.5 to a 1.6, 2.0, or 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 ROM. This also applies if you are going back down from any of those to another. Typically the Dev that makes the ROM will put up instructions on how to install it, which usually consist of wiping. They will also typically tell you if you have to wipe anything other that data. Please be sure to read the instructions on every ROM, as each is different.

23.If I root my phone, can I get paid apps for free?
a. This would be considered stealing. If someone developed an app and is charging for it, please buy it.

24.My SU Request isn't working, how do I fix it?
a. Make sure your USB Debugging is enabled. Also, if you are launching the SU app, and it is just blank, do not worry. As you grant permission to apps that require SU, you can choose "Always Allow." Once you choose that, if you then launch your SU app, you will see a list of the apps you have granted the "Always Allow" option to.

Here is how to root most phones

First you need the androidsdk:
Android SDK | Android Developers

Now read:

The internet is full of One Click Root tools, that work for different devices running Android 2.1 , 2.2. Some are for Samsung, some are for HTC, others for Motorola, and the list goes on. Most of them, even, if they are called One Click tools, often involve a long and tiresome process, which can confuse beginners and inexperienced users.
Now, with only one application, and one click of a button, any user can root any Android running smartphone, easier than ever. Even the root of Motorola Droid Pro is available. Root Android 2.1 2.2 with one click easier than ever!

This article is not a tutorial, because no tutorial is needed, just download Super One Click, enable your phones USB Debugging Mode, connect it to your PC and hit Root.
The software is currently available only for Windows platform, but we will have a download link for Mac and Linux as soon as possible.
There are only a handful of phones that can’t be rooted with the SuperOneClick root tool, because they’re on a NAND lockdown, but there is a solution to this problem too.
Phones affected by NAND lock:
Sprint HTC EVO 4G
HTC Droid Incredible
HTC Desire
HTC Aria
HTC Droid Eris
HTC Wildfire
You can download the fix for every phone listed above here.
By rooting your device u can either install non Market apps or just unlock your device easily. Root Android 2.1 2.2 now and fully enjoy your phones features.
This ultimate root is available thanks to the senior developers at the XDA forums.
Download SuperOneClick root tool to root Android 2.1 2.2 Here.
Follow us for more updates, and the release on the Mac / Linux versions of the software.
Share your rooting experience by posting a comment below.

Download link here:
Free File Hosting, Online Storage &amp File Upload with FileServe

If you need to change anything found something that doesn't work post it here.

Took most of the things from here:

Root Android 2.1 2.2 Phone With Just The Click of a Button | Super One Click

and

[Guide] Root/ROM FAQ/Tutorial (for 1.5) - Android Forums


Well I saw something about Unrevoked, what is that? Well here is your explanation Unrevoked for HTC (Linux)

Why rooting your HTC device?

- ability to flash a custom ROM (ie. Cyanogenmod, Openfire, Wildpuzzle ,..)
- super user permission
- ability to flash overclockable kernels (caution with this !)
- and a lot more tweaks.

How?

- People who installed the Froyo update on the Wildfire can’t use unrevoked at this time, they’re still working on this. So it only works with Eclair at the moment. Unrevoked3 can also be used to flash another custom recovery than Clockworkmod Recovery.

- First download unrevoked3 here : unrevoked It’s available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.

- Before we begin : Windows users have to uninstall HTC Sync and download the Hboot drivers. A more specific tutorial here : public:windows_hboot_driver_install [RootWiki]

- I’ll explain this now further for Linux Ubuntu , download the package : reflasg.tar.gz and copy the script ‘reflash’ to your home folder.

- Next , open a terminal and type : chmod 755 ./reflash

- Now we can execute the script , type : sudo ./reflash (the script requires root acces , type your password , don’t worry the terminal doesn’t show anything for security purposes)

- Follow the instructions on screen . DON’T forget to enable USB Debugging on your phone!

- Congratz, you have now a rooted HTC device!

What changed ?

Well, you now have super User permission and unrevoked installed clockwork recovery , with this clockwork you can flash a custom rom. I’ll write a tutorial for this soon.

NEVER PULL YOUR BATTERY , it just takes some time. Pulling your battery can result in a brick (so you’ll have a useless phone)

I am not responsible for bricking or messing up your phone, you do this at your own risk. But it’s nearly impossible to brick a HTC device, if you have questions don’t hesitate to comment below. If you do mess up your phone and point your finger at me, I may and probably will laugh at you.


Thanks to @h4oxer for the Unrevoked guide.

[Pzyduck]

Awasome guide

I will change the link of SuperOneClick

[DJGHOSTS3V3N]

Awasome guide

I will change the link of SuperOneClick

Thank you! I hope this will help many people in the forum. In case you see a new user in the Android forums feel free to redirect them here!

[neo.ank]

Good one.... This was something missing...

[DJGHOSTS3V3N]

Thank you! Like I said, remember to recommend this to everyone! Especially the new users!

[phoenixsong6]

Remember to put a warning for the Android 1.5 People while using SuperOneClick. The su binary included with the application is for 1.6 and above. So people with 1.5 phones (like the CliqXT) will get linking and bionic errors.

[Clarkey]

Awesome guide, very friendly, hell of a lot of text though lol. Might wanna mention that Super One Click doesn't work with all phones.

[modnmotos]

It does with Bravo so if Someone wants to make a list or add that phone to a current list its what I used.
*How do you make a back-up? You touched on it by saying to use nandroid, but where do you get it and how do you use it?