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Root Root your Milestone!!

'Rooting milestone' means upgrading the firmware on ourselves? Would it violence with Motorola warrenty contract if doing so?
 
rooting means we get superuser access to our phones...'for example.....uhh....extract paid apps apk and store it on our computers' ...it also allows u to use apps that you cant use otherwise...i think market enabler was one of them.
in short it gives u more control over your own phone.
but all those functions aren't that important to the everyday user. whats important is that with root access...chances are is that developers are on it as we speak on creating custom roms for the milestone.

for example.. i know magic users have for a while now had access to roms including the cool htc sense one....or even eclaire (the one that we have) ...and ones where youd have like 5 screens on your window without using a home replacement app.


and...i dont believe this to be in violation with motorola's warranty, because android is an open source software.
 
Does it get 2.0.1 after updating the Update.zip with the "rooting" method?
Also, can I backup my current system before rooting? I mean, to put it back if I I ever need to send the phone to the warranty.

Thanks,
Rodrigo.

Edit: I don't trust the people of Motorola Argentina, just because tech people here are Extremely ignorant. Just don't want to risk my warranty.
 
It seems very interesting on rooting. but I'd like to gather more information before I actually do so. Especially I like to know what I do for a rollback if I fail to root a successful build to my Milestone.. :rolleyes:
 
This root is 2.0.

I just installed it and it works as advertised. 2 minutes out of your life, root access, and I can't see any downside so far.

I have to say, though, I don't really need root access, so if I get the "ping" to install the 2.0.1 OTA before a 2.0.1 rooted version is ready and waiting, I'll probably just do it.
 
big_adventure said:
I have to say, though, I don't really need root access, so if I get the "ping" to install the 2.0.1 OTA before a 2.0.1 rooted version is ready and waiting, I'll probably just do it.
Click to expand...

Agree. I just wanted to try to install Opera Mini 5 beta 2, which needs some special files of the Java app moved to the system folder. But I couldn't. The basic steps didn't make it work, and I can wait till they release the official OM5b2 for Android.

Most people don't need the root.

Rodrigo.
 
I'm thrilled to see this come across, I've been climbing the walls stuck with an unrooted phone. I ordered my Milestone the day of the announcement that the Droid had been rooted (blithely thinking that if the Droid was rooted the Milestone would work the same). I didn't realize we wouldn't get an update for so long. I'm thrilled to be free of Motorola from this point on.

Now that I've applied the root update, how soon before there a recovery image for European Milestones? I know getting root on the phone is pretty safe, but, I know that before I play with it too much, I want a fall-back.

Gwen

PS - I found the original directions a little confusing. In particular, I thought the directions wanted me to react to the "M" on the screen rather than waiting for the triangle and exclamation point. Also, I found hitting the 'camera' button at the same time as the 'volume up' didn't work. What did work for me was hitting 'volume up' FIRST and then the camera button.

I used these directions:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yzu7fup

Step 1: Download one of this file and save it on the desktop (File One (milestone_root.zip) / File Two (milestone_root.zip)) - Both file are same. but hosted in different place.

Step 2: Rename the downloaded file to Update.zip

Step 3: Copy the Update.zip to your SD Card (On your Milestone)

Step 4: Power off your phone

Step 5: Now, while holding the camera power button on the phone - Once you get a Triangle + Exclamation point you are in

Step 6: Apply the update by pressing Volume Up + Camera

That's it .. Now, you have full access to your Motorola Milestone. Please feel free to ask me questions if you face any challenges.
 
Does rooting mean that the official OTA update to 2.0.1 won't work without unrooting... or does it make no difference to this?
 
In the brief time I've been reading about this, I have so far gathered this much. (may be inaccurate) The root update doesn't in any way change the version of android on your device, and doesn't touch any of your system. All it does it install the 'su' binary and superuser.apk to it, allowing applications to run with root access. I've done it, and it works fine.
You can undo it by removing the two files manually? I'm not sure if there is a problem with the fact that you have to use these very files to delete themselves.
The package that performs the update by its very nature must contain a valid 2.0.1 update, this has also been distributed and will allow you to update to 2.0.1, but the permissions on the su and superuser.apk files are changed so you no longer have root. Presumably the OTA update will do the same thing, so I do hope there will be a prompt before it tries to install it automatically.
Not sure if the same root exploit works on 2.0.1 yet, there seems to be ongoing discussion on the matter.

Maybe installing the files in a different location with the root patch but symlinking them to their correct locations would prevent the 2.0.1 update changing their permissions upon installation. I'm not sure I even know enough about how it works to be sure if this idea isn't entirely dumb.
 
duclicsic said:
In the brief time I've been reading about this, I have so far gathered this much. (may be inaccurate) The root update doesn't in any way change the version of android on your device, and doesn't touch any of your system. All it does it install the 'su' binary and superuser.apk to it, allowing applications to run with root access. I've done it, and it works fine.
You can undo it by removing the two files manually? I'm not sure if there is a problem with the fact that you have to use these very files to delete themselves.
The package that performs the update by its very nature must contain a valid 2.0.1 update, this has also been distributed and will allow you to update to 2.0.1, but the permissions on the su and superuser.apk files are changed so you no longer have root. Presumably the OTA update will do the same thing, so I do hope there will be a prompt before it tries to install it automatically.
Not sure if the same root exploit works on 2.0.1 yet, there seems to be ongoing discussion on the matter.

Maybe installing the files in a different location with the root patch but symlinking them to their correct locations would prevent the 2.0.1 update changing their permissions upon installation. I'm not sure I even know enough about how it works to be sure if this idea isn't entirely dumb.
Click to expand...

This issue is that the 2.0.1 "stock" update resets the permissions on every one of the files on the system partition in the update script. Even if you had a symlink in the system directory pointing to the su binary on your flash card (for example), the symlink would no longer have suid root, and so would not execute with root priveleges.

You could just copy the file to the flash card with suid still set, of course (root the phone, open a terminal or adb, use "su", and put the file on the card). After a reboot, the file would be in place with suid set. HOWEVER, the SD card mounts as noexec by default. The only way to mount it without noexec set would be to use root - and you can't get that without su executable.

So for the time being, there seems to be 2 ways to get a running, rooted 2.0.1 phone, both being discussed on the Alldroid forum.

1. Use RSD lite to flash a Qwerty keyboard 2.0.1 (114) image from Hong Kong, then root that with exactly the same exploit.

2. Use the 2.0.1 French update with a modified script. This, however, will only install on French phones (like the stock 2.0.1 update currently going out OTA).

To answer the othet question - you can root today and update in 2 days. You'll be at 2.0.1 with no root access, but with the su and superuser.apk files still on your phone. This is where I've been for 3 days. :)
 
I press on "superuser whitelist" after rooting.

The message i see is "The whitelist is currently empty."

what should i do?
 
I doubt the whitelist will say anything until you run an application which requires root. Install Terminal Emulator or Connectbot, enter a local shell and run "su". You should receive a prompt asking if you want to allow it, choosing 'Always' will add it to the whitelist.
 
When is DroidRootHelper going to be updated to include the Milestone (or when will a Milestone specific version be created)?
 
The root works with the 2.0.1 also. Of course you have to make the root process one more time. (Don't copy the update.zip if you already have it on your sd card... after that just follow the steps )
 
MarioNico said:
The root works with the 2.0.1 also. Of course you have to make the root process one more time. (Don't copy the update.zip if you already have it on your sd card... after that just follow the steps )
Click to expand...

Can you just confirm whether the firmware version is still 2.0.1 following the root process, or does it revert back to 2.0? Cheers
 
Yay! That was easy. Thought it didnt work at first because it said it couldnt find update binaries, but i have SU access so must have. Can i delete update.zip off my sd card now ye?
 
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