remanifest
Android Expert
This thread is designed for helping new users with obtaining root on their devices, performing the S-OFF procedure, flashing radios, and pushing roms, as well as for helping you to understand what the heck all these words mean in the first place!
What does "flashing" mean?
Flashing is updating the firmware on your phone.
Firmware? What's that?
Firmware is essentially software that tells the hardware how to communicate, and it "lives" on the hardware - easiest way I can think to explain it.
What are ROMs?
ROMs are custom software that you can install on your phone, all with their own benefits and drawbacks; they are a personal choice -- that's why there's so many!
What is root?
root is "administrator" access, essentially. It allows you to fully control your phone. Once you root your phone, you will not have to root it again.
What is adb? Or fastboot?
adb is short for Android Debug Bridge. It is a program that sits on your computer and allows you to control certain parts of your phone from the computer. fastboot does the same thing, but on a lower level (more sensitive).
Why would you want to root?
To be short, it greatly extends the usability of your phone, and puts you in control of your device. You do not have to rely on anyone else (i.e. Virgin Mobile) to fix it for you in the vast majority of cases.
There is a great, big community around this phone, and a lot of users with a wealth of knowledge that they will share with you, for free. You are very unlikely to be stuck without any hope for help.
rooting your phone extends the life of your phone. For example, I got the G1 (first Android phone, on T-Mobile) very shortly after it came out. I got it specifically so I could root it and play with it, which I did. The first great rom I used was called JesusFreke, then Cyanogen came out and blew it all away. By using third party roms, I was able to unlock my phone's potential and use it well beyond the time T-Mobile would support it/issue updates for it.
In my opinion, the best thing about rooting your phone is that you can install a recovery (which is exactly what it sounds like), where you can essentially make mirror backups of your phone as often as you like. If something goes wrong, you can just restore your backup, and your phone will be EXACTLY as it was when you made the backup. In my opinion, the best recovery out there right now is 4ext recovery.
Why would I want S-OFF? It seems hard!
S-OFF is short for Security Off, which basically means that your phone will not verify the software signatures before you flash the updates to the phone. Why is this dangerous? Because if you put the wrong firmware on your phone, you can break it.
This is fine, because you will not flash anything to your phone without verifying that it works for your phone. Don't put anything that you don't KNOW is safe on your phone, and you will be fine.
S-OFF is another step in unlocking your phone. You should do this if you want to update radios to give you better service, or if you plan on using different ROMs to extend the usability of your phone. Each rom will have its own perks and drawbacks, but some of them will only work if you have gone through the S-OFF procedure.
S-OFF also makes doing backups of your phone significantly easier. Once you have S-OFF, you will never have to do it again. It is permanent, unless you specifically reverse it.
What are radios? I thought they were just for listening to music!
Your phone uses a radio to communicate with cell phone towers, to connect to wifi, or to do almost anything data-related. Once you have S-OFF, you can flash radios that are shown to work with your phone at will to see which one works best for you. This is a God-send for me, as I live in an area with shoddy service (in a cul-de-sac, on a hill, with a bunch of trees). By flashing a new radio, you're telling your phone how to talk to the towers. Some work better than others, depending on your location -- try them out and see which one is best for you! Once you flash a radio, you will not have to flash it again unless you want to change radios. Changing a rom will not change the radio -- software doesn't touch firmware.
As an aside, your phone does have an FM radio tuner built in - you just need to plug in some headphones to use it!
What does it mean to push a rom?
Pushing a rom is simply installing some custom software on your phone. This is very personal, and you can do this as many times as you like to find which one you like best. LOTS of them are great for various reasons.
Ok, I'm hearing about something called HBOOT? What in the world is that??
HBOOT, put simply, is like the BIOS on your phone. It tells your phone what to do when someone touches its power button. Just as the BIOS controls all the internal hardware on your computer, HBOOT does the same for your phone.
The two HBOOTs that have worked best for me have been the 1.50.5050 JBear HBOOT and the 1.04 engineering HBOOT.
What is a md5 file? Or an md5sum?
md5sums are basically fingerprints of a file or a folder on a computer. They are posted so that you can check the md5sum of the file you download against the md5sum on the post. In rare cases, you can get a corrupted file, so it's smart to always check these -- ESPECIALLY when you're flashing firmware (radio, HBOOT). In Linux, you just go to a terminal and type: md5sum -c filename.md5
For Windows, it looks like this tool would do the trick.
Ok, that's great, where do I get started?
The most comprehensive guide available for getting S-OFF, rooting, and updating your phone to the latest OTA is available here: http://androidforums.com/evo-v-4g-all-things-root/695161-s-off-root-fix-everything-all-in-one.html
See you on the other side!
What does "flashing" mean?
Flashing is updating the firmware on your phone.
Firmware? What's that?
Firmware is essentially software that tells the hardware how to communicate, and it "lives" on the hardware - easiest way I can think to explain it.
What are ROMs?
ROMs are custom software that you can install on your phone, all with their own benefits and drawbacks; they are a personal choice -- that's why there's so many!
What is root?
root is "administrator" access, essentially. It allows you to fully control your phone. Once you root your phone, you will not have to root it again.
What is adb? Or fastboot?
adb is short for Android Debug Bridge. It is a program that sits on your computer and allows you to control certain parts of your phone from the computer. fastboot does the same thing, but on a lower level (more sensitive).
Why would you want to root?
To be short, it greatly extends the usability of your phone, and puts you in control of your device. You do not have to rely on anyone else (i.e. Virgin Mobile) to fix it for you in the vast majority of cases.
There is a great, big community around this phone, and a lot of users with a wealth of knowledge that they will share with you, for free. You are very unlikely to be stuck without any hope for help.
rooting your phone extends the life of your phone. For example, I got the G1 (first Android phone, on T-Mobile) very shortly after it came out. I got it specifically so I could root it and play with it, which I did. The first great rom I used was called JesusFreke, then Cyanogen came out and blew it all away. By using third party roms, I was able to unlock my phone's potential and use it well beyond the time T-Mobile would support it/issue updates for it.
In my opinion, the best thing about rooting your phone is that you can install a recovery (which is exactly what it sounds like), where you can essentially make mirror backups of your phone as often as you like. If something goes wrong, you can just restore your backup, and your phone will be EXACTLY as it was when you made the backup. In my opinion, the best recovery out there right now is 4ext recovery.
Why would I want S-OFF? It seems hard!
S-OFF is short for Security Off, which basically means that your phone will not verify the software signatures before you flash the updates to the phone. Why is this dangerous? Because if you put the wrong firmware on your phone, you can break it.
This is fine, because you will not flash anything to your phone without verifying that it works for your phone. Don't put anything that you don't KNOW is safe on your phone, and you will be fine.
S-OFF is another step in unlocking your phone. You should do this if you want to update radios to give you better service, or if you plan on using different ROMs to extend the usability of your phone. Each rom will have its own perks and drawbacks, but some of them will only work if you have gone through the S-OFF procedure.
S-OFF also makes doing backups of your phone significantly easier. Once you have S-OFF, you will never have to do it again. It is permanent, unless you specifically reverse it.
What are radios? I thought they were just for listening to music!
Your phone uses a radio to communicate with cell phone towers, to connect to wifi, or to do almost anything data-related. Once you have S-OFF, you can flash radios that are shown to work with your phone at will to see which one works best for you. This is a God-send for me, as I live in an area with shoddy service (in a cul-de-sac, on a hill, with a bunch of trees). By flashing a new radio, you're telling your phone how to talk to the towers. Some work better than others, depending on your location -- try them out and see which one is best for you! Once you flash a radio, you will not have to flash it again unless you want to change radios. Changing a rom will not change the radio -- software doesn't touch firmware.
As an aside, your phone does have an FM radio tuner built in - you just need to plug in some headphones to use it!
What does it mean to push a rom?
Pushing a rom is simply installing some custom software on your phone. This is very personal, and you can do this as many times as you like to find which one you like best. LOTS of them are great for various reasons.
Ok, I'm hearing about something called HBOOT? What in the world is that??
HBOOT, put simply, is like the BIOS on your phone. It tells your phone what to do when someone touches its power button. Just as the BIOS controls all the internal hardware on your computer, HBOOT does the same for your phone.
The two HBOOTs that have worked best for me have been the 1.50.5050 JBear HBOOT and the 1.04 engineering HBOOT.
What is a md5 file? Or an md5sum?
md5sums are basically fingerprints of a file or a folder on a computer. They are posted so that you can check the md5sum of the file you download against the md5sum on the post. In rare cases, you can get a corrupted file, so it's smart to always check these -- ESPECIALLY when you're flashing firmware (radio, HBOOT). In Linux, you just go to a terminal and type: md5sum -c filename.md5
For Windows, it looks like this tool would do the trick.
Ok, that's great, where do I get started?
The most comprehensive guide available for getting S-OFF, rooting, and updating your phone to the latest OTA is available here: http://androidforums.com/evo-v-4g-all-things-root/695161-s-off-root-fix-everything-all-in-one.html
See you on the other side!
