"Bricking" Your Droid Using Root Access

[theicemonkey]

I've been thinking about rooting my Droid for a little while, but I would like some clarification on the risks before I begin. I know almost nothing about Linux (but I am a tinkerer), but there seem to be very straightforward instructions on how to do everything I'm interested in.

When people say that you could "brick" your phone by deleting/moving/renaming the wrong file, I want to make sure I understand the usage of "brick". My definition of bricking a device was that it was literally only good as a brick. It is BROKEN. For good. Kaput. Like a brick. However, Blackberry users (when I was tinkering with my Blackberry Storm) use the word "brick" to describe a phone that just needs its operating system reloaded. I have no problem reloading the Android ROM if I had to (provided a dump of the Droid ROM exists...) but will I have the option?

Does "brick" around here mean the phone is 100% broken, or that it needs the Android ROM reloaded?

 

[mcadam]

I bricked my phone early this week. Froze at the Moto logo when you restart. Verizon was able to flash the ROM and get me going again. I played dumb as to how it happened. They weren't too concerned about it.

 

[Dragoro]

At this point, theres no reason to root, not much has come out to do with a rooted phone yet.

 

[esocid]

At this point, theres no reason to root, not much has come out to do with a rooted phone yet.

When that Milestone ROM eventually gets released, I'll be very tempted to try it out.

 

[Dragoro]

Unless they come out with the rom soon, you got only a few weeks till the 2.1 update that might very well do the same thing without rooting.

 

[theicemonkey]

Is there a dump of the 2.0.1 Droid ROM available on the internet should I accidentally screw things up, or do I have to do what mcadam did and return it to the Verizon store for them to flash it?

 

[droidpcguru]

Sholes

Be prepared for some serious Linux-tech talk.. but the process is there..

 

[theicemonkey]

Score. Nice work everybody.

 

[barry99705]

Does "brick" around here mean the phone is 100% broken, or that it needs the Android ROM reloaded?

Back in the good old days of flashing linux on the compaq ipaq, bricking meant you have a really pretty paperweight. That's the correct definition. Most people call borking your os on the phone "bricked". If you, or the guys at the Verizon store can flash the device, it's not bricked, just screwed up.

 

[theicemonkey]

THANK YOU. That's my opinion too, hence the word "brick", not "heavy thing I need to put software back on". That doesn't have nearly as nice of a ring to it, though.

 

[barry99705]

THANK YOU. That's my opinion too, hence the word "brick", not "heavy thing I need to put software back on". That doesn't have nearly as nice of a ring to it, though.

Oops, works pretty well.

 

[prerunnerseth]

With the recovery console installed properly and a good nandroid backup. you should be pretty brick-proof.

 

[CRPercodani]

Indeed, if you have the custom recovery installed and make a nandroid backup then you can't brick it. However if we get into flashing new SPL's then you have the potential to truly brick it.

 

[ausfahrt]

Indeed, if you have the custom recovery installed and make a nandroid backup then you can't brick it. However if we get into flashing new SPL's then you have the potential to truly brick it.

Just to be quite clear. With the new 2.0.1, if I accidentally screw something up, or want to go back to a non-rooted version of the OS, I could do the following and start my OS from scratch, but with my verizon plan still in tact:
-shut down
-Power+x
-Camera+Vol+
-Format