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Root Guide to Rooting Without a Computer

Your welcome, glad I could I could help. Just make sure you only install roms designed for our phone. Also, read the thread for the rom you want to install, some of them require a different recovery than one I included in the tutorial. You can still flash the new recovery from the terminal emulator just as you did the first one.

su(return)
flash_image_recovery_/sdcard/xxxxxxxx.img(return)

with the xxxxxxxx being the name of the recovery you wish to install. Make sure to type it exactly as it appears on your sd card. or you can rename the recovery to something easier like arecovery.img, for example.

Follow all directions for installing as per the developer for the rom you want, some of them (cm7 roms) require the gapps (google apps, market and such) separately. And most important, DO NOT USE THE FACTORY RESET IN THE PRIVACY MENU ON THE PHONE. Do all your wiping from the recovery. If you have any questions on installing a new rom or do not understand a step, please ask before trying. It is much easier to answer a question than to try to restore a broken phone.
 
okay, I'm getting frustrated --

I'm finally getting ready to re-ROM my phone ... I went to the page [How-To] Install a Custom Recovery, Install a Custom Kernel or ROM and change Boot Animation, looked at Step 17, wanted to make a recovery level backup -- and I can't boot into recovery.

Phone off, hold down Home button, Volume Down button and tap the power. Phone comes on normally, normal boot animation, etc. No recovery. Huhwhat?

edit: nevermind. I had to hold, not tap the power button. Sheesh.
 
There are a bunch of files on the root level of my SDcard, and I don't think I need them. Do I?

they are:
busybox
flash_image
GingerBreak-v1.20.apk
vrecovery.img

These are left over from when I rooted my phone. I think I can safely remove them, just want to be sure removing the Busybox file won't break anything.
 
bump.

can I safely get rid of those files? I'm concerned that deleting the busybox one will break something.
 
Once you have installed them you are safe to delete them from the sd card. However, I would keep the flash_image and vrecovery.img just in case. Also, now that you are rooted, you can uninstall gingerbreak from your phone unless you plan on unrooting later.
 
Hi mkbkr1,

I have been reading many threads today in an attempt to understand root and roms and see if I might be brave enough to try all this, LOL...I am a techno DUMMY! i'm not happy with my week-old optimus v and the TWS bug and loss of signal and small internal storage, so i'm thinking i should root....

But, since I am a newbie to smartphones and optimus and all things technical (it's a miracle i can use pages on my macbook, haha!), I'm having some trouble understanding your instructions in the first post here on how to do the root process. If you don't mind answering an initial question?

After your preface you begin the instructions by telling us to download the three zipped files at the bottom of the post...then the instructions continue and mention putting the files (the gingerbreak, i think) on the phone sd card....

So, how do i get those zipped files onto my phone? i'm reading all this online on my mac laptop...do i need to connect my phone to the computer? i am not finding any info or threads about rooting with mac, and i'd like to do the root all with the phone, but don't even really understand the basics of how i get those programs onto the phone...it's embarrassing, yes.

I know you all have worked diligently with many other newbies and likely don't want to retype all the info again, LOL...but i need a bit more hand-holding, as i don't understand the technical speak...i don't understand what "root" even is (like when i read people say to "download to the root of the sd card") or how to do "terminal commands" and the like. i read thru another thread where sadielynn successfully rooted and flashed a rom all from her phone (after much stress, so sorry to think how awful that was for her!)...and i didn't even understand half of what i was reading, that's how confused i am on the technical aspects....

perhaps i'm way too dumb to attempt this?

thanks for your help and your time!!!
 
You can go to this forum on your phone and download the zip file straight to the sd card(it will go to either the download or downloads file). Then follow mkbkr1's instruction on how to get the items that are in the zip onto the root of your sd card(root of sd card means not in any folder,but, somewhere near the bottom of the list of file folders). Make sure you download AndroZip from the Market as it will do exactly as described in the tutorial.
 
First-download and install Androzip and Terminal Emulator from the market.
Second-download the zip file on the first post.
Third-use Androzip to unzip the file to your sd card. Place all three files at the bottom of the list of files on the card, not in a folder
Fourth-turn on usb debugging in the manage apps-development menu.
Fifth-use Androzip to navigate to the Gingerbreak.apk on your sd card. Select it and follow the prompts to install.

Now, all the files should be where you need them. Just follow the instructions in my original post starting with ruining gingerbreak. If you have any problems our questions, just ask.
 
Thanks guys! OK, revealing my complete techno duncehood here, but when you say I use Androzip to unzip the file to my sd card, i don't understand what that means or how to do it. Would Androzip walk me thru what to do on my phone? How do i work with my sd card?

Also, if i were brave enough to try this, once i ran gingerbreak, would i be rooted? then what? does my phone look and work like it did when i got it, before the root? how do i behave with a rooted phone?...i mean, how does the phone behave...

Also, I think my android system is 2.2; can i safely use the gingerbreak for rooting if it was designed for android 2.3?

You see, I'm so new that the wrapping is still on! LOL! Thanks for your time!

Edit...just thought of another question. I ordered a 16 gig sd card to use in my phone...should i wait and install that before trying this root? i imagine i would need more space than the stock card?

and, how do i get a new card to work in my phone? and how do i transfer any data i currently have on original sd card to new card? i read about formatting the card before using it and i was unsure if that was something i needed to do on my computer?
 
I can get a few of these questions..
androzip is a file explorer. When you open it, it shows you all the files on your sdcard, organized into folders, much like windows explorer on a pc (don't know the mac equivalent, if there is one). You would go into the download folder (touch it to open) to find the zip file. I use a different file explorer app, so I'm not exactly sure of the steps to unzip using Androzip, but I would guess a long press on the file might bring up a menu with unzip as an option..
rooting alone doesn't change the look or operation of your phone. The best way i've had it explained to me is, its liking being an 'administrator' versus a 'user', again in pc terms. Rooting allows you to give permission (to apps that ask for it) to access things they wouldn't ordinarily be able to access. This allows you to change the look of your phone, and some of its operations and what not, thru apps that require this access, and also by 'flashing custom roms' (which you should do *alot* of research on). Hope this helps :)

I would keep the stock sdcard until you've rooted. AndyOpie150 had some trouble with gingerbreak being picky about having the stock sdcard installed. That being said, gingerbreak worked like a dream for me. just remember, if it doesn't work the 1st time reboot (turn the phone off & back on) before trying again.
 
that does help with some of my confusion, thanks!

i just stumbled upon another forum where the gingerbreak was being discussed, and i went to the xda thread where i found this:


The APK must be installed to device, NOT SD card


I might be reading incorrectly, but in the original post here on how to root with gingerbreak, I thought the instruction was to put the gingerbreak file on the sd card?

Does it matter? Am I more dense than I thought? LOL!

oops, one more question...for sadielynn...once I'm rooted, how do i go in to "use" my new "powers," LOL! like if i want to delete something?

rooting alone...will that not fix my phone's bugs and storage limitations? is that where the ROm stuff comes in?

OK, won't be more of a pain for now. TIA everyone!
 
Hmm... I honestly can't remember where I had gingerbreak installed when I used it.... It's been a little while. Maybe AndyOpie will have an answer for this one-i know he has some experience with gingerbreak.

Seriously, Andy and JerryScript are like the guardian angels of noobs trying to root (and flash roms) :) I was real lucky both of them took the time & trouble to help me out. It's all in a different thread about rooting without a computer, if you ever want to read thru it, it might help you out too, who knows?
 
OK, good question. To use your 'root powers' :), first, take a stroll through the market for apps that require root. (search for 'root' in the market). Best example I can think of is Titanium Backup. Splurge on the paid version, it's worth it. This app will let you back up all your apps and data. It also let's you remove apps that you couldn't before rooting. It does alot of other stuff too, but you'll get to that later.
When you have an app that is wanting to use the power of root, an app called 'superuser' (gingerbreak will put it on the phone for you) will pop up and tell you that the app is needing root permissions, and give you the option to allow it or not. Tap allow, and the app is given permission.
Another root app I like is Root Tools. It has alot of nifty stuff, much of which I don't even understand (i leave those parts alone) one thing it can do is clean the cache from your sdcard, as well as your internal memory. Something a little less boring-it let me change the font of pretty much everything on the phone.

Honestly, to get the most out of rooting and out of your phone, your going to need to flash a rom. BUT I don't recommend that...yet. I would suggest making some adjustments using root-requiring apps, get comfortable with your phone (and android in general), and how it works. Most important READ READ READ. there are loads of threads about rooting, roms, etc. I've probably read most of them, weather or not they were about something I was interested in doing, just to learn the terms and understand what was possible-the good and the bad.

Flashing a rom *can* brick your phone (as in, a very expensive paperweight), but if you are comfortable with what your doing, and have done your homework, it can be awesome.
 
Thanks Sadielynn! Actually, that thread you mention where A and J helped you was one I read last night...honestly, I was holding my breath in agony to see what happened til I got thru to the end, LOL...that must have been hard on you! I'm really nervous to have my own stressful experience in this realm.

The more I read on the ROM/root threads, honestly, the more confused I get...I'm hopeless, i guess. it's all a bit overwhelming. but i do want to fix phone "bugs" and gain storage space, so i guess i must do a ROM? which do you like? i'd need very simple, nothing super special...

I appreciate your explanations and your time. I hope to gather more info and confidence before attempting any of this. I'm sure I'll think of more questions, if no one minds. Thanks again!
 
So, not to be a total pest, LOL, but I just want to clear up my confusion before attempting to proceed...

Is it ok to use gingerbreak on my 2.2 phone if it was designed for 2.3?

Does it matter where the file gingerbreak is stored (internal or sd) if developer says put it on actual phone internal storage?

Thanks much, all!
 
I'm rooted per post#1 and don't plan on a ROM (yet). My question about booting into recovery... you list these options:

apply sdcard:update.zip
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
install zip from sdcard
backup and restore
mounts and storage
advanced

Is there an explanation somewhere of what these do? Other threads say when you remove an .apk to reboot and wipe cache. I was just wondering if there were any maintenance items to help keep things running smoothly... removing "trash" that's not needed... I have 9 or 10 items in app quarantine that I don't really need to delete since I still have 100mb free, but will things run any better if they aren't there at all?

Is backup and restore like windows... you can backup say monthly and restore to any restore point? There's like 7 files in my Clockworkmod backup from post #1, is a new folder with 7 more files created if I ran another backup today (or are those over-written)? How is the CWM backup different than the Titanium back up and are both needed? There's just so many methods and apps at doing things one way or another, it's hard to keep them straight. I'm in the group "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it"... but I may be missing out on cool stuff if I don't mess around a bit.
 
sushifor5 said:
So, not to be a total pest, LOL, but I just want to clear up my confusion before attempting to proceed...

Is it ok to use gingerbreak on my 2.2 phone if it was designed for 2.3?

Does it matter where the file gingerbreak is stored (internal or sd) if developer says put it on actual phone internal storage?

Thanks much, all!
Click to expand...


I'm running 2.2,and it worked great for me, so it should be fine.

I definitely recommend the Harmonia rom for you. It's basically no frills, simple, but awesome. It gives you 178mb of usable internal memory, the TWS bug is fixed, the 'factory reset' menu option is gone (using it on a rooted phone will brick it), power button menu with options for reboot, recovery, etc., overclock-able with the setcpu app.....it's basically just.... clean. I have easily over 100 apps and around 70mb internal storage left :) its great.
There should be a link in that old thread for LeslieAnn's Harmonia thread on the android central board, check that out for the details. I know she just put out a new version, but I haven't upgraded yet, i like 1.3 just fine :)
 
tcat007 said:
I'm rooted per post#1 and don't plan on a ROM (yet). My question about booting into recovery... you list these options:

apply sdcard:update.zip
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
install zip from sdcard
backup and restore
mounts and storage
advanced

Is there an explanation somewhere of what these do? Other threads say when you remove an .apk to reboot and wipe cache. I was just wondering if there were any maintenance items to help keep things running smoothly... removing "trash" that's not needed... I have 9 or 10 items in app quarantine that I don't really need to delete since I still have 100mb free, but will things run any better if they aren't there at all?

Is backup and restore like windows... you can backup say monthly and restore to any restore point? There's like 7 files in my Clockworkmod backup from post #1, is a new folder with 7 more files created if I ran another backup today (or are those over-written)? How is the CWM backup different than the Titanium back up and are both needed? There's just so many methods and apps at doing things one way or another, it's hard to keep them straight. I'm in the group "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it"... but I may be missing out on cool stuff if I don't mess around a bit.
Click to expand...


OK, i don't think I can tackle all that, but ill try. :)

A TB back up covers app & data. A clockwork recovery (usually referred to as a nandroid recovery) covers *everything*. As in, something goes wrong flashing a rom, you boot into recovery, choose backup & restore, choose restore recovery, and BAM your back to where you were when you made the recovery, no harm no foul. It saves your bacon if something catastrophic happens.
Also, if you have a roomy sdcard (which I do not) you can make a new recivery*after* you flash a rom u like, then flash a new one, make a recovery of that one, etc. and easily switch back and forth between them. My recovery I made before I flashed Harmonia was 500mb and took up most of the space I had left on my sdcard, so multiple recoveries are not for me.

I'll leave the recovery option explanations to the experts, except to try to answer one more thing.

Whenever my market gets wonky, or something else just isn't working quite right, this is what I do
1. Boot into recovery
2. Wipe cache partition
3. Go into advanced, select wipe dalvik (or is it davlik? Dyslexic, sorry!) cache
4. Since I'm using xionia, i do both wipes 3 times (xionia has a rep for incomplete wipes)
5. Reboot

And this seems to get everything running smoothly.

Hmm...you're a space saver like me, you might like Root Tools-let's you clear sdcard cache. It's the only app i've seen that actually works for that purpose.

Edit: hope this doesn't come off as creepy, but I saw and app earlier and it reminded me of a post you made a while back in another thread, about liking bigger font sizes, and I wondered if u had seen it:https://market.android.com/details?id=org.pbxes.fontsize
 
Hi SAdielynn, reading your reply to tcat made me think of another question (yes, i know, endless newbie pestering, LOL)....

I'm a little confused about the "recovery" thing, and the difference between Titanium backup and the clockwork recovery you guys were discussing.

So let's pretend I rooted my phone successfully. Now I want to turn off my phone (which I usually do every night). when I turn it back on in the morning, will the phone act differently than it does now on powerup? will it ask me if i want to "recover" or do something as a root "superuser?" i'm still unclear on how a rooted phone behaves. when will i need the "recovery" function with a rooted phone?

I'm assuming the clockwork recovery is something necessary to the rooting process? is that the same thing as the xionia that is mentioned in the instructions (post #1)? do i need Titanium backup if i have the clockwork recovery?

i'm sure these are inane and annoying questions, i'm sorry. i really am reading tons of threads and web info on this process, i promise...not trying to get you guys to do my research for me, but i feel quite lost. LOL

TIA!!
 
OK,keeping this short for simplicitys sake:

to root,you need gingerbreak.
period.
the end.
they lived happily ever after.
:)

Your phone will look and behave exactly as it did before you rooted it 99.5% of the time.

The only time it will act any different is when you install an app that requires root permission.(you will know if you download an app that needs it b/c it will tell you in the market description)

When you open the app that wants to have root permission,the and only then superuser (dun dun da-dah!) will pop up and ask if you want to allow it to have that permission or not. Once you click allow,the superuser (dun dun-ahem,sorry!) goes away.

For now,don't worry about recoveries,roms, etc. Get your head around rooting,get comfortable being rooted,and all that first. Jumping into more complicated stuff to soon is asking for trouble,not to mention a headache.

I got my phone in March. I didn't start all this stuff until what,June,I think? I spent a lot of those months in-between reading just about everything in the "all things root" section of this forum. And if you can't tell from the first few posts of that old thread, I still wasn't really convinced I wanted to mess with roms. JerryScript kinda nudged me into it (now I'm glad, but still) ;)

I just reread all that,and your probably thinking "how will I learn these things if you don't explain them?! Ahh you hypocrite!"

Thing is, its way to easy to get overwhelmed with all this stuff. Just my opinion,and I'll be glad to try and explain all the other stuff (keyword:try) if you *really* want to know right now (well,not *now* now,I have to work in the AM) but I really think it would be better for you to be comfortable with basics before really getting in depth with the more complicated stuff. (Not trying be all "I know what's best for everyone",again,just my opinion.)

Also, its a little hard for me,since I have to type all this on my phone,from the phandroid app,I can't reference anything on my phone when I'm responding,because if I back out of the app to look something up,the app starts me back at the app menu instead of going back to my post, meaning I have to start over. So,I'd have to research some beforehand before I could really give you a good explanation. That and the fact that I'm no expert,LOL.

Whew. Hope that helps answer at least some if your questions. :) I'm going to bed, but I'll prolly be around tomorrow, sometime.

Edit: this might help alot optimus v modding (read this to get started)
 
You're a gem, sadielynn! Thanks for the great explanation and advice...well put and well rec'd. love your sense of humor!!!

and wow, i had no idea anyone could type so much on a phone! i say kudos to you, and, i'm sorry for being the cause of your laboring over the mouse-sized keyboard! (LOL one of the things i'm learning how to use...texting with the wee keys, heehee).

i will keep reading and chewing and checking back in here to glean more from all of the experts...and you all are to me, as i am a dumb cluck here! :) thanks again!
 
Don't forget. Once you are rooted YOU NEED TO INSTALL A CUSTOM RECOVERY AND MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR SYSTEM IN THE BACKUP AND RESTORE SECTION OF THE RECOVERY(this is what is called a nandroid backup).Once you are rooted you can change(add,delete,add to)system files or delete system apps(pre-installed apps). Doing these things can lead to the phone acting funky(if you change the wrong thing by accident)
Nobody told me how important this was,I now have a paperweight that was my first "V". As long as you have a custom recovery with at least one nandroid made from it (there stored on the sd card) you can get yourself out of most any jam and be back to business in less time than it takes to change a baby's diaper.

Follow mkbkr1's instructions and be patient when it comes to the Gingerbreak.apk(it might take 2-3 try's). It will not mess up you phone if it doesn't take the first time or two.

As far as AndroZip just tap on the Root files zip(it might be either in the download,or the downloads folder) a window will appear. Follow mkbkr1's instruction.

When you go to the Gingerbreak.apk and select the install option, it will install the app to the phone. It can then be found in the app drawer.

6:00am time for bed(work nites) hope this helped,follow mkbkr1's instruction's and you will do ok.

P.S. if when you go to make a selection will in the recovery mode using the home button and the screen goes black,don't worry. Push the same button again(it will go back to the menu screen) and use the menu button instead(it does this on some "v",s for some reason). Mine and sadielynn's xionia recovery select button is the menu button(don't know why this is,it just is)
 
sadielynn said:
Also, its a little hard for me,since I have to type all this on my phone,from the phandroid app,I can't reference anything on my phone when I'm responding,because if I back out of the app to look something up,the app starts me back at the app menu instead of going back to my post, meaning I have to start over. So,I'd have to research some beforehand before I could really give you a good explanation.
Click to expand...

I use Opera mini to read this forum on my phone. Set a bookmark for it and it will remember your password and log you in automatically. The best part, you can back out of by using the home key to check your phone, use another app, send a text, whatever, and when you go back it will be on the page you left it. Even you were in the middle of typing a reply to a post. The app is less than 1 meg and is very fast.
 
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