I want to root my droid incredible to either remove bloat or flash cm7. My questions is do I need s-off to do either of these or can I stop after I have super user access? If they can be done with s-on what would be the down side of doing so. I just don't want risk bricking my phone by going throught the the downgrade and other steps. Any input would be appreciated thanks.
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Root [HOW TO](gaining root)unlock,downgrade,and achieve s-off with htcDev
- Thread starter scotty85
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- Tags
- htc droid incredible
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
You *can* flash cm7 and remove bloat without s-off....but it is MUCH easier to do when you have s-off. It is well worth the effort to complete the process. There is virtually no risk of bricking your phone as long as you follow the directions.
When you say easier what do you mean? Could you describe how it would be done with both s-off and s-on? Or point me in the direction of something that explains it? I will definitely consider completeing the process. Thanks
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
Basically bloat has to be removed through adb, with s-off it can be done just by using apps(titanium backup, root explorer etc) Flashing cm7 involves using a separate step to flash kernels so the phone boots. With s-off the whole ROM is flashed at once. Also s-off gives you a multitude of more options if your phone ever becomes unbootable.
scotty85
Extreme Android User
rest assured the possiblilty of bricking is slim to none,as long as you follow the directions and make sure the md5s match where instructed to compare them.
as sdraw said,the big disadvantages of htcdev are that:
1)the flashing process is more complex,becasue recovery cannot install the boot image
2) you cannot change radios and other parts of your phone
while you may not completely understand at this point of your "rooting carreer"
trust us when we say it is well worth your time and effort to go thru the extra steps to become s-off. it will be much easier on you afterward.rest assured the possiblilty of bricking is slim to none,as long as you follow the directions and make sure the md5s match where instructed to compare them.
as sdraw said,the big disadvantages of htcdev are that:
1)the flashing process is more complex,becasue recovery cannot install the boot image
2) you cannot change radios and other parts of your phone
while you may not completely understand at this point of your "rooting carreer"
Thanks for all the help, I will try this soon, how long should the whole process take? Also does the phone stay plugged into the computer the whole time? I read the guide but don't remember it talking about that.
scotty85
Extreme Android User
when i ran thru it to write the guide,and capture the cmd commands/outputs,my phone stayed connected to the PC the entire time,but you could forseably take breaks between various steps if you wanted.
it took me less than 20 minutes,prolly,but i do stuff like this all the time,so the longes part was waiting for the downgrade to flash and then boot.
being new to such things,id expect it to take an hour or so if things go smoothly,maybe quicker. if youre extremely cautious and it takes even longer than that,no worries
it took me less than 20 minutes,prolly,but i do stuff like this all the time,so the longes part was waiting for the downgrade to flash and then boot.
being new to such things,id expect it to take an hour or so if things go smoothly,maybe quicker. if youre extremely cautious and it takes even longer than that,no worries
Okay I am ready to do this (of course I'm a newbie).
I am preparing and checking everything before i start. I have created an account on htcdev as well so i am ready to go!
I have some real basic questions that I was not able to find how to do:
1) Make a backup before I do anything. How do I do this?? I have seen Nandroid, clockwork etc. and I'm confused what I need to do to make a backup of the phone, any help on this basic question would be appreciated.
EDIT: I booted into Recovery (Power button and volume down). Select recovery and I get the phone with the red triangle /exclamation point.
#2) "check your hboot screen" if you allready have hboots 1.02.0000,or 1.07.0000 then skip ahead to the next step,you dont need this. if you have hboot 0.92.0000,then download the RUU for the new hboot. right click it,and run as administrator. plug in your phone when prompted to. it will ugrade your 0.92.0000 hboot to the htcdev unlock 1.02.0000 hboot.
I have 0.92.0000 how/where do I download the RUU for the new Hboot?
Here are boot details:
Incrediblec XD ship S-On
hboot 0.92.0000
Microp -0417
touch panel atmelc03_16ac
radio -2.15.10.07.07
Jul 23 2010,18:06:51
Thanks for a great support forum !
I am preparing and checking everything before i start. I have created an account on htcdev as well so i am ready to go!
I have some real basic questions that I was not able to find how to do:
1) Make a backup before I do anything. How do I do this?? I have seen Nandroid, clockwork etc. and I'm confused what I need to do to make a backup of the phone, any help on this basic question would be appreciated.
EDIT: I booted into Recovery (Power button and volume down). Select recovery and I get the phone with the red triangle /exclamation point.
#2) "check your hboot screen" if you allready have hboots 1.02.0000,or 1.07.0000 then skip ahead to the next step,you dont need this. if you have hboot 0.92.0000,then download the RUU for the new hboot. right click it,and run as administrator. plug in your phone when prompted to. it will ugrade your 0.92.0000 hboot to the htcdev unlock 1.02.0000 hboot.
I have 0.92.0000 how/where do I download the RUU for the new Hboot?
Here are boot details:
Incrediblec XD ship S-On
hboot 0.92.0000
Microp -0417
touch panel atmelc03_16ac
radio -2.15.10.07.07
Jul 23 2010,18:06:51
Thanks for a great support forum !
i assume youve tried running RUUs?
if youre still on froyo,try and run that first. if it still wont boot,then i believe you could run the GB ruu,and even if the phone wont boot, you can install the unlock compatible hboot,then unlock it and install a recovery. the adb daemon will be running in recovery,so you can complete the adb steps and downgrade,then reunlock and flash the s-off patch.
i.e.,im pretty sure the whole guide above will work,even if the phone wont boot the whole time
granted,s-off in itself isnt going to fix anything,but if youve got messed up partitions/bad blocks im pretty sure you will be able to fix those and get it booting once youve got s-off.
youll just need to enter adb shell mount /data after checking the md5 sums,but before doing the rest of the adb commands. i did it on my phone in the other thread,to make sure it would work:
Code:c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="Red"]adb devices[/COLOR] List of devices attached HT117HJ00242 recovery c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]md5sums mtd0.img[/COLOR] MD5sums 1.2 freeware for Win9x/ME/NT/2000/XP+ Copyright (C) 2001-2005 Jem Berkes - http://www.pc-tools.net/ Type md5sums -h for help [Path] / filename MD5 sum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [c:\mini-adb_inc\] mtd0.img 34307be744275f1db1dd16af04c37839 c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]md5sums flash_image[/COLOR] MD5sums 1.2 freeware for Win9x/ME/NT/2000/XP+ Copyright (C) 2001-2005 Jem Berkes - http://www.pc-tools.net/ Type md5sums -h for help [Path] / filename MD5 sum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [c:\mini-adb_inc\] flash_image 0098a7dd6600b55fac34fc6645be5d7a c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]adb shell mount /data[/COLOR] c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]adb push flash_image /data/local/[/COLOR] 1485 KB/s (76044 bytes in 0.050s) c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]adb push mtd0.img /sdcard/[/COLOR] 1939 KB/s (655360 bytes in 0.330s) c:\mini-adb_inc>[COLOR="red"]adb shell[/COLOR] / # [COLOR="red"]cd /data/local[/COLOR] cd /data/local /data/local # [COLOR="red"]chmod 0755 /data/local/flash_image[/COLOR] chmod 0755 /data/local/flash_image /data/local # [COLOR="red"]cd /data/local[/COLOR] cd /data/local /data/local #[COLOR="red"] ./flash_image misc /sdcard/mtd0.img[/COLOR] ./flash_image misc /sdcard/mtd0.img /data/local # [COLOR="red"]exit[/COLOR] exit
ty for the step by step , had to redo few steps but worked out , what would cause everything to not respond after reboot when flash recovery , ? meaning apps installed both stock and downloaded
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
the ruu can be downloaded from the htc dev site... i believe it"s the first step after you login and start following the process
scotty85
Extreme Android User
there are apps in the market you acn use to backup your sms and call logs. sync your contacts and calander with google,hopefully you have made your contacts into google contacts and not phone contacts,so that they will return after you re-sign into google later.
the step you refering to is part of this:
so, following the first part,you will see the ruu download on htcdev's website
what steps have you completed? you might try a factory reset
Ok. So what about the apps that are installed , do i need to back them up?
I have the contacts backed up via Verizon backup assistant - is that not good?
I tried the recovery (nandroid?) backup but got an error.
For the hboot update it looks like if i just proceed with the HTCDev steps that should take care of it - correct?
thanks again
I have the contacts backed up via Verizon backup assistant - is that not good?
I tried the recovery (nandroid?) backup but got an error.
For the hboot update it looks like if i just proceed with the HTCDev steps that should take care of it - correct?
thanks again
scotty85
Extreme Android User
on the apps,there is not a way to back them up that i know of. you might do your own research,and come up with a process or another app that is able to backup app data,if you have games or apps whoes data you dont want to lose. there is a setting somewhere to backup settings,wich will automatically change some settings when you re-set up,and possibly automatically re-download everything in your current "installed apps" column in the play store.
at least once you are rooted,changing roms will be easy,as there are several apps that can backup your user apps and app data.
i have not used backup assistant in a a loooooong time
so i cant say for sure what disadvantages it may have,if any. i would think it would be fine as long as your using a stock rom,but it may not be compatible with cm or some other custom roms.sorry if thats not the exact info you were hoping for,but i hope it helps
there are apps in the market you acn use to backup your sms and call logs. sync your contacts and calander with google,hopefully you have made your contacts into google contacts and not phone contacts,so that they will return after you re-sign into google later.
the step you refering to is part of this:
so, following the first part,you will see the ruu download on htcdev's website
what steps have you completed? you might try a factory reset
well basically went through entire thing lol , but if i flash the recovery with the plus nothing wil run thats basically add-ons or installed , gets the core error . i hope u might know what i am referrring to , but if i use the reg stock runs ok , but i love the add-ons and would like help getting it to run like stock. ty again for the patients and help
scotty85
Extreme Android User
hmm,not sure what to think of that. i think i would run a GB ruu and see if that helps. if youre s-off,you can easily install recovery and root after.
hi all, im a newbie to all of this and im thinking of trying this on my incredible. just a question before i start and please forgive me if this has been asked before, but i didnt see it.
question is can i follow the instructions/procedure if my computer is running vista 64bit?
thank you in advance
question is can i follow the instructions/procedure if my computer is running vista 64bit?
thank you in advance
gbiggie
La patience et le pardon
Hey there 3sgte, Welcome to Android Forums
I too was a newbie to HTC as well-not sure if Vista 64 bit will be an issue.
You might want to disable User Account Controls in your settings on the computer before you begin though(mine were disabled). Sometimes it messes up the file downloads.
Just take your time-Scotty made it painless with the detailed guide :thumbup:
Hey there 3sgte, Welcome to Android Forums
I too was a newbie to HTC as well-not sure if Vista 64 bit will be an issue.
You might want to disable User Account Controls in your settings on the computer before you begin though(mine were disabled). Sometimes it messes up the file downloads.
Just take your time-Scotty made it painless with the detailed guide :thumbup:
great, thanks for tip. just disabled it
another question i have is, can i use an extra sd card i have laying around so i dont loose any data from the main sd i use in the phone?
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
Yup, just format it to FAT32 before beginning, and don't use the quick format option.great, thanks for tip. just disabled it
another question i have is, can i use an extra sd card i have laying around so i dont loose any data from the main sd i use in the phone?
DIncNewbie
Newbie
Scotty85, first of all thanks for all your hard work in putting this together. My very first attempt at rooting an Android phone, and your procedure worked nicely. For several brief shining moments, I had AOKP Milestone 6 running on my DInc and it was a thing of beauty. Then...
Discovered that AOKP didn't get along with some business-related apps and functions, so had to get on a white-knuckle conference call with VZW support and our IT guy. In desperation I went into Clockwork Mod and restored the backup I made of the stock unrooted Gingerbread ROM (thank you for that EXCELLENT suggestion). Things seemed to come back OK, but after a few hours the DInc got a little wonky...some apps froze up or force closed, at one point I lost some apps I'd downloaded, and now every time I restart the phone I see "System UIDs Inconsistent - UIDs on the system are inconsistent, you need to wipe your data partition or your device will be unstable", which sure sounds like what is happening!
Anyway, I think I'm part of the way back, but need advice on how best to turn the clock back and get back to working original VZW build. Along those lines, once I get back to stock do I eventually need to go S-ON and locked as well?
Discovered that AOKP didn't get along with some business-related apps and functions, so had to get on a white-knuckle conference call with VZW support and our IT guy. In desperation I went into Clockwork Mod and restored the backup I made of the stock unrooted Gingerbread ROM (thank you for that EXCELLENT suggestion). Things seemed to come back OK, but after a few hours the DInc got a little wonky...some apps froze up or force closed, at one point I lost some apps I'd downloaded, and now every time I restart the phone I see "System UIDs Inconsistent - UIDs on the system are inconsistent, you need to wipe your data partition or your device will be unstable", which sure sounds like what is happening!
Anyway, I think I'm part of the way back, but need advice on how best to turn the clock back and get back to working original VZW build. Along those lines, once I get back to stock do I eventually need to go S-ON and locked as well?
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
Did you wipe your data partition(factory reset in clockwork) before you restored your backup? If not... do that and restore it again. No reason to unroot and go s-on. Worst case scenario you will just have to flash a stock ROM again.
impliedconsent
Newbie
Muwahahaha - sitting here in Afghanistan after a bad day, I've been staring at my Dinc's clock since I got here 9 months ago. Phone doesn't work (well, wireless does, but no phone radio). I said "self, lets play with this thing...how 'bout a root? Found this thread (from the old outdated thread) and voila. Good thing I read every post before I tried (i.e. hit the stick button instead of power) - worked 1st time. Don't know what I'ma gonna do with it now - but w/e, it was fun. OK, now onto hexxeh.net to eff around with Lime, can't sleep for $#!+ anyway. Thx Scotty!
DIncNewbie
Newbie
sdrawkcab25, no, I didn't. And that made all the difference...just wiped and things seem much more stable. My blood pressure is now something less than stratospheric!
I think I didn't do it originally because I was afraid that I would have wiped out my Nandroid backup files on the SD. As it turned out I had a second SD card that I used for the earlier processes and it had a copy of the backups. Definitely want to keep that original stock unrooted GB one around for any future problems...
Thanks again!
I think I didn't do it originally because I was afraid that I would have wiped out my Nandroid backup files on the SD. As it turned out I had a second SD card that I used for the earlier processes and it had a copy of the backups. Definitely want to keep that original stock unrooted GB one around for any future problems...
Thanks again!
sdrawkcab25
Extreme Android User
No problem, glad you got it sorted out... a factory reset will never touch your SD card which is the beauty of a nandroid, since you can wipe your phone and just restore everything back with the nandroid.