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Rooting for the dummest dummy

Mr.Magnum

Newbie
is there ANYTHING out there to root a LG Optimus S and break down each and every step? I have a LG Optimus S that I just got recently and Im hearing 50 percent of people saying it cant be rooted, and the other half says that it can. IF the NEWER version of the Optimus S CAN be rooted, how do you do it? Ive already tried to downgrade my phone about 10 times and all I get when Im done is a powered up black screen. If ANYONE can help, I would gladly appreciate it. BTW, I have looked and have searched for about a week STRAIGHT on how to do this (and also how to use SDK with no avail...but thats another topic lol) and came up empty handed..
 
It can be rooted but it will take extra work.
Go to android central and check out the "Rooting Roms and Hacks" section for the LG Optimus S. You will have to revert to sw version zv9 but it can be done.
 
It can be rooted but it will take extra work.
Go to android central and check out the "Rooting Roms and Hacks" section for the LG Optimus S. You will have to revert to sw version zv9 but it can be done.

well i downgraded to zv9 but my screen stays black and my computer doesnt recognize that its connected.
 
well i downgraded to zv9 but my screen stays black and my computer doesnt recognize that its connected.

If your phone is newer you may have different display drivers. Your phone will have a black screen because it cannot display with sw zv9. I can't recall the name of the software off the top of my head but there is a way you can see the screen on your computer so you can finish the process. There are instructions on how to do this located in either the kp500 or revert thread. I'm actually posting from my phone right now so I can't check the exact thread but it is there. I hope this at least steers you in the right direction.

EDIT: The software is called Android Screencast. The information about the lcd display is in red located on the first page of the revert thread.
 
If your phone is newer you may have different display drivers. Your phone will have a black screen because it cannot display with sw zv9. I can't recall the name of the software off the top of my head but there is a way you can see the screen on your computer so you can finish the process. There are instructions on how to do this located in either the kp500 or revert thread. I'm actually posting from my phone right now so I can't check the exact thread but it is there. I hope this at least steers you in the right direction.

EDIT: The software is called Android Screencast. The information about the lcd display is in red located on the first page of the revert thread.



Android screencast...hmmm, Ill have to check that out either later on today or tomorrow and post my results:) thanks to everyone for being patient with me...now i gotta figure out this sdk thing lmao
 
Android screencast...hmmm, Ill have to check that out either later on today or tomorrow and post my results:) thanks to everyone for being patient with me...now i gotta figure out this sdk thing lmao

One thing that helps me is to print all of the instructions and put them in order before starting. Also make sure you have all the software you need beforehand. By doing a lot of prep work on the front end you can save a lot of time. You'll do great! Make sure you keep us up to date :)
 
One thing that helps me is to print all of the instructions and put them in order before starting. Also make sure you have all the software you need beforehand. By doing a lot of prep work on the front end you can save a lot of time. You'll do great! Make sure you keep us up to date :)

well i just looked it up and i have to use sdk for that program. For some reason i cant get sdk to work and im looking for a guide for someone thats a complete noob to install and use. Let me know if theres one around if you can
 
well i just looked it up and i have to use sdk for that program. For some reason i cant get sdk to work and im looking for a guide for someone thats a complete noob to install and use. Let me know if theres one around if you can

The folks at AC know their stuff and are very helpful. Try posting the error or errors you are receiving in that thread and give a lot of detail as to what you have done. You will get the help you need. Just answer any questions they ask you and they'll work with you. Rooting the Optimus is a challenge since the latest LG updates but with patience you will succeed. I've seen them walk many a person through the process. You can do it!
 
Well the main problem i have....well, the thing is that i dunno what the problem is lol! i download sdk and everything needed (eclipse, java...)but i dunno how to upload drivers, or where to put them lol! ive come too far to just give up...and right now im almost there:) someone should post a youtube video or something lol! i know i cant be the ONLY person going through this lol
 
Well the main problem i have....well, the thing is that i dunno what the problem is lol! i download sdk and everything needed (eclipse, java...)but i dunno how to upload drivers, or where to put them lol! ive come too far to just give up...and right now im almost there:) someone should post a youtube video or something lol! i know i cant be the ONLY person going through this lol

You are definitely not the only person going through this. I really encourage you to read until you can't read anymore because your questions/problems most likely have been posted by someone else. If you still need help post what you have done and any messages or prompts you get. This will give the devs and more experienced users something to go by. In other words, don't just say it doesn't work but tell them at what point it doesn't work. LG has really made it a pain for rooting but those guys have figured out workarounds. I don't know of any Youtube vids unfortunately but there may be some out there. Good luck! :)
 
Ok so I just got progress...until I fubar'd it all up lol! So i FINALLY got SDK working and I got Android Screecast to work...until I checked off my USB debugging. I'm either trying to check it back on so I can use Screencast to finally root...or just update it and do it all over again. Any ideas? Thank you everyone for helping me:) So now my phone is a paper weight that lights up pretty much lol until you guys can tell me how to fix it. I hope its a simple fix
 
I saw that yesterday and it looks like it will make rooting a lot easier. Up until the vc/vd updates it was pretty easy but those updates in combination with the newer lcd messed up a lot of people. Lol, should be fewer problems and fewer bricked phones! So, did you get rooted?! How did it work for you?

Edit : If you are looking for a ROM you must have been successful! I am really happy with ThundeROM but that dev and a couple others have joined to create a new one so ThunderROM will no longer be supported. I haven't flashed the new one yet because I am waiting to see if there are any kinks that need to be worked out first. The Optimus is no longer my personal phone... my husband uses it as his business phone and it needs to work perfectly. I'm sorry to see TR go because I've been very happy with it and used it since 1.6.2 and it is very stable. I think it is still available for download. There was a link toward the beginning of the NamelessROM thread but I don't know if it is still valid.
 
Okay i FINALLY figured out everything that I needed to do. you DONT have to downgrade, you DONT have to use KP500. Follow this guide to the T and it WILL work (as far as up to the rooting..i havent loaded a custom ROM yet) if anyone needs help, let me know [How-To] Rooting LS670ZVD with GingerBreak (no reverting and OTA works too!) - Android Forums

Drew Walton now has an even simpler "one-click" way to root your Optimus S, using Gingersnap. You don't have to use a command line. You just launch the Gingersnap.exe and it roots your phone. Just follow the "Pre-use Requirements" posted at this link and download the zipped Gingersnap folder at the link provided therein. Then do the following.
1) Unzip the Gingersnap folder to anywhere on your PC (for example on the desktop).
2) Connect a freshly booted phone via USB.
3) Double-click Gingersnap.exe. Wait several minutes for it to work. (If it doesn't work the first time, try it a few more times. Several people, including the developer, have reported that it may take several tries.)
 
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