• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Rooting Questions

harmless_abuse

harmless_abuse

Member
I apologize if this is in the wrong section, but my queries are not specific to a certain device.

Most of the rooting related articles and posts I have read are

1) Device specific
2) Very technical without much explanation

Basically, I'm looking for information regarding the rooting process with explanations of what each step means in terms of the big picture. The guides I've come across usually include instructions without much explanation behind the actions. Further research has allowed me to gain some understanding of what certain actions accomplish, but I'm still a little unclear of what is going on with all these actions.

Similar to the process on computers, can someone post some explanations of the main actions taking place please?

Thanks.

(Sorry if this is in the wrong section)

PS: If there already is a topic covering this, please point me to it. I've not really found what I'm looking for in my searches.
 
I'm unclear as to what you are asking.

If you are asking for detail as to what rooting does, basically you are giving yourself what is called Superuser access. In the Unix world this means you have access to all parts of the phones software. This allows you to reprogram the phone with new ROM software and do other advanced things to your phone.

If you are asking how to root your specific phone, this cannot be done on a general manner. Each phone has a different method of obtaining root access.

I see in your list of Devices you list the Dinc 2. head over to that section of the forum. In the All Things Root section there are sticky posts explaining how to root this phone.
 
These are the basic steps, as much as I can generalize (having rooted three separate phone models using more device-specific instructions):
  1. Temporarily gain root access on the existing Android operating system (what came with the phone), usually via some benevolent exploitation of a security vulnerability. Sometimes if the vulnerability has been patched, you have to downgrade to an older version of the operating system.
  2. Use that temporary root (i.e., full administrative) access to make the root permanent.
  3. Install some kind of recovery software so that you can install, back up, wipe, and reinstall new rooted versions of Android.
  4. Download a rooted version of Android for your phone (e.g., Cyanogen Mod) and use the recovery software to install ("flash") it.
  5. Keep upgrading to newer versions of the rooted rom--automatic over-the-air updates from your phone's manufacturer will no longer occur.
I threw in what I thought was necessary jargon, but if there are terms I used that you don't understand, let me know. That's as plain English as I could go for a first-run.

P.S. The three phones I've rooted the MyTouch 3G, the MyTouch 4G, and the original Verizon Droid.
 
I'm also curious about this.
Let's say you get a brand new model, a Samsung Galaxy S4 for example. Noone in the world rooted it yet and you wanna do it. How do you start? What do you look for?
Any experts here? :)
 
earthw0rmjim said:
I'm also curious about this.
Let's say you get a brand new model, a Samsung Galaxy S4 for example. Noone in the world rooted it yet and you wanna do it. How do you start? What do you look for?
Click to expand...
Unless you know a lot about Android and programming, you probably can't do anything.

As I mentioned before, most rooting methods are device-specific because they rely on a particular security vulnerability in order to root.

For example, when I rooted my original MyTouch, the phone came with a version of Android 1.5. To root, I had to download a .apk file, which I installed, which allowed me to flash a recovery software. If, however, I stayed with T-Mobile's Android and gotten the upgrade to 1.6, I would have had to first downgrade to 1.5 and then root the phone through the 1.5 vulnerability (which was by then patched in 1.6).

Usually in the mass media when you hear about security vulnerabilities, it's in the context of viruses and trojans and such. The rooting community uses those vulnerabilities instead to let people use custom rooted roms.
 
I'm a computer science and engineering student and a linux user, so not that far from the topic.
I know it's a complex procedure, wanna learn more about it, just need some guidelines where to start.
I googled stuff, but found only guides like "download this stuff, copy it into your phone, do this and it's rooted". Can't really learn from it because i don't see what's going on. I'm interested in the details.
Any advice?
 
earthw0rmjim said:
I'm a computer science and engineering student and a linux user, so not that far from the topic.
I know it's a complex procedure, wanna learn more about it, just need some guidelines where to start.
I googled stuff, but found only guides like "download this stuff, copy it into your phone, do this and it's rooted". Can't really learn from it because i don't see what's going on. I'm interested in the details.
Any advice?
Click to expand...
Well, before I give any advice, just keep in mind my background. I am not a computer science or engineering student. I was an English major at university. I come from a non-technical background. That said, I've flashed a bunch of roms. I run Ubuntu Linux at home and have for the past six years.

So someone more knowledgeable than I am would probably give you more details.

I think the best thing for you to do is go to Android Developers and learn a bit about how the Android operating system works. Also download a rom (which is really just a .zip file) and unzip it. Poke around. Explore. Get to know all the files and how they're stored in relation to one another. Only once you understand more about how Android is put together will you be in a position to discover security vulnerabilities and how to take advantage of them to put together a temporary root for a device.
 
valorian said:
I'm unclear as to what you are asking.

If you are asking for detail as to what rooting does, basically you are giving yourself what is called Superuser access. In the Unix world this means you have access to all parts of the phones software. This allows you to reprogram the phone with new ROM software and do other advanced things to your phone.

If you are asking how to root your specific phone, this cannot be done on a general manner. Each phone has a different method of obtaining root access.

I see in your list of Devices you list the Dinc 2. head over to that section of the forum. In the All Things Root section there are sticky posts explaining how to root this phone.
Click to expand...

I apologize for not being clear enough. I wasn't looking for a specific method to root my device. The answer in the post quoted below this is ideally what I was looking for. By the general idea, I meant like in Windows you back up data, partition, format etc. prior to a clean install. I wanted to know what that stuff meant. (I do know what it means in terms of Windows - Tech background to an extent)

aysiu said:
These are the basic steps, as much as I can generalize (having rooted three separate phone models using more device-specific instructions):
  1. Temporarily gain root access on the existing Android operating system (what came with the phone), usually via some benevolent exploitation of a security vulnerability. Sometimes if the vulnerability has been patched, you have to downgrade to an older version of the operating system.
  2. Use that temporary root (i.e., full administrative) access to make the root permanent.
  3. Install some kind of recovery software so that you can install, back up, wipe, and reinstall new rooted versions of Android.
  4. Download a rooted version of Android for your phone (e.g., Cyanogen Mod) and use the recovery software to install ("flash") it.
  5. Keep upgrading to newer versions of the rooted rom--automatic over-the-air updates from your phone's manufacturer will no longer occur.
I threw in what I thought was necessary jargon, but if there are terms I used that you don't understand, let me know. That's as plain English as I could go for a first-run.

P.S. The three phones I've rooted the MyTouch 3G, the MyTouch 4G, and the original Verizon Droid.
Click to expand...

Thank you. This is what I was looking for. More often than not I've come across guides that just direct readers or watchers to do this and do that without much explanation as to why. (And it's understandable as most people are not interested) I am however. Thanks.

Can you expand a little on the process implemented to make a root permanent? Not steps, etc. Just the idea like you presented in point 1.

(Note: I've never rooted, but I have read a decent amount and have experience in Linux/Terminal)

The recovery software is another step that just seems to go over my head a bit. A little expansion on this would be much appreciated as well.

Thanks.
 
harmless_abuse said:
Can you expand a little on the process implemented to make a root permanent? Not steps, etc. Just the idea like you presented in point 1.
Click to expand...
My understanding is that the prevention of root access on Android phones goes beyond simply not having the root account password. I believe the root account is actually fully disabled, and so a lot of devices are locked to the point that if you gain root access and then reboot, you'll lose the root access--thus, temporary root access.

I think it depends on the device what gives you full permanent root access. In some cases, it involves unlocking the boot loader. And most of the time you actually have to flash a completely new rom to get any kind of permanent root access.

The recovery software is another step that just seems to go over my head a bit. A little expansion on this would be much appreciated as well.
Click to expand...
As far as I have been able to tell, the recovery software is a lot like the Grub boot loader in Linux, though more immediately functional. The rom is like the operating system. And booting into the recovery mode allows you to have some kind of useful interface before the operating system boots so you can back up and restore your current rom or flash a new rom. Not sure if that makes sense.

Here is a tutorial with screenshots of using recovery to flash a new rom:
Ubuntucat Blog Archive Manually updating an Android rom
 
aysiu said:
My understanding is that the prevention of root access on Android phones goes beyond simply not having the root account password. I believe the root account is actually fully disabled, and so a lot of devices are locked to the point that if you gain root access and then reboot, you'll lose the root access--thus, temporary root access.

I think it depends on the device what gives you full permanent root access. In some cases, it involves unlocking the boot loader. And most of the time you actually have to flash a completely new rom to get any kind of permanent root access.

As far as I have been able to tell, the recovery software is a lot like the Grub boot loader in Linux, though more immediately functional. The rom is like the operating system. And booting into the recovery mode allows you to have some kind of useful interface before the operating system boots so you can back up and restore your current rom or flash a new rom. Not sure if that makes sense.

Here is a tutorial with screenshots of using recovery to flash a new rom:
Ubuntucat Blog Archive Manually updating an Android rom
Click to expand...

That makes complete sense. Thanks a lot for taking the time to put this all into a meaningful context for me.

The device distinction also makes sense. It probably explains why I've had trouble finding some legitimate sources to gain information regarding rooting a Nexus One that is on Gingerbread.

You mention root access is made permanent through methods that can differ depending on the device. One of the methods mentioned involves unlocking the boot loader. From my understanding, this is very similar to Windows' ntldr file.

Any explanations as to what exactly unlocking the boot loader achieves from a technical stand point? The resources I've come across usually mention stuff like 'unlocking the boot loader allows the user to flash custom ROMs'. I get that, but in terms of the boot process, what does unlocking really achieve?

If my thought process is right, a locked boot loader basically always boots to the stock OS/ROM. Logically then, an unlocked one would give you an 'option'. Does unlocking basically allow for the ability to over write stock boot files to point towards a new OS/ROM?

edit: Do you require root access to unlock a boot loader or does unlocking a boot loader give you root access?


Thanks again. You've been of great help. Truly appreciate it.
 
I think at this point your questions are getting to the outer edges of my knowledge about Android, rooting, and roms. I'm going to need someone more knowledgeable to step in here.
 
I didn't read all the replies, but this is the best explanation of a lot of the terms that are thrown around the rooting community. It is a E4GT thread, but most of it applies to general rooting or Samsung in Part 1, Glossary

look here
 
harmless_abuse said:
Any explanations as to what exactly unlocking the boot loader achieves from a technical stand point? The resources I've come across usually mention stuff like 'unlocking the boot loader allows the user to flash custom ROMs'. I get that, but in terms of the boot process, what does unlocking really achieve?
Click to expand...
Most phones these days ship with locked bootloaders. These will only boot a ROM if it 'official', i.e. it is signed by the manufacturer. Thus, even if youre rooted - you can't necessarily use a custom ROM unless you unlock the bootloader.

Some manufacturers will allow you to unlock the bootloader, which will allow you to install and run any ROM. However this is usually a one way process, and will officially invalidate your warranty, and may permanently remove DRM keys from the device. On some devices bootloaders have been unlocked by unofficial exploits.

Whether your bootloader is locked or unlocked is completely separate from whether you are rooted or not. You can be rooted without having an unlocked bootloader, and have an unlocked bootloader and not be rooted (although the first thing most people do with an unlocked bootloader is install a custom ROM which will almost inevitably be rooted).
 
harmless_abuse said:
I apologize if this is in the wrong section, but my queries are not specific to a certain device.

Most of the rooting related articles and posts I have read are

1) Device specific
2) Very technical without much explanation

Basically, I'm looking for information regarding the rooting process with explanations of what each step means in terms of the big picture. The guides I've come across usually include instructions without much explanation behind the actions. Further research has allowed me to gain some understanding of what certain actions accomplish, but I'm still a little unclear of what is going on with all these actions.

Similar to the process on computers, can someone post some explanations of the main actions taking place please?

Thanks.

(Sorry if this is in the wrong section)

PS: If there already is a topic covering this, please point me to it. I've not really found what I'm looking for in my searches.
Click to expand...


Go to the android market and search for "All About Root" from JoeyKrim. All your answers are there:)
 
I'm a noob too when it comes to rooting and the explanation of rooting, but have had a mytouch 3g slide phone in the past...went caput. Now I've got a samsung galaxy s2 and was wondering if it's possible to delete the preinstalled bloatware apps on a pc when the phone is hooked up via usb cable...
 
gameguru1360 said:
I'm a noob too when it comes to rooting and the explanation of rooting, but have had a mytouch 3g slide phone in the past...went caput. Now I've got a samsung galaxy s2 and was wondering if it's possible to delete the preinstalled bloatware apps on a pc when the phone is hooked up via usb cable...
Click to expand...

As far as I'm aware, you'd need root access to delete any bloatware from the carrier. A simple connection to the computer alone wouldn't do it.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
So, I had another quick question. It appears from my research that only HTC devices have the security check at boot. (S-On/S-Off) Is it a necessity to have that turned off if someone would like to flash a new ROM onto one of those devices? Where does this step lie in the entire process?
 
harmless_abuse said:
So, I had another quick question. It appears from my research that only HTC devices have the security check at boot. (S-On/S-Off) Is it a necessity to have that turned off if someone would like to flash a new ROM onto one of those devices? Where does this step lie in the entire process?
Click to expand...

It should tell you how to do it in the rooting guide for your specific phone. It has been a while since I rooted an HTC phone. But, yes you are correct, it must be off to flash a new ROM.
 
chrlswltrs said:
It should tell you how to do it in the rooting guide for your specific phone. It has been a while since I rooted an HTC phone. But, yes you are correct, it must be off to flash a new ROM.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm not currently trying to root a device. Just trying to gain an understanding as to how the process works.
 
Well, just as an update, I rooted, etc. to Cyanogen 7 today on my Nexus One as I bought that unlocked to any carrier off the internet and it is now a spare. I had no warranty on it and it developed a hardware issue which has been well documented. It causes the phone to reboot due to over heating or something.

Anyways, ran into one or two issues, but it's all up and working now.

Thanks for all the information guys. I definitely understand the process a lot better now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom