Root Screwed up superuser app

[Jo The Veteran]

So... in my friend's hero GSM I tried to install a custom ROM, which I did in mine quite easily some months ago with help from this forum, for that thanks again guys.
So I installed the Universal Androot 1.6.2b5 app to the phone while still being in the stock 1.5 cupcake version OS, then searched for the ROM Manager in then market. I couldn't find it so I transfered the .apk from my own Hero phone, only to find it refuse to install. At the time, the OS was the 1.5 cupcake, so I assumed it was also the problem, so I let it update the firmware through the official OTA to 2.1. It worked fine and after that I installed ROM manager from the market, but noticed I no longer had superuser access.
At this time Universal Androot wouldn't root or unroot, neither would it remove the superuser app, while the superuser app is "lodged" in the system folder and can't be unistalled, deleted, renamed or even moved with any file manager I tried.
I tried downloading the newest superuser app from the market, but since the old one is a system app it won't overwrite it or something, it simply installs outside the /system folder and does absolutely nothing.
Hard reseting the device didn't work either to remove superuser.apk and I'm out of ideas. I see the stupid .apk in /system, i just have no means of deleting it.
Is there a way to replace that app as an update, I read something like that around the forums, but how do I make an official lookalike update.zip, what do I put inside, folders structure, apps, etc?
At this time the phone is locked in custom 2.1 OS without root, so...
help?.. or something? pep talk maybe?

 

[Slug]

Try a factory reset then attempt rerooting. If that fails then the only thing I can think of is reflashing back to stock 1.5 via RUU, fully updating via OTA then rooting as per here. Right now you're stuck in a horrid Catch-22.... you need root to access /system and remove SU but can't root because of SU.

Do you have ADB working on your PC? If so you may be able to fastboot a recovery.img and remove the offending file(s) via the adb shell. No guarantees though, so starting from scratch might be the safest and quickest option.

 

[Jo The Veteran]

Thanks for the reply but keep in mind that I may know some stuff, but I'm far from being a pro like you, so if you please clarify some things for me.

"I can think of is reflashing back to stock 1.5 via RUU" how do I do that? RUU? What is that?
"ADB working on your PC" If I knew what ADB was maybe I could answer that .
"fastboot a recovery.img" What? How?
adb shell?

Let me clear about this, I don't care at all about the apps, contacts, sd, I don't mind doing a full format if needed.. the only problem, the way I see it, I already did that, hard factory reset. And it didn't work.

Wasn't there a developer's USB thingy... that I know very little apparently. Plug the USB, boot with specific buttons, do maintenance of shorts, although I don't know If that could help at all right now.

So if going back to cupcake 1.5 is the answer then great! But... how do I do that?

BTW, other people HAD to HAVE made the same mistake as me, there's no question about it! So why can't I find a clear answer about that anywhere?

 

[Slug]

"I can think of is reflashing back to stock 1.5 via RUU" how do I do that? RUU? What is that?

With HTC Sync installed on the PC, you connect the handset via USB cable and run a ROM Upgrade Utility program, which wipes and replaces the current firmware.

"ADB working on your PC" If I knew what ADB was maybe I could answer that

In that case don't worry about it.

I don't mind doing a full format if needed.. the only problem, the way I see it, I already did that, hard factory reset. And it didn't work.

In that case, can you look in Settings/About phone and tell me what the build number of the current firmware is?

 

[Jo The Veteran]

Thanks and sorry for my late reply,

About the HTC Sync thing, I never used that program. It doesn't connect well with my WinXP and didn't gave it a second look. But if I can do what you say with that I should probably take it more seriously. Can I flash ANY image I want with that? Even a custom ROM? If I can do that, won't not having amon ra's recovery flash image installed already complicate things?
About the ROM Upgrade Utility program, is it included in the Sync software or is it separate, third party program perhaps?

In the current firmware "2.1-update1"
The build is "3.41.61.4 CL327574 release-keys"
It is the OTA official upgrade to 2.1 by HTC

Hope that helps.

 

[Xyro]

The problem was you were using rooting tools designed for 1.5 rather than 2.1, which requires different exploits.

You could try rooting with the appropriate tools too, if you want. We could help you do that.

 

[Jo The Veteran]

Never mind, I fixed it. Using the info Slug provided, I googled it and understood the process.
But you didn't explained it dude.
THIS is explained.

1. Download one of these files here : [ROM] Official HTC Hero RUU ROM + Radio Links - xda-developers (Btw, these are called RUU, ROM Upgrade Utilities, these are installers that work when the phone is in developer mode.)
2. Complete the rest by using info from this post here : http://androidforums.com/htc-hero-sprint/37735-error-170-a.html 6th reply by IRepTheKing :
("Connect USB.
Turn off the power, then hold VOL DWN & POWER.
After that click on FASTBOOT.
Then on your PC, run.." your own RUU file.)
(Also, if your file gets a signature Error 170 try another RUU. My Hero was from Orange, only 2 RUU files from Orange there, 1rst didn't work, second did.)
THE END
Wasn't that simple? (BTW, all the info included inside parentheses above could also be omitted).

I understand that you people are strangers and don't really care helping me, another stranger, but by not explaining in simple English you just make things worse.

You said :
"Try a factory reset then attempt rerooting (doing factory reset/root again was redundant, I told I've done it and didn't work in the very first post.).
If that fails then the only thing I can think of is reflashing back to stock 1.5 via RUU, fully updating via OTA (To be clear, that explains everything, but how am I to do all these simple things if I don't know what those RUU things are?) then rooting as per here. (redundant again, I didn't ask you about root, the page just took me off the topic and wasted time there trying to find out what those RUU things where again.)"
I sincerely believe you where trying to help me Slug, and for that you have my thanks. However the way you did it... well this post speaks for itself.

Other misconceptions.
I thought something very difficult involving many programs had to be done.
I installed HTC sync for no reason, it had nothing to do with the whole process. I tried, it just wouldn't connect the RUU to the phone. I did it just because you mentioned it.
Wasted some days between replies for you to explain me very simple things when the whole thing could have been solved in one reply, faster for me, less work for you.

Finally in the last reply, clearly Xyro didn't understand at all what my problem was.

I sorry if I seem to whine to you guys, I'm not doing that.. allot, and I know that while some people may find this last post ungrateful, others will find it helpful, and that's all it matters in the end. It simply explains what to do in my situation!

MisQuoting IRepTheKing from post "Error 170"
First of all, I'm not a techie (actually I am, just not so much regarding smartphones), I just got lucky (I wasn't, I just did lots and lots of hours of google research)...

What the heck is a "horrid Catch-22" anyway?

 

[Xyro]

[...]so I let it update the firmware through the official OTA to 2.1. [...] At this time Universal Androot wouldn't root or unroot, neither would it remove the superuser app[...]

The problem was you were using rooting tools designed for 1.5 rather than 2.1, which requires different exploits.

You could try rooting with the appropriate tools too, if you want. We could help you do that.

Finally in the last reply, clearly Xyro didn't understand at all what my problem was.

I confused universal androot with the rooting tool that only worked with 1.5. I was not aware universal androot worked on 1.5 as you say it does, hence my mistake. Mistakes happen, especially at 1am

Other misconceptions.
I thought something very difficult involving many programs had to be done.
I installed HTC sync for no reason, it had nothing to do with the whole process. I tried, it just wouldn't connect the RUU to the phone. I did it just because you mentioned it.

HTC Sync must be installed for an RUU to be used.

Never mind, I fixed it. Using the info Slug provided, I googled it and understood the process.
But you didn't explained it dude.
THIS is explained.

Wasn't that simple? (BTW, all the info included inside parentheses above could also be omitted).

I understand that you people are strangers and don't really care helping me, another stranger, but by not explaining in simple English you just make things worse.

Wasted some days between replies for you to explain me very simple things when the whole thing could have been solved in one reply, faster for me, less work for you.

Yes, it is simple, when you know the solution. What you must appreciate however is that neither me or slug have ever experienced your problem. Chances are, we haven't even spoken to somebody who has experienced your problem either. As you mentioned in your first reply, you couldn't find information about it on the forum when you searched. So it may take us a while to come up with a solution yes, just like it took you a while to solve the problem yourself, as nobody here knew the solution.

I also think your comment about us not caring is unfair. Me and Slug (and thousands of other people across the forum) voluntarily help people here all the time - we sure aren't getting paid for it!

 

[Jo The Veteran]

I made it really easy for you guys when I said I didn't care about the contents of the phone. So all you had to do was tell me, how to restore the stock OS. Which was actually three parts only, telling me where to find a RUU, what is a RUU, and how to run it. Actually make that two parts, I could have found it myself had you told me what it was, which I did eventually.
Was that such a difficult thing you didn't already knew?
I'm just saying it would have saved time both to me and you in less replies, thats all.

Although you are right about mistakes, sorry about that, but this happens to forums all the time. You try to solve something and people jump around all the time, asking irrelevant things, troll, or simply saying "I also have this problem"... which helps no one! It's frustrating and I thought your were one of those guys. Again sorry.

And I'm happy you guys are such good sports. Most forums would have banned me for speaking my mind, but you are alright