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

Root So sorry to post this, but so confused...

T

Taem

Newbie
I'm wanting to "root" my Droid X for several reasons, however I simply don't understand any of the posted "guides". Newbie's Guide with Videos says something about Froyo and Gingerbread and version numbers... What the heck does any of that mean? How do I know what my phone has, if it has any of those at all? I'm a super phone rooting noob and none of these guides for noobs even make any sense to me! The ***Motorola Droid X Rooting Guide*** is even more confusing... does it actually say how to root a droid, or does it just have a ton of links? There's too much information in that thread and it's really not very understandable too me. I thought I read on another site that all I had to do was click a program that says "ROOT" and it was that simple?!?

Will my old data be saved or erased? If I flash a new ROM, will my old date be saved or erased? Anyways, here's what I want to root my phone for, so maybe I could get some suggestions:

1) Get rid of stock programs I don't want (i.e. Skype, Social Networking, Madden Football)
2) Change which programs start at bootup
3) I would like a program to end when I end it and not stay in RAM eating up my memory and CPU ~ manually having to shutdown every app and service on each reboot AND every time I use it is ridiculous
4) On that note, it would be nice if only texting, voicemail, and gmail checked for updates (i.e. texts, email, or voicemail) constantly, and other programs didn't check for updates at all except when you clicked on them to use them. And actual app updates only get checked when you click on the Marketplace. Is that possible?

I'm open to suggestions/help. Thanks.
 
Sorry for your confusion, but here's what you can do. Ask simple questions and we'll help you through. Just be patient with us as we have real jobs. :p

The reason you're confused is that there are different versions of android that the dx has been upgraded to over the past year.

Having said that the first thing you want to is go to settings-phone-about phone- and under system version you'll see what you are on 4.5.602 is the latest.

If you are not on that you can update over the air and then root it. We'll show you how. It's easy. :D

Edit: Upon rooting you will be able to do all you ask.

choosing which apps update is under your control, now. There is a checkbox under the app in the market. You have to check automatic update or else it won't update without your approval.
 
Taem said:
I'm wanting to "root" my Droid X for several reasons, however I simply don't understand any of the posted "guides". Newbie's Guide with Videos says something about Froyo and Gingerbread and version numbers... What the heck does any of that mean? How do I know what my phone has, if it has any of those at all? I'm a super phone rooting noob and none of these guides for noobs even make any sense to me! The ***Motorola Droid X Rooting Guide*** is even more confusing... does it actually say how to root a droid, or does it just have a ton of links? There's too much information in that thread and it's really not very understandable too me. I thought I read on another site that all I had to do was click a program that says "ROOT" and it was that simple?!?

Will my old data be saved or erased? If I flash a new ROM, will my old date be saved or erased? Anyways, here's what I want to root my phone for, so maybe I could get some suggestions:

1) Get rid of stock programs I don't want (i.e. Skype, Social Networking, Madden Football)
2) Change which programs start at bootup
3) I would like a program to end when I end it and not stay in RAM eating up my memory and CPU ~ manually having to shutdown every app and service on each reboot AND every time I use it is ridiculous
4) On that note, it would be nice if only texting, voicemail, and gmail checked for updates (i.e. texts, email, or voicemail) constantly, and other programs didn't check for updates at all except when you clicked on them to use them. And actual app updates only get checked when you click on the Marketplace. Is that possible?

I'm open to suggestions/help. Thanks.
Click to expand...

hey taem,
rooting is very simple, and you will not lose any information when you root, unless something extremely horrible goes wrong, which is 99% not going to happen
there is an exploit that helps you root your phone, it is very simple as well

the version of your android operating system must be known,
such at your home screen hit your menu button, go to settings, then scroll to the bottom and hit about phone it should be in build number, (i cant remember lol, you should see either 2.3.340 or 2.3.596 or 2.3.602)

from you must get the appropriate program to root the X, if your on 2.3.340 you are on froyo build and then rooting is simple, you just need to search for z4root, which is still on these forums.

if not you need to use the Droid 3 exploit to root, which is also a 1 click method.
http://rootzwiki.com/showthread.php...ndows-Linux-OSX)&p=75934&viewfull=1#post75934

once rooted you can begin flashing roms/themes

WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR PHONE, YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

you need droid x or droid 2 bootstrapper (obtainable through android market for $2) without bootstrapper nothing will work!

when flashing a rom, you must enter Clockwork Recovery, by opening droid x/2 bootstrapper and hitting Bootstrap recovery, allow superuser permission then hit ok for success
then hit reboot recovery, make sure your rom is on the root of your sd card, which means when you first connect your phone to pc, and you go to view all files, thats the root of your sdcard, place the ROM/Theme here!

while in clockwork recovery, it is advised to make a backup first! if you dont its your own choice and risk.
YOU MUST WIPE DATA AND CACHE WHEN INSTALLING ANY ROM!

when installing a theme you just install right over, but make sure the theme is for the rom version you are installing. once the rom is installed, reboot your phone, and thats all you need to do, if you install a rom without wiping data and cache, you will not get passed the Moto M


but when going from say Apex RC2 and then go to Apex RC3, there is no need for a data wipe, but a cache wipe is preferred.

if you have any other questions feel free to ask
 
Okay, I have:

System Version: 2.3.340.MB810.Verizon.en.US
Model Number: DroidX
Android Version: 2.2.1

Does the Baseband version or Kernel version matter?

So next I search for "z4root" on these forums and follow the instructions.

Then I get bootstrapper? Or should I get bootstrapper first and then root?

YOU MUST WIPE DATA AND CACHE WHEN INSTALLING ANY ROM!
Click to expand...
Humm, so I should do a backup and save it to my SD card before flashing? Or is the info. on the SD card wiped also? In which case I should save to my computer via USB.

Thanks so much for the replies so far! I'm searching for the first article right now!

EDIT: Okay, wow, I must be so lame. I downloaded it [z4root] to my computer, but the instructions say I have to "side load" it. What does that mean, and how to I get it to load in the droid x now that I downloaded it?
 
you should first put z4root on your sd card, and open file manager, locate it, hit it and install it that way, it will ask you if you want to trust non source installs, and say yes
 
I think he should take the ota first then one step root 602, no?
 
VoidedSaint said:
you should first put z4root on your sd card, and open file manager, locate it, hit it and install it that way, it will ask you if you want to trust non source installs, and say yes
Click to expand...

Okay, how do I do that? I just watched a video on YouTube called, "HOW TO ACCESS SD CARD ON DROID-X USING A PC", and in a nutshell, it tells me to plug my Droid into my computer and it tells me that the Explorer Folder that pops up with all the Droid files in windows IS the SD card. If that's true, then how do I access files from it? I just copy z4root over to this Explorer window and somehow access it from my phone?
 
VoidedSaint said:
you can download astro file manager, and access it that way
Click to expand...

OMG I couldn't see them because my phone was still plugged into my computer. I didn't realize the computer took possession of the SD Card while it was plugged in via USB. Once I unplugged it, I got my SD card back.
 
Steven58 said:
I think he should take the ota first then one step root 602, no?
Click to expand...

I looked this up. ota root 602 is for Gingerbread, correct? I still have Froyo, so I'm not sure this would work. Anyways, I got my phone rooted by doing what VoidedSaint said. I did the permanent root. Now time for the next step.

EDIT: Oh wow... Steven58, I JUST realized what you were saying in your FIRST post after re-reading this entire thread looking for the next step! So your saying that I should have updated to Gingerbread version 4.5.602 FIRST, then ROOTED my phone? So did I make a big mistake? What should I do?

EDIT-2: I purchased Bootstrap, but since rooting my phone, it only says, "STARTING DOWNLOAD", but will NOT download the file! I checked Google's help and it says to restart TALK, however I cannot stop or start TALK... Did rooting my phone mess something up?
 
no it didnt mess up, google search droid 2 bootstrapper, it will take you to koush website, you can download it free, but problem is it will never be updated, and these bootstrappers do need updates, dont worry though, and what you can do when you download and install droid 2 bootstrapper, do it the same way you did z4root, put it in your sd card and install it, and follow my steps once again above, but if you want to be on a gb rom, specify which one first before you do it, its 12:30 am here so im going to bed, i will answer your questions in the am :)


or someone else will here
 
Either way is fine. It's just that you no longer need to work in froyo, unless you want to flash miui.

You can still take the ota and get gingerbread. Then you can use the one step root.
 
Last post of the night then I need to go to bed myself.

> Downloaded and installed Droid X Bootstrapper. I then clicked on Bootstrap Recovery. I have no idea what that did. Then I clicked on Reboot Recovery to see what would happen. Took me to dos type command prompt with some interesting options.

> I guess Bootstrap does not actually backup your apps? So I downloaded Titanium Backup. Gets me thinking I need to get rid of some crap before I bother backing this phone up. It says I have 291MB of system ROM is use, and only 48.9-MB free. This is a problem. Suggestions?

> Finally, I got ROM Manager thinking it said RAM manager, but oh well. Maybe all three of these apps do the same thing and I only needed one? Really confused now and super tired so, I think I'll call it a night and thank-god I didn't brick my phone :D .
 
Taem said:
Last post of the night then I need to go to bed myself.

> Downloaded and installed Droid X Bootstrapper. I then clicked on Bootstrap Recovery. I have no idea what that did. Then I clicked on Reboot Recovery to see what would happen. Took me to dos type command prompt with some interesting options.

> I guess Bootstrap does not actually backup your apps? So I downloaded Titanium Backup. Gets me thinking I need to get rid of some crap before I bother backing this phone up. It says I have 291MB of system ROM is use, and only 48.9-MB free. This is a problem. Suggestions?

> Finally, I got ROM Manager thinking it said RAM manager, but oh well. Maybe all three of these apps do the same thing and I only needed one? Really confused now and super tired so, I think I'll call it a night and thank-god I didn't brick my phone :D .
Click to expand...


Those prompts control almost EVERYTHING root related. Get some sleep and we'll continue to help you familiarize yourself more tomorrow! :)
 
Dear god in heaven, thank you Taem for posting this. I am so confused. I have downloaded all the apps I think I need to make stuff happen but I have worked myself into a pickle. I have not messed with anything I don't understand but had downloaded Rom Toolbox (used to be Liberty toolbox I think) and saw the "change font" option. I thought to myself "Self? What could go wrong? I'm just changing the font...". Wrong. Now my fonts, icons, games, and anything on the web are tiny and I can't figure out how to get it back to normal. I do want to dive into new themes and such at some point but not until I have read all I can.

I, like Taem, have looked for all the "rooting for noobs" forums and watched the videos but it might as well all be in Chinese. So thank y'all for taking the time to help him out and now me as well. So far this thread has been highly informative and already gotten me much further than I could manage by reading other threads.

My only question (besides getting my icons and fonts back to normal size) is what does "make sure that the rom is on the root of your SD card" mean? When I connect to PC and open the files, is there a file that says root?

I look forward to reading more tomorrow and thank you to all who have taken the time to answer our newbie questions!
 
simple. download "spare parts" from the market and choose large font or any other font you want for that matter. :)
 
Alright, so I'm home from work and my phone is rooted... now what do I do?

I searched the Marketplace for Root and there wasn't too many apps, but LCD Density sounded nifty so I tried it out... but it does not work on the Droid-X! It will in fact change the Density of the text as it says, however with the density altered lower than stock, when you hit the Dialer (even if you download a new one as I did), the 3G and the signal bar both go dead and turn into a red-circle with a line through it and the dialer never even opens. I assume this can be fixed with a new OS/Theme.

So, what are my best options from here on out? Also, is there a list of necessary apps to keep the phone running and ones that can be removed from the stock phone?

1) Get rid of stock programs I don't want (i.e. Skype, Social Networking, Madden Football)
Click to expand...
Already figured out how to do this with Titanium Backup, but I need a list of apps that can/can't be removed.

2) Change which programs start at bootup
Click to expand...
Not sure how to do this...

3) I would like a program to end when I end it and not stay in RAM eating up my memory and CPU ~ manually having to shutdown every app and service on each reboot AND every time I use it is ridiculous
Click to expand...
Or this...

4) On that note, it would be nice if only texting, voicemail, and gmail checked for updates (i.e. texts, email, or voicemail) constantly, and other programs didn't check for updates at all except when you clicked on them to use them. And actual app updates only get checked when you click on the Marketplace. Is that possible?
Click to expand...
So long as it's not "running", it won't check for updates, so this I'm not too worried about so long as I get an app to make #2 and #3 work.

You guys have been super helpful so far and pretty soon, you won't have to be holding my hand any longer once I understand a bit more. Thanks again for all the help so far!
 
Alright, I figured everything out, lol! It was a lot easier than I thought, but I had to do some real research. I spent all day doing it, but now my phone is running like a champ! So much easier than I thought! Everyone should root their phone!
 
Probably my last post in this thread:

Some of the themes I want are for the Gingerbread build. I still have Froyo. Since I have rooted with z4 and installed some ROMs, will an upgrade to Gingerbread screw up my phone?

The reason I ask is because I watched this video that essentially says I have to wipe everything to upgrade to Gingerbread. I'm searching for other ways, however if I do go that route and backed up everything with the app ROM Manager and put the backup on my SD Card, then upgraded to Gingerbread and installed ROM Manager, could I get back all my information, or would it not work with Gingerbread?

Thanks for any replies ahead of time.
 
You can also and more easily make a "nandroid" backup of your entire rom using droid 2 bootstrapper (which you'll need when you're using gingerbread). However, once you go to gingerbread, froyo is useless, unless you want to flash back. If you do, you'll have to sbf froyo (recovery) first. I wouldn't recommend going back, though. In fact, I'd erase your nandroid's in case you think you might be confused enough to flash it over gingerbread by mistake.

Once you sbf back to stock froyo, you can just accept the gingerbread ota update and 1-click root that (as I originally recommended). You may not want a rom over gingerbread, as it is quite nice the way it is. It is my preferred rom, although I do like to check out all the roms.

You're in a good place and are learning very quickly. You'll be a pro soon, just like Trooper became one. He was a newbie here, as was I. One thing we ask is that the help you get you pay forward to another newbie. :p
 
New users who try this should know the following:

Everything on your phone stays the same! Only the stock programs and ROMs are returned. All your data and apps are still intact! I wish someone would have told me that before I painstakingly moved all my apps to the SD card and backed up all my data, SEPARATELY from the Droid 2 Bootstrap [complete] Backup. Oh well. No biggie.

Gingerbread does so much stuff most of those ROMs I downloaded did. Really, with Gingerbread, you only need themes and some minor tweaking because it's fully optimized. Maybe an overclock apk if you want a faster cpu (and battery life) and root explorer.
 
Taem said:
New users who try this should know the following:

Everything on your phone stays the same! Only the stock programs and ROMs are returned. All your data and apps are still intact! I wish someone would have told me that before I painstakingly moved all my apps to the SD card and backed up all my data, SEPARATELY from the Droid 2 Bootstrap [complete] Backup. Oh well. No biggie.

Gingerbread does so much stuff most of those ROMs I downloaded did. Really, with Gingerbread, you only need themes and some minor tweaking because it's fully optimized. Maybe an overclock apk if you want a faster cpu (and battery life) and root explorer.
Click to expand...

You see? There you go! Paying it forward. :)
 
I still don't get it.

Everywhere I read it's all language I don't understand. I have two questions...

1) I used ROM Toolbox (former Liberty Toolbox) and used the change icon font feature which made all of my fonts tiny as well as my icons. I did do what you said and got "spare parts" but it only made the fonts bigger for things like the internet. My icons and their fonts are still tiny. If anyone knows how to resolve this please let me know. I have already tried uninstalling and reinstalling etc. but that didn't work.

2) when I go to put a theme into my phone...where does it go and in what order? I have bootstrap and all of the other apps it appears I need to make these things happen but nowhere can I find how to use them in newbie language.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and hopefully this can help me springboard into actually understanding what I am reading about how to make these things happen on my phone!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom