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Root Universal Eris Root for Dummies!

headup221 said:
like i said before, new to this and trying to figure things out, so here's a couple of dumb questions......................

- do the eris "froyo" ROMs actually run 2.2 or are they just a modified 2.1?
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Nope, it's 2.2. The only thing missing is Adobe Flash.

- just to make things clear, i can change ROMs by following the "Finishing up" steps. correct? (nandroid backup, wipe, then install. currently running xtr sense 4.6.5)
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For the most part, yes. Just read the description carefully. Several of the Froyo ROMs, particularly the ones described as vanilla, require you to also download a .zip file with the Google apps, which you flash just after you flash the ROM. So, in that case, the steps are Nandroid backup, wipe dalvik, wipe data, flash the ROM, flash Google apps, restart.

- showed a guy at work how easy this was, so he wondering if he could use this to root an EVO? or is there an easy way to do so?
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That's probably better researched in the Evo forum here, but I believe that the Evo uses a different method. Unrevoked, if I am not mistaken? That should install a slightly different custom recovery called Clockwork (as opposed to Amon's Recovery.)

But, again see here: http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-all-things-root/194918-rooting-dummies-extras.html
 
headup221 said:
- showed a guy at work how easy this was, so he wondering if he could use this to root an EVO? or is there an easy way to do so?
Click to expand...

The most conservative answer that can be given is "No".

A slightly more optimistic answer would be "No, not without careful modification"

Remember that the thing being flashed to the recovery partition - the "custom" recovery - has hardware dependencies (such as which keysyms map to different button-press actions), so it is highly specific to a single phone, even if the code is compiled to be generic ARM code.

The "exploit" which is being performed on the Evo to gain root privileges is identical to the one used here; so, with replacement of the "flash_image" binary and the "recovery.img" with the Evo equivalents, the same basic flow and perhaps even identical scripts could be used.

But, I believe there are already 1-Click apps available for the Evo, so why bother?

( In general, you should seek out rooting advice from a device-specific forum before you decide to try something that was developed first for a different platform. At least 75% of the reason for that is so that your experience is similar to others that went before you - and you know you will be able to get help if anything goes wrong. )
 
OK, after hearing so many positive comments about the value of rooting the Eris I think that now is the time to take that step. I read the first few pages of this thread (EXCELLENT content - exactly what I was looking for) and figure that I can take my time and get through this successfully. However, I was wondering whether I need to read the 16+ pages to fully understand the process (i.e., are there updates) or are the original instructions still valid?

If I have the latest OTA update, is 2.2 my goal? I don't really care about tethering...I just want my phone to work reliably and a bit faster. How much time should I allow for this?
 
Fairfax22032 said:
OK, after hearing so many positive comments about the value of rooting the Eris I think that now is the time to take that step. I read the first few pages of this thread (EXCELLENT content - exactly what I was looking for) and figure that I can take my time and get through this successfully. However, I was wondering whether I need to read the 16+ pages to fully understand the process (i.e., are there updates) or are the original instructions still valid?

If I have the latest OTA update, is 2.2 my goal? I don't really care about tethering...I just want my phone to work reliably and a bit faster. How much time should I allow for this?
Click to expand...

The original sequence of posts will work correctly. Good Luck!
 
eu1, mhotovec, doogald and bobcat331, thanks for all the good info and fast replies. will pass on the links to my friend. installed froshedyo v10 and digging it so far. Thanks again!
 
First of all - this information is SO incredible! Thank you for posting it. Let me know how to contribute to your cause!

Second - When extracting my gscript .zip file, I get an error message "Bad .zip" I tested it on my computer (just to be sure the original file on the website wasn't corrupt, and it proceeded appropriately as you'd listed above.)

Is there a way to make sure that my Eris sees that .zip file as a good file (as your awesome instructions above demonstrate?) :confused:

I am TRULY the DUMMY that your post was meant to help - again, please let me know how I can contribute to your cause.

Thanks so much for the help!
 
:D
I downloaded it this time using my wifi rather than my 3G, and it worked like a charm!

Again, you have really done me one of the biggest favors to date! THANK YOU!!!
 
scary alien said:
No need to worry, you haven't actually done any "harm" or anything that needs undoing at the point that you are at.

You probably just did not turn your phone off and back on after running root_part1 in figure 29, is that right?

If you want to "undo", you can just stop at this point and resume using your phone as it was before. You will, of course have a few extra files downloaded and the Gscript Lite app installed, but you can safely uninstall the Gscript Lite app and remove the "gscript" files in your /sdcard directory if you would like.

If my guess is right about the missed power off/on cycle mentioned above and you wish to re-do the steps, just carefully re-read and follow eriseruser1's instructions. These are actually some of the best instructions (and information) about rooting the Eris that have been published--anywhere.

Good luck!
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erisuser1 said:
There is one, and only one reason why that would have happened - failure to read the explicit instructions.

You need to uncheck the "Needs SU?" checkbox for both scripts root_part1.sh and root_part2.sh.

The instructions are pretty clear on that point, (although it doesn't have pictures for "root_part2.sh" - it just says to repeat exactly the same steps).

Go in to Gscript Light, and look at the screen: my guess is that for the entry labeled "root_part2.sh", it says underneath "Root needed: true". It is supposed to say "false", not "true".

LONG PRESS on the entry "root_part2.sh" and select delete. Then add it back in exactly the way the instructions say to do so, run it, and look for the "congratulations" message.

Those scripts (root_part1.sh and root_part2.sh) do nothing dangerous that would harm your phone. Don't be scared.
Click to expand...

I might be able to shed some light on this. I rooted my eris for the first time today and ran into the same problem (me). I went thru it again and realized instead of turning my phone off and on again I only rebooted it (thinking that was the same thing)
I went thru the steps again this time actually turning the phone off/on and it worked fine.

Thanks for the "dummies" walk-thru!
 
I do have a question... Now that I've rooted and tried a different rom (Celb) how do I try another? Can I just download a desired rom to my sd card and then run thru the steps again starting with post #3:Rooting with Gscript lite?

And what if I want to revert back to the 2.1 that was on the phone? Do I just use the nandroid app? How? Is there a step by step for that too?

What I think I would like is a rom that keeps things very simple and is not that far from the stock HTC stuff but improves the performance of the phone.
Any tips on which rom that would be? I was trying 2.2 because at least on the Incredible that the rep showed me at the verizon store, the voice dialer worked with voice commands rather than having to touch the screen for choices. That would be nice too....

Thanks again,
John
 
LocalHero said:
I do have a question... Now that I've rooted and tried a different rom (Celb) how do I try another? Can I just download a desired rom to my sd card and then run thru the steps again starting with post #3:Rooting with Gscript lite?
Click to expand...

No, start with post 4. Post 3 is the step where you actually root. You've already done that, so now you just want to backup what you have, wipe the data off the phone, and flash the new ROM.

And what if I want to revert back to the 2.1 that was on the phone? Do I just use the nandroid app? How? Is there a step by step for that too?
Click to expand...

Right, go to the backup menu. Choose Nandroid Restore; it will show you an entry that starts with HTCxxxxx - trackball select that - then choose the backup that you made originally. By default, the names are BDSyyyymmdd-hhmm, where yyyymmdd is the year/month/day and hhmm is the time that you made the backup at GMT.


What I think I would like is a rom that keeps things very simple and is not that far from the stock HTC stuff but improves the performance of the phone.
Any tips on which rom that would be? I was trying 2.2 because at least on the Incredible that the rep showed me at the verizon store, the voice dialer worked with voice commands rather than having to touch the screen for choices. That would be nice too....
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think that the ROM that is closest to stock without the problems is xtrSENSE. You can find it here: [ROM][GPL][11/5/2010] xtrSENSE4.6.5 [cache2cache,apps2sd,oc,jit]-HTC Sense - xda-developers
 
offanairplane said:
Do I really have to have a good charge before doing step #2 or can I just leave the charger plugged in and do it?

Thanks
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Well, you should have a good charge on it since the phone will not charge while you are in custom recovery (or will only charge very slowly). I can only tell you that some operations in custom recovery such as the Nandroid backup, require that you have at least a 30% charge before they will be performed.

That being said, having it plugged in is a very good idea too.

It actually should not take that long of a time to get your phone up to at least 50%. Also, I can tell you that I would never take a chance at flashing a ROM without a seriously good charge on my phone.

Cheers!

edit: actually, I think the phone will charge in custom recovery (waiting eu1 to re-iterate this), but it is much slower than "normal" and the functions that you will be performing while in recovery will take more juice than can be replenished while charging in recovery.
 
scary alien said:
Well, you should have a good charge on it since the phone will not charge while you are in custom recovery (or will only charge very slowly). I can only tell you that some operations in custom recovery such as the Nandroid backup, require that you have at least a 30% charge before they will be performed.

That being said, having it plugged in is a very good idea too.

It actually should not take that long of a time to get your phone up to at least 50%. Also, I can tell you that I would never take a chance at flashing a ROM without a seriously good charge on my phone.

Cheers!

edit: actually, I think the phone will charge in custom recovery (waiting eu1 to re-iterate this), but it is much slower than "normal" and the functions that you will be performing while in recovery will take more juice than can be replenished while charging in recovery.
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Thanks for the reply.

I didn't chance it. I waited till my battery was 75% and did it.
It went as smooth as silk. Running xtrROM_5.0 now and loving it.

I didn't leave it plugged in, because I thought maybe there was some reason I wasn't supposed to, since I needed the battery to have a good charge. (I rooted and flashed yesterday before I read your reply or I would've left it plugged in.) I think I left the charger plugged in until I got to part-2, then I unplugged and left unplugged until I was done flashing. It went from 75% down to about 45% when I was done.

I was very hesitant to do this, but now I am so glad I did.
My Eris was extremely laggy, it was driving me crazy.
I would open up messages and it would just show everyone's phone numbers. Then about 5 seconds later, it would pop their names on there, then about 5 seconds later their contact photos. I would open up my photo gallery, and it would take about 5 minutes for all the thumbnails to show up. I only have about 130 photos. I was thinking, if this didn't work I am gonna try to get an Incredible, but now I am very happy with my Eris and will be using it for some time to come. Why couldn't HTC make the Eris run this well?

Thanks for the help!
 
LocalHero said:
That's always been my question. Why does it take outside programmers to optimize the phones?
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My initial thought is that they don't want their cheapest Droid to be this awesome, because then not as many people would pay more for their high-end phones. Marketing strategy.
 
Ok, when I click "flash zip from sdcard" I only have the option to click on SD:gscript.zip I don't see any other files. When I confirm it starts for a second then stops with an error E:no signature (5files) Any thoughts?? I just want my eris to work when I push the button to do something, not 2 mins after.
 
Jason Trans said:
Ok, when I click "flash zip from sdcard" I only have the option to click on SD:gscript.zip I don't see any other files. When I confirm it starts for a second then stops with an error E:no signature (5files) Any thoughts?? I just want my eris to work when I push the button to do something, not 2 mins after.
Click to expand...

Jason,

Welcome to the Android Forums!

Sounds like you might have your wires crossed a little bit here...

However, since you've reached the "Flash zip from sdcard" menu, then you've obviously successfully installed your custom recovery -- yay! (the biggest hurdle in rooting the Eris).

The gscript.zip file, as you might have guessed, is not a flashable / installable .zip file like a custom rooted ROM. Have you found / researched / obtained a custom ROM yet? Usually, these are found from the xda-developers.com site (specifically, this subforum: Droid Eris Android Development - xda-developers).

When you find a custom ROM (like xtrROM, GSB 1.7, etc.) that you are interested in, you'll download this to your phone somehow (directly from your phone or transferred from your PC via the USB cable--be sure to "safe eject"). Also, be sure to read through the notes and installation details of the dev's ROM thread--frequently, there'll be some special instructions that you'll need to take note of or be aware of.

After you've transferred the file to your phone, be sure to verify that you've got the whole file by checking the MD5 checksum of the custom ROM in the developer's ROM thread (if he/she didn't publish one, then move on to a different ROM--the dev should be providing this information to you for your peace of mind).

Anyway, the custom ROM belongs in the top-level (or root) directory of the /sdcard. So, if your ROM's name is myrom.zip (silly/example name), it's full pathname will be /sdcard/myrom.zip (you can use a utility like Astro or Estrongs File Manager to verify that myrom.zip has indeed been moved to the /sdcard directory (that's where Amon_RA's custom recovery expects to find the custom ROMs that he can flash for you)).

After that, be sure to follow erisuser1's instructions in the "Finishing Up" section re.:

0. Have a good (full is preferrable) charge on your phone
1. Boot back into custom recovery
2. Make a Nandroid backup of your current setup
3. Do your data wipes (Wipe data/factory reset and Wipe Dalvik-cache)
4. Now, flash your custom ROM
5. Reboot
6. Enjoy!

Cheers!
 
Jason Trans said:
Ok, when I click "flash zip from sdcard" I only have the option to click on SD:gscript.zip I don't see any other files. When I confirm it starts for a second then stops with an error E:no signature (5files) Any thoughts?? I just want my eris to work when I push the button to do something, not 2 mins after.
Click to expand...

See the very first post in this thread where it says :

Prerequisites:
...
- The ROM of your choice downloaded onto your SD card in the root folder.
Click to expand...

You don't flash the gscript.zip file using Amon_RA - you are supposed to be choosing whatever ROM (.zip) file you placed in the root folder of the SD card.

eu1
 
Ok. Now I know why I can not get the new RA recovery, and I need it as I am in the process of switching ROMS and my trackball is now definitely DEAD,DEAD,DEAD. I installed the original, so I believe I kind of know what to do. I have installed and uninstalled 4 ROMS since I rooted,did the NAND backups, Even recovered a NAND once.But I can NOT get the "trackball optional" into my recovery. Here is what is happening:

I have the GScript app. I downloaded GScript.zip (from the link provided above). I moved it from downloads to my SD card. BUT, when I get to the part where I then need to go in, tap the file, tap extract (which is where I am now), instead of the next screen as shown above coming up (Gscript,current path,choose path) it says "bad zip file" and the process is halted. HELP!

OK Wait: When I extracted (gscript) it said "bad zip file" and the next screen as shown did not come up so that I could see the green bar go across the screen. But, if I go in my GScript Lite app, it is now listed (gscript zip) in the list if I tap LIST SD-CARD (under Reboot phone,above CPU information). Even though it said "bad zip file" did this process actually go through?

AND NOW: I am trying Astro manager as the screen in SCENARIO 3 has you use. I get to "extract" in there and IT reads "error in file" (etc.)...................EVERYTIME I try to download this trackball optional I have problems with the gscript file. Please help/advise.
 
GJW419,

Have you set up and used "adb" in the past?

If so, a single command can install scary aliens' no-trackball recovery.

In the meantime, re-download the gscript.zip file. If the unzipping tool tells you that it is corrupted... that's because it is corrupted. Much more likely to have been something on your end of things than on scary aliens' end of things.

eu1
 
erisuser1 said:
GJW419,

Have you set up and used "adb" in the past?

If so, a single command can install scary aliens' no-trackball recovery.

In the meantime, re-download the gscript.zip file. If the unzipping tool tells you that it is corrupted... that's because it is corrupted. Much more likely to have been something on your end of things than on scary aliens' end of things.

eu1
Click to expand...

I have downloaded the gscript.zip file four times using the link at the beginning of this post. I have tried to extract it using "file manager, ES File, and Astro. I simply posted asking for help, I don't think we needed to point fingers by saying it's much more likely to be something on my end than Scarys. No one said it was anyones "fault". Thing is though..... I installed the original NO PROBLEM. I have installed several ROMS NO PROBLEM. In other words, once I got the hang of things I have had no problem, I'm pretty much having NO PROBLEMS except with this particular file. So...
 
GJW419 said:
I have downloaded the gscript.zip file four times using the link at the beginning of this post. I have tried to extract it using "file manager, ES File, and Astro. I simply posted asking for help, I don't think we needed to point fingers by saying it's much more likely to be something on my end than Scarys. No one said it was anyones "fault". Thing is though..... I installed the original NO PROBLEM. I have installed several ROMS NO PROBLEM. In other words, once I got the hang of things I have had no problem, I'm pretty much having NO PROBLEMS except with this particular file. So...
Click to expand...

Have you tried downloading to your PC and transferring over to the phone from there? I regularly have issues with the stock browser downloading files (though that surely is a small download.)

You could also try downloading to a PC and emailing to an account that you have on your phone and see if that works if tethering, for some reason, is something that you don't want to do.
 
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