what is rooting?

[Usta]

I'm wondering whether this topic isn't off-topic from the get-go. I am an experienced linux/unix/windows/osx/ce/os2/etc power-user and I'm fed up with the one-click rooting solutions. What is rooting, step by step?

I'll re-ask that a different way. How do I root WITHOUT one of these little one-step thingies, manually, from a command prompt, or usb connection, or whatever? Let's say I wanted to build Universal Androot for my 2nd generation ZT180 (I'm not, but let's just say). I'm a programmer (and a *amn good one), so give me what ya got. How do I build this program? Meaning, what steps are there to rooting a device?

This topic is meant to explain users the need to root, not give them rooting instructions.

Rooting is mostly a device or group of devices specific, because it is based on exploiting a weakness in manufacturer build locks. You can visit XDA Developers and try to contact the guys behind various roots to ask for more information.

 

[EarlyMon]

sabboo - Welcome to the forums!

What Usta said and also - please tell us your device, we'll happily point you to any forums here that might have info you need. Rooting does vary from model to model quite often. Was ZT180 an example or your specific model?

Generically speaking, rooting often is nothing more than hitting a known exploit where for a very brief instant, root access becomes available. These injection points are given names, like RageAgainstTheCage. During that time of root vulnerability, a system injection is made to hold the root door open until you're established as root.

Because they're timing dependent, doing it by hand may or may not require multiple, boring iterations - hence, the methods get scripted (sometime with the necessary iterative loops) and the result are the one-click methods.

I understand where you're coming from. When I rooted my phone, I took 78 steps (including backups, you don't incrementally exploit without backups!) before I was rooted with full bootloader (nand) access. Method I used came before one-click methods.

If some universal method isn't working for you, better we go to specifics of root alternatives for your particular device.

 

[aq12sw23]

good on you mate !

it's all kinda easy...
imagine your fathers pc:
you can log in as a user, your father may have allowed you to install stuff. but hey the c:/windows/ folder is locked and you can't screw up the computer.

android works on linux.
linux has the following system:
user
admin user
super user

as a regular android user you are an "admin user". you can install stuff, update, make the screen shiny and just work on it.

super users can screw up the kernel, over clock the processors (and overheat them by accident), get more sound from the speakers by "over clocking" that to, replace the system with another one, etc.

this has something to do with the security of the phone and the security of specific folders (with the most important folder called "ROOT").
like my android milestone is protected in two ways:
1: the phone's "bios" (protects the phone from weird changes and combines all devices in your phone to a working system)
2: the phones ROOT (contains all info on how the phone should work)

the bios must be cracked to make changes in the system (like ROOTing) some nerds do this and post "backups" of this system to xda-developers.
hackers/programmers make changes to specific files to remove the lock on SU (superuser) and post these in this backups.

SU-acces allows you to do things that are not supposed to work like sharing your 3G-connection to wifi. this is blocked till 2.1 because phone carriers din't like that. now with the 2.2 update it becomes legal). or change the folder where your apps are installed from phone memory to the SD card(once again in the 2.2 update they fixed this).

But, as you can think with your brains. Rooted systems can be broken by the most stupidest terminal commands (since you can just command the phone to blow itself lituraly), or even when you delete a file from the ROOT folder by accident. bricking the phone becomes very easy. that's why phone sellers won't help you as soon as they notice you were using a ROOTED phone.

you can test if your phone is rooted by downloading a small app called "terminal emulator" and filling in the code:
SU
this (SuperUser) command, means that you tell the terminal that you want to start changing important stuff and you need all acces possible.

If the system is rooted you are presented by a # after you click the Enter(return) button on your keyboard.
if the system isn't rooted you are presented by the text "No acces" or something like it.

Rooting is only cool for people who: build their own systems, want to be their 1G phone (very old phone) a bit faster, or just want to prank to their friends on how they ruined their phones (and how much money they have to buy a new one).

Rooting is not cool for people who: know nothing of terminals and linux systems, are no developers for google, have brains, want to keep their phone carriers friendly,experience that in a pocket they can accidently push buttons and people who want to use their phone the best way possible (it costed manufacturers loads of time to adjust the system in such a way that the phone works the best, why would you screw that up?).

hope this solves the big question about Rooting.

but for those people that only read the last line:
rooting is giving yourself acces to the folder called ROOT, where the system get's it's knowledge on how many volts it should send to the different parts of your phone, and how everything in your phone should work. a good thinking (wo)man wouln't concider rooting for even a second!

 

[Srdryl]

So If U Can Root & Unroot A Phone How Is It Done? & Why Does The Manufacturer &The Provider Say U Void The Warranty If u Root The Phone?

 

[sleedeane]

From what I understand, "rooting" is just like the term "jailbreak" used to hack the iPod Touch for custom themes and what not, correct?

My Droid X should be fresh from the mail tomorrow afternoon and I'm looking to root it just for the unique themes and wallpapers.. other than that, I have n,o idea what "ROMS" are or any of that other stuff, so it would be cool if someone could make a newbie thread for all of us new Droid users

For custom themes and wallpapers, simply downloading a launcher (like Go launcher EX)
poses no risks. If you and I need to ask what rooting is, don't mess with it. Contrary to some of these posts, written up by people that have been rooting and flashing ROMs for awhile and have forgotten the complexity of rooting, it is not a simple process. Any mistake, no matter how slight, will must likely render that brand new phone a very nice paperweight.

 

[dan330]

So If U Can Root & Unroot A Phone How Is It Done? & Why Does The Manufacturer &The Provider Say U Void The Warranty If u Root The Phone?

scare tactic...
unroot and they would never know.

most will not .. based on fear that they can not get warranty.

 

[Srdryl]

Most will not what root based on the fact they will not get there warranty y?

 

[dan330]

Most will not what root based on the fact they will not get there warranty y?

there is a small chance of breaking your phone..
in most cases.. over 90%; it can still boot to some thing... so it can be fixed..

if it can not boot at all; only a blinking light.. NO BODY can tell what is the problem.. so it would take a lot of work for them to confirm it was rooted.

any other issues.. the phone can be unrooted and sent in for warranty.

As to rooting, from my rudimentary knowledge, I think it is making the phone into sort of a "developer" mode. This would allow changes to the UI, etc...I could be completely wrong though, so someone else please chime in!

rooting does nothing to the phone.. your phone will be the exact same as before.. look and function.

rooting only unlocks the phone's safeguard.. opens the phone to changes... gives the user/owner the ability to make any changes they want. you can change small things..or the whole OS configuration.

 

[chevyblazer72]

so if i understand correctly which i probably don't (if so let me know please)
rooting your phone unlocks it so that you can "flash a ROM" which lets you access you phone completely and be able to save store and delete pretty much whatever you want , and also store more on the sd card freeing up your phone rite ?

but what are the chances that you will actually mess up and brick your phone ? is it a big risk or is it like 1 out of a 1000 chance that something might mess up like power loss or connection problems or something like that ?

and once it bricks , its just gone forever ? theres no way with even the ROM manager ; to be able to reboot your phone to factory setting or any setting basically letting you text/ call ??

help me out , you could say im a little new to this stuff

 

[dan330]

so if i understand correctly which i probably don't (if so let me know please)
rooting your phone unlocks it so that you can "flash a ROM" which lets you access you phone completely and be able to save store and delete pretty much whatever you want , and also store more on the sd card freeing up your phone rite ?

but what are the chances that you will actually mess up and brick your phone ? is it a big risk or is it like 1 out of a 1000 chance that something might mess up like power loss or connection problems or something like that ?

and once it bricks , its just gone forever ? theres no way with even the ROM manager ; to be able to reboot your phone to factory setting or any setting basically letting you text/ call ??

help me out , you could say im a little new to this stuff

you are close...

Rooting lets you do all that ... gives you authorization/ access to all parts of your phone... to do as you please.. good or bad.

ROM .. are just different versions of android OS.. that developers change to their interests.. you can use them if you like the changes.

yes.. you can have issues.. while ROOTING...
my guess..
1 of 20 will have issues...
of that 9 of 10 should be fixable...
of the non-fixable.. 9 of 10.. no-one can tell why it was broken.. so still get warranty

 

[chevyblazer72]

okay so my next question is that if

"ROM .. are just different versions of android OS.. that developers change to their interests.. you can use them if you like the changes."

how do you know what changes there are with that ROM. do you just have to basically try it out and see what the difference is and see what you like, or will they tell you the differences and stuff ... i think i saw a bunch somewhere on this website being called different kinds of snack , like cotton candy and weird things ? is that what it was or is that just something different ?

sorry im a little new to this but becoming really interested
and thanks a lot for your help so far , i really appreciate it

 

[dan330]

.. good developers will have a thread dedicated to the release of their custom ROM..
in first few post.. they will have detailed info of what they did to customize the ROM.
basic instructions on how to get it stalled.
also you will see a following of post from individuals that have tried to use the ROM...issues they had and solutions to them.
the bigger the thread; the more active that thread; the better you can feel it is a good stable mod for your phone.

keep in mind that .. you will see a lot of post with issues.. because most that dont have issues; will never post a comment.

example: [ROM] Synergy - [RLS1+GodMode 08/05/2011] - Now With Warm Sprinkles! - xda-developers
this is what I am currently using on my EVO.
and that forum is the BEST source for this stuff.

 

[phoneslover]

Rooting doesn't means carrier unlocking. It only means that you have the superadmin of your phone. It's like the same for a computer where you have the admin privileges.
Your phone should be rooted for some applications to work, but it voids your warranty so proceed with caution.
___________________________________________________________
tips to improve android smartphone battery

 

[Brucew0617]

So, are you ready to root your device? Before you root it, I think you can read this article:
Android: To Root, or not to Root?

 

[waskomrobert]

Can anyone please e-mail me a step by step instructions on how to root my phone I have a ZTE Score 550x and it came with per loaded crap that I want to get rid of, thanks waskomrobert@gmail.com

 

[Retired Travel]

Ramshackle - I currently have Virgin Mobile month to month as a carrier and bought the Motorola Triumph through them. They are now changing their "unlimited" to 2.5g and then reducing speeds, which is not what I signed up for. You seem to know a lot about unlocking. Would I be able to use this same phone but with a different carrier? Also going to be in the UK for the summer - does this phone work over there?

 

[riverob]

I'm an Android newbie, but long time iPhone jailbreak user and recently bought a brand new Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II International Version from ebay that was already unlocked and rooted. From what I read so far, rooting is the same as a jailbreak.

My question is this:
Can the seller have installed any malware or spyware after they rooted the new phone and is there anyway of finding irregular files if I install either Kaspersky or BullGuard?

The seller is from San Juan, Puerto Rico and has 100% positive feedback so I thought it was a safe purchase. I can post his ebay ID and one of his most recent auctions of the phone I bought if that will help. Thanks to anyone who replies.

 

[dan330]

1. rooting is a little different that JB.... Rooting gives you full access/permissions to change anything you want on your device.

2. since you have root.. and got it online.. used.... look for a good ROM for YOUR device.. Format the SDcard...WIPE everything!!!! and Flash the new ROM. any malware or issues, will be gone.

 

[riverob]

Hey dan330, thanks for the reply. I'm new at this and on a Mac platform so in order to do what you said about Flashing ROM will I need a PC? If so, can you please tell me where to find more information on how to do this or should I just youtube it? And how will I know if the ROM I want to replace with the current one doesn't have any malware or viruses on it? Will I be able to prescan it? Thanks again.

 

[dan330]

Go to.. xda developers.. Website and look for your device subforum..

The good ROMs have big long threads.. If there are any malware.. The members would expose it.. And kill the ROM.

You don't have to have a pc to flash.. Done on the phone.

 

[riverob]

Go to.. xda developers.. Website and look for your device subforum..

The good ROMs have big long threads.. If there are any malware.. The members would expose it.. And kill the ROM.

You don't have to have a pc to flash.. Done on the phone.

I was just about to ask you about the xda site. I found a good video here: Samsung Galaxys S II ROM's in a Flash (Lite'ning 1.4) *June 22nd 2011* - YouTube which was done by one of the their developers. His thread regarding the ROM is pretty long also and appears to be safe. So it looks like I have a lengthy road ahead of me to learning this stuff.

 

[jerofld]

Another resource is to go to your phone's forum here on Android Forums and go into the All Things Root subforum. Here you'll likely see ROM discussions and recommendations, and even ask for a recommendation. The threads here are easier to follow then the chaos of XDA (IMO of course).

 

[Frisco]

Android phones:

Android Phones - Android Forums

Android tablets and minis:

Android Tablets & MIDs - Android Forums

 

[FProphets]

hey guys im new. this thread explains a lot. i've read about rooting on other sites and besides learning that you can "open up" the phone i still had no clue what sort of benefits it would bring since im not really familiar with a lot of the android lingo. some things are still a bit more of explanation but let me go over what i seem to be understanding and correct me if im wrong.

1. when you say "flashing roms" you talking about replacing the stock OS with something custom and more to your liking?

2. im coming from a blackberry (finally) and they had "themes" which would basically be custom layouts for you apps and such on the main screen but the operation of the phone was basically the same. is this kind of the same with roms or is it more complicated?

3. rooting opens up tethering as a feature without having to use an app or pay to your phone company? i think this would be a good enough reason for me to want to root.

4. rooting allows that ability to change more complicated system settings but doing so would require a little more know how but its not really necessary for the average phone user to really dabble with it in any way.

5. allow access to custom apps that make use of a more open OS and that would be able to be used on the stock OS.

6. as far as these custom apps where do you find them? im assuming not on the android market.

 

[dan330]

1. true... but "flashing" is the act of throwing a custom OS on to your phone. it "flash" on top of the existing one. totally replacing it. still android OS.

2. Themes are different than custom ROMs. themes are exactly what you understand it to be. changing the look of the environment. from small to larger changes..depending on what you want. ROMs are changes in the OS, but many custom ROMs also incorporate themes too. (NOTE**: someone might take a someone elses custom ROM, add a few themes changes to their liking. then put it out as a new custom ROM...that is why it is confusing.

3. depends on the ROM you choose to do this with. stock OS (rooted) will need an app to do WIFI tether. some ROMs let you use the carrier app to wifi tether; the dev put in an app to do it.

4. true.. but some mods are not that complicated.. the more popular mods are sometimes added (cooked) into the ROM by the dev.

5. true.

6. they are on the Market. and amazon market and brainapp..