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So I just got the droid 2 (had the droid 1). I bought this new phone and obviously wanted to root it like my old phone. See the ROMs that people have made, etc. I got root access and used root explorer to delete some system stuff (bloatware, etc.) and restarted and did that again (proving I had perm root). I flashed, or so I thought, the new recovery using rom manager and restarted holding x. Yeah... stock recovery. WTF? Am I missing something? Is my root broken? Bueller?!
Ou have to use droid 2 bootstrap
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using XDA App
so then how do you install a custom rom? everytime i try the update.zip method i get stuck in bootloops. if clockworkmod cant get into recovery then it cant do the update by its method (the easy method).
Ok, so I'm not sure what exactly is going on. Your stuck in a bootloop?
If so, then use the SBF to get back to factory stock. Follow the directions here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770224
The link to the SBF there is broken i believe, but you can find it here:
hxxp://www.droid-life.com/2010/11/01/droid-2-sbf-released-for-2-3-20-update/ (replace xx with tt obviously)
Then reroot and instead of using ROM manager, just get Koush's bootstrap recovery to get to clockworkmod recovery. Once the apk is installed, hit bootstrap recovery, give su access, and then once it says successful, hit reboot recovery.
Be sure your ROM is on your sdcard.
Before you flash the ROM, you need to mount /data and /system. You also need to wipe data and cache (be sure you remount /data and /system after this)
Then go to install zip from sdcard. Then hit choose zip from sdcard. Find your ROM and flash away. Hope this helps
Forget what you know about the D1. The D2 is an entirely different device. Read the installs to roms don't just flash because you think you know how to do it. You can't use ROM manager without koush's bootstrap first. I've never had ROM manager ever because koush's bootstrap does everything you need to flash ROMs and what not on the D2 because moto locked it's bootloader.
Clockwork from the bootstrap won't take out stock recovery we can only access it after the phone boots a little then we can hijack the boot and get into clockwork.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Will the bootloader ever be unlocked? I like being able to access nandroid without booting the phone. It gives me a sense of security. Damn moto for doing this. Why dont they allow rom hacking? Do they fear security issues or hidden exploits? ITS FREAKIN CREATIVITY. and its spawns new developers...
Well someone commented on a Motorola YouTube video about the locked bootloader, and Motorola told them if they want to load roms and the like to buy a different brand phone. Then Moto came out with an official statement saying they were sorry for the comment and that they will be looking into more dev friendly bootloaders in the future. I doubt the D2 will ever see this though. I'll bet it will only effect new phones.
Oh thats what that whole scandal was about. I heard about that. And the motorola spokesperson answered something like "buy a different phone cuz rooting isnt for this one". Could motorola possibly change the bootloader OTA? I would like them to...
Maxidax said:
Oh thats what that whole scandal was about. I heard about that. And the motorola spokesperson answered something like "buy a different phone cuz rooting isnt for this one". Could motorola possibly change the bootloader OTA? I would like them to...
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Click to collapse
I'm not sure if they could, but I doubt they would
Sent from my ultra fast Liberated Droid 2
Why is that? I mean a bootloader can't be that difficult to create. Especially if the idea is to make it more simple. On the other hand, does anyone think devolopers will unlock the bootloader?
Sent from my DROID2
The bootloader will never be cracked. Period. And motorola may change it on future devices but its not gunna change on the x or 2. Like motorola said if you want to root and install roms get a different device.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Now are you just being pessimistic or realistic? Why would it never be cracked? People probably thought that about nand lock at first...
Sent from my DROID2
miketoasty said:
The bootloader will never be cracked. Period. And motorola may change it on future devices but its not gunna change on the x or 2. Like motorola said if you want to root and install roms get a different device.
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Well they got that part wrong. We can root and flash roms. Just can't do anything with kernels and the like.... truely sad to hold this device back like that...
Sent from my ultra fast Liberated Droid 2
So in response I will rephrase my question. If we have come this far. Would you say that the Droid 2 is a project in progress or that developers have gone as far as they can.
Sent from my DROID2
Maxidax said:
So in response I will rephrase my question. If we have come this far. Would you say that the Droid 2 is a project in progress or that developers have gone as far as they can.
Sent from my DROID2
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Click to collapse
Well I'm not dev and have limited knowledge, but I would say there isn't too much more they can do besides refine their awesome ROMs. Hopefully in future devices, Motorola will give us a way to unlock the bootloader, or they could be loosing big business.
I think I might email fabulous or some other 2/X dev. I really would like to know if its just a software lock that hasn't been... well unlocked. Or something is actually virtually impossible to change. I really don't wanna switch services to get a nice slider android with a decent cpu.
Sent from my DROID2
Maxidax said:
I think I might email fabulous or some other 2/X dev. I really would like to know if its just a software lock that hasn't been... well unlocked. Or something is actually virtually impossible to change. I really don't wanna switch services to get a nice slider android with a decent cpu.
Sent from my DROID2
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Click to collapse
Motorola has actually put a chip called the "efuse" inside the phones that locks down the bootloader. They may be able to disable it through a firmware update, but I'm not sure.
Thanks for pointing me to efuse. That seems really annoying... I don't really see the benefit in using a chip like that. Outside of intentionally preventing unauthorized roms. How unfortunate...
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
They probably do it to prevent idiots from attempting to mess with the phone's entrails (if you will) and then howling when they mess something up and demanding a free replacement phone.
true that. I would probably cry too if I didn't know how to sbf. I don't even see how its possible to "brick" a phone unless you're a dev that's actually creating something new. Its hard to hose your /system. This stupid locked bootloader does make it a bit more heartbreaking when you get a bootloop. I hate praying for the recovery after a battery pull... why can't I just hit "x"! :'(
Sent from my DROID2 using XDA App
Hey guys, I've been thinking about rooting my MT4G, but I can't risk getting this phone bricked. I was wondering what the risks are using this method http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858021
I've heard that it can only be truly bricked if you mess with the HBoot or radio stuff. Is this true and what are your thoughts on the matter?
Thanks,
Barrett
The method that's depicted in that link is the "safer" one generally. While there is always a risk involved with this type of thing, you can be safe by following those directions EXACTLY. if you do that, it should be just fine.
There SHOULD be no risks to rooting. But check if you have a good or bad chip first... Because the myTouch 4G is just dumb like that. HTC really messed up with this phone with it's plethora of hardware problems.
I personally think that if you "can't risk" a brick, you probably shouldn't root it. And yes there should be no risks, but with these crazy chips floating around and people not being able to follow directions, there are always risks.
lowandbehold said:
I personally think that if you "can't risk" a brick, you probably shouldn't root it. And yes there should be no risks, but with these crazy chips floating around and people not being able to follow directions, there are always risks.
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+1
There are always risk when you are tampering with the firmware of anything. Phones, Computers, Routers what ever. If you cannot "RISK" it you might just want to use VISIONary.apk r14 and just leave "temp root on boot" checked.
Read up as much as you can and then read some more, watch some youtube howto videos and if after all that you are still doubtful that you can do it then stick with stock. Its really not as overwhelming as it seems to root a phone though, but it is pretty basic and after youve done it once you will wonder why you didnt do it sooner.
I also agree with these guys. If you cant take the risk, then dont do it. There are people that want to root and those who dont. Then there are people who should root and those who should not. Rooting is only needed if you want to flash custom kernels,roms, radios etc. If your an average user then dont worry about rooting. It will do you no good.
If you do decide to root, then just read and take your time. The instructions are all laid out and have been used many times. When in doubt ask.
Good luck
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of the responses! I'm fairly certain I'll root, but I am still reading. I'd like to know some worst case scenarios and what I can do to prevent them. What if I mistype something while perm rooting? Also, what are the risks of loading custom roms? Is there always a way to restore it even if your stuck on bootloop? One more thing, how do I know if I have a bad chip and what happens if I do?
Thanks again,
Barrett
Barrett S said:
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of the responses! I'm fairly certain I'll root, but I am still reading. I'd like to know some worst case scenarios and what I can do to prevent them. What if I mistype something while perm rooting? Also, what are the risks of loading custom roms? Is there always a way to restore it even if your stuck on bootloop? One more thing, how do I know if I have a bad chip and what happens if I do?
Thanks again,
Barrett
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Click to collapse
Best thing i can say to do as kind of a brick prevention tool is to make sure you flash eng bootloader cause it opens up more options that would be unavailable if you have a problem. If you mistype something it may not be as big a problem as WHERE it is mistyped. I dont think you can check for the bad chip until your phone is rooted. but it is something that can be checked through adb. The post with instructions in how to check the chip is the one that says something about post your emmc serial.
There really isnt any risk in loading a custom rom, other than getting a corrupt file download that wont flash. Make sure you make a backup through rom manager as soon as you get rooted. It will save you bigtime from having to reset everything up after a problem (ie bootloop or phone overclocked to the point of freezing.)
I think there's a high risk of becoming a flash-O-holic!
well, i tried that method several times and i keep getting s-on. good luck with you
Ace42 said:
I think there's a high risk of becoming a flash-O-holic!
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I second that, I flash new roms too frequently.
Sent from my demonSPEED Glacier using XDA Premium App
I was hesitant at first, but a couple months later, I went ahead and jumped in. Not too much to be afraid of if you follow instructions. Wouldn't ever go back to a stock ROM and I wondered what I was so afraid of after it was all over.
I try out new ROMs like I'm trying on shirts, its that simple once you get over the initial hump of being a bit hesitant to root a device. There's a supportive community here that will answer any questions you have and chances are- someone has already gone through whatever it is you have an issue with and has a fix. Search is your friend, that's how I got by. Just jump in. All the resources are here and other places on the web.
If you're still hesitant... just don't do it. It's not worth your time and anxiety if you're going to be continually fearful of doing something wrong. This is the kind of thing for tinkerers.... if you're not a tinkerer, just enjoy your phone as it is.
You can check your eMMC chip before rooting by using terminal app. The command is: cat /sys/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/name
eqjunkie829 said:
Best thing i can say to do as kind of a brick prevention tool is to make sure you flash eng bootloader cause it opens up more options that would be unavailable if you have a problem. If you mistype something it may not be as big a problem as WHERE it is mistyped. I dont think you can check for the bad chip until your phone is rooted. but it is something that can be checked through adb. The post with instructions in how to check the chip is the one that says something about post your emmc serial.
There really isnt any risk in loading a custom rom, other than getting a corrupt file download that wont flash. Make sure you make a backup through rom manager as soon as you get rooted. It will save you bigtime from having to reset everything up after a problem (ie bootloop or phone overclocked to the point of freezing.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have heard of the eng bootloader, but can you explain it to me?
Pravox said:
You can check your eMMC chip before rooting by using terminal app. The command is: cat /sys/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/name
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Click to collapse
It says "no t found"
cat /sys/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/name
That is the correct command. Make sure you include the space after "cat". I just tried on an unrooted phone and received SEM04G in reply.
Pravox said:
cat /sys/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host/mmc0/mmc0:0001/name
That is the correct command. Make sure you include the space after "cat". I just tried on an unrooted phone and received SEM04G in reply.
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Click to collapse
M4G2DE
From what I've read, this is the bad one. Now what?
Barrett S said:
M4G2DE
From what I've read, this is the bad one. Now what?
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Click to collapse
Yup, thats the one they say is the bad one. I've got it too.
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eqjunkie829 said:
Yup, thats the one they say is the bad one. I've got it too.
Sent from my demonSPEED Glacier using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
Okay, do I go ahead and root and claim a warranty if the chip gives out?
Well for people who had a brick caused by VISIONary that was fixed by flashing the leaked Gingerbread update, I think I have an idea that might work on rooting it.
Why not replace the stock bootloader and recoveries that come in the PC10IMG.zip file with Clockworkmod recovery and the Engineering SPL. That way you can have S-OFF, which allows you to use to use Gingerbreak to root and CWM recovery which allows you to flash a different ROM on the G2.
Does this make sense, or did someone already try this and failed? I got the idea from the method I used to root my G1.
teh5abiking said:
Well for people who had a brick caused by VISIONary that was fixed by flashing the leaked Gingerbread update, I think I have an idea that might work on rooting it.
Why not replace the stock bootloader and recoveries with Clockworkmod recovery and the Engineering SPL. That way you can have S-OFF, which allows you to use to use Gingerbreak to root and CWM recovery which allows you to flash a different ROM on the G2.
Does this make sense, or did someone already try this and failed? I got the idea from the method I used to root my G1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best bet to find out if this would work or not is to ask the guys over at #G2ROOT irc.
And this doesn't really belong in the dev section, should be in Q&A
CRAP!!! I hit the wrong link! Sorry, moving my post.
And where's the link to the #G2ROOT IRC channel?
If I'm not mistaken, there's no way to get thoes items on the phone as the package won't pass signatue validation.
If we had thoes items, then we wouldn't need to root the leak rom, we could simply bypass it by flashing a new pre-rooted rom..
Perhaps you misunderstood how the process works?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
teh5abiking said:
CRAP!!! I hit the wrong link! Sorry, moving my post.
And where's the link to the #G2ROOT IRC channel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't provide a link, just use your preferred IRC client
wilnotdie said:
If I'm not mistaken, there's no way to get thoes items on the phone as the package won't pass signatue validation.
If we had thoes items, then we wouldn't need to root the leak rom, we could simply bypass it by flashing a new pre-rooted rom..
Perhaps you misunderstood how the process works?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
perhaps i have, but what exactly is hindering the problem? did htc patch the hole in the firmware that allowed scotty2 to powercycle the eMMC chip?
Do u know what an md5 sum is? If anything is modified, even ONE BYTE, the sum changes. That is how u know if a file is corrupted/tampered. Signature verification is the same thing different name. The fact that you can't change the recovery because its not rooted means that you cannot bypass the sig verification. End of story. This idea will never work.
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xsteven77x said:
Do u know what an md5 sum is? If anything is modified, even ONE BYTE, the sum changes. That is how u know if a file is corrupted/tampered. Signature verification is the same thing different name. The fact that you can't change the recovery because its not rooted means that you cannot bypass the sig verification. End of story. This idea will never work.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ouch. . .
no need to be harsh.
xsteven77x said:
Do u know what an md5 sum is? If anything is modified, even ONE BYTE, the sum changes. That is how u know if a file is corrupted/tampered. Signature verification is the same thing different name. The fact that you can't change the recovery because its not rooted means that you cannot bypass the sig verification. End of story. This idea will never work.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Signature verification is not the "same thing different name" -- look up public key cryptography for more information.
teh5abiking said:
perhaps i have, but what exactly is hindering the problem? did htc patch the hole in the firmware that allowed scotty2 to powercycle the eMMC chip?
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Click to collapse
Pretty much yes. I don't remember the exact details....but it was the hole that allowed temp root, which than allowed us to modify the hboot. Giving us s-off, in turn allowing us full access...I think you get the picture.
Or someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Its been a long time since thoes days
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
You seek Irc.Freenode.net, #G2Root. While you're at it, drop into #Msid and #cyanogenmod ;-)
Sent via Tapatalk on CyanogenMod 7.1.0-RC1 on Vision
I am very experienced with my Samsung Droid Charge for Verizon, and I am trying to help my friend with his mytouch 4g. Basically I don't know how to do anything on a HTC phone. On Samsung we have a Windows program called ODIN that can flash anything to the phone (stock software, CWM, kernels, ROMs, radios, backup/restore, repartition). Most of the above we also do with CWM, which we get into by holding volume down, home, and power. Are there equivalents for all this on HTC?
Also, are there any fully working AOSP (preferably ICS or JB) ROMs? Sense would be fine just to get the bloat off. Does S-on or S-off make a difference? That is kind of confusing to me. Note that I would want a generally finished ROM that you can just flash once and not look at again.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1388962
knock yourself out.
btw, yes, for HTC Devices, S-Off (basically unlocked bootloader) is required for root access and ROM/mods flashing.
saranhai said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1388962
knock yourself out.
btw, yes, for HTC Devices, S-Off (basically unlocked bootloader) is required for root access and ROM/mods flashing.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. Also how easy is it to hard brick this phone? The Charge is nearly impossible, with the only reports of hard bricks unplugging the cable when flashing something in ODIN, or a corruption when changing file systems on the internal memory.
JihadSquad said:
Thanks. Also how easy is it to hard brick this phone? The Charge is nearly impossible, with the only reports of hard bricks unplugging the cable when flashing something in ODIN, or a corruption when changing file systems on the internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried really hard to brick this phone to show my friend its safe to root. No luck lol
Though I did have the good eMMc. Some mt4g's shipped with a bad eMMC which sometimes causes partitions to get corrupt and not Mount correctly therefore rendering the device useless.
Look up failed pu errors on this forum, also there is a tutorial to determine which eMMc your device has.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Yes check your emmc chip to see which one the phone has 50% of the people here will tell you it doesn't matter if u have the good or bad one but its always good to check.
Yes its hard to brick this phone unless u flash a wrong radio because I've flashed from different devices kernels and my phone is still alive..
somehow... but always ALWAYS have a NANDROID just in case and follow the guide Saranhai posted...
Like every ICS / JB ROMs theirs not 1 that stands out to be Perfect they all have their bugs since this device only got Gingerbread but test them for yourself and see which one works the best for your friend and his daily uses of the phone.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
...Awesome... said:
Yes check your emmc chip to see which one the phone has 50% of the people here will tell you it doesn't matter if u have the good or bad one but its always good to check.
Yes its hard to brick this phone unless u flash a wrong radio because I've flashed from different devices kernels and my phone is still alive..
somehow... but always ALWAYS have a NANDROID just in case and follow the guide Saranhai posted...
Like every ICS / JB ROMs theirs not 1 that stands out to be Perfect they all have their bugs since this device only got Gingerbread but test them for yourself and see which one works the best for your friend and his daily uses of the phone.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i figured about ICS/JB. We have a cm9 and cm10 ROM with like half the hardware working and then the dev got stuck. What would you say is the best ROM to flash just once and be done with it? I would probably root, tibu, nandroid, and flash the ROM then restore apps.
...Awesome... said:
Yes check your emmc chip to see which one the phone has 50% of the people here will tell you it doesn't matter if u have the good or bad one but its always good to check.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think differently. I've never known and don't plan on looking up the emmc on my phone. If I ever had a doubt or fear about anything I did on this device, I probably wouldn't be developing at all. I'd have to say it doesn't matter because at the end of the day no matter what chip you have it should be YOU who decides what you do with your device. Not the other way around.
Sent from my MyTouch 4G using xda app-developers app
Just Curious, have any developers checked this out. It looks like there has been a new exploit found that can be used to root android phones that have been previously unrootable. This could lead to root for the S7 edge without needed ENG Boot.
http://arstechnica.com/security/201...ed-by-most-serious-linux-escalation-bug-ever/
thought I would share the new. Also links to his github are in the article so all can take a look.
Sounds pretty cool. Though I know nothing of developing, lol. I do root and flash my phones all the time.
Sent from my SM-N930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
We need this bad lol. Whatever we can to root our phones without that ENG boot thing. It heats up my phone and drain my battery i want to root again so bad that i might just take the L and root it regardless and fight the flaws lol.
I'm thinking even if someone get root using this exploit, any changes you would make to system would not stick or cause the device to be soft bricked because of dm verity. Someone correct me if I'm wrong @jcase
Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk
dogredwing1 said:
I'm thinking even if someone get root using this exploit, any changes you would make to system would not stick or cause the device to be soft bricked because of dm verity. Someone correct me if I'm wrong @jcase
Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Easily could be used for temproot, that is what I did in my testing (no Im not making a s7 compatible one, or release any code. I dont work on devices i moderate forums for).