Database Users

Weird stuff while rooting

Hello. I was rooting my Nexus 7 today and decided to do my Nexus 4 too, fresh out of the box I plugged it into my PC and went to work. Now I downloaded the Nexus 4 toolkit and unlocked my boot loader and rooted, hoping to flash some CM10 on it, I decided to boot into recovery, only to find that I have the stock one. So I did the step in the toolkit that supposedly makes the custom recovery stick and it doesn't work. I can get past the step to make it stick but then when I try to put CWM on it it doesn't let me. I'm confused on what to do here...
My Nexus 7 was fine, but now I have problem after problem with this.
Sent from my Nexus 4

Your first problem is you used a toolkit.
Android has a built in recovery, recovery feature and that's what your hitting.
Go to clockworks website if that is what you choose to use and download the correct recovery. Then go download a ROM. CM10.1 or whatever, even just a rooted deodexed stock ROM is fine. Put it on your phone.
Google Fastboot.exe download it from a reputable site, it'll probably link you somewhere here.
Take the downloaded fastboot file and drop it into your Windows folder.
Now boot your phone into the bootloader (I'm unsure on the key combinations since I have a Galaxy Nexus.)
Type "fastboot devices" (without the quotes of course)
You should get a response with a bunch of numbers, that's what you want. If its blank you need to install drivers.
Once you get a response, locate your clockwork file. It should be nameed something like:
Clockwork-touch-recovery-(version number).img (it must be a IMG file as you do NOT want a zip file.
Type this command:
Fastboot flash recovery (recovery file name as mentioned above)
You should get a few lines of code showing it as complete. Select boot into recovery from the phone and flash your ROM.. Be sure to include GAPPS if the ROM you choose doesn't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

altimax98 said:
Your first problem is you used a toolkit.
Android has a built in recovery, recovery feature and that's what your hitting.
Go to clockworks website if that is what you choose to use and download the correct recovery. Then go download a ROM. CM10.1 or whatever, even just a rooted deodexed stock ROM is fine. Put it on your phone.
Google Fastboot.exe download it from a reputable site, it'll probably link you somewhere here.
Take the downloaded fastboot file and drop it into your Windows folder.
Now boot your phone into the bootloader (I'm unsure on the key combinations since I have a Galaxy Nexus.)
Type "fastboot devices" (without the quotes of course)
You should get a response with a bunch of numbers, that's what you want. If its blank you need to install drivers.
Once you get a response, locate your clockwork file. It should be nameed something like:
Clockwork-touch-recovery-(version number).img (it must be a IMG file as you do NOT want a zip file.
Type this command:
Fastboot flash recovery (recovery file name as mentioned above)
You should get a few lines of code showing it as complete. Select boot into recovery from the phone and flash your ROM.. Be sure to include GAPPS if the ROM you choose doesn't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll try that. I always thought toolkits were better than anything else. Though I've only ever used them on my Nexus devices, on my old phones I did it differently
Sent from my Nexus 4

Orange_furball said:
Thanks. I'll try that. I always thought toolkits were better than anything else. Though I've only ever used them on my Nexus devices, on my old phones I did it differently
Sent from my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not better at all.
Toolkit is like walking into a university campus blindedly, it will carry you from the entrance to where you need to be. But what happens if it's relocated? You don't know where it is, and then you ask questions to the people in your surroundings to help.
Doing it yourself is like having a map and you are able to analyze the situation and then you will know what to do without asking questions. You'll ask questions, but you'll feel more comfortable as you know what's going on.
You get the point. It's not fun flashing and doing things to your phone blindedly, then mistakenly saying your phone is bricked when it isn't and they don't know how to do fastboot restore.

zephiK said:
Not better at all.
Toolkit is like walking into a university campus blindedly, it will carry you from the entrance to where you need to be. But what happens if it's relocated? You don't know where it is, and then you ask questions to the people in your surroundings to help.
Doing it yourself is like having a map and you are able to analyze the situation and then you will know what to do without asking questions. You'll ask questions, but you'll feel more comfortable as you know what's going on.
You get the point. It's not fun flashing and doing things to your phone blindedly, then mistakenly saying your phone is bricked when it isn't and they don't know how to do fastboot restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense. I usually try things myself but I was feeling lazy.
Sent from my Nexus 7

Orange_furball said:
That makes sense. I usually try things myself but I was feeling lazy.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I've used Toolkits before but only on HTC devices where getting S-Off required a lot of lines of code and messing one up meant a bricked device.
Nothing is easier then getting a Nexus device rooted. Once your setup you can usually go from stock/locked to rooted/unlocked/custom rom in under 5 minutes.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Orange_furball said:
That makes sense. I usually try things myself but I was feeling lazy.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Laziness gets people in to awkward positions and tend to make really bad situations and soft brick their phone. Nor necessarily during using the toolkit but what they do to their phone afterwards. Thinking and reading are imperative
I completely agree with the post above. If it's a long process then by all means use the toolkit but the nexus is simple as if is. If people can't manually unlock their bootloader then they don't deserve access to tinker with their phone, to me it's like a exam. Pass it, you get bootloader unlock. Fail, repeat
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

I got it resolved. Thanks everyone, I just had to use the Samsung ADB drivers, the use command prompt to flash CWM:good:

Cool.. Glad to hear it all worked out for you
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Fool proof nexus 10 root

Hello there
Got myself a nexus 10 and to say I'm jealous of some of the homescreen posts is an understatement it really has me salivating when I see those custom icon packs coupled with a 2560x1600 resolution. I'm reasonably tech savvy myself but find the task of rooting my device a daunting one. I Find it difficult to follow all the steps and I'm afraid to mess it up and to be left with a device the won't even power on and as I live in Ireland it will prove difficult to send back for repair. Device still not available here officially. Anybody know an extremely easy reliable root?.just wanna run flash and customise the appearance a bit and maybe a little over clocking Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks in advance
Thanks
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

rdsreference said:
Hello there
Got myself a nexus 10 and to say I'm jealous of some of the homescreen posts is an understatement it really has me salivating when I see those custom icon packs coupled with a 2560x1600 resolution. I'm reasonably tech savvy myself but find the task of rooting my device a daunting one. I Find it difficult to follow all the steps and I'm afraid to mess it up and to be left with a device the won't even power on and as I live in Ireland it will prove difficult to send back for repair. Device still not available here officially. Anybody know an extremely easy reliable root?.just wanna run flash and customise the appearance a bit and maybe a little over clocking Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks in advance
Thanks
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the original android development section there's a nexus 10 toolkit that will unlock the bootloader and root along with a bunch of other features. Of course, learning how to use adb commands are best, but if you want a quick fix, use the toolkit.

If you mess up, as long as you managed to get as far as flashing a custom recovery you can fix just about any mistake. And even if you broke it all (which is HIGHLY unlikely) before you even flashed a custom recovery, you can still fix just about any problems you made. I actually just helped another guy who screwed up his tablet pretty bad if you want to read my post on how to get out of a jam:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=37019359&postcount=10
As for unlocking, if you follow the first few steps of my other post you will have the Android SDK downloaded and the files you need in an easy to access folder. From there you will just want to download a custom Recovery .img file, like this one here:
http://techerrata.com/file/twrp2/manta/openrecovery-twrp-2.3.3.0-manta.img
and do the commands:
fastboot oem unlock
Then follow the couple steps on your tablet to confirm the unlock. Copy that recovery .img file you downloaded into your Android-SDK folder, and then use the command:
fastboot flash recovery blahblahblah.img (where blahblahblah is the actual file name of the recovery image you downloaded)
Once done then use the volume buttons to go down the fastboot menu on your tablet until it says "Recovery", press the power button to confirm booting into recovery.
Then download this file and place it in the Android-SDK-Windows directory:
http://download.chainfire.eu/282/SuperSU/CWM-SuperSU-v0.98.zip?retrieve_file=1
and use the command:
adb push CWM-SuperSU-v0.98.zip /data/media/0
Which will push the file to your tablet (or alternatively instead of pushing through ADB just start your tablet like normal and copy the file the normal way from your computer to your internal storage)
Once the file is copied/pushed then in your recovery go to the install menu and flash it. This will flash root to your current ROM. Then you should be dine, you are now unlocked on the stock ROM with root. Alternatively, instead of flashing root, you can just go straight away to flashing a custom ROM since those already have root access anyway.
It really is quite easy and simple. Should take 5-10 minutes tops. If you want to lock the tablet again then find a completely stock ROM (or google how to reset and flash the original RUU) and flash it to your tablet and then do the same thing as unlocking but use the command: "fastboot oem lock"

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2015467
Wugfresh has a toolkit that's foolproof. As long as you follow the directions and slowly go through each step, ensuring you're reading everything carefully, you'll be fine. In the OP of the link I provided is another link that takes to to a YouTube video of the Nexus 10 being unlocked and rooted using the toolkit. It goes step-by-step, so follow along with the video, do EXACTLY as he does, and you'll have no problems.

Just use cf-root, takes less than 10 sec and very straight forward
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Does the name qbking77 mean anything to you??
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Just use superboot, you won't loose data and won't need to unlock bootloader or install a custom recovey...

gmfeny said:
Does the name qbking77 mean anything to you??
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link I provided has a link to qbking77's YouTube video showing the Nexus 10 being unlocked and rooted using Wugfresh's toolkit.

Rodeojones said:
The link I provided has a link to qbking77's YouTube video showing the Nexus 10 being unlocked and rooted using Wugfresh's toolkit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I know that's what I used when I rooted mines!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Q] (HELP) Rooting 4.2.2 Nexus 7

Hi, now most people here are smart with this type of thing soooo i wanted to ask you how i can root the nexus 7 running 4.2.2. I tried to use the wugfresh NRT but when I was installing drivers a problem occurred. Instead of having ADB drivers or something like that I had ADB Composite drivers installed even though i followed the guide completely and I have tried several times to correct this but i havent found a solution. Also i attempted to carry on the rooting process but it said i did not have the correct drivers installed and etc. So can someone give me a fool proof way of getting the right drivers for this thing so i can root so i can finally install some kernels and use the sixaxis controller app! sorry for the essay and all help is appreciated

hrsedJe Something
Use the THE GOOGLE NEXUS 7 TOOLKIT at : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1809195 and then use the files from here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=37989110&postcount=1650 and then start the tool and root. easiest solution I know.
If 4.2.2 doesn't show up in the device list, pick 4.2.1, worked fine for me.

How about instead on relying on a tool you know nothing about, you learn how your device works and how to root it manually? This way you aren't stuck dealing with problems like this in the first place.
I could understand the need/desire/etc. for special tools/kits on some branded and locked down devices. But the N7 is as open as it gets. If you have the SDK installed on your computer and a flashable SU zip, you could have your device unlocked and rooted in about 2 minutes.

phonic said:
How about instead on relying on a tool you know nothing about, you learn how your device works and how to root it manually? This way you aren't stuck dealing with problems like this in the first place.
I could understand the need/desire/etc. for special tools/kits on some branded and locked down devices. But the N7 is as open as it gets. If you have the SDK installed on your computer and a flashable SU zip, you could have your device unlocked and rooted in about 2 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because:
a) It's not necessary.
b) I have been rooting using the manual way, like you described, on every Android phone I've had for the past few years. And every single time I forget how to do it. I always have to look up what I'm doing to refresh my memory.
Spending 2 hours on something won't make you a master, and unless you plan on consistently refreshing your memory and playing around with your phone (when most JUST want root), then there's no ****ing reason to manually learn how to do it.

Kaaji1359 said:
Because:
a) It's not necessary.
b) I have been rooting using the manual way, like you described, on every Android phone I've had for the past few years. And every single time I forget how to do it. I always have to look up what I'm doing to refresh my memory.
Spending 2 hours on something won't make you a master, and unless you plan on consistently refreshing your memory and playing around with your phone (when most JUST want root), then there's no ****ing reason to manually learn how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, most commands for doing stuff on the N7 manually are four words. It really isn't a lot to remember. Also I don't think you understand the purpose of this site/forum.
..That being said.
Use Wug's toolkit and update the adb files in its install directory. Then just use the 4.2.1 settings if 4.2.2 doesn't show.
Here is a post with the files: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=37989110&postcount=1650

sucks that the toolkit is only for windows, sucky windows

Kaaji1359 said:
Because:
a) It's not necessary.
b) I have been rooting using the manual way, like you described, on every Android phone I've had for the past few years. And every single time I forget how to do it. I always have to look up what I'm doing to refresh my memory.
Spending 2 hours on something won't make you a master, and unless you plan on consistently refreshing your memory and playing around with your phone (when most JUST want root), then there's no ****ing reason to manually learn how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a big difference between memorizing commands and actually understanding what they mean. Your post made it very clear that in the "years" you've been doing it, you never possessed the latter.
It is not a complicated process. Unlock bootloader, run custom recovery, flash su zip. Voila. In the amount of time it took you to make your original post you could have been done. If it takes you two hours then you are doing something seriously wrong.
This is a developer forum geared towards people who want to learn how things work, not just look for quick one click tools, and then get upset when things don't work out for them using said tools and people tell them to spend some time educating themselves. If people here spent more time actually learning instead of relying on quick fixes, then we would have to deal with hundreds of posts complaining on how OTA updates were failing because of asserts every time a new one came out.
And your last sentence makes no sense. Obviously there is a reason isn't there?
Sent from my Nexus 7 3G using Tapatalk

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2019519

had the same problems
Just google fastboot files for n7, get sdk and pack files AND the recovery into the sdk tool folder.
Shift+right click -> start command here
Fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
Start tab abd sideload the SU.zip (google superuser)
Flash
Done ))
Did it yesterday no issues!

phonic said:
There is a big difference between memorizing commands and actually understanding what they mean. Your post made it very clear that in the "years" you've been doing it, you never possessed the latter.
It is not a complicated process. Unlock bootloader, run custom recovery, flash su zip. Voila. In the amount of time it took you to make your original post you could have been done. If it takes you two hours then you are doing something seriously wrong.
This is a developer forum geared towards people who want to learn how things work, not just look for quick one click tools, and then get upset when things don't work out for them using said tools and people tell them to spend some time educating themselves. If people here spent more time actually learning instead of relying on quick fixes, then we would have to deal with hundreds of posts complaining on how OTA updates were failing because of asserts every time a new one came out.
And your last sentence makes no sense. Obviously there is a reason isn't there?
Sent from my Nexus 7 3G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said phonic. I prefer the manual way as well. It is always good to know what you are doing, but knowing how it works and learning something is always better.
I would much rather learn something than to have someone do it for me. If ever I need help and ask someone, they say I'll do it for you I say no, please show me how to do it!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

kidujp said:
Use the THE GOOGLE NEXUS 7 TOOLKIT at : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1809195 and then use the files from here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=37989110&postcount=1650 and then start the tool and root. easiest solution I know.
If 4.2.2 doesn't show up in the device list, pick 4.2.1, worked fine for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may receive an error message "ABD" is offline, in this case download the latest Android SDK manager and upgrade all USB drivers before using the toolkit again.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

phonic said:
How about instead on relying on a tool you know nothing about, you learn how your device works and how to root it manually? This way you aren't stuck dealing with problems like this in the first place.
I could understand the need/desire/etc. for special tools/kits on some branded and locked down devices. But the N7 is as open as it gets. If you have the SDK installed on your computer and a flashable SU zip, you could have your device unlocked and rooted in about 2 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never ceases to amaze me how many pretentious pricks use XDA.... Reminds me of Apple snobs.

command line is the way to go
command line is the way to go m8!!
cheers,
geek endangered

[Q] problem: n7 3g 32 jwr66y wont boot recovery

so i had jwr66v rooted with superSU twrp cmw 6.035 or whast ever.
now i have updated to ******y and i tried to flash a ROM in in CWM but it did nothing. at all. i rebooted into recovery only to get a droid on his back with a red ! coming out his belly. um problem here. i opened super Su and it said i need to reroot because i have installed 4.3
how can i reroot if i can't access recovery.
tried using toolkit to reroot (un root to stock first) but it froze now having this problem: post #455
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45162727&posted=1#post45162727

anyone?

Just flash recovery from cmd/terminal using fastboot.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

never used it. details would be nice.

Want details? There are stickies and tutorials for a reason. Lemme guess, you used a toolkit to root it the first time?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

sure I'll follow one of your tutorials. most of the time written as if we know every detail about android development jargon. oh and most tuts have missing details that usually means moderate technical knowledge people have to make assumptions when following those instructions. another issue I'm funding with following "stickies" is because there are so many different ways to update and so many different versions of root tools made by many different clever developers. sometimes they don't all work together. most of the time i will follow some developers half thrown together set of instructions only to have to redo the instructions 3 of 4 times because of the reasons all mentioned above.
short response to your reply. i followed a simple tutorial put up by a developer and most likely used a tool kit. now i have issues. rather then spend countless hours hunting for else who has had the same problem and actually posted it, i decided to ask the question so someone like yourself that enjoys spending hours each night balls deep in code can give me a simple link or basic set of instructions so i can have some relief.

Adb and fastboot. Those are the only tools you need to use.
If I had been in your shoes, I would have done a bit of googling on the term 'fastboot recovery'
I don't know why some people make this so hard. This is a developer site, if you don't want to learn, you shouldn't be here. Considering all this **** is literally spelled out for you with step by step documentation, it doesn't make any sense to click that 'new thread' button when this issue is so common.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

yeah googling more is what got me following half arse instructions and wading hours of my day. so which part of your detailed instructions would have led you ( if in my shoes) to Google fast boot recovery?
well I have now downloaded the latest tool kit so i can un root. then I'm going to hunt through countless posts and try find which is the best way to root and install cm10.x hopefully next time their is an update i won't have to reroot just to get all my little root access apps back.
ps this is the trouble shoot q&a section not the developers only section. hence why i posted here.

Welcome to xda-DEVELOPERS.com.
Maybe you missed that part. The domain name isn't xda-hold-lazy-asses-hand-and-make-their-device-cool.com
You are expected to read, comprehend, and take initiative to learn. Asking for a hand holding session is not the way.
If you would bother reading the stickies, you would see how easy it is to flash recovery. There is a tutorial in the damn stickies that literally walks you through the process.
Hint: every goddamn nexus gets rooted and recovery flash the same way regardless of what version of android you are on
I don't know how much more plain and simple we could be here.
Fastboot flash recovery name of recovery.IMG
I mean wtf how could you NOT find that?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
since you are being so lazy, and i have obviously had enough to drink tonight:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2150661
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Doc:_fastboot_intro
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2072732
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2175086
READ!
heres another hint. you need a recovery made SPECIFICALLY for your device 'tilapia'

so..... thanks for the pointless rant, after re read many guides and how tos, also wasting a saturday. still cant get the bootloader to update from version 4.13 (read post 1 again) not even using fastboot. Also read post #455 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45162727&posted=1#post45162727

aza510 said:
so..... thanks for the pointless rant, after re read many guides and how tos, also wasting a saturday. still cant get the bootloader to update from version 4.13 (read post 1 again) not even using fastboot. Also read post #455 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45162727&posted=1#post45162727
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use stock images for Android 4.2 and not 4.3 to avoid that error.
But i'm not sure why you want to flash anything else than recovery? Do you want to get it back to pure stock?

[Q] Before I install Kit Kat I would like to root my phone

Hello
My phone tells me that it is ready to update to Kit Kat.
Before I install Kit Kat I would like to learn how to go back to Jelly Bean if things go t1ts-up.
So, I would like to learn how to root my phone?
I would also like to learn how to backup everything including the Jelly Bean operating system, and I would like to know how to revert my phone back to Jelly Bean?
Please forgive my ignorance, but this whole process genuinely scares me. I have only ever rooted my Samsung Ace phone once and the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I did manage to root my phone. I also thought that I had created a backup but when I tested the backup I discovered that my phone got wiped and I ended up with a brick. I eventually found an official Samsung ROM but it wasn't the one I wanted and it caused a few problems, especially with the Bluetooth feature.
I hope you can understand or appreciate my apprehension with even contemplating such a task on my expensive Nexus 4.
Cheers muchly

the lemming said:
Hello
My phone tells me that it is ready to update to Kit Kat.
Before I install Kit Kat I would like to learn how to go back to Jelly Bean if things go t1ts-up.
So, I would like to learn how to root my phone?
I would also like to learn how to backup everything including the Jelly Bean operating system, and I would like to know how to revert my phone back to Jelly Bean?
Please forgive my ignorance, but this whole process genuinely scares me. I have only ever rooted my Samsung Ace phone once and the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I did manage to root my phone. I also thought that I had created a backup but when I tested the backup I discovered that my phone got wiped and I ended up with a brick. I eventually found an official Samsung ROM but it wasn't the one I wanted and it caused a few problems, especially with the Bluetooth feature.
I hope you can understand or appreciate my apprehension with even contemplating such a task on my expensive Nexus 4.
Cheers muchly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to check out the Wugfresh's toolkit if you are not incline with technical stuff. The toolkit is in the Development section.

Hello
I have no idea what Wugfresh's tool-kit is.
Sorry

the lemming said:
Hello
I have no idea what Wugfresh's tool-kit is.
Sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest that you study up and follow this guide here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010312
I was like you when I first got the nexus. Didn't know what to do and the steps seems to be so complicated. Hell..I even took couple of days to finally succeed in installing the drivers. And for me I think it is better to learn the basics of using adb before trying out the toolkits. If you start with toolkits and you will later on rely entirely on the toolkits. This is not good as some problems, the toolkits might not be able to solve it for you.
Btw, look into original android development for wug's toolkits. It is pinned there. Should be easy to find.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

You seem to be taking interest in Rooting and stuffs. I would suggest you to get handy with a few ADB and FASTBOOT commands and you won't need any toolkit ever in Life !!!
Its very very very easy in Nexus Devices.
Here is my attempt to make you learn :-
1. Say Bye Bye to your phone OS version.
2. Open Command Prompt or Terminal.(Assuming, you have SDK & Drivers installed)
Code:
adb devices
It shall return you the device id.
3. Reboot to BootLoader
Code:
adb reboot-bootloader
4. Check for your device's recognition in FastBoot Mode.
Code:
fastboot devices
5. I assume you have all the files(Factory Image tar.gz extracted to a folder)
just type :-
Code:
flash-all.bat
BOOM...
You are now on stock KitKat !
Now, To get a Custom Recovery (IMHO go with TWRP),
1. Download latest recovery from the official website.
2. Type when in FastBoot Mode.
Code:
fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.4-mako.img
(Or whatever the name is)
3. Reboot your device.
Now, to get the ROOT ACCESS, after booting up the device,
1. Download the latest UPDATE-SuperSU zip from here.
2. Keep it somewhere in DEVICE STORAGE.
3. open TWRP RECOVERY
4. FLASH that ZIP
5. HIT THANKS !
Have Fun ...
Welcome to the Flashing Fraternity !!! LOL

miku3191 said:
You seem to be taking interest in Rooting and stuffs. I would suggest you to get handy with a few ADB and FASTBOOT commands and you won't need any toolkit ever in Life !!!
BOOM...
You are now on stock KitKat !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
Thank you for replying but I fear that I will not be following your advice at the moment.
I initially asked how to ROOT my phone so that I can learn how to do backups and recoveries. My phone is ready for the Over The Air official upgrade.
I want to take things one step at a time rather than causing problems by blindly following code.
Sorry

the lemming said:
Hello
Thank you for replying but I fear that I will not be following your advice at the moment.
I initially asked how to ROOT my phone so that I can learn how to do backups and recoveries. My phone is ready for the Over The Air official upgrade.
I want to take things one step at a time rather than causing problems by blindly following code.
Sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want official OTA update of KitKat you should update it, and after that unlock bootloader and root phone. That way nothing will go wrong.
If you unlock bootloader and root your phone OTA update will cause problems like stuck in bootloop(your phone will be stuck on nexus logo and it will never boot into android)
If you want to learn about rooting I suggest you this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2367406
this is excelent tutorial how to root your nexus 4 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2018179
and if you are more comfortable to hear and see somebody do it you can check out this page it have video of full process and pictures for every step http://nexus4root.com/nexus-4-root/how-to-root-nexus-4-windowsmac-osxlinuxubuntu/
Good luck!:cyclops:

miku3191 said:
You seem to be taking interest in Rooting and stuffs. I would suggest you to get handy with a few ADB and FASTBOOT commands and you won't need any toolkit ever in Life !!!
Its very very very easy in Nexus Devices.
Good luck!:cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This process is an absolute nightmare.
All I want to do is back-up my Jelly Bean phone operating system and have it safe in case the OTA Kit Kat goes wrong. I thought that this was sensible and safe practice before doing any updates, especially something as serious as a system update?
I have now tried several Tutorials on how to root my phone and all I have succeeded in doing is wiping my phone clean and returning it to Factory Settings. The latest Tutorial was here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010312
I followed the following advice to this point
1) All of the files that are required, need to be in one (i.e., the same) directory. It does not matter what it is called, but all the files need to be in there, with NO subfolders. EVERYTHING needs to be extracted into this one directory;
2) Download the attachment from the end of this post and extract the contents to the directory created in step 1. (Latest version for Windows is here). Note: if all you want to do is unlock your bootloader, skip to step 7 in this section (C).
7) Reboot your device into bootloader mode (by turning it off, hold volume down, and press and hold power) and plug it into your computer;
8) Open a command prompt in the same directory (i.e., make sure you are in the same directory as your files are located). You can hold the shift key when you are in the folder in Windows explorer and right-click in a blank spot and it will open a command prompt.
I then get to the bit about rooting
E. Optional -- Root
If you want to get root access follow the steps below. (And no, this will not flash a custom recovery, and not, it will not make you "not stock".) Unlocked bootloader required. See steps above.
1) Download (to your computer) the latest version of CWM (from here) or TWRP (from here) for your device;
http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager/
http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager/developers/mako?name=Google Nexus 4
And when I click the link I am blinded by options. This is a nightmare.
Could somebody please cut through all this hyperbole and just explain how I get ROOT?
I have been at this for 24 hours solid.

the lemming said:
This process is an absolute nightmare.
All I want to do is back-up my Jelly Bean phone operating system and have it safe in case the OTA Kit Kat goes wrong. I thought that this was sensible and safe practice before doing any updates, especially something as serious as a system update?
I have now tried several Tutorials on how to root my phone and all I have succeeded in doing is wiping my phone clean and returning it to Factory Settings. The latest Tutorial was here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010312
I followed the following advice to this point
1) All of the files that are required, need to be in one (i.e., the same) directory. It does not matter what it is called, but all the files need to be in there, with NO subfolders. EVERYTHING needs to be extracted into this one directory;
2) Download the attachment from the end of this post and extract the contents to the directory created in step 1. (Latest version for Windows is here). Note: if all you want to do is unlock your bootloader, skip to step 7 in this section (C).
7) Reboot your device into bootloader mode (by turning it off, hold volume down, and press and hold power) and plug it into your computer;
8) Open a command prompt in the same directory (i.e., make sure you are in the same directory as your files are located). You can hold the shift key when you are in the folder in Windows explorer and right-click in a blank spot and it will open a command prompt.
I then get to the bit about rooting
E. Optional -- Root
If you want to get root access follow the steps below. (And no, this will not flash a custom recovery, and not, it will not make you "not stock".) Unlocked bootloader required. See steps above.
1) Download (to your computer) the latest version of CWM (from here) or TWRP (from here) for your device;
http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager/
http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager/developers/mako?name=Google Nexus 4
And when I click the link I am blinded by options. This is a nightmare.
Could somebody please cut through all this hyperbole and just explain how I get ROOT?
I have been at this for 24 hours solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point you are missing is that your fear is clouding your ability to simply read and comprehend the proper steps to take. My friend rooting your phone with a toolkit is a simple task but you ask what is Wugs toolkit instead of taking the time to search for it an read up. YOu do not want to root your phone but to have someone do it for you. I used to do this for people back in the days where I would log into their pc and root their phones from my home.
My friend its simple your bootloader is unlocked and now all you need to do is push a recovery over to your phone. Now go to the TWRP thread and download the image file and follow the instructions given to you to flash the recovery. I fear if following these simple directions are too much for you maybe you should simply leave your phone alone before the next step is you calling Google with an issue or having to buy another phone...
Sorry but thats my honest opinion....
Edit: Boot into bootloader and check to see if its says unlocked. If so then all thats left is flashing a recovery

the lemming said:
This process is an absolute nightmare.
And when I click the link I am blinded by options. This is a nightmare.
Could somebody please cut through all this hyperbole and just explain how I get ROOT?
I have been at this for 24 hours solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading your posts, I understand your frustration. Here are my suggestions, 1) step away from your PC for a few minutes or an hour or get a cup of water, 2) put the phone aside, 3) read and re-read the information in Google Nexus 4 threads just to get the knowledge first and then start working on your phone. You will be doing fine. BTW, you should have a back up phone that you can use while working on your Nexus 4.

playya said:
Edit: Boot into bootloader and check to see if its says unlocked. If so then all thats left is flashing a recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this useful bit of information.

the lemming said:
Thank you for this useful bit of information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got it man I know but sometimes the truth hurts... You have been given all the information laid out for you in the posts above. If this is still too difficult for you your only other task is to actually have somebody do it for you this is nothing more than simply reading and taking your time. I tell you this with all sincerity I would rather see you stop now than later see another thread created by you saying possibly bricked
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:51 PM ----------
playya said:
You got it man I know but sometimes the truth hurts... You have been given all the information laid out for you in the posts above. If this is still too difficult for you your only other task is to actually have somebody do it for you this is nothing more than simply reading and taking your time. I tell you this with all sincerity I would rather see you stop now than later see another thread created by you saying possibly bricked
Take care
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

the lemming said:
And when I click the link I am blinded by options. This is a nightmare.
Could somebody please cut through all this hyperbole and just explain how I get ROOT?
I have been at this for 24 hours solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I trust that you have read the entire guide from that link you post. To get you see this clearly. Rooting is very easy. You just have to:
1. Install driver, download platform-tools (if you don't wanna download the entire android sdk) and SuperSU I trust that all the links are given in that guide.
2. Make sure you device is detected in adb. Copy SuperSU.zip into your device.
3. Unlock your device.
4. Push recovery. fastboot flash recovery recovery name.img
5. Reboot into recovery and flash SuperSu.zip
6. Reboot. Done.
Really..this is all it takes to perform a simple rooting. But if you're not the one who likes to read..and try to understand the steps. I suggest you not to mess with your device. You are more likely to brick it than make it better. The truth hurts but it is for your own good. Unless you prove me wrong. Then you are awesome instead
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium