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hey i'm new just curious what rooting means? and what it lets you do?
xstreetz said:
hey i'm new just curious what rooting means? and what it lets you do?
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Google is your friend. But, can can start here.
Root Android the Easy Way
Add advanced features, customize the interface, and boost your handset's performance by rooting your Android phone.
By Robert Strohmeyer
Sep 14, 2010 5:00 PM
Google's Android operating system is riding a wave of popularity that has rapidly eclipsed Apple's iOS, and by the end of 2010 it's expected to overtake RIM's BlackBerry as America's leading smartphone platform. However, despite the relative openness and flexibility of the OS, your Android phone still isn't as powerful and customizable as it could be. To unlock all of your phone's potential, you'll need to root it.
WARNING: Rooting--adding superuser capabilities to your phone by altering its system permissions--is an advanced technique that the inexperienced or faint of heart should NEVER ATTEMPT. It's hacking, folks, and if done improperly it can destroy your phone. Do not follow any of the instructions in this guide or on any of the linked sites unless you are comfortable with the very real risk of turning your phone into an expensive brick. As of this writing, rooting is not supported by any carrier or manufacturer, and will most likely void your phone's warranty. In short: This stuff is for big kids only. No whining if things don't go your way.
Why Root?
With that very real and important caveat out of the way, there are a few really good reasons to root your Android phone. The simplest reason is that rooting your handset allows for some cool features that probably ought to be enabled in Android by default, such as on-the-fly screen capture, tethering capabilities (even on phones whose carriers don't allow it), and advanced firewall apps.
Android Superuser Request
Rooting Android gives you superuser access to your phone's OS, letting you do more than you'd be able to with a stock Android installation.
Rooting also lets you install custom ROMs that eliminate the annoying crapware many manufacturers and carriers include by default. In addition, custom ROMs can give you the latest version of Android weeks--or even months--ahead of the carriers' sluggish update schedules.
Rooted phones can take advantage of some great performance tweaks--such as CPU overclocking and improved cache management--that can dramatically speed up Android. You can take advantage of these options either by installing a ROM that includes them or by downloading apps from the Android Market that will automatically tweak settings on your rooted phone for you.
It would be a stretch to say that rooting Android is a necessary project for most users. In fact, most people should never even try it on their phones, just as most PC users probably shouldn't attempt to overclock their processors. But if you're an advanced user (or an intermediate user with a taste for adventure) and you know the risks, rooting can help you get a lot more fun and function out of your Android device.
Get Root
Until fairly recently, rooting Android was a messy process that required installing the Android Debug Bridge and hacking the phone from a command line. Fortunately, some industrious hackers have produced a few simple apps that can root your device in seconds with the tap of a finger. In this tutorial, I'll discuss two such apps--Easy Root (for the Motorola Droid, Droid X, and Milestone, and the HTC/Google Nexus One) and Unrevoked (which supports a variety of HTC handsets).
It's important to note here that although these one-click root apps are easy to use, they aren't completely trouble-free. For instance, as of this writing the developer of Unrevoked 3 is reviewing it to solve a problem with the HTC EVO 4G (but Unrevoked 2 is still available). And the latest version of Android, 2.2 (aka Froyo), will present new challenges for root users as carriers and phone manufacturers continue to try to block users from hacking their handsets. These obstacles are a basic reality for anyone attempting to root their device, just as Apple iPhone users must constantly adapt to Apple's efforts to block people from jailbreaking the iPhone.
Even though Easy Root and Unrevoked don't work on all Android phones, they do cover a broad swath of the Android universe. If you're interested in rooting a Samsung Galaxy or another device, however, you still have options--they're just not as easy. Because the state of Android hacking is constantly in flux, your best bet for phones not covered in this tutorial is to google "root" and the name of your phone, or to keep an eye on the discussions about your phone on a good Android forum, such as AllDroid.org.
Step 1: Download a Rooting App
To get started rooting your phone, you need the appropriate app for your device. If you're using a Droid, Droid X, Milestone, or Nexus One, you'll want Easy Root. HTC users with an Aria, Desire, Droid Incredible, EVO 4G, Hero, or Wildfire/Buzz will want to use Unrevoked. With either of these apps, your first step is to download the app directly from the developer's Website and put it in the root folder of your phone's SD Card.
Easy Root downloads as an APK file that's ready to run from the phone, so you could just download it straight onto the device and tap it in your file manager app to run it.
Unrevoked downloads as a zipped file with several files inside it. If you have an unzip utility on your phone, you can download and unzip it directly on your device. Otherwise, you'll need to unzip it on a PC and copy the appropriate file to the phone. Because Unrevoked comes in a few phone-specific files, it's generally best just to copy the correct file from your PC in the first place. The documentation on the Unrevoked site clearly explains which file to use for your particular phone.
Step 2: Install the App
Once you've placed the APK file for your rooting app onto your phone's SD Card, locate it with a file-management app such as Astro File Manager and tap it to start the installation. Follow the prompts to allow the installation. Once this finishes, the rooting app will appear in the phone's App Drawer. Launch it.
Step 3: Root It
Easy Root for Android
Easy Root's interface is as simple as it gets. Tap 'ROOT ME!' to root your phone.
This is the moment of truth. With your newly installed rooting app launched, tap the option to root the phone. (You may first have to tap past a warning or disclaimer screen.) Once you tap the button to root your phone, the app will spend a few seconds running a script that alters the system's user permissions to allow superuser access and install a customized recovery image on your phone's System partition. It will then present you with a screen that says you have root.
In some instances, running Easy Root or Unrevoked on a supported device and following all the instructions exactly can still result in an unrooted phone. If this happens to you, don't lose heart. The developers of these apps are highly responsive to user questions and feedback, and if you take care to document everything you did and all of the relevant settings on your device, you stand a good chance of getting the help you need to root your handset. Or, at the very least, you could provide valuable information that the developer can use to update the app and make it work on phones like yours. Just remember: Rooting is a precarious business for everyone involved, and these developers have put a lot of work into their projects with very little promise of reward. So be nice, even if you're frustrated.
Step 4: Reboot
Restart your phone to enable the new root permissions on your device. Congratulations--your handset should now be rooted.
Now What?
Gaining superuser access to your phone is just the first step in a vast new territory of Android exploration. Depending on which rooting app you're using, you may already be enjoying the performance and usability benefits of a host of enhancements included in your root recovery image. But there's plenty more to explore.
Barnacle Wi-Fi Tether
Barnacle makes it one-tap easy to add Wi-Fi tethering to your phone, even if your carrier doesn't support the feature.
If your phone doesn't support Wi-Fi tethering out of the box, you can now add it to your rooted phone. Barnacle is a good, fairly simple app that exploits root for tethering with or without your carrier's support.
Root users also have the option to overclock the phone's CPU to give it a serious performance boost. For this task, it's hard to beat SetCPU, which offers a friendly slider-bar interface for setting your phone's clock speed. But be careful: Setting your clock speed too high can damage your phone permanently.
ROM Manager
ROM Manager includes a variety of features that make replacing your phone's stock OS easy.
The ultimate Android hack is to replace your phone's default operating system with a custom ROM. You have many to choose from, and each has its own pros and cons. Some ROMs are designed for specific phone models, and not all Android phones support the installation of a custom ROM. As of this writing, the Droid X is particularly problematic in this regard, while handsets such as the Nexus One and Droid Incredible support a wide variety of ROMs. The best way to find, install, and manage ROMs is to run ROM Manager, which is available for free from the Android Market. ROM Manager Premium even offers a large list of available ROMs that you can download straight from the app itself.
Have Fun
By now you should have a pretty good handle on working with a rooted Android device. I've attempted to cover all the basics in this guide, but there's no shortage of additional tips, tricks, and advice that can help you improve how Android functions. If you have some tips of your own to share, please chime in with a comment. And if you think my attempt to simplify the process has resulted in a significant error or omission, please let me know by e-mailing [email protected].
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thanks will do some reading
Hello,
I have been reading many threads about rooting and sideloading and a bit confused.
I am assuming that rooting will void the warranty. Is this correct?.
Now if I sideload apps, could a software update remove the ability to sideload and remove any previous programs installed?.
Any other advantages to rooting other than having access to the full market?.
Thanks
Polar99.
Additional Question about Android Market
I would like to piggyback on this thread as I too am considering rooting my Nook to gain access to the Android Market. However, I'm reluctant to take this step as it voids the warranty, and I would only be willing to do so if I'm guaranteed access to the market.
This is my first Android-based device, so I have no other access to the market. When I try to download apps from the market webpage right now (no root) it says: "There are no Android phones associated with this account. Please sign in with a different account." So, here's my question:
If I root my Nook and browse the market using the app, will it automatically detect that I have an android device and allow me to download apps, or will I still have to "link" a device to the account? If I would have to link a device, is there a way to link the rooted Nook, or do I need another, legitimate android-based device (phone, etc.) in order to create an account. Or, for a 3rd option, is there a workaround to the linking requirement?
Thank you in advance for the replies! And, to help the original poster despite my very noob-ish status on this forum, I believe that rooting DOES void the warranty.
Shaftakovich said:
I would only be willing to do so if I'm guaranteed access to the market.
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Noone here will give you a guarantee!
We can only provide empiric data, and so far that says you will most probably (pretty close to certainty) be able to access the Android Market if you root your device following the directions given.
Thanks for the heads-up! I realize that nothing is a guarantee in this sort of situation, but I just want to make sure that I would *most likely* be able to access the market without access to some other android device.
Shaftakovich said:
Thanks for the heads-up! I realize that nothing is a guarantee in this sort of situation, but I just want to make sure that I would *most likely* be able to access the market without access to some other android device.
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Indeed! I am a Mac user and followed the instructions in the Mac thread and it worked first time, without any major problems. First time I rooted (done it a couple of times because I have fiddled beyond my level of comprehension so I have needed a factory reset) it worked perfectly! It will root your tablet and give you access to Android Market.
Good luck and let us know how it works out for you! IF you run in to trouble you can always post, people here are generally friendly if your question is humble (as in "not demanding")
One More Question
For anyone that might know: should I wait until I get my SD card before rooting the Nook, or is it okay to do it without one installed? (Or maybe it makes no difference - I don't know )
polar99 said:
Hello,
Any other advantages to rooting other than having access to the full market?.
Polar99.
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I too would love to hear some opinions on root over simply sideloading. I've been sideloading and been pretty happy, and wondering the benefits of rooting beyond acess to market. I'm not the most techy guy, and sideloading is working pretty well.
My dad has been side-loading on his Nook Tablet for a bit now. It wasn't difficult for him to get started when I directed him to the threads on xda. He installed the Amazon Market without issue and is enjoying purchasing apps and the benefits of the "Free App of the Day". He is using SlideMe instead of Google's official Android Market. He loves the ability to switch between the Nook's stock interface and his Go Launcher setup. He even has most of the Google Apps running (excluding the Market and a couple others).
All this without root.
What root gets you at this point is primarily the ability to tinker with system files and to get some items items working, such as the Google Market, that might not work otherwise. It will also allow you to do backups of all your apps using Titanium Backup or similar apps which is great. If, however, you can live without that, side-loading is a great way to avoid getting worried about "voiding your warranty".
That said, Indirect now has a one-click un-root on the market that will take your Nook Tablet back to stock and B&N will be none the wiser in the event you want to send yours back.
Shaftakovich said:
I would like to piggyback on this thread as I too am considering rooting my Nook to gain access to the Android Market. However, I'm reluctant to take this step as it voids the warranty, and I would only be willing to do so if I'm guaranteed access to the market.
This is my first Android-based device, so I have no other access to the market. When I try to download apps from the market webpage right now (no root) it says: "There are no Android phones associated with this account. Please sign in with a different account." So, here's my question:
If I root my Nook and browse the market using the app, will it automatically detect that I have an android device and allow me to download apps, or will I still have to "link" a device to the account? If I would have to link a device, is there a way to link the rooted Nook, or do I need another, legitimate android-based device (phone, etc.) in order to create an account. Or, for a 3rd option, is there a workaround to the linking requirement?
Thank you in advance for the replies! And, to help the original poster despite my very noob-ish status on this forum, I believe that rooting DOES void the warranty.
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Double piggy-backing....
I have just rooted my Nook Tablet successfully, but not get the same message as you're getting...basically that I don't have any android device associated with my Google Account...
How can I associate the Nook Tablet to the Android Market????
Thanks!,
Gizmo
PlacidCat said:
My dad has been side-loading on his Nook Tablet for a bit now. It wasn't difficult for him to get started when I directed him to the threads on xda. He installed the Amazon Market without issue and is enjoying purchasing apps and the benefits of the "Free App of the Day". He is using SlideMe instead of Google's official Android Market. He loves the ability to switch between the Nook's stock interface and his Go Launcher setup. He even has most of the Google Apps running (excluding the Market and a couple others).
All this without root.
What root gets you at this point is primarily the ability to tinker with system files and to get some items items working, such as the Google Market, that might not work otherwise. It will also allow you to do backups of all your apps using Titanium Backup or similar apps which is great. If, however, you can live without that, side-loading is a great way to avoid getting worried about "voiding your warranty".
That said, Indirect now has a one-click un-root on the market that will take your Nook Tablet back to stock and B&N will be none the wiser in the event you want to send yours back.
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Click to collapse
It isn't on the market yet because we would have to remove the paypal donation link. :| Wondering what to do because of it. I don't want to force people to donate to me, but I don't want to be completely left without a viable way to have some kind of cash flow.
Indirect said:
It isn't on the market yet because we would have to remove the paypal donation link. :| Wondering what to do because of it. I don't want to force people to donate to me, but I don't want to be completely left without a viable way to have some kind of cash flow.
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Whoops, sorry about that! I thought I had read a post about it being available but I most likely mis-read it in my excitement.
In any case, un-root is possible and makes rooting simply a choice of whether or not you want to do some additional tinkering, not whether or not you are afraid of the B&N wolf.
>It isn't on the market yet because we would have to remove the paypal donation link.
I wouldn't bother putting it on the Market. Peeps who know enough to root would already be here on XDA, and those who don't know, wouldn't have Market in the first place.
And not to dampen your enthusiasm.. while there may be enough in donations to get a small pizza, calling it a "cash flow" would be a bit optimistic. Your audience size is small, and their purse string is even smaller. Dean Gibson can probably tell you something about that. Just FYI.
I have a bit of a unique situation in that I work at B&N, who have no problem with employees rooting beyond the usual warranty void. Even with one-click unroot, my store woild know it was rooted, meaning to file a claim I'd most likely have to do it behind my store's back, and that sort of thing has a tendency to come back and bite you on the ass.
That said, is there an emulator on a rooted tab that would display the default NT ui?
What software diags do B&N techs use to service NTs? Can you provide a copy?
Hey all,
I'm the proud owner of a Samsung Nexus S (sadly the i9020a model, though). I was forced against my will at gun point by someone named Jealousy to install ICS (4.0.4) on my i9020a when it was released for all other Nexus S devices except for the US AT&T version of the phone.
Anyway, love the ICS and absolutely love the ROM I'm using (Brainmaster's stock ICS, w/ Supercharger V6 and a number of other goodies). But I was a bit confused today when I opened my phone and noticed a recently downloaded APK called "update.apk". Looking at it's info, it's name is "com.android.fixed.update" with no author, developer, and minimum version of 0. It weighs roughly 40kb and is not associated with the market, so I'm going to have to disable my "Market-only" settings in order to install it, otherwise it was about to install itself.
I was wonder what it might be. With no other information, I'm a bit hesitant to install it. The only permissions it asks for is Network Access and Start on Boot.
I thought just maybe it was an OTA from a developer (maybe even Brainmaster) but I wasn't exactly sure what kind of access or ability non-service providers had to OTA functionality and what not. (I suppose, if it can probably be modified with some effort, seeing as the source is available...)
Anyway, hoping to hear your thoughts on it. Google showed ONE result for "com.android.fixed.update" and that's it. Thanks for your input in advance!
We also got the same file on our Moto Xoom, I believe its a virus so do not install it. The file was downloaded at biandroid (dot) info which is definitely not associated with android.com
http://anonhq.com/notcompatible-back-market/
that is the explanation
Back in 2012 malware called Not Compatible was haunting android devices. Now more powerful than ever the latest version of NotCompatible.C has its own self protected encryption. Thus making this program difficult to find and delete.
Lookout Inc, a mobile security firm says that this version of the malware is a threat on a massive scale. Once in it has the tendency to control and hack data. It is an advance form of malware that can be seen on a PC a botnet so powerful that it has a server design architecture, P2P communications and as previously said encryption capabilities.
The programming of the malware is one of the hardest to kill malware that we have observed. Once the malware is installed it does not appear on the android operating system as it keeps itself in the background. It only works when the device is unlocked by the user or if it is restarted.
view
Source: Imgur
The only way you can find out is through Manage Applications>Settings. This will show you that an application by the long name of (com.andriod.fixed.update) is running. All you need to do is simply uninstall it.
Hey,
I will get my android device soon. It'll be HTC one M7 with Android 5.0.2
Im thinking about applications that should I install as im new to Android. I want to keep my data private and my phone very fast. Which applications should I use to keep phone "fresh" and secure? I will surely use some permission managers and Aptoide shop instead of Google play one. Of course there's root access. Im in computers and electronics for many years so I search for powerful applications, not idiot-proof that I see on GP shop. ROM will be Viper 8.0 but AFAIK this is not that important as version.
I was using jailbroken WP 7.5 and I was happy before but that system is deprecated now. I would like to customize system more but keep it fast as WP7 was.
I would also like to ask how to "ungoogle" the phone and disable crap like data synchronization to google servers etc.
I will also try to modify system as I know some programming languages
I will be happy to get any advices from You
Thank You in advance
Regards
Little bump because I think question is easy but it got digged.
Hi guys,
First of all, I think this is the place to ask this, but if it weren't, please feel free to move to somewhere more adequate.
My bank has blocked its app on rooted phones. Is something that I don't agree with, but I understand why they do it (even when I think it's pointless). I also use a couple of apps that require root, and as of now, I prefer to be rooted than using the banking app. I was wondering if it would be possible, due to android's multiuser support, to have two users, one with root, one without, and use the unrooted user for the banking app. I searched a bit and come with nothing, with either means that is not possible, or that I am terrible at searching. Has somebody tried this?