How to root an Android Virtual Device? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I want to root my Android 4.0.4 virtual device for developing.......... How to root it?

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Here you go ... ;-)
Paresh Kalinani said:
I want to root my Android 4.0.4 virtual device for developing.......... How to root it?
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The following method is actually for 2.2 virtual machine ... but should work fine for 4.0 too ... i'll confirm after i have tested it ... meanwhile you can try it ..
You'll require
'su' binary
and
'busybox binary'
SU BINARY : See post's end
BUSY BOX BINARY : see posts end
Then, we need to start the emulator by providing extra partition size to /system. This can be done only through command-line
Code:
emulator -avd MyAndroid -partition-size 128 -no-snapshot-load
Make sure the AVD “MyAndroid” is already created. The “-no-snapshot-load” option is used if we enabled the snapshot. As a result, we will start the emulator with extra disk space for /system. By this, we can adding extra files to /system later.
Then, we need to use “adb shell” to remount the /system so that we have write access to the /system.
Code:
adb shell mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
Then, we can push the su and busybox to the /system/xbin.
Code:
adb push su /system/xbin/
adb push busybox /system/xbin/
Now, to actually make the su work properly, we need to chmod it,
Code:
adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su
adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/busybox
Now, we need to install Superuser.apk (which you can get together with “su”). We can install it with “adb install” command. It is required when the other apps request for “su”.
We can try our “su” with Root Checker Basic or Stericson Busy-box.
Now, that is rooting. You might feel happy with it. However, if we restart the emulator, without snapshot, all the “su” does not work any more. So, we are going to customise the ROM image.
Failures
Now, if we restart the emulator, everything will return to default. No more “su” and Android Market. Why? The reason is because whatever we done to the /system, it will not save to the ROM image.
The /system is actually from the system.img, installed with android-2.2 in my case. This file is mounted in emulator as yaffs2 file system format. In order to customise this ROM image, I have tried several ways.
Using unyaffs, it can only extract the image, but I cannot continue. I can simply pull the /system using adb command without it.
Using yaffs2utils, unyaffs2 produced nothing. And the image built by mkyaffs2 does not allow the emulator to boot.
Using mkyaffsimage, also not work as above.
Some resources mentioned that, we can get the mkyaffs2image utility when building the Android source. But the problem is, to get the source, it requires a lot of disk space and need a long time to download.
So, what is the best way to modify the system.img? I even tried the low level way using dd to extract the /dev/block/mtdblock0, but failed.
Solution
Finally, I tried to solve it with userdata-qemu.img. This is the /data folder that will always modified when we install apps in the emulator. Restarting the emulator does not reset /data. Therefore, we can simply create the ROM image from /data. We can done it simply clean all the /data.
Code:
adb shell busybox rm -R /data/*
This will remove everything is /data, except “lost+found” folder.
Code:
adb shell busybox ls /data
Check with ls command, make sure only “lost+found” left.
Now, since the /system contains the “su”, “busybox”, Market and Google Services Framework we have done earlier, we need to copy the whole /system to the /data.
Code:
adb shell busybox cp -a /system/* /data/
adb shell busybox ls /data
As a result, the /data is identical to the /system.
Now, we have the userdata-qemu.img file in the AVD folder, which is modified. Close the emulator. Then, we can use the userdata-qemu.img file as the system image. We can rename it to system.img, or calling it as the system with “-system” option from the emulator command-line.
Start the emulator with this customised system.img, now, we have busybox by default, and also Android Market. :good::highfive:

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Tip
If you are doing this on windows make sure you CD to here for issuing the commands:
%profilename%\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\tools
Don't use the stuff in C:\Program Files\Android. That is the wrong location.
The below gets your GAPPS too. You can download Cyanogens GAPPS to get what you need. Just edit the necessary lines below.
cd %profilename%\AppData\Local\Android\android-sdk\
.\tools\emulator -avd MyAndroid -partition-size 2047 -no-snapshot-load -verbose
echo wait for boot
pause
.\platform-tools\adb shell mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
.\platform-tools\adb push %~dp0platform-tools\su /system/xbin/
.\platform-tools\adb push %~dp0platform-tools\busybox /system/xbin/
.\platform-tools\adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su
.\platform-tools\adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/busybox
.\platform-tools\adb shell busybox rm -R /data/*
.\platform-tools\adb shell busybox ls /data
.\platform-tools\adb shell busybox ls /data
.\platform-tools\adb push %profilename%\Downloads\gapps-ics-20120317-signed\system /system
.\platform-tools\adb shell busybox cp -a /system/* /data/

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Which busybox binary?
You don't say which of the various busybox files in the .7z archive is to be used on the AVD?

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I try to push the su, I got this message:
C:\adb>adb push sources\root\su /system/xbin
failed to copy 'sources\root\su' to '/system/xbin/su': Directory not empty
Then try push the Superuser.apk
C:\adb>adb push sources\root\system\app\Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk
failed to copy 'sources\root\system\app\Superuser.apk' to '/system/app/Superuser
.apk': Out of memory
I think that's because of this:
View attachment 1617834
How to make the System ROM space more freely???
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for my noob question. Now, I see.
I have done untill rename userdata-qemu.img to system.img
But while I run from AVD Manager, my AVD got bootloop.

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That's because you haven't started your emulator with additional space. Use the -partition-size option as per niranjan94's post above.
I found an even better way to make a /system image, and adapted it for use on Windows hosts and using the x86 emulator images now available.
References:
http://blog.thecobraden.com/2012/06/making-persistent-changes-to-android.html
http://code.google.com/p/android-group-korea/downloads/detail?name=mkfs.yaffs2.x86
Place this batch file in the same folder as the mkfs.yaffs2.x86 binary and you'll get an emulator image updated to your liking and ready to run.
Code:
@echo off
adb -e remount
echo Pushing mkfs.yaffs2.x86 to device...
adb -e push mkfs.yaffs2.x86 /data/local/
echo Executing chmod 770 /data/local/mkfs.yaffs2.x86
adb -e shell chmod 770 /data/local/mkfs.yaffs2.x86
echo Setting /system partition to read-only (Just to be safe!)
adb -e shell mount -o ro,remount /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
echo Creating YAFFS2 image of /system
adb -e shell /data/local/mkfs.yaffs2.x86 /system/ /mnt/sdcard/_system.img
echo Pulling image to local directory...
adb -e pull /mnt/sdcard/_system.img
echo Cleaning....
adb -e shell rm /data/local/mkfs.yaffs2.x86
adb -e shell rm /mnt/sdcard/_system.img
echo OK
pause

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Don't work on 4.2.2 emulator
Ι mean I push it, give permissions, install su.apk ... still nothing...

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On 4.2.2 emulator
Hi,
I got the same error on 4.2.2 emulator.
So I tried with size 256:
emulator -avd Andy2 -partition-size 256 -no-snapshot-load
and it worked fine.
Also, I'm using CPU ARM (armeabi-v7a). So for busybox I used the binary from this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1380278

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Error while trying to permanent patch rooted android
Hi,
While trying to root my android emulator where I delete all the files in the /data/ folder and copy files from /system/ to /data/, I am getting the following error,
Code:
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
cp: write error: No space left on device
Could anyone help me how to overcome this issue?

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Hi,
i've followed your instructions step by step and didn't encounter any problems while executing the commands, but the emulator is not getting rooted according to the Root Checker app (see also the screenshot attached). Could you help me please to solve this issue?
Here is an enumeration of the commands I've entered into the console:
emulator -avd Huawei -partition-size 256 -no-snapshot-load
adb shell mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
adb push "C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\Superuser-3.0.7-efghi-signed\system\bin\su" /system/xbin/
adb push "C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\busybox binary\busybox" /system/xbin/
adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su
adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/busybox
adb install "C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\Superuser-3.0.7-efghi-signed\system\app\Superuser.apk"
adb install "C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\Root Checker App.apk"

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Hi,
I have the device created in AVD, started, but for the life of me I cannot open ADB:
Code:
[email protected]:~$ sudo adb devices
[sudo] password for joel:
List of devices attached
[email protected]:~$
What to I have to do to trick the virtual device in advertising ADB? Developer is on, USB debugging is on. Using a virtual device as closely matching the LG Optimus F3Q as I can recall (so API 16 / Android 4.1.2 loaded).
Many thanks.
EDIT: Figured it out. Need to use the adb provided in the Android SDK (in the platform-tools directory), not any other version (I was using the Debian-provided one).

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Unable to root nexus 4 avd
I tried to root Nexus_4_API_21.avd (lollipop) following commands from the post exactly.
I used latest versions of superuser, and busybox.
But at the end emulator is not rooted.
Could someone help with with this, if you have rooted avd please share it so that I can download.
Thank you.
Regards

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I tried to root with Lollipop, Kitkat, and even Gingerbread, but it doesn't work.
Under Lollipop and Kitkat, it's not rooted, but under Gingerbread, I can't install any application afterwards.
When I try to, the emulator looks like it reboots, but it never goes to the end, and keeps showing the Android logo glowing.

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For android 4, 5 and 6 I write manual in russian. Read it here: http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=318487&view=findpost&p=45421931
Worked for me with AVD Lollipop and Marshmallow.