Root ugh. would like to root but seems impossible.

[smittythepig]

went to the root forum looking to get some directions and info on how to root and then load up froyo and kranergade or whatever that theme is called, and now my head is spinning. there seems to be no instruction guide that simply tells you how to do this. there appear to be a hundred ways to do it, a hundred different files and tons of links that no longer seem to work. anyone have a link to a place with up-to-date and simple instructions on how to root my phone and load up a good ROM and theme for froyo? the root sub-forum here seems too complicated for me.

 

[obutto]

http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-droid/63010-how-install-sprecovery-unrooted-2-1-ota.html

To get a ROM, simply download Rom Manager off marketplace after rooting.

 

[smittythepig]

thanks. i guess it just isn't such a simple or risk-free activity. i had gotten the impression it was. i'll start here and hopefully won't brick my phone. thanks again.

 

[deftdrummer]

If you have google chat I will help you. I have all the files necessary right here on my PC I'll walk you through it.

 

[smittythepig]

If you have google chat I will help you. I have all the files necessary right here on my PC I'll walk you through it.

thanks! i might take you up on that. gotta go pick up my USB cable (left it at a friend's) and then decide if i want to take a stab at it on my own. i'll let you know.

 

[smittythepig]

so while i'm at it, which is the best ROM and theme? i was thinking this kranergade sounds the most stable, but i don't even know if it's a ROM or a theme, or if it includes both.

 

[shadowdude777]

Kangerade is a ROM with a custom theme. Right now there are a lot of ROMs (like Kangerade) that are 2.1 with 2.2 (Froyo) bits, because Froyo hasn't been officially released. There is also the Froyo leak, which you will usually see referred to as FRF57. This is true Froyo, but it isn't what Motorola will be releasing in the end. There are also built-from-source ROMs like CyanogenMod and Sapphire which supposedly use the general Android source as opposed to Droid-specific builds (FRF57), but it looks like the latest Sapphire build uses FRF57, and as far as I know, FRF57 cannot be from source because it's a leaked Motorola Droid build.

The ROM scene tends to get very convoluted right around now when Google releases new iterations of Android and, shortly after, we get leaked Froyo builds from Motorola designed for the Droid. Most people are opting for FRF57-based ROMs at the moment; Bugless Beast has always been very popular. I personally am staying on Eclair source-based ROMs until everything simmers down and real Froyo source-based ROMs like Cyanogen and Sapphire are released. I refuse to use anything other than ROMs built from source, but many people are happier with Bugless Beast.

tl;dr version: Everything becomes a bloody mess right around now because a new Android version is coming out for the Droid. Just try out everything and see what works best for you. Some people hate Cyanogen, some, like me, swear by it.

 

[craighwk]

I was intimidated at first and even failed the first time I tried it. With the SPRecovery method, it is ridiculously easy now. Go for it. It's (almost) fool proof.

 

[jgo]

Don't let it intimidate you, it is definitely worth any hassle in the end.

I've read a lot of the rooting tutorials, and youre right, they all say something different. Either using different methods, not updating instructions, or just not knowing how to explain things well. It really sounds a lot more complicated and time consuming than it actually is. I didn't realize this until I typed up a very detailed OTA 2.1 to 2.2 root tutorial for a friend.

Yes there's always the possibility something will go wrong, but the process is so refined now, that it's very very unlikely you'll do permanent damage.

If you want help, or want to follow my tutorial, let me know!

As for 2.2 ROMS, so far I've tried Bugless Beast, Kangerade, and NexBeast. In my experience, both BB and NB performed really well. Everything was smooth, and very fast. Kangerade didn't work out so well for me, it was very laggy and froze up a lot, and i felt I couldn't use it as a day to day ROM without an overclock kernel. After about an hour, it went into a bootloop out of nowhere. I tried wiping data and reinstalling, but ended up with the same performance.
Right now im using NexBeast and it's working great.

 

[bp328i]

As for 2.2 ROMS, so far I've tried Bugless Beast, Kangerade, and NexBeast. In my experience, both BB and NB performed really well. Everything was smooth, and very fast. Kangerade didn't work out so well for me, it was very laggy and froze up a lot, and i felt I couldn't use it as a day to day ROM without an overclock kernel. After about an hour, it went into a bootloop out of nowhere. I tried wiping data and reinstalling, but ended up with the same performance.
Right now im using NexBeast and it's working great.

Each Droid is different, I'm a big fan of Bugless Beast and NexBeast but Kangerade V1.1 works best one my phone right now.

If you decied to root try out different ROMs and see which one works best for you but I'm pretty sure you wont be sorry you did. If something does go wrong there is almost always someone on here that can help you out.

 

[PennState]

I just recently rooted my droid, as in the past 3 days. I felt the same way, it seemed extremely complicated and I was very happy with the stock os so I didn't grasp why rooting was so great. Anyway, now after trying rooting I see how simple it really is. I would say just try it and if you don't like it just follow unrooting directions.

I think what would really help is a guide that takes you step by step, explains that there is more than oone way to do it so don't worry if the guide is different from others and then explains WHY you do each step in addition to just telling the steps.

 

[smittythepig]

thanks, guys. great explanations here. i appreciate it. i think i'm going to have a go at doing this tonight. if i screw something up i will be sure to post a 911 later asking for help