Root Some Noobish Root Issues

[hen23]

Hello all, just wanted to start of by saying hi as this is my first post

But anyway, I have decided to root my Droid X. I successfully updated my drivers using ADB, at least I think I did (I followed that part of the guide, it ended in saying my hardware was up to date and the droid is now listed as ADB something something, cant remember haha).

So I started to read the second part of the guide, and got stumped early on; the part where it says run adb devices. I tried many variations of it, but always end up as "adb is not recognized as an internal..." I have no idea what the problem is. I scrolled down in the root guide and some people said they had the same problem and the solution was to install SDK. I used this guide How To: Set Up ADB/USB Drivers for Android Devices | TheUnlockr and at the part where it says to run

cd\
cd AndroidSDK\tools\
adb devices

I get the same error. It says AndroidSDK\tools\ is not recognized... I know to replace the AndroidSDK\tools\ with where mine may actually be saved, but I just cant seem to make it work.

Any help would be great. Thanks

Also, I am running Vista 64 bit. I am in pc mode and debugging mode on my droid for sure

 

[sund0wn]

you know, there are a lot easier ways to do it. unless, of course, you wanna go thru the process to actually learn about what is acutally happening, which i completely understand. i went thru the process with my old ally (company phone).

i used this on my x... -> Root and Unroot Your DROID X with 1 Click | Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

 

[hen23]

Well I actually got really frustrated and tried it. It does not work for me, however. I click root and it either just sits on installing motorolla drivers or just jumps right to failed to root. I tried this on two different computers and it just doesnt work, unless it takes more than 5 minutes of having no progress on the bar.

 

[sund0wn]

is the phone in PC mode?

 

[hen23]

Ok I successfully rooted using the easy root option. I also found out that Im just a scrub at using cmd... I sorta figured it out haha.

 

[sund0wn]

hey, at least ya tried. that's more than most can say.

 

[hen23]

So the whole reason I wanted to root was to get that cool nextheme. Im a little stumped on the second part where it says create a sd folder. How do I go about doing that? I tried putting the phone in mass storage mode and looking through explorer on the computer, but there is nothing about a sd card there. how do I make that folder?

Also, I believe it's the third part, the guide says to push some su command. All I have to do is go into cmd, find where the adb, type the commands in and press enter right? I dont know if i just said that correctly or not but any help would be great, thanks.

 

[sund0wn]

so, just put the phone in mass storage mode. click start -> computer, and then just click removable storage, or whatever it is labeled. what you are looking at IS the SD card. just right click in there, and click "new folder" and name it whatever the instructions call for.

as far as the second part, i just download terminal emulator on the phone, and ran all those commands there. that is how i pushed the REVO theme to the phone. i just did it that way because i was away from my computer when i did it.

 

[Exiled]

Don't worry about being noobish. I'm in the exact same situation. I mainly wanted cool themes on my phone. But I don't really know what I'm doing here, just following the guides and hoping that nothing goes wrong. I'm going to be so screwed if something happens to my phone... I used the one click root the other day and managed to do it after only a few minor issues. Then I installed adb drivers, which I think worked, but now I'm not sure what to do, as I am clueless when it comes to cmd...

 

[sund0wn]

Don't worry about being noobish. I'm in the exact same situation. I mainly wanted cool themes on my phone. But I don't really know what I'm doing here, just following the guides and hoping that nothing goes wrong. I'm going to be so screwed if something happens to my phone... I used the one click root the other day and managed to do it after only a few minor issues. Then I installed adb drivers, which I think worked, but now I'm not sure what to do, as I am clueless when it comes to cmd...

i think if you feel a little uncomfortable with cmd, it would be a little more straightforward for you to just download terminal emulator from the market.
follow the instructions, just place the files where they are supposed to go, then just open the emulator on your phone. type each line of code on your phone, pressing enter after each line. it might go a little slower, but i think it is easier to understand what you are doing (IMO). if you are not sure whether or not there should be a space at certain parts, use the cursor on your computer to highlight it to make sure you get it right. the instructions fabolous posted are pretty easy to follow, just take it one step at a time.

 

[sund0wn]

i hope i'm not just stating the obvious here, but just to maybe clarify what is happening... those commands are basically telling the phone to grab those files from the sd card, and put them in the system folders of the phone that display the UI themes (a very crude explanation, but i hope it makes more sense). it's really pretty simple when you understand what you're actually doing. if you just follow the instructions, it is highly unlikely you will do something to screw up the phone.

 

[Exiled]

OK thanks
Feel a little better about themes now. Maybe I will try tomorrow when I have some free time. I'll use a terminal emulator instead of adb (couldn't actually get it to work... it said successful, but I cant seem to access it after all.) So if something does happen to get screwed up in the theming process, how would I go about getting my phone restored to normal (like factory condition? I did a back up of everything with titanium)? Since I can't seem to get adb to work (spent several hours only to end up frustrated) is there any reason I would need that in the future in order to restore the phone? I have a copy of the sbf for recovery, just don't know how to use it until I do further research. God I hate being a noob.

 

[Exiled]

type each line of code on your phone, pressing enter after each line. it might go a little slower, but i think it is easier to understand what you are doing (IMO). if you are not sure whether or not there should be a space at certain parts, use the cursor on your computer to highlight it to make sure you get it right.

OK so I decided to go with NexTheme. But I have a quick question regarding the code boxes that are posted in the theme instructions. When typing the code into the terminal emulator on my phone, do I press the enter button when the line changes, or is that simply reformatting of the text in which case I would press space instead? I'm going to assume it is done with enter, but I wanted to ask first. I am not familiar with how the code is posted in these forums.

I'm starting to think that since I don't even know how to do something this basic, I probably shouldn't be attempting this at all. There must be an easier way to learn how to do this before jumping in and risking bricking my $600 phone. But how can I go about learning? Its quite overwhelming. Maybe I should just enjoy my phone the way it is. I guess 2.2 will be out soon enough, right?

 

[Airmaxx23]

OK so I decided to go with NexTheme. But I have a quick question regarding the code boxes that are posted in the theme instructions. When typing the code into the terminal emulator on my phone, do I press the enter button when the line changes, or is that simply reformatting of the text in which case I would press space instead? I'm going to assume it is done with enter, but I wanted to ask first. I am not familiar with how the code is posted in these forums.

I'm starting to think that since I don't even know how to do something this basic, I probably shouldn't be attempting this at all. There must be an easier way to learn how to do this before jumping in and risking bricking my $600 phone. But how can I go about learning? Its quite overwhelming. Maybe I should just enjoy my phone the way it is. I guess 2.2 will be out soon enough, right?

Just copy and paste each line of text then press enter after each paste.

 

[sund0wn]

OK so I decided to go with NexTheme. But I have a quick question regarding the code boxes that are posted in the theme instructions. When typing the code into the terminal emulator on my phone, do I press the enter button when the line changes, or is that simply reformatting of the text in which case I would press space instead? I'm going to assume it is done with enter, but I wanted to ask first. I am not familiar with how the code is posted in these forums.

I'm starting to think that since I don't even know how to do something this basic, I probably shouldn't be attempting this at all. There must be an easier way to learn how to do this before jumping in and risking bricking my $600 phone. But how can I go about learning? Its quite overwhelming. Maybe I should just enjoy my phone the way it is. I guess 2.2 will be out soon enough, right?

as was already said, each line is separate. so yes, enter after each line. and, everyone learns this stuff sometime. just because you're a noob doesnt mean you shouldnt try. as long as you're careful, and actually try to understand what you're doing, i dont think there is anything wrong with it. android is in its infancy. better to start learning this stuff now, because im sure it will benefit you as the OS grows and changes. you wont brick your phone (at least, not very likely at all) pushing a theme. just follow the directions, and all will be fine.

 

[Exiled]

Got the theme! =)
Thanks for the help and encouragement. I'm glad I went ahead and did this cause my phone looks awesome with nextheme!
The only thing I wish I could do is figure out ADB. I got it to the point where when i type "adb devices" into cmd, it displays my phone's number. But I don't really know what to do with it now.