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Root Stock to Custom, and the things in between.

Hello all, and good evening. The name is Mr. G., long time stalker, but just recently, a commenter. I've seen a lot of threads asking various questions about reasons for rooting, how to root, how to deodex, how to theme, et cetera...but at the same time, asking for a centralized thread where all of this information can be found. The sticky at the top of the Droid X All Things Root forum is a good start. A GREAT start, I dare say. But I'm going to expound a bit on the things I mentioned in the beginning, as a centralized post paraphrasing the massive amount of Google-Fu I had to do to get from stock to my current setup can be mind-boggling for some, so I'm going to just start from the beginning.

Before I go any further, I'd like to give thanks to Phoxus, Fabolous, Peter Alfonso, P3 Droid, Koush, Beesley, Mr. Birdman, Chevy No. 1, ChainsDD, and all the other developers who have taken the modding scene from risky and dangerous to essential for unlocking a device's full potential. Also huge thanks to the crews that run the sites for AndroidForums, Droid-Life, XDA, RootzWiki, DroidForums, and Limitless Droid for keeping a guy informed and armed with the proper files. If I forgot anyone else, it's only because I've only been experiencing Android since the OG Droid, and am now on an X, so I am still relatively new to the scene.

Reasons for Rooting:

On an X, it gives you Superuser Permissions, which for me basically was the ability to install a variety of new programs for various purposes, such as drocap2 for taking screenshots, deodexing (required for theming or installing custom ROMs), wireless tethering, overclocking, and Droid X Bootstrapper, which is required for advanced tinkering with your phone. The Droid X Bootstrapper in particular allows you to boot into a custom recovery console, which in turn allows you to make backups for your system, very important if your quest for the perfect ROM doesn't pan out on your first try. Additionally, it allows you to to go completely back to stock, though for the life of me I can't imagine why anyone would want to (other than for having to return the phone for some purpose). Being able to run scripts is another good reason, albeit one I do not take much advantage of. I am sure there are other reasons as well for those more technically inclined...but that is not my target demographic here, as you are probably already running a setup full of esoteric lights and dials and meters the likes of which I will never, likely understand. Another good perspective from The RootzWiki Team can be found herei: Why Root?

Reasons Not to Root:

There really isn't a single one I can think of. Now that there is a full 2.2 SBF, there is literally no way to brick a DX without brute physical force. You can SBF your way out of any situation that can be gotten into at this point. I wouldn't have been able to say that yesterday, but thanks to Saint Murray from XDA, it is now impossible to brick your Droid X. Have no fear, adventurers. If you're lost in a world of brickery and can't find your way out, just rub the furry wall at RootzWiki and take this to get sober: Droid X Full 2.2 SBF

How to Root:

First, I downloaded the 2.2 OTA. Made sense to me to start from a common point that everyone else was. Plus, while doing my research on how to get from point A to Z, I wanted my damned Flash, Chrome to Phone, and louder ringer/speaker (though the loudness factor here is a failboat for me even now...if anyone knows how to remedy this, please let me know). From there, I found a very modest, simple writeup at DroidForums that got me rooted very easily: How to: Root DROID X Running Official Android 2.2 - Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

HOWEVER, it was brought to my attention by poster #2 that there is a One-Click method that works better. I do not know who created it or who gets credit because I haven't used it, but the buzz is that it works. Read about it here: http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/199172-superoneclick-root-anyone-try.html and if it feels good, do it! Much simpler than the above process it would seem.

Monkeying Around:

Now, getting your Droid X Bootstrap should be your next priority, unless you're perfectly satisfied with having Wireless Tether and drocap2 as the only fruits of your labor, and don't want to go any further. Not that you'll need this program for your trip, but once you get locked into a serious flashing addiction, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. This will help you on your way, and if you've read this far, we've likely got the same destination in mind. Thanks to the mighty Koush (high-five to you if you watch Adult Swim and laughed just now), installing a custom recovery console and saving your own backup images is possible, all because of this program. The download for the Bootstrapper is at the following link, along with instructions: My Brain Hurts: Droid X Recovery (and Droid 2 too!)

Deodexing:

You must do this next to install custom ROMs and themes. By far, the easiest way to do this is to install an update.zip that leaves you with a deodexed, rooted, themed version of 2.2, which is themeable or just peachy the way it is for some folks. But the real kicker is the fact that it is deodexed that simply, without any work on your end! 928droid's process can be found at DroidForums with the file download here: 928Droid Black Glass X Droid X OTA2315 DeOdexEERR Theme - DeOdex and Theme w/1 Zip!! - Droid Forum - Verizon Droid & the Motorola Droid Forum

To Customize or Not to Customize:

Again, you are at a crossroads. For your purposes, 928droid's Black Glass theme might just be the bees' knees. It was for me, for quite awhile. But, I got the itch for something new. Even though I mostly use my phone for email, web, and NBA Jam with a wireless Wiimote Classic (yes, it's possible, one Bluetooth controller with all buttons that works with Droid X), I found the Blur to be intrusive, to the point where I'd rather not go in and delete things manually but rather start from blank canvas. And what I decided on is something relatively new, actually. It's a Droid X ROM built completely from source called ApeX, and it's fast. Extremely fast. I've tried others, such as flyX, Tranquility, ZapX and RubiX, but for my purposes, ApeX did the job. Links to every one of these ROMs can be found in the sticky at the top, or most likely on the first two pages of the Droid X All Things Root forum. I think ApeX trumps them all, but they all have their various advantages and disadvantages depending on how you use your device. After all, that's the best thing about our community...the freedom of CHOICE.

Theming:

When I saw the awesome Bioshock-esque Art Deco font of Fabolous's NexTheme, I had to have it and nothing else. The black-cents on the status bar, notification window, Gmail, and other various apps may seem too dark for some, but personally I believe it provides better contrast and readability. A cousin of it, REVOlution, has a thinner font that I don't enjoy as much, but is also very nice. If you're coming from an HTC and miss Sense, Webster's SenseX 2.2 could fit the bill. There's something for everyone...but if you're not satisfied and if you're willing to do a bit of research and trial and error, you can combine ROMs together, pulling various .apks that you like from some apps, deleting others you don't, until you build something amazing. Android is your oyster, and there's plenty of Legos lying around on the interwebs.

Lastly:

Do yourself a favor and install this at some point. It's a modification of build.prop by Beesley that has a gaggle of customized settings for the general good of the phone, including ringer time, shortening delays, making the hard keys stay lit when the screen is on, and other goodies. I'd recommend going with the updated build.prop toward the bottom of the post for best results, but you can install the LCD density mod by installing one of the modifications included in this post, all in one informative place here at home sweet home, AndroidForums: http://androidforums.com/droid-x-all-things-root/164447-mod-lots-build-prop-edits.html

Thanks for reading. I welcome any comments, questions, and/or input on how I can do better next time, because with your help, I can!

Mr. G.
 
Firstly, I want to warmly welcome you out into the open, having been in the lurker shadows. :D Glad you're posting and I'm hoping you feel free to share more!

I appreciate your review. It's very good. Just to add. There's now a new 1 click root app. Apparently, it works pretty well. I did the 1 step, which is also easy, but would be a bit more complex, especially for a newbie.

Additinally, you can install the build.prop mods one step through rom manager. :)

Cheers!
 
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With a post that length, I didn't want to risk TLDRing myself. It's not enough to grab attention, but to hold it. I'm no HST, but I tried to get as gonzo as I could for an informative post. I thought it might be funny to mention something like, "There's no fear greater than looking down to see a G1 crawling up your leg with a sync cable in its teeth" but I couldn't find a way to work it in.
 
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I just want to know what are the advantages/disadvantages about all of the ROMs.

Honestly, it depends on your priorities. My rule of thumb has always been to keep trying what works until something sticks. Personally, I don't spend a lot of time with a ROM before deciding whether or not it's for me. Typically, I will use it for about three days, see how my battery life is holding up, see how fast things go, see how many FCs I get, et cetera. Now that there is a 2.2 SBF, there's nothing you can't do or undo without due diligence. The best way to find out what is an advantage or disadvantage for yourself is to try them out and see. I believe that we're sort of beginning to merge toward a ROM that doesn't rape the eyes as much as Blur, yet is more useful than stock.

Another thing I would drastically consider is the developer. I was a HUGE fan of flyX, but after hearing that birdman was no longer going to be working on DX, that obviously influenced my decision. I went with ApeX largely based on this...Fab is one of the most prolific devs out there, I don't know him personally but can't even begin to imagine how he finds the time to develop and update with the tenacity of Fede's LauncherPro. After I installed it, it was just a perfect fit for me. It's blurless...but you can make it as blurry as you'd like with the right themes and apks. If you'd prefer to start from something more middle of the road, Rubix Blurry is a great fit for many people. I honestly wouldn't say that any ROM is disadvantaged in any way...as I said before, we're at a good time for DX development, as there's not much you can and can't do.
 
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Thanks a ton OP!!

Your post was so informational and helpful I nearly used all of those links and downloads you posted. I'm a new guy myself just got my DX last week and have already rooted my phone. I'm getting ready to take the big leap of faith into everything ROM. The only thing you didn't cover which I wish you had was the Backing Up of apps, and Data for after the installation of the ROM. I've read everywhere that Titanium Backup is the way to go, and honestly I think I'm going to buy it.

I've already purchased Bootstrap DX Recovery and Rom Manager (thanks Koush!) Although I don't know if that's being redundant or not. I also have root explorer as well which seems like an excellent purchase. I surprised myself yesterday when I actually wanted to buy an app from a mobile market. I would have never justified spending money on an app for the Storm... Man I'm glad I made it to android.

Anyway my question is, is it tough to get all your original settings, data, and apps back after a ROM install? I read a few methods, they seem simple enough. I'm just afraid of being on the other side of a custom ROM and then not having my Contacts and apps available.

Lastly, I was wondering about the beesley build.prop and Black Glass DeoxedEER are those themes and mods able to be installed without having to install my apps and data again? Because I'm anxious to get some new looks on my phone but not ready quite yet to deal with the apps, contacts, and data restore process without being more knowledgeable. Is there a site that I can find that teaches newbs how to use Titanium Backup?


Thanks again,

Inous
 
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Honestly, if my ROM flashing addiction has done anything to my smartphone habits, it has made me considerably scale back what I consider important. As a result, outside of nandroid backups and saving copies of my .apks to a folder in my dropbox, I really don't care all that much about backing things up. If an app was important to me, I figure I'll either remember where it is to locate it, or have it saved in my dropbox. If I do neither, it was probably something I didn't care too much about.

I understand that doesn't really answer your question...but if I see a good thread on backups, I'll link it here. Thanks for your kind words!
 
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Additionally...the only program you need to load up themes and ROMs is the Droid X Bootstrapper. You could have a blank system with that and you'd be fine...getting into recovery allows you pretty much wide-open space. And in order to deodex, just install the Deodexerrr theme as directed in 928droid's writeup.

This was my next planned step exactly.
 
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