Root phone only half rooted? need help.

[dino]

Hi,

With a free sunday at my disposal, i thought i would try and sort my hero out as it has become super-laggy after the OTA 2.1 update (HTC hero locked to 3UK network, previously had 1.5).

So i've been trying to read as much as i can on this and other forums and got as far as installing Universal Androot, which reported success in rooting the phone.

However have now installed (and bought PRO ver) of Titanium Backup which refuses to recognize the root. It returns:

ERROR: Sorry, I could not acquire root privileges. This application will *not* work! Please verify that your ROM is rooted and includes BusyBox, and try again.

Yet, TB is listed as 'allowed' under SuperUser Permissions. And even weirder when the error dialogue box comes up sometimes a strapline flashes briefly across the screen 'Titanium backup has been granted .. permissions'. I take it that this is Superuser informing me.

So why doesn't Titanium recognize the root? Have tried re-starting and rerunning Androot (which reports that phone is already rooted, do you still wish to proceed). It's almost as if superuser isn't giving the OK fast enough or something.

Obviously don't want to start messing around with ROMs if i can't first backup my data!

Suggestions anyone?

UPDATE: as usual, enough messing around solved the problem. clicking through Problems? installed a fresh Busybox version (whatever that is) and now i'm backing up OK. Guess the next step is flash the recovery ROM (is this the only was to access Nandroid?) and then pick an android ROM.

Coming from a branded phone, I quite like sense and would be tempted by Villian12 but I can't stand the lag from 3UK's 2.1 version so i'm wondering if a 2.2 build would be better? Or maybe all 2.1 builds are far better optimized than an official version? suggestions on that?

 

[dino]

hi,

have seen this on XDA as the latest recovery for the HERO, but i don't know what a 32A Sapphire is or how to check my SPL. Can check the radio, but have installed the previous version for now. Noob questions i know, but i'm googling to find out as much as i can before asking the experts!

thanks.

[Recovery ROM] [15-August-2010] RA-hero-v1.7.0.1
Only flash recovery-RA-hero-v1.6.2.img if you have a 32A Sapphire with 6.35.x.x radio and 1.76.x SPL, recovery-RA-hero-v1.7.0.1.img will NOT boot! I'll create a new Sapphire version soon.

 

[Slug]

Ignore the ref to Sapphire as it doesn't apply to the Hero. That recovery (v1.7.0.1) will work fine with your handset.... it's what I use myself.

 

[Xyro]

Guess the next step is flash the recovery ROM (is this the only was to access Nandroid?) and then pick an android ROM.

Coming from a branded phone, I quite like sense and would be tempted by Villian12 but I can't stand the lag from 3UK's 2.1 version so i'm wondering if a 2.2 build would be better? Or maybe all 2.1 builds are far better optimized than an official version? suggestions on that?

I've never ran stock 2.1, but Villain12 will be a bit better since you can overclock. Plus you can run more optimised kernels.

But 2.2 is definitely faster than any of the 2.1 ROMs.

 

[dino]

thanks both. now quite a few hours into it, i've finally got past the recovery rom bit and am ready for the exciting bit!

Might just be b/c i'm new to this, but i think the rooting sticky for HTC could include a couple of links about flashing the Recovery ROMs. Took me a while to figure out that I had to use Clockwork to flash and then again to reflash the RA recovery ROM. Flashrec was useless, I think because the OTA 2.1 update was patched. The rest of the forum has been great for info - just a lot of digging required!

UPDATE EDIT: pardon me, RA is actually to be found under the ROMS tab, though i was looking for it at a level above as it is a step that needs to be completed before delving into custom ROMs.


what's the battery compromise with the overclock, or between the villian12 and elelinux? I just about make it to the end of a day on stock 2.1 b/c my work building has bad reception, so the hero sits on my desk burning battery trying to hold a signal. I'd rather not overclock if it means shorter life, but i suppose i'll have to do a reset and test it over a couple of days to see. just wondering if anyone has an experience to share.

 

[Xyro]

Yeah I usually point people to my post here nowadays: http://androidforums.com/hero-all-things-root/96848-telus-htc-hero-root-guide-4.html#post1814022

With custom ROM you really have to play it by ear when it comes to battery life. You're using a better optimised kernel which should use less power. You can overclock, but you can also underclock when the screen is off to save power. 2.2 drains more power just because we've never had an official 2.2 release. So really, it's hard to say.

That said, if you ran a custom 2.1 (such as Villain 12) without overclocking, but with underclocking, you should be seeing an improvement in battery life.

 

[dino]

Oh I see. I just thought that Telus was CDMA, so would be more applicable to Sprint in the US rather than anything in Europe.

Anyway, something superfreaky just happened. As I'd written, i had rooted, flashed the recovery rom, and was just deciding which custom rom to put on. Now i rebooted again and all of a sudden the Android stock recovery rom was there - the one with the phone and big red triangle and !. No sign at all of the RA recovery rom. Even once the phone booted up and i went into Clockwork ROM app, it said that the current recovery was RA. Trying to reflash now, but that's really tricky stuff if stock OS can 'heal' itself like that.

I guess I will have to flash recovery, go straight to the menu and carry out a new ROM install immediately.

 

[Xyro]

Oh I see. I just thought that Telus was CDMA, so would be more applicable to Sprint in the US rather than anything in Europe.

Anyway, something superfreaky just happened. As I'd written, i had rooted, flashed the recovery rom, and was just deciding which custom rom to put on. Now i rebooted again and all of a sudden the Android stock recovery rom was there - the one with the phone and big red triangle and !. No sign at all of the RA recovery rom. Even once the phone booted up and i went into Clockwork ROM app, it said that the current recovery was RA. Trying to reflash now, but that's really tricky stuff if stock OS can 'heal' itself like that.

I guess I will have to flash recovery, go straight to the menu and carry out a new ROM install immediately.

Nah, Telus is GSM. We keep all the Sprint/CDMA Hero stuff in an entirely different section of the forum

And that is weird. I haven't heard of that happening before.

 

[dino]

Yeah, i can't explain how the old android recovery ROM just appeared. maybe that's what happens when you return it to stock.

Elelinux 2.2 special edition is very quick and slick indeed. shall enjoy playing with this over the next few days. amazing to have 2.2 on a hero and even the 3D gallery works at a useable speed!


i think i'm having an issue with the SD partition though, it's not showing up on the internal phone storage (which is 160mb and decreasing by the minute) and app2sd hasn't shown on the menu. i've tried paritioning it with RA recovery (as a 512mb ext2, then upgrade to ext3) before the ROM. Didn't seem to be there, so now i've done it again and still can't find any signs of the memory being accessible. is that normal? i thought app2sd was magically supposed to appear when the partition was recognized. i don't want to start copying over everything only to have to partition again.

another question, if one upgrades to launcher pro plus (by paying for the app when prompted) does it unlock more than 3 homescreens? yes, it's my hangup from months of Sense UI....

thanks!

 

[Xyro]

I have the option for 7 screens on LPP.

Your apps partition isn't meant to be accessible or visible on the phone/PC. You can see the space remaining at the bottom of titanium backup, but that's about it.

I'm not sure how apps2sd will be handled on a 2.2 ROM, since 2.2 has the ability to install apps to the sdcard (no ext partition required) as standard. Most apps are compatible with the 2.2 version, and the rest can be forced to move if you have root access, I believe.

 

[dino]

ah yes, of course 2.2 can do that. that said, i think my apps are by default going to the ext3 partition. i'm sure one way or another is easier to restore by titanium.

have some further questions on this ROM, but i'll go over to that thread. thanks for your help!

 

[ravendeimos]

so, this may be the wrong place, but i havent had luck on the xda forums

first off, i have a cdma hero and i am running cm 6.1rc now, with classicalgas's theme.
i have weird permission problems going on. it seems like i have halfway lost my root. i can run superuser and all the apps that require root, but i cant modify or change anything in my system folders. typefresh gives me an error that says it cant remount. when i use adb to mount the sd, it says i dont have permission. i get the # but it still says no.
ive also noticed a problem with my nandroids. it worked the other night, but now, twice, it will let me make a backup but it will not restore it. it says there was an error and to do it thru adb.

so, basically, i guess i messed something up somewhere. did i lose some of my root functions? can i re-root, or do i have to go stock and do it all over again? any suggestions? you guys are all amazing for the knowledge on here, so i know someone will help me out.

thanks in advance!

tl;dr-- lost some root functions. do i need to start all over again?