78Angel said:I would like to apologize to begin with, I really have no clue about a lot of what I have read about rooting my HTC Incredible, and I tend to be a bit cautious when it comes to electronic devices. I have read about all of the positive things that rooting a smartphone can do, but will that void my insurance on the phone? Also, can I root my Incredible by downloading and running Z4root.apk? Like I said, I apologize, I am very new at trying to modify my android and do not want to break it in the process (or brick? it, whatever that means,). Also, I am capable of understanding electronics, I can reformat the hard drive on my computer, but I do not understand the jargon, terms and all of that for Android. Thank you for any help you can give me! I will be forever grateful!
technically yes,rooting a smartphone will void any mfgr or carrier warranty that the device has. if you are carrying 3rd party insurance,then typically it doesnt matter. the insurance does not care what you do to your phone as long as you pay the premiums and the deductible. the original incredible is old enuff now,that prolly not many are left with factory warranty,and used devices can often be picked up for less than the cost of the 3rd party deductible
a brick is just that- a device that is as useful as a brick,becasue it wont power on or function. anything is possible,but as long as you are cautious what you flash via the bootloader,rest assured the incredible is a tuff little bugger,and fairly difficult to brick.
unfortunately,if you are on the newest incredible software,z4root has not worked for a long time. the exploit it used was fixed with the upgrade to gingerbread. currently the best method to root the newest software is to unlock the device with htcdevs own unlock method,then downgrade the firmware to a version where unrevoked s-off "forever" file can be flashed in recovery,to turn off all security checks an s-on phone will normally do. use this thread here: http://androidforums.com/incredible...ow-unlock-downgrade-achieve-s-off-htcdev.html
i have tried to make that guide as "noob friendly" as possible,so you dont need a thurough understanding of terms and jargon. just read thru the directions,download the files and get organized. search the thread for answers to any questions you may have,and post up if you dont find them. go slow with the directions,compare the replys you get to your commands with those in the code boxes,and you should be fine.
hope that helps
