Root Confessions of a First Time Rooter or . . .

[cquinn]

How I Learned to Swallow My EVO Whole without Pooping Out Two iPhones

Well there's good news and bad news.

The good news first.

If I can do it anybody can do it. After 4 months of holding on to 2.1 so as to make rooting easier and countless hours being confused as to what the hell everybody was talking about I got it done. Now fully rooted running Fresh.

The bad news?

There is no step by step, idiot proof guide to rooting. That's not to say that those people who have put a lot of time and effort into posts trying to help idiots like me aren't useful. They're very useful but none is comprehensive.

Think of it this way. If someone invites you to a party and gives you their address there are at least a dozen different routes you could take to get there and . . at least a dozen different ways you could get lost.

Rooting your phone is like that. One click and you're done is a myth or at the very least a gross oversimplification. There are different methods to root. I used the latest OTA 1 Click Simpleroot (Woot to Mast3rpyr0 , toastchf and jiqqaman). Different desktops to use (Linux, Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Mac). Different nandroid methods and different flashing methods. Not to mention different skill levels of the user.

All of this makes it nearly impossible to write a definitive Idiot's Guide to Rooting.

Add to that the very human aversion to the unknown and the uncertainty and apprehension it brings and - well - rooting can be a trial at best.

So let me just offer this advise -

First - be patient. It may seem like all the reading is pointless but it's not. It won't make the process entirely painless but nearly. However - the less reading you do the greater the pain you'll experience.

Second - make a list. What to have before you start. What to do before you root. What to look out for while you're rooting. What to do if it doesn't work the first time (mine didn't). What to do after you've rooted (like how to verify that you actually have root). How to make a nandroid backup. How to flash a rom. How to flash a kernel. What apps you're going to need after root (like Superuser - not the world's most intuitive app)

Third - don't panic. No matter how good your list is you're going to have minor hiccups. When that happens you're going to feel like you're completely lost trying to get to that party. Don't freak out. Your phone won't dissolve into a pile of goo. Speaking of goo - Google is your friend. Run into a problem? You can bet you're not the first. Rather than hound generous people here on the forum run a search. The answer you're looking for is there and that will usually get you to the next step. You can always start the root process over again. It won't brick your phone.

Why root or . . why did I root? For most of the same reasons you have or want to but there was one thing that really drove me to do it. Why would so many people put so much time, effort and energy into something they weren't getting paid to do. There had to be something pretty great at the end of that and I had to find out what it was.

Once I got rooted and flashed I went to bed so the voyage of discovery is all ahead of me now. Looking forward to getting started.

Thanks to all those who took the time to post to help everyone like me.

 

[flyjbaker]

I was going to make a thread somewhat like this.

I will add that the reason what you say is true is that this tech business is in a continuous state of EVOlution. You may read up and get VERY confused because there is still some old info out there that really doesn't apply anymore. You kind of wish it would go away but that is not how the internet works. So if you go on this major research mission, many times you come up more confused than when you started simply because there is so much out there....some relevant and some not. A good example of this would be the latest hboot and how it does not work with UnrEVOked 3.2.1. We all know that but the newbie does not. And we get a thread almost every day with someone scratching their head wondering why it isn't working.

One of the biggest things I would like to impart on the noob is that while you are supported by a lot of helpful people on forums like this, ultimately you are on your own. We cannot come into your house and do it for you. I don't say this to scare noobs. I say it because you are better at this than you think. Like the OP said, you have to really screw up to mess up your phone....and even if you do...nobody dies!!! Look at all the Panic/Help threads on here. While people throw their hats out there and try to help the person that is panicking, but 9 times out of 10 it is the Panicker that ends up figuring it out on their own. This is a good thing because they end up learning a lot and they also realize that there really is no need to panic.


Anyway, I will reiterate what the OP said. There is no need to panic....and PATIENCE.

 

[novox77]

To the OP: for 2.1, Simpleroot was definitely the best way to go. Grats on rooting. There really is a TON of stuff your phone is now capable of. And like I've always said, there's so much more to rooting than flashing custom ROMs.

 

[cquinn]

I'd just like to say also that whenever I get to feeling that the world is crap and can't get any worse I think about forums like this that exist for all manner of subject and activity where people freely share information to help total strangers like me. There may be a lot of garbage on the internet but places like this show what average people really are capable of when they work together. It's great and thanks again for all the help and hard work.

 

[SaleenFiend]

Unrevoked rooting was simple. Anybody can accomplish it with very limited knowledge.

 

[jason80]

Just rooted my Evo for the first time the other night using unrevoked. Went through the process a couple of times before it finally worked. Like the other guy said, there is lots of information on Google and I also looked on YouTube. there is a couple of pretty good step by step videos on how to root on YouTube.