Root [How-To] Apply the Nov OTA Without Wiping, or Losing Root

[ACD168]

is this update really worth updating bloatware? wouldnt flashing the new kernel be about the same thing..

 

[desperado]

This is for STOCK ROOTED phones only!

Custom ROMs will need to be patched by their devs.

This also assumes you have S-OFF applied.

1. Get the OTA: http://android.clients.google.com/p...on_WWE_3.26.605.1_3.21.605.1_release_sign.zip

2. Get ClockWork Recovery: http://downloads.unrevoked.com/forever/recovery/clockworkmod/PB31IMG.ZIP

3. Get these two Su utils:
A. http://www.unrevoked.com/incredible/payload-update.zip
B. http://bit.ly/su234ef
4. Copy the OTA (the first download) to your SD card. Rename it Update.zip. If there is already an Update.zip on the card, remove it.
5. Get "Quick Boot" from the market and use it to reboot into Bootloader.
6. The bootloader will find and install the OTA for you. This can take a while and will finish after the phone reboots.
7. Now copy the ClockWork recovery (second download) to the phone. DELETE the previous file (named Update.zip)!
8. Use Volume/Power buttons to boot into Bootloader again and apply the update (it will ask you).
9. Boot into recovery and test that it took.
10. Reboot back to the phone and delete PB31IMG.zip.
11. Copy the remaining two files to the phone.
12. Use Volume/Power buttons to boot into Recovery.
13. Select apply zip file from SD card (the option that lets you choose the file, not the one that automatically installs Update.zip). Select and install the file beginning with "SU-2.3".
14. Repeat 13 installing the payload-update file.
15. Reboot.
16. Joy!!!!!!

You should now have the same settings/apps/data you had before, but also have the OTA and root.

PS - Side effect of the OTA, you also have double everything on all of your home screens. Try to remove something, anything, and you will see what I mean. You have to remove every double or things wont work right.

Enjoy!

OK I think I am closing in on this. First I need to get a copy of VzNav.odex and VZW_Skype.odex so I can restore my bloatware before attempting. Does anyone have these that can share?

Second I have a few questions on the following steps.
2) Where can I get the correct version of clockworkmod 2.5.0.5, that's what I have now. Is it on the unrevolked site, I can't find it.

3A) payload-update.zip seems unnecessary....correct?

5) Why is "QuickBoot" necessary ? Can't I just access the bootloader using the power+volumn down option?

7) Step 4 says copy update.zip to SD card. This step says copy the clockwork recovery to the phone. When you say "to the phone" do you mean to the SD card again? Am I supposed to rename PB31IMG.ZIP? How does the boot loader know what file to look for and install? Am I supposed to rename this file to Update.zip also ?
8) What update? We removed "Update.zip" in step 7 didn't we ? I guess this question is related to my questions about step 7. I don't understand how bootloader will find PB31IMG.ZIP or whatever the file name will be for the 2.5.0.5 version of the file.

11) Copy remaining two files to the phone, again do we mean sd card here ? I think so but just want to make sure since we can copy files to the phone itself also and you changed the working from step 4 where you actually said copy to the sd card.

 

[BenHolliday]

OK I think I am closing in on this. First I need to get a copy of VzNav.odex and VZW_Skype.odex so I can restore my bloatware before attempting. Does anyone have these that can share?

If you can tell me where I'd find those, I'll snag em for ya...

Leaving in couple hours so not much time.

 

[carpmike21]

I had a similar issue. I used ADB to check and/or change the file name and discovered that when I transfered the file to the SD card it added another ".zip" to the end of the file name, so that when I was in HBOOT it couldn't see the file. Once I removed that extra little bit it saw the file just fine.

I double checked, and the file is correctly named (not .zip.zip).
Hboot is just not seeing it.

Don't know what's up.

 

[Bob Denny]

http://solo.dc3.com/dinc/ClockWorkRecovery 2.5.0.5 (PB31IMG).ZIP
http://solo.dc3.com/dinc/su-2.3.6.1-ef-signed.zip

And desperado:

package_update is not needed, it's an old superuser with things in the wrong place. It will just put useless files on your phone as far as I can tell.

Quick Boot is not needed. You can boot to HBOOT as you want. It's all good.

I'm gonna post my step-by-step

 

[Bob Denny]

OK I posted my detailed instructions:

http://androidforums.com/incredible...ng-nov-ota-rooted-incredible.html#post1876792

 

[redlegend]

I'm most of the way there. I was running a rooted stock 2.2 (with a different SU app then the one linked here), applied the update, installed clockwork, installed the SU and payload files. However, I don't think the root took, because I can't open the SU app, nor run wireless tether. Did I mess something up by installed the new SU app over the old one? Is there a way to uninstall the SU app and the payload and try again? thanks

Installed the newer SU app (2.3.6) over what I had solved my issues. Wireless Tether and all other apps needing SU permissions are running ok.

 

[AndroidGat]

I got it to work.....

The key here is the giant, bold red statement "STOCK ROOTED phones only".

After I originally rooted I had moved bloatware to a app.disabled folder. After restoring the crap back to the /system/app folder the procedure worked just fine.

Thanks for the help.

I think you got it right on the money. I move the bloat-ware myself to a backup folder and it wouldn't update. So I restored to a previous backup that still had the bloat-ware and it updated fine.