Root Manual method for rooting your BIONIC

[johnlgalt]

Updated: 23 Sep 2011

I noticed that everyone is using the one click method or Pete's method to root their BIONICs. Well, I prefer manual, and at least one person is having issues using the one click, so, without further ado, here is the manual method.

First off, thanks to MDW for the original post that got me rooted: Root OTA GingerBread!!! And any other Motorola Device for that matter... - background on the bug exploited to give us root access, as linked in this post, can be found at Security Research by Dan Rosenberg

OK, here we go.

Prerequisites:

• You must have the Android SDK installed.
  • Go to Android SDK | Android Developers to obtain it
  • Go to Installing the SDK | Android Developers for installation instrutions
• You must be familiar with the Android SDK, and in particular, adb commands and adb shell commands.
• You'll need the the su.zip file located in my signature

Procedure:

1. Connect your device to your USB cable, make sure that Charge only mode is set for USB Connection:
   
   Notifications --> USB Notification --> Select Charge only
   
   
   
2. From a command prompt on your computer go to the {path}/Android/android-sdk/platform-tools/ folder, where {path} is the location of the Android SDK - it may be Program Files / Program Files (x86) is you downloaded the installer, or it may just be C: / D: / etc if you downloaded the .ZIP only
   
   
   
3. Run

   adb shell

   
   
   
4. Enter the following commands, one by one, into your new shell:
   
   

   mv /data/local/12m /data/local/12m.bak
   ln -s /data /data/local/12m

5. Reboot the device by sending the command .
   

   exit
   adb reboot

6. After the phone reboots, enter

   adb shell

7. Enter the following, one line at a time (I recommend that you copy and paste to make sure you do not make any errors - they need to be typed in explicitly)
   
   

   rm /data/local/12m
   mv /data/local/12m.bak /data/local/12m
   mv /data/local.prop /data/local.prop.bak
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_netmon_usb=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_netmon_ih=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_res_core=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_res_panic=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_all_adb=1" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_all_core=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_efem=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_bp_log=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_ap_mot_log=0" >> /data/local.prop
   echo "ro.sys.atvc_allow_gki_log=0" >> /data/local.prop

8. Reboot the device by sending the command
   

   exit
   adb reboot

9. After the phone reboots, enter

   adb shell

   
   You should now see the # sign instead of the $ after the word targa - this is how you know you are rooted and currently have superuser privileges.
   
   
   
10. Extract the contents of the su.zip into this platform-tools folder, or else extract them where you can and note the folder they are in (You can use explorer / other file manager to do this, but just extract, don't do anything else)
11. Use the following commands: (if you exited / closed your cmd prompt window, you'll need to first run adb shell again before starting below)
    
    

    mount -o remount,rw -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
    exit
    adb push '/home/user/location/su' /system/bin 
    adb shell 
    chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
    reboot

    
    replace '/home/user/location/su' with the full path to the folder where you extracted su.zip - include drive letter and all diretories that are parents[/I]
    
12. Once the device boots back up, go to the market and install Superuser
13. Install either Busybox or Busybox Installer (donation versions are acceptable too).
14. Open Superuser
15. When prompted, allow it to update to the latest su binary.
16. Adjust any settings that you want, then close
17. Open Busybox (installer)
18. Install Busybox (I recommend 1.18.x or later, I'm currently using 1.19.x

 

[PerCompLLC]

Thank you sir! In my opinion, EVERYONE that roots should know how to it manually (without a one-click solution). It is the ONLY way to understand what is going on in the background.

 

[messenger13]

Thank you sir! In my opinion, EVERYONE that roots should know how to it manually (without a one-click solution). It is the ONLY way to understand what is going on in the background.

While I agree whole-heartedly that everyone should know what's going on ... I've been there / done that so many times, I welcome the 1-click solution with open arms. Of course I wrote scripts to quicken the process with my OG Droid. But I write scripts everyday at work. When I 'play' at home, I don't mind if someone else does some of the grunt work for a change.

And FWIW, I don't think the average Joe learns anything but just typing that code in, or by copying and pasting. A few might pickup something, but not many.

 

[PerCompLLC]

While I agree whole-heartedly that everyone should know what's going on ... I've been there / done that so many times, I welcome the 1-click solution with open arms. Of course I wrote scripts to quicken the process with my OG Droid. But I write scripts everyday at work. When I 'play' at home, I don't mind if someone else does some of the grunt work for a change.

And FWIW, I don't think the average Joe learns anything but just typing that code in, or by copying and pasting. A few might pickup something, but not many.

Agreed! I too use the one-click method these days as well (having done it manually so many times in the past)... I was just indicating that it really is a good idea to actually know what is going on before you take the plunge on something like rooting and modding when doing it with a $600 device - at least the first time anyway.

 

[johnlgalt]

While I agree whole-heartedly that everyone should know what's going on ... I've been there / done that so many times, I welcome the 1-click solution with open arms. Of course I wrote scripts to quicken the process with my OG Droid. But I write scripts everyday at work. When I 'play' at home, I don't mind if someone else does some of the grunt work for a change.

And FWIW, I don't think the average Joe learns anything but just typing that code in, or by copying and pasting. A few might pickup something, but not many.

Agreed! I too use the one-click method these days as well (having done it manually so many times in the past)... I was just indicating that it really is a good idea to actually know what is going on before you take the plunge on something like rooting and modding when doing it with a $600 device - at least the first time anyway.

While I'd love to be able to say that manual is the only way, some people are simply not technologically savvy enough to grasp what needs to be done. I've included pictures, and kept the guide to as close to an 8th grade reading level as possible, but I know folks that will not be able to completely comprehend the steps, and others who simply have no patience for this sort of thing.

I'm an old hack - Joe and I are probably very close in age, and while I don't write scripts for a living (or as a part of my job function) right now, I've written more scripts than I can possibly consider counting in a single day. I prefer scripts - Heck, I still write them now and again (like my automated script to download the latest versions of the Firefox and Thunderbird Nightlies, plus 2 specific add-ons that are also built nightly for Thunderbird using a batch file and the native Windows FTP command).

The reason I made the guide, though, is that a lot of other guides assume that just because someone else wants to try the manual method that they are very computer savvy - I know better. I've already tried to help one user who had issues with the method using Pete's tool, and I figured I'd make the guide I used that much better (and thus, more easily readable) by including screenshots, warnings, and anticipating possible pitfalls.

I wish I could just say "here, do this, and it will run" but I'm not patient enough to write up a batch file / .CMD file that will operate with the correct set of parameters to automate the manual process - but then again, this is what the one click method does anyway, so why reinvent the wheel? lol

At any rate, I do appreciate the kind comments. Tehsusenoh has incorporated this and my other 'guide' into his ATR guide stickied at the top (almost verbatim, in fact) so it's here to stay.

 

[OutOfPhase]

Thank you sir! In my opinion, EVERYONE that roots should know how to it manually (without a one-click solution). It is the ONLY way to understand what is going on in the background.

I agree and thought I would put some links up so some noobs can start to learn.

Here is a good start for anybody wanting to set up sdk and learn some adb.

[ HOW TO ] ADB AND WHY I LOVE ADB commands <3

and a short version without the how to do sdk setup.
http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-all-things-root/187820-how-adb-commands.html

 

[johnlgalt]

The main guide is continuing to expand - thanks for these links. I'll find some of the old links I used to have elsewhere and see if they're still active as well. I had a link to one that was very in depth, and of course, there is always developer.android.com

 

[PerCompLLC]

This thread might be a good candidate for being stickied... Just sayin...

 

[Vixer]

I believe the manual root process is already documented in the one stickied.

 

[Crazy_J]

Having been rooting and un-rooting and re-rooting my phone and other peoples phones its nice to see someone post the full manual method. However the one click method is a time saver for re-rooting once the manual method has been learned. I too feel people should know the manual method to at least try and understand what is going on.