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Root Step by step expert root guide please

amerproxity

Lurker
Aug 14, 2011
7
1
I purchased the G2x about 2 months ago. For the last month I have been trying to root it. I've read volumes, watched gb's upon gb's of videos with no luck. I was wondering if anyone could give me a step by step guide on how to root the phone and then flash it. I know this isn't the first thread but it could be the last. The problems I find with other guides on this subject are:

1. There are so many different methods (or so it appears) as to how to go about this.

2. People give conflicting advice i.e "use this program, no use that program, skip this step, no you can't skip that step, read this guide, no read THIS guide."

3. Many threads lead to outside websites like xda-dev. The problem with xda is that I don't really know where to begin. I've been linked to many articles that say "read this guide first" and link to other articles or say "you must have performed this and this procedure before". I want to start from the very beginning, and essentially be spoon-fed every step and detail to the last T. If this is done correctly, this can be the go-to thread for ROOT and FLASH, and people will stop spamming the forum with essentially the same questions.

4. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with my not being able to root and flash my phone, but it's a very new device, which came preloaded with 2.3.3. I have general knowledge of coding platforms such as C++ and some Java, so I'm competent enough to follow what are labeled as "simple instructions" correctly, but still I have failed every time. The phone just doesn't want to root. What I'm hoping to get out of this thread, is someone who has purchased their phone recently (within the last 1-2 months) from T-mobile, in the U.S, and has successfully rooted and flashed CFW, and how they went about doing it. Once again, I'm not sure if this has any connection, but it's the last realistic explanation I can give for my phone not wanting to root is that within the last 3 or so months, LG changed something that made the newest handsets unrootable, which didn't effect the already rooted.

Please, I've seen some very helpful posts from what appear to be very knowledgeable users (for other G2x issues), so I know that someone can do this the right way, all in one thread. Not "go read this guide, then check out the instructions on this page, then watch this video"

ALL IN ONE GENTS - I know you can do it.
 
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This is the exact method I used, courtesy of TGA_Gunman on XDA Developers, who in turn thanked a bunch of other people.

First, you need to download three things:

1) The Nvidia NvFlasher program:
Multiupload.com - upload your files to multiple file hosting sites!

2) The Nvidia NVFlash APX drivers:
http://djmcnz.batteryboss.org/stuff/nvmobileboot.rar

3) The flashable root file
root-g2x-su-2.3.6.3.zip

Install the APX drivers, then follow these instructions:

1. Remove the battery.
2. Plug the USB cable into your PC.
3. Hold Volume Up and Volume Down at the same time keeping them held down.
4. Plug the USB cable into your phone. (Keep the volume buttons held until Windows detects a new APX device.)
5. Open Device Manager in Windows and you should see "APX Device" listed with an error icon.
6. Right click on the APX device.
7. Select 'Update driver software'.
8. Select 'Browse my computer...'.
9. Select 'Let me pick...'.
10. Select 'Have disk'.
11. Browse to directory you extracted the driver software to: One-Click-G2x-recovery-flasher-09-04\APX.
12. Accept any warnings, including the big red alert (you may need to disable UAC).
13. Now in Device Manager under 'USB Controllers' you should have an 'NVIDIA USB Boot-recovery driver for mobile devices'.
If not, uninstall the driver, reboot, rinse and repeat.
14. When the drivers are properly installed, unplug your phone.

Now follow these instructions to flash ClockWork Recovery:
1. Remove the battery.
2. Goto the NvFlash directory and Double Click "OneClickRecoveryFlasher.exe".
3. Make sure the USB cable is unplugged from your phone.
4. Hold Volume Up and Volume Down at the same time, and keep them held down. (Keep them held until you see the "S/W Upgrade" screen on your phone after you complete step7!).
5. Plug the USB cable into your phone.
6. Click the "Flash ClockworkMod" button.
7. You should see it send a bunch of files to the device and the phone screen should say "S/W Upgrade - Please wait while upgrading...". Once the files are sent and the program is finished running in the command window, you can just unplug the USB cord, even while it still says "S/W Upgrade - Please wait while upgrading...".
8. Put the battery back in.

Once the phone has ClockWork Mod flashed, plug it into your computer and copy the flashable .zip file to your SD card.

Turn your phone off, and press the volume down and power buttons at the same time. When the LG logo changes to one with some blue streaks behind it, let go of both buttons and the phone will boot into ClockWord Mod.

Use the volume buttons to move around in the menus and the power button to select in ClockWork Mod.

Select "wipe data/factory reset"
Select "wipe cache partition"
Select "install zip from sdcard"
Select "choose zip from sdcard"
Select "root-g2x-su-2.3.6.3.zip"

When it's done, go back in the menus until you get to "reboot system now" and select it.

Once your phone has rebooted, it will be permanently rooted!

Once again, I can take no credit for any of this! I've just collected the information and links from XDA developers and consolidated it all here.
 
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is it possible to take a certain app or program from a certain rom and like pull it from the rom and install it on a rooted phone? I just rooted my g2x and I want the old LG froyo camera back. Can it get pulled from another rom and installed on my phone without my flashing a new rom?
 
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Just wanted to say "Thanks!" to Riverman - this worked great for me. The only thing I'd add is that I wasn't sure if I needed to load the root-g2x before I flashed CyanogenMod. I went ahead and did it. Now I'm rooted, running CyanogenMod, and it even fixed a problem the stock ROM was having seeing my SD card!

I found this to be a handy video to accompany your directions, too:

youtube.com/watch?v=Cy9on64jAZs&noredirect=1

Bob
 
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