Basic Root Troubleshooting Guide for the HTC Droid Eris
edit: Note: much of the information in this guide was built and gleaned prior to the new leak rooting methods (wag3slav3's mid.txt symlink exploit) and the subsequent rooting tools (1-click app, Universal Root for Dummies!, etc.). All Eris phones can be rooted...even the "2.1 leak" phones mentioned in various places below.
First off, let me say that ALL of this information has been obtained from reading and researching the Android Forums. Most of the useful and informative information has been taken either directly or indirectly from the posts and threads by erisuser1 (eu1).
I take no credit whatsoever for erisuser1's amazing depth of knowledge, his research, posts, or countless hours he has devoted to helping people on this forum.
I have simply tried to gather and organize some of this information since its been very useful to me and wanted to share with others.
Many thanks to not only erisuser1, but to all of the devs over at xda-developers.com, and the users/members of AndroidForums for contributing their time, effort, and guidance that we've all benefited from. Thanks to ALL.
These instructions are not meant to supplant or replace the existing instructions for installing root. They are meant to serve as a place to look for solutions to common problems or hard-to-find information.
Please let me know if you see any errors, issues, omissions, useful links to add, etc. (or if some info. should be removed or belongs in another thread). I will make sure they get added / updated as soon as possible.
A Brief Word About Rooting
--------------------------
"How easy and safe is it to root?" - great quote by erisuser1: "It is quite safe." Easy? That depends on who is driving the computer. The documented procedures are not easy for computer neophytes, especially for the ones that can not figure out how to troubleshoot driver installation problems, or are unfamiliar with using the command prompt."
===========================================================================
Platform note: this post primarily addresses Windows-based rooting issues.
For Apple Macintosh information, please reference doogald's excellent write-up of rooting instructions for Intel-based Macs:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things...shooting-guide-htc-droid-eris.html#post995392
===========================================================================
HELPFUL THREADS / LINKS
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/87118-reference-what-htc-rom-do-i-have.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/75384-visual-example-pb00img-zip-update-method.html
===========================================================================
IS MY PHONE ROOTABLE?
It all comes down to what your phone's bootloader (HBOOT) version is. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter if you are 1.5, 2.1, received the OTA or not, etc. If your bootloader is
Edit: 2010/07/17: well, it didn't used to matter
because now there is a new rooting method that does not depend on your HBOOT version:
The main thread from XDA:
* Root for ERIS LEAKERS! - xda-developers
The AF thread:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/121323-more-reliable-root-leakers-has-been-found.html
A concise post by jcase in the above thread regarding this method:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things...oot-leakers-has-been-found-2.html#post1132949
This new method should work for ALL phones. Read-up and enjoy.
(excerpted from http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/106901-can-i-root-my-eris-look-here-first.html)
1. Check your phone's HBOOT bootloader version by
2. Interpreting the HBOOT version:
3. Mini-FAQ:
===========================================================================
CAN I UN-ROOT?
Yes. Reference these threads (and/or search the all-things-root forum for "unroot"):
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/86620-fyi-root-re-root-root-unroot-ota-root-all.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/66007-rooting-eris-unrooting-eris-all-jazz.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/82705-problems-unrooting-desperate-help.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/74690-root-2-1-1-5-reversion-problem-please-help.html
===========================================================================
AF SITE SEARCH TIP
Searching the Android Forums can sometimes be challenging. Demache provided an excellent tip for using Google to help search the Android Forums:
Do a Google search and include the search term "site:androidforums.com" along with the text you are searching for. You can also include a longer URL to narrow your search. For example:
search string: "site:androidforums.com/all-things-root unroot"
Using the power of Google will return results that sometime elude AF (such as search strings with numbers, etc.)
===========================================================================
OVERVIEW OF THE ROOTING PROCESS
Note: this is an overview -- these are not installation instructions.
Rooting your Eris consists of basically three fundamental operations:
1. Installing the 1.49.2000 S-OFF bootloader onto the phone.
This is done by flashing the base root ROM that includes this bootloader.
This bootloader has security "OFF" which allows you install Amon_RA's custom recovery.
This is really the "easiest" part (in principle) since you don't even necessarily need another computer to accomplish it.
You could download the base root ROM PB00IMG.zip file right to your phone using a browser (and moving it via a file manager (like Astro, etc.) to move it to the top-level (root-level) of your phone's /sdcard).
2. Installing Amon_RA's custom recovery onto the phone.
This is the step that seems to trip up many folks (usually due to a USB driver issue or having problems navigating in the Windows Command Prompt (old DOS window)).
This custom recovery allows you do many things, including installing a custom ROM.
3. Installing the custom ROM of your choice (via Amon_RA's custom recovery).
After accomplishing the first two steps, step #3 is also pretty easy. You just need to research and identify which ROM you want to use (which you can download/transfer from your PC or download directly from your phone). See the section later on in this post "WHERE DO I FIND CUSTOM ROMS?".
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LEAKED ROMS
There were four 2.1 ROMs leaked from VZW: one rooted ROM and three non-root ROMs. All are named PB00IMG.zip (hence the possible confusion when searching / downloading, etc.). Here's the details about each of the ROMs:
Note: If you did install the v3 2.1 leak, it is identical in function to the 2.1 OTA (see note 1 & 2 below), but, unlike those that received the 2.1 OTA, 2.1 leakers still cannot root (because the bootloader was updated to a newer version (1.49.0000 / S-ON) with security "ON" set).
note 1: http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/78692-checksum-proof-2-1-leak-v3-99-identical-ota-2-1-a.html
note 2: [FYI] Minor Differences: OTA-2.1 vs. Leak-V3 - xda-developers
===========================================================================
GENERAL TIPS
1. Make sure your battery is fully charged; failure to do so could result in unpredictable results.
Note: the phone only seems to charge very slowly from the USB when in HBOOT, FASTBOOT, or the recovery console mode. The battery seems to drain fairly quickly, so don't let it sit in one of these boot modes for too long (hours). When doing "scary stuff" to your phone, make sure its well-charged. The phone does charge fastest when powered down.
2. When typing the "adb" commands (when installing the custom recovery partition), take your time and wait a few seconds between commands (especially "adb push" -- the data transfer might still be going on the background; running "adb shell sync" should ensure that all transfers have completed).
Question for erisuser1: why do we not see references / inclusions of "adb shell sync" in instructions involving "adb push" or "adb pull" operations?
3. Verify all file's sizes and MD5 sums after downloading and before installing. This is for all files and utilities that you download, not just ROMs. This will ensure that you have the correct file.
Also, don't blindly trust the "third party" MD5 sum values (even ones in this document). You must (re-)verify these checksum values yourself with the value listed at the site where the file was obtained from [all reputable sites will list the MD5sums of their files--if they don't, then don't trust them and don't download from them].
See the section "MD5 CHECKSUM UTILITY" for more information on how to obtain and run an MD5 sum utility.
4. Take your time. Read and research first. Copy and paste commands from the guides instead of re-typing (i.e., so you don't leave out needed spaces or mistype a command).
5. Use the forum search for help. You can also use a Google search with "androidforums.com <search terms>" for things that AF search has trouble with.
6. When using the Android SDK's adb tool, make sure that your phone is not mounted as an external drive in Windows. If you have, then use the "Safely Remove Hardware" option on the drive (or from the system tray at the bottom right-hand corner of your PC).
7. Be careful when saving / moving files to your /sdcard -- i.e., make sure the file is named as you need / expected.
Some users have unintentionally moved or installed files named like "xxx(2).zip" because it was a second copy of a previously downloaded file (you don't want the '(2)' part).
Also, make sure that you didn't give a file an extra ".zip" extension when downloading it. Check it by viewing the file's properties to see its entire file name and correct if needed.
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TOOLS YOU'LL NEED FOR ROOTING
1. Your phone, a PC (or MAC), and the USB cable that came (or works with) your phone.
For users with a Mac, please reference:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/71515-how-do-i-root-eris-droid-mac-osx-been-looking-hours.html
2. You need to have successfully installed the Android SDK (software development kit).
The Android SDK contains some utilities that you will need to assist you with rooting.
Be sure that you download and include the USB drivers with the SDK.
Important: please note (write it down) where (what directory path) you installed the Android SDK to (you'll need to know this later to issue you adb commands.
3. Make sure you can communicate to your phone via the USB cable.
See the section "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE" below for more information. Also, the information in "A. Pre-requisite: Android SDK" of this thread
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53963-guide-stock-1-5-latest-root-2-1-a.html
4. You need to know how to launch & navigate in the Windows 'Command Prompt'(DOS window).
This seems to be a stumbling point for many users that don't often use command or shell prompts.
See the "HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)" section below for more info.
5. After you get the Android SDK installed, test that you can communicate with your phone by the "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE" section below.
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USB CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS
Listed below are a few things you can do to troubleshoot connectivity issues with your phone. For example, if you can't successful "see" your device as described in the section "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE", then review these steps to see if they are helpful.
1. Make sure you've downloaded and installed the Android SDK (software development kit).
Carefully follow the steps in section "A. Pre-requisite: Android SDK" in
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53963-guide-stock-1-5-latest-root-2-1-a.html
Don't forget to also download the USB drivers!!
2. Make sure that USB debugging mode is enabled on your phone:
Settings > Applications > Development > check USB Debugging
3. Connect the phone to your PC using the USB cable that came with your phone
4. If you trying to use the adb utility, you need to make sure the phone is in "Charge-Only" mode and not "Connect as a Disk Drive" mode (you'll get pull-down notifications on your phone that you can verify this).
If you are trying to transfer files to (or from) your phone's /sdcard using Windows Explorer, then you do want to select "Connect as a Disk Drive". Just be use to "safely remove" and set "Charge-Only" on your phone before trying to use the adb utility.
5. Your phone's notification pull-down should show "Charge Only" and "USB debugging connected".
6. Some users have also reported that installing HTC Sync fixes / resolves their USB connectivity issues. I suspect that it goes through the USB setup a little better than the SDK does. If you want to try that, here is the downloads link for HTC_Sync_2.0.33.exe (its about 39 MB):
* http://www.htc.com/us/support/droid-eris-verizon/downloads/
7. If you still have issues, then let's check some things in the Device Manager.
8. Here is a very good web page for setting-up the USB drivers for windows:
* USB Driver for Windows | Android Developers
Read through these instructions for (re-)installing your USB drivers.
9. If you do have other yellow triangle w/exclamation mark on a USB device that you think is related to your Eris device, right click on the device and do "update driver" on the device with the yellow exclamation point, being sure to browse to the usb_driver directory in the SDK.
10. Lastly, if you are still having problem: is your USB cable good? Try a different cable if available.
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VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE
How to tell if the Android SDK can communicate with your phone:
1. Connect your phone to your computer using the phone's USB cable
2. Launch the Windows Command Prompt:
Click Start button -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt
or follow "HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)"
3. Next, change (cd) to the Android SDK's tools directory (see "HOW TO NAVIGATE TO THE ANDROID SDK'S TOOL DIRECTORY" for more information)
4. Now type adb devices It should respond with "HTA..." etc. (identification information specific to your phone). This is good and means that adb can "talk" to your phone. If it returns with nothing under "List of devices attached", then the phone and computer are not yet communicating successfully.
5. You can also try adb shell and you should see either a "$" prompt (if you are not rooted) or a "#" prompt if you are already rooted.
If you do see either of these prompts in the adb shell, type "exit" to leave the adb shell.
If you get something like "'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.", then you have not yet changed your current directory to the Android SDK's tools directory (see step #3 above).
===========================================================================
HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)
There are a few times when you are asked to navigate to your PC's 'Command Prompt'. For Windows, this is basically running the old DOS command.com or cmd.exe.
You can launch it in several different ways. Here's a few:
1. Click the Start button, select Programs, then Accessories, then Command Prompt
2. Click the Start button, select Run, enter "cmd" or "command" and press the enter key
Note: you'll be instructed in places to navigate to your Android SDK's tools directory. You do this via the "cd" (change directory) command. You enter "cd xxx" where "xxx" is the name of the directory you want to set your focus to (i.e., to make it your current local directory while in the Command Prompt utility). Hopefully, you wrote down where you install the SDK since you will need to navigate to the tools directory when issuing adb commands.
===========================================================================
HOW TO NAVIGATE TO THE ANDROID SDK'S 'TOOLS' DIRECTORY
You'll be instructed at some point to use one of the programs / utilities in the Android SDK's tools directory. Can't find it? Here's how to:
1. First, make sure that you have downloaded and installed it (don't forget the USB drivers too).
2. Startup Windows Explorer (Start button, Programs, Accessories, Windows Explorer)
3. Select (left-click) on the "Local Disk (C "in the left-pane of Windows Explorer to set your search focus
4. Enter "adb.exe" (without the double-quotes) in the search box of Windows Explorer (top, right-hand side of the window)
5. Press enter or click on the magnifying-glass icon to start the search
6. When the search finds "adb.exe" file, right click on the file name and note (and/or copy) the value listed to the right of "Location:"(this is the location of the Android SDK's tools directory).
This is what you'll use to "cd" (change directory to) in the Command Prompt.
7. For example, if your search reported that the file was found in
"Location: C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools"
then you would need to type this in the Command Prompt:
cd C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
===========================================================================
BOOTING METHODS
There are a few times that you'll need to boot your phone using either the factory bootloader (HBOOT) or into recovery mode. Here's a quick guide for each:
1. Factory bootloader (HBOOT):
A. Why do this?
1) The HBOOT bootloader is used, among other things, to install signed ROM packages like the base root ROM (PB00IMG.zip) or any of the various 2.1 leaks (also named PB00IMG.zip). It looks for files with particular names like these that are placed on the phone's top-level (root) /sdcard directory.
2) Use this to display your HBOOT version to see if you can root or are already rooted.
B. How to launch the factory bootloader (HBOOT):
2. Recovery mode:
A. Why do this? The recovery partition / utility allows you to, among other
things, flash custom ROMs from the /sdcard.
B. How to boot into recovery mode:
C. Note: you can also boot into recovery mode by typing the following at the Command Prompt and in your Android SDK's tools directory:
C:\Documents and Settings> cd c:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools> adb shell reboot recovery
(note: your SDK may be located in a different file path)
D. Note: for reference purposes, you can "talk" to your phone via adb while the phone is in recovery (useful for some emergencies).
Edit: questions for erisuser1:
1) is this only true for 1.49 S-OFF?
2) will it work on both stock and custom recovery?
3) also useful for running/flashing Amon_RA's recovery?
i.e., alternate way to install Amon_RA's recovery:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/86448-getting-replacement-eris-root-questions-2.html#post828457
===========================================================================
WHERE DO I FIND CUSTOM ROMS?
Okay, now that your rooted (or thinking about rooting), where can I find the best custom ROM for my phone?
What ROM is best for you is very subjective. You should read about what each ROM contains / supports and make your decision from there.
Check the XDA forums for the most up-to-date information that the developers have about their ROMs:
* Droid Eris Android Development - xda-developers
Most of the ROMs can be found on GridLock's (grdlock) site:
* HTC Droid Eris ROM Site
You should also read and research comments in these forums for other user's experiences about various ROMs:
* All Things Root (Eris) - Android Forums
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/101300-rom-right-me.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/57704-eris-all-things-root-thread-apps-roms-updated-05-06-2010-a.html
===========================================================================
MD5 CHECKSUM UTILITY
Its always a good idea to validate a file's "identity" before and after you download it.
One good way to do this is by checking the file's size and its MD5 checksum. There are several utilities available for generating and calculating a file's MD5 checksum.
Below is a pretty basic command-line version.
In the browser of your (Windows) PC, navigate to http://www.md5summer.org/download.html
About three-fourths of the way down the page, find the "DOS Command Line MD5sum utility".
Right-click and download this version (should be http://www.md5summer.org/md5sum.zip)
After downloading, extract the md5sum.exe file to your Android SDK's tools directory. That way, you'll have a home for all of the tools that you use for rooting.
To run it, just launch the Windows Command Prompt and change (cd) to your Android SDK's tools directory. From there, you'll just type md5sum.exe filename where filename is the name of the file whose checksum you want to display. For example:
C:\Documents and Settings> cd c:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools> md5sum.exe base-root-PB00IMG.zip
63eacc5ede3b179f95dc22d8ef585f94 *base-root-PB00IMG.zip
-------------------------------------------
Thats it. Hope this was useful to you!
edit: Note: much of the information in this guide was built and gleaned prior to the new leak rooting methods (wag3slav3's mid.txt symlink exploit) and the subsequent rooting tools (1-click app, Universal Root for Dummies!, etc.). All Eris phones can be rooted...even the "2.1 leak" phones mentioned in various places below.
First off, let me say that ALL of this information has been obtained from reading and researching the Android Forums. Most of the useful and informative information has been taken either directly or indirectly from the posts and threads by erisuser1 (eu1).
I take no credit whatsoever for erisuser1's amazing depth of knowledge, his research, posts, or countless hours he has devoted to helping people on this forum.
I have simply tried to gather and organize some of this information since its been very useful to me and wanted to share with others.
Many thanks to not only erisuser1, but to all of the devs over at xda-developers.com, and the users/members of AndroidForums for contributing their time, effort, and guidance that we've all benefited from. Thanks to ALL.
These instructions are not meant to supplant or replace the existing instructions for installing root. They are meant to serve as a place to look for solutions to common problems or hard-to-find information.
Please let me know if you see any errors, issues, omissions, useful links to add, etc. (or if some info. should be removed or belongs in another thread). I will make sure they get added / updated as soon as possible.
A Brief Word About Rooting
--------------------------
"How easy and safe is it to root?" - great quote by erisuser1: "It is quite safe." Easy? That depends on who is driving the computer. The documented procedures are not easy for computer neophytes, especially for the ones that can not figure out how to troubleshoot driver installation problems, or are unfamiliar with using the command prompt."
===========================================================================
Platform note: this post primarily addresses Windows-based rooting issues.
For Apple Macintosh information, please reference doogald's excellent write-up of rooting instructions for Intel-based Macs:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things...shooting-guide-htc-droid-eris.html#post995392
===========================================================================
HELPFUL THREADS / LINKS
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/87118-reference-what-htc-rom-do-i-have.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/75384-visual-example-pb00img-zip-update-method.html
===========================================================================
IS MY PHONE ROOTABLE?
It all comes down to what your phone's bootloader (HBOOT) version is. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter if you are 1.5, 2.1, received the OTA or not, etc. If your bootloader is
Edit: 2010/07/17: well, it didn't used to matter
because now there is a new rooting method that does not depend on your HBOOT version:The main thread from XDA:
* Root for ERIS LEAKERS! - xda-developers
The AF thread:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/121323-more-reliable-root-leakers-has-been-found.html
A concise post by jcase in the above thread regarding this method:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things...oot-leakers-has-been-found-2.html#post1132949
This new method should work for ALL phones. Read-up and enjoy.
Code:
HBOOT version Root Status
------------- ---------------------------------------
1.45.xxxx phone is rootable
1.46.xxxx phone is rootable
1.47.0000 phone is rootable
1.49.2000 phone is already rooted
1.49.0000 phone is still rootable (as of 6/22/2010); you have a 2.1 "leak"1. Check your phone's HBOOT bootloader version by
Code:
A. Power down (turn off) the phone
B. Pressing the Volume-DOWN and the End/Power buttons simultaneously
(this can also be done by simultaneously pressing "Send" and "End/Power")
C. The first two lines displayed should look similar to the following:
DESIREC XC SHIP S-ON (if you are already rooted, this will say "S-OFF")
HBOOT-1.47.0000 (you might see 1.46, 1.47, or 1.49 here)
D. You can re-power off your phone by doing a battery pull and
replacing after 5-10 seconds, then restarting2. Interpreting the HBOOT version:
Code:
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]A.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] If the HBOOT version (second line on the screen) says "[COLOR=blue]1.45.xxx[/COLOR]",
1.46.xxxx[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]" or "[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.47.0000[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]", then yes, [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]you can root[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New].[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]B.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] If the HBOOT version says "[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.49.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=teal][FONT=Courier New]2000[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]" and the last part of the first
line says "[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]S-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New]OFF[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]", then [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]you are already rooted [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New](this is good)[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]C.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] If the HBOOT version says "[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.49.0000[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]" and the last part of the first
line says "[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]S-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]ON[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]", then you most likely have a 2.1 leak version on your
phone and [/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]you can (as of 7/17/2010) root it.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
Code:
[COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]Q: I still have a 1.5 phone and have not yet accepted the 2.1 OTA--can I root?[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]A: [B]Yes[/B] (assuming your HBOOT version is NOT [/COLOR][/FONT][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.49.0000[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] / S-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]ON[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New])[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]Q: I had a 1.5 phone and accepted the 2.1 OTA--can I root?
A: [B]Yes[/B] (most likely; your HBOOT version would not have been updated by the OTA;
double-check the HBOOT version)[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]Q: My HBOOT version is [/COLOR][/FONT][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.49.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=teal][FONT=Courier New]2000[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] / S-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New]OFF[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]--can I root?[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]A: You are [/COLOR][/FONT][U][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]already[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New] rooted[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] (w00t!)[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]Q: My HBOOT version is [/COLOR][/FONT][B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]1.49.0000[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] / S-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]ON[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]--can I root?[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]A: [B]No[/B]. The 2.1 leaks installed a version 1.49 bootloader with S-ON[/COLOR][/FONT]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] (security "[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]ON[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]") that prevents you from being able to install custom
ROMs. Yes, there are folks actively trying to provide root for
2.1 leakers. See the "[SIZE=2]2.1 leak official root status" thread
over at XDA for more information:[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]* [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=666759"]2.1 leak OFFICIAL root status thread. - xda-developers[/URL][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]Everyone will know once root has been achieved for all.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]CAN I UN-ROOT?
Yes. Reference these threads (and/or search the all-things-root forum for "unroot"):
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/86620-fyi-root-re-root-root-unroot-ota-root-all.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/66007-rooting-eris-unrooting-eris-all-jazz.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/82705-problems-unrooting-desperate-help.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/74690-root-2-1-1-5-reversion-problem-please-help.html
===========================================================================
AF SITE SEARCH TIP
Searching the Android Forums can sometimes be challenging. Demache provided an excellent tip for using Google to help search the Android Forums:
Do a Google search and include the search term "site:androidforums.com" along with the text you are searching for. You can also include a longer URL to narrow your search. For example:
search string: "site:androidforums.com/all-things-root unroot"
Using the power of Google will return results that sometime elude AF (such as search strings with numbers, etc.)
===========================================================================
OVERVIEW OF THE ROOTING PROCESS
Note: this is an overview -- these are not installation instructions.
Rooting your Eris consists of basically three fundamental operations:
1. Installing the 1.49.2000 S-OFF bootloader onto the phone.
This is done by flashing the base root ROM that includes this bootloader.
This bootloader has security "OFF" which allows you install Amon_RA's custom recovery.
This is really the "easiest" part (in principle) since you don't even necessarily need another computer to accomplish it.
You could download the base root ROM PB00IMG.zip file right to your phone using a browser (and moving it via a file manager (like Astro, etc.) to move it to the top-level (root-level) of your phone's /sdcard).
2. Installing Amon_RA's custom recovery onto the phone.
This is the step that seems to trip up many folks (usually due to a USB driver issue or having problems navigating in the Windows Command Prompt (old DOS window)).
This custom recovery allows you do many things, including installing a custom ROM.
3. Installing the custom ROM of your choice (via Amon_RA's custom recovery).
After accomplishing the first two steps, step #3 is also pretty easy. You just need to research and identify which ROM you want to use (which you can download/transfer from your PC or download directly from your phone). See the section later on in this post "WHERE DO I FIND CUSTOM ROMS?".
===========================================================================
LEAKED ROMS
There were four 2.1 ROMs leaked from VZW: one rooted ROM and three non-root ROMs. All are named PB00IMG.zip (hence the possible confusion when searching / downloading, etc.). Here's the details about each of the ROMs:
Code:
[B][FONT=Courier New]first (v1) 2.1 leak[/FONT][/B][FONT=Courier New] (released 3/3/2010)
description: first Eris 2.1 leak released
root capable: [B][COLOR=red]no[/COLOR][/B] (bootloader security setting prevents this)
HBOOT version: 1.49.0000 S-[B][COLOR=red]ON[/COLOR][/B]
size: 107,427,740
MD5 sum: [COLOR=red][COLOR=blue]bd6b08d32948022c865c79dcc61ae449[/COLOR] (now matches XDA)[/COLOR][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Courier New]second (v2) 2.1 leak[/FONT][/B][FONT=Courier New][B] ([/B]released around 3/24/2010?)
description: second Eris 2.1 leak released
root capable: [B][COLOR=red]no[/COLOR][/B] (bootloader security setting prevents this)
HBOOT version: 1.49.0000 S-[B][COLOR=red]ON[/COLOR][/B]
size: 108,819,939
MD5 sum: 6e3a2bb96432276b0af51ba6e7e1820c (matches XDA site)[/FONT]
[B][FONT=Courier New]third (v3) 2.1 leak [/FONT][/B][FONT=Courier New][B]([/B]released 4/29/2010)
description: third (final) Eris 2.1 leak released; identical to 2.1 OTA
root capable: [B][COLOR=red]no[/COLOR][/B] (bootloader security setting prevents this)
HBOOT version: 1.49.0000 S-[B][COLOR=red]ON[/COLOR][/B]
size: 109,946,224
MD5 sum: 1c0b0182356242a9d673a661e7458587 (matches XDA site)[/FONT]
[B][FONT=Courier New]2.1 root leak (base root ROM) [/FONT][/B][FONT=Courier New][B]([/B]released: 3/15/2010)
description: rooted 2.1
root capable: [B][COLOR=green]yes![/COLOR][/B]
HBOOT version: 1.49.2000 S-[B][COLOR=green]OFF [/COLOR][/B][COLOR=green](security OFF)[/COLOR]
size: 107,427,740
MD5 sum: 63eacc5ede3b179f95dc22d8ef585f94 (matches XDA site)[/FONT]note 1: http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/78692-checksum-proof-2-1-leak-v3-99-identical-ota-2-1-a.html
note 2: [FYI] Minor Differences: OTA-2.1 vs. Leak-V3 - xda-developers
===========================================================================
GENERAL TIPS
1. Make sure your battery is fully charged; failure to do so could result in unpredictable results.
Note: the phone only seems to charge very slowly from the USB when in HBOOT, FASTBOOT, or the recovery console mode. The battery seems to drain fairly quickly, so don't let it sit in one of these boot modes for too long (hours). When doing "scary stuff" to your phone, make sure its well-charged. The phone does charge fastest when powered down.
2. When typing the "adb" commands (when installing the custom recovery partition), take your time and wait a few seconds between commands (especially "adb push" -- the data transfer might still be going on the background; running "adb shell sync" should ensure that all transfers have completed).
Code:
[FONT=Courier New]Note: some users have reported "[COLOR=purple]read error at 0x0000000 (Out of memory)[/COLOR]"
or "[COLOR=purple]write error at 0x0000000 (Out of memory)[/COLOR]" messages being reported
when doing the "[B]adb shell flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img[/B]"
(flashing Amon_RA's custom recovery). This seems to happen exactly as
described above: typing the [B]adb[/B] commands with little pause in between. [/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Some solutions reported to help include:[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=blue]1) slow down (pause a few seconds) between adb commands[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=blue]2) re-type the failing command[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=blue]3) reboot the device (or power it off and back on) and
re-enter the failed command[/COLOR][/FONT]Question for erisuser1: why do we not see references / inclusions of "adb shell sync" in instructions involving "adb push" or "adb pull" operations?
3. Verify all file's sizes and MD5 sums after downloading and before installing. This is for all files and utilities that you download, not just ROMs. This will ensure that you have the correct file.
Also, don't blindly trust the "third party" MD5 sum values (even ones in this document). You must (re-)verify these checksum values yourself with the value listed at the site where the file was obtained from [all reputable sites will list the MD5sums of their files--if they don't, then don't trust them and don't download from them].
See the section "MD5 CHECKSUM UTILITY" for more information on how to obtain and run an MD5 sum utility.
4. Take your time. Read and research first. Copy and paste commands from the guides instead of re-typing (i.e., so you don't leave out needed spaces or mistype a command).
5. Use the forum search for help. You can also use a Google search with "androidforums.com <search terms>" for things that AF search has trouble with.
6. When using the Android SDK's adb tool, make sure that your phone is not mounted as an external drive in Windows. If you have, then use the "Safely Remove Hardware" option on the drive (or from the system tray at the bottom right-hand corner of your PC).
7. Be careful when saving / moving files to your /sdcard -- i.e., make sure the file is named as you need / expected.
Some users have unintentionally moved or installed files named like "xxx(2).zip" because it was a second copy of a previously downloaded file (you don't want the '(2)' part).
Also, make sure that you didn't give a file an extra ".zip" extension when downloading it. Check it by viewing the file's properties to see its entire file name and correct if needed.
===========================================================================
TOOLS YOU'LL NEED FOR ROOTING
1. Your phone, a PC (or MAC), and the USB cable that came (or works with) your phone.
For users with a Mac, please reference:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/71515-how-do-i-root-eris-droid-mac-osx-been-looking-hours.html
2. You need to have successfully installed the Android SDK (software development kit).
The Android SDK contains some utilities that you will need to assist you with rooting.
Be sure that you download and include the USB drivers with the SDK.
Important: please note (write it down) where (what directory path) you installed the Android SDK to (you'll need to know this later to issue you adb commands.
3. Make sure you can communicate to your phone via the USB cable.
See the section "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE" below for more information. Also, the information in "A. Pre-requisite: Android SDK" of this thread
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53963-guide-stock-1-5-latest-root-2-1-a.html
4. You need to know how to launch & navigate in the Windows 'Command Prompt'(DOS window).
This seems to be a stumbling point for many users that don't often use command or shell prompts.
See the "HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)" section below for more info.
5. After you get the Android SDK installed, test that you can communicate with your phone by the "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE" section below.
===========================================================================
USB CONNECTIVITY PROBLEMS
Listed below are a few things you can do to troubleshoot connectivity issues with your phone. For example, if you can't successful "see" your device as described in the section "VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE", then review these steps to see if they are helpful.
1. Make sure you've downloaded and installed the Android SDK (software development kit).
Carefully follow the steps in section "A. Pre-requisite: Android SDK" in
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53963-guide-stock-1-5-latest-root-2-1-a.html
Don't forget to also download the USB drivers!!
2. Make sure that USB debugging mode is enabled on your phone:
Settings > Applications > Development > check USB Debugging
3. Connect the phone to your PC using the USB cable that came with your phone
4. If you trying to use the adb utility, you need to make sure the phone is in "Charge-Only" mode and not "Connect as a Disk Drive" mode (you'll get pull-down notifications on your phone that you can verify this).
If you are trying to transfer files to (or from) your phone's /sdcard using Windows Explorer, then you do want to select "Connect as a Disk Drive". Just be use to "safely remove" and set "Charge-Only" on your phone before trying to use the adb utility.
5. Your phone's notification pull-down should show "Charge Only" and "USB debugging connected".
6. Some users have also reported that installing HTC Sync fixes / resolves their USB connectivity issues. I suspect that it goes through the USB setup a little better than the SDK does. If you want to try that, here is the downloads link for HTC_Sync_2.0.33.exe (its about 39 MB):
* http://www.htc.com/us/support/droid-eris-verizon/downloads/
7. If you still have issues, then let's check some things in the Device Manager.
Code:
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]A.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] Click the [B]Start [/B]button -> [B]Settings[/B] -> [B]Control Panel ->[/B] [B]Device Manager[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]B.[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] You'll (hopefully) see an "[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]Android Phone[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]" and "[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]Android ADB Interface[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]"
underneath it[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]If you do a "[B]Safe Remove[/B]" of the "[B]Android ADB Interface[/B]", then you will see
a [/COLOR][/FONT][B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]yellow triangle with an exclamation mark [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]in it on the computer icon
of the "[B]Android ADB Interface[/B]" in the Device Manager display. If you
disconnect the USB cable from the phone after doing a safe-remove,
the "Android Phone" should disappear from the Device Manager display.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black]Disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable after having previously
"safely [/COLOR][/FONT][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]removed" the "Android ADB Interface" should cause the yellow
triangle w/exclamation mark to go away. [/FONT][/COLOR]8. Here is a very good web page for setting-up the USB drivers for windows:
* USB Driver for Windows | Android Developers
Read through these instructions for (re-)installing your USB drivers.
9. If you do have other yellow triangle w/exclamation mark on a USB device that you think is related to your Eris device, right click on the device and do "update driver" on the device with the yellow exclamation point, being sure to browse to the usb_driver directory in the SDK.
10. Lastly, if you are still having problem: is your USB cable good? Try a different cable if available.
===========================================================================
VERIFY ANDROID SDK CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEVICE
How to tell if the Android SDK can communicate with your phone:
1. Connect your phone to your computer using the phone's USB cable
2. Launch the Windows Command Prompt:
Click Start button -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt
or follow "HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)"
3. Next, change (cd) to the Android SDK's tools directory (see "HOW TO NAVIGATE TO THE ANDROID SDK'S TOOL DIRECTORY" for more information)
4. Now type adb devices It should respond with "HTA..." etc. (identification information specific to your phone). This is good and means that adb can "talk" to your phone. If it returns with nothing under "List of devices attached", then the phone and computer are not yet communicating successfully.
5. You can also try adb shell and you should see either a "$" prompt (if you are not rooted) or a "#" prompt if you are already rooted.
If you do see either of these prompts in the adb shell, type "exit" to leave the adb shell.
If you get something like "'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.", then you have not yet changed your current directory to the Android SDK's tools directory (see step #3 above).
===========================================================================
HOW LAUNCH THE WINDOWS COMMAND PROMPT (OLD DOS WINDOW)
There are a few times when you are asked to navigate to your PC's 'Command Prompt'. For Windows, this is basically running the old DOS command.com or cmd.exe.
You can launch it in several different ways. Here's a few:
1. Click the Start button, select Programs, then Accessories, then Command Prompt
2. Click the Start button, select Run, enter "cmd" or "command" and press the enter key
Note: you'll be instructed in places to navigate to your Android SDK's tools directory. You do this via the "cd" (change directory) command. You enter "cd xxx" where "xxx" is the name of the directory you want to set your focus to (i.e., to make it your current local directory while in the Command Prompt utility). Hopefully, you wrote down where you install the SDK since you will need to navigate to the tools directory when issuing adb commands.
===========================================================================
HOW TO NAVIGATE TO THE ANDROID SDK'S 'TOOLS' DIRECTORY
You'll be instructed at some point to use one of the programs / utilities in the Android SDK's tools directory. Can't find it? Here's how to:
1. First, make sure that you have downloaded and installed it (don't forget the USB drivers too).
2. Startup Windows Explorer (Start button, Programs, Accessories, Windows Explorer)
3. Select (left-click) on the "Local Disk (C "in the left-pane of Windows Explorer to set your search focus
4. Enter "adb.exe" (without the double-quotes) in the search box of Windows Explorer (top, right-hand side of the window)
5. Press enter or click on the magnifying-glass icon to start the search
6. When the search finds "adb.exe" file, right click on the file name and note (and/or copy) the value listed to the right of "Location:"(this is the location of the Android SDK's tools directory).
This is what you'll use to "cd" (change directory to) in the Command Prompt.
7. For example, if your search reported that the file was found in
"Location: C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools"
then you would need to type this in the Command Prompt:
cd C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
===========================================================================
BOOTING METHODS
There are a few times that you'll need to boot your phone using either the factory bootloader (HBOOT) or into recovery mode. Here's a quick guide for each:
1. Factory bootloader (HBOOT):
A. Why do this?
1) The HBOOT bootloader is used, among other things, to install signed ROM packages like the base root ROM (PB00IMG.zip) or any of the various 2.1 leaks (also named PB00IMG.zip). It looks for files with particular names like these that are placed on the phone's top-level (root) /sdcard directory.
2) Use this to display your HBOOT version to see if you can root or are already rooted.
B. How to launch the factory bootloader (HBOOT):
Code:
[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]1)[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] Power [B]off [/B]the phone[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black][B]2)[/B] Pressing the [B]Volume[/B]-[/COLOR][/FONT][B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]DOWN [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]and the [B]End/Power [/B]buttons simultaneously
(this can also be done by simultaneously pressing "[B]Send[/B]" and "[B]End/Power[/B]")[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=black][B]3)[/B] The first few lines of the display should look similar to the following:[/COLOR][/FONT]
[B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New] DESIREC XC SHIP [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]S-ON [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New](if you are rooted, this will say "[B]S-[/B][/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New]OFF[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]")[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New] HBOOT-[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]1.47[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New].0000 [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New](you might see 1.46, 1.47, or 1.49 here)[/FONT][/COLOR]A. Why do this? The recovery partition / utility allows you to, among other
things, flash custom ROMs from the /sdcard.
B. How to boot into recovery mode:
Code:
[B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]1)[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] Power [B]off [/B]the phone[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]2)[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] Press the [B]Volume[/B]-[/FONT][/COLOR][B][COLOR=green][FONT=Courier New]UP [/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New]button [B]AND [/B]the [B]End/Power [/B]buttons simultaneously [/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]3)[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] The stock recovery console displays the triangle with the exclamation point
(!) in it[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=red][FONT=Courier New]4)[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New] If you've replaced the stock/factory recovery partition with [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New]Amon_RA's
custom recovery[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Courier New], you'll see a screen that looks similar to the following:[/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New] =========================
Android system recovery[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New] - Reboot system now
- USB-MS toggle
- Backup/Restore
- Flash zip from sdcard
- Wipe
- Partition sdcard
- Other
- Power off
------------------------[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=blue][FONT=Courier New] Build : RA-eris-v1.6.2
=========================[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]C. Note: you can also boot into recovery mode by typing the following at the Command Prompt and in your Android SDK's tools directory:
C:\Documents and Settings> cd c:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools> adb shell reboot recovery
(note: your SDK may be located in a different file path)
D. Note: for reference purposes, you can "talk" to your phone via adb while the phone is in recovery (useful for some emergencies).
Edit: questions for erisuser1:
1) is this only true for 1.49 S-OFF?
2) will it work on both stock and custom recovery?
3) also useful for running/flashing Amon_RA's recovery?
i.e., alternate way to install Amon_RA's recovery:
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/86448-getting-replacement-eris-root-questions-2.html#post828457
===========================================================================
WHERE DO I FIND CUSTOM ROMS?
Okay, now that your rooted (or thinking about rooting), where can I find the best custom ROM for my phone?
What ROM is best for you is very subjective. You should read about what each ROM contains / supports and make your decision from there.
Check the XDA forums for the most up-to-date information that the developers have about their ROMs:
* Droid Eris Android Development - xda-developers
Most of the ROMs can be found on GridLock's (grdlock) site:
* HTC Droid Eris ROM Site
You should also read and research comments in these forums for other user's experiences about various ROMs:
* All Things Root (Eris) - Android Forums
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/101300-rom-right-me.html
* http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/57704-eris-all-things-root-thread-apps-roms-updated-05-06-2010-a.html
===========================================================================
MD5 CHECKSUM UTILITY
Its always a good idea to validate a file's "identity" before and after you download it.
One good way to do this is by checking the file's size and its MD5 checksum. There are several utilities available for generating and calculating a file's MD5 checksum.
Below is a pretty basic command-line version.
In the browser of your (Windows) PC, navigate to http://www.md5summer.org/download.html
About three-fourths of the way down the page, find the "DOS Command Line MD5sum utility".
Right-click and download this version (should be http://www.md5summer.org/md5sum.zip)
After downloading, extract the md5sum.exe file to your Android SDK's tools directory. That way, you'll have a home for all of the tools that you use for rooting.
To run it, just launch the Windows Command Prompt and change (cd) to your Android SDK's tools directory. From there, you'll just type md5sum.exe filename where filename is the name of the file whose checksum you want to display. For example:
C:\Documents and Settings> cd c:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools
C:\android\android-sdk-windows\tools> md5sum.exe base-root-PB00IMG.zip
63eacc5ede3b179f95dc22d8ef585f94 *base-root-PB00IMG.zip
-------------------------------------------
Thats it. Hope this was useful to you!
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