Root VERY new to rooting. Could use some help...

[jesch88]

Ok. So as the title says I'm new to rooting. The Eris is my first smartphone, and I think it's great aside from a few complaints (namely the slow-ish processor). I've read through a lot of the how-to guides specifically for Eris rooting but I find myself getting lost in the terminology, and also finding conflicting answers to some questions. So I'm wondering if someone more knowledgeable of these things than I (or at least someone who has already done what I'm trying to) could assist and give me some clear cut answers before I attempt to root.

But first, some info from my phone. I'm not sure exactly what all is pertinent here, but more info is better than not enough.

Firmware Version: 2.1 (this is the official software, I downloaded it in the Verizon store the day I got the phone, clearly a mistake)
Baseband Version: 2.42.01.04.27
Kernel Version: 2.6.29-ba03cb9a, htc-kenel@and18-2 #1
Build Number: 2.37.605.4 CL185970 release-keys
Software Number: 2.37.605.4
Browser Version: Webkit 3.1
PRI Version: 2.11_002
PRL Version: 51920
ERI Version: 5

The phone is completely official software. I haven't attempted to root or use anything leaked, cracked, ROMs, flash anything, etc. So here are my questions:

1. From what I understand is it not currently possible to root an Eris that has the official 2.1 software. You must revert to 1.5 or 1.6 to root to a cracked 2.1. Is there currently any safe way to downgrade official 2.1 to stock 1.5 on an Eris? (Basically, getting it back to an out-of-box state to make it possible to root

2. Once rooted, where should I go from there? My main goal in rooting is to overclock the processor and hopefully squeeze some more juice from the somewhat sluggish processor.

3. What exactly is a ROM, and for God's sake what does it mean when you Flash one?

Thanks for any help in advance, and sorry if these things are answered elsewhere. I've poured over pages and pages of stuff related to this but can't seem to find answers to this problem, if they do indeed exist. Normally, I'm fairly technologically competent, but I'm just not too familiar with Linux based systems and this is eluding me.

Be gentle. Thanks again.

 

[davidr2340]

http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/127861-universal-eris-root-dummies.html

I was like you... Read through this thread, and now I'm happily rooted! Sorry, not as much help as you wanted, but I'm new to all this as well!!!

 

[WormDoes]

Welcome to the forum and the world of Droid.

A ROM is a custom OS (operating system)

You can root on 2.1 OTA. I used the 1 click method posted someone around here. It was very quick and painless

Flashing a ROM is very simple. You D/L the ROM of your choice on your SD card and "flash" it in Recovery mode (shut phone off, hold power and vol down at same time...you're now in recovery)

There are a million threads that answer any and all questions you may have. Look around, you'll find everything you need to know and then some.

P.S. I was the same as you were less than 2 weeks ago, it all sounds complicated but I assure you it's very simple once you dive in

 

[shaggylouie]

Ok. So as the title says I'm new to rooting. The Eris is my first smartphone, and I think it's great aside from a few complaints (namely the slow-ish processor). I've read through a lot of the how-to guides specifically for Eris rooting but I find myself getting lost in the terminology, and also finding conflicting answers to some questions. So I'm wondering if someone more knowledgeable of these things than I (or at least someone who has already done what I'm trying to) could assist and give me some clear cut answers before I attempt to root.

But first, some info from my phone. I'm not sure exactly what all is pertinent here, but more info is better than not enough.

Firmware Version: 2.1 (this is the official software, I downloaded it in the Verizon store the day I got the phone, clearly a mistake)
Baseband Version: 2.42.01.04.27
Kernel Version: 2.6.29-ba03cb9a, htc-kenel@and18-2 #1
Build Number: 2.37.605.4 CL185970 release-keys
Software Number: 2.37.605.4
Browser Version: Webkit 3.1
PRI Version: 2.11_002
PRL Version: 51920
ERI Version: 5

The phone is completely official software. I haven't attempted to root or use anything leaked, cracked, ROMs, flash anything, etc. So here are my questions:

1. From what I understand is it not currently possible to root an Eris that has the official 2.1 software. You must revert to 1.5 or 1.6 to root to a cracked 2.1. Is there currently any safe way to downgrade official 2.1 to stock 1.5 on an Eris? (Basically, getting it back to an out-of-box state to make it possible to root

2. Once rooted, where should I go from there? My main goal in rooting is to overclock the processor and hopefully squeeze some more juice from the somewhat sluggish processor.

3. What exactly is a ROM, and for God's sake what does it mean when you Flash one?

Thanks for any help in advance, and sorry if these things are answered elsewhere. I've poured over pages and pages of stuff related to this but can't seem to find answers to this problem, if they do indeed exist. Normally, I'm fairly technologically competent, but I'm just not too familiar with Linux based systems and this is eluding me.

Be gentle. Thanks again.

You are going to LOVE root. It's actually quite addictive testing out different ROMs and settings. Universal root for dumbies is what I did - eris1 gives an outstanding tutorial.

1. you can go from 2.1. You do not have to downgrade or do anything special before rooting (read universal guide)

2. once rooted you can begin with a simple ROM (nothing fancy). 2.1 based ROMs like Plain Jane, xtrSense, and evil eris all look similar to 2.1 as you know now. BUT with all of these you can overclock - just go to the market and get setCPU and follow the instructions.

3. I actually don't know what ROM means (i forget), but the ROM's you see talked about in this forum are the ones that everyone is trying out day to day. A ROM will be the base for your phone - it will still operate the same, just with more setting and perks (you'll see).

GO FOR IT. It's so much fun!

Also, this forum is the best. Everyone on here is very helpful and they all have the root bug. I know I have it.

 

[scary alien]

Welcome to the forums, jesch88.

There's a great bunch of folks on here that are pretty awesome and very helpful (including those that have already replied to you above ).

You've done yourself a great service by reading and researching so you at least have an idea what you are getting yourself into (I mean that in a good way ).

Some of your initial confusion regarding whether or not you could root stems from the fast pace of progress in the last month or so regarding rooting the Eris. It used to be that there was really only one method that was certainly not as easy and simple as what's available to you today (and it was limited to phones that had not installed any of the 2.1 leaked ROMs that were floating around here for several months).

Also, lots of the info. that you've read is hard to go back and correct / update. Its hard enough just keeping up with all of the new posts that come in. So, while it is great and recommended to do forum searches, they do sometimes result in old information.

Anyway, let us know if you have any other questions. We're happy to help.

P.S. ROM = read-only-memory

 

[jesch88]

Thank you for the quick responses everyone. Now that I know I can root with 2.1 OTA installed it's clearing up a lot of the confusion. I do have one more question though.

If I were to use the Universal 1 Click method, which seems to be the easiest way to root that I've come across, would that just grant su access to the OS I currently have installed, or is the entire point of the root flashing a new ROM of my choice? (That's still a little fuzzy plus there's some Jack Daniels in my system right now)

If that is the case, do any of you have suggestions, impressions, advice on a good 2.1 ROM bearing in mind the fact that I love the SenseUI and I'm really just interested in overclocking some?

Thanks again for the speedy info.

 

[scary alien]

If I were to use the Universal 1 Click method, which seems to be the easiest way to root that I've come across, would that just grant su access to the OS I currently have installed, or is the entire point of the root flashing a new ROM of my choice? (That's still a little fuzzy plus there's some Jack Daniels in my system right now)

You are exactly right. This is an in-place root method. It used to be that the only way to get root capability was to flash a custom, rooted ROM. We've now got options . (wish I could have used this method when I rooted).

If that is the case, do any of you have suggestions, impressions, advice on a good 2.1 ROM bearing in mind the fact that I love the SenseUI and I'm really just interested in overclocking some?

There's lots of great ROMs out there. If you like Sense, then why not just stay with your current ROM? You can overclock it, but you'll have to update / replace the kernel by flashing Zanfur's overclocking patch (I'll point you in that direction if you want).

Or, you can have an already overclocked ROM that's very close to stock. I've heard that PlainJaneT2 is very good. I installed Ivanmmj's Eris Official 1.0 but it does not contain the latest July OTA update like I think PlaneJane's does.

Take a gander at this thread over at XDA ([READ FIRST] Eris Roll-up Thread - xda-developers) and read through the various ROM threads to see if something strikes your fancy. There's also lots of corresponding threads back over here at AF where folks discuss the merits of their favorite ROMs.

Hope that helps some. Rooting is a fun journey. Cheers!

 

[doogald]

If that is the case, do any of you have suggestions, impressions, advice on a good 2.1 ROM bearing in mind the fact that I love the SenseUI and I'm really just interested in overclocking some?

There are a few recent threads in which this same question was asked, but, based on what you say, I'd suggest either Plain_JaneT2 V2.0 or XTRSense4.0.5. In fact, PlainJaneT2 seems to be a great, first time rooter's ROM.

 

[jesch88]

If I were to use the Universal 1 Click method, which seems to be the easiest way to root that I've come across, would that just grant su access to the OS I currently have installed, or is the entire point of the root flashing a new ROM of my choice? (That's still a little fuzzy plus there's some Jack Daniels in my system right now)

You are exactly right. This is an in-place root method. It used to be that the only way to get root capability was to flash a custom, rooted ROM. We've now got options . (wish I could have used this method when I rooted).

If that is the case, do any of you have suggestions, impressions, advice on a good 2.1 ROM bearing in mind the fact that I love the SenseUI and I'm really just interested in overclocking some?

There's lots of great ROMs out there. If you like Sense, then why not just stay with your current ROM? You can overclock it, but you'll have to update / replace the kernel by flashing Zanfur's overclocking patch (I'll point you in that direction if you want).

Or, you can have an already overclocked ROM that's very close to stock. I've heard that PlainJaneT2 is very good. I installed Ivanmmj's Eris Official 1.0 but it does not contain the latest July OTA update like I think PlaneJane's does.

Take a gander at this thread over at XDA ([READ FIRST] Eris Roll-up Thread - xda-developers) and read through the various ROM threads to see if something strikes your fancy. There's also lots of corresponding threads back over here at AF where folks discuss the merits of their favorite ROMs.

Hope that helps some. Rooting is a fun journey. Cheers!

Sounds fantastic. Glad to know I can stick with the ROM I already have, since I'm really only interested in overclocking. What's involved in updating a kernel?

 

[scary alien]

Sounds fantastic. Glad to know I can stick with the ROM I already have, since I'm really only interested in overclocking. What's involved in updating a kernel?

Well, after you root, you will have a custom recovery partition installed (that really the key to the whole enchillada) that allows you to flash custom ROMs or things like "update.zip"-type files. jcase's 1-click method actually has you flash a file like this (the "rootme.zip" file) that gives you the su program and the SuperUser.apk application.

To flash Zanfur's overclocking patch (replacement kernel), you would download the patch (.zip file) to the top-level of your /sdcard and flash it like you did (or would have) the "rootme.zip" file.

Here's a link to a post I made instructing someone how to do it: http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/135849-how-do-i-flash-oc-patch.html#post1253948

After you do this, you would read-up on overclocking (see this thread http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/98457-overclocking-hmm.html) and then download the setCPU app from the Market and off you go!

Hope this helps.

 

[jesch88]

Thanks for all the help scary alien. With all the help you gave me, I just successfully rooted. Now it's time to play around, get rid of that stupid Stocks app, and do some overclockin'.

 

[WormDoes]

Now it's time to play around, get rid of that stupid Stocks app, and do some overclockin'.

BE CAREFUL deleting stock apps. Some of them can screw your phone up by deleting them. I'm rooted on stock 2.1 and OC'd and my phone is vert fast. My suggestion to you would be to flash a new ROM if you want to get rid of stock apps. Don't start deleting unless you know 110% exactly what you are doing. Welcome to Root

 

[scary alien]

BE CAREFUL deleting stock apps. Some of them can screw your phone up by deleting them. I'm rooted on stock 2.1 and OC'd and my phone is vert fast. My suggestion to you would be to flash a new ROM if you want to get rid of stock apps. Don't start deleting unless you know 110% exactly what you are doing. Welcome to Root

+1 to WormDoes' advice. And always take a Nandroid backup before doing anything scary or major to your phone (deleteing a system app, flashing a new ROM or update, etc.)

P.S. here's a good thread re. deleting apps: http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53646-unwanted-apps.html

 

[jesch88]

Thanks for all the help, advice, and walkthroughs. I don't know why I was scared to root. It was incredibly simple and now that I've actually done it I feel my whole grasp on the concept is 10000% better.