Root Sanity Check & Questions Before Rooting

[HankStorm]

I've been doing a lot of reading about rooting, flashing ROM's and kernel's and I think I'm ready to try rooting my Incredible. I was hoping to just get a quick sanity check of the steps I was planning to follow and clarify a couple points.

1. Download Android SDK, unrevoked3 recovery tool and drivers.
2. Install SDK.
3. Unpack recovery tool and install drivers.
4. Run unrevoked recovery tool.
5. Perform Titanium and Nandroid backups.
6. Use ROM Manager to flash new ROM. I was going to try out Incredibly Re-Engineered v2.20 first as it looks like that also includes Lou's #8 which I was interested in trying for improved battery life.

Does that sound right? I'm planning to follow this guide.
Updated: Root the HTC Droid Incredible - Technology - Jonamerica.com

I have 2 questions.

1. When connecting the phone to my PC when ready to run unrevoked, do I choose the option to connect as a Disk Drive? That seems to make the most sense but I wanted to be sure.

2. Assuming I am correct about Lou's #8 being automatically included with Incredibly Re-Engineered v2.20, if there's a time when I want to try a different ROM and kernel combo that aren't bundled together, is there an order in which those should be flashed? For example should the kernel be flashed before the ROM or anything like that?

Thanks to all the posters in this forum for the useful posts!

 

[cuban11182]

1. Leave it like normal, make sure USB debugging is on.

2. There isn't a right or wrong way to do it. I like to install a ROM, boot up, reboot into recovery, wipe davik and cahce, and then install the kernel from ClockworkMOD. Just ensure that you use a SENSE Kernel for a SENSE ROM and an AOSP Kernel for AOSP ROM.

Best of Luck!

 

[kidhudi]

also format your sd card to fat32 before you try to root.
try NOT to use a win7 computer. Mac is best then win95.

 

[HankStorm]

also format your sd card to fat32 before you try to root.
try NOT to use a win7 computer. Mac is best then win95.

Thanks. Unfortunately Win7 is all I have access to. What's the issue there?

 

[kidhudi]

i tried for 2 weeks with a win7 machine unsuccessfully. then dug my old pentiumIII system out of the closet running win95 and did it on the first try. i guess it has to do with administrative rights for the unrevoked file. i don't know i do know many have had similiar problems as me. then again others had no problems with win7 machines as well. i gues it all boils down to are you going to be 1 of the lucky ones.

PS check out the miui rom. it is awsome and has killer batterylife. my bro has a stock phone still. and we both pulled ours out of the charger at the same time. after 7 or 8 hours ( with a little use) his battery was at 60% and mine ( with slightly more use than his and watching a youtube video) was at 86%. plus miui looks cool as hell.

 

[Sean1208]

2. Assuming I am correct about Lou's #8 being automatically included with Incredibly Re-Engineered v2.20, if there's a time when I want to try a different ROM and kernel combo that aren't bundled together, is there an order in which those should be flashed? For example should the kernel be flashed before the ROM or anything like that?

Thanks to all the posters in this forum for the useful posts!

Flash the kernel after you boot the ROM at least once. If you flash a kernel first, then flash a ROM, then whatever kernel is included in the ROM will overwrite the one you installed.

 

[chigins]

i tried for 2 weeks with a win7 machine unsuccessfully. then dug my old pentiumIII system out of the closet running win95 and did it on the first try. i guess it has to do with administrative rights for the unrevoked file. i don't know i do know many have had similiar problems as me. then again others had no problems with win7 machines as well. i gues it all boils down to are you going to be 1 of the lucky ones.

PS check out the miui rom. it is awsome and has killer batterylife. my bro has a stock phone still. and we both pulled ours out of the charger at the same time. after 7 or 8 hours ( with a little use) his battery was at 60% and mine ( with slightly more use than his and watching a youtube video) was at 86%. plus miui looks cool as hell.

Worked perfectly for me on the first try with Win7. I just rooted about a week ago. Good Luck!

If I don't stop flashing ROM's daily my phone is going to be divorce exhibit A tho

 

[nkk]

also format your sd card to fat32 before you try to root.
try NOT to use a win7 computer. Linux is best then Mac then win95.

Fixed that for you.

Anyway, I do not know if you are done, but do not forget the unisitall all other drivers step that happens before the installation of the Unrevoked drivers.

-Nkk

 

[iowabowtech]

You don't have to install SDK if you don't intend to use it.

 

[HankStorm]

Anyway, I do not know if you are done, but do not forget the unisitall all other drivers step that happens before the installation of the Unrevoked drivers.

-Nkk

Thanks. I haven't rooted yet. Will probably do it over the weekend when I have more time to devote to making sure I do things correctly rather than trying to do it quickly. Plus, I'm rethinking my choice of the first ROM to flash. So many choices!

I've only ever connected my phone to my PC as a disk drive. I never install HTC Sync or anything else so I don't have to worry about that step.

 

[kidhudi]

also after root and nand backup i highly recommend the rom manager app and titanuim backup. these are must haves. good luck and report back with the results.
happy rooting

 

[WormDoes]

I would avoid ROM Manager unless you're not comfortable booting into recovery manually. Just my $.02

 

[HankStorm]

Finally got time to root yesterday. All went smoothly. Flashed Incredibly Reengineered. Wasn't liking the font so flashed the mod with the stock font. Still wasn't loving it so I'm trying out Skyraider Athena now. Liking it much better. Might try Sense(less) rEVOlution next.

Need to find some cool blue icons so I can customize the heck out of it.

 

[kidhudi]

I would avoid ROM Manager unless you're not comfortable booting into recovery manually. Just my $.02

you are right. i never use rom manager anymore all i do with it is flash CWR and have it notify me of updates. other than that it is best to go straight to CWR and flash it manually. hey hank you should check out redemptive rom and miui they are pretty sick with alot of themes to choose from. welcome to the family.your life just changed.