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Root my DC arrives this morning, please advise

Update:
FedEx delivered phone, reading up on voodoo kernel, waiting until after work tonight to activate.

Since I want to improve my phones performance by using the ext4 file system I will need to odin/restore a contributed image like "Voodoo ext4 lagfix" (see #4 below). So I think I will go ahead tonight and do a stock activation and I can just let it ED2 upgrade.

Please consider sharing your advice.

I love my OG Droid. It's running Steel Droid Gingerbread v6.3. I don't think I'll like going back to Froyo, but I think I'd like to experience the stock Samsung UI for a little while at least.

I've read the forum and it's mostly about downgrading from ED2 to ED1, is there hope to not let ED2 get downloaded to my phone and just root it right away?
A) Airplane mode ASAP, don't accept update if it does download, then use adb/gingerbreak to root. (That's my best thought so far.)

Is there a stock recovery/backup?
A) Use adb/dd to backup a rooted phone and use odin to restore. To enter the stock recovery power up your phone pressing power, volume up and home buttons, releasing power button when you see Samsung logo.(#2 below)

What root/performance tweaks should be my first priorities?
A) ext4 file system promises huge performance benefit, it's available with voodoo kernel update. (see #4 below) Launcher Pro, Dolphin Browser HD, and Go SMS are recommended by Sean76.

Also, I read Gingerbreak will not work on an ED2 phone, but will ED2 unroot a Gingerbroke phone? Once I'm rooted is it safe to take the Samsung updates or will they take root away?
A) No, it is not safe; all updates will take root away. (#5 below)
 
Is there a stock recovery/backup?
I see on XDA that you can only backup a phone after it's rooted. You backup the system, kernel, recovery partitions using adb/dd. You may also backup your cache, dbdata and data partitions, but be careful to whom you give them because they contain your personal data.

You may restore those images with odin:
[HOW-TO]Create Custom ODIN Images for Backup/Restore

Since I can download the the images for a rooted ED1 OS, I'm skipping the backup. If I want to go back to a stock phone I'll restore the rooted ED1 tar.md5 from the [ODIN] Stock Rooted ED1 (downgrade from ED2) thread, restore it with odin and let it ED2 update and I'll be back to an unrooted stock image.

There is a stock recovery. You can boot into it by powering up, pressing power, volume up and home buttons, releasing power button when you see the Samsung logo. Stock recovery menu looks like:
Android system recovery <3e>

Samsung Recovery Utils For BML

Enter: Home Key, Select : Vol Up / Vol Down
reboot system now
apply sdcard:update.zip
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
format internal sd-card


The XDA developers are working on a Clockworkmod recovery image (CWM), but it they warn:
DO NOT TRY TO USE A ROM MANAGER AT THIS TIME! THE DEVS WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOU CAN USE IT
ALSO; DO NOT USE CWM TO RESTORE AT THIS TIME YOU WILL BE BRICKED

CWM: A thread of its own
 
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is there hope to not let ED2 get downloaded to my phone and just root it right away?
I see the adb root method on androidpolice:
[Instructions] How To Root The Verizon Samsung Droid Charge

I guess I should try an immediate airplane mode then adb/Gingerbreak.

Update (I've grayed this update out because OP lists it as retired?):
Android Central tells of GingerSnap one-click root (but only from ED1):
[How-to] Root Droid Charge**5/19/11**[Windows & Mac] Now with GingerSnap!
 
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Yes ED2 will unroot. The advice I received on XDA:
Zeek215 said:
I'm pretty sure the current ED2 update will remove root. @XDA
NotATreoFan said:
Generally speaking, you should never accept an OTA, regardless of manufacturer, until a developer has torn it apart and analyzed what it does. 99% of the time root level access is removed. @XDA
 
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