Root Root on a Macbook

[kikofosho]

[feel free to ignore these first three paragraphs and start lower down]

First off, I'd like to say you guys (Eris forum people; I haven't really explored the other ones) are awesome. You guys are always quick to answer, and it's always helpful. So that's why I think you'd even be able to help me!

BACKGROUND
I've had my Eris since April of this year. And I've never really experienced any trackball problems, any serious battery problems, or anything too alarming. I've been really fortunate in that my phone did what it was supposed to do: I could surf the web, listen to music and not have to plug in my phone from sunrise to sundown. The call function worked, albeit with a lag.

However, recently my patience has been wearing down faster and faster with the decreasing speed of my phone. The programs have been opening much slower as time has passed, and the dialer calling thing opens really slow and is really laggy. So then I've been reading more and more about rooting the Eris. It seems awesome, and I haven't heard of anyone who's bricked their phone or who is unhappy with the results. It makes any Eris amazing!



[start here]

ROOTING MY PHONE

But then here are my problems.

1. I don't have an extra $500 to buy a new phone in case I brick my Eris. Although, apparently it's really hard/almost impossible to do it.

2. I'm a complete computer n00b. I mean, I use graphic design programs and stuff on my computer, I know how to use the google on the internet machine, and I learned what the <h1> tag in html does, but that's it. I have NO knowledge in programming, so troubleshooting even the TINIEST of problems is out of the question. I have no idea what it means to overclock or what a ROM is or does.

3. I use my phone for web browsing and a little bit for music, but the majority of my use is calling and texting.

4. I only have a Macbook Pro. I know, I know. I'm sorry. Is rooting still possible?

5. Because of all of these issues, should I just shut up and not even consider rooting?


I'd really love it if I could root my phone. The speed is driving me insane, especially after I use my friends' android phones. I'd appreciate even a curt reply linking me to the page I should read. And sorry for the multiple facepalms this post must've given you.

 

[Flyphoenix]

When I did it I used the HTC Eris 1 click root app in the market its easy and free.
I didn't brick my phone and I reverted back to stock UI too. So just go for the 1 click root!

 

[Flyphoenix]

Oops double post...

 

[doogald]

Back when it was harder, I rooted using a Macbook. In fact, it is much easier to communicate with an Android phone using the SDK (software development kit) using a Mac than it is with Windows (though, of course, once you get the Windows driver situation settled than everything just works with that as well.)

Anyway, none of that matters anymore. You can root the phone and install a good custom ROM from the phone itself. Use this: http://androidforums.com/eris-all-t...is-app-apk-no-pcs-no-scripts-needed-easy.html - just follow those five steps, though for now you can skip step 4 if you wish. Then read through this thread, starting here, to see how to install a custom ROM: http://androidforums.com/eris-all-things-root/127861-universal-eris-root-dummies.html#post1186824

I suggest installing xtrSENSE, which will look and feel and work just like stock, without the messaging and dialer lag. Download the file that's listed, copy it to your SD card (you can do that from that Mac easily enough), and follow those directions in the "Universal Eris Root for Dummies", post 4. xtrSENSE is here: [ROM][GPL][11/5/2010] xtrSENSE4.6.5 [cache2cache,apps2sd,oc,jit]-HTC Sense - xda-developers (follow the link after "Download xtrSENSE4.6.5:")

Feel free to post more questions if you have them. One of us who have been through this will be more than happy to answer.

 

[metlcat]

When I rooted my phone I was afraid of the same things that you are. The one click eris root app is the way to go. As long as you follow the instructions, everything will be fine. If you're not comfortable with flashin ROMs right away, you can always stay rooted in place with the one click method until you do more research. If you're willing to try flashing a ROM, I'd go with dooglad's suggestion and flash xtrSENSE first, or if you're looking for something a little different, xtrROM would be a good choice as well.

 

[kikofosho]

Thanks so much for the advice and the direct links!

I don't mean to be a wuss (or sound too repetitive), but I really can't afford to brick this phone. Although I know this is almost fool-proof, I've found that I'm always in that "fool-minority" with horrible luck. Is there anyway that I can back up my phone in case I brick it?

 

[metlcat]

I don't know for sure of a way to backup your phone prior to running the one click root app. I think you might be able to take a nandroid back up before you actually flash the rootme.zip, but I don't remember for sure. I would read the entire thread that doogald posted above.

Once you have flashed the rootme.zip from the one click root, you can boot back into recovery and do a nandroid backup. You'll want to do this before you flash any ROM every time you attempt to flash a ROM. A nandroid backup will basically take a picture of your phone as it is when you do the backup, and you can restore previous backups anytime you run into trouble. If you do one right after you flash the rootme.zip, you will be able to backup to that point at any time.

You should also download titanium backup from the market. You can backup all of your application data and settings. I usually restore the data for certain apps this way when I flash a new ROM. Anything listed in red text in Titanium is more dangerous to restore, meaning it might not be compatible and things won't work as well, so restoring app data is the best option.

I would also suggest getting Appbrain and sync your apps with their website so you can make a list of all your apps you want to download once you flash a new ROM. I think the new market automatically installs, or starts to install some of them, but if you flash a ROM with the old market, you'll want something as a reference.

 

[doogald]

I can't think of any way to guarantee that it will not brick. I have not heard of anyone who has bricked their phone using that procedure. Has anybody else?

If you are going to do it, make sure that the phone is fully charged and keep it on power as you do the process.

 

[Podivin]

I don't recall if it was Andrizoid or ErisUser1 (or maybe both) who actually TRIED to brick an Eris, and found that it was nearly impossible to do. So yes, it COULD happen, but the odds are vastly in favor of everything working OK. Just read through all the steps before you start so you have an understanding of what to do (I realize that some steps won't make 100% sense until you see the screens involved, and that won't happen until you've started the root process) and then DO all the steps slowly are carefully.

 

[scary alien]

I don't know for sure of a way to backup your phone prior to running the one click root app. I think you might be able to take a nandroid back up before you actually flash the rootme.zip, but I don't remember for sure. I would read the entire thread that doogald posted above.

Once you have flashed the rootme.zip from the one click root, you can boot back into recovery and do a nandroid backup. You'll want to do this before you flash any ROM every time you attempt to flash a ROM. A nandroid backup will basically take a picture of your phone as it is when you do the backup, and you can restore previous backups anytime you run into trouble. If you do one right after you flash the rootme.zip, you will be able to backup to that point at any time.

Excellent advice about taking Nandroid backups.

Yes, you can take a Nandroid backup immediately after installing custom recovery (i.e., before flashing the rootme.zip file to actually gain root). This will take "picture" (love that phrasing, btw) of your phone in its "pre-root" state, albeit with a custom recovery in place in lieu of the stock recovery--so it not a stock phone anymore in the purest sense.

I can't think of any way to guarantee that it will not brick. I have not heard of anyone who has bricked their phone using that procedure. Has anybody else?

If you are going to do it, make sure that the phone is fully charged and keep it on power as you do the process.

I have never heard of anyone bricking their phone while trying to root. I've seen reports (hello, JrzDroid ) of some folks seriously shortening the life of their phones by heavily overclocking (i.e., 800+ MHz). So, stick with 710MHz and you (should) be fine.

I don't recall if it was Andrizoid or ErisUser1 (or maybe both) who actually TRIED to brick an Eris, and found that it was nearly impossible to do. So yes, it COULD happen, but the odds are vastly in favor of everything working OK. Just read through all the steps before you start so you have an understanding of what to do (I realize that some steps won't make 100% sense until you see the screens involved, and that won't happen until you've started the root process) and then DO all the steps slowly are carefully.

Interesting read: http://androidforums.com/eris-all-things-root/172526-practically-impossible-brick.html (yes, it was our beloved Andrizoid, btw).

Cheers!

 

[kikofosho]

Got it! Thanks!

But I have just a few more questions.

Which method do I use?

1. The thread titled "Universal 1 Click Eris App Apk - No PCs, No Scripts Needed, EASY"
I noticed that this one doesn't include step-by-step instructions.

or

2. The thread titled "Universal Eris Root for Dummies!"
Or should the only post in this thread that I should worry about be the post titled "Finishing Up" by erisuser1 if I downloaded the xtrSENSE package from the xdadevelopers site?

Is thread#2 exclusively for installing a custom ROM? Would I first run through steps 1-5 in thread#1, and then go through the final step in thread#2? (as doogal said; thanks!)

 

[scary alien]

Got it! Thanks!

But I have just a few more questions.

Which method do I use?

1. The thread titled "Universal 1 Click Eris App Apk - No PCs, No Scripts Needed, EASY"
I noticed that this one doesn't include step-by-step instructions.

or

2. The thread titled "Universal Eris Root for Dummies!"
Or should the only post in this thread that I should worry about be the post titled "Finishing Up" by erisuser1 if I downloaded the xtrSENSE package from the xdadevelopers site?

Is thread#2 exclusively for installing a custom ROM? Would I first run through steps 1-5 in thread#1, and then go through the final step in thread#2? (as doogal said; thanks!)

lol, actually the 1-click instructions are pretty-much step-by-step, there's just very few of them . But it does leave out a lot of information that many would find useful.

I would recommending reading erisuser1's Universal Root for Dummies thread very carefully. There is no better tutorial or source of information that that thread. Even if you use the 1-click method and app, at least you'll have a great foundation for your understanding everything that you need to do and what is going on.

Try reading through erisuser1's thread first, then the 1-click thread. Its really not as bad as it sounds and you'll get a lot of your questions answered (that you don't even know yet that you'll have ).

To specifically answer your questions above:

1. If you use the 1-click app, be sure that where it says to "reboot" that you would do a shutdown (power off) and restart (power on).

2. You'll probably want to do a Nandroid backup as the first thing you do when you boot into custom recovery. Then you can flash the rootme.zip OR install your custom ROM (like xtrSense)--so, yes, you would follow the "Finishing-up" steps in erisuser1's thread (very good instructions).

Always make sure you have a good (read "full") charge on your phone when you do any custom recovery-related operations.

Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.

Cheers!

 

[kikofosho]

Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time out to help, and for such detailed explanations!

I'll get started on reading erisuser1's Universal Root for Dummies, although I think I'll use the 1-click method.

 

[scary alien]

Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time out to help, and for such detailed explanations!

I'll get started on reading erisuser1's Universal Root for Dummies, although I think I'll use the 1-click method.

No problem... erisuser1 and jcase actually did all of the heavy lifting and the other guys (Hoto, doogald, metlcat, and Flyphoenix) got you on the right path.

I appreciate that you are not just jumping-in and getting in over your head. Knowing that you have (or will have) read through those threads will make things much clearer for your and easier for us for any future questions.

Its actually not rocket science, but there is a learning-curve...but once you "get" it, you'll always "have" it.

Cheers and take care.

 

[kikofosho]

I think that I'm not going to do the 1-click method, and instead follow the possibly slightly longer "Universal Eris Root for Dummies!"

Also, I want to download xtrSENSE. Would I take it from this link [http://zach.xtr.i6ix.com/xtrSENSE4.6.5.zip] that I got from doogald to the xda-developers site, download it to my computer, and take it from my computer's download folder like it is and transfer it my phone's sd card?

 

[doogald]

I think that I'm not going to do the 1-click method, and instead follow the possibly slightly longer "Universal Eris Root for Dummies!"

Also, I want to download xtrSENSE. Would I take it from this link [http://zach.xtr.i6ix.com/xtrSENSE4.6.5.zip] that I got from doogald to the xda-developers site, download it to my computer, and take it from my computer's download folder like it is and transfer it my phone's sd card?

Yes, copy the xtrSENSE4.6.5.zip file right to the SD card. When you mount it to the Mac with USB, you'll see an icon for the SD card in the "Devices" section of the finder in the left sidebar. Just drag the zip file right to that icon and drop it there. When the file copy is complete (a few seconds or so), eject the SD card disk from the Finder and the file will be right where you need it when you get to that step in the root for dummies thread.

 

[kikofosho]

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[kikofosho]

It worked! Thank you so much for all of your help!

I have a new question: How can I get it to look like dhrandy's UI?
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/27414-lets-see-your-ui-layout-34.html#post1820010

Where can I get launcher pro, and can I install it on my one-step-rooted phone? And is there some sort of market for rooted phones that I don't know about?

 

[scary alien]

It worked! Thank you so much for all of your help!

I have a new question: How can I get it to look like dhrandy's UI?
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/27414-lets-see-your-ui-layout-34.html#post1820010

Where can I get launcher pro, and can I install it on my one-step-rooted phone? And is there some sort of market for rooted phones that I don't know about?

No, no special market for root...you should be able to install these just fine.

Launcher Pro is free in the Market (simple Market searches should work for you). Its been a while since I've used or played with Launcher Pro (not my cup of tea), but I'm sure others are avid users.

Looks like TypoClock Widget is part of OneSeven Pro ($0.99 in the Market).

Snowstorm weather widget is free.

Lastly, BattStatt Free is, well, free.

Cheers!

 

[SeattleYanksFan]

My wife's Eris is suffering from some serious slowdown lately, so since we're already on the top of noob to root questions, I have two quick ones:

1) Once rooted, can you revert back to stock? Just thinking ahead if we want to use that trade in program with Verizon whether they'd accept a rooted phone.

2) Does flashing a new ROM require formatting the internal memory so you have to reinstall everything? My guess is it does.

3) And not so much a question, but if anyone has any 2.2 ROM recommendations, feel free to pass them on.

Thanks!

 

[scary alien]

My wife's Eris is suffering from some serious slowdown lately, so since we're already on the top of noob to root questions, I have two quick ones:

1) Once rooted, can you revert back to stock? Just thinking ahead if we want to use that trade in program with Verizon whether they'd accept a rooted phone.

2) Does flashing a new ROM require formatting the internal memory so you have to reinstall everything? My guess is it does.

3) And not so much a question, but if anyone has any 2.2 ROM recommendations, feel free to pass them on.

Thanks!

SeattleYanksFan,

1. Yes, you can return to stock once rooted using erisuser1's (bftb0 on XDA) instructions:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=792026

2. Yeah, you'll have to reinstall things...(this is a good opportunity though to review what you do have installed and do some housekeeping). But there's ways using things like Titanium Backup to backup your apps and data beforehand. I'll leave the details regarding that to the folks that change ROMs a lot (I call 'em "frequent flashers" ).

3. I can't make a 2.2 recommendation for you, but again, there are lots of folks around here that know about the 2.2 ROMs way better than I. Here's a thread that discuss this that might help you:

http://androidforums.com/eris-all-things-root/220905-best-2-2-rom.html

Cheers and happy holidays!

P.S. go Sounders!

 

[SeattleYanksFan]

3. I can't make a 2.2 recommendation for you, but again, there are lots of folks around here that know about the 2.2 ROMs way better than I. Here's a thread that discuss this that might help you:

http://androidforums.com/eris-all-things-root/220905-best-2-2-rom.html

Cheers and happy holidays!

P.S. go Sounders!

I really appreciate the help! If you don't mind me asking, why did you stick with a 2.1 ROM rather than upgrade to 2.2? I read that 2.2 thread earlier, but thoughts were mixed as to the functionality of the different 2.2 ROMS. If I root her phone, I'd prefer to only flash a new ROM once.

 

[scary alien]

I really appreciate the help! If you don't mind me asking, why did you stick with a 2.1 ROM rather than upgrade to 2.2? I read that 2.2 thread earlier, but thoughts were mixed as to the functionality of the different 2.2 ROMS. If I root her phone, I'd prefer to only flash a new ROM once.

Well, I picked-up my Eris in '09 in the second week of November and rooted it in early May of this year. I originally flashed an almost exact stock rooted ROM (Ivan's Eris Official 1.0) and kept that until early November when I finally put zach.xtrs' xtrSense 4.6.5 on it (I like HTC Sense and never saw too much need to stray too far from stock 2.1). Froyo (2.2) was never a real issue for me since both of the above ROMs gave me about 140MB of app space starting-out (plenty for my meager needs). Mild overclocking (to 710MHz) did the rest.

You should know that my Droid X is now my day-to-day phone since launch day (July 15th) and I just use my Eris for a backup and root "experiments" p) and testing custom recoveries (although I've been very busy with my Droid X and other app development recently). Also, when I got 2.2 on my DX, I didn't notice too many major changes anyway.

You'll get some very good (and better advice) from great folks like doogald, mhotovec, and a slew of other great folks that still frequent this forum.

Someone will be here for you if you need it.

Cheers!

 

[metlcat]

I really appreciate the help! If you don't mind me asking, why did you stick with a 2.1 ROM rather than upgrade to 2.2? I read that 2.2 thread earlier, but thoughts were mixed as to the functionality of the different 2.2 ROMS. If I root her phone, I'd prefer to only flash a new ROM once.

If you're looking to go with a 2.2 ROM, flashing just once can be a tough thing. Since every phone is different, the different ROMs will act differently on different phones. Also, it can take a little time for some instabilities to show up. The first 2.2 ROM I flashed was Tazz Froyo Vanilla. It worked well for me the first few days, but then I began to have some instability issues and the launcher kept restarting on me. I flashed Nonsensikal 16.1 almost a week ago and it was running very smooth for me. Today when I got out of the shower I did see that the phone was in the process of booting up, so somehow it turned itself off and back on.

I'm going to FroShedYo vanilla next, and I'm also interested in trying Vanilla 2.0.4, which is a 2.1 ROM.

Moral of the story is, with 2.2 ROMs you have to take the time to try them out until you find one that works well with your phone. If you just want to flash once and be done, I would flash xtrSense or if you're looking for something a little different, xtrROM or Vanilla 2.0.4.