[WIP] The Root Thread

Mods, I went searching for stuff like this but couldn't seem to find anything useful. What I am trying to compile is a one-stop-shop for questions, tips and so on and so forth. I was over at a few device specific threads and I found users being turned away from rooting due to bad knowledge (not their fault really) or misunderstandings. Maybe, if it's good enough it could be added to the sticky FAQ? Ask any questions and I'll add them to the OP.

What is rooting?
I'm sure a lot of you have heard this before. You know the UAC you get on your computer, allowing you to do admin stuff?

Well it's pretty much like that for android, only it comes from linux and su, but you don't need to know all of this stuff.

Superuser allows you to do things that a normal user cannot, and access/change/mount system partition and write to it.


Rooting is NOT a custom rom
This is where things start to get a little hazy. The most common way to root is installing a recovery that lets you flash, or install packages. One of these packages is a standalone superuser package which will add super user to your current ROM, even if that is the stock ROM. This is the safest thing, I mean if your stock ROM is good then you know you won't have any problems.

But often instead of flashing a root package people would go the whole way and flash a custom ROM. This is where the problems start. they might choose the wrong ROM, an unfinished project bcuz it haz coolz but then complain after. Worst of all you they could even flash the wrong Kernel, giving bootloops or Bricks. Not nice stuff.


So which should I do?
If you trust yourself to choose the right ROM then go for it and custom away, But I would suggest trying with just root until you get you head around the rooted android system. I don't diss custom roms, without them my HERO would be in the bin. Just make sure to double check, then triple check, especially when dealing with unfinished works and leaks, there was a problem with a samsung leak that deleted all memory. Yikes. But can I just say that simply rooting will not affect your battery.


How should I go around doing this?
Ah. It all depends. On the whole the average way if to install a recovery and flash through there. You can do fastboot flash recovery recovery.img with the correct img. You may need to unlock your bootloader. The bast place for this is xda developers. Every device is different. On my hero I could one-click-root and one click recover whereas on my OneX I need to unlock bootloader, flash recovery ect.


Wait a minute now, what's recovery? Bonus, adb/fastboot!
Recovery is a brilliant tool. Normally, for flashing, one would put the bootloader in a mode that the computer can talk to, and send files to. This is called fastboot. You can, in face flash an entire rom in fastboot but it is messy. So instead, people flash (through fastboot normally, see above) a recovery partition. You can boot into recovery and it lets you flash packages (known from hereon out as zips), wipe partitions (delete stuff) and occasionally a few other nice items. More often that not it includes another interface, adb.

adb is short for android debugging bridge. It, when booted into a rom or recovery allowes you to send files, any files back and forth between your computer and phone. This is very useful if you delete system but forget to put a ROM on the sdcard. It is like fastboot's cousin, let's say.


This adb stuff sounds great, where do I get it?
There are multiple ways to do this, but this is the way I prefer. Please, be very careful if you go down the environment variables route. It isn't mandatory, and I'm not liable for any mistakes. Look up how to do it the slow way if you want, but this way is much better if you read, be careful and make a backup.

• Make sure you have the JDK installed from here http://www.google.be/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=jdk&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CGUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oracle.com%2Ftechnetwork%2Fjava%2Fjavase%2Fdownloads%2Findex.html&ei=qsojUKHwKorDhAfyy4Bg&usg=AFQjCNG9HwUyCVwOIeJtJFVQ2YKXrRFNmg&sig2=mXgs-VswONCy6OOenILE8g
• Download the sdk zip from here http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r20.0.1-windows.zip
• Unzip it to C:/ and rename it android-sdk
• Hit Start, type in system variables. Hit enter, then edit.
• Find the system variable that sais PATH
• add C:/android-sdk; to path. DON'T FORGET THE ;
• You should probably save a copy of this before you edit it. CNTRL+C
• Restart then bada bing, the command adb or fastboot works anywhere in windows.

Technically you don't have to add it to the path but with oiut it you need to copy everything to the sdk foder and then cd to it, it's just messy. More info here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Howto:_Install_the_Android_SDK


Back to recovery, what does it do?
When you say to recovery to flash a zip it will go to the system folder in the zip, and copy it to the system folder on the phone. It does the same for any other folders. The most folders possible are

/system
/boot (kernel)
/data
/misc
/cache

This means that if your rom developer says to wipe before installing a rom, you wipe. You won't get mismatching files. Same when switching rom developers. Often they will be smart about it and, in the zip will instruct the phone to wipe. The superuser zip won't.


What does the superuser zip install?

su binary to /system/bin/
superuser.apk to /system/app/

Becasue it simply adds the files it won't delete anything. The Binary is what gives you permissions (ie an app will start with su, and it is saved in the binary folder which is akin to system32 on windows). The superuser app gives you control, ie the prompt so you can be conscious that nothing can get root without you granting it.

ODIN and more (glossary) to come later on