Im right about to root my android, any last tips before i pull the trigger?

D

deweatherly

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jul 3, 2009
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Like the title states...

Also, a big question, is it wise to back up my phone before i root? will i automatically lose my data and apps?

Rooting HTC Thunderbolt
 
Do it!

I didn't back up my phone, but that's cause it was brand new. Rooted and installed a rom as soon as it was fully charged for several hours.

Unless you're using some other method, the one I used says, "IT WILL WIPE YOUR DATA. IT WILL WIPE YOUR DATA. IT WILL WIPE YOUR DATA."

I did it following this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=996616

There is a youtube vid on this page: http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...he-htc-thunderbolt-and-unlock-its-bootloader/

It's an older method but very much the same. Watch it a couple times. I watched it while I was rooting and would pause/resume watching each step before I did it myself to make sure the results were the same.
 
Thanks for the info. im a real n00b when it comes to rooting. i successfully jailbroke my old iphone with no problems but rooting seems a little more difficult... quick question, is it possible to root without flashing a rom?

what exactly is a rom?

I only ask because i hear it is possible and easier to root without flashing a rom...
 
You can root without flashing a rom. Nothing wrong with doing it.
 
deweatherly said:
do you mind explaining exactly what flashing a rom is?
Click to expand...

http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/05/01/custom-roms-for-android-explained-and-why-you-want-them/

Roms are very easy to install once your phone is rooted. You can easily make an entire backup rom of whatever is on your phone from the recovery menu. That way you can delete the current rom, clear your phones memory, and flash a new one to try out. If you don't like it, simply delete it and flash back.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1081930

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1013013

You have to do some research.
 
deweatherly said:
do you mind explaining exactly what flashing a rom is?
Click to expand...

Your phone came with a version of Android that the handset maker likely customized with their own UI changes and applications (aka a ROM). It's what makes HTC phones look different from Samsung phones different from Motorola phones, etc, even though they may be all running Android 2.3 for example. The handset maker/phone company also likely threw some apps on there that you don't want but are uninstallable and part of the ROM (these apps are commonly referred to as bloatware). An example is my EVO 4G has some Sprint Nascar app you can't uninstall - I'm never going to use it, but it's taking up my phone memory. Many even consider the UI changes that the handset makers add to Android to be bloatware (e.g. Samsung's Touchwiz UI or HTC's Sense UI).

When you root, you have the ability to download different ROMs made by home developers. Some are simple changes of the stock where just bloatware is removed. Some are just straight versions of Android as Google released it with no modifications. Some are designed to do things like maximize battery life. It's fun to try different ROMs because it's like getting a new phone. However, custom ROMs are often buggy, and some are missing features of your phone (e.g. I don't think there's an EVO 4G ROM out there that supports the HDMI output other than the stock Sprint one the phone comes with).

Androidforums.com has some good beginner stuff about phone ROMs. Most of the developers of these ROMs hang out at XDA Forums.
 
If you can, Find and install MIUI. It's a rom, and it's made my Galaxy S stop being a piece of shit. (To anyone who knows what it is, Yes I know it's based off of cyanogen, but this one isn't ugly. )

I was amazed.

I never thought this phone could stop sucking so hardcore.

I was wrong.

I'm seldom wrong about phones.
 
njp142 said:
Your phone came with a version of Android that the handset maker likely customized with their own UI changes and applications (aka a ROM). It's what makes HTC phones look different from Samsung phones different from Motorola phones, etc, even though they may be all running Android 2.3 for example. The handset maker/phone company also likely threw some apps on there that you don't want but are uninstallable and part of the ROM (these apps are commonly referred to as bloatware). An example is my EVO 4G has some Sprint Nascar app you can't uninstall - I'm never going to use it, but it's taking up my phone memory. Many even consider the UI changes that the handset makers add to Android to be bloatware (e.g. Samsung's Touchwiz UI or HTC's Sense UI).

When you root, you have the ability to download different ROMs made by home developers. Some are simple changes of the stock where just bloatware is removed. Some are just straight versions of Android as Google released it with no modifications. Some are designed to do things like maximize battery life. It's fun to try different ROMs because it's like getting a new phone. However, custom ROMs are often buggy, and some are missing features of your phone (e.g. I don't think there's an EVO 4G ROM out there that supports the HDMI output other than the stock Sprint one the phone comes with).

Androidforums.com has some good beginner stuff about phone ROMs. Most of the developers of these ROMs hang out at XDA Forums.
Click to expand...

Root does not guarantee the access to the bootloader, for one thing the process of rooting the thunderbolt is so complex because it involves flashing to a another bootloader. Anytime you deal with bootloader flashing you risk of hard bricking your phone and i mean with no ways of recover if you don't know what you are doing. Flash the wrong bootloader and you are doomed in the case of the thunderbolt.

Don't confuse root access with rom flashing because they are different things, sure a lot of people associate root with flashing roms because almost everyone now download rom manager after getting root access and flash the custom recovery. In the case of the Atrix you can achieve root but never flash a kernel or a new radio.
 
mrje said:
I think you'd better make a backup of your phone, you'll lost your android phone data after root.
Click to expand...

Fuggin n00b bumping 5+ year old threads. How dafuq did you find this thread and think this was recent when OP even specified a 5 year old phone??
 
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