To Root or Not to Root? - Hero, G2 Touch Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just ordered my Sprint Hero online and it should be here by Monday. I have read all the Tutorials on how to root and how to Flash the custom ROMs. But I have two questions which I may have missed in all that reading.
1) Is there a possibility where further down the road an official update will not allow anyone to root their phone?
2) Can I root and do a nandroid backup. And not install any ROM for a while?
My goal is to play with the Stock Sprint Hero for atleast a month or so before I feel the need to try Custom ROMs.
- DroidD

Answers below!
1) If you update via an RUU, there is always a chance that HTC will replace the SPL with something that is uncrackable (or at least currently uncrackable). This occurred with later RUUs, and this is why the Goldcard method is often needed in order to root the phone.
When I had my G1 and received push updates, you needed to effectively "switch off" the auto-update routines to avoid getting a stock update that could prevent rooting further down the line. Since Sprint seem to push OTA updates out to CDMA Hero's so it is always possible that this could cause an issue for rooted ROMs, but I'd have though most custom ROMs would've switched off OTA updates anyway.
2) Yes
Regards,
Dave

Thanks Dave.

Dave,
I rooted my Sprint Hero, not necessarily for speed, more so I dont have to look at those horrible apps that Sprint doesnt want to let anyone remove.
I successfully rooted, nandroid backed up and removed the Sprint ware and installed THIS OPTIMIZER FILE (love the lockscreen) but have not decided whether I'm going to take the plunge into custom ROM world. I am actually impressed with how this phone runs (for now) and dont yet need to free up internal drive space.
My question is this: Essentially having the stock rom, is the fact my phone is rooted likely to cause a problem with future Sprint updates?
If so, can you unroot and leave the Sprint-crap out or do you have to go back to 100% absolute stock?
Thanks

Related

[Q] Thunderbolt stock gingerbread

Quick question(s).
1) What steps do I take to throw my phone to completely stock (Im running bamf 1.6.3) in order to receive the OTA properly?
2) Any new news on when gingerbread is coming out for the tbolt?
I do have a nand of stock root on my phone, so after I restore that (if thats what i should do) how to i remove root so i can get gingerbread OTA correctly?
As for the reason I'm wanting to do this is because I want to try out the stock gingerbread and I don't like to upgrade android without an OTA, once I get sick of it I will be re-rooting it.
markalyea2 said:
Quick question(s).
1) What steps do I take to throw my phone to completely stock (Im running bamf 1.6.3) in order to receive the OTA properly?
2) Any new news on when gingerbread is coming out for the tbolt?
I do have a nand of stock root on my phone, so after I restore that (if thats what i should do) how to i remove root so i can get gingerbread OTA correctly?
As for the reason I'm wanting to do this is because I want to try out the stock gingerbread and I don't like to upgrade android without an OTA, once I get sick of it I will be re-rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ota won't roll out for a couple weeks. There's a thread to get you back to security on. I think it's in general.
I'm not really sure what is to be gained by un-rooting, doing the ota update, then rooting again. Other than DRM stuff while you are not rooted (google vids, blockbuster, etc).
I'm sure the stock GB ROM with root will be available here before the OTA upgrades start, certainly no later.
Of course it's your preference, I'm just curious.
markalyea2 said:
Quick question(s).
1) What steps do I take to throw my phone to completely stock (Im running bamf 1.6.3) in order to receive the OTA properly?
2) Any new news on when gingerbread is coming out for the tbolt?
I do have a nand of stock root on my phone, so after I restore that (if thats what i should do) how to i remove root so i can get gingerbread OTA correctly?
As for the reason I'm wanting to do this is because I want to try out the stock gingerbread and I don't like to upgrade android without an OTA, once I get sick of it I will be re-rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1009423 will get you back to where you're looking to go.
2) ETA on the OTA is all rumor and speculation but the latest rumor and speculation is end of June. I think someone has concrete info from Verizon that said sometime in 2nd qtr but that's a pretty broad spectrum.
*Usually the OTA leaks before it's actually pushed out by Verizon and we get to play with it for awhile before the rest of the world sees it (it shows up in development.) The MR1 is a good example of that...it was a carbon copy of the leak (and the nand root that you have.) I know it's completely your decision but you'll probably be able to run the OTA for awhile before it actually gets pushed out by Verizon if you stay rooted. You just have to wait for the devs to say it's ready to go for rooted phones (which is usually right after th leak hits the light of day.)

[Q] New Atrix and rooting questions

Hi all!
So after alot of thinking i've finally decided to take the plunge and upgrade my phone to an android phone. Im liking the atrix and i really wanna go for it, i just got a couple of questions.
The one im planning on getting in unlocked, and rooted, though i can have him unroot it for me. Now my current phone is my 4 year old nokia 5530, running a custom rom i flashed a while back, so i know abit about flashing. Now rooting, this is the 1st time i've heard off it.
Im new to all this, and I get the advantages, but really at the moment all i really need from it is the ability to install non-market apps, but from what i've gathered so far, it seems i cant update OTA to ICS (when its released) without bricking my phone if its rooted?
Isnt there any way to be able to install non-market apps without rooting? Or rather a way to have it rooted and still be able to update when the official ics release is out?
Cheers for the help guys
Oh and btw its running the official 2.3.4 GB
You have a few options, but what you choose is all really up to you.
First, I recall there being a way to sideload (run non-market applications) in Froyo via a script on the computer, but it required being at the computer every time you wanted to load one. But since it's running the official Gingerbread update, you should just be able to change an option to sideload, no hacks and no rooting required.
If you're still interested in rooting, there's a simple root method that could likely be undone, if the device is still new enough to be under warranty. See this thread. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1255548
And finally, if you want to unlock your bootloader and try your hand at custom ROMs (and lose much hope of any carrier/manufacturer support), go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/sho... have a simple way to use it via other means.

[Q] Want to unlock and root, questions.

Intro: I'm on the official Jelly Bean update, and by updating lost the root I had on ICS. I was one of the unfortunate users that backed up with an older version of Voodoo OTA RootKeeper, before the program updated to account for the JB changes, so my root got wiped even though it was backed up. Well I'm tired of sitting around waiting for exploits, and I treat my tablet with care anyways, so I figure it's finally time to take the plunge and unlock so I can root the thing, right?
Plan: According to this thread, I should run the unlock tool and then flash TWRP, after that I'll be free to flash custom updates and/or replace the whole OS/ROM.
Question: Do I really need to change ROMs in order to root? I've read vague mentions of flashing a zip with the su executable and such, if that works for an unlocked TF201 with the stock JB ROM, that'd save me a lot of trouble of backing up my apps and all that jazz. Does anybody have any info on this?
EDIT: Okay, it seems I can't do it right now. I'm currently getting network access via bluetooth tethering (pdanet app), but the unlock tool seems to explicitly demand wifi, as it tells me there's no network connection available even when I can browse just fine in the browsers and such... so this will have to wait until I can access some wifi.

[Q] OTA after root

Hi everyone. Im real good with tech but i cant find anyone having asked...
I want to go buy the S4 and I will definitely root it (following the posted instructions on here) but before i do, will i be able to instal OTA updates after and if not, is there another way id be able to install updates? I used Voodoo rootkeeper on my tablet after rooting and the 1st ota went fine and kept root, the 2nd ota killed the root even while using Voodoo...
Please, any any all responses asap appreciated. I want to get the phone asap as i am tired of my rooted Bionic.
Thank all.
bobstone said:
Hi everyone. Im real good with tech but i cant find anyone having asked...
I want to go buy the S4 and I will definitely root it (following the posted instructions on here) but before i do, will i be able to instal OTA updates after and if not, is there another way id be able to install updates? I used Voodoo rootkeeper on my tablet after rooting and the 1st ota went fine and kept root, the 2nd ota killed the root even while using Voodoo...
Please, any any all responses asap appreciated. I want to get the phone asap as i am tired of my rooted Bionic.
Thank all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wait for a rooted stock ROM based on the OTA to be made by a dev. You never NEED to take an OTA.
Thanks but im not sure what you mean. I have no interest in loading custom roms nor over-screwing around with the phone. Do you mean wait for another root process or wait for a download for an ota update?
Thanks again
Im guessing you mean a rom will be released again after the ota is out with the ota integrated in it... That process makes me kind of nervous as i need my phone for work as well as personal and cant risk screwing up the phone or erasing data eta...
There is pretty much always someone that releases the stock ROM flashable in a custom recovery so you can have a rooted stock ROM. Look at the dev beanstownm106 ROM in the development section. It is basically the stock ROM rooted with some very minor tweaks, but flashable with a custom recovery like TWRP.
BUT...there is almost never anything you can't do with basically any ROM that you can do with the stock ROM. So you really don't need the stock ROM...some people just prefer it. For my old Thunderbolt, it was pretty well known that for a long time there was a custom ROM, very similar to the stock ROM, that was more stable than stock (SkyRaider Zeus).
Another BUT: if you need Good for work, prepare for a constant fight with root detection. And you will want to back up your data often. I have a BB for work that I leave untouched (its not mine).
One more thing...the Loki workaround has its advantages...the bootloader is still locked and untouched, so it would be pretty hard to brick the device because you can get back into download mode and use odin to flash back to factory.
Whats the loki workaround? Also, im dont want to be doing any kind of flashing... I just simply want to root the s4 (which i now have) and be able to run ota updates or if not, download the ota and install the update manually. And if i get an ota, if it will kill root, even if i run voodoo.
Please, if someone could, let us all know if ota wont run or will kill root on say the s3 or s4 and if downloadable updates are another option... without flashing anything or going to crazy.
Thanks again in advance.

[Q] How to update Original Rooted 4.0.3 Incredible 4g

I have an Incredible 4g on Verizon that I acquired during the first week of release. I was fortunate enough to get it unlocked during the time when HTC allowed it from their site. I unlocked the phone, installed TWRP, and rooted my device (I'm not entirely sure how I did this).
It's been over a year now, and my phone is kind of sluggish. How can I go about updating this phone to the latest software? I'd settle for the latest OTA from Verizon, as long as I can keep it rooted.
I'm also willing to flash one of the other kernels, but I dont really have any experience flashing CM or Viper.
So what's the best way to go about doing this? How do you update an already rooted phone? Ideally I'd like to keep all apps/data during the update. Any information or links for how to update appreciated!
My phones details:
Android 4.0.3
HTC Sense 4.0
Software: 1.43.605.3.710RD
HTC SDK API: 4.11
it probably won't even install unless you return to stock recovery.
another poster already confirmed losing root after installing the update.
imo - the update is not worth it anyway. they other thread lists the changes... nothing significant.
if your phone is sluggish either find out what is causing it (app, etc), tweak performance using your root, or wipe it and start clean. i would not give up an unlocked, rooted device for this update.
j13smiley said:
it probably won't even install unless you return to stock recovery.
another poster already confirmed losing root after installing the update.
imo - the update is not worth it anyway. they other thread lists the changes... nothing significant.
if your phone is sluggish either find out what is causing it (app, etc), tweak performance using your root, or wipe it and start clean. i would not give up an unlocked, rooted device for this update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this just for stock updates, or for Viper/VM mods as well? I'm willing to step up to 4.3 or 4.4 with one of these custom ROMs, assuming I can keep root.
Is this a complicated process to install one of these custom ROMs (anything special since my phone is so "old")?
Will I have to wipe and install from scratch as well?
You can always clear your cache and davek cache to help improve speeds.
zackiv31 said:
Is this just for stock updates, or for Viper/VM mods as well? I'm willing to step up to 4.3 or 4.4 with one of these custom ROMs, assuming I can keep root.
Is this a complicated process to install one of these custom ROMs (anything special since my phone is so "old")?
Will I have to wipe and install from scratch as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing a fresh/new ROM is very easy, and it will indeed require reinstalling apps. However, Look at getting Titanium Backup Root - I highly recommend the Pro version - you can back up all of your apps and data. Once performing a full TiB backup to your external SD card, you can wipe and install a fresh ROM, then restore any/all apps and data backed up with TiB. The app will pick up right where you backed it up, settings and all. You may need to re-set up a few apps (such as email settings).
If you like sense, I recommend ViperLTE. It's very close to stock Sense, but offers several great tweaks you can choose to use (or not). Installing it is easy if you have TWRP recovery installed. If you don't have TRWP installed, look at mdmower's thread for that recovery. I also highly recommend performing a full Nandroid backup to your external SD card before doing anything.
j13smiley said:
it probably won't even install unless you return to stock recovery.
another poster already confirmed losing root after installing the update.
imo - the update is not worth it anyway. they other thread lists the changes... nothing significant.
if your phone is sluggish either find out what is causing it (app, etc), tweak performance using your root, or wipe it and start clean. i would not give up an unlocked, rooted device for this update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true... I, too, lost root after OTA update. I've tried every method I could find to attempt to unlock bootloader now with update... even tried wipe and flash of stock RUU 2.17.605.2: unable to go back to older version due to updated bootloader (wouldn't let me load it).
It'd be nice if HTCdev simply updated for a .bin that'll work... I tried flashing unlock_code.bin from previous experiences... but wouldn't work either. Any rumors of a new method to unlock the new bootloader?

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