All in 1: Manual update and Root the Droid

[Raziel36]

If I already got the ota update do I need to manually apply update.zip or can I root with my update??

The update.zip file on the first post isn't the 2.01 update. It's just used to add the SU files to the phone. So, yes, you still need to use the update.zip from this thread to get root access.

 

[MikeDroid]

Verizon has push available last night and did not take long and that is the best route to take. Improved quite a few things. The unlock is now cooler looking and more functional, improved camera a great deal re focus ect.

 

[Laurence5905]

I am still trying to understand this rooting thing. So can the Moto Droid 2.0.1 be rooted and put onto a Droid Eris?

The whole point of rooting a phone is to give you administrator-rights to the Operating System. It's not a way to copy the capabilities of one phone to another.

If you don't know what you're doing, you CAN and WILL destroy your phone. Verizon will NOT help you if you screw it up -- in fact, they will probably void your warranty if they find out that you were trying to root your phone.

Having said all that, you gain some really cool features with a rooted phone. Total control over EVERYTHING on the phone, not just what the Google/Motorola/Verizon developers want you to have control over. There is also a small selection of apps on the Market (and elsewhere) that will only run on a rooted phone.

But if you're liking the feature-set you've got on your phone, and don't really feel the need to mod it, then rooting is probably not for you.

 

[praeceps]

Let this be known that this does not work on XP x64. MANY things don't work on XP x64. Oh well, I only have 10 OSes on my system... I'll just switch and get it to work.

 

[bluedust]

I am still trying to understand this rooting thing. So can the Moto Droid 2.0.1 be rooted and put onto a Droid Eris?

The whole point of rooting a phone is to give you administrator-rights to the Operating System. It's not a way to copy the capabilities of one phone to another.

If you don't know what you're doing, you CAN and WILL destroy your phone. Verizon will NOT help you if you screw it up -- in fact, they will probably void your warranty if they find out that you were trying to root your phone.

Having said all that, you gain some really cool features with a rooted phone. Total control over EVERYTHING on the phone, not just what the Google/Motorola/Verizon developers want you to have control over. There is also a small selection of apps on the Market (and elsewhere) that will only run on a rooted phone.

But if you're liking the feature-set you've got on your phone, and don't really feel the need to mod it, then rooting is probably not for you.

I'm kinda a tech geek, I installed Linux on my PS3 just because, custom firmware on PSP, etc.

So I really want to root the phone, but I just dunno why I would, because the Droid is pretty open to begin with. If I could only run snes, nes emulators with a rooted phone I'd do it in a second for example.

I know you can overclock the phone in root, but I haven't been able to find a list of things you can do once you root.. could you list the Top 3 things you can do with a rooted Droid?

Thanks, I'm really just curious and want to know before I jump into rooting.

Edit: nm found this list:

Benefits of rooting the Droid:

A rooted Droid would allow you to modify the operating system any way you want
User can change the handset’s visual theme
You can use applications or functions that may be forbidden or restricted by your carrier

So I'll pass for now.

 

[patwehner]

Hi Guys,
Noob question. Will I need to re-install apps or set up the phone after this root method?
Thanks for the write up, very cool.

 

[zloca]

Is it safe to root before activating the device? Or should I wait and activate it first?

 

[iclickjohn]

I did the update. not the rooting. Then I never got the update from verizon. It must have known that the phone was already running the new version. I kept waiting for the notification, and it never came. + I've been a little leary of how much better the phone is now. to me a little laggy, etc. So I'm only saying this to say. For the next version release that is supposed to come out around the 22nd. I'm waiting and letting it happen OTA. I thought I had to be the first kid on the block and I'm not so sure that is the best. I'm sure that the versions are the same. but I still have that skeptical feeling about it. I was playing the wolf, now I'm just a sheep. lol

 

[Clownassasin]

OK, so basically my biggest reason to root the droid is so that I can get OS 2.1 on there. Now, when I root my droid(If I root it) when I switch to 2.1 and lets say I want to try out HTC's Sense UI, do I have to re-root the device or something?

 

[altjx]

Sorry if I seem a bit new here, but someone said if you root a droid and you do something terribly wrong, you can get a bricked droid and can't get out of it? Is that true?

 

[solution]

Sorry if I seem a bit new here, but someone said if you root a droid and you do something terribly wrong, you can get a bricked droid and can't get out of it? Is that true?

Basically what you're doing is pushing an update to your phone with SU .apk slipped in. Like with any software update is something happens during the update, your battery goes out or you physically pull the battery out for example, then yes, bad things will happen.

 

[uscjoel]

OK...so I'm trying to d/l the update zip from my droids browser and its not letting me?

 

[eliguy620]

hey all, I just got my droid today and Im trying to root this thing. I have done the manual update and got the drivers and everything. Im following this guide to the letter... but when I run cmd and type "adb push su data/local/" i get "su" is not valid or something.... help please.

 

[littlegti84]

I have run through this to the letter (and spaces) and have a couple of questions.

1) when I type in adb push su /data/local (with a space after su as the directions state) I get an error. If I leave this space out, it continues without error.

2) When I type the line: cat /data/local/su > su as stated in the instructions, I get a message that says " /data/local/su: No such file or directory.

Please help

 

[evolushun]

Is there someone here who has experience with rooting that can either call me or IM me to answer some questions for me?