[HACKS] Root Droid 1 - regardless of OS version

[bnpdp]

Overclock and WIFI

I have seen in some of the posts in this thread that say wifi tethering and overclocking is possible.

Are both of these possible just being stock rooted or do I have to use a custom ROM/kernel?

Thank you.

 

[nxmehta]

We should all be very grateful that mbm wrote sbf_flash. So seriously, thanks for that (although mbm I'm sure is not reading these posts).

However, writing a piece of software without any documentation (with or without source) is only slightly better than not writing it at all. Why even release it if you don't want people to know how to use it? Ignoring questions works equally well in the case where there is documentation; in fact, there should be fewer questions since there is a higher probability that someone will be able to use the software.

All the 'mysteries' behind rooting an android phone are not helping anyone and are in fact contributing to people messing their phones up and constantly posting the same questions over and over again. One click root applications are popular because in order to root your phone and actually understand what is going on you have to hunt down and read like 100 forums posts. If I had a blog the first thing I would post is a complete article on how to root a phone and a compendium of all the stupid bits of information that people obscure or get wrong across the sprawl of the android forums on the net.

My 2 cents. This is offtopic anyways... we should probably get back to talking about MotoCache's root method.

 

[bigfire]

I have seen in some of the posts in this thread that say wifi tethering and overclocking is possible.

Are both of these possible just being stock rooted or do I have to use a custom ROM/kernel?

Thank you.

download wireless tethering app from market. You don't need custom rom, just rooted.

 

[furbearingmammal]

I have seen in some of the posts in this thread that say wifi tethering and overclocking is possible.

Are both of these possible just being stock rooted or do I have to use a custom ROM/kernel?

Thank you.

You'll need to be rooted. A custom ROM isn't needed and the stock 2.2 kernel supports WiFi tethering IIRC. It's built into the kernel from the Google code because WiFi tethering is native in FroYo, just disabled in the Droid-1 build without root access.

I hope that made more sense than I think it does. Use the app from the link in my signature rather than the outdated Market apps.

 

[MotoCache1]

The instructions for using sbf_flash are vague and missing a few key steps. This is intentional; I'd rather have people complain that sbf_flash didn't do anything than to have them claim that sbf_flash broke their phone.

A wise choice in my opinion.

The original sprecovery sbf contains a kernel. Why? After downloading an OTA update, the phone will reboot into recovery to apply the update, this update is not allowed to replace recovery because if it somehow failed the phone wouldn't boot. Instead, there's a script called "install-recovery.sh" which runs on the next bootup (and technically all bootups after) which takes the normal boot kernel, applies a patch and writes it to recovery. To avoid that, a "custom" kernel was used; exact same as the original but with a few bytes changed -- the upshot of which is that after flashing the sbf file no further modifications are needed.

When I was working on disabling that behavior (the automatic flashing of recovery back to stock) was when I figured out why you put the kernel in the ESE81_SPRecovery.sbf. By putting your message at the end of the kernel it makes the kernel fail the SHA1 check that the "applypatch" function uses, so it skips doing the update. I knew there was a reason that you put your note in the CG35 image instead of the CG47 image (which would have made more sense if it was just for fun) -- I just didn't know what the reason was at the time. When I figured it out I just grinned.

I opted to solve the same problem with an update.zip instead to avoid the kernel issues that were causing so many people trouble. Lots of folks were blindly flashing ESE81_SPRecovery onto non-ESE81 phones and ending up with quite a broad array of issues depending on exactly what was on their phone.

As is, (and with few exception) the only sbf files in existence are the ones created by Motorola and are essentially perfectly safe. A malformed sbf file could write literally anywhere on the flash and do serious damage.

I shared the exact same concern when approached about publishing a guide for making your own SBF's. The Droid 1 is pretty much unbrickable until you make a bad SBF for it. And then not so much. As you said in IRC a good while back - so long as the technique for making SBF's is relatively unknown, only people who know what they are doing will do it. I think this is a good plan.

Thanks for sbf_flash and for all the other information you've published. A lot of folks don't understand that 4 sentences of information may represent a hundred hours of tedious trial and error, brute force observation/hacking.

 

[cdexsw]

Would it be ok if i could link this to my sig?

 

[MotoCache1]

Would it be ok if i could link this to my sig?

Absolutely. No permission from me needed. Anything that helps the person who needs it find out about it is a good thing.

 

[teddyearp]

@ nxmehta: I am in total agreement with the way MotoCach1 and mbm are handling the usage of this software. What you call the 'mysteries' of rooting your phone and people messing them up because of said 'mysteries' is not a mystery at all. The information is there plain as day, however what I am finding with the droid 'hackers' as opposed to say the razr 'hackers' is that their reading and comprehension skills seem to be on a far lower level.

Case in point, when mbm first created SPRecovery_ESE81.sbf EVERY single thread and post regarding the use of it stressed that it was only for use on a NON-ROOTED ESE81 PHONE. But 99% of the people who had trouble with it were trying it on either rooted phones, phones not running ESE81, or not following the rest of the instructions to finish the rooting process. Why? Because they didn't fully read the instructions. And those are simple, try flashing a razr on VZW to Vivo f/w and get everything working on VZW again. Or better, get Java on a V9m w/ VZW. And yet, I can only imagine that those were easy compared to using sbf_flash. Write a guide for using sbf_flash? May as well write a guide on how to turn your droid into a nuclear bomb. Same end result, probably, lol.

As far as a blog, when my server was up and when it comes back up there are plenty of guides there to do this stuff, I just don't nor won't use a huge banner in my sig to advertise them, just a simple link will reappear. That link and the one for all the droid files I've collected since the beginning. I don't need (nor deserve) huge fanfare as all that is there is from what others have done, all I have to do is look at my server log to see what's up.

 

[nxmehta]

@ nxmehta: I am in total agreement with the way MotoCach1 and mbm are handling the usage of this software. What you call the 'mysteries' of rooting your phone and people messing them up because of said 'mysteries' is not a mystery at all. The information is there plain as day, however what I am finding with the droid 'hackers' as opposed to say the razr 'hackers' is that their reading and comprehension skills seem to be on a far lower level.

Case in point, when mbm first created SPRecovery_ESE81.sbf EVERY single thread and post regarding the use of it stressed that it was only for use on a NON-ROOTED ESE81 PHONE. But 99% of the people who had trouble with it were trying it on either rooted phones, phones not running ESE81, or not following the rest of the instructions to finish the rooting process. Why? Because they didn't fully read the instructions. And those are simple, try flashing a razr on VZW to Vivo f/w and get everything working on VZW again. Or better, get Java on a V9m w/ VZW. And yet, I can only imagine that those were easy compared to using sbf_flash. Write a guide for using sbf_flash? May as well write a guide on how to turn your droid into a nuclear bomb. Same end result, probably, lol.

As far as a blog, when my server was up and when it comes back up there are plenty of guides there to do this stuff, I just don't nor won't use a huge banner in my sig to advertise them, just a simple link will reappear. That link and the one for all the droid files I've collected since the beginning. I don't need (nor deserve) huge fanfare as all that is there is from what others have done, all I have to do is look at my server log to see what's up.

I understand your point, sure, there are stupid people out there who don't read instructions. My point is that I find it very difficult to believe that providing either vague/misleading instructions or even no instructions is a good choice. I'd rather give people more information, then when they hang themselves it's their fault. You don't have to take responsibility for that. You DO have to take responsibility for not telling people what you've giving them. That's my opinion though.

As far as there being no mysteries... how many forum threads and google searches does it take to not only root a phone but feel comfortable knowing that you understand what's going on? Well, if we assume that the majority of people out there are dumb and don't read instructions, guess what, they will create tons of posts out there that contain misinformation that you have to sift through. We can have everyone replicate everyone else's work in searching (because if they don't they aren't earning their information, apparently?), or we can have wonderful threads like this one by MotoCache that compile correct information and explain things to people.

All I'm arguing for is increased clarity. No one has an obligation to do that but it's hard for me to accept an argument to actively work against it.

 

[furbearingmammal]

All I'm arguing for is increased clarity. No one has an obligation to do that but it's hard for me to accept an argument to actively work against it.

Two words: Anarchist's Cookbook.



I agree, increased clarity is a good thing almost all the time, but I'd rather not have perfectly clear, accurate, step-by-step instructions on how to make six hundred pounds of cheap high explosive readily available for everyone with a grudge. Yes, this is a bit extreme of a comparison, but if everyone could do it, how long would it be before massive amounts of very dangerous malware for the Android OS got released? Hackers who want to do harm (other than for profit) have a very short attention span. This is a Good Thing, and allowing them unfettered access to everything with a "here's how you do it, even for people living on meth an Redbull, you morons" guide might not be smart....

Anyway, let's all shake hands and smile and call it a day, hmm?

 

[MotoCache1]

I agree, increased clarity is a good thing almost all the time, but I'd rather not have perfectly clear, accurate, step-by-step instructions on how to make six hundred pounds of cheap high explosive readily available for everyone with a grudge.

OK, for a 600 pound yield, first start with 565.8 pounds of ammonium nitrate...

Oh, wait, you'd rather not have. My bad.

 

[nxmehta]

I agree, increased clarity is a good thing almost all the time, but I'd rather not have perfectly clear, accurate, step-by-step instructions on how to make six hundred pounds of cheap high explosive readily available for everyone with a grudge.

OK, for a 600 pound yield, first start with 565.8 pounds of ammonium nitrate...

Oh, wait, you'd rather not have. My bad.

LISTEN I really think it's IMPORTANT for people to have complete access to information, it's not like anyone will use it to harm peop [NO CARRIER]

:icon_eek:

 

[furbearingmammal]

Oh NOES! :icon_eek:

 

[tschuller83]

gotta question.... everything went well until the very end it says installation aborted.... what now??

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrp nevermind stupid me forgot to unmount from pc

 

[christim]

gotta question.... everything went well until the very end it says installation aborted.... what now??

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrp nevermind stupid me forgot to unmount from pc

I love problems that solve themselves!