SBF to root and to unroot

[christim]

This guide was written for the Droid 1, the Motorola Droid phone released in November of 2009.

edit (8-24-2010):
When you use SPRecovery you should know what it means to "use the update.zip method via SPRecovery to flash a rom"

You might not know it at this moment, but when you go to apply the below files it should make sense to you. This post will make one heck of a lot more sense if you have that knowledge and hopefully you will have that knowledge by reading this post through a couple of times.

For those on Android 2.1 the below works. For those on Android 2.2 there have been some issues with flashing sprecovery_ese81 because that file includes the 2.1 kernel yet you are running Android 2.2 and that causes a conflict. Either don't boot up into the phone, and have the update.zip preloaded on your phone, or boot into SPRecovery and use its "mount" function to connect to your PC to get the update.zip onto the root of your card, and then update your phone that way.

Also, for those on Android 2.2 I recommend the following thread started by MotoCache1: Root Droid 1 - regardless of OS version


Original document written prior to 2.2 being released:


I thought I'd put something together on SBF and rooting. Any and all feedback is welcome. I did not come up with anything other than collecting this information together. I thank those who did figure this all out and built the needed pieces.

Enjoy, but first:
I do not, nor does DroidForums.net, warrant the information contained here within this post. It is being provided as is without warranty of any kind, including without limitation any warranty of design, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and without warranty as to the performance or results you may obtain by using this information. You expressly will not hold anyone, other than yourself, responsible for any direct or indirect actions, and the results thereof, that you may take as a result of following the information contained within this post, the thread it is contained within, the forum on which it resides, and the entire internet which makes it available upon unto you, yourself, and your heirs. If you brick your phone it is your fault and yours alone. If you do manage such a feat you can rest assured that you will be honored as one of the few who managed to manipulate your beloved Droid into such an object and humankind will continue to tell the tale of your actions down throughout the ages while huddled around campfires for eons to come.

Table of contents for post 1 of this thread:
box option 01: Install RSD Lite on your window's computer. It's a Motorola tool for pushing software onto phones.
box option 02: Install SPRecovery which replaces the stock boot-recovery program to let you update the phone with rooted roms.
box option 03: We've heard having backups are a good idea so lets create one.
box option 04: Install the rom of your choice with SPRecovery.
box option 05: You are rooted and/or have installed SPRecovery and want to return to stock using RSD Lite
box option 06: Alternative method to get back to root. RSD Lite not needed. Neither 05 or 06 method is better than the other.


(box option 01) First lets get RSD Lite installed on a windows based PC.

Download the following files:

http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the RSD_Lite folder and grab the RSD Lite install program and the drivers for your computer. Your computer will tell you if you try to install the wrong driver (and not install it) if you do not know which one to grab.
​

1. Install RSD Lite. Unzip the file and run the msi file
2. Install the drivers.

Now we have RSD Lite installed which when running will let us flash some SBF files.

(box option 02) Before flashing those cool roms you have been reading about we need to get SPRecovery installed.

Use RSD Lite to flash the SPRecovery sbf file onto your phone:

Replaced ese81_sprecovery method with one that causes less issues. 9-12-2010

I advise folks to read the OP at the following link to gain a better understanding of that of which you are about to do. The steps are simple:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-labs/74028-root-droid-1-regardless-os-version.html


You now have the replacement boot-recovery app SPRecovery installed. You can use this tool to perform backups, restore those backups, apply update.zip updates, kernels, and flash full replacement roms.

(box option 03) You have installed SPRecovery for the very first time. What would be the next good thing to do?

Perform an Advanced Nandroid Backup.

1. Power off your phone.
2. Hold down the X key and keep holding it down. Power on the phone. Don't let go off the X key until the SPRecovery screen comes up.
3. Select Backup/Restore
4. Select Advanced Nandroid Backup, select all the options and name your backup file
5. Reboot your phone and using Astro (free market app) you will see a file in your /sdcard/nandroid folder. The one I made today, April 25th, 2010 is named BSD-2010425-1715 and you can see the datestamp in the middle of the file.Selecting Advanced Nandroid Recovery will put your phone back to the same state it was when you made the backup if you select this file during that process.

This will let you "recover" your backup in case you mess up your phone, drop it in water, etc. The backup file is stored on your sdcard in the Nandroid directory so even if your phone is run over by a tank you should be able to pull the card and use it in a replacement phone.

Now that you have a backup, go install the rom of your choice. Rename it to update.zip, put it on the root of your card, and use SPRecovery to Allow and Apply the update.zip file.

(box option 04) Ok, here we can now install a custom or stock rom with SPRecovery.

Find the rom you wish to install. The ones on Droidforums.net all tend to have instructions included. Basically once you have the rom you want you do the following:

1. Rename the file so it is update.zip on the root of your sdcard. If it has a .zip on your computer when you download it then rename it update.zip and if it doesn't have a .zip at the end then just rename it update.
2. In SPRecovery Allow and then Apply the update.zip file to flash the rom.
3. Once the phone boots up and you are all set return to SPRecovery and make a new Advanced Nandroid backup of your new setup.

You now have the rom of your choice installed. Feel free to try various other ones too.

(box option 05) Ok, I need to get back to a stock phone. how do I do this?

Getting back to stock (SBF method):

You will need to have RSD Lite installed to flash the stock 2.01 sbf file for Motorola Droid.

Download the following file:

http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the sbf folder and download the FRG22D.sbf file​

1. Connect your phone to the PC via USB and turn it off then while your phone is booting hold up on the DPAD.
2. Run RSD Lite 4.6 as Administrator (For all you Vista and 7 folks out there. If you are using XP you may not need to run as Administrator)
3. If your phone is not displayed in the "model" column you may need to do the following:
   1. Select the "config" option from the upper left corner of the tool
   2. Select DeviceId Options
   3. Select one of the two options available. By default neither are chosen, and my phone shows up fine with neither one selected.
4. Click the [...] next to the filename box and browse to where you saved the .sbf file you want to use and double click the .sbf file.
5. Hit start and below it should give you completion progress.
6. Your phone will reboot and you will be on a stock 2.01 phone with no root installed.

Credit to ikithme for the original post, Unroot/Unbrick your phone using .sbf, which I've altered slightly here.

You now are on a stock phone, unrooted, just like when you first got your phone. You can apply the OTA (over the air) update files to get to the current version.

I thought it would also help to have a screen shot of TRSD Lite. This is a shot of 4.5.3 but it looks just like the 4.6 I have installed.

Of note:

• Your phone, when connected, should be displayed in the Model column.
• The Start button is grayed out until a file is selected, but it also becomes available if I hand-type 1.sbf into the filename field.
• If your phone is not displayed the Config pull down menu has the DeviceID Options that may help.

(box option 06) Ok, I can't get RSD Lite to work. Maybe I have a mac, maybe I only run Linux, maybe it just won't run. I need to get to stock 2.2 though. What can I do?

Alternative back to stock (update.zip method):

1. Visit http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the update_zip_files folder and download the FRG22D_update.zip file
2. rename the downloaded file by just removing the FRG22D_ part of the file's name.
3. mount Droid to computer
4. copy file from computer to root of sdcard
5. unmount card from computer
6. hold X while rebooting until SPRecovery screen comes up
7. install
8. allow update.zip
9. install /sdcard/update.zip (depreciated)

You now are on stock 2.2. In this case you are back with the stock recovery tool too, no sign of root at all on the phone.

edit:
2010.04.25 - added Simple Nandroid Backup for SPRecovery and screenshot of RSD Lite
2010.04.27 - linked to new file repository.
2010.04.29 - added update.zip (non-SBF) method to go back to stock 2.01
2010.07.22 - added sprecovery screenshot
2010.08.15 - added 2.2 warning that you should first go back to 2.01 to root
2010.08.18 - changed warning added on the 15th to include correct order of steps for successful rooting.
2010.08.19 - removed option to install plain rooted version of 2.1 (2.2 is out now) - it is now at post 369 of this thread
2010.08.24 - cut the size of the ese81update.zip file in half...somehow a copy of itself existed in the zip.
2010.09.12 - replaced option 2's ese81update method with the link to MotoCache1's guide. It still remains at post 369 for historical purposes.
2010.09.12 - replaced using unroot_2.1_update.zip in option 6 and have folks grab FRG22D instead.
2010.15.12 - option box 5 - updated instructions to grab FRG22D instead of moto_droid2.01

 

[Kahij]

What is the difference between
-Simple Nandroid Backup
-Dimple Nandroid resore (latest)
-Adcanced Nanroid backup
-advanced nandroid resrotre?

Which one of these should I use to a back up that I can load so i can get it back to stock and exchange it when the time comes.

 

[christim]

What is the difference between
-Simple Nandroid Backup
-Dimple Nandroid resore (latest)
-Adcanced Nanroid backup
-advanced nandroid resrotre?

Which one of these should I use to a back up that I can load so i can get it back to stock and exchange it when the time comes.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I believe it goes like this:

• Simple Nandroid Backup
  • backs up the rom you currently are using
• Simple Nandroid Restore (latest)
  • restores the most recent Nandroid you have made (or might let you choose but it is the complete restore??)
• Advanced Nanroid Backup
  • choose what you want to back up from your current install (system, data, cache, etc)
• Advanced Nandroid Restore
  • lets you choose what parts of your current setup you want to back up (system, data, cache, etc)

 

[flyguide83]

Thank you, You are a gentleman and a scholar!

 

[supremekizzle]

On the instructions for returning to stock... it states to install the drivers. Are these the same drivers that were installed to flash SPrecovery?

 

[christim]

On the instructions for returning to stock... it states to install the drivers. Are these the same drivers that were installed to flash SPrecovery?

Correct. I've thought about splitting up the RSD Lite install into a separate section in the first post of this thread. Would that make more sense?

 

[Lightman]

Thank you for this guide!

 

[Kmart95]

Quick question, will there ever be a 2.1 .sbf?

 

[christim]

Quick question, will there ever be a 2.1 .sbf?

The first post has 3 sbf files

1) sprecovery...flash that with rsd lite and you have sprecovery on a stock 2.1 phone

2) 2.1 sbf file. Flash that and have a rooted 2.1 phone. It is the same rom that was released OTA except root access has been set up on it

3) 2.01 sbf file. Use this to get back to a stock phone and let the OTA updates get you back to a stock 2.1 configuration with no root access and no sprecovery.


edit: mybad. number 2 is not a SBF file. it is a regular update.zip rom.

I do not know if someone will ever make a sbf of that file or not.

 

[Enochius]

I have used RSDlite to return my phone to stock several times but i cannot get the image file from number 1 to work without RSD stopping and telling me to manually reboot phone but i have to pull the battery out to do this and then it will not boot up and i have had to reset to factory. Any ideas?

 

[rvcjew]

hi christim i got to the part where it says hit start my phone is found i have 64 bit drivers, but if i open the .sbf file in rsd lite it doesn't even show the file properties i am running the program as administrator. help lol. thank you for your time. EDIT i figured it out thanks though

 

[Jizzylax]

Works like a charm. Thanks.

 

[christim]

I have used RSDlite to return my phone to stock several times but i cannot get the image file from number 1 to work without RSD stopping and telling me to manually reboot phone but i have to pull the battery out to do this and then it will not boot up and i have had to reset to factory. Any ideas?

I see nobody has responded to your question yet. Holding down the power button won't reboot the phone for you? I haven't seen this issue yet. Did you get past it or are you still stuck here?

hi christim i got to the part where it says hit start my phone is found i have 64 bit drivers, but if i open the .sbf file in rsd lite it doesn't even show the file properties i am running the program as administrator. help lol. thank you for your time. EDIT i figured it out thanks though

I like self-fixing problems. Glad it worked out.



I also added the instructions for a Simple Nandroid Restore, to the first post of this thread, after the Install SPRecovery steps. No mention was made of doing a backup and I figured that would be a good time to make one.

 

[Staplergun]

I had the same issue where it was stuck in saying "Please manually reboot this phone"
All I did was boot the phone back up into recovery or bootloader, I can't remember, but it accepted it.

 

[iamnotjohn]

If you are not interested in changing your stock rom but would like to customize your phone by applying some themes, use wifi-tethering, or overclocking then you will need to root. You can do so and keep the stock 2.1 build by flashing this special rom created by Pete of Bugless Beast fame.[/B]

Root 2.1 by using SPRecovery

1. Download ESE81update.zip
   thanks to Pete of Bugless Beast for creating this file
2. rename the downloaded file to update.zip
3. mount Droid to computer
4. copy file from computer to root of sdcard
5. unmount card from computer
6. hold X while rebooting until SPRecovery screen comes up
7. wipe data factory reset
8. install
9. allow update.zip
10. install /sdcard/update.zip (depreciated)

Credit to video at droid-life.com

You now have the stock 2.1 rom with root access and can play with Metamorph, apply themes, add a kernel for overstocking and more.

Is this legit guys? i wanted a rooted phone but i have the 2.1 stock, so i'm just making sure...