Guide: Rooting Your Evo Design...The Saga Continues

lolinternet

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Ok, here we go.

In order to root your Evo Design you'll need to unlock your bootloader, flash recovery, flash su binary, and install superuser and busybox. In this guide I will try to explain these steps as simply as I can. My goal is for it to be thorough enough that anyone that reads it can root their phone and enjoy the full benefits of this nifty little phone.

First and foremost, you will need to install the Java SE Development Kit. You won't use this directly in any way, but you need it in order to install the Android SDK.
Here is a wiki article that also explains how to install the Android SDK

Download link to the Java SE Development Kit (also called JDK)

After installing the Java JDK, you will have to install the Android SDK which contains two tools that are essential to gaining root. They are adb (Android Debug Bridge) and fastboot. These tools are used to send files to your phone from a Windows command prompt. You will need these tools to unlock your bootloader and flash recovery.

Download link to Android SDK

Instructions on installing the SDK

Adding packages to the SDK.

Once you have the Java JDK and the Android SDK installed you will need to install the proper drivers for your phone. This one is pretty straightforward and necessary for your phone to be recognized while plugged into your computer. After you have the HTC drivers installed you can begin the fun parts, but first you will need a few things.

Download for HTC Drivers

You will need a recovery.img. 2fast4u88's unofficial ClockWorkMod Recovery version 5.0.2.7 and 5.0.2.8 are the only two recoveries I have used since I got my Evo Design. Many thanks to him for putting in so much work to get this device where it is today.

Download for CWM Recovery 5.0.2.7 recovery.img

Also, you'll need su binary version 3.0.3.2 efghi. This is the actual file that will root your device. It is a flashable .zip file that you save to your sdcard and flash in recovery. You'll be amazed at how easy this step is.

Download for su binary version 3.0.3.2 efghi

Download for su binary version 3.0.7 efghi

I believe version 3.0.3.2 only works on Gingerbread, so if you're running ICS use 3.0.7.

The superuser app is like the control center for apps that request root permissions after you're finally rooted. You will need to install this app and then Busybox, both of which can be found in the Google Play Store. After installing the Busybox app you will need to actually install busybox. The app itself is basically an installer for Linux applets that are required by root apps such as Titanium Backup and Root Explorer among many others.

Now that you have a basic overview of what it is you will be doing and the files need to do it, the only thing left is to actually perform these steps and root your device. So, les do dis.

1. Unlock your bootloader at htcdev.com. You will need to sign up and you will be warned that unlocking your bootloader will void your warranty. Once you've followed all instructions at the website an unlock token will be emailed to you. DO NOT DELETE THIS FILE. You can place it in the platform tools folder of the Android SDK and use fastboot in command prompt to relock and unlock your bootloader whenever you like. Also, anytime you unlock your bootloader all data will be wiped so be sure you sync all your contacts and backup other information first before performing this step.

2. After unlocking your bootloader you will need to flash a recovery.img. The manual way to flash recovery is to place the downloaded recovery.img for 2fast4u88's unofficial ClockWorkMod recovery port of version 5.0.2.7 in the platform-tools folder of the Android SDK. Power down your phone but be sure that Fast Boot in Power under the settings menu is unchecked or it will just reboot normally instead of into bootloader (also called hboot) like you want. After it's been powered down for a minute or two, press and hold Volume down then press and hold the power button. When the white HTC splash screen appears you can let go. Scroll down with the volume down button and select fastboot by pressing power. Plug your phone into your computer and open a command prompt, then run these commands without quotations.

"cd C:\android\platform-tools" (This is where adb and fastboot live. It may be different for you depending on where you installed the SDK. I always suggest installing it to the root of your C: drive.)

"fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"

Should only take a few seconds, then you have yourself a recovery partition and you can proceed to the next step after rebooting. Yay!

3. Next, we're going to flash the su binary in recovery. First, you'll need to place it on your sdcard. Doesn't matter where exactly just as long as you can find it. I would suggest the root of your sd just to make things easier on yourself. After you have the su binary zip saved to your sdcard power off your phone and boot into hboot. Now, I can't remember which, but either hboot or fastboot will have an option to boot into Recovery. Once you're booted into recovery, select "install zip from sdcard," then "choose zip from sdcard." Scroll down and find the su binary then select it. Pressing the Up Vol button will take you directly to the end if you don't want to scroll all the way through. After selecting the su binary zip select "yes" to flash. It's a small file, so it won't take long. When it's done select "reboot to system" and we'll move on to the next step because you just rooted your phone.

4. But, you're not done yet. You need to install the superuser app and the busybox app in that order. This is the easy part because both apps are free in the Play Store. Install Superuser, then Busybox. You shouldn't have to interact with the Superuser app, but if you want to set an automatic response to apps that request root you can open it and go to Preferences. Scroll down and you should see a few options. I have mine set to automatically grant su permission to apps that request it because I have no reason not to lol. I also unchecked the option to receive a notification every time an app is granted root permission because that junk just gets annoying. Next, after you install the Busybox app, you'll need to actually install Busybox. The app is merely an installer for the actual Busybox applets that govern root apps. The app should open automatically after you install it. You should see it in your notification bar. Open it up and follow the prompts. When you're done, reboot your phone.

5. ??? (or check that you have root access in the superuser app or the root checker app by Joey Krim)

6. Profit...err, I mean congratulations! You should now have a rooted Evo Design 4G. Enjoy. I hope this guide is both complete and comprehensive enough that everyone can enjoy the benefits of having a rooted device, but if I've missed something or if you have any questions whatsoever, please post them here and I will do my best to answer them in a timely manner. I hope you enjoy rooting your device, but please be careful. You now have administrator privileges, so use them wisely. I would highly suggest installing Quick Boot from the Play Store so that you can boot into recovery easily without having to go through hboot. I would also suggest using your newly installed app that requires root access to boot into recovery and make a backup. If anything should ever happen to your phone's system and data you will have a backup and can restore it to that state. Again, I hope you enjoy. I apologize for this being such a lengthy guide, but hopefully you understand the wonderful world of Android a little better for having read it.
 
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lolinternet

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GB downgrade instructions thanks to OrdinaryNumber at SDX-developers.com

Download to the zip containing the three files you will need.

First, you need to unlock your bootloader if you haven't already and flash recovery in fastboot. See the above post for instructions on how to do that.

After you have unlocked your bootloader and flashed custom recovery, download the above zip and extract the contents to your desktop. You will need to place the system.img file on the root of your sdcard. The other two files (boot_signed.img and recovery_signed.img) go in the platform-tools folder of the SDK that you should have installed on your computer already.

Next, boot into CWM Recovery and create a backup. You can access recovery from the bootloader screen by powering off the phone. After it's been powered off for a moment, press and hold Volume Down then press and hold Power. This will boot you into hboot where you will select Recovery to boot into recovery.Should you run into any problems you will need to restore this backup because the next step is to wipe data, cache, and system. After that mount your sdcard in recovery under the mounts and storage option.

Next, plug your phone into your computer and open a command prompt, then run these commands without quotations:

"cd C:\android\platform-tools" (or wherever you have the SDK installed on your computer)
"mount /sdcard" (you can skip this if it gives you problems and you mounted your sdcard already in recovery)
"adb shell" (the cursor in command prompt should turn into a #)
"dd if=/sdcard/system.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p26"

The last command will look as if nothing is happening, but this is normal. The system.img file is 800mb, so it will take a few minutes to flash. Just be patient. You will see a line in command prompt telling you how long it took to flash system.img and this is when you can move on the next step. It can take up to five minutes.

After it finishes, remove the battery cover and pull the battery. Wait about 15 seconds and replace it, then boot into hboot by holding Vol down then pressing and holding Power until the splash screen comes on and your on the hboot screen. Select fastboot. Next you need to open the command prompt again and run the following commands:

"cd C:\android\platform-tools" (or wherever you have the SDK installed on your comp)
"fastboot flash recovery recovery_signed.img" (same with flashing system.img you will get a message telling you how long it took to flash before you can move on to the next command)
After this command finishes run:
"fastboot flash boot boot_signed.img" (same as system.img you have to wait for the completed in so and so seconds before moving on)
After this finishes you have to relock your bootloader with this command:
"fastboot oem lock" (you can't skip this step)
You can use command prompt to reboot by using the command "adb reboot" or go back to hboot on the phone and select reboot.

It will take a while to reboot as the phone is regenerating its cache, so be again be patient. It can take up to five minutes. Any more than that and something probably went wrong. You should now to be running stock Gingerbread.

If you still have the Unlock_code.bin file that you got emailed to you from htcdev.com when you unlocked your bootloader you can place it in platform-tools folder of the SDK and use fastboot in command prompt to unlock your bootloader with the following command if you want to root your phone with the above posted guide:

"fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin"

This step is only necessary if you want to root your phone, and it's much easier than going through htcdev.com again. I just want to say that I take credit for nothing in this post. Thanks go to OrdinaryNumber at SDX-developers.com for providing us with these steps. If you would like to thank him this is the link to the original thread where he posted the above steps.
 
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monkeytools

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Hello I am new to android central and willing to help. I think I have the 5.0.2.8 cwm zip you are looking for. If you want it Gmail me and I will send it to you. My Gmail is [removed]
 
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santanalz

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First, bloody hell mate. This is certainly a list of steps. Secondly, how do we get this stickied? Lastly, much appreciated for your work putting this together.
 

lolinternet

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Hello I am new to android central and willing to help. I think I have the 5.0.2.8 cwm zip you are looking for. If you want it Gmail me and I will send it to you. My Gmail is [removed]

http://d-h.st/

You can upload it there for free. I don't think you even have to register to upload files to that site. If you wouldn't mind uploading it there and editing your post that would be awesome.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

lolinternet

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First, bloody hell mate. This is certainly a list of steps. Secondly, how do we get this stickied? Lastly, much appreciated for your work putting this together.

Thanks. I would have posted it sooner, but I had two two year old boys to take care of this past weekend and it wasn't easy finding the time to do it. I wrote most of it on my phone 0_0

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

anon(749368)

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After trying to downgrade I think I bricked my phone. At the end of the steps it turned off and restarted but it it stuck on the white screen with HTC in green....it has been like that for an hour. Please help
 

lolinternet

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You're not bricked. If you can get back to hboot you aren't bricked. What was the last step you did before rebooting?

Also, did you give the dd command time to finish? If you didn't see a message that said how long it took to fully write the system.img file, then you didn't have a complete system to boot to and you can't skip relocking the bootloader.

Did you do either of those things?

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

lolinternet

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Boot back into hboot and repeat the process. I suspect you didn't let the system.img file flash completely before moving on, but this isn't a major problem. Even without a system to boot to you can still work in hboot and fastboot to recover everything. If all else fails, you can simply reflash recovery and restore a backup.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

santanalz

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lolnternet,

I just fully read all steps and will attempt tomorrow morning, as I am less than sober right now. Question: your step 2 is unclear. Do we need clockworkmod and also the .img file? Or just the renamed version? Renaming a file to .zip doesn't create archives. You didn't mention needing this mod in your intro instructions.
 
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lolinternet

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lolnternet,

I just fully read all steps and will attempt tomorrow morning, as I am less than sober right now. Question: your step 2 is unclear. Do we need clockworkmod and also the .img file? Or just the renamed version? Renaming a file to .zip doesn't create archives. You didn't mention needing this mod in your intro instructions.

I'm sorry. There are two ways to flash recovery.

In unlocked bootloader with a properly formatted zip that contains a recovery.img, or by taking just the recovery.img and flash it manually while you're booted into fastboot. I'll edit the op since the first part is irrelevant anyway. The only way to do it from ICS is the manual way.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

anon(749368)

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before rebooting itself I just did the fastboot oem lock. Now, when trying again to redo all the steps the dd is not recognized as a system command. Also, I don't have a recovery, it seems. Am I screwed?

I am back to stock GB thanks to lolinternet.
 
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lolinternet

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No, we will get you there. As long as you can still boot to hboot you will be alright. Give me an hour and I will reply with more detail. I'm a little busy with family at the moment. It's my twin niece's second birthday today and my sister has gone over the deep end with it.

Also, if you would like to pm me your Gtalk email it may be a little easier to help out with a real time conversation.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

santanalz

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So, bit of an issue. I cannot get past the first step. I follow the CMD commands, and when I hit enter CMD tells me "Waiting for device" on the get identifier token command. I have tried this twice and this current second time I have waited 20 minutes which I believe is not intended. Ideas?
 

lolinternet

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So, bit of an issue. I cannot get past the first step. I follow the CMD commands, and when I hit enter CMD tells me "Waiting for device" on the get identifier token command. I have tried this twice and this current second time I have waited 20 minutes which I believe is not intended. Ideas?

Unplug the phone then plug it back in. I had this issue as well. Disconnecting and reconnecting should do the trick.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

kman119

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Hi monkeytools,

do you think you can send that cwm 5.0.2.8 zip file to me? for some reason 2fast4u88's page is down and i have no where else to get it. and ics is making me go crazy i have to downgrade. if you can pm and i'll send you my email. thanks

Hello I am new to android central and willing to help. I think I have the 5.0.2.8 cwm zip you are looking for. If you want it Gmail me and I will send it to you. My Gmail is [removed]
 

lolinternet

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Hi monkeytools,

do you think you can send that cwm 5.0.2.8 zip file to me? for some reason 2fast4u88's page is down and i have no where else to get it. and ics is making me go crazy i have to downgrade. if you can pm and i'll send you my email. thanks

You can use the 5.0.2.7 recovery.img that I have included in the first post. You'll have to flash it manually in fastboot, but it'll work nonetheless.

*Sent from work early bcuz some1 4got teh NSFW tag*
 

anon(749368)

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just want to give a shout out to lolinternet who spent 2+ hours on gChat with me helping to get the phone running again after Sprint telling me it is bricked. They should hire this guy to work for them ...he knows his stuff
 

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