Sanity check before rooting my Optimus S

[yoyology]

I have purchased a secondhand Optimus S from a craigslist seller after my Samsung Replenish was stolen. I'm not too upset, because the Opti seems to be a better phone and certainly has a more active development base!

I had rooted my Replenish, but that was a long time ago. I want to root this device, if for no other reason than to get Link2SD working. Before I do so, I wanted to make sure I understand what the latest and greatest steps are, so I come to you, ACers, to check my work and reassure me that I'm not insane.

Here are the notes I've written for myself:

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Expected steps for rooting LG Optimus flashed to ZVJ.
Read through Welcome -- Basic Optimus S Guide for Newcomers and Sprint Optimus guide to Rooting, ROMs, Recoveries & Themes.

1. Revert to ZVH using Root stock ZVJ by downgrading to ZVH and the file ZVHupdate.zip on this flash drive. Rename that file to update.zip before proceeding with the instructions.
2. Root ZVH using Automated Rooting of LS670ZVD/ZVH/ZVJ and the file optiauto-sfx.exe on this flash drive.
3. Re-upgrade to ZVJ with root access using Automated Rooting of LS670ZVD/ZVH/ZVJ and the aforementioned optiauto-sfx.exe.
4. Optionally, perform other exploits as listed in the reference section of the Automated Rooting thread.

At the end of step 3, you will have Xionia Clockwork custom recovery installed. It may be useful to switch to Cannibal Open Touch custom recovery.
------------------

Does all of that make sense? Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance for your input, everyone, and thank you thank you thank you to the developers!

 

[shockdude]

not quite sure what "on this flash drive" means. the ZVH update.zip should be placed on the SD card of the optimus s, and optiauto-sfx.exe should be run on the windows PC used to perform the rooting procedure. also not quite sure what "optional exploits" you'd need/want to do after you root.
other than that, seems about right. be sure to read the Automated Rooting guide carefully though; there are some parts that are not automated. also, don't be afraid to ask questions, and be sure to hit the like/thanks buttons.

 

[yoyology]

Sorry. This is all in a Word document saved on a flash drive with all the files I expect to need.I just copy/pasted it here without making any changes. Should have made that clear. By "optional exploits" I'm referring to ROMs I might install or other low-level changes I might make to the device after rooting. Initially I plan to just be happy with root.

 

[RazzMaTazz]

I wrote a step-by-step spoon-fed guide to rooting the Optimus S and installing a custom ROM. It's here.
http://androidforums.com/optimus-s-...ep-step-rooting-flashing-guide-optimus-s.html

I've been on Reborn ROM for a long time and I love it.. I love it and recommend it. I've also flashed the latest Cannibal Open Touch Recovery.

To implement Link2SD, I flashed the appropriate zip file to give my phone EXT4 file system capability based on the links provided at the top of THIS HOW-TO GUIDE in the section, entitled, "Select the correct data2ext zip". Then I followed the instructions in part 3 of the following guide (that I wrote) for the Replenish. Once the phone has EXT4 file-system capability, the procedure is the same for the Replenish, Optimus S, et al. (I've implemented Link2SD on both the Replenish and Optimus S.) Note that some how-to guides use CWM or COT to create an EXT4 partition on the micro-SD card. I think it's easier to use the free downloadable PC program called "MiniTool Partition Wizard" as described in my guide.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...ur-replenish-make-nice-phone.html#post2387938

 

[shockdude]

I wrote a step-by-step spoon-fed guide to rooting the Optimus S and installing a custom ROM. It's here.
http://androidforums.com/optimus-s-...ep-step-rooting-flashing-guide-optimus-s.html

from the looks of it, your guide covers and recommends downgrading to ZVD, rooting ZVD, and sticking with ZVD. this method works, but it requires a data wipe, which i'm assuming yoyo doesn't necessarily want. the root method i'm suggesting allows him to keep his data.

 

[epidenimus]

I suggest going back to ZVD. That way, you can root it manually, in a more traditional manner, have a very solid data connection and the highest level of flexibility/compatibility with the ROMs out there. Think of it as a radio, which is all that remains of it, not as a Froyo base.

 

[yoyology]

Great info. Thank you! I will certainly use what you've written as I go through the process.

I used Link2SD on my Replenish with great success, but never used a custom ROM. What is the advantage of using ext4 rather than FAT32?

I'm familiar with Partition Wizard. Great software!

 

[yoyology]

I'm willing to lose my data. I've only had the phone for a week, and all the important stuff is in the cloud. It sounds like ZVD might be a better bet than ZVJ.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you for the advice. I think I will go ahead with ZVD, and not bother re-upgrading to ZVJ.

 

[epidenimus]

You're welcome.

Regarding your question about file systems:

Android is Linux at the core; EXT4 is a reliable journaling file system that is native to Linux. It is highly efficient and is the default FS used on most modern distros. It is superior to FAT systems in many ways. It is my understanding that using a portion of the SD card as a system partition requires the creating of an EXT partition on the SD card as well as enabling the feature in your ROM.

If you are a Winblows user, then your system will not recognize or be able to read the EXT4 partition, but will still be able to work with the FAT partition where your data is stored.