Temp root or permanent root?

**Josh515** · 01-01-2012, 08:16 PM

I finally decided to root my Nexus using and am now temporary rooted. I wanted to proceed to permanently rooting my Nexus, but really don't know what that means. Could someone explain to me what the advantages, disadvantages, and differences are between the temporary root and permanent root?

Sorry for the noob question.

Edit: I read somewhere that if you are only temporarily rooted that you will have to "reroot" you're phone every time you reboot it. Not sure if this is true or not, but I did find that if you want to flash custom ROMs you should be permanently rooted. (Just showing I made an attempt to figure this out on my own!)

**mozy** · 01-01-2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Josh515

I finally decided to root my Nexus using and am now temporary rooted. I wanted to proceed to permanently rooting my Nexus, but really don't know what that means. Could someone explain to me what the advantages, disadvantages, and differences are between the temporary root and permanent root?

Sorry for the noob question.

Edit: I read somewhere that if you are only temporarily rooted that you will have to "reroot" you're phone every time you reboot it. Not sure if this is true or not, but I did find that if you want to flash custom ROMs you should be permanently rooted. (Just showing I made an attempt to figure this out on my own!)

I'm new to rooting, but from what I understand every root is temporary because you can always unroot with this device.

**Josh515** · 01-01-2012, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by mozy

I'm new to rooting, but from what I understand every root is temporary because you can always unroot with this device.

Droid-Life gives instructions on how to temporarily root your phone and how to permanently root it. I believe permanent roots are reversible, it just has to do with how to phone boots up. With a temp root, it will clear any changes upon reboot, but the changes will remain the same with a permanent root.

**2defmouze** · 01-01-2012, 09:02 PM

If you followed the instructions in that link you should be permanently rooted.

**Josh515** · 01-01-2012, 09:24 PM

I followed it up until the point where it said "If you want permanent Clockwork Recovery", then I stopped. I read in the comments that if you permanently root your phone with Clockwork recovery, then you won't be able to receive OTA updates. Is this true?

**2defmouze** · 01-01-2012, 09:37 PM

Permanently having CWR and having permanent root are 2 different things. You are permanently rooted (of course you can unroot if you need). But you will have to flash CWR every time you need to access it if you didn't finish the process.

If your phone remains "stock" then you should still get OTA updates, though its possible they will break root and you'll have to reroot after. But now that your rooted (and I assume you unlocked the bootloader, right?) you can just wait for the dev's to release OTA's pre-rooted.

**jpprice** · 01-01-2012, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by Josh515

I followed it up until the point where it said "If you want permanent Clockwork Recovery", then I stopped. I read in the comments that if you permanently root your phone with Clockwork recovery, then you won't be able to receive OTA updates. Is this true?

You are permanently rooted, but you still have stock recovery. All that means is that you until you delete or rename that file, you will have to reflash CWM anytime you want to flash ROMs ect. You still have access to the root directory of the phone however. You should receive OTA as long as you don't replace the stock recovery with CWM.

**tony bag o donuts** · 01-01-2012, 10:40 PM

I cannot achieve root using Droid life's method.
After unlocking the bootloader, it moves the adb from the tools folder to the platform tools folder.
So I copied the clockwork file and other file to both folders.
Ran step 5 but then trying to reboot into the bootloader it says device not found. Thoughts?

1. Download ClockworkMod Recovery for the G-Nex. [Download]
2. Place that file in your SDK/Tools folder (same place as your adb.exe).
3. Download the superuser file aka the root file. [Download]
4. Place that file in your SDK/Tools folder.
5. Open a command prompt from within your Tools folder and type the following:

adb push su.zip /sdcard/

6. Then reboot into the bootloader:

adb reboot bootloader

**2defmouze** · 01-01-2012, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by tony bag o donuts

I cannot achieve root using Droid life's method.
After unlocking the bootloader, it moves the adb from the tools folder to the platform tools folder.
So I copied the clockwork file and other file to both folders.
Ran step 5 but then trying to reboot into the bootloader it says device not found. Thoughts?

1. Download ClockworkMod Recovery for the G-Nex. [Download]
2. Place that file in your SDK/Tools folder (same place as your adb.exe).
3. Download the superuser file aka the root file. [Download]
4. Place that file in your SDK/Tools folder.
5. Open a command prompt from within your Tools folder and type the following:

adb push su.zip /sdcard/

6. Then reboot into the bootloader:

adb reboot bootloader

I say just screw it and use the sticky on how to root it from this forum. Droid-life is stupid.

**tony bag o donuts** · 01-01-2012, 11:21 PM

yeah I just wanted to know if all I need to do is just run the superboot from the pc.
I am already unlocked.

**2defmouze** · 01-01-2012, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by tony bag o donuts

yeah I just wanted to know if all I need to do is just run the superboot from the pc.
I am already unlocked.

Well.. you can manually get into bootloader by powering off, hold both volume buttons, then hold power til your in the bootloader. Then plug it in and see if you can continue from that point...

Still I would go with Android Central instructions over droid-life any day.. I'm sure you can just skip along until you get to the root part.

**xelhabb** · 01-02-2012, 10:14 AM

The Droid-Life forum routinely assumes you are tech oriented and their step-by-steps are routinely wrong and will get you into bad situations.

I strongly recommend you use the steps here or the ones on XDA.

The first sticky from DL on how to unlock the bootloader was absolutely jacked up and had me in a bad place for a day. Just be very careful. But after doing this a couple times you will find your most trusted resources. I am between here and XDA.

**Josh515** · 01-02-2012, 05:47 PM

Great, leave it to me to use Droid-Life's supposedly bad instructions :/. Oh well, I'm now unlocked and rooted with ClockWork Recovery, so I hope that's a good thing. Hopefully nothing goes wrong for me, I have no experience with rooting and am pretty much walking into this blindly. Though I will say that Droid-Life's updated instructions were fairly simple to follow, but if I had followed them before they were revised, I would be screwed.

**tony bag o donuts** · 01-02-2012, 06:27 PM

Don't worry.
Same thing happened to me.

**WWIITanker** · 12-21-2012, 01:20 PM

I have the same phone, and I would just like to temp root. I want to use an app that requires root access and after a little bit of research, I came across z4root. I am not that strong with tech, and a one click, no computers involved, temporary root is just what I was looking for. However it always force closes after starting, so I assumed Google patched or removed the ability to root with z4root. Are there any other one click no computers involved TEMPORARY root apps? Thanks