Rooting for Dummies - It is Really Easy

[.46caliber]

I did it. I took the plunge and rooted my Droid X. On top of it all, it was ridiculously easy thanks to Nathan at Unstable Apps.

Nathan, the man behind Unstable Apps, created this handy little application called EasyRoot. It is a 1 click process that roots your phone for you and just as easily, UnRoots. For those new to Android, I will do a quick walk-through and for those of you old to Android rooting and terminals and command lines, your day just got easier.

1) Hit up Unstable Apps to purchase your EasyRoot key. It is paid application, so you will need a key to activate it.

2) Write down the key.

3) Download the .apk file from Unstable Apps site for EasyRoot onto the SD card of your Droid X.

4) Make sure you have the "Unkown Sources" option checked. Menu>Settings>Applications and "Unknown Sources" is at the top.

5) Use a file manager like Astro to access the SD card and open the EasyRoot .apk file.

6) Click on it and let it install.

7) When prompted, enter your Gmail address and your key you got from Unstable Apps.

8) Open the EasyRoot app, read the warning, click I Agree, and then click "Root".

9) The program will run, and you will see a message saying your device has been rooted.

10) Power the phone off, and power the phone on. Check your App drawer for the Superuser Permissions icon.

You are now rooted. Extremely easy, but very worth it. You can use some really awesome apps like Drocap2 for screen shots. In addition to apps that require root access, you can do things like use the phone as a WiFi hotspot without paying Verizon.

Rooting can be a danger to your phone if you don't know what you're doing. You have been warned. It will void your warranty. I can take no responsibility if you screw something up on your phone after rooting and Unstable Apps won't take responsibility either.

As of now, this only works on Motorola Milestone, Droid with 2.1 and 2.2, and Droid X. I'm sure Nathan will update it for the Droid 2 and for upcoming Froyo on the X and Milestone. He also provides you the option of choosing what you pay for the app. No matter what you pay, you get the same program, but if you think what he did was awesome, you won't feel ripped off if you pay him more than the .99 cents it takes to get started.

 

[Leif]

Wow....um...sorry, it's just my personal opinion, but that way seems far more complected than the way Birdman's original exploit did it.

1. Just download the exploit files.
2. Put them on your phone.
3. Using ADB or some type of shell, run the commands the script tells you to do (including turning on/off wifi and deleting exploid).

Your rooted.

 

[doctorlove316]

It doesn't get much simpler than this application. Buy the $.99 application, tap the "root me" button, and you're done.

Going through the original root method that Birdman fixed us up with is easy but there were a TON of people having problems setting up ADB. If you're familiar with that stuff, then yes it is easy. That's how I originally rooted but I also got this app to test it out and I've got to say, the one-click method is much easier.

 

[salanester]

I think his post made using EasyRoot seem a little bit more involved than it is. (not that it isn't correct in its steps)

I've done both and EasyRoot is by far the easiest for someone who is a novice...IMHO. No matter how easy it actually is to use Birdman's method when you start talking about shells, running commands, and scripts...you are gonna lose some people.

 

[Leif]

Meh, I guess you may be right. (Several of my friends at university think I'm insane for saying CLI based interfaces are much better than GUI based ones (for file management, math/science/programming/etc, anyway, I've yet to find a good CLI web browser for example), then again, several others agree with me. ).

 

[blunt420]

ok so i rooted and i opted for the dude i think your amazing 4.99 cause i think the app is super easy and its only 5 bucks thats like a coffee lol but my question is what do i do now that im rooted

 

[salanester]

Meh, I guess you may be right. (Several of my friends at university think I'm insane for saying CLI based interfaces are much better than GUI based ones (for file management, math/science/programming/etc, anyway, I've yet to find a good CLI web browser for example), then again, several others agree with me. ).

The fact that you have discussions about a CLI based interface puts you in a different category from most (along with your friends).

I'd say 9/10 average joes want to just hit a button that says 'root me'...lol. You could probably even say 4 of those 9 don't even know why the heck they are rooting to begin with.

 

[salanester]

ok so i rooted and i opted for the dude i think your amazing 4.99 cause i think the app is super easy and its only 5 bucks thats like a coffee lol but my question is what do i do now that im rooted

http://forum.androidcentral.com/motorola-x-roms-hacks/25325-apps-worth-rooting.html

 

[blunt420]

The fact that you have discussions about a CLI based interface puts you in a different category from most (along with your friends).

I'd say 9/10 average joes want to just hit a button that says 'root me'...lol. You could probably even say 4 of those 9 don't even know why the heck they are rooting to begin with.

hey stop talking about me lol i know im one of those people that just wants it to have it lol

 

[.46caliber]

I think his post made using EasyRoot seem a little bit more involved than it is. (not that it isn't correct in its steps)

I've done both and EasyRoot is by far the easiest for someone who is a novice...IMHO. No matter how easy it actually is to use Birdman's method when you start talking about shells, running commands, and scripts...you are gonna lose some people.

Yeah, after reading it again, breaking into 10 steps makes it seem like a bigger process than what it really is. I think it took more to write the post than perform the root.

That being said, I wanted to break it down into the simplest steps possible. I don't think the method or explanation is complicated, but I would say the explanation is a bit lengthy. If you read each of those steps, they are not complex at all. This way, someone can read each individual step and hopefully understand completely.

 

[Leif]

He, he, okay, sorry guys.

I actually did just watch a video of how it was done, and it did seam really easy. (Although I'm not sure why you need to restart your phone. (maybe it happened when I wasn't looking, that has happened before, oO ) but still, fairly easy to do.

 

[blunt420]

Im a complete idiot and i did it in less than 5 minutes its so simple what i do now that im rooted well that's another question

 

[.46caliber]

Im a complete idiot and i did it in less than 5 minutes its so simple what i do now that im rooted well that's another question

There are some pretty cool apps that require root to use. You can now WiFi tether without paying VZW. Overclocking to an extent is now possible, even with the locked bootloader.

avlfive can provide more info than I can.

 

[greydarrah]

This (the OP's post) is a great set of directions for someone who has never rooted. Using EasyRoot is incredibly simple...just click the button...one step. 46caliber just gave us a bunch of other steps like buying it, downloading it, using Astro to open/install the.apk file. It wasn't too long ago that I had no idea how to install something that the Market didn't install for me.

Nice job.

 

[1xmattx1]

******Total Noob question for rooting. If I root my Device, Is it easy for me to unroot? and will it delete anything off my phone or anything?

I'm tempted i'm just wondering is it as simple to unroot as it is to root?

Also is using the Free Wifi Tether a good idea? or can verzion tell?

If it's okay to use then can someone link to it?

 

[doctorlove316]

It's just as easy to unroot as it is to root. If you used the one click method, then it's just one click to unroot.

There are a few different applications for wireless tether. Just search the market.

Depending on what you use it for, yes, Verizon can tell. Whether or not they do anything about it is on them.

 

[1xmattx1]

It's just as easy to unroot as it is to root. If you used the one click method, then it's just one click to unroot.

There are a few different applications for wireless tether. Just search the market.

Depending on what you use it for, yes, Verizon can tell. Whether or not they do anything about it is on them.

so if i don't like the root, i can unroot. and there will be nothing done to my phone other then su is gone? basically?

 

[.46caliber]

so if i don't like the root, i can unroot. and there will be nothing done to my phone other then su is gone? basically?

Exactly, the whole process is undone. In order to completely hide your tracks, like if you were to take it into to VZW for service, there are a few more things that I would do.

I would make sure you un-install any apps you had installed that require root. A WiFi tether app, or DroCap. Delete the file off your SD card so that can't see that you had the file. You can always re-root later, you would have to ask Unstable Apps if you will be able to re-use your key or if you will need to purchase a new one.

I'm planning on taking my DX in to be replaced for 3G connectivity issues, so I will un-root and remove any evidence for that and I will update the post with a complete step-by-step un-root using EasyRoot.

 

[1xmattx1]

Exactly, the whole process is undone. In order to completely hide your tracks, like if you were to take it into to VZW for service, there are a few more things that I would do.

I would make sure you un-install any apps you had installed that require root. A WiFi tether app, or DroCap. Delete the file off your SD card so that can't see that you had the file. You can always re-root later, you would have to ask Unstable Apps if you will be able to re-use your key or if you will need to purchase a new one.

I'm planning on taking my DX in to be replaced for 3G connectivity issues, so I will un-root and remove any evidence for that and I will update the post with a complete step-by-step un-root using EasyRoot.

That Would also be an awesome guide!