First foray into rooting territory: questions

[tbns]

I tried doing some searches on the forums to see if my questions could be answered, I didn't see any direct answers on this. This is going to be my first foray into rooting.

1) After rooting my phone, will updates from HTC/Verizon continue to be installed without trouble?

2) If I un-root my phone, which I've read can be done, can Verizon see that my phone has been rooted in the past? This is mainly for warranty or insurance concerns down the line.

3) I love messing around with gadgets, installing new things, etc. However, this is my only phone and it needs to be functional all the time. Do you guys ever get yourself in a bind with rooting/flashing roms where you aren't able to make calls out?

4) I have both OS X and Windows machines. If you had to choose, which is the best platform to launch the rooting attack?

5) Will all of my paid-for applications from Amazon marketplace, AppBrain, etc. load on a rooted/rom'ed phone without a hitch?

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[zero neck]

I tried doing some searches on the forums to see if my questions could be answered, I didn't see any direct answers on this. This is going to be my first foray into rooting.

1) After rooting my phone, will updates from HTC/Verizon continue to be installed without trouble?

2) If I un-root my phone, which I've read can be done, can Verizon see that my phone has been rooted in the past? This is mainly for warranty or insurance concerns down the line.

3) I love messing around with gadgets, installing new things, etc. However, this is my only phone and it needs to be functional all the time. Do you guys ever get yourself in a bind with rooting/flashing roms where you aren't able to make calls out?

4) I have both OS X and Windows machines. If you had to choose, which is the best platform to launch the rooting attack?

5) Will all of my paid-for applications from Amazon marketplace, AppBrain, etc. load on a rooted/rom'ed phone without a hitch?

Thanks for the help everyone!

1. no but you can get the updates for root users or included in a rom as they come out.

2. they won't know if you unroot, s-on, back to stock.

3. it will be functional as long as you flash stable roms, and not alphas or betas or what have you.

4. both are easy. i used a mac. lots of people use a pc. read the stickied threads i guess and pick one.

5. in general all your apps should work fine assuming the rom is stable.

 

[neutronjeff]

As someone who is also considering this, I'm looking for links or threads or recommendations on where I can read to get a basic understanding of what the various tools and components are, and what they do/ what you use them to accomplish.
I have read things on here where I just don't understand the jargon. Like "flashing", I realize that has a specific meaning here that I need to understand beyond copy or load.

Your recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Forgetful]

Read.. If you still have questions after reading ask here.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/6037-general-rom-faq.html

http://forum.androidcentral.com/gen...-effective-way-when-flashing-custom-roms.html

http://forum.androidcentral.com/hac...ed-questions-concerns-about-rooting-here.html

 

[tbns]

Thanks for the reads, particularly the part about carrier updates. So, lets say I want to avoid a worst-case scenario where the carrier update checks out and installs on my rooted phone, and then breaks it. Can carrier updates simply be turned off?

 

[Forgetful]

Thanks for the reads, particularly the part about carrier updates. So, lets say I want to avoid a worst-case scenario where the carrier update checks out and installs on my rooted phone, and then breaks it. Can carrier updates simply be turned off?

I'm pretty sure you can just choose to not instal the update when it prompts you to. And if you flash a new rom or remove bloatware you most likely wont even get prompted for an update.

Not that it matters if you want to stay current. Root users typically get the updates a few weeks in advanced due to leaks.

 

[tbns]

I'm pretty sure you can just choose to not instal the update when it prompts you to. And if you flash a new rom or remove bloatware you most likely wont even get prompted for an update.

Not that it matters if you want to stay current. Root users typically get the updates a few weeks in advanced due to leaks.

Interesting. I think I'm going to make the leap in rooting. I just remember the day that I bought the thunderbolt, I had dialogue boxes pop-up saying that an update will occur in so many minutes, and that the phone will auto-restart. I didn't even have to click 'ok' or approve it. It would have been possible to miss those had I of not been playing around with the phone; just wouldn't want to wake up one morning with no phone or be out stranded on the side of the road because of an auto update .

 

[tbns]

Rooted! Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I know I'm a little late the party, as the OP has already rooted his TBolt (a good choice, you won't be sorry), but I wanted to chime in on your first two questions...

1. No, but you probably won't have to worry about that, as developers constantly develop custom ROMs based on the latest updates that are easy to install if you want.

2. The reason rooting your phone voids your warranty is because Verizon/HTC/etc can't be held responsible if you take matters into your own hands and do something stupid to your phone. I don't blame them, it a smart policy to have. Unfortunately, something may go wrong with your device that has NOTHING to do with the fact that you rooted it... Obviously, the best choice is to restore your phone to factory and try to resolve the issue, but make no mistake: IF YOU CHOOSE TO ROOT YOUR PHONE AND UNLOCK ALL OF THE GOODNESS THAT COMES WITH IT, YOU DO ACCEPT A CERTAIN RISK. Situations may arise where you end up with a bricked phone, and there's no way to restore it, and there's no way Verizon will honor a warranty claim. Granted, if you're smart, pay attention, follow instructions, and read before you leap; then the odds of that happening are pretty freakin' low...but it is a risk you accept none the less.


Since you're new to the rooted world, you may also want to see my guide for backing up and restoring apps when installing new ROMs...

http://forum.androidcentral.com/thu...store-apps-data-when-installing-new-roms.html

 

[mcowger]

1. no but you can get the updates for root users or included in a rom as they come out.

2. they won't know if you unroot, s-on, back to stock.

3. it will be functional as long as you flash stable roms, and not alphas or betas or what have you.

4. both are easy. i used a mac. lots of people use a pc. read the stickied threads i guess and pick one.

5. in general all your apps should work fine assuming the rom is stable.

100% agreement with all of the above.

 

[tbns]

Lots to learn, thanks for the links. I've backed up using ROM manager and installed dasBAMF. Will look at your link on application and data backup. Love it. Not to jump too far into uncharted territory, but would overclocking my thunderbolt using the dasBAMF app to 1.2 or 1.4 gigahertz be still within a reasonable margin of safety?

I'm definitely aware of the " pay to play" reality; just fishing for information on the level of risk this entails. Not out to ruin my phone and expect Verizon to take care of it.

 

[Smittyn804]

Lots to learn, thanks for the links. I've backed up using ROM manager and installed dasBAMF. Will look at your link on application and data backup. Love it. Not to jump too far into uncharted territory, but would overclocking my thunderbolt using the dasBAMF app to 1.2 or 1.4 gigahertz be still within a reasonable margin of safety?

I'm definitely aware of the " pay to play" reality; just fishing for information on the level of risk this entails. Not out to ruin my phone and expect Verizon to take care of it.

The Android Dictionary (aka "What the hell are they talking about?!?!")

OVERCLOCKING the 411‎

The Official Thunderbolt ROMs & Kernels Listing v2.0

Hope these help answer your questions. I am new to Android and Rooting as well and these helped me out. Make sure you save links and follow links you find useful. Chances are you are going to want to go back more than a couple times as you get more into flashing ROMS and Kernels. Mistakes are going to happen but as long as you don't go into anything blind there isn't much the community here at AC can't help you get fixed.