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I have installed an Android Application which was developed by the friend of mine. It had installed on my Android phone (HTC G2, with Android 2.2). I need to locate the application forlders, and especially SQLite database which was created along with the application, because I need to copy it to my PC. I did seach on SD card but I did not found it, so I assume it must be on the device RAM, but I really don't know the structure and how the apps are organized. I might suspect the SQLites data filename, but that all I know at the moment.
Can somebody pint me to some utility which will allow to find the database, and the application path, and most of all to copy it to the PC ???
Thanks - Arthur
The database and any other "data" used by the app will be located in /data/data/ then inside a directory that corresponds to the app's package name. If we use the Kindle app as an example, the path to it's data would be: /data/data/com.amazon.kindle
unfortunately I checked this foldeor on RAM as well as SD and couldn't find it. device /data folder is empty, and SD gas some other stuff bot not this App.
aklisiewicz said:
unfortunately I checked this foldeor on RAM as well as SD and couldn't find it. device /data folder is empty, and SD gas some other stuff bot not this App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have also said, you need to be rooted in order to see the contents of the /data directory. Without root access, it will be shown as empty because you do not have permission to view or modify. If your phone is rooted, you can use Root Explorer, Terminal Emulator, or adb to access /data and copy, modify, create, or delete files there.
Thank you for your time. That would explain why I do not see it.
OK, I have HTC G2 from T-Mobile, I think it has Android 2.2
Nothing was changed or updated on this phone since I bough it last fall. I'm not with T-Mobile anymore so I do not wat to mess up with the phone unless I'm really sure what am I doing. The only nice thing is that the phone is unlocked now. The reason I ask those questions is because I am working on some tool, which is a desktop program wchich supposed to sync SQLite data from device to the PC.
What I want to do is to connect the device through USB cable, then have it mapped is it normally does (i.e. drive H. Then access the SQLite file from the desktop application by opening the database through that link and syncing the records. Not sure but I hope this approach would work. If it cannot work that way then eventually I want to copy the SQLite dB file to the PC sync database and then copy it back to the device. I already have a desktop App which work on SQLite localy so now I want to access the device, having the same dB file residing on my android phone instead on my local HD.
What could be the reason that the installed APP doesn't want to move to SD ???
I would appreciate any suggestions...
What is required to root the phone? I've herd there are some risks. Besides I probably have to find some other solutions as none of the App users would want to root their devices (or have a knowledge how to do it).
aklisiewicz said:
Thank you for your time. That would explain why I do not see it.
OK, I have HTC G2 from T-Mobile, I think it has Android 2.2
Nothing was changed or updated on this phone since I bough it last fall. I'm not with T-Mobile anymore so I do not wat to mess up with the phone unless I'm really sure what am I doing. The only nice thing is that the phone is unlocked now. The reason I ask those questions is because I am working on some tool, which is a desktop program wchich supposed to sync SQLite data from device to the PC.
What I want to do is to connect the device through USB cable, then have it mapped is it normally does (i.e. drive H. Then access the SQLite file from the desktop application by opening the database through that link and syncing the records. Not sure but I hope this approach would work. If it cannot work that way then eventually I want to copy the SQLite dB file to the PC sync database and then copy it back to the device. I already have a desktop App which work on SQLite localy so now I want to access the device, having the same dB file residing on my android phone instead on my local HD.
What could be the reason that the installed APP doesn't want to move to SD ???
I would appreciate any suggestions...
What is required to root the phone? I've herd there are some risks. Besides I probably have to find some other solutions as none of the App users would want to root their devices (or have a knowledge how to do it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Took me a bit to get back to you but figure better late than never...
Here is a good FAQ on rooting among other things specific to the G2(the US variant of the Desire Z). In order to root your G2, this guide looks to be good as he's simplified and automated a good bit of the process, should be safe, and seems to work. You'll need to install the two apps he mentions in step 1 and download the zip file he mentions in step 2 which is attached at the bottom of the post then just follow the instructions.
As for the database stuff, if you end up needing to access the /data directory you'll have to be rooted. Also, moving the app to the sdcard won't really help you with having access to the app's files. Froyo built-in App2SD just moves the apk file to a hidden directory on /sdcard (.android_secure) but the app data, cache and all that stuff will still be on internal memory. But to answer why the app won't move to the sd card, I'm guessing it's because the app itself must allow for it to be moved since by default, an app doesn't have this enabled unless the app dev gives it that ability.
To communicate with the phone, even with root access, you'll probably have to do so through adb commands or use an adb shell to be able to run shell commands on the phone. This would require adb be set up on the user's computer. If you want to play around with adb, there's a nice guide called ADB for Noobs that goes through setting it up and starting out using it. I can't say I've really done anything with SQLite databases on Android and certainly not then syncing it to a computer so I could be off-base or overlooking a workaround.
Thank you for your valuable information. You guys are really great help, and I appreciate your time. I will study the links provided.
In the meantime my main concern is to access SQLite database, as I need to get to the records, or at least be able to copy it back and forth between device an PC. I guess the database file would be something like MyDatabase.db , but I have no cule how to find it and copy it. As you have said it might be in some system protected directory. The main issue is that I will ne a solution which would work on every standard device (no the rooted one), so I need something very easy for the user to setup and follow. I have seen a utility that allow to manipulate SQLite records directly on device, but again thsi tools requires to root the phone (which I'm reluctant to do) because ot the above reasons. If you could help my to resove this I would be very graceful!
Arthur
aklisiewicz said:
Thank you for your valuable information. You guys are really great help, and I appreciate your time. I will study the links provided.
In the meantime my main concern is to access SQLite database, as I need to get to the records, or at least be able to copy it back and forth between device an PC. I guess the database file would be something like MyDatabase.db , but I have no cule how to find it and copy it. As you have said it might be in some system protected directory. The main issue is that I will ne a solution which would work on every standard device (no the rooted one), so I need something very easy for the user to setup and follow. I have seen a utility that allow to manipulate SQLite records directly on device, but again thsi tools requires to root the phone (which I'm reluctant to do) because ot the above reasons. If you could help my to resove this I would be very graceful!
Arthur
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless there is some trick I don't know about you are going to have to be rooted to get access to the database. I found a couple links discussing this: here and here. The second link does mention that the app with the database you want to access could be written to store the database on the sdcard where it would then be accessible but that would be unsecure since anything could read/modify it there.
Thanks, looks like I have to do more research on my own. It is hard to believe for me that Google would not allow to access the same database from different Apps. I've seen there is a Java class ContentProvider which seems to allow that, so I will study this, perhaps it will help. Thank for you help.
Arthur
There are a few of these guides around, but I thought to write my own. Hope it will be helpful! I'll keep the most up-to-date version on my site.
Rooting Android: What Is it?
If you've heard about "rooting" your Android phone, and are confused by what exactly it does, or don't understand the instructions you found on an obscure forum or blog post somewhere, this guide might help you make sense of things.
What Is "Root"?
"Root" is the name of the default administrative user in Unix. The user named "root" can do absolutely anything: edit or delete any file, start or stop any system service, and also add, remove or change the privileges of other users, so that they, too, could perform the same operation.
So, user "root" can actually bestow administrative privileges on any Android user, including the default one you use normally on the phone.
When you buy an Android phone, it normally does not let you login as user "root".
What Can User "Root" Do?
Your phone is really a general-purpose hand-held computer. People have written apps for it that can do the things like this:
Turn it into a wireless internet router, connecting to your 3G/4G network on one end, and broadcasting a wifi hotspot on another. You can thus connect your laptop to the internet from anywhere. "Tethering," but without cables!
Lets you overwrite any of the Android system files, customizing it to your heart's content. This lets you customize the built-in fonts, colors, keyboards, etc.
Lets you install newer versions of Android, beyond what your phone's vendor has provided.
Why stop at standard Android? Because Android is an open source operating system, people have been able to modify it to add features far and beyond what Google has put in it, as well as offering better performance in some situations. With administrative privileges, you can just flash an entire new Android ROM to your phone. A very popular one is CynaogenMod, which is based on Android 2.3.
Install various networking servers and clients, such as QuickSSHd to allow logging in to your phone over the internet, or CifsManager, which lets you access Windows shared drives from your phone.
Who knows? People might think of new users for these hand-held computers, uses that would require full access to all features of the phone.
Why Won't My Phone Normally Let Me Login As "Root"?
First, for reliability -- as far as you're concerned.
Imagine if your phone automatically gave you administrative access. This means that any app you install can do anything it wants to it. Obviously, unacceptable.
An alternate solution is available in newer versions of Windows and other desktop operating systems, which require you to enter a special administrative password whenever a program is trying to access secure parts of your computer. This is annoying enough on a desktop computer: on a phone, it would again be unacceptable.
So, it makes sense -- for your sake -- to disallow any administrative privileges.
Second, for reliability -- as far the phone vendor is concerned.
A smartphone, unlike a PC, is an expensive consumer device with an explicit support contract. People normally and frequently return phones to the shop if they stop working properly, or call customer support to get assistance. There's a huge cost for the vendor to maintain this support network.
Think for a minute what would happen if any phone user could login as "root" and delete any system file: you would have broken phones everywhere, frustrated consumers, and clogged support networks. Indeed, "rooting" a phone pretty much voids your warranty as far the vendor is concerned.
I Understand the Risks and Am Willing to Void the Warranty, So Why Can't I Login As "Root"? It's My Phone!
Even if logging in as "root" were an advanced feature, hidden away somewhere in the menus with thousands of warnings about possible dangers, you can bet that many non-advanced users would find it. When their phone breaks, you bet they will be angry, and will not care that the warnings were there. As far as they would be concerned, this "root" thing is a feature of their phone, and if it can break the phone then it shouldn't even be there.
And there's a third party who has a business interest in denying you "root": the telecommunication carriers. Their business model is designed around typical consumer uses of the phone, and they do not want it to be too powerful. For example, a "rooted" phone can let you tether it to a laptop, so that your laptop gets its internet access. But, carriers typically sell special "laptop sticks" for that purpose specifically, and these usually are more expensive than phone plans, because they take into account the much heavier bandwidth that laptop users tend to use. If everybody could "root" their phone and tether it, this product -- and source of revenue -- would be irrelevant.
So, Phones Don't Come with a "Root" User?
Android is based on the Linux operating system, which requires the "root" user to function. It's there. However, the vendor has tried to hide all the normal ways to access it. The "root" user is there, it's just "locked."
What Is "Rooting"?
In the context of Android phone, rooting means more than just letting you log in as the "root" user: it means installing a set of tools so that any of your programs can access "root" when then need to and you allow them.
The result is that "rooted" phone works just like Windows, in that it will ask you for permission (but not a password) whenever an app is trying to get administrative privileges.
Fortunately, once you gain access to the "root" user, it's very easily to install a set of standard apps that let you implement this feature, specifically the Superuser app.
How Do I Root My Phone?
Nothing in software can be truly locked down, and hackers have found ways to get "root" access on any Android phone on the market. There are quite a few holes.
But, these methods vary a lot and are different per phone. It's easier on some phones than others. It's often risky, too, because a misstep could potentially "brick" your phone -- making it so that you cannot boot into Android. "Unbricking" is possible in some cases, but not in others. Take care!
Search the internet, and you will likely find various blog and forums posts with instructions for rooting your particular phone model.
This is not a guide for rooting your particular phone model. Instead, it is a general description of what rooting is and how it works. It can help you understand the rooting instructions you find.
Any Downsides?
Well, first of all, there is the risk of bricking your phone. You might want to make sure that someone you know with the same model phone as you have has used the method before. Or, read about it in the internet forums, and make sure that lots of other people have used this method successfully.
Also, you may void your warranty: of course, this would only happen if customer support looks closely at your phone and notices that it has been rooted. It's a good idea to look at these rooting guides to see if there is an easy way to un-root the phone, or at least return it to factory settings.
Finally, there's the issue of "firmware updates" coming from your carrier. Sometimes they will work fine with rooted phones (as long as custom Android ROM has not been installed on them), but depending on the rooting method it may mean that won't work fine anymore. "Not working fine" can mean that the upgrades simply won't run, but it can also mean that the upgrades would fail terribly and brick your phone. Generally, if you have rooted your phone and are getting an "Update Available, Do you want to download?" message from your carrier, don't just say "yes," instead check the forums to see the experience of other people with rooted phones with this update. Generally this problem seems rare, a result of a very poor upgrade package from the vendor -- the usual case is that the upgrade simply won't work.
Don't worry too much: with a rooted phone (and a good Recovery program, see below) you will likely be able to install the upgrade yourself, and possibly better upgrades to more advanced versions of Android than your vendor provides.
How Rooting Works
First, let's understand how the locking down happens.
Your phone actually has more than just Android installed on it. There are, at minimum, three and usually four "partitions" in which entirely different programs are installed. Android is just one of them.
The Boot Loader
The first partition has the boot loader, the very first program see when you turn on the phone normally. The boot loader's main job is simply to boot other partitions, and by default it just boots the Android partition, commonly called the ROM (described below). So, you don't really see the boot loader for very long.
However, all phones allow for a special way of turning them on -- for example, holding the volume up button while pressing the power on button -- that shows the boot loader menu.
When you're there, you can actually choose if you want to boot into the Android partition, or you can boot into the Recovery partition (described in detail below).
The interesting thing about the boot loader is that it is very, very simple. It has no mechanism for users and privileges. One way to look at it is that it always is "root," and in fact can't be anything else.
Sounds like a good place from which to unlock your phone! Unfortunately, most boot loaders are too simple.
One exception is the boot loader found in Google's Nexus phones, and in a few other developer-friendly phones. These boot loaders can actually communicate with a PC over USB, and support writing data to partitions ("flashing" them), as well as booting from them. With this feature, you can flash an unlocked Android ROM to the Android partition, and you're done! Well, the challenge is just to find such a ROM that works well with your phone...
Most phones don't have such a flexible boot loader. However, getting into the boot loader menu is important, because it lets you boot into the Recovery partition, detailed next.
The Recovery Partition
As its name can tell you, this partition is mostly for customer support: the Recovery program can be used to return the Android partition to its factory settings, which can solve a lot of problems with faulty phones, or phones that were infected by bad apps. It can also format the SD card partition.
Some Recovery programs can also install special phone upgrades from the SD card, that write directly to ("flash") the Android ROM partition. Obviously, free access for anyone would allow rooting, so vendors make sure that Recovery would only accept official upgrades. But, one way to root a phone would be for hackers to find a way to create such an "upgrade" that the Recovery program would accept.
There's quite a lot of variation in Recovery programs out there: every vendor has their own idea of which recovery features would be useful for their customer support team. Boot into yours and take a look! It's harmless, unless you actually choose one of the recovery options...
Like the boot loader, the Recovery program is always in "root". A hacked Recovery program could let you flash an unlocked Android ROM, or run any "upgrade" you like. So, in addition to just "recovering" an unusable phone, it can help you "recover" the "root" user that has been locked from you!
A good Recovery program is very useful for customizing your phone, beyond just rooting it. By far the most popular Recovery program is Clockwork Recovery, also called ClockworkMod.
Some rooting methods begin by finding a way to flash ClockworkMod to your Recovery partition, from which you can then run an "upgrade" that roots your phone. Other rooting method find another way in, but still recommend you flash ClockwordMod as soon as possible, because it's just so useful for customizers.
You will not find a homepage or an "official" way to download ClockwordMod: carriers obviously do not want you get have easy access to it. But, search around, and you will find one appropriate for your phone. The ROM Manager app can also flash it for you, assuming you are already rooted.
The SD Card
This is another partition, entirely for you. It is not protected in any way, and you have full access to reading and writing files on it.
For many phones, this partition does not exist unless you physically install an SD card. Some phones have a built-in SD card.
The Android ROM
Finally, the most important partition on your phone! When the boot loader starts the Linux operating system (the "kernel") that sits underneath Android, one of the first subsystems to come up is the security system. From then on, the "root" user will be used to start various user-level subsystems required for the phone to function.
Eventually, the default user will be started, and that will be used to run your apps: the status and notification bar that appears on the top of the screen, the settings manager, the virtual keyboards, etc. Finally you get the home launcher, from which you can launch all the other apps on your phone. None of these programs run as "root", so you are effectively locked from administrative privileges.
The Linux operating system can set security permissions per file. So, indeed large parts of this partition are restricted to be read-only by any user except "root". So, if you boot into Android, none of the apps you run will be able to change these system files. The rest of the partition is readable-and-writeable, and generally functions just like the SD card partition, though it's usually much smaller.
Of course, if you boot into Recovery instead, you will be able to write to these files, because you are "root" there. That's why ClockworkMod is so useful for rooting your phone!
Most Android apps run on yet another layer, a virtual machine called Dalvik, which is a heavily modified version of the Java virtual machine found on previous generations of cell phones, as well as on desktop computers, servers, and many other devices. Definitely, everything you install from an app store will run on Dalvik. Dalvik is a tightly controlled environment in which privileges are carefully controlled per program, beyond what the Linux operating system provides. Not only do apps not have administrative access to the phone, but they can be limited in access to wifi, cellular access, and your data.
Except... that Android does provide a way for apps to request administrative privileges. In locked phones, this is automatically and silently denied. However, the Superuser app can hook into these requests and let any app switch to the "root" user, from which they have full administrative access. A friendly dialog box will pop up, asking you if you want to give the app full permissions. Say yes, and there you go!
A phone in which the Superuser app is running properly is rooted.
Summary: Rooting Methods
The rooting instructions you find will likely be one of these, or a combination of these steps:
Phones with boot loaders that can be unlocked (such as Google's Nexus) will let you flash other partitions. You can flash a whole Android ROM that is already rooted, such as CynaogenMod, and you're done! Or, if you don't want to replace your entire Android ROM, you can flash ClockworkMod into the Recovery partition, and move from there to the next method.
Some rooting methods start with a hacked way to flash ClockworkMod into the Recovery partition. With ClockworkMod, you can run your own special "upgrade" from the SD card. This "upgrade" will vary a lot per phone model, but at the minimum it will involve installing the Superuser app. For some phones, it will modify a few Linux configuration settings to make sure that Superuser app can login as "root." Other, more heavily locked-down phone models might require replacing certain locked parts of Linux and the Android system, sometimes much of the Linux "kernel" itself.
Other rooting methods use the phone's existing Recovery program, but the hackers found a way to create an "upgrade" that can fool the Recovery program into believing it's official. From there on, it's identical to the previous step.
Some rooting methods start straight from Android. Hackers found a way to login as root while Android is running. Of course, logging in as root is not the same rooting, but once you are logged in as root you can run a similar "upgrade" as is used in the previous steps.
Need More Help?
Don't ask me, please! Seriously, I spent a lot of time writing this long article specifically so I would not have to keep answering questions about the process. There are many internet forums and bloggers that welcome questions from noobs. I've generally found the Android hacker community to be extremely generous and welcoming.
Happy rooting!
Nice - but clarification requested
I like the article as it answers some questions.
One thing I'm curious about - you seem to use the terms Recovery Partition and Recovery Program interchangeably. Is that your intent? I'm not trying to split hairs - I just want to understand. I would have expected booting into the recovery partition loads the recovery program.
Also, you talk about how vendors choose features of their recovery program. CWM is then a replacement for the vendor supplied recovery program, correct? If you root then install CWM, are you in effect replacing the recovery program after rooting (as opposed to forcing CWM to overwrite the existing recovery program via flash)?
Thx
Thanks!
A very useful guide for android beginners like me!
Sorry for the bump . This post deserves a thanks and a bump
Thanks! A very useful guide for beginner. I've forwarded this to my colleague who just switched from Windows to Android phone.
Much appreciation!
Thank you so much. I have just purchased a rooted phone & have a ton of questions. Have spent hours here tonight searching for basic info. Finally found this & it really helped this total "noob".
Thank you again.
thanks (very2 usefull) from iphone4 user
Good work..
Sent from my Galaxy Mini using xda-premium
Thanks. It helped very much
how to root sony xperia u
How to root sony xperia U..?
please give me detailed and simple procedure to follow...
i would also happy to know should i have pc drivers to run this rooting process..?
thanks
Thx for taking the time to write the article helped me understand a lot of things
I am a NOOB, but I like myself just fine. The video for NOOBs is funny, but IMHO, should be a bit more serious.
I'm one of those people experiencing issues with GPS and TTFF being excessively long on the MT. Cry.
If I run MyPhoneExplorer, I can see the system file structure, and I believe I can move files to the phone. I believe I can do the same with SwiFTP.
Can one drop replacement GPS libraries for example into the SYSTEM and SYSTEM/HW sub-directories using a program like MPE, or an FTP program like SwiFTP without rooting, and would they be honored on the next reboot?
Would I be mangling some check-sum or other that determines the integrity of the system loaded?
I'm one of those users that doesn't really want to root if not necessary, but I wonder if doing some mod like the above - would doing so lay subsequent update pushes from VMUSA to waste?
Also, I'd really like if possible to flag some programs not to load, unless I explicitly ask them to load via the U.I. with intent. I suppose I'd have to root to do something like that. Perhaps with Ginger-Break? Would doing this make subsequent updates problematic?
Any information regarding my constraints and options to effect both of the above would be very appreciated. Thanks.
There are ways to mount the various partitions from a host machine (e.g. Linux) while it is in the "emergency" flash mode, which would permit what you want to do. Doing this is quite dangerous - at least as much as rooting the device and perhaps more-so.
I appreciate the response.
OK, if I were to root via Gingerbreak and install the files that way, then un-root, would my system then appear to be (to an update provided by Motorola or VMUSA) as something which couldn't be updated?
In other-words would rooting put me on a path to having to use specially modified updates?
Thanks.
Depends on what you change.
In GENERAL no, the update will come through. The major risk is that it crashes on install as some part of what you changed is a dependency but is not reloaded. This is rare, but can happen.
So.... root, install Clockwork, and make an immediate Nandroid backup BEFORE you screw with anything. That SHOULD allow you to un-hose yourself if you get in trouble.
Good day,
I am new to the forum so please forgive me if this is not the right place to ask.
I have been reading through some of the threads on the forum and is curious to know if there is a way to load custom kernel libraries or device drivers onto the phone.
If there is a way, is there a correct procedure? For example to load a custom device driver / kernel library, do I also have to have an entry in the registry? Does the dll file have to be in /Windows?
Thanks in advance.
Good questions. There's been only a little research on this so far. I can tell you waht I've found, though:
For a stock ROM, nobody has managed it yet, but it might be possible. You'll need to have your DLL signed, and the certificate added to the Code Integrity store on the phone (just mailing yourself the .cer is insufficient! That will put it in the wrong store). You'll probalby want the DLL to be in \Windows, although I'm not sure it's needed. You almost certainly will need to add registry entries; the current drivers seem to have them.
Good day,
thanks for your reply. And thanks for all the good research you have done.
So at the moment, the software approach is not working but for custom roms, is it possible to include custom device drivers / kernel libraries in them?
Thank you.
mousefish321 said:
Good day,
thanks for your reply. And thanks for all the good research you have done.
So at the moment, the software approach is not working but for custom roms, is it possible to include custom device drivers / kernel libraries in them?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's possible. The HD2 Multitouch driver is an example that its somehow possible. Should be the same for the other devices (espacially HTC first gens)...
But don't know what you're getting at? Why would you need a custom driver?
Good day,
well, I just think that having a driver that acts like HTCUtility would make things convenient.
As for file operations, besides the application that Heathcliff has created (WP7RootTool), are there other applications that can do write operations to the /Windows folder?
What are the things that needs to be done before we can write to that folder?
Thank you.
Any app with Elevated or TCB privileges can write to \Windows, I think. Using HtcRoot project or WP7 Root Tools works (both elevate apps to TCB permissions, though using different methods). Also, using an OEM driver, such as HtcProvisionDrv or HtcFileUtility, works (although those two particular drivers were crippled in the 4.x firmware).
Good day,
thanks for the information. I tried the HtcRoot tool and it works. Thanks for the tool and the source that allows me to know how it works.
Can I assume that I would be able to have write access to the Certificate and Code Integrity store also?
I am also curious as to the workings of HTCFileUtility. A quick search on this turns up little information on its workings.
Furthermore, is there a guide to inserting custom certificates to the root Certificate and Code Integrity store? I have tried downloading the Certificates.zip file in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1236027 and test rom files in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1248799 hoping that they will shed some light but is unable to download them.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
Yes, installing your own cert into Code Integrity is possible (in several ways, actually, but I did it using HtcRoot just as an exercise). The certificates are actually stored in the registry, so any tool that can write to HKLM can add them. I believe that WP7 Root Tools will also let you choose the store for adding a certificate if you "open" the cert from the Root Tools filebrowser.
Although I don't know exactly how HtcFileUtility works, here's the basics. It's a software driver that exposes an interface - probably an IOCTL - which apps can use to perform filesystem operations. Since it runs with TCB permissions (it's probably kernel mode, though I haven't actually checked, but it's definitely in TCB) it can perform any operation that the filesystem supports. Of course, that doesn't mean that it exposes all those operations through the IOCTL... but it exposes enough of them for a pretty solid filebrowser implementation (that's how TouchXplorer and Advanced Explorer worked, although they used an OEM COM DLL that called into the driver rather than doing the IOCTL themselves).
The new version of it has very limited operations permitted; it will only list files in a few folders and so forth. It does still "work" within those limitations - Connection Setup, for example, uses it to check the folder that we use for interop-unlock on HTC - but it isn't useful for a general-purpose browser anymore.
It would be great to even figure out how to roll back the OEM drivers to earlier versions. For example, I've got WP7 Root Tools installed on my HD7, but I don't want to install HTC updates because they'll break my drivers such that if something ever goes wrong I won't be able to re-install Root Tools, or if a new hack is found (or developed; I'm working on some stuff with HtcRoot still) I won't be able to run it on my phone. Being able to use the advantages of the new firmware (Internet Sharing, compass in managed apps, hopefully an end to the damn music player freezing between songs...) while still having hackable OEM drivers would be reallllly nice...
Good day,
thanks for the information.
I noticed in the HTCRoot project thread where you mentioned that "It is not a true handle (no handle table, no handle data) but everything that checks for tokens also checks for this const value, and appears to pretty much skip all remaining permissions checks if it finds it".
Would you mind sharing some of the function names so that I could take a look at the code where the checking occurs?
Thanks.
A Chairde
I am wondering if anyone can help me. I have heard there are Rooting methods on Android devices not involving third party software on the device, could you tell me what they are, and what phones support them. I have read the XDA Developers book, and the closest I have come is the Google Nexus phone on Chapter 8, Unlockable device, but still needs to load Busybox APK, and SuperUser binaries.
This question revolves around sound forensic techniques, I believe XRY load tools into RAM when using physical extraction.
Any help / pointers would be greatly appreciated
crumdub12 said:
A Chairde
I am wondering if anyone can help me. I have heard there are Rooting methods on Android devices not involving third party software on the device, could you tell me what they are, and what phones support them. I have read the XDA Developers book, and the closest I have come is the Google Nexus phone on Chapter 8, Unlockable device, but still needs to load Busybox APK, and SuperUser binaries.
This question revolves around sound forensic techniques, I believe XRY load tools into RAM when using physical extraction.
Any help / pointers would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default, Android doesn't have the ability to substitute the current user for the root user, which is why the 'su' binary has to be installed. By adding a particular line to '/data/local.prop', you can trick the ADB into thinking it's communicating with an emulator, which would temporarily give the ADB elevated permissions, but most of the techniques needed to do so require other binaries that Android doesn't have by default, hence the need for Busybox.
XRY physical extraction, on the other hand, doesn't communicate with Android at all, so there are no "root" permissions to be gained. It relies more on very low level communication with the hardware itself and extracting raw data (i.e. ones and zeros). Highly specialized software would then be needed to translate that data into a more human readable format.
So, to answer your question...
As far as I'm aware, there is no way to achieve permanent "root" permissions on Android without (at the very minimum) installing the 'su' binary.
soupmagnet said:
By default, Android doesn't have the ability to substitute the current user for the root user, which is why the 'su' binary has to be installed. By adding a particular line to '/data/local.prop', you can trick the ADB into thinking it's communicating with an emulator, which would temporarily give the ADB elevated permissions, but most of the techniques needed to do so require other binaries that Android doesn't have by default, hence the need for Busybox.
XRY physical extraction, on the other hand, doesn't communicate with Android at all, so there are no "root" permissions to be gained. It relies more on very low level communication with the hardware itself and extracting raw data (i.e. ones and zeros). Highly specialized software would then be needed to translate that data into a more human readable format.
So, to answer your question...
As far as I'm aware, there is no way to achieve permanent "root" permissions on Android without (at the very minimum) installing the 'su' binary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SoupMagnet,
You answered my question fully, you are a legend !!