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[GUIDE] How to root Android 2.2 on the EVO 4G Outdated

The rooting method for the EVO 4G is close to the same as the Droid 2, just recently created by Sebastian Krahmer at http://c-skills.blogspot.com/, but with a little variation.
Here is the step-by-step I just did on my brother's (dwizzy130) EVO 4G that came with 2.2 from Sprint.
I am NOT responsible for any damages (bricking, not working, basically anything that goes wrong) This has been tested and works. Over the next few days, I will be cleaning this post up and making the steps more clear.
Special thanks to:
Sebastian Krahmer for the exploit
dwizzy130 (my brother) for letting me test on his EVO (since I don't have one)
The unrevoked team for their methods
Toastcfh for his mtd-eng.img
Topgun966 over at evo4g.me for hosting the files
djR3Z over at TheDroidDemos.com just made a GREAT video walkthrough that should make this MUCH easier for all of you. He spent a TON of time making it yesterday, so please give him lots of thanks!
VIDEO WALKTHROUGH (2 parts)
Make sure your phone is unplugged from your computer until I tell you to plug it in!
If you already have the Android SDK and HTC Sync set up on your computer, skip to Step 4 now
Step 1: Download the Android SDK here
Step 2: Extract the Android SDK zip. Move the contents of the extracted zip to C:\
Your Android tools folder path should now be C:\android-sdk-windows\tools
Step 3: Download HTC Sync 2.0.40 here
Run the installer. Move on once installed. If reboot is required, do so and then move on.
Windows 7 Users:
Go to your start menu, then control panel. When that is open, (if you are in category view mode) click on "Uninstall a program" and then choose HTC Sync to uninstall. If you are in Icon view mode choose "Programs and Features" and then click on HTC Sync to uninstall. This will load the proper drivers needed for unrevoked3.
Other Windows Version Users:
Go to your start menu, then control panel. When that is open, select Add/Remove Programs, and then choose HTC Sync to uninstall. This will load the proper drivers needed for unrevoked3.
Next,
Download my evo-root.zip.
It contains a few files necessary to root the EVO.
Unzip the contents of the zip to your android sdk tools folder.
Download the unrevoked-forever.zip
Place this zip in your tools folder as well, as a zip, not extracted.
Download this PC36IMG.zip || Mirror(This is the same as running an RUU, so it will delete all of your user data when we use it later in the guide, so backup everything you want to save on your phone first)
MD5: e52f6ec4f8f5fd6dc251ef19ee19750b
Put this zip in your sdk tools folder as well, as a zip, not extracted.
After unzipping the contents of evo-root.zip to your android sdk tools folder and placing the PC36IMG.zip and unrevoked-forever.zip in the folder, move on.
Step 4: Make sure USB Debugging is ON (checked) on your EVO. Go to Settings > Applications > Development > and make sure it is checked.
Step 5: Plug your phone into the computer via USB, Make sure that the connection type in the Notification Pull-Down Bar is "Charge Only", not "Disk Drive" or else this won't work.
If your computer asks you to restart after the new drivers were installed, do that now.
Step 6: Open up a command promt from your android-sdk/tools folder.
Windows 7 users:
Open up the android sdk folder and hold shift and right click on the tools folder. You will see an option that says "Open command window here" Choose that one and you will be set. the command prompt should read something like C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>
Other Windows Version Users:
Go to the start menu, go to All Programs, then Accessories, and click on command prompt. Once open type
Code:
cd C:\android-sdk-windows\tools
Once ready, type these commands in cmd prompt from your adb tools directory. After every line press enter.
Code:
adb push unrevoked-forever.zip /sdcard/
adb push flash_image /data/local/
adb push rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp/
adb push mtd-eng.img /sdcard/
adb push PC36IMG.zip /sdcard/
Note: the PC36IMG.zip will take longer than expected to transfer to the sdcard. It is a BIG file.
Now we chmod a few things. After every line press enter. It should repeat what you typed in and then return you to a blank line with an $ for everything in adb shell
Code:
adb shell
chmod 0755 /data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
chmod 0755 /data/local/flash_image
Ok now for the root shell.
*
(still in adb shell)
Code:
cd /data/local/tmp
Code:
./rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
You will now see some text on your cmd prompt screen explaining the exploit.
Wait for the adb shell to go away, and it will dump you into your windows command prompt again (no shell) should look something like this:
C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>
Once that dumps you out of the shell, type
Code:
adb shell
and you will see you now have a
Code:
#
instead of
Code:
$
now type
Code:
cd /data/local
./flash_image misc /sdcard/mtd-eng.img
that will flash your misc partition with Toast's mtd-eng.img.
This should return you to a blank line with #.
If you get an "Out of memory error" with a huge list of weird lines, here's how to fix it.
Reboot your phone normally.
Open a command prompt and go backwards in this guide until you see the big red * and start from there.
Once it is flashed correctly, move on:
Type
Code:
reboot bootloader
Remember how you pushed that huge PC36IMG.zip to your sdcard earlier? This is where that comes in handy. Once you booted into hboot, Select "bootloader" with your volume up/down buttons and hit the power button. Let it sit for a little bit while it loads the PC36IMG.zip. This can take up to 5 minutes. When it finally asks if you want to apply this zip, choose YES. (Remember, this is the same as running an RUU, so it will delete all of your user data).
If this doesn't work (ie the PC36IMG.zip does NOT load) backup all of your sdcard contents onto your computer, reformat your sdcard to FAT32, redownload the PC36IMG.zip, and drag and drop it onto the sdcard, then reboot into the bootloader and try again. This should fix the issue.
Once it is finished, select restart. You now are on the stock 2.1 build of Android.
Next step, mount your sdcard on your computer, and delete the PC36IMG.zip from it. This is because the next step requires using hboot, and you don't want to sit and wait while it loads up again, just for you to say "no" to the install. Please follow this step, for it saves 5-10 minutes of waiting ahead.
I worked extensively with Matt Mastracci, so this rooting guide will use the unrevoked method to root 2.1. This is what worked for me testing on my brother's EVO, so if you do end up trying something else to root 2.1 with, PLEASE do not post it here or ask questions, for I will only support the unrevoked team.
Now open up your web browser on your computer and navigate to Unrevoked
Choose the correct operating system to download for.
*
Make sure you install the modified android usb driver that comes with the unrevoked3 install (see the html file included when you extract the exe)
Once downloaded and extracted, run the program on your computer.
Make sure your EVO is plugged in with USB DEBUGGING ON!
It will reboot to the bootloader, and it will wait for you to use volume down to select HBOOT USB. (the last option)
After you have selected it (by pressing the power button) let the unrevoked3 program handle the rest of the flashing.
If you have had any trouble with the bootloader freezing or not moving for over 3 minutes, you most likely forgot to uninstall HTC Sync (as directed at the beginning of this guide), or you need to install the modified hboot drivers that come with the unrevoked3 program, OR a nasty combination of the both.
For the modified drivers and explanation on how to install them, open the "hboot driver.htm" file that gets extracted when you extract the reflash_package.exe. It will explain everything. You will have to reboot your phone after you install the drivers. Once you have repaired this go back to the big blue *
As soon as it is booted into recovery, you are done with that.
Next in recovery go to
Code:
install zip from sdcard
then
Code:
choose zip from sdcard
and choose the
Code:
unrevoked-forever.zip
This will flash the unrevoked forever hboot unlock.
_____________________________________________________________________
Part 2
Note: This section would not have been possible without the amazing testing and help of cilio87. He earns a gold star *
Now it's time to finish up the process and flash the stock 2.2 build of Android. You need to do this before any custom ROM in order to re-update the partitions we downgraded in the rooting process.
Step 1: Download either the update zip with
ClockWorkMod recovery included
or
Amon_RA's recovery included
This is the most up-to-date version of Amon_RA recovery that allows you to back up WiMAX partition.
(Either zip contains the final touches to the root process, one flashes clockworkmod recovery, and the other respectively, Amon_RA's recovery)
Extract the 3 files inside the zip to your desktop.
If you are still in recovery (from part one or the guide) go back to the main menu of recovery on your phone (if you aren't already at the main menu, hit vol up & down at the same time) Select
Code:
Reboot System Now
Let the Rom load, and when it gets to the sign in screen for Google, just skip everything and let the ROM boot.
If you are already on a custom rom, boot into it and follow from here.
Once It is fully booted, mount your sdcard onto your computer, and copy the 3 files you extracted from the zip to the sdcard.
Once copied, Unmount your sdcard from the computer.
Step 2: Unplug your phone from the computer. Power it off completely. Now while holding VOLUME DOWN turn on the phone with the power button, continuing to hold volume down. This will boot into hboot. You can release the buttons once you get to the hboot menu. Then use the power button to click on bootloader. This will scan the sdcard for the new PC36IMG.zip you just copied to the sdcard. When it asks "Do you want to start update?" Hit Volume Up for Yes. It will reload the zip and then start the flash. Once the flash is complete (may take 5 or so minutes) Choose NO when it asks you to reboot.
Step 3: After choosing NO to the reboot, you will see a menu again. Select Bootloader from the menu, then use the Volume Down button to hover over "Recovery" and press Power to click on it.
If your phone gets stuck at the White EVO 4G screen, pull your battery, and then power on while holding volume down again. It should boot to the bootloader again, where you can select recovery.
Once you are booted into this custom recovery, go to
Code:
Install Zip from sdcard / Flash zip from sdcard (Amon_RA)
and then (clockworkmod only)
Code:
choose zip from sdcard
You will then see the 2.2-root.zip. Click on that and accept the flash.
Once that flash is complete, return to the main menu of recovery and Select
Code:
Reboot System Now
You now have stock Android 2.2 with root and all updated partitions!
If you would like the flash_image binanry so you can flash new recovery images quickly from adb shell, flash the zip that is attached below as a normal zip in recovery AFTER you have completed this entire guide.
IN ORDER TO FLASH CM6 OR DAMAGE CONTROL, YOU NOW NEED TO FLASH THE ENG SPL. LOOK FOR IT IN THE EVO 4G ANDROID DEVELOPMENT FORUM.
Here is the ENG SPL
Good Luck!
Dan Wager

Awesome! Good job on everyone that worked on it. Finally no more people asking about it

Yes! I look forward to the rest of your post
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Great news everyone!
Eagerly awaiting.

Awesome xD
Sent from my HTC Evo 4G using XDA app.

Oh thanks! Gonna be watching this all night! This is gonna be AWESOME!!

Vandam500 said:
Finally no more people asking about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if only you were right...

I love the xda forums, good job to everyone involved, another reason I love my evo.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I wish I didn't just take my xanax. Ughhhh

Vandam500 said:
Awesome! Good job on everyone that worked on it. Finally no more people asking about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll add with another question that will "end"
Will this allow me to have PRI 1.40?

Stop with the irrelevant posts! We don't need a hundred pages of nothing! Start a thank you thread if you want! Leave this one for the op and instructions and the files! Makes things easier for everyone so we don't have to go thru hundreds of posts to piece together relevant information!
NOTICE THE TITLE OF THE THREAD IT SAYS GUIDE LET IT BE JUST THAT!

Details---
I've heard the process is more than a simple click like simple root or unrevoked... But at least we have root.
It will be nice to see the detailed failsafe guide so I don't go around bricking phones and hopefully an automated prog is made to make it a breeze.

A great help!
Having a B-day tomorrow, and have searched the month of August for a complete method to root my froyo 2.2
Thank you in advance for your expertise and assistance..

well, i followed the droid2 guide and it worked all the way up to giving me the # sign... but the cp commands are failing. but since i have #, can i just run unrevoked 3.1 at this point? or do i need to succeed in the entire driod2 tutorial?

Thank you
OMG you guys are the best devs ever ill be stuck to this like glue once again XDA is the best forum on the planet.

edufur said:
well, i followed the droid2 guide and it worked all the way up to giving me the # sign... but the cp commands are failing. but since i have #, can i just run unrevoked 3.1 at this point? or do i need to succeed in the entire driod2 tutorial?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, once you get to that point you have other stuff to do.
just wait til the guide comes out... We've waited how long for this thing? an extra hour or so won't kill you. (hopefully)

Yeah, almost done writing the guide. Try not to give out anymore details yet, I should be posting the full guide shortly.

sprink0281 said:
Stop with the irrelevant posts! We don't need a hundred pages of nothing! Start a thank you thread if you want! Leave this one for the op and instructions and the files! Makes things easier for everyone so we don't have to go thru hundreds of posts to piece together relevant information!
NOTICE THE TITLE OF THE THREAD IT SAYS GUIDE LET IT BE JUST THAT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And your message is wholly important? Yes, the title says "guide" but that means that the original post will contain the guide. This is a forum, not a wiki. (I know my message doesn't help at all either)
Hooray, root on 2.2!

please make it easy for us newbies too please

Greenfieldan said:
please make it easy for us newbies too please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the basics out tonight and will make it an easy read like my Hero rooting guide tomorrow sometime, because I am exhausted tonight.

[Q] Modding From A to B Guide?

Sorry to sound pig ignorant about phones but I am ... my expertise is in PCs. So anyway I want to upgrade the Hero with CyanogenMod.
I backed up my contacts, apps, etc and rooted the phone with unrevoked ... lost everything in memory in the process, but that's OK -- the important stuff is backed up.
Rebooted into stock 21. ROM and skipped all the new user stuff ...
OK, here's where I'm lost ... to load the CyanogenMod ROM I apparently need something like Amon-RA, but to load Amon-RA image file I need to install the SDK pack.
So I downloaded the SDK pack, but it is nothing like what is described in all the install SDK posts I've been able to find. What I have found are instructions about running ASroot and other files that don't exist in the SDK version I have.
So like what do I do now, more important ... is there an A to B thread for doing this mod starting from a stock phone, going to unlocking, than loading SDK, than installing Amon-RA (or equivalent) and than installing CyanogenMOD.
I know all this info is out there, but it seems like most of the files I've found don't interface well in the sense that the ones that talk about doing step one aren't terribly relevant to ones that talk about step 2, etc.
Thanks

Yes. Its a sticky at the top of the page. Search "guides" lol...
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

All you need to do with the sdk is download it and extract it. I just put it in the root of my C: drive. Then open a cmd prompt in windows by going to Start > Run > cmd (press enter). Then in the command prompt you need to change directories to the sdk folder you extracted. For example, mine is in C:\android-sdk-windows. I just type "cd c:\android-sdk-windows" then "cd tools" to get into the directory where you can run the adb program. Make sure your phone is in debugging mode by going to settings > applications > development > check the USB Debugging box. Then you can hook the phone up to the usb and run the command "adb devices". If everything is working correctly then you should see a device serial number show up. If that doesn't work make sure you have the htc drivers installed by downloading htc sync from their website and installing it.
Once adb can see the phone then you should run the command "adb shell" and then when you get a $ prompt type su in order to elevate to root. Make sure you put a recovery image on the phones sd card using step 4 from this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572 I think he has a link to download the recovery in that guide but just in case here is a direct download link for the recovery: http://www.androidspin.com/downloads.php?dir=amon_ra/RECOVERY/&file=recovery-RA-heroc-v1.6.2.img Feel free to rename it to recovery.img so that the commands in the guide can be used as is.
Now you should be able to start at step nine from the guide in that thread (you should be in an adb shell when you start). It should be the adb command to flash a recovery image. Once you do that installing roms is as simple as putting them on your sd card and booting into recovery to select the flash option.

GUIDE - How to flash radio.img OS X

I couldn't find a guide for this anywhere, so after a lot of trial and error, I worked out this method from various write ups on the web.
Preq's:
Make sure your battery is fully charged (I have no idea why, but it seems to be a must do thing)
You'll need the Android SDK, so make sure you have this and you'll be needing Fastboot for Mac, which you can find here Fastboot
And you need to boot your phone in fastboot mode.
Drop the Fastboot file into to the tools directory of the SDK.
Download your desired radio image and put it in the same same folder.
To make sure Fastboot is working, open Terminal and type "fastboot devices"
(without the speech marks) and hit return. You should see:
List of devices attached
HXXXXXXXXXX device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XXXXXXXXXX = the unique number of your phone.
If it doesn't display anything, you need to re-check SDK and Fastboot are installed properly.
If you do, carry on.
Now, the nervous part.
1. Open the tools directory of the SDK in a Finder window and the open a Terminal window.
2. Now, drag the 'fastboot-mac' file in to the Terminal window.
3. Type this (make sure you hit the space bar after typing) :
flash radio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. Now, drag the radio.img to the Terminal window
(It should read something like this)
/Users/Liam/SDK/tools/fastboot flash radio /Users/Liam/SDK/tools/radio.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5. Hit the return key and wait. Make sure you touch nothing.
6. When terminal has given you the "Okay" message twice, check you phone screen and make sure there isn't a red loading bar on the top left hand side of your phones screen. When this is done, type:
fastboot reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And hit return.
7. Your phone will reboot and you're done.
If I've missed anything, let me know and I'll add it.

been trying for a few days now heads gone all i get it adbwinapi.dll is missing tried several reinstalls now need help please guys system is win 7 ultimate

steve36 said:
been trying for a few days now heads gone all i get it adbwinapi.dll is missing tried several reinstalls now need help please guys system is win 7 ultimate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong thread. But the thread you want, and the answer, is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10113370&postcount=91
Do some searching first..
Anyways, yeah, now I can use my MacBook.

This seems to be an odd way of doing it.
Just download the fastboot-mac binary from the htc developer page. Drop it in the platform-tools folder of the androd SDK.
Start a Terminal and run:
/path/to/platform-tools/fastboot-mac flash radio radio.img
make sure you have radio.img in the current directory where you invoke the script.

I found it easier to drag and drop the files. Saves lots of typing and does the same job.

liam08 said:
I couldn't find a guide for this anywhere, so after a lot of trial and error, I worked out this method from various write ups on the web.
Preq's:
Make sure your battery is fully charged (I have no idea why, but it seems to be a must do thing)
You'll need the Android SDK, so make sure you have this and you'll be needing Fastboot for Mac, which you can find here Fastboot
And you need to boot your phone in fastboot mode.
Drop the Fastboot file into to the tools directory of the SDK.
Download your desired radio image and put it in the same same folder.
To make sure Fastboot is working, open Terminal and type "fastboot devices"
(without the speech marks) and hit return. You should see:
XXXXXXXXXX = the unique number of your phone.
If it doesn't display anything, you need to re-check SDK and Fastboot are installed properly.
If you do, carry on.
Now, the nervous part.
1. Open the tools directory of the SDK in a Finder window and the open a Terminal window.
2. Now, drag the 'fastboot-mac' file in to the Terminal window.
3. Type this (make sure you hit the space bar after typing) :
4. Now, drag the radio.img to the Terminal window
(It should read something like this)
5. Hit the return key and wait. Make sure you touch nothing.
6. When terminal has given you the "Okay" message twice, check you phone screen and make sure there isn't a red loading bar on the top left hand side of your phones screen. When this is done, type:
And hit return.
7. Your phone will reboot and you're done.
If I've missed anything, let me know and I'll add it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi i did not notice your guide so i created one last night >>>>here<<<<

I use this:
http://qtadb.wordpress.com/

I cannot get terminal to respond to "fastboot devices"
I think i've installed it all ? I've run the adk with android in the tools folder, and I have the platform tools folder. i've run fastboot-mac, i don't know what else to do?

P1xelVandal said:
I cannot get terminal to respond to "fastboot devices"
I think i've installed it all ? I've run the adk with android in the tools folder, and I have the platform tools folder. i've run fastboot-mac, i don't know what else to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use my guide downloaded the zip file read all of first post sorted
E=Mc2

leith51 said:
Use my guide downloaded the zip file read all of first post sorted
E=Mc2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a shame all the files are .exe and .bat *sigh* thanks anyway.

P1xelVandal said:
it's a shame all the files are .exe and .bat *sigh* thanks anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
localhost:~ Mac$ /fastboot/fastboot-mac flash radio /fastboot/radio.img
sending 'radio' (24832 KB)... OKAY
writing 'radio'... FAILED (remote: not allowed)
localhost:~ Mac$
what am i doing wrong? (no i will not switch to PC))
This guy used my thread his problem was he didn't have eng s-off
E=Mc2

Stuck on htc screen 'flashed wrong rom'

Hi all,
I accidentally flashed a wrong ROM of HTC HD, so I'm trying to go back to recovery mode to flash another ROM of my Desire S, when I select the recovery then I am stuck on htc screen
Can someone advice me please?
Thanks.
[Solved] Thank you all for helping me through, I finally, I can made it. See the last post of the actually summary of my own journey.
Without all of your value input, I will never made it.

imkr said:
Hi all,
I accidentally flashed a wrong ROM of HTC HD, so I'm trying to go back to recovery mode to flash another ROM of my Desire S, when I select the recovery then I am stuck on htc screen
Can someone advice me please?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the first place, why and how did you flash an HTC HD rom to Desire S without even knowing it?! You should have know from the start that you should have taken precautions, and known that its an HTC HD. It should be PORTED first.
To answer,
Try flashing the recovery again on fastboot. Check my guides on how to on my sig (preferrably the second one). Then see if it works. If it did, flash the CORRECT rom.

I am a bit new with this sir, sorry need a bit detail explanation.
The point is I cannot get on the recovery mode, so when I read this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1314629) I feel not clear enough
Can you give me a bit more clear process, sir?

imkr said:
I am a bit new with this sir, sorry need a bit detail explanation.
The point is I cannot get on the recovery mode, so when I read this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1314629) I feel not clear enough
Can you give me a bit more clear process, sir?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I'm trying to say is to flash the recovery again. 4ext recovery recommended. And start from there. Clear instructions were given on that thread on how to flash a recovery image via fastboot, and I believe I can't simplify it much further.

imkr said:
Hi all,
I accidentally flashed a wrong ROM of HTC HD, so I'm trying to go back to recovery mode to flash another ROM of my Desire S, when I select the recovery then I am stuck on htc screen
Can someone advice me please?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate don't worry, it happened to me many times.see this thread to know how I got a solution.forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1281688
I used nandroid backup but you can flash another ROM

Thanks for helping me to walk through, Skanob!
I've try as the instruction:
1. Get the 4EXTRecovery_v2.1.0_saga.zip (from your signature)
2. Copy the file 'recovery.img' to C:\recovery.img
3. Connect my phone on fastboot
4. Open the cmd to type 'C:\recovery.img
5. Appear the dialog-box DVD burning 'The burn fail invalid...'
I try to do these again and again 10 times +
What should I do now?

imkr said:
Thanks for helping me to walk through, Skanob!
I've try as the instruction:
1. Get the 4EXTRecovery_v2.1.0_saga.zip (from your signature)
2. Copy the file 'recovery.img' to C:\recovery.img
3. Connect my phone on fastboot
4. Open the cmd to type 'C:\recovery.img
5. Appear the dialog-box DVD burning 'The burn fail invalid...'
I try to do these again and again 10 times +
What should I do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you get the phone in FASTBOOT mode, open the cmd window and type:
FASTBOOT FLASH RECOVERY c:\recovery.img

I find it very worrying that some one who can claim to have made this mistake many times is prepared to offer advice!
nandroid backups, you now see the importance of taking them
Swyped from my Desire S using XDA Premium

imkr said:
Thanks for helping me to walk through, Skanob!
I've try as the instruction:
1. Get the 4EXTRecovery_v2.1.0_saga.zip (from your signature)
2. Copy the file 'recovery.img' to C:\recovery.img
3. Connect my phone on fastboot
4. Open the cmd to type 'C:\recovery.img
5. Appear the dialog-box DVD burning 'The burn fail invalid...'
I try to do these again and again 10 times +
What should I do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The message you got is because you try to "run" in an windows command prompt an ".img" (image files). If you do so, windows try to launch the associated program with .img files. Obiviously this is the DVD burning software you have on your PC (the default windows one I think). That's why you get the error.
Now, you should pay attention very carefully to the instructions in that thread. You should NOT type "C:\recovery.img" but "fastboot flash recovery C:\recovery.img". That means you should already have installed "fastboot" application on your PC (or else you'll get a message say somthing like "'fastboot' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." "fastboot" command is part of the Android SDK and should reside on your PC in the same place as "adb", that is in the "tools" (or "platform-tools" depending on what version of SDK you got) folder.
Simply, you first have to find where on your PC is installed the Android SDK. Browse with Explorer on your PC to there and look in the folders till you find the one in which "adb" and "fastboot" are. Keep the SHIFT key pressed and RIGHT click on that folder. From the menu that pops up, select "Open comand prompt here..."
Only now you can run the "fastboot" command...and if you have copied Recovery.img on the root of your C drive perform the command as instructed (an as I've wrote above). If Recovery.img is somwhere else on your pc than use it like this (after you perform steps 1-3 you've said):
fastboot flash recovery <folder_in_which_recovery.img_is stored>\recovery.img
Replace what I've wrote in italics above with the actual path to your recovery.img file.
After running this command, type the following one:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
You'll end up in 4EXT recovery from where you can flash the ROM of your will (hopefully one for Desire S this time)

Rapier said:
The message you got is because you try to "run" in an windows command prompt an ".img" (image files). If you do so, windows try to launch the associated program with .img files. Obiviously this is the DVD burning software you have on your PC (the default windows one I think). That's why you get the error.
Now, you should pay attention very carefully to the instructions in that thread. You should NOT type "C:\recovery.img" but "fastboot flash recovery C:\recovery.img". That means you should already have installed "fastboot" application on your PC (or else you'll get a message say somthing like "'fastboot' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." "fastboot" command is part of the Android SDK and should reside on your PC in the same place as "adb", that is in the "tools" (or "platform-tools" depending on what version of SDK you got) folder.
Simply, you first have to find where on your PC is installed the Android SDK. Browse with Explorer on your PC to there and look in the folders till you find the one in which "adb" and "fastboot" are. Keep the SHIFT key pressed and RIGHT click on that folder. From the menu that pops up, select "Open comand prompt here..."
Only now you can run the "fastboot" command...and if you have copied Recovery.img on the root of your C drive perform the command as instructed (an as I've wrote above). If Recovery.img is somwhere else on your pc than use it like this (after you perform steps 1-3 you've said):
fastboot flash recovery <folder_in_which_recovery.img_is stored>\recovery.img
Replace what I've wrote in italics above with the actual path to your recovery.img file.
After running this command, type the following one:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
You'll end up in 4EXT recovery from where you can flash the ROM of your will (hopefully one for Desire S this time)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's working for me now, thanks for your clear instructions:
I've type up the exact process that I experienced here
1. Get 4EXT
2. Extract to C:
3. Find android-win-tools
4. SHIFT + Right click to open cmd from here
5. Type 'fastboot flash recovery C:\recovery.img', then appeared:
sending 'recovery'... OKAY (keep looking around 10mn), another command appeared
writing 'recovery'...OKAY
6. fastboot reboot-bootloader
DONE!

[HOW-TO] Unlock Bootloader and Root Using Linux

Hey all. Had a few issues trying to unlock and root my own phone on my Linux box, so I decided to post what I learned in the process in case anyone else visiting the forums runs into the same problem.
First, a little background on me, since I'm fairly new here at the xda forums (let alone to the Photon Q).
My foray into the Android world started with the OG Droid. The moment I held that baby in my hands, I knew I wanted to be a part of the community the Android platform would spawn. With the OG and the Droid3, I didn't do much more than help others find certain settings options, or explain how to perform a specific task. However, I learned some of the basics of theming during the last few days I had my D3 before I (sadly) traded it in when I switched from Verizon to Sprint.
When I switched carriers, I picked up the Samsung Transform Ultra, and I've been a major contributor in that arena, particularly over at the phone-specific area of androidforums. I've learned a lot in the time I've had the device, especially with creating flashable zip files and theming. I now look forward to seeing what all I will learn while contributing to the Photon Q community.
Now, before we get into the actual instructions, the obligatory Disclaimer:
I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN TO YOUR PHONE WHILE FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS! FOLLOW THIS GUIDE AND ANY HELP I OR OTHERS GIVEAT YOUR OWN RISK! THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
These instructions assume you are starting with a new phone (meaning it hasn't been unlocked or rooted yet), are relatively familiar with root, are using Linux on your machine, and are fairly comfortable navigating your way around both the phone and PC. As of this writing (5-18-2013), I am running Ubuntu Linux 13.04 on my system, and am basing my instructions on such a setup. Also, the Android SDK and the 'tools' and 'platform-tools' portions from the SDK must be installed and up-to-date.
With all that out of the way, let's get into the guide, shall we?
To ensure the best chance for success, make sure the following applies:
USB debugging is on and the MTP option in "USB computer connection" is selected. This ensures that 'adb' and 'fastboot' will recognize the phone.
Unless otherwise noted, the instructions below assume the phone is connected to your computer via USB, and said computer has its own internet connection independent of the phone.
Before we begin, make sure to have the SuperSU zip downloaded to the root of the SD card (phone or external card), and the preferred recovery image downloaded and moved to the same location that 'adb' and 'fastboot' are in ("/home/user/androidSDK/platform-tools", for example).
CAUTION: If any other Android devices are plugged into your computer in addition to your phone, the 'adb' and 'fastboot' commands will affect ALL devices connected at the time!
To make the guide a little easier to follow, commands that need to be typed will be marked like this. Text to look for will be formatted this way.
Part i: Required tools and downloads:
Depending on which recovery you want to use, I recommend using the SuperSU made available at that recovery's thread. In the event that a SuperSU zip isn't made available, download one from one of the other recovery's threads, then download the recovery img you prefer.
TWRP v2.5.0.0 - thread/SuperSU - here recovery img - here
CWM v6.0.1.0 - thread/SuperSU/recovery img - here
OpenRecovery v2.05 - thread/recovery img - here
PART A: Unlocking the Bootloader
1. Follow instructions #1-6 on the how-to found here.
Open a Terminal window and type lsusb, then look for a line with Motorola PCS; copy down the ID number to the left of Motorola PCS because we will need it shortly (it should look something like 12ab:cd34, though your numbers will be different).
Using Terminal, type sudo gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules. "gedit" can be replaced with your preferred text editor if you don't want to use it or don't have it installed.
Enter your sudo password, and add this line to the file: SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="12ab", ATTRS{idProduct}=="cd34", MODE="0666" GROUP="androiddev", SYMLINK+="android%n", changing "12ab" to match the left part of the ID number you copied down earlier, and "cd34" to the part to the right of the colon.
Save the changes made to the file, then close the text editor. Type sudo service udev restart to ensure both computer and phone recognize the changes that have recently been made (you may not need to re-enter your sudo password if you made the changes to "51-android.rules" quickly enough).
Now go back to the DroidLife (DL) How-To, and pick up at step #8. The only difference is that your Terminal window will look more like this:
(bootloader) 0123456789ABCDEF#0123456789ABCD
(bootloader) EF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123
(bootloader) 456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF012
(bootloader) 34567#0123456789ABCDEF012345678
(bootloader) 9ABCDEF
Helpful Hint: the first fourteen numbers on the first line are also your IMEI/MEID (0123456789ABCD in the example above), so if you need that, now's a good time to copy it down as well.
When entering the number in on Motorola's website, it's VERY IMPORTANT no white spaces are included in the number. Using the above example, the number should look like
Code:
0123456789ABCDEF#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF[/COLOR][/FONT]
[*]After following the rest of the DL guide, your phone will reboot normally.
PART B: Installing recovery and obtaining root:
Before beginning this part, make sure your phone's battery has at least 20% (or there-abouts) charge remaining, or 'fastboot' will refuse to flash the recovery.
Open Terminal (if it's not already), navigate to where 'adb' is installed, then type fastboot reboot-bootloader or adb reboot bootloader to get the phone to reboot into the bootloader.
Once the phone is in the bootloader, type fastboot flash recovery <your-recovery-filename-here>.img, replacing <your-recovery-filename-here> with the name of the recovery you would like to use. For example, if you wanted to use TWRP, the above command would look like: fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.5.0.0-asanti_c.img. If the recovery installation was successful, you will get the following lines:
(bootloader) Variable not supported!
target reported max download size of 31457280 bytes
sending 'recovery' (7084 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.563s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 1.823s]
finished. total time: 2.386s
Note that the first line says "Variable not supported!". As long as "sending 'recovery'..." and "writing 'recovery'..." say "OKAY" beneath them, then this so-called error can be ignored in most cases.
While holding the Volume-up and Volume-down buttons, press the power button on the phone to reboot it and exit out of the bootloader.
When the options menu comes up, press the Volume-down button until "Recovery" is selected, then press the Volume-up button.
Once in recovery, make a backup of your phone, should you ever need to return to stock for any reason (such as an insurance exchange - since the first half of the guide voids the warranty ). Once that finishes, then flash the SuperSU.zip and reboot the phone.
If everything went well, there will be a super-user app in your app drawer, and root checkers will tell you that your device is rooted. Congratulations!
(Optional) After granting root access to a few apps that require it (such as Terminal Emulator when su is typed in, Titanium Backup or other app backup utilities, Root explorers, etc.), reboot the phone into recovery, and make a second backup of your now stock-rooted phone...mostly just for posterity, but also to keep from having to do it again in the future, should you ever choose to return to stock but want to keep root.
PART C: Wall of Glory
This guide would not be possible if not for the following people and their contributions:
Solust for his guide on the same process on a Windows machine.
arrrghhh for porting TWRP over for our phones, and his thread.
Skrilax_CZ for porting Open Recovery for our phones and his thread.
Shabbypenguin for porting CWM, his thread, and the SuperSU zips.
ChainsDD for the SuperSU app.
Motorola for the Photon Q!
Google for the Android mobile Operating System.
Droid Life for the guide on unlocking the Photon Q's bootloader.
If I've forgotten anyone or made any other mistakes, please PM me and I'll be sure to make the change.
Thanks for playing along! Hope others find this handy; I ended up having to figure most of this out the hard way. Either way, it's been a fun ride figuring out a new phone.