[Q] New owner. Typical Questions - RAZR HD Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just want to ask some questions, seems like some of these threads are out of date.
My phone came out of box JB, so I need to restore down to ICS to root, then use a program called VooDoo to protect said root and update back to JB?
Unless my Bootloader is unlocked, What are the pro/cons of that, I heard you dont get OTA updates, but I could live without those, we can just download them ourselves right?

SirRudolph said:
I just want to ask some questions, seems like some of these threads are out of date.
My phone came out of box JB, so I need to restore down to ICS to root, then use a program called VooDoo to protect said root and update back to JB?
Unless my Bootloader is unlocked, What are the pro/cons of that, I heard you dont get OTA updates, but I could live without those, we can just download them ourselves right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been a lot of misconceptions about unlocked bootloaders in this forum. Unlocking your bootloader doesn't necessarily mean the phone will not be eligible for updates, rather the updates will not install on a modified system. What is your real reason for root? Most people are always looking for the latest update, but mess up some files on their phone and don't have backup, in which case the update will fail.
With the Rogers/fido fiasco, we had people go back to the wrong Rogers version of software, since it was not posted properly on the Motorola firmware download website.
Another con is that your warranty would be totally void. Personally I haven't find the need yet to root this device and have had it for almost 4 months now!
Sent from my XT925 using Tapatalk 2

I wont agree for some people the modifications other people do seem trivial.
I've already rooted though, turns out I did have to do what I said above, now running 4.1.1 with Root
I root because a few applications I use, for instance SetCPU allows me to underclock the processors in my phone while the screen is locked, that saves a bit of battery life. I wish Motorola allowed a smart action trigger for when the phone screen was off though, this would help it even more so to save battery.
I use another app to change the lockscreen sounds, which requires root as well.
I havent looked at possible ROM's on this phone yet, as far as I know developers arent quite getting into this phone as deep as they usually do? Thusly I dont think i'll need to use a custom ROM. Just my own optimizations.

Related

[Q] Why Root?

I rooted mine and my wife's Captivate and the only advantage I saw was getting rid of ATT programs. I was going to send my phone back (becasue I could not OTA update) But since used Kies to do so. My wifes remains rooted . I am back to stock JH7.
I read you can tell the phone where to install programs when rooted but I did not find a way to do that. What are the other advantages of rooting the phone.
We have one Captivate rooted and the other stock.
Came over from unbranded n97 running Symbian. This is all new to me and I hated the 2 weeks with an iPhone. So far I like this Andriod OS but I have a lot to learn. I have read it is virtually impossible to brick this phone with the propoer tools and knowledge that is readily available........true?
Apparently it is not as unbrickable as people think. Some people were seeing stock phones bricking by trying to update the recent OTA. I myself was rooted and had no troubles.
Rooting allows you to play God on your phone. But be careful and backup everything if you do decide to. Best advice, as I was new to Android as well, is to read as much as you can before trying anything.
Most people here are good about answering questions, if you post in the right forum.
Good luck and welcome!
I guess it really depends on what you want to do with your phone. The only reason I rooted was to remove bloatware. Thats pretty much where the benefit ends unless you are interested in loading different ROMs and kernels.
Also, a word of caution: Be careful what apps you load on a rooted device. Root access gives you, and applications read/write/execute access to everything on your phone.
I also have a question on this topic. Since the original poster said, he can't do OTA updates after rooting is this correct?
Can you root the phone, take the bloatware off, then unroot the phone? Will the OTA now update?
Or do you have to update the original stock rom with OTA, then root the phone?
Can you root the phone, remove bloatware, then unroot the phone?
Thanks
Ihad no problem updating with my rooted phone. All I've done is root and lagfix.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
dynastyice said:
I also have a question on this topic. Since the original poster said, he can't do OTA updates after rooting is this correct?
Can you root the phone, take the bloatware off, then unroot the phone? Will the OTA now update?
Or do you have to update the original stock rom with OTA, then root the phone?
Can you root the phone, remove bloatware, then unroot the phone?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my phone......removed all bloat tirf to do the update and failed...Odin back to stock.....failed even after speaking with Samsung and ATT. Of course Samsung said it was not a hardware issue (as if that is all they should be concerned with.)
the Odin process could only be doe ONE way for me and I cut and pasted the method that worked and keep it and a lot of other tips in a Samsung folder on my Notebook. Seems everything but rooting was a hassle until you get GOOD information. That is the hardest think to glean. One has to read ENTIRE threads before they find the solution and not go jumping into the experiments....LOL
A few OPs do update their initial posts with the correct "process revisions"
I likely will root after the maybe someday Froyo 2.2 update. I want to get my wife's phone stock again..........
I finally after ATT decided to replace the phone......download Kies and installed the update that was and all went well. Kies is hit and miss with this phone though, Sometimes it sees it, others it does not.
Funny thing now on my USB selections it doesn't say "Samsung Kies" It says "Samsung Kies (firmware update)" Strange.
Anyway I am a complete noob but I like to learn about the OS as I did Symbian and mess with things now and then. I Am not the type that worries about scratches though. My phones look like war toys. But I usually don't resell them after a a couple generations. I give the previous phones away and keep the current phones as back up for the NEXT phones. The N95s will be given away if we keep these past Oct 20 drop day....
The biggest advantage you gain after rooting your phone is being able to use Titanium to back up all your apps, and Clockwork ROM manager to do an entire backup your phone.
These are nice tools to have, but both require rooting and super user privileges.
if you ask that question, then you probably shouldn't. rooting is for those who constantly not satisfied with status quo of their phones, for those who like different looks and improve on system and have no patience for OTA.
Example:
I bought MyTouch 3G as 1.5 Cupcake.
Upgraded to CM 1.6
Changed back and forth between Sense 1.5 and Donut 1.6.
Upgraded to CM 1.6 with bits of 2.0
Upgraded to CM 2.0
Upgraded to CM 2.1
Upgraded to CM 2.2
My Captivate will eventually get CM 6.0 I hope soon. Who knows, perhaps Sense 2.X will be ported too.
Oh, and lag-fix, overclocking and future color fix are other pluses.
Yeah you,re right. I switched both caps back to stock. I may want something more after Iget to know Android more and find areal need rather than.
do something just because it can be done
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

Making sure I understand all this rooting stuff

Hi, I am waiting for my HTC Sensation to arrive from eBay. New to android and have been reading about rooting. Just want to make sure I am getting this clear:
So, to root, I'll need to to the S-off thing with revolution, then clockwork recovery, then SU to actually root it right?
I am not sure whether I need to root it, but I am interested in unlocking it for SIM and I read there's a way to do it if the phone is rooted. Also, I probably don't need some of the T-mobile apps and want to delete it. However, do I have necessarily have to flash a custom ROM after I rooted it? Can I just use what came with the HTC?
However, if I do this, I guess I can't update through HTC/T-mobile anymore right? So I'll have to flash some ROM, but does it have some modify ROM, or can I use the ROM that's official from HTC?
Can someone please correct me if I misunderstood the process? And also, can I reverse all this if I decide I just want to use it the way it was shipped except simunlocked, and be able to update newer version of the OS from HTC.
Thanks
Sensation rooting
I was just like you about a month and half ago. im new to android aslo but i'll help you. first- your right about using the revolutionary method and installing clockwork and super user. as for unlocking it for a SIM you might need super cid check this out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
to remove some tmobile apps use titanium backup (it's in the market)
As for roms im using stock but it's rooted. but before you root please update to 2.3.4 because it really improve your phone but yes you would have to flash update roms after you root. but you can find the official one's here if you look for them as soon as they come out.
pretty much yes to your questions...even if you root you can stay with your stock rom and just use titanium backup to delete all the junk u dont want. Also, even if you cant get updates officially, devs here are nice enuf to post the newest stock roms for you to flash so dont worry. so i suggest you read these three threads to start off and have fun (just read directions very carefully)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1137311
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1232107
edit: ah, i guess someone else was replying too
darryll4sh0 said:
I was just like you about a month and half ago. im new to android aslo but i'll help you. first- your right about using the revolutionary method and installing clockwork and super user. as for unlocking it for a SIM you might need super cid check this out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
to remove some tmobile apps use titanium backup (it's in the market)
As for roms im using stock but it's rooted. but before you root please update to 2.3.4 because it really improve your phone but yes you would have to flash update roms after you root. but you can find the official one's here if you look for them as soon as they come out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. So I can only remove some t-mobile apps if it's rooted right? I was thinking of updating to the newest version before considering rooting. I think I will be kinda in the same situation as you....so when you say stock rooted rom...it's basically the same ROM as what t-mobile has with SENSE etc...but can be apply to a rooted phone without losing root right?
Finally, since you're not using any custom ROM and stuff... do u find it worthwhile rooting? what other advantage have you notice if you're using the stock ROM?
Thanks again!
rooting sensation
My rom is the same one that comes when you first get the phone. the only expectation is that it's updated to 2.3.4 instead of 2.3.3 and that it's rooted. When you root imagine like it's a window's pc and instead of using the guest account where stuff is limited, your now able to use the administrator account which lets you do anything.
As for advantages, i wanted to improve it's speed and battery life. the update helps but you'll find out that tmobile has alot of apps running in the background which slows it down and uses more battery and they also included useless app or two of the same kind of app. Right now im looking at other roms because im kinda tired of sense but i wish i could keep it's widgets.
darryll4sh0 said:
My rom is the same one that comes when you first get the phone. the only expectation is that it's updated to 2.3.4 instead of 2.3.3 and that it's rooted. When you root imagine like it's a window's pc and instead of using the guest account where stuff is limited, your now able to use the administrator account which lets you do anything.
As for advantages, i wanted to improve it's speed and battery life. the update helps but you'll find out that tmobile has alot of apps running in the background which slows it down and uses more battery and they also included useless app or two of the same kind of app. Right now im looking at other roms because im kinda tired of sense but i wish i could keep it's widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. I think I'll just stick with the 2.3.4 firmware for now before considering flashing any custom ROMs etc.
So just so I am clear, I should update the unrooted phone to 2.3.4 when I get it. then I can perform the S-off, clockwork, superuser to get it rooted and just leave it as it is and use the existing ROM as it came with the phone. Until I need to update to a higher version, I will then flash a rooted version of whatever t-mobile came out with from here. Is that the deal?
Finally, what's superCID? Do I need that?
Thanks again.. you guys been a great help! I can't wait to play around with this when I get the phone this weekend
Rooting
Yep your correct....
As for super CID is something like a carrier unlock. This has something to do with updates i think. but by adding this you can flash any carrier's rom onto your phone. for example vodafone and orange are both 2 different europe phone companies and they both include different apps on their roms just like tmobile give there special apps. With super-CID you can put anyone of those carries rom on you phone regardless if it's a europe, usa, or asia sensation. but you don't need- i haven't put it on either.

[Q] Any chance of getting a root exploit?

Hi there,
I was wondering if there's any chance of getting a method to root this phone similar as has been done with the HTC one X in this thread : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25865190. It would be nice to root this phone without the need of voiding warranty which happens after unlocking the boot loader.
I hope anyone has an answer.
Koen
Actually it doesn't void your warranty unless the rooting is the cause of the problem. You can re-lock your HTCdev unlocked phone and your warranty remains intact.
Since, as mentioned, it doesn't void warranty by just unlocking and rooting I would do a full root.
I don't have a One X, so am not familiar with all aspects of it's One-Click.
But, from my N1 days I saw a lot of people who One-Clicked and found themselves hampered in what they could do to get out of the trouble we all get into on occasion. Don't remember if it was fastboot related or some other shortcoming--but, they wished they had fully rooted. It may have had to do with s-off and changing partition sizes also. Forget.
Just my opinion--
The reason why I ask is because I would like to remove the huge amount of bloatware shipped with this phone. For example I can disable the standard facebook app, but I cannot delete it. Whilst being disabled it still wants to update to a newer version available in the playstore. I believe rooting is the only way to permanently delete these apps if I'm not mistaken.
Or is there any other way to get rid of these bloatware?
No, rooting is the way. I also think we cannot one click root due to no s-off.
My point was though, if you root you will probably be tempted to flash custom roms anyway. And, the one click methods usually leave you short on some options to fix soft bricks etc--
Haven't seen any other root options for stock HTC ROM other than paulobriens superboot, guess not very many ppl bothered researching exploits because it works very well and you need to bootloader unlock anyway to run a custom recovery. So it would only be useful for the crowd who root but won't install a custom ROM.
This is the tread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1577831
Am aware of it and read it early on. Seemed very limited for most and since not active since July, would want to make sure it still works on latest base.
Caution is always prudent--
Thanks for all the answers!
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
No problem
If we helped at all, just hit Thanks--

Q: XT925 Bootloader, Root, JB, etc..

Sorry if this is a request for a lot of other threads out there but I can't find anything definitive, specifically since the release dates for JB are scattered by region and there's not always a clear answer to my situation because of that.
I have an XT925, the international RAZR HD. I got it recently her in Australia on the Telstra network with ICS preinstalled and with JB already released as an upgrade. I did save my root from ICS and still have root currently on Jelly Bean. It does, however, annoy me that I have to pull apart CWM packages, move all the files, and set permissions. In addition to that I've seen some talk about lag and people doing a factory reset to fix that. I have tremendous lag in folders in the default launcher and occasional noticeable lag in Nova launcer (which I prefer to use) window animations. My experience with Android has been with the Galaxy S II, which is still a great phone, however it is a phone that's easy as pie to root and deal with.
I have a lot of questions, some answered elsewhere but not necessarily in a context that applies to the situation I'm thinking of (and all the ins and outs would be too much to list), nor specifically for JB. Things get obscure given the
Please don't ask questions about why I'd want to unlock the bootloader, be rooted, etc. These are things I can decide for myself. Also, I'm aware I need to backup all my apps and app data to the SD card and pull the entire SD card contents. Please don't answer any of the questions unless you have first hand experience; I really would rather not get well intentioned misinformation that leads to a problem.
1. Can root survive a factory reset of JB. I presume it formats everything needed but still have to ask.
2. If the bootloader is unlocked, and I'm on JB, can I flash SuperSU by sideloading? If not, has anyone done it on a bootloader unlocked XT925 with CWM?; I've read some posts that involve a lot of confusion about the ease of installing CWM and using it on this phone. I should mention that I'm not familiar with TWRP and would like to stick to what's more familiar for the time being, assuming I go down this route.
3. Is there some advantage of TWRP over CWM? Honestly I don't even know what TWRP is; is this something I should learn since I have a Motorola phone? Also, is CWM well written for the device so far? Has anyone done a Nandroid backup and restore with it? Does it perserve time stamps (for OTA updates later given that system files have a 2010 timestamp on my device, for example)?
4. Has anyone had any of the more seemingly unlikely problems stated on the unlocking page of the Motorola site that you "may" have and for example, phone calls not working, apps not working anymore etc? Also, it specifically says "You will not be able to watch any movies you downloaded". Does this apply to videos purchased from google or does it mean that videos I've put on my phone will be unplayable? (I'm not even sure we can purchase Google movies from Australia).
5. There's a thread about disabling the unlocked bootloader warning, at boot, by replacing the file that provides the warning with one that does not, however I recall that the thread discussion was before the JB update (in my locale). Is this something that can still be disabled using the same tools in JB (assuming the original discussion was indeed for ICS)?
6. Does a factory reset wipe the system partition?.. specifically asking this because I've been keeping track of all files put to my system partition so that if there's another OTA at some point, it hopefully won't fail because I can remove everything added but if resetting wipes everything it would be easier to just do that.
7. Did anyone with an unlocked bootloader on ICS have a problem with the JB update, or more specifically if you had an unlocked bootloader on ICS, did it interefere with the OTA update to JB?
8. You know when you wake up to an alarm and have responsibilities but you'd rather just go back to sleep, but you get up anyway and it takes time before you accept the day ahead; doesn't that suck?
Any help here is appreciated.
It would be great if we had a master sticky FAQ thread for all the noob questions that one could conceive of. I hope that someone is able to write one.

[Q] Should I OTA before rooting my new S3?

So I'll be bringing a new S3 home tonight and I want to root it immediately. It looks like the method here is the way to go. But my main concern is about OTAs. I've heard that the latest OTA stops you from being able to root, but I haven't confirmed if that's true for the S3 or if this tool works even with the latest OTAs (it says "all OTAs"). In the thread for the root tool (which I'm unable to comment on directly as a newer account), a user was recommending downloading all OTAs before rooting so that the phone was as up-to-date as possible. Is this advised? I don't want to do anything that would permanently prevent me from rooting the phone, but I also want to follow best practices for getting everything running smoothly.
Also, when it comes to stopping OTA prompts (which should fail to install after TWRP is in), are the instructions found here for Sprint phones relevant/good for Verizon phones also? If not, is there any discussion of the best methods for stopping OTA prompts here in the Verizon forum. I wasn't able to find any. And do most custom ROMs I might choose to install already come configured to block such prompts?
I don't think that's true or at least I haven't heard anything about that at all. I have one question though. Why do you want to root your S3? Personally, I haven't had the urge to root this phone like I did with my Motorola Droid Bionic. With the Bionic, rooting it meant that I can add things to that phone that are automatically included with the S3.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
you can go ahead an do the ota then use casual an root then make a backup an your good to go from the
Ah, well, there are just certain things that I consider musts that require root, e.g. Titanium Backup, custom ROMs, etc. I like to tweak and optimize things.
So you mean that it's not true that any OTA for the S3 prevents future rooting? Or something else I was referring to?
RRF12 said:
you can go ahead an do the ota then use casual an root then make a backup an your good to go from the
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

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