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[GUIDE][10/5/10]Comprehensive Guide to Rooting, Flashing, and Android Basics!

1.0 – WELCOME AND DISCLAIMER
So, it seems like a lot of people are having problems with their new Samsung Epic 4G. I thought I'd take a minute and throw together a little comprehensive guide on, well, everything. I'll be updating this periodically, so be sure to check it out.
I'll also be working on formatting it to improve readability... I'm not so good with this markup language that forums make you use, so bear with me. If I can figure out some basic tricks, we'll be in business.
And, just so you know, this is just a guide. As long as you follow it and do research, everything should go fine. That being said, I am not responsible for what happens to your phone. This is all elective and I am not forcing you to do any of this. You brick your phone, you own up to it. I'm only trying make it as easy as possible for your to avoid that.
2.0 – GETTING STARTED
New to Android? Need to root? Just got your phone? Not totally clear on everything? Start here. Even if you have experience with Android, had your Epic since day one, or whatever, you'll still want to check this section out.
2.1 – TERMINOLOGY
First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the terminology. This is vital to understanding what you are doing, so I'll outline as many as I can.
Brick – Not a term that should be thrown around as much as it is. If you have a bricked device, it is worthless. Like, completely. It is literally as useful as a brick. You CANNOT fix a brick. Everything else is just just breakage.
Root – a)This term comes from Linux/UNIX. To obtain root access means that you have elevated privileges. Look at this like administrator rights in Windows. It's what allows you to run custom software and access administrator setting in Android.
b)The uppermost folder. Such as “/”, “C:\” , et cetera.
Rooting – Gaining elevated root admin access.
Kernel – A kernel is the base of an operating system. For Android, it's where all the drivers and system information resides. A custom kernel can contain undervolting instructions, overclocking instructions, and many other battery-saving, power-giving, phone-enhancing features. There are several options, so make sure you do your research and choose the kernel that offers what you are looking for.
Shell – The shell is the part that you see. It's the interface that interacts and allows you to interact with the kernel.
ROM – A ROM is the combination of a kernel and a shell. Think of this like an operating system.
Dev – Dev is short for developer. These are the people who spend their days and nights writing code and bug testing to bring you the ROMs you love. These guys are the reason you're here, so show your appreciation!
Chef – Chefs and devs are essentially the same thing.
Recovery – A system that allows basic phone function. You can flash from this, clear data, and do very basic debugging. As long as you can boot to this, your phone is NOT bricked.
Flashing – The act of installing a ROM or fix to your phone through recovery.
Wiping – The act of performing a factory reset or cache clear from recovery. Your settings are gone, your apps are gone, your phone is as it was when you you got (to an extent). Formats /system/. This is not reversible.
CPU – Central Processing Unit. The brain of the phone. All data travels through this at some point.
Overclocking – Pushing your CPU to its limits. The CPU has a stock clock speed (1GHz for the Epic), and overclocking is pushing it past that.
Undervolting – Making the phone use less power. This saves battery.
AOSP – Android Open Source Project. Frequently referred to as “Vanilla”. The actual people who make Android. Go here for more information.
Theme – A cosmetic change to the user interface.
One-Click – A script or program that does everything for you.
Busybox – A collection of scripts that allow deeper editing of the system while it is running.
Remount – An easy method of mounting /system/ for writing.
Stock – Samsung-released, no editing, as-is stuff. Basically, how the phone came.
OTA – Over the air. Updates that automatically come to your phone, through your service.
adb – “Android Debug Bridge” A debug program for accessing your phone.
deODEX – Combining the ODEX file and the APK files for all the items in the /system/ folder. Allows for easier theming and customizing.
FC/Force Close – When a program or app crashes.
2.2 – WHY SHOULD I ROOT MY PHONE?
Rooting offers several great things including, but certainly not limited to, access to hidden features, total customization, better battery life, and overclocking. It gives you control over the device that you paid money for in the first place. The devs here are great at finding features that the manufacturers left out or disabled and making them work.
It also is a great hobby. Even if you aren't a developer yourself, flashing ROMs and trying out new features can be a lot of fun and definitely kill boredom. And who knows? Maybe you'll end up learning something and start coding yourself.
2.3 – ROOTING
Great! Now you know some words! So, what next? Well, we need to achieve root access on your phone. There are a few ways to accomplish this on the Epic. Please note that the one-click methods are hit and miss and are affected by several factors, including computer speed, cable, USB ports, and, for all intents and purposes, random chance. I HIGHLY recommend you open the .bat files and run every command in adb manually. I'll update this guide, eventually, with how to do this.
If you're running Windows, you're going to need the drivers for this phone. Install them BEFORE connecting your phone to your computer. You can get them here:
32-bit: Click here
64-bit: Click here
You'll also need to put your phone into debug mode. After you turn this on, you can just leave it on. To do this, go to settings, and then to applications, then to development, and then tick the “USB debugging” check box.
I also recommend using a cable other than Samsung's cable that came with the phone. Really, that cable is hardly good for anything more than charging. It's low quality and has caused a lot of users more than a headache. If you are unable to get another cable for whatever reason, run each command individually from adb. Check the section about adb and the Android SDK later in the guide for more information on how to do that.
2.3.1 – The Jokeyrim temporary root with noobnl's one-click script method – DO FIRST
Let it be known that I don't recommend relying on this method. It's janky and can cause problems once you get deeper into Android modification. Use it to get your remount scripts and then quickly do the kernel mods in the steps in 2.3.2.
Go here and download the .zip file. Extract the .zip contents to your desktop. Open the folder, run “run.bat” and let it go.
NOTE: This is just root, this is temporary, and this DOES NOT give you access to a recovery. All this will allow you to do is run applications that require root or busybox and adds the remount script.
2.3.2 – The rooted kernel and recovery method method – DO SECOND
I do recommend that you use this method. This gives you true, permanent root.
There are a couple of ways to do this. I actually suggest you follow both guides, too. This will help prevent you ever getting to Samsung's stock recovery, which is worthless for your purpose.
The first is noobnl's recovery method, and definitely the one you should do first. You can find it here. Download the .zip file and extract its contents to your desktop. There is an issue with this .bat file, so you're going to have to do some extra steps. With adb (go to the section about the Android SDK and adb further in the guide if you do not know what this is) and type:
Code:
adb shell
su
remount rw
exit
exit
(the two 'exits' is not a typo)
After running those commands, open your extracted folder and run the run.bat file. Should be smooth sailing.
The second is koush's method. koush's thread is here, but I that's a complicated method. After you do noobnl's method above, go to this thread and download the .zip from that. Put that .zip on the root of your SD card. Boot into the Clockwork recovery by turning the phone off, holding down the camera button, the volume down button, and pressing the power button until the phone turns on. Once in there, do this:
1. BACK UP YOUR PHONE. I cannot emphasize this enough. Backups are sooo important in your Android modding quest. Backup and do it often. (Backup and restore → Backup).
2. Go to “Flash zip from SD card”
3. Choose zip from sd card
4. Select the zip we put there earlier
5. Click “Yes”
6. Let it do its thing
Once you've done this, you need to boot into the phone, go to the market, and download “ROM Manager”. From that, click “Flash recovery” (the top option) and select the Epic. This will take a minute. From this point on, you can use ROM Manager to boot into the Clockwork Recovery.
2.3 – FLASHING ROMS/KERNELS/FIXES
This is the fun stuff. This is why you're here. Now that you have root and a recovery, we can get some work done. First, you have to select a ROM that you want. Always pick a ROM that is designed for the Epic. ROMs designed from other phones can and will brick your phone!
You can find ROMs for the Epic in the Epic 4G Android Development section of XDA. Do some research to each ROM to make sure it's what you want. If you want a kernel, make sure your ROM supports other kernels and that the kernel supports your ROM.
Once you've picked your ROM, put it on the root of your sd card and then boot into Clockwork Recovery using your method of choice, then:
1. BACKUP. I seriously cannot stress this enough.
2. Wipe everything. Factory reset and clear cache.
3. Go to “Flash zip from SD card”
4. Choose zip
5. Choose “Yes”
6. Let it run
7. -OPTIONAL- To ensure it worked, repeat steps 2-6. This is just to make sure everything worked. Problems with this can be intermittent and this helps to avoid them.
8. Reboot.
3.0 – ERRORS
Stuff goes wrong. You have to understand, EVERYTHING in this is experimental. The devs here do not have access to EVERYTHING that is required to make these phones work and have to guess at some things and, basically, just do their best (And their best is pretty damn good!).
Basically, just be sure you have backups that you can restore from, and this will all be fine.
3.1 – BLACK SCREEN
Oh no! I flashed ROM X and now my phone won't boot and I hate everything!!!
Worry not! As long as you can boot in to recovery, you have nothing to fear. Just restore the backup that I told you to make and you're back in business. Easy fix.
3.2 – CONSTANT FORCE CLOSES
You boot up your phone and are immediately greeted with force closes. Chances are that you didn't wipe OR that the ROM you're using isn't ready for show time. Again, just restore your backup from Clockwork.
3.2 – CAN'T GET TO RECOVERY, CAN GET TO DOWNLOAD MODE
Well, looks like you'll be returning your phone to stock using Odin. Read later on in the guide how to use Odin in the section about Odin.
3.4 – PHONE WON'T TURN ON AT ALL
Welcome to bricksville, population you. Sorry, but you're phone is a $500 paperweight... Probably shouldn't have flashed that GSM ROM, huh? Not even Odin can save you at this point...
4.0 – THE ANDROID SDK AND ADB
The Android SDK (Standard Developer Kit) is a tool freely available to everyone. You can find it here and it is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.
4.1 – INSTALLING THE SDK
So, the first step is going to be how to install the SDK on your system. I have experience with Linux and Windows, so that's what I have for now. If someone with a Mac can help write the set up instructions for that, I'd be very appreciative.
4.1.1 – Windows
First, download android-sdk_r07-windows.zip from here to your Desktop. Once it has downloaded, double-click the file and extract it to the root of your C:\ drive (this is optional, but it will make things a lot easier in the future). Rename the extracted folder “android-sdk-windows” to just “android” to make your life easier.
Open the new folder, then run the SDK Manager. If you run into an error about Java, go to java.com and get the latest version of the Java JRE (pretty much just click whatever the biggest “download” button is that you first see).
Once you have the SDK open, it will ask you to install packages. Just tick the “Accept All” radio button on the bottom right and press install. Depending on your internet connection, this can take a long time. Just be patient. Once they are all installed, you're good to go.
How you use adb is simple. Open a command prompt (press the Windows key + r and type “cmd” in the box that shows up, or go to Start → All Programs → Accessories → Command Prompt) and type in “cd C:\android\tools\” and type your commands (list of common commands at the end of this section.
-OPTIONAL- This step is optional, but HIGHLY recommended. Now that we have the SDK set up, we're going to adb to the Windows paths so that you can use adb from anywhere you can open a command prompt.
First, click the start menu and then right-click “My Computer” (Just “Computer” in Vista and 7. You'll also need to click the “Advanced System Setting” on the left side of the window that appears.). Click “Properties” and the Properties window appears. Now, click on the “Advanced” tab and the the “Environment Variables” button. A new window appears with two scrollable boxes. In the lower box, scroll until you find a “path” option and select it. Click “Edit” underneath the box. Move your cursor to the very end (Press END on your keyboard, just to be safe) and type “;C:\android\tools\”” (That leading semi-colon is important and may already be there. Check to be sure).
And you're done! Open a command prompt and type “adb devices” and see what comes up. If a list of devices (phones; will be empty if your phone isn't connected in debug mode) comes up, you've succeeded! Congrats.
4.1.2 – Linux
I use Ubuntu personally, but most of this information should be universal. If anyone running anything else sees anything missing or wrong with other distributions, let me know and I'll update or fix it.
First, you need to acquire the SDK. The file is android-sdk_r07-linux_x86.tgz from this site. Once downloaded, extract the contained folder to your home folder (/home/*USERNAME*, using your username) and rename the folder “android' for later ease of use.
Use terminal and cd to the android folder your created. Use the command “tools/android update sdk” to make the SDK updater come up. Just tick “Accept all” in the bottom right and then click install. This can take a while depending on your internet connection.
Once you have all of the files installed, you're ready to use adb. Using terminal, navigate to /home/user/android/tools and type (For Ubuntu):
Code:
sudo chmod 777 adb
This will allow the adb file to be read as an executable. Note that this only has to be done once. Then, use this code:
Code:
sudo ./adb start-server
(replace 'sudo' for 'su' for distros other than Ubuntu)
This is necessary every time you use adb (in Ubuntu, at least). You only have to do it once per session, but if the adb process is ever killed during your session, you must do it again. I've just gotten into the habit of doing it every time I log into my computer. You could also create a boot script that does this for you... which I've been meaning to get around to. After you have the process running, you won't have to use su/sudo or ./ to use adb.
Note that one-click scripts written for Windows will have to be opened and run manually. There are scripts for Linux floating around, but I can't seem to find the thread.
-OPTIONAL- This isn't a needed step, but you'll probably want to do it. Here we're going to add adb to the paths folder so that after you have started the process as an administrator, you can run it from any folder.
Open terminal and use these commands:
Code:
echo $PATH (should return the directories associated with $PATH)
export PATH=$PATH:/home/user/android/tools (replace with path to your tools directory, you may need to add 'sudo' or 'su' to the beginning of this cmd)
echo $PATH (you should now see your tools directory added to the end of the $PATH variable)
Once done, you're set. Once you have the process started, you can run adb commands from any terminal window.
4.1.3 – Mac OS
-I don't own a Mac, never have, and I have zero experience with Mac and Android... If someone else can help with this section, I'd appreciate it -
4.2 ADB COMMANDS
This isn't a complete list, but it should be enough to get you by for your purpose.
adb shell – opens a terminal on your phone. Terminal is like the command prompt of Linux.
adb push – pushes a file to the phone. The syntax is ”abd push *file location on your PC* *Location you want it on your phone*”
adb pull – pulls a file from your phone. The syntax is “adb pull *file location on the phone* *location to be placed on your PC*
adb shell rm – deletes a file from your phone. The syntax is “adb shell rm *location and name of the file to be deleted*. NOTE: adb shell rm -r is a recursive deletion and can cause damage to your ROM and phone. Make sure you know what you are doing if told to do an rm -r.
adb devices – lists all connected Android phones.​
5.0 - ODIN
(I don't have a ton of experience with Odin, so if someone can refine this section, let me know and I'll update it)
Odin is a tool that was created for previous Samsung phones. It is a powerful tool and very useful for saving your phone from many malfunctions. As long as you can boot your phone into download mode (Hold down the “1” key on the slide-out keyboard while powering the phone on) you can almost always save your phone.
That said, Odin is also fairly experimental in its implementation on the Epic. There have been several reports of failed flashes and intermittent errors. This guide will hopefully help prevent that from happening.
5.1 – SETTING IT UP
If you haven't already, you need to get the drivers for the phone. Install them BEFORE Odin and before connecting your phone to your computer. You can get them here:
32-bit: Click here
64-bit: Click here
After that, you're going to need to get Odin. You can find that, as well as a basic guide and the stock files from noobnl, here (External link to SDX). Odin is the .rar file from the first link fo the post.
5.2 - USING ODIN
After you have it downloaded, extract the files somewhere (I recommend a folder on your desktop). From the extracted files, double-click “Odin3_v1.0.exe” and the Odin window opens. Have it completely ready to go before connecting your phone. Put all your files in the spots they belong (refer to the post where you got the Odin files for instructions on that... it seems to vary a lot depending on the purpose). Make sure that no other check boxes are ticked besides “Debug En.” and “Auto-reboot”. All the others can have very negative effects.
Before connecting your phone, put it into download mode by holding down the “1” key on your slide-out keyboard while powering the phone up. Once it is in download mode, connect the phone. The first box in Odin should come up as something akin to “COM4”. If it doesn't say exactly that, don't worry. Make sure all your files are placed correctly, and then click “Start”. It should take up to a few minutes, so be patient. Cutting this process off early can have negative effects. When it is finished, the phone should reboot.
6.0 – CLOSURE
I hope this guide helped you. If you have any questions, you can contact me, but I can't guarantee I can help you. Most devs are willing to help, too, so you can shoot them a PM and they'll try to get back to you.
Good luck and happy flashing!!

[Update Log]
*10-5-2010 - Added sections for Odin and adb/Android SDK. Updated sections, fixed typos and mistakes, reorganized a little. Fixed links.

None of those links are working for me. I get sent to a page with a message saying "Sorry, we can't find "xn--http-fb7a". We suggest that you check the spelling of the web address or search above."

Thanks a bunch, this was a very useful tutorial on the basics and for me helped out greatly with understanding where and what you need to do to be getting the best out of these awsome phones!
blasted across the interwebs by the Epic 4g!

Lonewuhf said:
None of those links are working for me. I get sent to a page with a message saying "Sorry, we can't find "xn--http-fb7a". We suggest that you check the spelling qof the web address or search above."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird. I just went through and checked them all and everything is working on my end. All the URLs are correct. Maybe try clearing your browser cache?

DevinXtreme said:
Weird. I just went through and checked them all and everything is working on my end. All the URLs are correct. Maybe try clearing your browser cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/

dwyw42 said:
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is so weird... It's showing up like that for me now, too. I've checked the source, and it stills is showing the right links in my post.... It's something on XDA's end right now... I'll look into getting it to work a little later.

Good work! This should be a sticky!
Sent from my Epic 4G

dwyw42 said:
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah same here, i just cleared everything before "forum" from address bar and page loaded.

You might wanna ad that you need done battery life when flashing a kernal. If your phone dies during the flash your phone will be a useless brick.
You might also wanna adds the odin steps for flashing back to stock
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

mysteryemotionz said:
You might wanna ad that you need done battery life when flashing a kernal. If your phone dies during the flash your phone will be a useless brick.
You might also wanna adds the odin steps for flashing back to stock
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless whatever you're flashing messes with the recovery partition, an incomplete flash shouldn't cause a brick. As long as you can boot to recovery or download mode, you can save your phone.
And I'm working on an Odin section for my next update to this. A lot of things will be added next time I update the main post.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

i've got the first part of your guide done by completing noobnl's method but i cant get koush's method down. you say to hold down the volume, camera, and power buttons to boot into clockwork recovery, but it seems like it goes into the stock samsung recovery? how do i get the clockwork recovery?

The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.

dsummey30 said:
The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770388
for the proper thread

^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

bitbang3r said:
^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with me. I selected "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" and after a number of tries it was successful. Yet when I boot with the 3 buttons it still goes into the stock recovery.

you might wanna add how to set adb

Spunkzz said:
i've got the first part of your guide done by completing noobnl's method but i cant get koush's method down. you say to hold down the volume, camera, and power buttons to boot into clockwork recovery, but it seems like it goes into the stock samsung recovery? how do i get the clockwork recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bitbang3r said:
^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vanquish46 said:
Same with me. I selected "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" and after a number of tries it was successful. Yet when I boot with the 3 buttons it still goes into the stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I know the issue here. It's that /system/ isn't being mounted as rw. Run the jokeyrim root method and then go into adb and type this:
Code:
adb shell
su
remount rw
exit
exit
If you don't know how to use adb, just wait until a little later tomorrow. I've got a whole section about it to add to the guide, but I don't have it completed yet (did some work on my laptop in the middle of writing it, forgot to reconnect my WLAN card and was baffled for most of the day...)
dsummey30 said:
The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about that. Should be fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out
mysteryemotionz said:
you might wanna add how to set adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All in the works I expect to have the guide updated early tomorrow, if not tonight.

Updated the guide with a lot of new info. Two new sections for adb/the SDK and Odin as well as a general update to the whole thing. Some of the sections changed (HARD and EASY mode are now both required, unfortunately...) and some things got a little moved around.
Also, all of the links should now work correctly. Something about the way XDA was handling quotations... So I just stripped them all from the forum code stuff...
If anyone has any experience with Mac, I could use your help for the adb/SDK section, and I could also use some help from someone more experience with Odin for that part.
Thanks, guys! I really hope this guide helps some people.

not to be a pain Devin but the two links for noobnl's programs goes to the same page for the easy and hard method don't know if that's right or not but wanted to point it out to you.
Thanks again for the great guide.
David

[Q] help with IDeaUSA 7" tablet

Hi, everyone
I hope that I am in the right part for posting? I am new to this android thing.
I am trying to find a how to root idea usa 7" tablet from fry's for $77.00. Their is a lot of rooting programs but I have not been able to find anything on this model.
Also what would be a good rom to flash it with? I tried finding out if uberoid and cyanogenmod would work but I could not find any info on this model.
Not to sure what model I have that I would be able to flashing this rom with, either uberoid or CM7? Help
Model: MID, sv7206 v1.4, kernel 2.6.35.7-infotm
processor armv6 rev5,
hardware imapx200,
android 2.3.3,
brand infotmic,
display gri40,
release codename REL
bootloader unknown
I don't know if this is the right model IDea USA IUMID-0071 because the spec's are off. Http ://ideausa.us/produects.html but similar. I am looking for rom that is more update/modern. any potters?
Does anyone have the original rom for this or know how to make a backup this rom?
Well I am thinking that is might be this model but not to sure wm8650,SV7206 v1.4 or IDea USA IUMID-0071.
It's not flytouch
The screen is very slow on this model. Unless you use a pen then is works better.
Also hoping to be able to flash this to ics 4
Thanks

I just bought one, too. What a pos? it works but the screen is almost unusable, lots of mis-fires.
I did figure-out the real OEM web-page,
http://www.sinovideo.com.cn/Products/indexshow.asp?lang=EN&SortID=61&ID=85
This correctly identifies the installed 2.3 OS and reveals that it's some kind of 1 GHz processor. The real performance problem, however, is the 256 MB of memory, ouch!
I have not had any luck finding any updated ROMs. Actually, I suspect the installed ROM is tweaked to work around the defective screen (I think it's configured to ignore any 'touch' lasting less than 0.5 second?) so I'm not going to change it.
---------- Post added at 08:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 AM ----------
FYI - I found another site that has lots of discussion about the "M7206" tablet
http://www.techknow.t0xic.nl/forum/index.php?board=51.0

Here's some more info. (Yes, I have continued to investigate even though I bad-mouthed it )
- This tablet is also sold as the "infotmic m7206"
- the screen works MUCH better if you use a stylus
Currently, my tablet seems to be getting about 24 hr standby battery-life, and the battery-usage report says "Cell standby" is using 75%, even though there's no cell radio? Some of the discussion on the techknow forum seems to be about this same issue but all the solutions seem to involve rolling your own ROM, which I'm not prepared to do. For now I just plan on leaving the tablet plugged-in overnight.

Rooting Idea USA Tablet
Oh my, what a mess...
This post is in regards to the Idea USA Tablet (Unable to Root)
My specs:
- Idea USA Tablet (Made in China)
- Model Number: MID (Unknown)
- Android Version: 2.3
- Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7
- Build Number: MID-userdebug 2.3 GRH55 (ENG)
Issues:
Whelp, I have tried the basics and I can't get this thing to root for anything. I was able to get it to hook into the PC through USB. There are 2 usb slots on the side of the tablet. I believe one is for HOST and the other usb is for OTG (Charging). Once I figured out the host port, then I had to download the drivers for this poorly made tablet...But, what drivers? You go to the Idea US website and you get no helpful information. So, there are no drivers made specifically for this $100 dollar generic tablet from FRY's. Ok... No big deal... So, I download the default "Android USB Drivers".
Peachy, it worked! Now, I can transfer files back and forth between the card(s). Wonderful, first step down, next step was to root. So, I read up on how to root with Super One Click.
Ok, so now, I set the tablet to "USB Storage" and "Host"...Then I download and run Super One Click.
Ok, I run the "Super One Click v.2.3.3"; by clicking the root button and then all I get is a frozen screen that reads:
Code:
Killing ADB Server.... Kill Server 0.11s
Starting ADB Server.... StartServer 4.09s * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037* *daemon started successfully*
And then it just freezes the program. So, now I'm completely stuck. I mean I learned a great deal, that I can hook up a keyboard, mouse, etc to this thing, but, obviously Super One Click was not designed for these generic tablets. I have read other articles which have suggested that the .inf driver for the default "Android USB Drivers" needs to be edited for your specific tablet model and you must enter the specific CODE# for it to recognize for rooting with Super One Click... But, god forbid, I haven't found any useful information on where that might be. Also, someone suggested to install the Android SDK and edit those files along with the .inf files to make this work. But, that didn't work either. I did everything right. I turned off USB debugging and then I would wait for super one click to come up with waiting for device...but that never happened. I even tried it with USB debugging on... still nothing.
Has anyone created a generic batch program to root these types of devices? What am I doing wrong here?

Rooting Idea USA Tablet
Well, this took me all night to read and learn about how to root this basic tablet from Fry's.
First off, I tried many different things and it just didn't work. Using super one click is definitely out of the question for this particular tablet.
I read all night and thankfully found the forum article on how to solve this issue on xdadevelopers own forum.
As per quoted quotes below:
.....You can use gingerbreak to root this. Run it once and let it reboot, then use supermanager free from market to rename the su symlink from /bin/ to "old" or something, and reboot again.
You should now have root ........ It might take a couple of trys but it works.
You need to download supermanager from the market. Enable root in supermanager settings and click yes when superuser pops up.
Then use the file explorer within supermanager to navigate to the /bin/ directory and you will find a sysmlink called su
You need to rename this su symlink to old - completely take out the name su.
Just to be safe run gingerbreak again and then you can install busybox from market.
pablo11
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much Pablo11. The idea is to download the APK for GingerBreak from online onto your IDEA USA tablet directly. The trick here is that the brand name is IDEA "USA", but the real workings behind the "MID" is "ViMicro". You will notice that displayed as you turn on your tablet. So, in order to find real information about your MID device, you have to search articles for vimicro.
Once you run gingerbreak, your tablet will go completely nuts. Nothing will run right. Things will break and it will be a complete mess. It will however, install superuser apk. However, it will not work. You can download the Root Checker from the market and you will notice it is NOT rooted. So...thanks to pablo11, you will want to download supermanager from the google play market. Install it.
Next go into the supermanager settings and click on ROOT. Make sure root is enabled and checked marked in the settings. When you enable root in the settings, it will prompt you with "allow root?" Click on Yes. This will give you the access you need.
But, your not done, once again as per Pablo11, go to the super managers file manager section. Get to the root directory by clicking up, and then find the folder "bin". Look for the file "SU" and rename this to "old".
Now, you will be able install busybox and any thing else thats root.
By the way, restart your tablet again, and I "personally" recommend that you go into your settings> Privacy> Check mark both (Backup my data and Automatic Restore) and then click on Factory data reset. Start the tablet from like it was brand new. Don't worry it will keep the root that you did intact. You will just have to re-register the tablet with your existing gmail that you originally used with that tablet.
Lastly, use the root checker from the market and you will see that it is successfully rooted.
Okay... Now, my next step. To crack open this tablet and put in a bigger SD Card as the 2G SDCARD is way too small, especially if you want to use new roms and install a linux operating system onto it....

[Q] eMatic oem folder

Hey xda. Sorry if this post has been misplaced, but I noticed there is no device forum for the tablet I am asking about today, and that is understandable. My girlfriend recently got an eMatic eGlide Pro II XL tablet for her birthday and it is running Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3. I noticed that it had a lot of bloatware and no google play store on it, and she wanted the play store, so I rooted the device for her and installed the play store and it works like a charm. The only problem I seem to have run into is this read only folder called "oem". The path for this partition is /oem/ and there are a few bloatware apps in there. For some reason though, I cannot edit or delete anything in that partition as it says it is read only even though i am using the root functions of ES File Explorer. I am able to modify other system apps though root explorer. I even tried using terminal emulator commands to remove the items but it still didn't work. Is there a way I can mount this folder as read/write? If I can, that would be a blessing, as I could delete the crapware that came with the tablet and the old version of YouTube that is buggy and not updateable thanks to being placed in the oem folder. Thanks for reading all this guys, I know it's a wall of text, haha.

Ematic: What is the browser?
What is the browser that is install from factory.. on Ematic devices ..as it is not "Chrome" [It almost looks like Dolphin], when I tried to do a regular .apk install of "Chrome" from the Google store it dies which almost tells me that it need to be pushed into the device. So am I correct that I need to find a downloadable .apk of "Chrome" for Android 4.0.3 ?

bfrench1990 said:
Hey xda. Sorry if this post has been misplaced, but I noticed there is no device forum for the tablet I am asking about today, and that is understandable. My girlfriend recently got an eMatic eGlide Pro II XL tablet for her birthday and it is running Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3. I noticed that it had a lot of bloatware and no google play store on it, and she wanted the play store, so I rooted the device for her and installed the play store and it works like a charm. The only problem I seem to have run into is this read only folder called "oem". The path for this partition is /oem/ and there are a few bloatware apps in there. For some reason though, I cannot edit or delete anything in that partition as it says it is read only even though i am using the root functions of ES File Explorer. I am able to modify other system apps though root explorer. I even tried using terminal emulator commands to remove the items but it still didn't work. Is there a way I can mount this folder as read/write? If I can, that would be a blessing, as I could delete the crapware that came with the tablet and the old version of YouTube that is buggy and not updateable thanks to being placed in the oem folder. Thanks for reading all this guys, I know it's a wall of text, haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you root the tablet? it seems there are several Ematic tablets being sold at wal-mart and I think people would like to know how you rooted it. (I know I would.)

fsuinnc said:
How did you root the tablet? it seems there are several Ematic tablets being sold at wal-mart and I think people would like to know how you rooted it. (I know I would.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a tool called Root with Restore by Bin4ry. It took me a couple times. The first time I did it, all it managed to do was slow the tablet down, then i just performed a factory reset and tried again using the same process until it worked. It didn't take all that long. The hardest part is getting the adb drivers to recognize the tablet. I will attach my adb drivers so you don't have to go through all the rigamarole.
Navigate to wherever your android sdk folder is. Mine is at C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk
Within the android-sdk folder, look for extras, then google, then usb_driver. Make a backup of everything in your usb_driver folder, just in case.
Next just extract the contents of the zip I attached to this post. Make sure USB debugging is on, and plug it in. It should be recognized assuming there isn't some other problem i haven't encountered or forgot to mention.
Once your computer recognizes the adb interface for your tablet, use the Root with Restore tool until it works.

bfrench1990 said:
I used a tool called Root with Restore by Bin4ry. It took me a couple times. The first time I did it, all it managed to do was slow the tablet down, then i just performed a factory reset and tried again using the same process until it worked. It didn't take all that long. The hardest part is getting the adb drivers to recognize the tablet. I will attach my adb drivers so you don't have to go through all the rigamarole.
Navigate to wherever your android sdk folder is. Mine is at C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk
Within the android-sdk folder, look for extras, then google, then usb_driver. Make a backup of everything in your usb_driver folder, just in case.
Next just extract the contents of the zip I attached to this post. Make sure USB debugging is on, and plug it in. It should be recognized assuming there isn't some other problem i haven't encountered or forgot to mention.
Once your computer recognizes the adb interface for your tablet, use the Root with Restore tool until it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's great info. I will try it out. (I have a Ematic egs005 7" on it's way to me. they seem to be very cheap right now at under $60)

fsuinnc said:
Thanks, that's great info. I will try it out. (I have a Ematic egs005 7" on it's way to me. they seem to be very cheap right now at under $60)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll bet that you can get it rooted. You may have to edit those drivers though since I don't think my girlfriend's tablet isn't the same as the one you mentioned.
If the drivers I posted don't work for you, then open up "android_winusb.inf" from that zip file in your favorite text editor.
Somewhere under the "[Google.NTx86]" and "[Google.NTamd64]" sections, add this:
;eMatic egs005
Remember where you put those, cause what goes under those entries is the hardware ID of your tablet. You can get that by going under device manager and right clicking on your tablet, if it is unrecognized it should have a yellow triangle on it or something like that. Go to properties and go to the details tab, then from the drop down menu, select hardware IDs. In my case, two came up. Just pick one. If that one ends up not working later, use the one you didn't try.
Now, your entries should look like this:
;eMatic egs005
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, (your hardware ID)
Next, try to update the drivers on your tablet via device manager. Right click on your tablet like we did last time, and click properties. Go to the driver tab, and hit the update driver button. You'll have to manually navigate to where your drivers are. Select the folder where you extracted the zip to (make sure you have the edited file in there!) and follow the procedure to update the driver.
Next, open up an adb window and type in adb devices. If you have something showing up, congrats! You should be able to try the root tool now. As always, be careful!

eglide pro ll xl
I just bought the eglide pro ll xl also. From what I have read and done to my tab so far, it is already rooted from the factory. It sounds like a lot of the ematic tabs are. I've been researching different operating systems to put on my tab but there isn't anything that says it is specifically for mine. They pretty much just list the types of tablets the ROMS will work for. The question I have is what type of tablet is this. Allwinner a10? LY F1? TREQ? I would really like to know this and a good way to back up my current system so if I screw it up I can go back and try again.
-Z

Livinbad said:
I just bought the eglide pro ll xl also. From what I have read and done to my tab so far, it is already rooted from the factory. It sounds like a lot of the ematic tabs are. I've been researching different operating systems to put on my tab but there isn't anything that says it is specifically for mine. They pretty much just list the types of tablets the ROMS will work for. The question I have is what type of tablet is this. Allwinner a10? LY F1? TREQ? I would really like to know this and a good way to back up my current system so if I screw it up I can go back and try again.
-Z
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't add most of those entries in the drivers file, it originated as a sort of "fix all" driver that was posted on xda to connect many many types of different devices to adb without hassle. I added a few of the entries using the hardware ID method I described above to accommodate some less popular devices that my friends and family asked me to root.
I think I heard talk somewhere about custom roms for the eGlide, but I have no clue how to flash them, and seeing as how that tablet wasn't mine, I did not want to try to flash one and brick it, lol. I couldn't find any recoveries or any other tool to flash things to it. If you do find a way, all I can say is be careful.
As far as backing up goes, root with restore supports unrooting as well. I never performed that function though, since root hasn't done anything bad for the tablets I put them on, haha. I'm not certain there is an easy backup method since as I said a second ago, no custom recoveries. To be safe, I would recommend a factory data reset before attempting any rooting/unrooting of this tablet.
I hope I helped with my feedback.

bfrench1990 said:
I didn't add most of those entries in the drivers file, it originated as a sort of "fix all" driver that was posted on xda to connect many many types of different devices to adb without hassle. I added a few of the entries using the hardware ID method I described above to accommodate some less popular devices that my friends and family asked me to root.
I think I heard talk somewhere about custom roms for the eGlide, but I have no clue how to flash them, and seeing as how that tablet wasn't mine, I did not want to try to flash one and brick it, lol. I couldn't find any recoveries or any other tool to flash things to it. If you do find a way, all I can say is be careful.
As far as backing up goes, root with restore supports unrooting as well. I never performed that function though, since root hasn't done anything bad for the tablets I put them on, haha. I'm not certain there is an easy backup method since as I said a second ago, no custom recoveries. To be safe, I would recommend a factory data reset before attempting any rooting/unrooting of this tablet.
I hope I helped with my feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually installed CWM 6.0.1.2 by Flowish on to my tab and it works great except for the process he has to get in to the recovery. I have to use the terminal emulator to launch it. That's why I am leery about installing a different ROM. If I can't get the thing to boot up properly I then can't get to the terminal emulator to get to recovery to restore my backup. I'm still searching and learning though. I'll figure it out eventually.

Livinbad said:
I actually installed CWM 6.0.1.2 by Flowish on to my tab and it works great except for the process he has to get in to the recovery. I have to use the terminal emulator to launch it. That's why I am leery about installing a different ROM. If I can't get the thing to boot up properly I then can't get to the terminal emulator to get to recovery to restore my backup. I'm still searching and learning though. I'll figure it out eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check if there's fastboot for this tablet. There's a fastboot command to boot into the recovery. If not, then I would just not flash a Rom

[Q] FileMate Clear 7" T720 tablet

Does anyone know if Z4Root will work on this tablet? Thanks!

I've been looking for one for 3 days now, I tryed onclickroot and z4root or something like that,, cant find anything Anyone please help!!

I'm still waiting for my tablet to be delivered...I'm gonna try SuperOneClick (crosses fingers)

I got one of these for my daughter for xmas. I spent a few days trying to root it with no luck. I'm not intimately familiar with android (some unix experience), but I tried all the options I could find for rooting Allwinner a10 devices. At first I ran into problems with adb unable to recognize the device for most one-click methods. I downloaded the android tools and was able to connect with the included adb. After studying the scripts, they all use the "adb root" command to gain root access on the device and copy the necessary files. Unfortunately, this command fails using adb from the tools. At first I thought this was due to my adb version, but after doing some research I think it is actually due to the device kernel. I believe it requires reflashing or some exploit to be able to gain root. I was able to install root explorer and I can browse all the necessary directories but I can't modify or copy the necessary files into them. Busybox told me there was an older version installed, but wouldn't let me install a newer version (again I think due to the permissions). Also, superuser would say it installed but the su binary did not show up on the bin directory. As the necessary directories are all owned by root, I couldn't figure out a way to modify the permissions...

I wound up returning the FileMate and got a Lenovo IdeaTab. Got that rooted in no time.

sorry i never saw this post i've bought 2 of these and i rooted them,
i wish i could get a better build for them though, too many app crashes and the internet connectivity sucks
i used a method by Bin4ry called root with restore, v17 worked any ways i have the zip if you would like it

ferny_dx said:
sorry i never saw this post i've bought 2 of these and i rooted them,
i wish i could get a better build for them though, too many app crashes and the internet connectivity sucks
i used a method by Bin4ry called root with restore, v17 worked any ways i have the zip if you would like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screw it, here it is for future reference.

How'd you do it!?!?
ferny_dx said:
Screw it, here it is for future reference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FileMate Clear T720
Thank you very much for being the only person ever to have posted in regards to this tablet. I just got mine for christmas and have been trying to get it rooted. I've tried a lot of those one-click methods, and I've even tried this Bin4ary method. but it just hangs up on "daemon started sucessfully*"
Can you please direct me to the filemate drivers (if needed)
also, I have usb debugging endable, allowing 3rd party (not secure) files enabled. and pulling my hair out (enabled).
Thanks again.
Also, I'm running windows 7 and 8, (((maybe i should try win7))) hmm. i'll get back to you on that. Anyhow, any advice would be greatly appreciated, since returning it doesn't sound very fun.

jiberish05 said:
FileMate Clear T720
pulling my hair out (enabled)..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I laughed so hard. ok your going to have to install drivers by force,
first off do you happen to have android sdk installed? if you don't there is another way but its going to sound weird,
if you do have the android SDK installed:
1. go to your computer manager (by opening explorer, right click on the "computer" group on the left column and select manager)
2. look for any unrecognized item that appears, ( it will most likely be labeled "Clear" with a faded icon and a "?" sign on top
3. right click and choose "Update drivers", it will give you options, choose "Browse my computer for driver software", another option screen will show,
4. at the bottom of the window there will be an option that says "let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
5. on the screen that appears there should be an option that says "ADB Interface", choose this
6. choose "Google, Inc.">"ADB Testing Interface version x.x.x.x" (I chose version 2.1.0.0)
that should do it next time you plug in the tablet try running ddms or open the cmd and type in "adb devices" (assuming you have adb installed) and it should show.
if this helps just hit the thanks button
[edit] I am running windows 8 btw [/edit]

ADB interface doesn't show up
Thank you very much for getting me farther, however I dont see ADB interface. I'm looking into it right now. I just re-installed the sdk drivers and will keep at it.
BTW, is it even worth doing this? the main reason I want to do it, is so i can connect my ps3 remote via bluetooth, and possibly a little overclocking. Have you had any luck OC it?
Thanks again Much appreciated:good:

jiberish05 said:
Thank you very much for getting me farther, however I dont see ADB interface. I'm looking into it right now. I just re-installed the sdk drivers and will keep at it.
BTW, is it even worth doing this? the main reason I want to do it, is so i can connect my ps3 remote via bluetooth, and possibly a little overclocking. Have you had any luck OC it?
Thanks again Much appreciated:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
open up SDK manager and go to Extras>"Google USB Drivers"
also install everything in the "Android 4.0 (API 14)" section, I have other options installed if this still doesn't work.
its worth it just for the extra stuff that root comes with like titanium backup, but you cant over clock, if you go any higher than 1200 MHz it will lock up and you have to force it to reset.

cyberkeeper1 said:
HERE is the link to root as provided earlier
Click Here to download ADB universal drivers. they should work better than the google USB drivers.
---------- Post added at 12:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------
this seems kind of spammy. What backs up my claim is that you dont have more than 5 posts...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link to my post on android central, the link in that post just comes back the xda thread
Root MANY ANDROID! [Upd: 20.11.2013] - Added Z1 Root
Sent from my XT862 using Tapatalk

Rooted Filemate Clear
I just wanted to confirm I have also rooted the Clear with the Bin4ry v33 exploit using option 1. Although I received the following error:
remote object '/system/bin/ric' does not exist
.
Going to copy files to it's place
Rebooting again, please wait!
Could Not Find C:\Documents and Settings\Graham School\My Documents\Downloads\Ro
ot_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v33\ric
Restoring previous Backup! Please select the RESTORE MY DATA option now on your
device!
SuperSu installed and root apps working.

Rooted With Kingo
I just bought one of these cheap to play with and used Kingo to root it. Worked first time, no problem. The only issue I am having is that the SuperSu binaries are failing to update but root is still working. Titanium is working and Root Explorer so I can debloat. Hope that helps is anyone is still trying to use these

Jfender1005 said:
I just bought one of these cheap to play with and used Kingo to root it. Worked first time, lem. The only issue I am having is that the SuperSu binaries are failing to update but root is still working. Titanium is working and Root Explorer so I can debloat. Hope that helps is anyone is still trying to use these
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please tell me where in the world you got the Kingo root?
As far as being unable to update binaries, try to find a custom recovery and install. From there, you can inject them via su-binary update.zip and bam!

Kingoroot
cyberkeeper1 said:
please tell me where in the world you got the Kingo root?
As far as being unable to update binaries, try to find a custom recovery and install. From there, you can inject them via su-binary update.zip and bam!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.kingoapp.com/android-root.htm
That is the link for the Kingo site. The first time I saw it on here there was some question about whether it was safe becase it is not open source and used a Chinese SuperSu app. I felt safe using it on a tablet because I do no banking on it or anything, but the newest posts I have seen are that Kingo is safe. Hope that helps. And if you know where to find a custom recovery that will work with this app please let me know.

[SOLVED] Android Trojan.Gorilla.AM or Guerrilla.AM on my device OEM launcher...

(NOTE: this post is a duplicate of a similar thread I started on the Android Central user forum)
Hello everyone,
In the continuing saga of the Leagoo T5C i bought before the holidays from GearBest, I've seen the good (the price and overall build quality, along with a reasonably good user experience), the bad (some notifications that I just can't get rid of, among other things), and I now present you the ugly: after watching a review video on YouTube about my device, I learned that it came loaded with a Trojan called "Gorilla.AM"...
***EDIT: apparently, the Trojan's name could actually be "Guerrilla.AM", I'm not sure.***
Needless to say, I did as the tester had, and installed Malwarebytes, which, sure enough, found the exact same Trojan on my device.
You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5l3z7BvBtk
It so happens that it's embedded in Leagoo's own application launcher, called Sujet (in French; maybe it's called "Subject" in English, I don't know). I can force quit the application, since I use another launcher called Apex (good pick, by the way), but Malwarebytes can't seem to shake the Trojan off my device nonetheless.
A quick search on Google gives very little in the way of information about this malware, but I'd like to be on the safe side, so I came here.
Any contribution would be welcome at this stage.

Hi. I've seen your post on a french-speaking forum but for my own reasons I don't want to help there, too many morons.
Leagoo is well-known for smartphones with built-in spyware/adware. I've had both a Z5 and a M5 and both had such crap in the stock firmware.
This one is new to me but you'll probably have to follow the same steps to get rid of it.
Try
Code:
adb shell pm disable <internal name of that launcher>
first (from a PC connected to the device with ADB - zillions of tutorials available for this)
The internal name can be found by guessing or by using one of the many apps that will show you the information. One is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csdroid.pkg
If that fails, try adding "-k -user 0" to the command line.
If it fails again (denied) then you have no choice but to root your device first, then use this pm command from a root shell or directly delete the folder for "Sujet/Subject" from /system/app or /system/priv-app where you'll find it.

Lannig said:
Hi. I've seen your post on a french-speaking forum but for my own reasons I don't want to help there, too many morons.
Leagoo is well-known for smartphones with built-in spyware/adware. I've had both a Z5 and a M5 and both had such crap in the stock firmware.
This one is new to me but you'll probably have to follow the same steps to get rid of it.
Try
Code:
adb shell pm disable <internal name of that launcher>
first (from a PC connected to the device with ADB - zillions of tutorials available for this)
The internal name can be found by guessing or by using one of the many apps that will show you the information. One is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csdroid.pkg
If that fails, try adding "-k -user 0" to the command line.
If it fails again (denied) then you have no choice but to root your device first, then use this pm command from a root shell or directly delete the folder for "Sujet/Subject" from /system/app or /system/priv-app where you'll find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
OK, first off, thanks for the reply. Secondly, as I've stated before, I'm new to Android, and though I know my way around the command line in both Windows, Linux et OS X (not so much macOS: my MacBook Pro is 12-years old...), I suppose there are some things to set up first, before you can actually do what you suggest.
I understand that ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, so is it an existing functionality in, say, Windows, that you can trigger from the command line, or a third-party software you have to install first?
On the Android side, what action should I take? Any Developer command to enable/disable to let ADB interact with my device the way it's supposed to?

Yes, you need to enable debug mode on your phone too. I could refer you to one of the zillion tutorials available on the net, but here's a summary.
Go to settings > about... (à propos)
Make at least 7 rapid touches on the line that says "build number" or its french translation.
This will make a new settings menu available from the main settings page: developer options
In this new menu, enable USB debugging.
Then you need to install ADB on your Mac and I'm at loss to help you there because I'm totally foreign to Macs. Never used one.
This seems like a good start: https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
Note: you may also try issuing the commands mentioned above from a terminal emulator running directly on your Android device, although I'm told that it's not exactly the same thing protection-wise.
Install this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jackpal.androidterm and try typing the commands from the emulator window. If it works, no need for ADB (although having ADB will probably prove useful sooner or later and I encourage you to take the step).
EDIT: forget the guys from Phonandroid, they're brain-damaged beyond help

Lannig said:
Yes, you need to enable debug mode on your phone too. I could refer you to one of the zillion tutorials available on the net, but here's a summary.
Go to settings > about... (à propos)
Make at least 7 rapid touches on the line that says "build number" or its french translation.
This will make a new settings menu available from the main settings page: developer options
In this new menu, enable USB debugging.
Then you need to install ADB on your Mac and I'm at loss to help you there because I'm totally foreign to Macs. Never used one.
This seems like a good start: https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
Note: you may also try issuing the commands mentioned above from a terminal emulator running directly on your Android device, although I'm told that it's not exactly the same thing protection-wise.
Install this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jackpal.androidterm and try typing the commands from the emulator window. If it works, no need for ADB (although having ADB will probably prove useful sooner or later and I encourage you to take the step).
EDIT: forget the guys from Phonandroid, they're brain-damaged beyond help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, thanks for the heads-up; I've already installed a Terminal emulator on the phone, so I'm gonna give it a go in a moment. I concur about Phoneandroid, alas: I've just received flak from one of the moderators because I'd double-posted on the same subject, whereas I'd just posted one thread, in the wrong part of the forum, according to him. Go figure...

OK, please feed back on your attempts, both from terminal emulator and through ADB.
Alas, I suspect that root will be required. It was for me on my Z5 and M5 to get rid of Leagoo's crapware.
Phonandroid is a bunch of losers with bloated egos posing as experts when 2/3 of the replies given are total BS.

"Er, Houston, we've had a problem..."
On Windows: "ADB is not a recognized name for a command applet..."
On OS X: "adb: command not found"
Stumped, I am...

"Er, Houston, we've had a problem..."
On Windows: "ADB is not a recognized name for a command applet..."
On OS X: "adb: command not found"
Stumped, I am...

(Additional question, not quite related: Aida64 indicates that my device runs a 4.4.49 version of the Android kernel, when the current version for Android 7.x is supposed to be 4.4.1; how does that compute--no pun intended--with my issue?)

Missing adb command is because the adb.exe (Windows) or adb (Mac) file is not in the command path. Either make the folder that contains the adb[.exe] file the current folder using the cd command or use whatever context menu for opening a command line window within the currently selected folder works, or even add that folder to the PATH variable. Google "add directory to path" for Windows and MacOS.
No idea about the kernel version. Minor kernel versions may vary within an Android release. Not surprising and most definitely unrelated to your problem. The crapware certainly isn't part of the kernel. It's most likely a system app i.e. a folder within either /system/app or /system/priv-app folders. You can't delete it without root, but you might be able to disable (freeze) it with the commands I gave you.

OK, thanks. I did "cd" to the folder where I had unzipped ADB on Windows (on the Mac, when I tried to open the ADB executable, I got a "cpu not supported" error message in the Terminal, as I feared, since my MBP is 32-bit-only, and most Mac applications nowadays only support 64-bit CPUs), and still got the "adb unrecognized command" error in PowerShell.
The phone was plugged in, and the right USB mode, so I'm still a bit baffled here. Gonna try it again with a different approach. Will keep you posted.
Over and out...

OK, here's what I got: "Error: java.lang.SecurityException: Shell cannot change component state for com.leagoo.launcher3/null to 2"
Basically, from my poor understanding of how Android works, it's root or die, right?

UglyStuff said:
OK, here's what I got: "Error: java.lang.SecurityException: Shell cannot change component state for com.leagoo.launcher3/null to 2"
Basically, from my poor understanding of how Android works, it's root or die, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see that this phone has 7.x android. So, a Magisk Systemless flash might work. After rooting your device, get a good launcher integrate it to /system. Then delete your stock launcher all together.
Tell me if this works.
---------- Post added at 01:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------
rhn19 said:
I see that this phone has 7.x android. So, a Magisk Systemless flash might work. After rooting your device, get a good launcher integrate it to /system. Then delete your stock launcher all together.
Tell me if this works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are new to this, use an app from play store for uninstalling and integrating apps.

Hi,
Yes, like I said, I'm a newbie when it comes to Android, so I'll abstain from rooting my device for now, but I'll keep your suggestions under advisement, because I suppose there'll be no other option in the long run. I'm gathering info on how to safely root a device.
I've done countless jailbreaks on iPhones, and it was always absolutely painless, but then, I had better understanding of how iOS works than I have Android, so until I know more about the OS, I'll keep my phone as it is.
Thanks again!

UglyStuff said:
Hi,
Yes, like I said, I'm a newbie when it comes to Android, so I'll abstain from rooting my device for now, but I'll keep your suggestions under advisement, because I suppose there'll be no other option in the long run. I'm gathering info on how to safely root a device.
I've done countless jailbreaks on iPhones, and it was always absolutely painless, but then, I had better understanding of how iOS works than I have Android, so until I know more about the OS, I'll keep my phone as it is.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jailbreaking vs Rooting is like 5-1 on difficulty level. Because Android is Open source while IOS is not. I would highly suggest you Root it if your phone does not have warranty. After all something that is on /system partition like your launcher will need superuser access to modify it. I cannot think of a way that wont void your warranty.
You can flash TWRP and then boot into aroma-fm but that will void your warranty. Rooting is the preferred option here.

Yeah, well, the phone is brand-new, and still under warranty, but that's not what's holding me back: I'd rather not brick it, most of all, because I need it, if not as my main phone, at least for connectivity.
I've read tutorials on this very website about using TWRP to flash a new baseband, but I'm curious about what firmware to choose, where to download it from to be sure it's not laden with bad stuff, and how sure I'll be to have an operable phone afterwards.

UglyStuff said:
Yeah, well, the phone is brand-new, and still under warranty, but that's not what's holding me back: I'd rather not brick it, most of all, because I need it, if not as my main phone, at least for connectivity.
I've read tutorials on this very website about using TWRP to flash a new baseband, but I'm curious about what firmware to choose, where to download it from to be sure it's not laden with bad stuff, and how sure I'll be to have an operable phone afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you want a new firmware? I don't get you man, do you want to clear out the malware or try a new ROM? Because i think you would have to build a new ROM, there is not one available i guess.

That's the thing: the malware on my phone is part of the application launcher installed by the OEM. In other words, it's embedded inside the ROM. If I root my phone and somehow manage to get rid of this launcher, what's to tell me that Leagoo won't push it silently back onto my device under the disguise of an update?
I don't know what to do here. I understand that based on stock Android, each OEM applies a certain number of modifications to accommodate the hardware it used to build the phone, and since the SoC is brand-new, I gather there aren't many drivers available, unless I leave the current baseline in place.
I'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here...

UglyStuff said:
That's the thing: the malware on my phone is part of the application launcher installed by the OEM. In other words, it's embedded inside the ROM. If I root my phone and somehow manage to get rid of this launcher, what's to tell me that Leagoo won't push it silently back onto my device under the disguise of an update?
I don't know what to do here. I understand that based on stock Android, each OEM applies a certain number of modifications to accommodate the hardware it used to build the phone, and since the SoC is brand-new, I gather there aren't many drivers available, unless I leave the current baseline in place.
I'm kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use malwarebytes after root that thing wont happen. And almost all of the OEMs have a trigger which voids when rooting or flashing firmware. After that the OEM wont give you updates unless you use the A/B partitioning system.

OK, I understand how rooting my phone would void the warranty: after all, it's a substantial change in the phone software, and the OEM can't be made responsible for any mishap that occurs after I've rooted the phone.
What's the A/B partitioning system (I suppose it helps partition your storage space)? I don't have a microSD card installed (I use the slot for my second SIM), but I do have 32 Gb of storage space, minus what's already used up.
Do you know KingRoot? Is it as good and (reasonably) safe a rooting tool as they say it is?