questions and answers: rooting with droidmod 1.0
Monday, February 22, 2010after posting our droidmod 1.0 experiences last night and including a video of the outcome, we received a ton of questions; many we expected, and a few others we were looking for answers to as well. so rather than hanging you out to dry, we decided to throw most of the questions from that post into a separate post to act as a q&a session to help you along if you decide to go this route.
if you do not find the answers to certain questions you may have, feel free to ask in the comments or head over to droidmod.org and check out their forums. they are the experts as this is their work.
*note* - i want to remind you all again that rooting and flashing your droid is incredibly risky and we are not liable if something happens during this process. we are also not recommending that you do this, but just showing you some of the options you have out there and also how amazing this device truly is.
q: Do you have step-by-step instructions for using DroidMod 1.0?
a: You can find them at the DroidMod.org forums here.q: Think Flash will work on DroidMod or rooted phones in general right off the bat?
a: That's a good question. I would say probably not as it'll be built for 2.1, but the developers that work on all these will likely make a fix right away.q: Is this still as easy to unroot at sholes? I'm getting tired of waiting for the 2.1 update, and this is looking more and more tempting.
a: It is as easy. I think the recovery image might be the same exact one.q: Does it work on milestone?
a: As far as I know, it does not. If you have 2.0.1 it might but I suggest going to the DroidMod.org website and asking around.q: I have never rooted my droid. What is the possibility of someone bricking their phone doing this.
a: Pretty unlikely as the process is almost completely automated, but the risk is still there. Remember that this will also void your warranty.q: Is that you in the video or someone else?
a: That is definitely me and my lovely little phone.q: How long does this take? It seems like the process is frozen.
a: Be patient, it could take up to 20 minutes to complete although will likely take less than 10.q: The Live Wallpapers show up, but will not respond to touch?
a: You need to install the 2.1 Launcher in order for these to respond to touch.q: Are there other Live Wallpapers than the stock ones?
a: Yes. Many are available in the market and work without the buggy 2.1 Launcher.q: Who created the Live Wallpapers?
a: Xeudoxus who also created the 2.1 Sense UI Launcher.q: Are you noticing any lag or bugs with 2.1 launcher?
a: Yes. This is the same version of the Launcher as used before with the same bugs. Overclocking does help with the lag, but it will still lock up from time to time.q: How do you overclock?
a: There is an app in the market called SetCPU. After installing, and it asks for your device, select "Autodetect" not "Motorola Droid/Milestone."q: So what all do I need to run this mod and then go back to stock?
a: Download the DroidMod Updater, follow it's instructions on rooting and flashing. If you do not like what you get, open up the Updater>ROM Menu>Stock 2.0.1 (no root).q: After unrooting, voice search disappeared. How do I get it back?
a: Try these steps:q: Will I receive the 2.1 OTA update if I have DroidMod installed?
1) Going to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> Menu button -> Filter -> All
2) Find com.google.android.voicesearch (that may not be the exact name but it will look similar...) and click on it
3) Click "Uninstall"
4) Reboot your phone
a: To my knowledge, no. When that update rolls out you will have to unroot your device which DroidMod allows you to do.
44 comments
Where can I obtain the unroot zip file and kellex in your opinion, is it worth rooting your phone?
ReplyDeleteThe unroot files all come with the DroidMod Updater.
ReplyDeleteIt's only worth it if you want to play with custom roms and have superuser access to your phone.
If you are just an everyday user that is fine with just installing ported apps and apk's then rooting is not for you.
So if I D/L this does it come with everything I need to root or will it rooted itself or will I have to do the power x process
ReplyDeleteYou have to do the power "x" process and apply the update.zip but it downloads everything for you. You will also go through a few menus choosing options you want installed in your custom rom.
ReplyDeleteKellex its me again, if i do this, and then unroot w3ill my warrenty still be void. may be a dumb question, but i just want to know thanks
ReplyDeleteI would guess that if Verizon knew you had rooted and then gone back to stock that it would still be voided, but they should have no way of knowing once you go back to stock.
ReplyDeleteKeelex you are the man. i visit this site probably 100 times a day.
ReplyDeleteKellex my bad, got excited. mispelled ya name
ReplyDeleteforgot how to get this to my phone. someone help please
ReplyDeleteGet what to your phone? :)
ReplyDeleteWhen i try to drop onto my sd card from my computer it tells me there's already a file called update.zip, can i change the name to droidmod 1.0
ReplyDeleteSo do I download the link through my phone or through a computer
ReplyDeleteJulian: You want to leave it as update.zip. You can probably delete the other one you have on your device. Have you rooted before?
ReplyDeleteAlphonso: Download from phone.
no its my first time. sorry for asking so many questions. and i was trying it from my computer
ReplyDeleteSo you have an "update.zip" on your SDCard already? How'd that get there?
ReplyDeleteIf you are doing this, you need to visit this page from your phone and download the droid mod updater. Follow the instructions it gives you.
its there when i downloaded 2.0.1 when it first came out online
ReplyDeleteok ok, I’m confused, I have never rooteb before, My phone is totally Virgin :) FIRM 2.0.1 with a few apps. Can you give step by step how to do this? A list of bugs also with and with out the 2.1 launcher.
ReplyDeletethank you
Javier,
ReplyDeleteThis was a previous post by the author..
http://www.droid-life.com/search/label/root
There are two options to root...manually or by installing the Updater this post talked about. The easiest is the Updater and although I haven't ran this one, I did run SMUpdater (made by the same people) and it was very easy...just follow the prompts, select your choices and that's it. Just be patient when you see the blank screens as everything is loading.
This is the best option, the other one is a lot more complicated.
I've never rooted but now with this option of ease, I'm very very tempted.
ReplyDeleteI've jailbroken an iPhone in the past & never bricked it before. When I had to take it in to Apple I would just un-jailbreak it and they could not tell it was jailbroken before. Although someone already asked this, would rooting my Droid then going back to stock show ANY signs of that it has been rooted?
I mean, people keep saying "this WILL void your warranty." But never see anyone saying "if you have to take it in, un-root so Verizon can never detect it was rooted."
Will overclocking show in anyway that this device was indeed overclocked?
Thanks in advance
I do too already have an update.zip files. I have never rooted before any suggestion?
ReplyDeleteAlphonso,
ReplyDeleteYou have inadvertently downloaded it. In any case, just back it up on to your desktop or just rename it to something like..'update_old.zip'. If you are using Droidmod1.0 update than you probably don't even have to worry about it. Either way...just back it up.
O,
If you decide to go back to stock just delete everything. Delete the Updater and the install files and just back them up to your desktop. Even if you still have them on the SD card Verizon can only assume you hacked it but couldn't prove it. I don't believe OCing can be detected. It's like OCing your computer from BIOS...know would ever know...but with technology these days I suppose you can't assume too much.
The name of the game is BACK UP EVERYTHING
Thanks for the rapid response & insight.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm new to this "root" world...when you say "backup everything"....are you in reference to backing up the ROMs, this root "app," SetCPU ap, etc.?
My internet is moving mega slow!!! Kellex help! please! lol, should I get that SetCPU app? Will it solve my slow internet problem?
ReplyDeleteo,
ReplyDeleteBefore the DroidMod1.0 there was SMUpdater that you could get from the Marketplace or download from Sholes. It enabled you to run an App that essentially did everything for you. It rooted your phone, the let you choose one of three ROMS, the first one being 'STOCK, unroot'. Once you selected one it would download the ROM, and then run it. It let you switch between rooting and unrooting easily. Now, when you run the app it gives a lot of prompts and then lets you turn things on and off.
Now...current day...the guys that developed SMUpdater had a falling out and some went to develop the DroidMod1.0 which is from what I'm hearing the same thing as the SMUpdater essentially. I haven't ran it yet...but as Kellex said it does have the same Unroot image as SMUpdater.
The Updaters create a backup/ root and install a ROM. :)
get SetCPU to overclock your chip it wont overlcock unless you run it.
Well it's good practice to always backup your phone but really it's up to you. I can't guarantee DroidMod1.0 but I would feel confident to run SMUpdater without backing anything up. all your information/ apps are kept in store. I'm just saying if you ever doubt deleting something just save it somewhere else. It's more a generalized comment.
:)
Chris: Gotta say, thanks a ton for answering these questions! I seriously owe you a bottle of fine wine for all the help.
ReplyDeleteO: You can copy everything on your phone and drop it onto your PC just to be safe.
Julian: If it's from a manual update of 2.0.1, you can remove it.
AZindani: SetCPU is thought by some to not be real, but I notice a pretty significant difference when using it at 800Mhz as compared to an unrooted/stock phone. That said, your internet has nothing to do with you CPU...maybe get on another netwrok hah.
ok chris so what u saying is to take the update.zip that already on my sd-card and move it to my computer, and download droidmod 1.0 and let it do the rest, and to take all my data and files and back them up as well on the computer too. sorry for asking so much question but im new to the rooting thing and the droid,
ReplyDeleteKellex I have the Verizon network..."Can you hear me now...good!" But, thanks man I'm still having issues like slow downloading and slow in loading the pages. I'll figure something out. Thanks, Kellex for everything.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Thanks Chris and Kellex! Chris, very helpful!
ReplyDeleteSo basically just connect my Droid and copy and paste my whole SD card onto my computer? All the files within? This what people mean by "backing up?"
ok i got it now thanks alot guys
ReplyDeleteIs anybody else having problems with the internet being slow and stuff? Even my downloads are moving much slower...is it because I have live wallpapers displaying? Or maybe when I installed this rom, I installed it with Milestone Browser? Can someone help me and I have Verizon.
ReplyDeleteO,
ReplyDeleteHere's what I did... I have MyBackup Pro from the Market. I created two backups with it, one with my contacts and messages and images and another with all my apps. This was just a cautionary thing is all. It turned out unnecessary.
Then I ran the SMUpdater which is now DroidMod1.0 essentially. Remember it gives you ROM choices and I installed 2.0.3. It rooted it for me and everything. Then I went and bought the SetCPU and got my Droid going at 800MHz. An update eventually game out...2.0.6 I think and I installed that. It took me through the same process. I ran the app, it gave me the three choices again (updated with the new ROM) and it worked like a charm. Then I heard the 2.1 rumors and so I ran the SMUpdater again, set it back to 2.0.1 (unrooted) and essentially went back to stock. It's now unrooted. However, the Updater did download those ROMS so I assume I have them on my SD card, it also installed other folders on your SD card which could lead Verizon or Motorola to go AH HA!! But once you go back to stock I bet it's pretty safe to delete all those folders. I would of course just move them all to my PC just in case.
I'm not worried about the warranty ...my phone runs fine with the extra folders so I'm not worried.
Kellex,
Hope I'm doing alright...just using my experience.
i think i might be on the right track, its says downloading droidmod-164-1.0.rom.tgz is this right
ReplyDeleteI was nervous like many of you about rooting and installing droidmod1. I did it and it was easy/painless. If you want a step by step guide(with pictures!) then go to http://forum.droidmod.org/index.php/topic,73.0.html It's pretty dummy proof, and goes through EVERY single step. Everything has been super smooth and have not run into any issues thus far. The droidmod rom seems faster than the stock. I am still nervous about over-clocking though.
ReplyDeleteChris: Doing awesome. Seriously, I appreciate it so much.
ReplyDeleteJulian: You are on the right track. :)
I_sloan: Thanks for that link as well.
I'm FINISHED. LOL THANKS KELLEX AND CHRIS. I FEEL SMARTER
ReplyDeletewell i follow the instruction and got all the way through the process but now it seem like my phone is stuck at the motorola boot-up screen is this normal or how long does it take to reboot itself up after rooting and flashing the rom please HELP
ReplyDeleteOne quick question: I download a file onto my phone title "droidmod1.0" and I just went to the droidmod forum (that someone posted above for instructions) and that post says to download the file they link but its called "dmupdater"
ReplyDeleteThese are different. Or they work the same?
@O Grab the dmupdater file, it automates it all for you. It's the link on the bottom post of droidmod.org.
ReplyDeleteWill do. Thanks. Just confused since its called "dmupdater" when I thought that one was the "old" one or the ones that was replaced/left behind. Was under the impression "droidmod1.0" was what I shall install & the new one/most up to date.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to jump the gun & do this tomorrow...ROOT world, here I come
I gotta question, and it probably sounds stupid to some of ya, but do i need to do some sort of back up before I do this even though it does a nandroid back up when I do the installation itself?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous I did not everything came back (minus shortcuts on the home screen). If it makes you feel more comfortable then go ahead, better extra safe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate all the great help in this post!!
ReplyDeleteOne last question, in regards to "back up:" what about all my apps downloaded? If I ROOT will I have to go back and redownload ALL my apps that I had (non-paid) or will they remain intact after the process?
And if I were to UNROOT....will they also remain intact?
If not, any way to back these up (I have about 60 downloaded).
Thanks in advance
I suggest the app MyBackupPro it will save your apps and an data to your SD Card or to an online account... On another note live wallpapers will be interactive with some home replacements like dxtop so you can use those as an alternative to installing the buggy launcher 2....
ReplyDeleteThanks this was great.
ReplyDeleteDo I need to get SetCPU for this ROM? I wanted to root but not OC (just yet ANYWAY)
I read this ROM runs at 800. Just worried cause I'm new