Help a troubled noob..

[Jonpwn]

Hi guys, I am in need of major help.
My droid Bionic is still on 5.9.902xt875. When I first got the phone I was afraid and reluctant to change user interfaces coming from a Droid 1. I ended up downloading ADW launcher, rooting it (no custom rom), and deleting a bunch of bloatware. Having had it like this for over a year, I'm unable to receive SMS messages (even with 3g/4g on) and I know I am not using the phone to it's max potential. Last week I tried to update to .905 and it would not work, presumably because I have deleted some bloatware.

That said, what steps do I need to take to be up to date and then rooted? I see Jelly Bean has recently been released, and through my research I need to flash my phone back to "normal" as a factory reset will not restore deleted apps.

If someone could post a list of things I need to do to be up to date and then rooted, that would be greatly appreciated. Links to guides in each step would be superb too.

Sorry if I'm asking for too much, I really don't know where to begin and I cannot afford to have a brick of a phone.

Thank you all

 

[altspeed]

You need to figure out how to use RSDlite and flash an FXZ

 

[Mustang02]

You need to figure out how to use RSDlite and flash an FXZ

Concur. RSDLite with the 246 FXZ is your best option.

 

[Jonpwn]

Thanks for the fast responses.
so if I follow this guide:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-bionic-tech-support/227639-guide-use-rsdlite-install-246-ics-fxz-updated-10-24-2012-a.html

I should be at system version 6.7.246, do I need to do a factory reset if I am going to upgrade to Jelly bean using the OTA update?

also has anybody successfully rooted their bionic with jelly bean? I remember using one touch root when I first rooted mine, but i can no longer find that anymore.

thanks again guys

 

[Mustang02]

Yes that guide will get you back on the upgrade path. You must root and ota root keeper before installing Jelly Bean. There isn't any exploit that currently works with JB, and may never be. So if you want to be rooted, follow the JB update with root carefully.

 

[kylo77]

I recommend House of Bionic actually. If you are good at following instructions it's easy to do(this will get you to 246). Will provide root too! Make sure you root before going to JB and protect ir with Voodoo Root Keeper from the Google Play store.

SamuriHL's House of Bionic - SamuriHL's House Of Bionic - DroidRzr.com Good luck

 

[altspeed]

I recommend House of Bionic actually. If you are good at following instructions it's easy to do(this will get you to 246). Will provide root too! Make sure you root before going to JB and protect ir with Voodoo Root Keeper from the Google Play store.

SamuriHL's House of Bionic - SamuriHL's House Of Bionic - DroidRzr.com Good luck

This, but don't use the house to do anything you don't understand and don't do anything at all without reading the HoB FAQ. SamuriHL's temper with people that don't RTFI is legendary.

 

[sst45jeff]

Thanks for the fast responses.
so if I follow this guide:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-bionic-tech-support/227639-guide-use-rsdlite-install-246-ics-fxz-updated-10-24-2012-a.html

I should be at system version 6.7.246, do I need to do a factory reset if I am going to upgrade to Jelly bean using the OTA update?

also has anybody successfully rooted their bionic with jelly bean? I remember using one touch root when I first rooted mine, but i can no longer find that anymore.

thanks again guys

Yes use this guide it is quick and easy. it will give you ICS as if it came from Verizon out of the box.
Just make sure you back up anything you want to keep on your internal storage, Pictures, music etc.
After you flash it use the root method in the guide to root it and than download voodoo root keeper from the play store & instal it.
After you have flashed to ICS you will be prompted to update to Jelly bean. Do not do it until you have rooted the phone & installed Voodoo, if you want your phone rooted.
You can't do a lot of things without having your phone rooted.
As was previously mentioned there is no way to root after installing Jelly Bean.

After you are on ICS and rooted with voodoo root keeper installed. If you still haven't been prompted for the Jelly bean update.
Press the menu button and go into system settings, choose about phone, click on system updates to pull the update manually. You should get the Jelly Bean update that way.

 

[Jonpwn]

First off I want to thank everyone who helped. I used sst45jeff's method and I am currently running ICS and am rooted (as confirmed by titanium backup).

The next step is to actually update to jelly bean. I've installed voodoo root keeper, opened the app and created an su backup. under the "status" list, everything is selected including "protected superuser copy available". Is there anything else I should do to ensure I keep root before I go ahead and update to JB manually? (still haven't gotten a prompt for the OTA JB update)

what happens after I go through the JB update (assuming it works, I see a lot of people are having issues)? Will I automatically be rooted? do I need to do anything to "activate" root?

thanks again, sorry for the noob terminology

 

[Mbk]

Yes use this guide it is quick and easy. it will give you ICS as if it came from Verizon out of the box.
Just make sure you back up anything you want to keep on your internal storage, Pictures, music etc.
After you flash it use the root method in the guide to root it and than download voodoo root keeper from the play store & instal it.
After you have flashed to ICS you will be prompted to update to Jelly bean. Do not do it until you have rooted the phone & installed Voodoo, if you want your phone rooted.
You can't do a lot of things without having your phone rooted.
As was previously mentioned there is no way to root after installing Jelly Bean.

After you are on ICS and rooted with voodoo root keeper installed. If you still haven't been prompted for the Jelly bean update.
Press the menu button and go into system settings, choose about phone, click on system updates to pull the update manually. You should get the Jelly Bean update that way.

This will wipe everything but your external sd-card.
Back up or move anything you want off the internal sd-card / Memory.


The 246 ICS fxz here its the very bottom one
Droid-Developers SBF

I've mentioned that all you needed to do was to take out the command to erase 'emstorage' and that would leave the sdcard partition intact, and since it hadn't been done as yet I am linking up the xml with that command taken out...just replace the old xml with this New XML and you don't have to worry about the internal sdcard being wiped...

 

[Jonpwn]

Excuse my ignorance, are you talking to sst45jeff about his guide or to me and keeping root while upgrading to jelly bean? Because i have no idea what xml's are and their function

 

[Mbk]

Excuse my ignorance, are you talking to sst45jeff about his guide or to me and keeping root while upgrading to jelly bean? Because i have no idea what xml's are and their function

sorry, yeah I'm mentioning it to Jeff.