[HOW TO] Root without using ADB

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qoncept

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Update: This guide is for Android 2.1 and is now obsolete.
Try this guide:http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-2-hacks/80080-much-simpler-guide-rooting-no-pc-required.html

Now that root is available for the Droid X, there is going to be a swarm of people installing the Android SDK to have access to ADB. But you don't need to do this. You can install a terminal emulator from the Android Market and root your Droid X without using a PC. We'll be using a modified version of the guide on Alldroid.org to do this. Thanks to birdman and everyone else involved! Here's how:

Get a terminal emulator and Astro
There are a few available on the Market. Any of them should work fine. I recommend Better Terminal Emulator ($1.99 I believe) but there are free options available.

Then download Astro file manager. There's a free and pay version, either will work.

Download the files you need
You'll need to register on Alldroid.org to download the files. Then download the attachment (using your Droid X) in the first post of this thread:

DROID X IS ROOTED! (ADB and Shell as SU with System mounted as R/W, NO Flashing or bootloader yet) - Motorola Droid X Rooting - AllDroid Public Board - DROID X IS ROOTED! (ADB and Shell as SU with System mounted as R/W, NO Flashing or bootloader yet)

The Android browser likes to make the filename goofy, so we'll need to change it. Open Astro.
Press Menu -> More -> Preferences -> Look and Feel and make sure "Hide File Extensions" is disabled. Press back till you're at the file list again.

Open the download folder and then long press on the file "resource.ashx" and rename it to "update.zip", then long press again to extract it, and "Extact To This Directory".

Gaining temporary root access
First make sure you have a Power Control widget on your homescreen and wifi is turned on. You're going to need to access this widget very quickly after you type the following commands.

Now open your terminal app and type the following commands:
Code:
cd /sqlite_stmt_journals
cp /sdcard/download/exploid ./exploid
chmod 755 exploid
./exploid
After typing the last command, quickly press your Home button and turn wifi off and then back on with the power control widget. You'll know if you did it fast enough after you type the next command:
Code:
rootshell
If you are prompted for a password, you were fast enough. If not, type ./exploid and do the wifi thing over again. When you are prompted for a password, enter secretlol

Copy superuser files
You now have temporary root access and need to copy all of your files in to place to make it permanent. Type the following commands:

Code:
cp /sdcard/download/Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk
cp /sdcard/download/su /system/bin/su
cp /sdcard/download/busybox /system/bin/busybox
chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/bin/busybox
rm /system/bin/rootshell
exit

You now have root. I needed to close my terminal emulator (in Better Terminal, you need to actually click the menu button and exit) and reopen it. After this, type su

If anything other than your prompt changing from $ to #, something went wrong. Otherwise, you can start using apps that require root!
 
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qoncept

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Ugh.. on a conference call, it'll be a little bit.
 

JFDroid

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Bah. Well, at least you are willing to help with root without having to use ADB. Adb isn't working for me, at all. It's extremely frustrating. I'll keep refreshing this thread all day at work. Hopefully you have it up within an hour :)

Thank you so much for starting this... hopefully it pans out and works.

Edit: I'm at work, so I can understand what it's like to be interrupted.
 
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qoncept

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Finished. Enjoy. :) If you have any problems post questions here.
 

littlerick

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i keep getting cant cd to /sqlite_stmt_journal

edit: also dont have the resource.ashx file but i changed the file it downloaded to update.zip and unzipped it in the same file
 

JFDroid

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Should I be getting errors when typing the first string of commands? The errors I get are "cd: can't d to /sqlite_stmt_journal"
 
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qoncept

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i keep getting cant cd to /sqlite_stmt_journal

edit: also dont have the resource.ashx file but i changed the file it downloaded to update.zip and unzipped it in the same file
Oops, /sqlite_stmt_journals
Updated.

I'm not sure what you mean by unzipped in the same file, but I'm thinking that "Files" file manager might not be the best way to go. I used Astro, I'll update the guide to do it that way.
Edit: Updated.
 

shamus

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Hrmm.
I'm stuck at copying busybox.
It says no such file or directory. I also don't see it in the zip which would explain why I can't copy it.
Any thoughts?

Nevermind. That's what I get.
I figured it out. Thanks a ton for this writeup.
 

JFDroid

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Awesome! It worked, root is all set. Thank you Birdman and qoncept for finding/establishing root and providing the guides to rooting.
 
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qoncept

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Awesome! It worked, root is all set. Thank you Birdman and qoncept for finding/establishing root and providing the guides to rooting.
birdman and the other guys did all the hard work. But hackers are too busy hacking to make easier to read instructions. :)
 
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