SBF to root and to unroot

[teddyearp]

Try to keep your questions to one thread. We can't be everywhere always at once, and reply instantly. I see a thread in droid hacks and one in the samsung area, and I thought I saw another one elsewhere last night? or maybe it was someone else.

good luck

 

[IluvMyDroid-LTD]

This guide was written for the Droid 1, the Motorola Droid phone released in November of 2009.

edit (8-24-2010):
When you use SPRecovery you should know what it means to "use the update.zip method via SPRecovery to flash a rom"

You might not know it at this moment, but when you go to apply the below files it should make sense to you. This post will make one heck of a lot more sense if you have that knowledge and hopefully you will have that knowledge by reading this post through a couple of times.

For those on Android 2.1 the below works. For those on Android 2.2 there have been some issues with flashing sprecovery_ese81 because that file includes the 2.1 kernel yet you are running Android 2.2 and that causes a conflict. Either don't boot up into the phone, and have the update.zip preloaded on your phone, or boot into SPRecovery and use its "mount" function to connect to your PC to get the update.zip onto the root of your card, and then update your phone that way.

Also, for those on Android 2.2 I recommend the following thread started by MotoCache1: Root Droid 1 - regardless of OS version


Original document written prior to 2.2 being released:


I thought I'd put something together on SBF and rooting. Any and all feedback is welcome. I did not come up with anything other than collecting this information together. I thank those who did figure this all out and built the needed pieces.

Enjoy, but first:
I do not, nor does DroidForums.net, warrant the information contained here within this post. It is being provided as is without warranty of any kind, including without limitation any warranty of design, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and without warranty as to the performance or results you may obtain by using this information. You expressly will not hold anyone, other than yourself, responsible for any direct or indirect actions, and the results thereof, that you may take as a result of following the information contained within this post, the thread it is contained within, the forum on which it resides, and the entire internet which makes it available upon unto you, yourself, and your heirs. If you brick your phone it is your fault and yours alone. If you do manage such a feat you can rest assured that you will be honored as one of the few who managed to manipulate your beloved Droid into such an object and humankind will continue to tell the tale of your actions down throughout the ages while huddled around campfires for eons to come.

Table of contents for post 1 of this thread:
box option 01: Install RSD Lite on your window's computer. It's a Motorola tool for pushing software onto phones.
box option 02: Install SPRecovery which replaces the stock boot-recovery program to let you update the phone with rooted roms.
box option 03: We've heard having backups are a good idea so lets create one.
box option 04: Install the rom of your choice with SPRecovery.
box option 05: You are rooted and/or have installed SPRecovery and want to return to stock using RSD Lite
box option 06: Alternative method to get back to root. RSD Lite not needed. Neither 05 or 06 method is better than the other.


(box option 01) First lets get RSD Lite installed on a windows based PC.

Download the following files:

http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the RSD_Lite folder and grab the RSD Lite install program and the drivers for your computer. Your computer will tell you if you try to install the wrong driver (and not install it) if you do not know which one to grab.
​

1. Install RSD Lite. Unzip the file and run the msi file
2. Install the drivers.

Now we have RSD Lite installed which when running will let us flash some SBF files.

(box option 02) Before flashing those cool roms you have been reading about we need to get SPRecovery installed.

Use RSD Lite to flash the SPRecovery sbf file onto your phone:

Replaced ese81_sprecovery method with one that causes less issues. 9-12-2010

I advise folks to read the OP at the following link to gain a better understanding of that of which you are about to do. The steps are simple:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-labs/74028-root-droid-1-regardless-os-version.html


You now have the replacement boot-recovery app SPRecovery installed. You can use this tool to perform backups, restore those backups, apply update.zip updates, kernels, and flash full replacement roms.

(box option 03) You have installed SPRecovery for the very first time. What would be the next good thing to do?
(box option 04) Ok, here we can now install a custom or stock rom with SPRecovery.

(box option 05) Ok, I need to get back to a stock phone. how do I do this?

Getting back to stock (SBF method):

You will need to have RSD Lite installed to flash the stock 2.01 sbf file for Motorola Droid.

Download the following file:

http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the sbf folder and download the FRG22D.sbf file​

1. Connect your phone to the PC via USB and turn it off then while your phone is booting hold up on the DPAD.
2. Run RSD Lite 4.6 as Administrator (For all you Vista and 7 folks out there. If you are using XP you may not need to run as Administrator)
3. If your phone is not displayed in the "model" column you may need to do the following:
   1. Select the "config" option from the upper left corner of the tool
   2. Select DeviceId Options
   3. Select one of the two options available. By default neither are chosen, and my phone shows up fine with neither one selected.
4. Click the [...] next to the filename box and browse to where you saved the .sbf file you want to use and double click the .sbf file.
5. Hit start and below it should give you completion progress.
6. Your phone will reboot and you will be on a stock 2.01 phone with no root installed.

Credit to ikithme for the original post, Unroot/Unbrick your phone using .sbf, which I've altered slightly here.

You now are on a stock phone, unrooted, just like when you first got your phone. You can apply the OTA (over the air) update files to get to the current version.

I thought it would also help to have a screen shot of TRSD Lite. This is a shot of 4.5.3 but it looks just like the 4.6 I have installed.

Of note:

• Your phone, when connected, should be displayed in the Model column.
• The Start button is grayed out until a file is selected, but it also becomes available if I hand-type 1.sbf into the filename field.
• If your phone is not displayed the Config pull down menu has the DeviceID Options that may help.

(box option 06) Ok, I can't get RSD Lite to work. Maybe I have a mac, maybe I only run Linux, maybe it just won't run. I need to get to stock 2.2 though. What can I do?

Alternative back to stock (update.zip method):

1. Visit http://rescue.macleod-web.net > navigate to the update_zip_files folder and download the FRG22D_update.zip file
2. rename the downloaded file by just removing the FRG22D_ part of the file's name.
3. mount Droid to computer
4. copy file from computer to root of sdcard
5. unmount card from computer
6. hold X while rebooting until SPRecovery screen comes up
7. install
8. allow update.zip
9. install /sdcard/update.zip (depreciated)

You now are on stock 2.2. In this case you are back with the stock recovery tool too, no sign of root at all on the phone.

Once you have it installed, and hold down X and reboot, it will look like the following image:

edit:
2010.04.25 - added Simple Nandroid Backup for SPRecovery and screenshot of RSD Lite
2010.04.27 - linked to new file repository.
2010.04.29 - added update.zip (non-SBF) method to go back to stock 2.01
2010.07.22 - added sprecovery screenshot
2010.08.15 - added 2.2 warning that you should first go back to 2.01 to root
2010.08.18 - changed warning added on the 15th to include correct order of steps for successful rooting.
2010.08.19 - removed option to install plain rooted version of 2.1 (2.2 is out now) - it is now at post 369 of this thread
2010.08.24 - cut the size of the ese81update.zip file in half...somehow a copy of itself existed in the zip.
2010.09.12 - replaced option 2's ese81update method with the link to MotoCache1's guide. It still remains at post 369 for historical purposes.
2010.09.12 - replaced using unroot_2.1_update.zip in option 6 and have folks grab FRG22D instead.
2010.15.12 - option box 5 - updated instructions to grab FRG22D instead of moto_droid2.01

WOOHOOO, worked! Fixed my scrolling issue, where buttons kept being clicked and such when screen was lit... THANK U!!!

 

[YBNRML2010]

When you revert back to stock with the FRG22_update, does it revert the kernel back to stock? I have lost some touch input on my screen and have to do warranty replacement. I want to make sure I do not have any problems. Thanks for the guidance.

 

[furbearingmammal]

It puts EVERYTHING back to stock. It's like opening the box new, only with fingerprints, that sticky spot that still tastes like raspberry jam no matter how many times you've wiped it off, that scratch you still don't remember putting on it, and the ding from when you dropped it down the stairs.

 

[YBNRML2010]

When I installed the update, my background screen remained as it was prior to the install. Any reason for this, or did my install not fully take, or did I make a mistake somewhere along the way?

 

[furbearingmammal]

What update? This is SBF/RSD Lite we're talking about.

 

[YBNRML2010]

I did option number 6 above, which is the one that takes the FRG22_update.zip and puts it on the sdcard in root dir as update.zip. Then I installed from recovery console.

 

[furbearingmammal]

Ah, the OP has been updated since I last looked at it.

Okay. All you did was put your phone back to stock ROM. I don't know if superuser is even gone now. You replaced your kernel, but you didn't replace your wallpaper or anything. I take back what I said about replacing EVERYTHING.

 

[YBNRML2010]

If I go to settings in new "stock" rom now installed and reset to factory settings, will it put me back to complete out of box state. With the natural exception of being updated to 2.2. Or would it be better for me to installe ese81 then do the ota from verizon, if it's even still available?

 

[furbearingmammal]

Can you get into the app drawer to check for Superuser Permissions?

If so, do so. If not, just flash a straight 2.2 SBF and turn it in that way.

 

[YBNRML2010]

When I go to apps, I do not see any superuser, rom manager, or anything like that. is there somewhere else to look or is that the only place?

 

[furbearingmammal]

You're gold. Especially if ROM Manager didn't start downloading again as soon as you signed back into your Google account.

 

[YBNRML2010]

Awesome! Thanks for the help.

 

[furbearingmammal]

You're welcome. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[YBNRML2010]

I went to VZ and they swapped my phone out today...No problems....again. THANK YOU!!!!!