To root or not to root

[droidxjr]

My droid-x recently randomly bricked itself and I'm struggling with the debate to root or keep stock the new phone. I originally rooted to get wi-fi tethering which is no longer supported in gingerbread and not really necessary now that you can enable and disable the $20 feature right on your phone (I don't use it often). Here's my question.

Does bloatware really run down the battery? This seems to be the main reason for rooting.

Is there any other reason I'm missing (other than overclock which worked for me but was always a bit spotty).

If I do root, I've gathered that z4root on strock froyo, then loading pre-rooted gingerbread seems the way to go vs OTA to gingerbread and using gingerbreak. I'm curious if I'm wrong on that one as well.

 

[Kasey Krehbiel]

There are many benefits of rooting, not the least of which are removing the bloatware and getting rid of the stock ROM.

You can't use gingerbreak on the X with stock GB. It's not rootable, so you do have to root stock FroYo and install the 2-part rooted GB files. I also recommend installing a good ROM. I prefer the Liberty ROM:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/liberty-rom-dx/151273-rom-liberty-gingerbread.html

I wrote a step-by-step guide to SBF back to .340, root, bootstrap and installing the 2-part rooted GB and the Liberty ROM in this post:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/li...-1-stock-apex-cm7-etc-any-rom-liberty-gb.html

If you don't want the Liberty ROM, just don't install the LGB 0.x zip at the end.

Oh, and you can use wireless tether on GB. You just have to download this:
android-wifi-tether - Wireless Tether for Root Users - Google Project Hosting

Install it and set device-profile to Motorola Droid X (CDMA) in settings, then google this file:
TBH_DX_Tether_Patch_1.0.zip

flash that in clockworkmod and it should work.

 

[droidxjr]

Thanks for the reply and the quickness. There's some good (and 'new to me' information there).

what about the robustness of the rooted ROM's and the libery ROM vs the stock gingerbread ROM? I certainly don't blame being rooted for the ramdom bricking of my phone, but have always wondered if there's some benefit to the stock version. Part of me thinks that it would be more fully tested and put through the ringer, but that may be wishful thinking. I'm curious your thoughts.

 

[Kasey Krehbiel]

Thanks for the reply and the quickness. There's some good (and 'new to me' information there).

what about the robustness of the rooted ROM's and the libery ROM vs the stock gingerbread ROM? I certainly don't blame being rooted for the ramdom bricking of my phone, but have always wondered if there's some benefit to the stock version. Part of me thinks that it would be more fully tested and put through the ringer, but that may be wishful thinking. I'm curious your thoughts.

The problems I have with Liberty are the same problems built into stock GB. It reboots now and then (I think twice since I installed 0.9 when it came out a month or so ago.) It also will lose its 3G/WiFi connectivity and make you reboot your phone to get it back. Both of these are problems my wife has with her fully stock GB phone, so they're baked into the kernel.

If you use corporate email/calendar, I might steer clear of LGB for now, but if you don't use those, it's a clear choice as far as I'm concerned.

 

[droidxjr]

Thanks for the note about corporate email/calendar, which I do use. I was using gingerbread 596 rooted and de-odexed. I've never really messed around with themes so I'll probably use the odexed version this time. It did work for corp email/calendar although every now and then I had connection problems. It seemed intermittent enough that stock has the same issues, but if you have any comments on that I'd appreciated.

 

[bc320]

I was told that some of you may be able help me. Below are my issues:

1.) When I first got it I could hook it up to my PC via a USB cable and add stuff to it. After the lasted update, I get a "mtp usb device failed error" on the pc. I can't seem to get it to install. What the heck happened? And it seems to have changed my droid. My wallpaper is gone and half of my shortcuts are deleted.


4. ) If I root, can I get better control over what is running? It seems to have some crappy apps (Music, City ID) that are native and always turning on. I have set the task manager to auto kill, but then that has to run.

5.) I would like to set the phone up so I can use it on my home wifi network, like my laptop. We can move files back and forth with no issues. Will rooting help this?

6.) how many times have these instructions led to bricks.

I have a Droid Pro From Verizon
System Version 4.6.8 XT610
Andriod Version 2.3.3

Edit: 2 and 3 fixed. Stupid backup assistant.

 

[jpcalhoun]

I was told that some of you may be able help me. Below are my issues:

1.) When I first got it I could hook it up to my PC via a USB cable and add stuff to it. After the lasted update, I get a "mtp usb device failed error" on the pc. I can't seem to get it to install. What the heck happened? And it seems to have changed my droid. My wallpaper is gone and half of my shortcuts are deleted.


4. ) If I root, can I get better control over what is running? It seems to have some crappy apps (Music, City ID) that are native and always turning on. I have set the task manager to auto kill, but then that has to run.

5.) I would like to set the phone up so I can use it on my home wifi network, like my laptop. We can move files back and forth with no issues. Will rooting help this?

6.) how many times have these instructions led to bricks.

I have a Droid Pro From Verizon
System Version 4.6.8 XT610
Andriod Version 2.3.3

Edit: 2 and 3 fixed. Stupid backup assistant.

Hey bc320, regarding your question about file transfer wirelessly. You don't have to be rooted to do that. One app that I use is called WiFi File Transfer, it is in the market and there is a free version and a paid version ($1.66 I think). The only difference between the two is the size of the file you want to transfer. It supports multiple file transfers. The UI is exceptional...the best I tried and I tried three or four of them. There are several other apps that do essentially the same thing. Check it out. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't root, root is a good thing if you know what you're doing and like to "tinker".

 

[bc320]

I like to tinker, but this is a company phone and I an leery about rooting their phone. If I owned it, it would have been rooted on day 2. Can I reset the root to the factory settings if I need to?

 

[jpcalhoun]

I like to tinker, but this is a company phone and I an leery about rooting their phone. If I owned it, it would have been rooted on day 2. Can I reset the root to the factory settings if I need to?

Yes, the root programs I am familiar with have an unroot option. But, before you unroot you need to make sure any file that you renamed, froze, moved or deleted is returned to its original condition or put back in the app folder on your phone if it was moved. Not doing so will mostly likely cause problems when you want to download and install an OTA update. There are some threads in this forum about hacking/rooting...check those out. They will probably answer your questions.

 

[IVXX]

I've been rooted since day one and just unrooted last night with no prob all you need is the correct PB31IMG.zip on root of SD card to unroot its very painless. Root will give you better control of your phone but you can root while leaving S-on preventing you from making serious noob mistakes that often lead to brickd devices.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[jpcalhoun]

I've been rooted since day one and just unrooted last night with no prob all you need is the correct PB31IMG.zip on root of SD card to unroot its very painless. Root will give you better control of your phone but you can root while leaving S-on preventing you from making serious noob mistakes that often lead to brickd devices.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

Not familiar with the PB31MG.zip file. Do you flash that file from recovery mode?

 

[IVXX]

No just place it in root of SD card and boot into Hboot it will check the file and if the md5 is correct it will update your phone taking you back to stock 2.2 the way the phone came.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

I've been rooted since day one and just unrooted last night with no prob all you need is the correct PB31IMG.zip on root of SD card to unroot its very painless. Root will give you better control of your phone but you can root while leaving S-on preventing you from making serious noob mistakes that often lead to brickd devices.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

Aren't you giving advice on the Droid Pro forum for the Incredible? Isn't that file (PB311MG.zip) a file for the Incredible? Just curious.

 

[IVXX]

Oh snap I thought this was the incredible forum...sorry I usually hang out at xda so I'm a lol lost here I guess, but yes that file is for the inc. My apologiesi will move on so I don't create more confusion ={

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

 

[jpcalhoun]

No just place it in root of SD card and boot into Hboot it will check the file and if the md5 is correct it will update your phone taking you back to stock 2.2 the way the phone came.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums

Pardon my lack of knowledge...but what is Hboot? Never heard of that on this forum before. BayouFlyFisher ask a good question, if your advise is for the Incredible you're going to get some "noobs" real confused, or worse yet, a bricked phone.