I have decided to put up this guide for new users of the Droid 2 and Android in general. This will help you catch up for those that are not coming from the OD (Original Droid) or another Android device.
Everything in here is stuff I picked up from reading many different threads and the threads will be linked to.
I will try to go in steps that one would take to get their Droid 2 rooted and customized to his/her liking.
Hope you enjoy your Droid 2 and Android experience.
Root:
The first thing many want to do is root their phone. Root allows you to gain SuperUser permissions to system files so you may run programs such as Root Explorer, SetCPU, Titanium Backup and many others. This is much like running Windows as the Admin where you can change settings and files at will.
Superuser permissions for each app on Android devices is handled by an app called Superuser. It will be installed the first time you root your phone and can be updated from Android Market or from HERE.
You can Root your phone by two methods, using the ADB shell (command line) from The Android SDK or from a one click method directly from your phone.
Instructions for the one click method can be found HERE and HERE.
Instructions for the command line method can be found HERE.
Before you begin to root your phone you will need to prep your computer with drivers and Android SDK.
Motorola Drivers can be found HERE.
Android SDK with all install instructions can be found HERE. Installing the SDK can be tricky since you will need to install Java and the optional Eclipse package. Take your time to read and follow all instructions. The most common errors are not installing Java and not setting up ADB in your system settings correctly. If you run into problems with ADB then just double check the instructions and make sure you put the path of adb.exe correctly in the Windows Environment Variables.
You may also want to give Droid Explorer a try. It is a Windows Explorer type of app for Android devices and it will download and install Android SDK for you but you may need to still setup ADB in your Windows Environment Variables.
Now that you have your machine setup you can begin rooting and hacking your Droid 2.
Good luck with Root and welcome to the wonderful world of hacking your Droid 2!
Updating Superuser App after Rooting your phone:
With many changes to Superuser App your Rooting insturctions and files may have contained an older version. To update Superuser app do the following:
Open Command Prompt
Type or paste following commands
adb shell
su
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
rm /system/app/Superuser.apk
pm uninstall com.noshufou.android.su
Goto Android Market from your phone
Search for and Install Superuser
Returning your phone to default software:
Just in case you need to return your phone or something got hosed during rooting or whatever else you can flash your phone with the default software by reading this thread.
Clockwork Recovery: A MUST HAVE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!!!
Download from Android Market or check here and make donation after you download.
Clockwork Recovery adds bootstrap to your phone. It allows your phone to bypass the default bootstrap so you have advanced functions to install ROMs, back up your system and much more.
BACKING UP YOUR SYSTEM IS THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE MAKING ANY CUSTOM CHANGES TO YOUR SOFTWARE!!!
What can you do now that your phone has been rooted:
One of the first things you may want to do is remove any bloatware and programs you do not running on your phone. This is a good thread to read if you are unsure what is safe to remove.
Underclocking your CPU is a good way to save battery life you are stingy with your battery. You can do that by searching and installing SetCPU in market or by visiting this thread.
You can turn your phone into a hotpsot by searching and installing Wireless Tether for Root Users in market.
Block programs from starting up using such apps as Autostarts and Titanium Backup.
Clear lots of caches by using Cachemate.
Browse your phone using Root Explorer and also edit system files with it.
ROMs:
There are only a couple of ROMs out right now. You can find them in the ROM section of Droidforums.net or over at XDA. Fell free to check out my ROMs
Deodex Vs Odex:
Some apps (apk files) have files that contain settings and other info. They are named the same as the apk files but have odex ending. Some people claim that a ROM with the odex files removed (deodex) have better performance while others claim the opposite.
ROMs are usually deodexed so one can use custom themes.
You can check out this thread for the tools and instructions to deodex your ROM.
You may also check out this thread for a deodex system dump and instructions on how to install. This will save you the time from doing it yourself if you are not interested.
Busybox: What is Busybox? Click HERE to see.
Download Busybox-1.17.2 HERE
Extract busybox to your SD Card
Make sure you are in PC Mode and Debugging is enabled in Applications options
adb shell
su
stop
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
cp /sdcard/busybox /system/xbin/
cd system/xbin
busybox --install /system/xbin/
mount -o ro,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
sync
reboot
Busybox
You can also use Root Explorer or whatever file browser you may use to copy busybox to your system/xbin folder. Some people use system/bin but I prefer xbin...just a habbit.
Thats about it for now and I will add more to this later...
Everything in here is stuff I picked up from reading many different threads and the threads will be linked to.
I will try to go in steps that one would take to get their Droid 2 rooted and customized to his/her liking.
Hope you enjoy your Droid 2 and Android experience.
Root:
The first thing many want to do is root their phone. Root allows you to gain SuperUser permissions to system files so you may run programs such as Root Explorer, SetCPU, Titanium Backup and many others. This is much like running Windows as the Admin where you can change settings and files at will.
Superuser permissions for each app on Android devices is handled by an app called Superuser. It will be installed the first time you root your phone and can be updated from Android Market or from HERE.
You can Root your phone by two methods, using the ADB shell (command line) from The Android SDK or from a one click method directly from your phone.
Instructions for the one click method can be found HERE and HERE.
Instructions for the command line method can be found HERE.
Before you begin to root your phone you will need to prep your computer with drivers and Android SDK.
Motorola Drivers can be found HERE.
Android SDK with all install instructions can be found HERE. Installing the SDK can be tricky since you will need to install Java and the optional Eclipse package. Take your time to read and follow all instructions. The most common errors are not installing Java and not setting up ADB in your system settings correctly. If you run into problems with ADB then just double check the instructions and make sure you put the path of adb.exe correctly in the Windows Environment Variables.
You may also want to give Droid Explorer a try. It is a Windows Explorer type of app for Android devices and it will download and install Android SDK for you but you may need to still setup ADB in your Windows Environment Variables.
Now that you have your machine setup you can begin rooting and hacking your Droid 2.
Good luck with Root and welcome to the wonderful world of hacking your Droid 2!
Updating Superuser App after Rooting your phone:
With many changes to Superuser App your Rooting insturctions and files may have contained an older version. To update Superuser app do the following:
Open Command Prompt
Type or paste following commands
adb shell
su
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
rm /system/app/Superuser.apk
pm uninstall com.noshufou.android.su
Goto Android Market from your phone
Search for and Install Superuser
Returning your phone to default software:
Just in case you need to return your phone or something got hosed during rooting or whatever else you can flash your phone with the default software by reading this thread.
Clockwork Recovery: A MUST HAVE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!!!
Download from Android Market or check here and make donation after you download.
Clockwork Recovery adds bootstrap to your phone. It allows your phone to bypass the default bootstrap so you have advanced functions to install ROMs, back up your system and much more.
BACKING UP YOUR SYSTEM IS THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE MAKING ANY CUSTOM CHANGES TO YOUR SOFTWARE!!!
What can you do now that your phone has been rooted:
One of the first things you may want to do is remove any bloatware and programs you do not running on your phone. This is a good thread to read if you are unsure what is safe to remove.
Underclocking your CPU is a good way to save battery life you are stingy with your battery. You can do that by searching and installing SetCPU in market or by visiting this thread.
You can turn your phone into a hotpsot by searching and installing Wireless Tether for Root Users in market.
Block programs from starting up using such apps as Autostarts and Titanium Backup.
Clear lots of caches by using Cachemate.
Browse your phone using Root Explorer and also edit system files with it.
ROMs:
There are only a couple of ROMs out right now. You can find them in the ROM section of Droidforums.net or over at XDA. Fell free to check out my ROMs
Deodex Vs Odex:
Some apps (apk files) have files that contain settings and other info. They are named the same as the apk files but have odex ending. Some people claim that a ROM with the odex files removed (deodex) have better performance while others claim the opposite.
ROMs are usually deodexed so one can use custom themes.
You can check out this thread for the tools and instructions to deodex your ROM.
You may also check out this thread for a deodex system dump and instructions on how to install. This will save you the time from doing it yourself if you are not interested.
Busybox: What is Busybox? Click HERE to see.
Download Busybox-1.17.2 HERE
Extract busybox to your SD Card
Make sure you are in PC Mode and Debugging is enabled in Applications options
adb shell
su
stop
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
cp /sdcard/busybox /system/xbin/
cd system/xbin
busybox --install /system/xbin/
mount -o ro,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
sync
reboot
Busybox
You can also use Root Explorer or whatever file browser you may use to copy busybox to your system/xbin folder. Some people use system/bin but I prefer xbin...just a habbit.
Thats about it for now and I will add more to this later...
