Database Develop

a little nervous to rrot

First of all I'd like to apologize because I'm sure this has been covered already but I just feel more comfortable asking myself.
I have had my g1 for a couple of months now and I'm starting to get all itchy for root for all the obvious reasons. I hoping someone can answer some questions or point me in the right direction.
I have ota CRB43 build on my phone. I see LOTS of different instructions for rooting.. I'm wondering what one I should go by. I also notice some people say to take out the SD card instead of mounting to prevent possibly bricking your phone... should I do that or is it better to mount with the usb? And after following whatever instructions is there anything else necessary to do?
I was also interested in what themes people are using. Can I jump right into that after rooting or is there something else I will need to do. Any links for themes you are using would be great also.
Thanks so much… I really appreciate it.. Thought I had more questions.. If I remember anything else I’ll update.

I used Gizmodo's guide - very simple and clear.
http://gizmodo.com/5146797/how-to-hack-android-for-multitouch-web-browsing-on-the-t+mobile-g1
If you follow it step-by-step you'll wind up with an old build, but you'll have root and be ready to step up to any new build. New builds are easy once you've rooted - rename to update.zip and flash using recovery (explained in the guide above).
You'll also want to get the newest radio (after rooting per directions above) - Download the ota-radio-2_22_19_26I.zip file from http://www.htc.com/www/support/android/adp.html#s3 -- Rename to update.zip and flash as usual.
And I had absolutely no problems mounting the SD Card via the phone itself. Just make sure you cleanly eject the card from your PC every time, to avoid corruption.
And let me suggest CyanogenMod for your build.. Simply the fastest and most stable Android build out there - "official" firmware included.

Thanks a lot for your response! It was helpful and I checked out your link.. I was looking at -
http://androidsocialmedia.com/root-access/android-g1-root-access-why-how
originally, but I think they look similar. Thanks for the radio info as well.. anything else besides that I'll need to update?
let me ask one more thing- what's the difference between CyanogenMod and the others available?
thanks again for your help!

sole3s said:
Thanks for the radio info as well.. anything else besides that I'll need to update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I did skip the SPL - Some ROMS require a different SPL (Secondary Program Loader/Launcher, I think..) to free up additional space on the device. Mostly the Hero based ROMs. I haven't touched any of those, need someone else to help there.
sole3s said:
let me ask one more thing- what's the difference between CyanogenMod and the others available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogen is tweaking the heck out of Android - endlessly enhancing it for performance and stability. Cyanogen has a few visual tweaks but mostly it looks like stock Android with all the improvements under the hood.
The other builds.. Mostly visual, in my opinion. They all have fans though, check out the threads under Development for more details. Also, the Android ROM Database - http://www.simonwalkerphotos.com/android/android_build_information.asp

Dude, thanks so much for all this info.. http://www.simonwalkerphotos.com/and...nformation.asp was really helpful.
last question I'm gonna ask.. if i hard reset do is it going to unroot my phone?
Again.. you were really helpful! I appreciate it so much!

Nope it will not unroot you're phone

No, you'll just go back to a fresh version of whatever ROM you have installed. However, some ROMs (Like Cyanogen) put some apps in the /data folder, so a wipe could break the ROM. Typically it is better to flash after a wipe. But you won't loose root either way.

Only way I know how to loose root is to flash a none rooted ROM.
The only thing I would do is avoid the DangerSPL until you either need it or know what you are doing. Otherwise its pretty much hard to brick your phone unless your trying to with a low battery.

I'd just like to take a second to thank everyone for their help, especially Saiboogu. Like I said in the first post, I'm sure this stuff was covered somewhere but this really made me feel a bit more confident. Thanks for not flaming me... I'm actually a bit surprised at the friendly responses... again thanks everyone.
Most likely I'll be able to get around to rooting on monday or tuesday.. I'll post updates just for the fun of it.
Take it easy guys

Lol well you posted it in the right section. Of course you are going to get help

What alritewhadeva said .. You ask in the right place, we'll help. You're off to a good start.

[Q] Multiple questions on the same subjects, Please forgive the noobness guys.

Is there a thread that shows the users marginal picks of the best combo's of mods, roms, hardware, and apps? I tried to search for it but didn't seem to find it.
(Please keep in mind most of the stuff I have found is dated from 2009 and CM6 was released yesterday)
Basically, I am interested in rooting my G1 and updating it to CM6.??? But the radio (danger/death.spk) scare has a hold of me. I want to make sure that I can go back to factory without problems. (In case I sell the phone)
What about running apps from SD? Is it effective on a 8GB class 2 card? And if so what are the advantages of it? (Speed increase, load times, ect.) Can this be done without flashing/rooting?
Is there a way to transfer files over bluetooth or Wi-Fi without having to root?
There are quite a few things other than this but, these are the most important that I can think of. And since I have never messed with rooting or ROMS I have no idea if it is even possible to install apps after flashing with a new ROM.
Once again, forgive me in my wonderment of noobness! I am another droid that has seen the fading light of win-mo and has crossed over!
Thank you to all in advance for their help!

Ragewerx said:
Is there a thread that shows the users marginal picks of the best combo's of mods, roms, hardware, and apps? I tried to search for it but didn't seem to find it.
(Please keep in mind most of the stuff I have found is dated from 2009 and CM6 was released yesterday)
Basically, I am interested in rooting my G1 and updating it to CM6.??? But the radio (danger/death.spk) scare has a hold of me. I want to make sure that I can go back to factory without problems. (In case I sell the phone)
What about running apps from SD? Is it effective on a 8GB class 2 card? And if so what are the advantages of it? (Speed increase, load times, ect.) Can this be done without flashing/rooting?
Is there a way to transfer files over bluetooth or Wi-Fi without having to root?
There are quite a few things other than this but, these are the most important that I can think of. And since I have never messed with rooting or ROMS I have no idea if it is even possible to install apps after flashing with a new ROM.
Once again, forgive me in my wonderment of noobness! I am another droid that has seen the fading light of win-mo and has crossed over!
Thank you to all in advance for their help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't believe there is a thread of that nature.
You don't need the danger spl anymore. Do a search for firerat's mtd patch and that will work for you. As long as you read and do follow the instructions there is no fear involved even with danger spl. Just dont make a mistake. You can always go back with the dreaming.nbh file. Always a way to unroot. You will want to get amonra 1.7.0 for recovery. And for your sake nandroid.
If you're not running out of internal memory i dont believe there is a real advantage to using a2sd but the new roms have a new method implemented. I dont think you can use a2sd with stock.
Do a search for blue tooth file transfer in the market. Don't believe you need root access to use it.
You can always install apps after rooting and flashing a custom rom. You will still have market and everything. Just makes your phone better/faster. Just keep reading and you will find a huge amount of info here in these threads.
Good luck.

Firerats mtd hack can fake your spl for you. So you don't have to worry about flashing danger spl and bricking. Its just what all of us old guys run. Because when we first started. There wasn't any other way for us. So read up on rooting and firerats hack and you should be good. No need for 1.33.2005 death anymore.
sent from my superfroyo dream

[Q] noob about to root and lag fix. advice wanted

Hi all, I hope you're not all tired of another noob posting up how-to questions. I come from a pretty solid background of writing modified firmware packages Motorola and Blackberry units, and writing custom themes for them both, so I am a bit familiar with the processes involved in rooting. Android is an entirely new beast though. I love it already, but I've also identified some things I'd love to be able to change. I've been reading everything I can in these forums for the past week, and I think I might be nearly ready to start diving into the root world. Yes, I've used the search a LOT Before I do root though, I wonder if you all might be able to add some insight into a few questions I haven't found the answers to thus far:
My rooting goals: remove the AT&T bloatware, possibly do a lag fix, and above all, do it the safest way possible. Baby steps first for me.
1) Rooting methods: Should I do the manual way, I found in that pdf guide on this site, the "GalaxyS_One-Click_Root_All_Models.zip" method, the mystery "update.zip" folder method, or the "one click root lag fix" method? Which is the safest and most tried and true for Stock 2.1 f/w, Baseband I897UCJH7? Also, what would be the best method to use if I wanted later to unroot?
2) Lag fixes: I've read that lag fixes can cause major problems when trying to undo them later on. Is there a lag fix that works well that is safer than others to load that can be removed easily? Are lag fixes even worth it?
3) Odin3: Am I correct in assuming that since I have JH7 that the most recent version of Odin is not capable of fully restoring my phone back to stock? I've been seeing posts from many people say that even using Odin, their phones get stuck during the revert process and cannot get back to stock. This is probably my biggest concern of all, in case I brick my phone. I've done that a LOT of times with Motorolas, and it's not a bit of fun trying to restore them.
Thanks very much in advance. Best wishes to all

The first piece of advice I have is make sure you have a cappi that you can get into recovery and download modes via the button combinations - if you can do this then you will be able to recover to a working configuration from just about any situation.
second, make sure you want to do this, because as you can get back to a "stock configuration" once you begin applying lag fixes or custom roms you will not likely be ever able to get back to your own stock configuration.
As for which rooting method - I have used and update zip and ryanza OCLF to root. Both of these methods are easy to unroot - at least until you begin applying lag fixes and/or custom roms.
If you are sure you want to move forward and root the very first thing you should do after rooting before you do any lag fixes or remove any bloat is get clockwork rom manager. Learn how to use rom manager and make a full nandroid backup of your phone before you do anything. If you have a good nandroid backup saved in a safe location then you can use this to get back as close as possible as you can to your own stock configuration later on.
Oden3 will get you back to a stock jf6 configuration. This will not be your stock configuration, but it is a working stock configuration.
Lag fixes do improve the lag in the file system some. However, before you play with any of them educate yourself as much as you can about the particular one you are going to try and use. I have applied both OCLF and voodoo and have been able to remove both of them. But if you don't follow the steps correctly you can have problems - after all with the lag fixes you are reformatting part or all of your data partition where the os is residing which is inherently risky. You can easily lose data and even soft brick your phone forcing you to use Oden3 to get back to a working state.
Lastly, I am running Cognition 2.2 beta 5 very successfully - and I do recommend it for anyone that has entered the rabbit hole of modifying this phone. And with my current config my phone is running so well that the lag fix is not needed for me anyway. My phone is running smooth and fast.
P.S. Just make sure you are not going to have any major regrets if things go wrong before you do anything at all, because any and all of these steps have some amount of risk associated with them. Make sure you are prepared for dealing with voiding your warranty and even though it is hard to brick this phone, it could still happen so be ready for that too should it happen.

i would agree, go with cognition 2.2. i only had my captivate for a day, and found it very easy to get it installed without any hassle.

Thanks for the info all. I've read about Cognition a fair bit and was wondering if I ought to go for it. What are the differences between it and the standrd Froyo leak?
A more pressing question: If I went to Cognition 2.2, would I be able to easily get the official release OTA and install it normally when/if it becomes available? Are there step-by-step guides out there for getting that release onto and off of the phone? I'd hate to get Cognition on there and find out that i couldn't easily get it back to a state where I could get the full deal on there. I've read some horror stories about just that lately...

charging rhinos said:
Thanks for the info all. I've read about Cognition a fair bit and was wondering if I ought to go for it. What are the differences between it and the standrd Froyo leak?
A more pressing question: If I went to Cognition 2.2, would I be able to easily get the official release OTA and install it normally when/if it becomes available? Are there step-by-step guides out there for getting that release onto and off of the phone? I'd hate to get Cognition on there and find out that i couldn't easily get it back to a state where I could get the full deal on there. I've read some horror stories about just that lately...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are wanting to get OTA updates then I wouldn't even root your phone - while it is possible to still get OTA's after rooting, once you begin modding (lag fix, or custom rom) you oare increasing making your phone less and les compatible with any OTA available.
NOTE: I personally will not ever apply an OTA myself - but rather will wait for someone else to create a custom mod of any OTA feature I like - them donate that dev a few dollars and use their mod.

Im getting my cap this Friday, I was going to post the same thing OP. Looks like cog 2.2 is the way to go when i get it.

FOR NEW CAPTIVATE USERS - READ HERE FIRST - FAQs | HELPFUL LINKS

Strange we have many FAQ's WIKI's, Great topics on <x> subject - but not one place for the suffering new user to go to. After even myself duplicating topics that have been posted multiple times it is my hope to create this topic to help guide the newly wayward Captivate user to the correct topic and keep the repeated topics down a bit.
I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOUR DEVICE - YOU THE OWNER OF YOUR CAPTIVATE TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY.
This is going to be a long long post - so make sure you use your CTRL-F in your Browser
Special Credits go to the following for putting together the information. I'm just the one gathering it up. So if something you read here helps - make sure to DONATE to them. Also if I have forgot to list you and you wish to be credited? PM me and I'll be happy to add you.
Mikey1022
CLShortFuse
Design Gears
bobbylx
nbs11
BEFORE EVEN READING THIS POST IT WOULD BE WISE TO READ THE WIKI FIRST!
Also some tips before Posting your Question!
Use the SEARCH FEATURE on the Forum and keep your search simple. (ex. GPS, Bricked, Shutdown etc..) Odds are your issue has been posted and answered a few times.
Follow the Rules: Failure to do so could get you banned or worse ridiculed!
Be Courteous and Patient! - If your posted is filled with expletives and I hate this phone, and you come off as being overall rude? Don't expect an answer and expect your post to get removed and you possibly banned.
1) What USB Drivers should I get for my computer to recognize my Captivate? These are the drivers I have used on both a Windows XP 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit machines - so I know they work.
For Windows 64bit Click here.
For Windows 32-bit Click here.
2) How do I Root my Captivate?
By far the easiest method that I've been able to use is CLShortFuse's One-Click Root and Allow Non-Market Apps. It is a VERY SIMPLE application to use.: Click HERE to go to the post to read about it and download the application.
There is a new tool out there that is a "do-it-all-in-one" called AIO - I would check out the post here and check out the youtube video. This tool appears to do it all.
And users have asked what do I lose if I root my phone. The short answer is nothing! You will not lose any settings, pictures, media, application data etc. But you do gain a lot! I would suggest reading about rooting your device here to learn more about the benefits to rooting your phone.
3) Oh crap I have "bricked" my device!
Um no you didn't. Unless you are unable to get the phone to power on, or it will not be recognized by your computer it is not bricked. "Most" (as in 99.99999%) of the time you can get the phone back into download mode and then ODIN 1-Click back to stock. I would highly recommend going to the links posted before reading the methods I have below them.
Go to DesignGears Odin3 One-Click back to Stock thread and do what it says there.
You should also go to bobbylx's READ ME BEFORE FLASHING!!!! Thread as well by clicking here.
If your phone is still able to get to CWM You can download the stock OTA JH7 from this thread here! I would still recommend the Odin 1-Click method as it will definitely wipe all the gremlins from your phone.
You can watch this tutorial on youtube here if you wish. Credit to BlinkPhaseVideos for the tutorial.
If for some strange reason you absolutely cannot get the phone into download mode you can try one of two things:
The first method - It will take a few tries to get the timing just right so be patient:
Unplug your Device
Pull out the SIM, External SD Card, and Battery
Plug in the mini-USB Cable back into your phone.
While holding down BOTH Up/Down Volume Buttons re-insert the battery.
If you get the "grey battery charging" screen. Then you will need to try and re-attempt it as it didn't work. You should get the download screen and be ready to go back to stock.
Build a Jig to force the phone to go into download mode by reading this thread here.
Mind you this is not for the feint at heart and AT&T warranty centers might be a better option then completely frying your phone.
4) My Phone is Randomly Rebooting or Shutting down after I do <insert whatever action it was doing when it did it here.>
I was informed of two separate posts here and here and now here.
If you have a build 1008 phone and the IMEI # matches what is in this thread here then you might get a replacement device.
Feel free to try what they are posting on there and who knows? You might get lucky. But the overall consensus from what I've read is that if your phone is shutting down and it's not related to some errant application, a custom ROM, or you dipped it in water then it is hardware related and you will want to do a warranty replacement. (No warranty - OUCH! That $4.99 a mo seems pretty trivial now eh?)
5) My GPS is not working because of <insert your random thought/idea here>?
There are two awesome posts on the developer forums on thought, ideas, potential fixes that will at least help if not completely fix your GPS. Keep in mind a lot of this is speculation, personal user experiences, and some folks just madly mashing buttons and getting lucky and having no clue as to how they fixed it.
If your not having GPS issues GREAT! You don't need this then!
My personal favorite thread as it has a lot of information about how GPS works is the [GPS/AGPS] REAL solution analysis thread (Jupiter Tweaks) thread. ***Note: This is most likely only for Froyo 2.2 ROM's.
Another one that has a lot of information and might possibly work for your is:
GPS Flawless/I am requesting XDA Community and Developers to please read!!
6) So.. You think your ready to Install that Awesome <insert Name of ROM here> ROM that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
Uh-uh... not until you have read here first. This is that sticky topic that says "Read BEFORE flashing!!". This is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT reading you can do before you start flashing as it shows you how to backup and restore your device.
Then you need to read up on nbs11's guide on his [GUIDE] How to Install a Custom ROM by going here. This guide is VERY easy to read and can apply to most of the custom ROMs that utilize a *.zip to install. ***edit - now includes a video(s) on youtube on how to install that custom ROM.
And failing to follow the developer/cooker's instructions to the "T" could cause catastrophic issues with your phone and yes... possibly bricking your device. Make sure when you go to the ROM you wish to install that you read their install instructions as it could slightly differ from other ROMs out there.
7) So your Battery is Going Down to 0% faster than your USB can Charge Your Phone?
This - by far is probably the best thread I have read about the subject. Although some of it might be speculation - it does seem to be pretty solid work. I would suggest reading this post:How to isolate and fix battery drain (and maybe lag, too) and then see if your battery performance improves.
I hope this guide helps you out. I wish I had known this information before I started flashing ROMs.

Important Links with Additional Information about your Captivate
I have found all of these quite helpful. If you think your post should be added please PM me!
Wiki's and How-TO Basics!
The XDA Samsung Captivate Wiki
XDA and Android Terms and Acronyms Thanks to jmtheiss for creating this. Basic guide to XDA and your Captivate
AIO Captivate Toolbox: This is the all in one tool that allows you to do everything from install drivers, root your phone, and install custom ROM's. If your new this might be the tool for you to use.
Samsung HOW-TO Wiki (3rd Party Link)
The Main XDA Wiki: Lists all the phones that XDA has in their forums. Also has additional information there.
ADB for Dummies! - ADB is probably one of my best tools for tweaking my phone (and restoring stuff I break). If your going to be changing your phone around at all - READ THIS THREAD
Theming Your Phone
Captivate Theme Sticky: Go here to see all of the different themes/tweaks/mods for your Captivate phone.
MetaMorph Home Page on XDA - This is a 3rd party application that will modify the look of your phone without you having to modify any type of *.apk files yourself.
Circle Battery Mods - How to change your default Battery Icon on your status bar.
Transparent Widgets - Just what it says. But please be careful and understand what you are doing before attempting these mods.

Common Sense Before Posting Your Question - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ
Before you post a question on XDA - Please make sure you have utilized the SEARCH Feature - as your issue has probably been answered at least once.
If your going to post a question, make sure it makes sense! i.e. a bad example is ZOMFGBBQSAUCE WTF DO I DO!!!1111!!!!111!!!!!! vs. Phone is Soft Bricked After Attempting to Odin 1 Click. Which one do you think people are going to know how to answer by looking at the topic? Just saying..
In the body of your text it will be very helpful if you do the following:
State clearly the issue - bricked my phone etc.
What ROM are you currently using?
What is the EXACT ERROR of the issue you are reporting?
Is your phone rooted?
Did you have USB Debugging turned on?
If you fail to put pertinent information such as the above - there is no way for anyone to answer your question.
And.. this shouldn't need to be said but I'm adding it anyways...
Be patient. Be polite. Just because you cannot understand something does not mean u can show your frustration at folks here.
Of course this does not encompass all questions - mainly this is useful for when something goes wrong with your phone.

Good resource to put everything together.

w00t Sitckied! Thanks!

JF6 to JF7 Kies Mini Update. Is it necessarily?
Question guys. After using Odin to obtain JF6, do I need to use Kies mini to get to JF7 to be able to use another ROM or I can just master clear everything and from JF6 install a new ROM? Asking because I bricked my phone trying to do OTA to JF7. Got a replacement phone. The boot loader is shot probably so its safe to say my Captivate is bricked. It won't power on at all. I think upgrading to JF7 is pointless but need your expert advice. Thanks.

I have never upgraded from jf6 to jf7 before I flashed another rom, never had any issues. Think it would be an unnecessary step if you are planning to flash over out anyway.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Mr.Pirate said:
Question guys. After using Odin to obtain JF6, do I need to use Kies mini to get to JF7 to be able to use another ROM or I can just master clear everything and from JF6 install a new ROM? Asking because I bricked my phone trying to do OTA to JF7. Got a replacement phone. The boot loader is shot probably so its safe to say my Captivate is bricked. It won't power on at all. I think upgrading to JF7 is pointless but need your expert advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you use ODIN back to JF6 - you can then upgrade back up to any ROM the Dev Forums have available.
The only caveat to this - is READ THEIR INSTRUCTIONS! Some are highly experimental and require you to install them different from the standard CWM install method. (i.e. Cyanogen and the Gingerbread port going around).

i wish this thread was around when i first started out a while back. good job on this one guys.

Can someone post something that shows how to install a theme? I have flashed a custom rom and see a theme I wanna install on it. (Already downloaded the .zip file for it, not sure what to do next)
Thanks.

nice stuff

I find that installing PDAnet as my drivers for my Captivate works well for rooting.

Nice thread. I wish I had seen this before I started flashing.

I think the OP needs to be updated with the line "Be patient. Be polite. Just because u cannot understand something does not mean u can show ur frustration at folks here."

A couple of questions. I've rooted my phone installed a custom rom (serendipity 5.5) and installed that steam. What does jpy and all those others mean? and where would I find out what mine is?

Deadclown said:
A couple of questions. I've rooted my phone installed a custom rom (serendipity 5.5) and installed that steam. What does jpy and all those others mean? and where would I find out what mine is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think all of that is listed in the WIKI with definitions.
When you see JPY - it is the last 3 letters of the Baseband Version typically - but could be the Modem or Kernel being utilized in the ROM your running. You can see what baseband you are currently running by going under Settings -> About Phone and you will see under Baseband Settings something like: "I9000UGJK4"
But... you would be better off going to the Dev's forum and looking at their release notes. 99% of the time tell you what build the kernel is based off of and the modem they are using.
LOL and yes being patient and courteous is kind of a given. If you guys have any updates, ideas, etc.... to add to the post please let me know.

diablo009 said:
I think the OP needs to be updated with the line "Be patient. Be polite. Just because u cannot understand something does not mean u can show ur frustration at folks here."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol Added it!

Thanks This is helpful

thanks for posting this.

How do you upgrade a ROM?
I just flashed Super Nova 2.0.2 last night. It was updated to 2.0.6 since I flashed. How do I update? Do I have flash back to factory?

Stock Nexus Root Steps

I've been doing a lot of reading regarding rooting the Nexus one and unlocking the bootloader etc. I wish not to unlock the bootloader at this stage (as you can't lock it again, and the fact that i'm gonna be playing around with my dad's phone and wouldnt want anything to happen to that)
Right now, the phone has stock 2.3.4 installed, which I believe needs to be downgraded to be rooted.
So I downloaded the FRG83 release.
Now is the following right/possible:
Flash the phone with FRG83 by going into the phone's recovery - so the phone is downgraded
Root the phone using the superoneclick method
Now the phone is rooted and I can flash it with any custom ROM eg, CyanogenMod 7 etc..?
Sorry if this has been covered earlier, however I tried my best to read as much as I could, however there were always a few more steps involved in the process which I thought could be left out
So would the above process be okay?
Thanks

You have to use the PASSIMG.ZIP method to downgrade.
I would just read the WIKI
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik...des_&_Tutorials#Unroot_.2F_Restore_your_Nexus

Read the wiki. You said you been doing a lot of reading but still do not know how to root/downgrade from 2.3.4. That makes no sense.
The steps are there for a reason.
You don't know what you're doing but come to conclusion that you can skip/leave out steps. That is flat out stupid.

Thanks
Thanks baseballfanz Yeah I've read the wiki and I was going to use the PASSIMG method, hence downloaded the FRG83 file, but somewhere else I had read that you had to flash it to froyo then back upto gingerbread :/ hence was a bit confused.
The problem is there are too many threads about it. And there are a few tiny differences in all.
So I guess I have to flash down to froyo and then use superoneclick.
And after that, I can just flash any ROM from the forum?
Alubundy2010, mate I did read it all and understood it. However I still had a few questions. If you didnt wanna help, it would've been best to keep your mouth shut.
Thanks

It is clear you did not and still don't understand it.

Yeah probably not, hence why I posted asking for help in the first place. Just spent an hour trying to do it, but stuck at froyo for now till I do an official OTA update tmrw morning and have a stock unrooted phone, cus I honestly don't have the balls to brick my dad's phone. So not rooting till I'm 100% sure of what I'm doing.
Thanks a lot for all the amazing the help.

Wiki clearly says:
"Gingerbread 2.3.4 can be rooted only when downgraded to 2.3.3 or to Froyo, using PASSIMG method, which will wipe the phone"
And the link is given - landing you on the same page, a bit upwards. The link contains EVERYTHING needed to downgrade.
Moreover, the following sentence points you to a VERY simple guide, which says: when you downgrade, you root. Without any additional steps. And from that point you do whatever you want.
The main guideline of XDA should say - "if you don't know what you're doing - stay away from rooting until you do". Obviously you don't, and you don't seem willing to learn by reading the proper guides, even when pointed to.
And just to make sure you got it: you can't root the latest OS version. Which means, if you downgrade and wait for the OTA to upgrade you back to the latest version, you'll finish (again) without the ability to root, and this time also without the ability to downgrade. Not quite smart, yes? If you want to avoid unlocking the bootloader, that is.

Now that the phone is running froyo you can root.
You should also have gotten the ota notification basically as soon as the phone finished booting.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

I've read through
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939243
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik...des_&_Tutorials#Unroot_.2F_Restore_your_Nexus
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=636795
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=705460
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1084978
think that's a fair few guides I've been through, and that's probably why I can't get it write cus I'm jumping from one page to another :|
Oh well thanks for the help guys, and I did actually do all the reading that was required.
Oh and I also rooted the phone when it was on Froyo through the manual superboot process.