Database Develop

[Newbie Guide] adb/fastboot/bootloader/android 101

The purpose of this document is to clarify a few basics about HTC Android Phones and basic commands to interface with the phones. Think of this as a beginner's guides to the Android device from a non-traditional user's point of view. I'll keep it simple and plain as much as I can for the new users. I'll also try to keep all the technical aspects true as much as I can while keeping it simple.
Before you go on, please read this and understand the basic concepts and how and why following commands are being used. Do not follow anyone's instructions/tutorials/guides without prior basic understanding of what each command do. I do want to believe it's humans visiting this forum and not lemmings. If you do not understand, feel free to ask here. I will or someone else also knowledgeable will answer your questions. DO NOT QUOTE THIS AS A WHOLE. My pet peeves and a complete waste of screen space.
Sometime, depending on your OS, command names may change (e.g: mouse / mouse.exe / mouse-linux / mouse-mac). For general purpose, we'll use mouse instead of an OS specific commands in this instructions.
So to repeat myself, if you understood the concepts of the commands, and you are on a linux system and someone's guide says touch index.php, you will automatically type touch-linux or whatever the name of your executable is on your system.
​
We shall assume you know how to install needed drivers and where to get android sdk and put the sdk binaries (executables) in the system path. If we need to expend this let me know and I'll expend this here.
Further, if I get any parts wrong, PM me and I'll get those parts corrected.
Android Partition, SPL etc.
Partitions:
Followings are a list of partitions on your android phone.
misc - misc partition -
recovery - Recovery Partition - This is where the original HTC recovery or Amon Ra's recovery or any other Recovery would go. Basically if you reboot into recovery it'll boot from here.
boot - This is your boot partition
system - This is where all your system information (ROM resides)
cache - cache (When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)
userdata - user data (like your login, your user settings etc) When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)
So, if you replace the recovery image, you are pretty much set for updates provided here at XDA. Note: By replacing your recovery image, you may not be able to have OTA updates.
ROM images will normally replace boot and system images at the same time and often time, userdata and cache too; reseting the phone completely.
SPL/Bootloader/Radio/Bricking Phones:
SPL / Bootloader is like BIOS on a computer. At least I think of it that way. SPL can be updated! SPL comes as either Security-On of Security-Off (S-ON/S-OFF).
Note: It is my understanding that radio will boot first, followed by other systems. So it is IMPORTANT that your radio image/version will work with your SPL image/version. This is the one and only reason for phones being bricked. You can not brick your phone by flashing a ROM or Boot image or recovery image. Once you flash the wrong radio for the SPL, the only known method of recovery is to send the phone back into HTC for repair.
How do I know the phone is bricked? A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.
Commands:
adb - Android Debug Bridge - One of the two things you'll need to know if you ever want to do anything non-conventional on your android based phone.
List of commands that can be used by adb can be prompted by typing adb at the system shell (command prompt or terminal)
Notable adb commands:
adb devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
adb devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.
adb reboot (bootloader|recovery)
adb reboot - this will reboot your phone normally.
adb reboot bootloader - this will reboot your phone back into the bootloader (white screen with the android on wheels)
adb reboot recovery - this will reboot your phone back into recovery console (either default or amon_ra's recovery).
adb shell - this will shell into the phone and you can now explore the phone. Remember phone's native backend os is linux so know your linux commands.
adb remount - remounts the system partition on the phone so you can you read/write to it.
adb push xxx yyy - will push xxx file from computer into yyy location/file on phone (needs rooted access)
adb pull xxx yyy - will pull xxx file from phone into yyy location/file on computer (needs rooted access)
Fastboot is protocol used to update the flash filesystem in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images.
Notable fastboot commands:
fastboot devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
fastboot devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.
fastboot reboot - this will reboot your phone normally
fastboot oem unlock - this will unlock your bootloader - NOTE THIS WILL VOID YOUR NEXUS ONE WARRANTY
fastboot erase XXX - Will erase the partition XXX (such as userdata, cache) - mainly used for resetting phone and clearing userdata / factory settings.
fastboot flash XXX YYY - This will flash XXX partitionn with YYY image.
e.g: fastboot flash system system_update.img will flash/update your system partition with an image called system_update
If anyone needs me to dig deep into using anything else, please PM me. I'll add it on here. Hopefully this will help all newbies about the basic commands and what they do.
FAQs (UPDATED Feb 09, 2010)
Q: One question about the Android SDK. Do I need it to flash my N1 or just to program new apps? Where can I get it?
A: Android SDK is not entirely needed to flash the N1. However, there are tools in there that you need. Adb / Fastboot etc. Although they can be downloaded by themselves, the windows version of the SDK also have the Drivers that are needed for android devices for USB connection. So, it is recommended to get it. You can get it from developer.android.com
Q:I have never experienced anything like this when I did a hard-spl on my winmo phone. Radio versions are included with SPL's, right?
A: Official packages from HTC did come with nbh packaging, meaning it is a all in one upgrader that will update Radio, ROM, System etc, it is very much common for active development area here at XDA to get the radio or SPL or ROM separately and independently of one another. And as such, you will most likely flash them seperately (who wants to wait 6-8 months). Also, since this phone is released by google, HTC will most likely not update any major Radios. However, it is very likely that we will be hacking in Radio updates or any other "updates" from HTC from their new device - HTC Bravo.
Q: Is there a guide for snow leopard? I'm kind of stuck.
A: I personally ran android SDK and aforementioned executable on both MAC OS 10.5 and 10.6. Like I posted, the commands and the executable names may be slightly different. I may call adb and you may find it as adb-mac. I am not going to write 3 separate documents for 3 separate OSes. You have to know that adb=adb-mac (on your mac), adb-linux (for linux) etc. And yes the above guide will work universally.
Q: Can i replace the splash image..?? (unlocking related)
A: As of the above date (next to the FAQ) no you can not. Issue is probably a few folds. One of them is that splash1.img is not going in due to security lock. Remember, you unlocked the phone. HTC will not like it. Anyhow, I like the current quad color X. If you are thinking of getting rid of the lock logo, good luck. Even if you can get rid of it, you will still have to overcome the pink text that says ***UNLOCKED*** on your bootloader.
Q: Can you run Windows Mobile on Android Phones?
A: With enough resources given, sure. Will it ever happen? No. Why? Windows mobile compiler and builder cost $. As a matter of fact, as of version 5, it was going to cost me $75 per device. That's one of the reasons why handset makers went to Android open platform. Android is free and universal so as long as you use certain chipsets and certain items, you are good to go. Can it ever be ported? Sure. With right amount of time and money anything can be done. But at this point, it's cheaper for you to go buy a windows mobile smartphone.
Q: How do I know the phone is bricked?
A: You can not brick a phone unless you are flashing Radio/SPL packages. Make sure if you are doing that, you follow directions VERY CAREFULLY. A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.
Q: I have installed the Android SDK however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus. What have i left out?
A: Most common item that people forget to enable is USB Debugging. Settings => Applications => Development => USB debugging [checked]
Q: I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
A: You still have the stock (shipping) recovery. If you want a different recovery (Amon RA's), download it, the from fastboot, run fastboot flash recovery downloaded_recovery.img
Q: Which step of the rooting / recovery procedure does it give root?
A: Root and Recovery are two totally different things. Recovery is a partition that contain recovery information. Stock recovery is what allows OTA updates etc. Normally it will search for update.zip in the root folder of the SD card. Amon_RA's Recovery or any other recovery images are there to enhance the traditional stock recovery. Amon Ra's Recovery for example, contains thing such as ability to update from different zip files, and backup/restore of your data/system.
Rooting is not done by recovery but is a kernel level access (simply put) that will give root or "SU". It is done by patching the boot partition of the your android device.
Q: What are the differences, advantages, disadvantages of the different ROM's?
A: They are all different. Some have some features, some are plain stock, some are made for bleeding edge kernel etc. You'll have to try them out and figure out yourself. I may make a chart of what they are (see the bottom at my signature - wiki) but with too many android devices, I will need some major help. One person alone will not have total knowledge of all the ROM releases. There are just way too many devices and ROMs.
Q: Which ROM will allow OTA updates?
A: Stock ROM WITH Stock Recovery.
Q: If the phone is SIM/carrier unlocked and you root do you have to SIM unlock again?
A: SIM/Carrier unlock has nothing to do with rooting your phone. You can still have root and still be carrier locked. Nexus One comes carrier unlocked from factory.
Q: How much space is there for apps? is using the sd card really necessary? (on Nexus One)
A: Search google? The phone has 512MB or space. That SHOULD be more than enough for you. If not, you have some serious issues. I do not believe you will not App2SD for Nexus One. Google did say during the release conference that they will update Android/N1 so that apps can be run/installed to SD but that requires some system and security changes (mainly to prevent pirated software - Yes if I write something, I deserve to get paid for it).
Q: When you do "flash zip from sdcard" or "fastboot flash image" does this merge and overwrite the files in to the partition?
A: When you update a software (via recovery), software my be merged. However, if you fastboot flash, just like the word flash says, it will flash and overwrite the partition.
Q: Which partition does "flash zip from sdcard" affect?
A: Depends on what you are flashing. It could be any or all of the partitions such as SPL, Boot, System, Recovery, Radio. You should study first before randomly flashing things.

sorry, got it!

blakestimac said:
i apologize if this is the wrong place for this but, but i have adb setup perfectly, but fastboot is not recognized at all. could i have missed something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need your system info.
What os are you running? where did you get fastboot? what are you trying to do?

Don't forget fastboot boot for testing images. My most used command

I still have no idea how to use or setup adb i have downloaded the sdk and used fastboot and superboot to root my phone and am currently running the cm 5.0 beta 2 rom and want to learn how to use adb so i can enable the ram. Thanks, Joe

really a noob question here.....it wa easier with Hero.
i have installed the Android SDK
however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus.
what have i left out?

wishmaker738 said:
really a noob question here.....it wa easier with Hero.
i have installed the Android SDK
however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus.
what have i left out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the FAQ.

dylanfan424 said:
I still have no idea how to use or setup adb i have downloaded the sdk and used fastboot and superboot to root my phone and am currently running the cm 5.0 beta 2 rom and want to learn how to use adb so i can enable the ram. Thanks, Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. I need to know what you actually did. I am not understanding what you are trying to do.

Can't run adb commands - device not found
Thanks for the info. I am having an issue with running adb commands. My phone is rooted via superboot and I tested it with Nexus Torch which works. Now I am trying to install the new kernel so I can run the wireless tether app... but I can't get any of the adb commands to recognize the phone. I boot the phone by holding the trackball and power button. I am in USB debugging mode. When I run fastboot devices, the phone serial number shows up. When I run adb devices, it says no device detected. And when I try to run any other adb commands they do not work, even though fastboot commands work. Any ideas? Thanks.

Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.

dylanfan424 said:
Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a noob so can't offer much help...but I would make sure the usb drivers are installed if you're using windows....this probably should have happened when you installed the sdk, but you can also install it through the device manager and point it to the folder where the usb drivers are located. Also make sure the phone is in USB debugging mode. also you may need to reboot your pc. Make sure you have setup running when you run the adb commands. you need to be in the same directory as the adb file, or in the case of the superboot pack you need to type "adb-windows" not just "adb". you may also need to put .exe, ie adb-windows.exe.

pwnvds said:
Thanks for the info. I am having an issue with running adb commands. My phone is rooted via superboot and I tested it with Nexus Torch which works. Now I am trying to install the new kernel so I can run the wireless tether app... but I can't get any of the adb commands to recognize the phone. I boot the phone by holding the trackball and power button. I am in USB debugging mode. When I run fastboot devices, the phone serial number shows up. When I run adb devices, it says no device detected. And when I try to run any other adb commands they do not work, even though fastboot commands work. Any ideas? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You run fastboot from the white screen. Android on non-white screen. It's one or the other. It's ADB or Fastboot (depending on the mode of the phone).

dylanfan424 said:
Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the directory where ADB/fastboot (SDK) is installled in your system path?
I am guessing it's not. If it was, just by typing adb alone (without commands), it'll give you a list of commands. Click here if you want to know how to change your system path to include a particular folder.
We're now in the age of nintendo pilots and point and click OS that no one knows how to use command lines and system paths anymore.

recovery
I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?

umplarry said:
I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answered in FAQ area.

seraph1024 said:
Answered in FAQ area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that before I posted. I searched the FAQ again. Maybe I am a complete DA, but still can't find answer. I don't mind searching, it will help me to learn, but could you point me in the right direction in FAQ?

umplarry said:
I tried that before I posted. I searched the FAQ again. Maybe I am a complete DA, but still can't find answer. I don't mind searching, it will help me to learn, but could you point me in the right direction in FAQ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q: I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
A: You still have the stock (shipping) recovery. If you want a different recovery (Amon RA's), download it, the from fastboot, run fastboot flash recovery downloaded_recovery.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you go.

seraph1024 said:
There you go.
[/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help

seraph1024 said:
There you go.
[/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had it downloaded, just had not flashed it

I've been looking all over, but I probably need to check the HTC Dream forum or something.
How do I install a custom ROM? I know you have to adb push update.zip somewhere, but I can't find any info about this. Please help.

How to FORCE stop phone from showing up as USB drives in Recovery, still no root :(

Okay I don't know if this will help anyone, but I figured out how to stop Windows from detecting the phone as two USB drives when the phone goes into Recovery mode, and to make it show up as Android Composite ADB device.
I do NOT have HTC installed, rather, I'm using the USB 3 drivers that come down through the SDK, so I'm not sure how to do this if you are using the HTC Sync drivers intead.
At any rate, start with the phone off and disconnected. Open the Device Manager. Boot with your prefered method into Recovery mode, then connect the phone. It should detect as USB Mass Storage Device under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Right click on USB Mass Storage Device and click Uninstall and then OK. Once this is done, disconnect the phone (you can leave it running in Recovery).
Open My Computer and navigate to C:\Windows\inf. Copy the files usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf to your desktop or wherever, it doesn't matter, just make sure you put them somewhere you can get them later. Then delete them from the C:\Windows\inf folder. These are the drivers that Windows automatically uses for USB storage devices.
Ok, now bring Device Manager back to the foreground and plug the phone back in in Recovery. It should show up as Android Phone with an exclamation mark. If Device Wizard pops up cancel out of it. Now right click on the Android Phone and click update driver. Click Browse my computer for driver software. Click Let me pick from a list... Click Android Phone and Next. Click Have Disk. Browse to your SDK folder into the USB Drivers folder and you should see android_winusb.inf, select that then click OK. You should now have a list of three items to select, this part I am not sure if there is a 'right' or a 'wrong' but I go with Android Composite ADB Interface.
Select that or whichever one you think and this is what it will install as. Bingo, now whenever you connect the phone into Recovery or boot into Recovery with it already connect it correctly detects as the Composite ADB Interface or whichever you selected, but does NOT show up as any USB drives.
Unfortunately... I still could not get ADB Shell to connect (I even went out and bought a 2GB PNY card).... so I don't know if this will help any of you but I figure it's one step closer to what we need to happen.
At any rate, to get everything back to normal as far as your computer being able to use USB storage devices just copy those two files back to the inf folder before you connect them and you should be fine.

bast525 said:
Unfortunately... I still could not get ADB Shell to connect (I even went out and bought a 2GB PNY card).... so I don't know if this will help any of you but I figure it's one step closer to what we need to happen.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Format it LONG Fat32, 1024k allocation, name it TEST, put PB31IMG.zip (downgrade ROM) on it, power on into bootloader holding volume down until you get to volume up to start upgrade, run the downgrade from Bootloader, then immediately reboot with holding the track button switch into Fastboot menu, power to Bootloader, let the card check run, decline upgrade this time, run your loop.bat or loop.sh if you like linux, power the phone into recovery boot, and prepare yourself to be happy--I think that will work. The whole trick is get a card/format that forces recovery into an ADB-available mode.

Or you could try what I've done 7 times and achieved ADB Shell 7 times...
1. Turn the phone off.
2. Start running Loop.bat
3. Unplug USB cable.
4. Turn device on in Fastboot by holding in the optical joystick and power.
5. Plug USB in.
6. Hit power button once to get to HBOOT.
7. Wait two seconds for it to do it's thing.
8. Pull off the back of the phone.
9. Hit Vol - to Recovery then hit power.
10. Immediately after doing this continuously push the sd card in and out (about every .5 - .75 seconds)
11. ?????
12. Profit

@DigitalDementia--
How is what you said relevant in this thread?

bast525 said:
Unfortunately... I still could not get ADB Shell to connect (I even went out and bought a 2GB PNY card).... so I don't know if this will help any of you but I figure it's one step closer to what we need to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
drtrmiller said:
@DigitalDementia--
How is what you said relevant in this thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty positive it had everything to do with that section of the first post, he said he still couldn't achieve root I attempted to help him. Why don't you explain to me exactly what it doesn't have to do with this thread?

rynosaur said:
Format it LONG Fat32, 1024k allocation, name it TEST, put PB31IMG.zip (downgrade ROM) on it, power on into bootloader holding volume down until you get to volume up to start upgrade, run the downgrade from Bootloader, then immediately reboot with holding the track button switch into Fastboot menu, power to Bootloader, let the card check run, decline upgrade this time, run your loop.bat or loop.sh if you like linux, power the phone into recovery boot, and prepare yourself to be happy--I think that will work. The whole trick is get a card/format that forces recovery into an ADB-available mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The real bummer here - and I should have known better, really - is that this wipes your phone.
I suppose it should be obvious, but take it from someone who's pretty new to Android phones and just wiped their entire phone after following your steps: Please add a warning to your original post.
It's late, I'm tired and irritated, but I'm sort of bummed to know I went from hero to zero in trying to enter shell (again) during recovery all in an effort to get proper perm. root. Sort of ****ty to know that I just lost everything.

still no root
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed people knew an IMG flash from bootloader wipes user data. Believe me, that's not the only time you'll wipe if you keep modding
-------------------------------------Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

USB drives are ok in recovery
When I am in recovery with adb and working correctly it still shows the 2 USB drives so this is normal and ok, what you have done is fool yourself into thinking that your phone is in correct mode but it really is not, this is why it still does not work, sorry.

rynosaur said:
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed people knew an IMG flash from bootloader wipes user data. Believe me, that's not the only time you'll wipe if you keep modding
-------------------------------------Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that I've scorched the earth, I'm hitting this thing hard with every trick I can think of to get the shell in recovery again.
Thankfully, I at least have my app list on appbrain.

After researching around the different forums, I think this maybe my issue. I will have to make this attempt when I get home.
This is what I posted on a different forum. I am not sure if this is a similar experience you were having:
So, for a little a bit I was having issues with finding and modding the usb.inf file. I got that finally resolved... Now as I go to one of the first parts of the procedure, executing the adb shell command. Well at first it said the 2 lines, about the daemon and whatever the second line was. Anyways, the third line did not say "no device found" it went straight to a shell prompt "$" . The instructions made a point in the instructions for it to say " no device found" .
I went ahead with the rest of the instructions. No Luck. And I did both methods. A co-worker of mine told to run adb devices to see if my phone is recognized. I will also make that attempt tonight.
I wanted to know if any of you had some insight. I made sure I was in the right directory.
I will make another attempt on a different machine tonight.
Thanks. Oh yeah, I do have some UNIX experience if that makes a difference.

I had the same problem, used this method here
addictivetips.com/windows-tips/how-to-disable-automatic-driver-installation-in-windows-vista/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seemed to help me with the dumb usb mass storage devices whilst in recovery
I don't know how I missed this thread earlier though, It had been a problem for me for days!

kentoe said:
I had the same problem, used this method here
Seemed to help me with the dumb usb mass storage devices whilst in recovery
I don't know how I missed this thread earlier though, It had been a problem for me for days!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted in Windows, rather than linux, simply because I like the look of MejDam's procedure better than the linux script posted here on XDA--and his windows procedure is accompanied by his YouTube video
Long story short: I had ADB Composite Device AND the two storage volumes mounted together, as I got shell, and did the other steps in recovery. NB: they were mounted as Generic Storage Volumes, not writeable partitions. The stock recovery on DI does not allow host to mount either partions, although I'd like to see if
Code:
mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
worked for the SDcard on the sdcard, cuz then it would be a cinch to mount sdcard/emnc partition into host OS--windows, linux, Atari 2600, etc Worth a try.
Anyhow, my conclusion: a bad driver setup could be a barrier to catching adb shell, but it is certain not the prevailing problem for most, IMHO.

Was wondering if bast525(the creator of the thread) was ever able to adb shell while in recovery, and if so what did you do thanks.

Heh, I wish.... I've tried just about every method posted on these forums, and five different SD cards from Sandisk, PNY, and Kingston. The only thing I haven't tried is rolling back to the pre OTA update, because I don't want to wipe the phone at this point.

[GUIDE] Complete and Thorough Guide to Rooting the Nexus S [+ No wipe] [GRH78C]

May NOT work for 2.3.3, if attempting on 2.3.3 use old part 1! - Will wipe all data though
Windows ONLY!
Hey guys, rooted my Nexus S today, and decided to write a thorough, detailed guide on how I did it, as none of the guides I had found had everything detailed. I came across a few problems, and all of this is in the guide. I successfully completed it on my Nexus S running 2.3.2, so any version below that will also work.
The original guide was made by AllGamer, and can be found here. I followed this guide, and added things when I found it was needed
The full guide with everything (including links, pictures) can be found on my site, Complete Android.
New info: Upon finding another thread over at XDA (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=931865) it has been realized that you can root your Nexus S without unlocking the bootloader, and therefore not loosing your data on the SD card. Part 1 for the new method is still the same, but choose the new Part 2!
WARNING: Rooting your device will wipe all data off it, so you will loose EVERYTHING! Make sure you backup all important data first. Only applies to old Part 2 (fastboot oem unlock method), but it is still a good idea to backup important information!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you will need:
Nexus S (obviously)
Android 2.3 SDK
USB Cable
PDAnet (for drivers)
Clockwork Recovery Image
Superuser
Part 1
Download the Android 2.3 SDK (or direct from Google here, 32MB).
Once it has finished downloading, unzip it, and run the SDK manager.
Select whatever components you wish to install, but you MUST make sure you install Google USB Driver (Available packages > Third party Add-ons > Google Inc. Add-ons > Google Usb Driver package, revision 4) otherwise this guide will not work!
We must now install the Google USB Driver, or the phone will not be recognised as a device other than a mass storage device.
Connect your Nexus S to your computer, and put it in USB storage mode.
Put it in USB Debugging Mode (Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging)
Windows should now recognise your Nexus S when you plug it in, and ask to install drivers. It probably won’t find anything, so we need to help it manually.
(Installing drivers manually varies between Windows versions, so please refer to http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html if you are having trouble). Launch Device Manager (you can find it in Control Panel), find Other Devices, and listed under that heading, you should find Nexus S. Right click, and select Update Driver Software. Click Browse my computer for driver software, find your SDK folder, then the google-usb_driver folder inside it, click OK, then Next. This should install the USB driver successfully. Reboot your computer.
Power off your Nexus S, connect it to your computer via USB cable, and boot it into the Bootloader Interface (you can do so by holding down the Power and Volume Up buttons at the same time).
It should say LOCK STATE – LOCKED, in white just above the green Android. You are now ready to move on!
Part 2 - Fastboot oem unlock method - WIPES ALL DATA!
We now need to install PDAnet on our PC so that Windows can see our Nexus S when we are using the Command Prompt. Install PDAnet from here, select Samsung when asked about the Manufacturer, allow the driver to be installed (because the driver is unverified, don’t worry about this!). Follow along with any other instructions. You should be set now.
With the latest SDK version, some tools have been relocated to another directory, so we need to make a copy and move them back. Navigate to the directory where you unzipped the Android SDK file in part 1. Inside it, go to the platform-tools folder, and copy both AdbWinApi.dll and AdbWinUsbApi.dll. Go back to the main Android SDK directory and find the tools folder. Paste these two files in there, and we are all ready to use ‘fastboot oem unlock’ (the rooting command) now.
Open a command prompt window (Start > Run > cmd.exe).
Change to the tools directory within your Android SDK folder by using the following command (without the quotes and replacing *YOUR SDK* with the path to your Android SDK folder) ‘cd c:\*YOUR SDK*\tools’.
Make sure your Nexus S is still in the Bootloader Interface (refer to step 9, part 1 of it isn’t).
Now in the command prompt, type in (without the quotes) ‘fastboot oem unlock’.
Now turn your attention to the phone, and read through the new information displayed on the screen. Using the Volume keys select Yes, then press the Power button. This will WIPE EVERYTHING! I bear no responsibility for any lost data on your phone!
If everything is successful, on your phone, the LOCK STATE should now read UNLOCKED, and on your computer, the command prompt window should say something like this:
Download the Clockwork Recovery image (here if you don’t already have it) to your Android SDK tools folder (*Android SDK*\tools).
Rename the newly downloaded Clockwork Recovery image to ‘recovery.img’ (no quotes).
Now we need to flash it to our Nexus S, so enter this command into the Command Prompt (make sure it is in the Androis SDK tools folder!) ‘fastboot flash recovery recovery.img’ (without the quotes).
If all is successful, the Command Prompt window should look something like this now:
Download the superuser app to the Android SDK tools folder.
Power on your Nexus S, leaving it connected to USB.
Mount the USB storage, and drag and drop the superuser .zip file you just downloaded into the root of the internal SD card (so Computer > *Device Name*, not in any other folders!). It should look something like this:
Power off the Nexus S, and return to the Bootloader Interface (step 9, part 1).
Select Recovery using the Volume buttons, then the Power button.
The phone should reboot into Clockwork Recovery, but if not don’t panic, just repeat steps 9-12, including downloading a new copy of the file (mine only worked the second time around, don’t worry!)
Using the Volume buttons and Power button, select install zip from sdcard.
Select choose zip from sdcard.
Select the su-version#-signed.zip file you downloaded earlier and apply it.
Select yes (there are lots of nos).
Confirm it says something like this: install from sdcard complete
Select Go Back.
Select Reboot. (You will now also have an unlocked padlock when you boot up)
Done! You now have to set up your phone again like when you first got it, but it will be rooted now.
New Part 2 - Does NOT wipe everything - Keeps a locked bootloader
Make sure Part 1 is completed.
Make sure you have downloaded the Clockwork Recovery file and the Superuser file.
Move the Clockwork Recovery file to your tools folder within the Android SDK folder, and rename it to recovery.img (for simplicity).
Connect your Nexus S via USB to your computer and mount it as USB storage. Copy across the Superuser file to the top level of your sdcard. (So the first window you see, not in any other folders. The sdcard is just where all the files are stored, don't worry about it too much for now).
We now need to install PDAnet on our PC so that Windows can see our Nexus S when we are using the Command Prompt. Install PDAnet from here, select Samsung when asked about the Manufacturer, allow the driver to be installed (because the driver is unverified, don't worry about this!). Follow along with any other instructions. You should be set now.
With the latest SDK version, some tools have been relocated to another directory, so we need to make a copy and move them back. Navigate to the directory where you unzipped the Android SDK file in part 1. Inside it, go to the platform-tools folder, and copy both AdbWinApi.dll and AdbWinUsbApi.dll. Go back to the main Android SDK directory and find the tools folder. Paste these two files in there, and we are all ready to use 'fastboot boot' (the boot image command) now.
Open a command prompt window (Start > Run > cmd.exe).
Change to the tools directory within your Android SDK folder by using the following command (without the quotes and replacing *YOUR SDK* with the path to your Android SDK folder) 'cd c:\*YOUR SDK*\tools'.
Make sure your Nexus S is still in the Bootloader Interface (refer to step 9, part 1 of it isn't).
We now need to use the 'fastboot boot' command to load Clockwork Recovery onto our Nexus S. In the command prompt, type in the following (but without the quotes, as always) 'fastboot boot recovery.img'
Once you are in Clockwork Recovery (it may take a couple of tries, don't panic, just redownload Clockwork Recovery, and complete steps 3 and 10, part 2) it should look something like this:
Using the Volume buttons and Power button, select install zip from sdcard.
Select choose zip from sdcard.
Select the su-version#-signed.zip file you downloaded earlier and apply it.
Select yes (there are lots of nos).
Confirm it says something like this: install from sdcard complete
Select Go Back.
Select Reboot.
Done! You should still have all your data present on your phone, and have root access!
Notes
As AllGamer said in his tutorial:
It’s normal to lose the recovery after the reboot, the steps to flash the CW recovery needs to be repeated every time you want to access the CW recovery.
This is due the build in protection in 2.3
As some one pointed it out on another topic, the good thing about this is that you’ll never lose the stock recovery of 2.3, thus minimizing the chance of a bricked phone.
If you want to the CW recovery to remain permanently, you’ll need to rename /etc/install-recovery.sh to something thing else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep this in mind! It's not because you did something wrong
Also, some root apps require BusyBox to be installed, as I found out with Titanium Backup, so once you set up your Nexus S again, head on into the Market, and download BusyBox. It installed fine on my Nexus S this way, and now TB works fine.
I hope this is the best, most thorough guide you will find on rooting the Nexus S. Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated, and I will help out if you need any extra help.

Your guide has been wonderful however I'm stuck on part 2, step 4. I tried writing in the path to my directory and they keep giving me whatever I wrote in the command prompt "is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file"
"Change to the tools directory within your Android SDK folder by using the following command (without the quotes and replacing *YOUR SDK* with the path to your Android SDK folder) ‘cd c:\*YOUR SDK*\tools’."
This is how my command prompt looks like when I first open it. "C:\Users\Du>"
and this is what I typed in the command prompt: "Downloads\android-sdk_r09-windows\android-sdk-windows"
^^^I did exactly what you said above and nothing is happening. I don't know whether I'm writing in the directory wrong or what. Please help me out thanks

Your guide is nice, however as shown in distortedloop's stickied Root & Recovery thread, fastboot oem unlock is not required for rooting & flashing. We no longer have to lose all our sdcard data when first rooting and/or flashing a ROM.
Other than that, this seems to be a nice amendment of Allgamer's sticked root & recovery thread. I'm sure it will be useful to many.

STARSCR33M said:
This is how my command prompt looks like when I first open it. "C:\Users\Du>"
and this is what I typed in the command prompt: "Downloads\android-sdk_r09-windows\android-sdk-windows"
^^^I did exactly what you said above and nothing is happening. I don't know whether I'm writing in the directory wrong or what. Please help me out thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so if you want to change directories in the command prompt, you need to use the command
Code:
cd
So in your case I would type in
Code:
cd c:\Users\Du\Downloads\android-sdk_r09-windows\android-sdk-windows\tools
That way is fool proof, however you could take a shortcut, because you are already in the Users/Du folder (because of how it looks when you first open it), you could just type in
Code:
cd Downloads\android-sdk_r09-windows\android-sdk-windows\tools
Hope that helps

ravidavi said:
Your guide is nice, however as shown in distortedloop's stickied Root & Recovery thread, fastboot oem unlock is not required for rooting & flashing. We no longer have to lose all our sdcard data when first rooting and/or flashing a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this way is a cleaner approach personally, but hey choice is good That's what Android is all about
EDIT: New approach added, now there is choice and easyness for all
Other than that, this seems to be a nice amendment of Allgamer's sticked root & recovery thread. I'm sure it will be useful to many.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks

Jonathon Grigg said:
I think this way is a cleaner approach personally, but hey choice is good That's what Android is all about
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that wiping all your data pointlessly is "cleaner."
It's not even clear what exactly the oem unlock of the bootloader really does for us, since you can get into clockwork recovery without that step. Once you're in clockwork you pretty much own the phone. I'll be interested to see if someone can use clockwork to flash a new boot image once rooted without the unlock; if so I can't see any reason to unlock the bootloader. That said, mine is unlocked, and I like it that way, but many won't root for fear of losing data on the phone.
Even if you end up having to do the oem unlock in the long run for some activities you want to do, it seems that rooting, then installing Titanium and backing up your apps and app data fully is a better way to go than just losing all your data (any app that doesn't store its data on the sdcard) that can't be backed up without root would be a lot less painful than WIPING everything on the phone, including the sdcard.
It's not worth arguing about, but I think any method that is including the oem unlock step should at least mention that that step can be skipped. How many people will go through the pain of a wipe that they didn't need to because they didn't see that there was an option without it. I guess that's there own fault for not doing enough searching on their own...
Anyways, nice and thorough effort. I'm sure many will benefit from your additions to AllGamer's tutorial.

distortedloop said:
I'm not sure that wiping all your data pointlessly is "cleaner."
It's not even clear what exactly the oem unlock of the bootloader really does for us, since you can get into clockwork recovery without that step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been wondering that myself. My guess is that for the average user you don't need to, but maybe it's for real power users who build their own ROM which has been fully modded or something, I'm not sure.
but many won't root for fear of losing data on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely agree with that, and your guide is probably the best way for those people!
Even if you end up having to do the oem unlock in the long run for some activities you want to do, it seems that rooting, then installing Titanium and backing up your apps and app data fully is a better way to go than just losing all your data (any app that doesn't store its data on the sdcard) that can't be backed up without root would be a lot less painful than WIPING everything on the phone, including the sdcard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, this is one of the better uses for both methods. I already had to wipe my phone twice due to Samsung CS so I'm used to it Although it does give you a chance to clear out the apps you don't need. Doing that I noticed better battery life on my phone.
It's not worth arguing about, but I think any method that is including the oem unlock step should at least mention that that step can be skipped. How many people will go through the pain of a wipe that they didn't need to because they didn't see that there was an option without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't going to argue I'm happy to adjust my tut to include something about this, after all it was aimed at more beginners.
EDIT: Added a new part to my tutorial based on your guide, just includes some more detail. Thanks again.
Thanks distortedloop

This is awesome cause i relocked my bootloader i really just needed root. Thanks!
Edit oops lost track of tabs open.

I think we can use this method to unlock oem without wiping data.
boot cw -> full backup -> unlock and flash cw (wipes data) -> restore backup (got ur data back and oem unlocked)
the only problem i can think of is that restoring backup would re-lock oem again but i am not sure of that.
i can't try this right now but if someone could, please give feedback.

Jonathon Grigg said:
I wasn't going to argue I'm happy to adjust my tut to include something about this, after all it was aimed at more beginners.
EDIT: Added a new part to my tutorial based on your guide, just includes some more detail. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nicely done. Thanks.
sam4free said:
I think we can use this method to unlock oem without wiping data.
boot cw -> full backup -> unlock and flash cw (wipes data) -> restore backup (got ur data back and oem unlocked)
the only problem i can think of is that restoring backup would re-lock oem again but i am not sure of that.
i can't try this right now but if someone could, please give feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I suggesting a couple of posts above (root without unlock to at least make a backup of user data).
Restoring a titanium backup would not re-lock the phone. A nandroid restore might, depends on what all it imaged and restores, but it's so easy to re-root, that doesn't seem like a big deal.

Jonathon Grigg said:
Download the Android 2.3 SDK (or direct from Google here, 32MB).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you forgot to add the link in your copy pasta.

AtomicPC said:
Looks like you forgot to add the link in your copy pasta.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been working on it I just wanted to get it up here as soon as I could That's why I mentioned that the full guide is available on my website. I'm going back to school today, so I don't really have too much time for changing links now. Besides, most people on XDA should know how to look at the 'What's needed' part

Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Jonathon,
Thank you for posting this detailed guide to rooting without losing your data! I do have a question. As you've probably heard, there are a few updates coming soon and if they are like they were on the N1, they always broke root. So getting root back was tricky unless I "unrooted" before applying the update. Using your method, is it easy to "unroot"? Thanks!

No problems
As for your problem, I never actually had a N1 so I don't exactly know why that would happen. So far from the 2 updates available to NS owners it seems like the OTA update does break root but it appears to be the same to get it back again. Can someone confirm this? I haven't been through an update with my root yet.
As for unrooting, if you haven't unlocked the bootloader (so you have followed the new part 2) I think it is just a case of finding a stock image (I think there's a GRH78 one around here somewhere) and booting into Clockwork Recovery and flashing it. That should remove root and then also give you a notice to install the GRH78C OTA update so you get the latest version.
I think that is what you meant? If you did unlock the bootloader (using the original part 2) then I think you just have to follow the same steps as I mentioned just then but afterwards go back into the bootloader interface and run 'fastboot oem lock' and it should be right.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Question on Part 2- step 1.
Code:
# We now need to install PDAnet on our PC so that Windows can see our Nexus S when we are using the Command Prompt. Install PDAnet from here, select Samsung when asked about the Manufacturer, allow the driver to be installed (because the driver is unverified, don’t worry about this!). Follow along with any other instructions. You should be set now.
Why above step is required if one already installed USB Driver for Nexus S and "ADB devices" command can find the device ?
On Allgamer thread didnt ask to repeat installing USB driver ?
What purpose for the pdanet driver ?
I dont want to put redundant drivers into my system which may interfere each other during flashing process.

hmanxx said:
Why above step is required if one already installed USB Driver for Nexus S and "ADB devices" command can find the device ?
On Allgamer thread didnt ask to repeat installing USB driver ?
What purpose for the pdanet driver ?
I dont want to put redundant drivers into my system which may interfere each other during flashing process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I tried to use the fastboot command with my Nexus S connected, it would hang and not do anything, despite leaving it for about 5 minutes. I searched online, and found the PDAnet solution, so I don't know what the difference is exactly. All I found the Google SDK USB drivers to do is enable you to see your device in Device Manager, however you could try it without the PDAnet drivers, and let me know what happens!
Thanks

Thanks for the prompt reply.. I tried out the google driver..it doesnt work under fastboot. I eventually get the fastboot enabled driver..that could explain why the pdanet driver required.
After i installed the fastboot enabled driver, i could test the connectivity under fastboot with "fastboot devices"
thanks going to try out rooting..i just want simple root access..without wiping data is a ++ ..

I managed to run fastboot boot recovery.img...going into clockwork menu..apply the superuser.zip.(for froyo version)..till completion..no word of failure..
However after rebooting, su and SuperUser.apk are not installed.( I used adb to check the system/app and system/bin folder.
Edit- manage to root properly after system mounting .
Just a note..to properly complete the rooting, one need to apply mounting then mount system before applying the Superuser.zip install from sdcard.
Prior to step 11, you may want to add the following steps for folks having problem to get the superuser.zip to install properly.
Originally Posted by droidmage
So all you guys who are having trouble getting root inside the rom, When your in recovery before you flash the superuser.zip file select -- mounts and storage -- then --mount /system -- then flash the .zip file and reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for the extra bit of info, I will attempt to add that in when I get a bit more time on my hands. when I did it it seemed to work fine so thanks for discovering that!
Enjoy your rooted phone
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

[Q] [HELP ME] Recovery message loop

I wanted to change fonts but accidently i got problem at system/fonts.
So I got in loop as below. can I have any help here?

Bagunny said:
I wanted to change fonts but accidently i got problem at system/fonts.
So I got in loop as below. can I have any help here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Restore to defaults it [should] work
Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

..
..

ybs485 said:
I have tried many solutions.But it did not work.
1. Select 'Restore to defaults' : not work
2. Adb command by kinlde cable : not work
3. Fastmode command by Factory cable : not work -> device detected 'android adb interface'
4. Factory Reset 20s solution: not work
Is there another solution? :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Restore to defaults will not change anything outside the sdcard folder even if it has been altered. Remember you are not even suppose to have access to make changes to those folders, so why would a factory reset need to affect any of those files.
2. If your computer is registering your device as "android adb interface" then you do not have the right drivers installed or something has happened to the ones you did. These links are the easiest way to absolutly insure you have the proper drivers:
https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/fire/connect-adb.html
https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/fire/setup.html#step6
3. Are you sure you are using a "factory cable". When you power down the device and plug it in using a factory cable it should boot to a screen with a logo- "FASTBOOT Kindle Fire". If yes,(i recommend everyone read this thread before doing anything to their devices) :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1930656
And maybe keep an eye on:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1944718
Hope some of this helps, sorry but with a signed bootloader and no custom recovery your options are very limited. The only thing I can see is to hope someone posts a copy of a system partition and flash it through fastboot.

Four Block Colored Design Freeze When Going Into USB Mode or WebOS Recovery

I did a search and did not find anything so here it goes. I am running KitKat on my HP Touchpad with no issues. However, I was going to try and load the new MM build. When I try to go into the usb mode by either rebooting and selecting webos recovery or by pressing the vol key and power button while it is rebooting, I do not get the usb symbol, but instead I get 4 designs that appear identical except for shades of color. It freezes in that state (or at least a couple of minutes). To get out of it I do the pwr and press menu 15 times to reset. I am used to using the toolbox, but can't get to it this way. Is there a way to get back to the usb from here? PS. Detailed steps are preferred if possible.

You could load TPToolbox onto the /boot partition so you don't need to use pc and webos recovery?
Peace.

chris5s said:
You could load TPToolbox onto the /boot partition so you don't need to use pc and webos recovery?
Peace.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I'm not sure which files to place where. I can still get pc access via twrp 2.8.3, but I have wiped the tp of an OS so I'm really messed up.

golfnut22 said:
Thanks, but I'm not sure which files to place where. I can still get pc access via twrp 2.8.3, but I have wiped the tp of an OS so I'm really messed up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you still have moboot and can boot in recovery?
And can you access the TP using adb?
If you can mount the sdcard thru twrp, can you not copy the files over from the pc to install an os , prob kitkat at this stage?
Otherwise use adb to push the files over, eg using these commands:
adb push /sdcard/name.of.kitkat.rom
adb push /sdcard/name.of.gapps.file
All done whilst in recovery, then use twrp to flash the rom.
Once kitkat reinstalled, use a rooted file manager, eg ES File Explorer to get TPToolbox into the boot folder.
If you manage to get kitkat up and running I'll detail the next steps.
You could circumvent all this by deleting webos from /boot and pushing TPToolbox all using adb but i dont feel confident telling you how to do that, so the 'longwinded' way may be better!
Peace

chris5s said:
So you still have moboot and can boot in recovery?
And can you access the TP using adb?
If you can mount the sdcard thru twrp, can you not copy the files over from the pc to install an os , prob kitkat at this stage?
Otherwise use adb to push the files over, eg using these commands:
adb push /sdcard/name.of.kitkat.rom
adb push /sdcard/name.of.gapps.file
All done whilst in recovery, then use twrp to flash the rom.
Once kitkat reinstalled, use a rooted file manager, eg ES File Explorer to get TPToolbox into the boot folder.
If you manage to get kitkat up and running I'll detail the next steps.
You could circumvent all this by deleting webos from /boot and pushing TPToolbox all using adb but i dont feel confident telling you how to do that, so the 'longwinded' way may be better!
Peace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Chris. I am able to get into moboot. I just now mounted the TP, created a folder called ttinstall (which is what the tptoolbox always used), copied my kitkat rom and gapps into that folder, unmounted the tp, then from twrp ran install for the rom first then the gapp and it all worked. I still may try your way to get to the toolbox, but at least now it is working again. I have had several of these over the years and this is the only one that gives me a weird pattern on the tp when I want to go into recovery. Thanks for the response.

golfnut22 said:
Thanks Chris. I am able to get into moboot. I just now mounted the TP, created a folder called ttinstall (which is what the tptoolbox always used), copied my kitkat rom and gapps into that folder, unmounted the tp, then from twrp ran install for the rom first then the gapp and it all worked. I still may try your way to get to the toolbox, but at least now it is working again. I have had several of these over the years and this is the only one that gives me a weird pattern on the tp when I want to go into recovery. Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The four block weird design or pattern apparently was just substitue picture of the usb symbol as far as I can tell. I was thinking because I did not see the usb symbol, it was not going into recovery, however, the tptoolbox loaded anyways and I was able to perform the changes to ttinstall folder as ususal. I'm not sure why I get that weird pattern instead of the usb symbol, but nervertheless, it worked. I may try MM now.

golfnut22 said:
The four block weird design or pattern apparently was just substitue picture of the usb symbol as far as I can tell. I was thinking because I did not see the usb symbol, it was not going into recovery, however, the tptoolbox loaded anyways and I was able to perform the changes to ttinstall folder as ususal. I'm not sure why I get that weird pattern instead of the usb symbol, but nervertheless, it worked. I may try MM now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool! Running flintman's MM build right now, well worth a punt!
Peace.