Superboot - Rooting Galaxy Nexus

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Stigy

Senior Member
Feb 4, 2009
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Found this over on MoDaCo forums -- they have obtained temporary root on the Galaxy Nexus: 03 Nov r1: Superboot - rooting the Galaxy Nexus - Android @ MoDaCo

Superboot is a boot.img that when booted, will root your device the first time you boot (installing su and the superuser APK). No need to flash any partitions, no need to mess around with ADB, no messing with the contents of your data partition, no overwriting the shipped ROM on your device, just boot the boot image using the instructions below and you're done!
 
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FISKER_Q

Senior Member
Feb 25, 2009
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Great news, but shouldn't we let the author post it if he wants to release it here?
 

Stigy

Senior Member
Feb 4, 2009
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Great news, but shouldn't we let the author post it if he wants to release it here?

I guess you are right -- probably should have put it in General Discussion and let author of this make his own thread for support.

I'll let the mods decide what they want to do with this.
 

FISKER_Q

Senior Member
Feb 25, 2009
437
115
The OP did link to the site instead of posting the download. I use XDA primarily and would have never found that link had someone not posted it. I don't see why the dev would be disgruntled.

Sent from my HTC ThunderBolt using Tapatalk

Oh yeah, i don't think he'll mind at all.

More for purposes of keeping the forums a bit cleaner for when he does post here :p
 

spences10

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2010
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London
I don't see why this is a big deal, nexus devices have the ability to have the bootloader unlocked out of the box.

Simply 'oem unlock' download su and busybox from the market, job done.

Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk
 

Stigy

Senior Member
Feb 4, 2009
527
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201
I don't see why this is a big deal, nexus devices have the ability to have the bootloader unlocked out of the box.

Simply 'oem unlock' download su and busybox from the market, job done.

Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk
I've never had a Nexus device before -- didn't know it was that easy.

You can download SU and busybox right from the market, install them and you have root access after a 'fastboot oem unlock'?
 

FISKER_Q

Senior Member
Feb 25, 2009
437
115
I've never had a Nexus device before -- didn't know it was that easy.

You can download SU and busybox right from the market, install them and you have root access after a 'fastboot oem unlock'?

I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.
 

matt2053

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
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Clearwater, FL
I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.

Right its almost that simple though. The typical procedure is:

Fastboot OEM unlock
Fastboot flash recovery clockwork.img
Boot into recovery, flash superuser zip

Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
 

_hyperdude

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2010
128
64
Minneapolis, MN
I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.
Well technically you need the su binary installed before Superuser app is useful. You don't need root before you can install Superuser lol
 
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spences10

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2010
731
50
London
I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.

Ah, think you may have a point there :D so actually what POB has done is enable root without CWMR [as you would need to flash the super user binary from recovery] which is quite handy thinking about it because it may be a while before someone manages to compile a compatible recovery

So I stand corrected, it is quite a big deal
 

RegnierD

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Ah, think you may have a point there :D so actually what POB has done is enable root without CWMR [as you would need to flash the super user binary from recovery] which is quite handy thinking about it because it may be a while before someone manages to compile a compatible recovery

So I stand corrected, it is quite a big deal

Yup. And the new SuperUser has the option to fully download and install the SU binary. So temp-root means super fast real root.
 

kidserious

Senior Member
Feb 11, 2011
979
238
I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.

Yea, root access is only relevant when the phone is booted up. When in recovery, to write to any partition, root access is not needed and doesn't matter.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
 
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Chirality

Senior Member
Sep 6, 2008
651
127
Cambridge, MA
Hmm...it seems superboot is using a modified boot image from a dump of the GSM Galaxy Nexus. I guess this won't work with the LTE Galaxy Nexus?
 

kidserious

Senior Member
Feb 11, 2011
979
238
Hmm...it seems superboot is using a modified boot image from a dump of the GSM Galaxy Nexus. I guess this won't work with the LTE Galaxy Nexus?

Hmm.....well, even if it won't, root won't be a problem. I guarantee koush will have a recovery for the VZW nexus on day 1.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
 

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    Found this over on MoDaCo forums -- they have obtained temporary root on the Galaxy Nexus: 03 Nov r1: Superboot - rooting the Galaxy Nexus - Android @ MoDaCo

    Superboot is a boot.img that when booted, will root your device the first time you boot (installing su and the superuser APK). No need to flash any partitions, no need to mess around with ADB, no messing with the contents of your data partition, no overwriting the shipped ROM on your device, just boot the boot image using the instructions below and you're done!
    1
    I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

    Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.
    Well technically you need the su binary installed before Superuser app is useful. You don't need root before you can install Superuser lol
    1
    Why is flashing a boot image preferable to flashing a recovery image?

    I don't think it's flashing a boot image, I think it's just booting off that image which then modifies the system partition to include the su binary and the relevant changes. Then you restart and boot your regular boot image, but this time you've got the su binary.
    1
    I may be wrong but while it is easy(Being that google considers these devices as developer platforms), it's not that easy.

    Even with the bootloader unlocked, you won't be able to write to the relevant directories (as those require root permissions), and as such you still need root unlocked before you can install those from the market.

    Yea, root access is only relevant when the phone is booted up. When in recovery, to write to any partition, root access is not needed and doesn't matter.

    Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk