[GUIDE] Super-noob guide to unlocking, rooting, and flashing Ziggys kernel

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rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
This post is just my attempt to help less savvy users go from a fully locked/unrooted Rezound to unlocked, rooted, and running Ziggy's kernel. Really, this is just a list of links that should be followed in order (and maybe a few extra notes for clarification). Be sure to thank the respective devs for their efforts.

As of the time I'm writing this, there is no way to get the phone back to "Locked" once you've "Unlocked" it. The phone will show "Re-locked" if you relock it so know that until someone figures something out, Verizon WILL KNOW that you've unlocked your phone once you do it IF they bother to check and know how. It's your gamble, but to date, I've not heart of Verizon detecting root/unlock and refusing service to one person I can confirm. Said another way, you can "un-root" your phone (remove su and SuperUser), but that won't hide the more important fact that you've unlocked it. Consider this before continuing. Unlocking VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY. You accept responsibility for following this guide. Myself and other devs only provide information.



In general, here is what you will be doing:
  • Using the HTCDev.com site to submit your phones key and get an unlock.bin that you can use with fastboot to unlock your phone. NOTE: This WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE. I suggest using a temp-root method to first install Titanium or similar app, and do a app/data backup. This way when you're done, you can restore apps/data and be just about where you were when you started, only better.
  • Use the zergrush perm-root method to obtain permanent root and install SuperUser.
  • Install a customer recovery that will allow you to do a nandbackup and then install other roms/kernels (needed for the next step also).
  • Install Ziggys custom kernel which addresses some important issues for this phone and provides some other nice features.
NOTE: If you intend on flashing one of the newer ROMs ("newer" as of 2012-03-24) that require the 3.11.602.22 firmware, use Scott's directions HERE then come back and continue.





Now for the actual steps:
  1. UNLOCKING - First visit THIS post for detailed instructions on how to unlock your device. This is required for permanent root and just about everything else following. This WILL VOID your warranty as the post says. This will also WIPE your device so again, I suggest first using THIS temp-root method so you can install an app like Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data.
  2. PREPARING ADB - Once you have unlocked and your phone has rebooted, hit the home key to skip HTC Setup (no point doing it just yet really). Now hit, menu, settings, Applications, and check "Unknown Sources" (for good measure), then "Development" and check the box "USB debugging". I recommend then backing up a screen and un-checking "Start automatically", but that's my preference, not a requirement.
  3. CONFIRMING ADB - At this point, I'm going to assume you already have ADB installed and known how to invoke the command because there are at least 9,999,999 tutorials online explaining this. Go ahead and open a cmd prompt and run "adb kill-server" and then "adb devices" and ensure that your device (if you see one, then you should be fine) shows up.
  4. ROOTING - Now visit THIS thread and hit the less-than-obvious link titled "Download - OneClickRoot" to download the zip containing the tool. Follow the directions in that thread to permanently root your phone.
    • Boot fully into Android before proceeding.
  5. RECOVERY
    • PREPARE RECOVERY.IMG - Visit THIS thread and download the attachment. Extract "recovery.img" from the zip and place it in a folder from which you can successfully run ADB. NOTE: If you haven't already, putting the adb.exe files folder in your PATH will let you run adb from anywhere. Same goes for fastboot. This makes life with Android tweaking/hacking MUCH easier.
    • FLASH RECOVERY 1/2 - Now "CD" into the folder (HERE you can find more about the CD command) with recovery.img and run the following command: "adb reboot bootloader". Once the phone has rebooted into the bootloader (a white screen with text menu, should say "*** UNLOCKED ***" at the top now). In white with a red background you should see "FASTBOOT USB". If so continue, if not, ask for help :)
    • FLASH RECOVERY 2/2 - The moment you run the following command, you should see a vertical bar on the upper-right hand corner of your phones screen. If so, it's working as expected. In your CMD window, run the following command "Now "CD" into the folder with recovery.img and run the following command: "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
    • REBOOT TO RECOVERY - If you have't touched the volume keys, "BOOTLOADER" is selected and pressing power will take you to the bootloader where you can then use the arrow keys to select "RECOVERY" and again press the power button to get into recovery. Otherwise, reboot any way you see fit and once running, use "ADB reboot recovery" to get into recovery easily.
  6. KERNEL
    • DOWNLOAD FILES - First download the two files from THIS post (NOTE: The OP most may end up with more updated files, but as of the time I'm writing this, these are the way I suggest).
    • PUSH FILEs 1/2 - If you haven't already rebooted into recovery, review the previous steps and get your phone into recovery ("ADB reboot recovery" is my preference). Now "CD" into the folder containing the two files downloaded in the previous post. From here, I will use the file names as they were when I downloaded. Yours could be slightly different so adjust accordingly. In the recovery use the volume keys to navigate to the "Mounts" menu and then "Mount /sdcard". Use the Power button each time to select the menu option.
    • PUSH FILEs 2/2 - Now from your CMD window (the one in the folder containing the two kernel files), run the following commands: "adb push FlashMeInRecovery.zip /sdcard/" and then "adb push PH98IMGZIGGYUNSIGNED.zip /sdcard/PH98IMG.zip".
    • FLASH FILE 1/2 - Now use the back arrow (the capacitive one) to go back to the main menu and then select "Flash zip menu" and then "Choose zip from sdcard". You'll then get a list of sdcard contents. The file is likely toward the bottom. Select "FlashMeInRecovery.zip" and follow the directions to confirm flashing.
    • FLASH FILE 2/2 - Select the "Return" menu option, then "Developer Menu" and then "Reboot to bootloader". By default "BOOTLOADER" is already highlighted and you just need to use the power button to select it. The phone will now scan the SDCARD for "PH98IMG.zip" and when it finds it, you will be prompted to Press "<VOL UP> Yes" to flash the files.
    • If you get the notorious "MainVer Error", use one of the following guides to get past the error. NOTE: Neither of these are for the faint-of-heart and the first I consider easier, does carry some real danger if done incorrectly.

      1. Option 1 - Follow the guide HERE <-- Requires the use of a HexEditor and one is recommended if you don't have a preferred one yet.
      2. Option 2 - Follow the guide HERE <-- Requires modification of the PH98IMG.zip you're trying to flash and sometimes this can be problematic. Either way, it provides an excellent description of why the error occurs.
  7. FINISH - Once the 2nd kernel file is flashed and you're prompted, press power to reboot. After your phone is running again, use the following command to rename the kernel file so it doesn't cause you trouble later in the bootloader (but still keep it handy): "adb mv /sdcard/ext_sd/PH98IMG.zip /sdcard/ext_sd/PH98IMGZIGGYUNSIGNED.zip"
If this guide has helped you and you want to show thanks, just hit the "Thanks" button at the bottom of this post. It's not a donation or anything like that, just a counter used here on XDA :)

I will try to keep this post refreshed as newer files become available, as things get easier, or things change. If you see an error/typo/concern with these directions, PLEASE PM me and don't muddy up the thread. If YOU will do this, "I" will not only try to maintain the post, but I will also try to add/maintain an FAQ post as needed.

Btw, in case you recognize me and are wondering why I've posted here, it's because my site is dead due to childish drama, I still want to help the community and this seems the most reasonable way to do so for now.









EDITS:
  • 20111230_1804 - Added a hint and link about the "CD" command for users who aren't familiar with "DOS" like commands.
  • 20120101_1923 - Added a direction to boot into Android after rooting.
  • 20120101_2325 - Added warning about unlock/relock and warranty in BIG RED text.
  • 20120208_1709 - Added instructions on how to handle the "MainVer" error.
  • 20120324_1636 - Added note about using 3.11.602.22 based ROMs and linked to Scott's (CleanROM) directions.
 
Last edited:

drkow19

Senior Member
Apr 16, 2009
458
92
White Lake, Michigan
Great guide, thanks! Worked just fine and wow this thing is fast as BALLS :eek::eek::eek::eek:

Using SetCPU to tweak and monitor, any clue on what the best governor is for this kernel?

EDIT: Reading original post about kernel from Ziggy, "lagfree" governor is available, using that now.
 
Last edited:

Conduitz

Senior Member
Aug 28, 2010
64
15
Ann Arbor
may i flash kernels on custom rom
or has to be stock rooted?

this kernel is based off of the one made for gingerbread, so as long as the ROM you're running is a Gingerbread ROM, you can, or should be able to use this kernel with it.

*EDIT* I believe it may matter whether the ROM is Sense or AOSP based as well. currently we only have sense roms so it doesnt much matter, but it will down the road.
 
Last edited:

qudwis

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2010
380
32
Seoul
one more question.
i have cwm for recovery. since cwm don't have developer menu,
do i need to change to Amon Ra recovery?
and if i do, how do i change?
 

a-jive

Senior Member
Dec 14, 2011
125
21
Richland, WA
I could've got so much more work done over the last two days if I had a tutorial like this! Untold hours have been spent combing these boards to piece together this whole process. Thanks for taking the time to do this for everyone.
 

tomit12

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2007
110
10
Seemed to work!

I only did the recovery / kernel part since I had done the rest previously. For some reason it partially wiped my phone storage and SD card. Directories are there, but nothing is in them. No idea what happened, but oh well.

At least now I can start messing with stuff. :D
 

zonbal33

Senior Member
Sep 30, 2009
459
7
How do you unroot from the HTCdev method? I need to return my Rezound and get a different one tomorrow. Can someone please point to the correct guide or tutorial? Thank you very much!

-brett
 

rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
How do you unroot from the HTCdev method? I need to return my Rezound and get a different one tomorrow. Can someone please point to the correct guide or tutorial? Thank you very much!

-brett

Unrooting is just a matter of deleting "su" and uninstalling SuperUser, but it will hardly matter since your device will still be marked as "re-locked" if you use fastboot to relock it. There's no way at this point to hide that it's been tampered with and that's why I and most other devs have made such a point of clarifying that your warranty will be void one you unlock.

On the other hand, I can tell you that out of the 15,000+ users on my site and years in the Android community, I've never ONCE heard of Verizon saying "your device is rooted so we won't...." :)

Just uninstall SuperUser and do a factory reset/wipe and hope for the best. It's hardly worth their time to check and in the stores, more reps are too ignorant to know to check, let alone how to do it or if they do, they're likely unmotivated to do so since a warranty return won't go against them (unlike a return).
 
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feralicious

Senior Member
Jun 9, 2011
1,821
696
City of Angels
This post is just my attempt to help less savvy users go from a fully locked/unrooted Rezound to unlocked, rooted, and running Ziggy's kernel. Really, this is just a list of links that should be followed in order (and maybe a few extra notes for clarification). Be sure to thank the respective devs for their efforts.

  • FLASH FILE 1/2 - Now use the back arrow (the capacitive one) to go back to the main menu and then select "Flash zip menu" and then "Choose zip from sdcard". You'll then get a list of sdcard contents. The file is likely toward the bottom. Select "FlashMeInRecovery.zip" and follow the directions to confirm flashing.
  • FLASH FILE 1/2 - Select the "Return" menu option, then "Developer Menu" and then "Reboot to bootloader". By default "BOOTLOADER" is already highlighted and you just need to use the power button to select it. The phone will now scan the SDCARD for "PH98IMG.zip" and when it finds it, you will be prompted to Press "<VOL UP> Yes" to flash the files.
This looks very clear and helpful. I'm not ready to use it yet, still need to study up on all this root stuff but thanks for posting.

Just wanted to point out that there may be a small and not so important typo. Both flash files are 1/2, shouldn't the second one be 2/2?
 

remmy5r

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
165
21
I have downloaded both files into my sd card, flashmeinrecovery.zip worked fine. The pmhimg.zip keeps saying aborted. I am running cwm, should I be running a different rom? What can I do to get the pmh zip to work?

I downloaded them via the qr codes, and they are in the download folder on my sd card. I did change the name on the second zip.
 

remmy5r

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
165
21
You have to put the ph zip in the root of the sd card. Not in a folder

sent from my newly unlocked Rezound

Ok, I did that. Now when I get into hboot, it just asks if I want to update, if I do, it updates, what I dont know, then wants me to reboot, and if I boot back into hboot, it wants me to update again. But I can power up normally. Is this correct or am I missing something?
 

pwned3

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2011
1,261
275
Cullman
And move the file. It will read it every time you go into the bootloader

sent from my cm7 rooted fire
 

Droidel

Senior Member
Jan 21, 2011
190
37
Followed instructions and kernel would not flash. All steps completed without errors and still has same kernel. Any advice?
 

zonbal33

Senior Member
Sep 30, 2009
459
7
Unrooting is just a matter of deleting "su" and uninstalling SuperUser, but it will hardly matter since your device will still be marked as "re-locked" if you use fastboot to relock it. There's no way at this point to hide that it's been tampered with and that's why I and most other devs have made such a point of clarifying that your warranty will be void one you unlock.

On the other hand, I can tell you that out of the 15,000+ users on my site and years in the Android community, I've never ONCE heard of Verizon saying "your device is rooted so we won't...." :)

Just uninstall SuperUser and do a factory reset/wipe and hope for the best. It's hardly worth their time to check and in the stores, more reps are too ignorant to know to check, let alone how to do it or if they do, they're likely unmotivated to do so since a warranty return won't go against them (unlike a return).

so I just unistall SU from the Market? Or do I have to go in with Root Explorer and delete the file? once that is done don't I have to lock the bootloader using that htcdev guide again?
 

rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
Ok, I did that. Now when I get into hboot, it just asks if I want to update, if I do, it updates, what I dont know, then wants me to reboot, and if I boot back into hboot, it wants me to update again. But I can power up normally. Is this correct or am I missing something?

Following step 7 specifically prevents you from having to deal with that. So long as the PH file exists in your sdcard root, when you go into bootloader, you will be prompted. Once your running normally, just go follow step 7 and you'll be good to go.
 
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    This post is just my attempt to help less savvy users go from a fully locked/unrooted Rezound to unlocked, rooted, and running Ziggy's kernel. Really, this is just a list of links that should be followed in order (and maybe a few extra notes for clarification). Be sure to thank the respective devs for their efforts.

    As of the time I'm writing this, there is no way to get the phone back to "Locked" once you've "Unlocked" it. The phone will show "Re-locked" if you relock it so know that until someone figures something out, Verizon WILL KNOW that you've unlocked your phone once you do it IF they bother to check and know how. It's your gamble, but to date, I've not heart of Verizon detecting root/unlock and refusing service to one person I can confirm. Said another way, you can "un-root" your phone (remove su and SuperUser), but that won't hide the more important fact that you've unlocked it. Consider this before continuing. Unlocking VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY. You accept responsibility for following this guide. Myself and other devs only provide information.



    In general, here is what you will be doing:
    • Using the HTCDev.com site to submit your phones key and get an unlock.bin that you can use with fastboot to unlock your phone. NOTE: This WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE. I suggest using a temp-root method to first install Titanium or similar app, and do a app/data backup. This way when you're done, you can restore apps/data and be just about where you were when you started, only better.
    • Use the zergrush perm-root method to obtain permanent root and install SuperUser.
    • Install a customer recovery that will allow you to do a nandbackup and then install other roms/kernels (needed for the next step also).
    • Install Ziggys custom kernel which addresses some important issues for this phone and provides some other nice features.
    NOTE: If you intend on flashing one of the newer ROMs ("newer" as of 2012-03-24) that require the 3.11.602.22 firmware, use Scott's directions HERE then come back and continue.





    Now for the actual steps:
    1. UNLOCKING - First visit THIS post for detailed instructions on how to unlock your device. This is required for permanent root and just about everything else following. This WILL VOID your warranty as the post says. This will also WIPE your device so again, I suggest first using THIS temp-root method so you can install an app like Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data.
    2. PREPARING ADB - Once you have unlocked and your phone has rebooted, hit the home key to skip HTC Setup (no point doing it just yet really). Now hit, menu, settings, Applications, and check "Unknown Sources" (for good measure), then "Development" and check the box "USB debugging". I recommend then backing up a screen and un-checking "Start automatically", but that's my preference, not a requirement.
    3. CONFIRMING ADB - At this point, I'm going to assume you already have ADB installed and known how to invoke the command because there are at least 9,999,999 tutorials online explaining this. Go ahead and open a cmd prompt and run "adb kill-server" and then "adb devices" and ensure that your device (if you see one, then you should be fine) shows up.
    4. ROOTING - Now visit THIS thread and hit the less-than-obvious link titled "Download - OneClickRoot" to download the zip containing the tool. Follow the directions in that thread to permanently root your phone.
      • Boot fully into Android before proceeding.
    5. RECOVERY
      • PREPARE RECOVERY.IMG - Visit THIS thread and download the attachment. Extract "recovery.img" from the zip and place it in a folder from which you can successfully run ADB. NOTE: If you haven't already, putting the adb.exe files folder in your PATH will let you run adb from anywhere. Same goes for fastboot. This makes life with Android tweaking/hacking MUCH easier.
      • FLASH RECOVERY 1/2 - Now "CD" into the folder (HERE you can find more about the CD command) with recovery.img and run the following command: "adb reboot bootloader". Once the phone has rebooted into the bootloader (a white screen with text menu, should say "*** UNLOCKED ***" at the top now). In white with a red background you should see "FASTBOOT USB". If so continue, if not, ask for help :)
      • FLASH RECOVERY 2/2 - The moment you run the following command, you should see a vertical bar on the upper-right hand corner of your phones screen. If so, it's working as expected. In your CMD window, run the following command "Now "CD" into the folder with recovery.img and run the following command: "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
      • REBOOT TO RECOVERY - If you have't touched the volume keys, "BOOTLOADER" is selected and pressing power will take you to the bootloader where you can then use the arrow keys to select "RECOVERY" and again press the power button to get into recovery. Otherwise, reboot any way you see fit and once running, use "ADB reboot recovery" to get into recovery easily.
    6. KERNEL
      • DOWNLOAD FILES - First download the two files from THIS post (NOTE: The OP most may end up with more updated files, but as of the time I'm writing this, these are the way I suggest).
      • PUSH FILEs 1/2 - If you haven't already rebooted into recovery, review the previous steps and get your phone into recovery ("ADB reboot recovery" is my preference). Now "CD" into the folder containing the two files downloaded in the previous post. From here, I will use the file names as they were when I downloaded. Yours could be slightly different so adjust accordingly. In the recovery use the volume keys to navigate to the "Mounts" menu and then "Mount /sdcard". Use the Power button each time to select the menu option.
      • PUSH FILEs 2/2 - Now from your CMD window (the one in the folder containing the two kernel files), run the following commands: "adb push FlashMeInRecovery.zip /sdcard/" and then "adb push PH98IMGZIGGYUNSIGNED.zip /sdcard/PH98IMG.zip".
      • FLASH FILE 1/2 - Now use the back arrow (the capacitive one) to go back to the main menu and then select "Flash zip menu" and then "Choose zip from sdcard". You'll then get a list of sdcard contents. The file is likely toward the bottom. Select "FlashMeInRecovery.zip" and follow the directions to confirm flashing.
      • FLASH FILE 2/2 - Select the "Return" menu option, then "Developer Menu" and then "Reboot to bootloader". By default "BOOTLOADER" is already highlighted and you just need to use the power button to select it. The phone will now scan the SDCARD for "PH98IMG.zip" and when it finds it, you will be prompted to Press "<VOL UP> Yes" to flash the files.
      • If you get the notorious "MainVer Error", use one of the following guides to get past the error. NOTE: Neither of these are for the faint-of-heart and the first I consider easier, does carry some real danger if done incorrectly.

        1. Option 1 - Follow the guide HERE <-- Requires the use of a HexEditor and one is recommended if you don't have a preferred one yet.
        2. Option 2 - Follow the guide HERE <-- Requires modification of the PH98IMG.zip you're trying to flash and sometimes this can be problematic. Either way, it provides an excellent description of why the error occurs.
    7. FINISH - Once the 2nd kernel file is flashed and you're prompted, press power to reboot. After your phone is running again, use the following command to rename the kernel file so it doesn't cause you trouble later in the bootloader (but still keep it handy): "adb mv /sdcard/ext_sd/PH98IMG.zip /sdcard/ext_sd/PH98IMGZIGGYUNSIGNED.zip"
    If this guide has helped you and you want to show thanks, just hit the "Thanks" button at the bottom of this post. It's not a donation or anything like that, just a counter used here on XDA :)

    I will try to keep this post refreshed as newer files become available, as things get easier, or things change. If you see an error/typo/concern with these directions, PLEASE PM me and don't muddy up the thread. If YOU will do this, "I" will not only try to maintain the post, but I will also try to add/maintain an FAQ post as needed.

    Btw, in case you recognize me and are wondering why I've posted here, it's because my site is dead due to childish drama, I still want to help the community and this seems the most reasonable way to do so for now.









    EDITS:
    • 20111230_1804 - Added a hint and link about the "CD" command for users who aren't familiar with "DOS" like commands.
    • 20120101_1923 - Added a direction to boot into Android after rooting.
    • 20120101_2325 - Added warning about unlock/relock and warranty in BIG RED text.
    • 20120208_1709 - Added instructions on how to handle the "MainVer" error.
    • 20120324_1636 - Added note about using 3.11.602.22 based ROMs and linked to Scott's (CleanROM) directions.
    2
    If it comes with the OTA already there, just unlock via HTCdev.com and then install Amon Ra for your recovery. Once in recovery, install su from the developer menu and you are rooted. Dont update the binaries for su though, they are known to destroy root on this phone.
    1
    How do you unroot from the HTCdev method? I need to return my Rezound and get a different one tomorrow. Can someone please point to the correct guide or tutorial? Thank you very much!

    -brett

    Unrooting is just a matter of deleting "su" and uninstalling SuperUser, but it will hardly matter since your device will still be marked as "re-locked" if you use fastboot to relock it. There's no way at this point to hide that it's been tampered with and that's why I and most other devs have made such a point of clarifying that your warranty will be void one you unlock.

    On the other hand, I can tell you that out of the 15,000+ users on my site and years in the Android community, I've never ONCE heard of Verizon saying "your device is rooted so we won't...." :)

    Just uninstall SuperUser and do a factory reset/wipe and hope for the best. It's hardly worth their time to check and in the stores, more reps are too ignorant to know to check, let alone how to do it or if they do, they're likely unmotivated to do so since a warranty return won't go against them (unlike a return).
    1
    You have to put the ph zip in the root of the sd card. Not in a folder

    sent from my newly unlocked Rezound
    1
    Ok, I did that. Now when I get into hboot, it just asks if I want to update, if I do, it updates, what I dont know, then wants me to reboot, and if I boot back into hboot, it wants me to update again. But I can power up normally. Is this correct or am I missing something?

    Following step 7 specifically prevents you from having to deal with that. So long as the PH file exists in your sdcard root, when you go into bootloader, you will be prompted. Once your running normally, just go follow step 7 and you'll be good to go.