[ROOT][COMPLETE GUIDE]How To Root HTC Droid DNA

Here is a complete guide for anyone interested in rooting the HTC Droid DNA. The insecure boot image, TWRP recovery, CWM recovery and SuperSU files used in this guide are not my own developments, and their developers have been credited in the end of this post.
I am only writing this as a newbie-friendly guide for everyone, and am providing my own SuperSU, su and busybox installer zip file that includes everything you need for full root.

1. Unlock the bootloader of your device by visiting the HTC bootloader unlock page. Warning: This will wipe your data.
   UPDATE: Thanks to Verizon, the official bootloader unlocking method mentioned above no longer works. Please refer to this method for unlocking the bootloader.
2. Download ClockworkMod or TWRP recovery for the device and rename it to recovery.img (or keep the existing name and change recovery.img in the command below to that name).
3. Download the SuperSU and busybox package and put it on your SD card.
4. Put your phone into bootloader mode and connect it to your PC via USB.
5. On your computer, make sure you are in the folder where you downloaded the recovery file and use this command to flash the recovery:
   Code:

   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

6. Finally, reboot your device into recovery, flash the SuperSU and busybox package and reboot your device.

You should now have root access.

Credits:

jcase for unlocking the bootloader after Verizon decided to lock it.
dsb9938 for sharing the CWM port and correcting me regarding my previously posted and now removed second method involving his insecure boot image
Dees_Troy for TWRP recovery.
utkanos for CWM port.
Chainfire for developing SuperSU

I have tried to credit everyone involved but if I have missed out on anyone, please do let me know.

azndan2 said:

Care to elaborate? I am looking into buying this phone and I am sure everyone else wants to know as well. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I cannot promise anything. Let's be clear on that.

But I am 90% sure we will have an unlock method tomorrow after I get my retail device. It will not be my work, but I will be testing it and posting the results.

Even if we do not get unlock, I am sure we will at the very least find a temp root, which is all that is required for S-Off testing to continue.

Basically, they may have slowed us down, but they have not stopped us yet.

D

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If you guys want the origional SuperSU/Busybox package mentioned in the post, then Click Here, and I've uploaded my saved copy of it to my DropBox.

As for CWM (ClockworkMod) Click Here, and you should see a long list of many devices, find "HTC Droid DNA", and you can download the Recovery or the Touch Recovery (Far Right Columns)

HQRaja said:

Thanks for your response. =)

Based on my understanding (and my experience with Nexus devices), once you boot using an insecure boot image, you have full root access in ADB since it is running adbd as root on the device. You can then successfully write to the /system partition and the changes persist after reboot. While I can confirm that the above will work on any Nexus device as well as any similar device with an unlocked bootloader and fastboot access, I am not 100% sure if that's how it works on HTC devices that have the S-ON flag. Are you referring to S-ON devices in particular here?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Normally it does work that way. And I was very disappointed that it did not on this phone, as I made the kernel just for that reason.

I think there was an error in the coding where it tells unlock which partitions to remove write protection from. That, or they just wanna make our lives hard for some reason.

Either way, you cannot write to /system while the phone is booted normally without S-Off. Even as root.

D

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orangechoochoo said:

I'm wondering if the supersu problems would be rectified using DSB's system writeable kernel.

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Click to collapse

yes, that is the exact problem. the package that is supplied does work but I, along with some others, have had problems with superSU and it prompting to update the binaries. so, I assumed there was a problem with root and that I had done something wrong, when in fact without a modified kernel you cannot write to system with our phone, thus creating the errors and reboots when trying to update the binaries. so to fix the problem you can flash the zip below.

flash this (will update binaries and install the compatible superuser app instead): http://downloads.noshufou.netdna-cdn.com/superuser/Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip

this worked like a charm, no errors, and should also delete the original superSU app that was installed, but if for some reason it does not, delete it manually. this will allow basic root privileges. the problem is that system is unwriteable without flashing either dsb's cubed or modified stock kernels (which allow you to then write to system). once you have root I definitely recommend flashing one of these kernels so that you have full root privileges without any possible errors.

hope that clears some things up because I for one am new to htc and had no idea why my changes would not stick in system. i immediately assumed the problem was a faulty root on my part.

a huge thank you to all involved with the work that has been done thus far!! happy holidays all!!!