{GUIDE} Rooting an HTC EVO Shift for Dummies!

SHMaRiM · 04:09 PM

{GUIDE} Rooting an HTC EVO Shift for Dummies!

First of all I noticed there is not an individual post that gives the entire root process for those that have never used ADB and probably don't have the SDK installed. In other words people that have never rooted a phone before and didn't think they ever would because they think it looks SUPER complicated.

There are several tutorial threads on this subject but I can guarantee that these are the most simple and detailed, START to FINISH, instructions regarding the root process of a HTC EVO Shift that you will find on the web. My information is compiled together from numerous sources and my own personal experience to give less confident people what they need in order to root their phone and remain at ease.

RED-REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO READ
BLUE-Notes from my experience and further explanations
Purple-File names color coded for easy identification

NOTE: I'm not responsible if you mess up your phone, however this process worked perfectly for me and it is pretty hard these days to brick your phone unless your trying.

Rooting Process

1. First, on your computer download the program "SDK" from Here. Download the file called "installer_r10-windows.exe". Install it. When prompted for the install path paste "C:\AndroidSDK" over the default path. Once finished, open it from the Start Menu. It should be right on your "C:\" drive. Now, select "Install Packages" and make sure you install "Android SKD Platform-Tools". Once finished, close out of Android SKD and AVD Manager.

2. ONLY FOLLOW THIS STEP IF PROBLEMS INVOLVING LOADING SDK OCCURS. Next, Go to the start menu and right click on "My Computer". Select "Properties", then select "Advanced"/"Advanced System Settings", then "Environment Variables", now go to the lower box (system variables) and select "path" then "Edit". Paste the following as your path "C:\AndroidSDK\platform-tools", then select OK. This seems to have fixed most peoples problems.

3. Now, on your phone, press "Menu", then "Settings", then "Applications", then "Development". Check the box that says "USB Debugging" and press "OK" when the confirmation box appears.

4. Now, install HTC SYNC. There should be a folder on your SD card that came with the phone that has a HTC SYNC Setup in it. Just drag this to your desktop and run it. Otherwise download HTCSync. After installation, plug your phone into the computer and select "Disk drive" on your phones prompted menu.

5. Next, download the VISIONary app from Here and save it on your desktop. Once downloaded, Copy "com.modaco.visionaryplus.r14.apk" and Paste it to the SD Card root. Or in other words, drop the file in the first folder of the SD card on your phone.

6. Next, switch your phone's connection status back to "Charge Only". Use any file manager (free from the android marketplace "ES File Explorer") to install the VISIONary app on your phone. On your phone just find the visionary installer in the file manager and click to install. (Icon should look like a caution sign). Once complete, open VISIONary on your phone and click "Temproot Now". Wait for the rooting process to take place. Shouldn't take long at all. At this point your phone is rooted. However, you may noticed that your phone is running slower than normal. Go back into VISIONary and put a check next to the box that says "temp root on boot". Now power off your phone and then turn back on. This will root your phone before background apps are running, thus making it much faster.

7. Next, Download the root file Here. Once installed, connect your phone to your computer as a disk drive and right click on the "shift-root.zip", select extract here, then use browse to locate your phone, more specifically the root of your SD card. If you are having trouble extracting, download 7-Zip. Now change your connection type back to "Charge only" again.

8. Next, Open the command prompt (Start > Run > type "cmd") and paste the following...

Code:

cd C:\AndroidSDK\platform-tools

Hit enter, and type the following...

Code:

adb

If adb runs you're golden. Type this...

Code:

adb shell

Hit enter, you will see this...

Code:

Now type...

Code:

su

Hit enter... Now switch back to your phone. Superuser (an automatically installed program) will prompt you to "Allow" on your phone. Click it quickly to allow permissions! Now you will see this in the command prompt...

Code:

You have root permissions. If you didn't click allow fast enough just retype "su" and click enter again.

9. Next you have to Verify md5sum. Basically just make sure you copy and paste this EXACTLY...

Code:

md5sum /sdcard/Shift/hboot_orig.bin

Then hit enter.Your result should look like this...

Code:

386c19451e8dd18f9b98fad6b11be4c0  hboot_orig.bin

Make sure the numbers match. You may have some extra path in front of hboot_orig.bin.

If a message saying that the md5sum is not found, paste this code before verifying the md5sum. If it worked in the first place then ignore all this red...

Code:

busybox md5sum /sdcard/Shift/hboot_eng.nb0

It should work now...

Next copy and paste this exactly...

Code:

md5sum /sdcard/Shift/hboot_eng.nb0

Then hit enter.Your result should look like this...

Code:

60ec1006e6ec2e8acb370d6aad35b17e  hboot_eng.nb0

Make sure the numbers match. You may have some extra path in front of hboot_eng.nbo. If these do not match do not proceed. Delete the "shift-root.zip" file on your sd card and redownload.

10. Now we're going to flash the "eng spl." This is where the unpleasant things can happen. Make sure you are in "adb shell" with superuser root permission (Granted a "#" symbol). This was explained in Step 8. If you are not in "adb shell" with root permissions (Granted a "#" symbol) then DO NOT proceed.

Now DO NOT REBOOT until you are instructed to do so!!! In the command prompt, paste this EXACTLY...

Code:

dd if=/sdcard/Shift/hboot_eng.nb0 of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18

Hit enter. You have flashed the "eng spl." Now we need to make sure it flashed properly.

11. Run this command to pull the newly flashed "hboot" to your sdcard. Copy and paste this EXACTLY...

Code:

dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/sdcard/Shift/hboot_check.nb0

Hit enter. Next you need to check the "md5" to see if it matches. In the command prompt, Copy and paste this EXACTLY...

Code:

md5sum /sdcard/Shift/hboot_check.nb0

Hit enter. It should read...

Code:

60ec1006e6ec2e8acb370d6aad35b17e

if the "md5sum" matches then congratulations its safe to reboot!! you can skip the next bit and continue on to step 12.

If you absolutely cannot get the eng hboot to flash right then copy and paste this into the command prompt...

Code:

dd if=/sdcard/Shift/hboot_orig.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18

Hit enter. Then pull it to check "md5". Copy and paste this exactly...

Code:

dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/sdcard/Shift/hboot_check1.bin

Hit enter. Then check the "md5sum" by copying and Pasting this exactly...

Code:

md5sum /sdcard/Shift/hboot_check1.bin

Hit enter. It should read...

Code:

386c19451e8dd18f9b98fad6b11be4c0

If it doesn't, keep trying the previous 2 codes until it does but DO NOT!! reboot till it matches.

12. Now we can Perm root!!! First you need to reboot your phone into "bootloader". Do this by turning off phone and hold (power + volume down) till it boots into bootloader. Look at the top and make sure it says "s" off. If so, reboot the phone back into android by turning off and then back on.

13. Next Put the phone into airplane mode (hold down power and then click "airplane mode"). Go to setting, applications, manage applications and uninstall superuser.

14. Next, temp root with visionary. After you are temp rooted then attempt to perm root with visionary. Your phone will reboot and you are now officially perm rooted any changes you make will now stick on reboot. If it didn't stick, try doing steps 13 and 14 again.

YOUR PERMROOTED

Simplified Backup (with WiMax Backup!)

1. Find "ROM Manager" in the Market (free or paid) and install the app.

2. Open it and select "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery".

3. Click on "HTC Evo Shift 4G" and then give the app root permission if it prompts you.

4. Once the flash is successful, you should see a dialog box that says "Successfully flashed ClockworkMod recovery!"

5. Press OK.ClockworkMod should now be installed on the HTC Evo Shift 4G.

6. Before you backup your phone, open the ROM Manager application and select "All Clockwork Recoveries".

7. Select the most recent version, currently it is v.3.0.1.4 (If you already have the most current version skip to step 6)

8. Press OK.

9. Your phone will flash the most current recovery image.

10. Now once your phone finished, open ROM Manager and select "Backup Current ROM".

11. Press OK.

12. Your phone will begin the backup process, including backup of your WiMax Partition.

13. Once finished your phone will restart. DONE! A backup is now on your memory card.

UnRooting

1. Be sure HTC Sync is installed on your computer. (Link to download near top of first post)

2. Download the sprint RUU Download.

3. Plug your phone in to your PC, select "charge only", then run the RUU File

Sources:
More Detailed Perm Root Instructions
Beginner's Guide to Installing the SDK and Getting Started with ADB
ADB/Fastboot Easy 5 Minute Setup
All About Rooting the HTC Shift: FAQ's & How To's

IF YOU THINK ANY OTHER INFORMATION SHOULD BE ADDED FEEL FREE TO SHOOT ME A PM AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ADD IT.

ADDITIONALLY IF THIS GUIDE HELPED YOU OUT FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A THANK YOU.

JKILO · 23rd March 2011, 06:12 PM

There's already a guide and its pretty basic

Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

SHMaRiM · 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKILO

There's already a guide and its pretty basic

Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

I understand there are already guides but they are not necessarily for people that have never rooted a phone before... And that is what this guide is for.

Other guides assume people have all the required software preinstalled and that they know what the guide is referring to when it says to "flash" certain things. They also assume people know how to Temp root using VISIONary and how to check the md5sum. This is for people that have done absolutely nothing to an android phone before and have no clue what the other guides are even talking about.

And yes I understand there are simplified guides that involve individual steps but this is a BEGINNING to END guide for Dummies so there is no need to jump across multiple threads.

JKILO · 23rd March 2011, 06:52 PM

To each their own..maybe someone will find a use

Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

NOMster · 23rd March 2011, 06:56 PM

i did. thanks

riggsandroid · 23rd March 2011, 06:58 PM

nice work - seems to be the one from either androidforums.com or Androidcentral forums.

This sort of does exist, maybe not so colorfully, but here is Brando's thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=934165

SHMaRiM · 23rd March 2011, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKILO

To each their own..maybe someone will find a use

Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

The process in the first Perm Root guide seems simple now, but when I was first looking at the guide it was a foreign language. Did my research by looking through about 6-7 other threads and finally had some idea as to what it was talking about.

Completed a successful root on my own phone and made the first draft of this tutorial along the way. More and more info has been added to this guide as I learn more and more. Now its about a month later and I've learned quite a bit about my phone and whole rooting process in general. I've once again updated the guide to make it as simple as possible with my newly acquired knowledge. This guide has over 2500 views on another thread I initially posted and numerous people have used it to root their phone so I figured I'd post it up here as well in order to help more people.

umrico · 23rd March 2011, 07:10 PM

Nice A-Z guide. When I rooted mine a month ago, I needed to get info from 2 or 3 threads and tie missing pieces together. This ends that. It is a great start to finish guide. The other ones assume that you have done this before or only provide half of the entire solution needed to get everything done.

Only suggestion, clockwordmod backs up wimax after a particular version, you may want to state that as a disclaimer...else someone may grab an old version, assume they are fine, and will/could be screwed...

SHMaRiM · 23rd March 2011, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riggsandroid

nice work - seems to be the one from either androidforums.com or Androidcentral forums.

This sort of does exist, maybe not so colorfully, but here is Brando's thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=934165

I initially posted it on androidforums.com

Similar, but I went one step further than Brando and explained every process in detail. For instance, rather than saying "setup adb" and "temproot your phone using visionary" I explained the process. I know that I myself looked up how to setup adb and temp root my phone when I got to those steps. Figured I'd put everything in one thread to make it easier for people that have never touched an android before.

SHMaRiM · 23rd March 2011, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by umrico

Nice A-Z guide. When I rooted mine a month ago, I needed to get info from 2 or 3 threads and tie missing pieces together. This ends that. It is a great start to finish guide. The other ones assume that you have done this before or only provide half of the entire solution needed to get everything done.

Only suggestion, clockwordmod backs up wimax after a particular version, you may want to state that as a disclaimer...else someone may grab an old version, assume they are fine, and will/could be screwed...

Thankyou.

I stated that clockwork can backup wimax but I'll be sure to add that it is clockwork mod version 3.0.1.4 in the OP.