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

HQRaja · Nov 16, 2012

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.

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.
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).
Download the SuperSU and busybox package and put it on your SD card.
Put your phone into bootloader mode and connect it to your PC via USB.
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
```
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.

hotmonkas · Nov 16, 2012

thanks for the guide!

just one question though. when you say "Download the SuperSU and busybox package and put it on your SD card.", what do you mean exactly by SD card? doesn't the DNA not have a SD card? sorry if this is a dumb question. i've never rooted a phone before :/

touretts69 · Nov 16, 2012

hotmonkas said:
thanks for the guide!

just one question though. when you say "Download the SuperSU and busybox package and put it on your SD card.", what do you mean exactly by SD card? doesn't the DNA not have a SD card? sorry if this is a dumb question. i've never rooted a phone before :/

Internal storage would be another name for the SD card.

hotmonkas · Nov 16, 2012

touretts69 said:
Internal storage would be another name for the SD card.

ah okay, thank you

nyjw · Nov 16, 2012

which device do u use on the htc page?

trickster2369 · Nov 16, 2012

nyjw said:
which device do u use on the htc page?

"Other devices", or similar.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium

rajuabju · Nov 16, 2012

Awesomeness.

The fact that this phone is rooted a week before its even out... simply awesome. I love XDA!

So excited for this phone.

dsb9938 · Nov 16, 2012

HQRaja said:

Code:

adb shell mount -o remount,rw /system

[LIST=1]
[*] adb push su /system/bin/
adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/
adb push busybox /system/xbin/
adb shell
chmod 06755 /system/bin/su
chmod 0644 /system/app/Superuser.apk
chmod 04755 /system/xbin/busybox
cd /system/xbin
busybox --install /system/xbin/
exit
exit

[*]Reboot your device.
[/LIST]

This will not work. You cannot write to /system except in recovery.

This is why I did not publish my initial root method. Using a package and flashing in recovery is the only way to get files on /system without some really gnarly stuff.

D

.

HQRaja · Nov 16, 2012

dsb9938 said:
This will not work. You cannot write to /system except in recovery.

This is why I did not publish my initial root method. Using a package and flashing in recovery is the only way to get files on /system without some really gnarly stuff.

D

.

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?

dsb9938 · Nov 16, 2012

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?

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

.

HQRaja · Nov 17, 2012

dsb9938 said:
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

.

Ah I see. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll remove the second method from my guide, since including that would be pointless if that's the case as you can now confirm.

suzook · Nov 17, 2012

So does this method work? Or not???Im confused with the last few posts. Thanks

dsb9938 · Nov 17, 2012

suzook said:
So does this method work? Or not???Im confused with the last few posts. Thanks

Edited post is fine. He removed the part I was talking about.

D

.

Irish65 · Nov 17, 2012

What I want to know most if anyone knows..will the DNA through verizon be unlockable....I'm actually using the RAZR Maxx hd through verizon and Motorola has restricted unlocking the bootloader because of verizon

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

dsb9938 · Nov 17, 2012

Irish65 said:
What I want to know most if anyone knows..will the DNA through verizon be unlockable....I'm actually using the RAZR Maxx hd through verizon and Motorola has restricted unlocking the bootloader because of verizon

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app

You can't do any of this stuff without unlocking.

As of right now, it is working.

D

.

idle0095 · Nov 17, 2012

How do you do the command in the folder were u downloaded to like the instructions say?

dsb9938 · Nov 17, 2012

idle0095 said:
How do you do the command in the folder were u downloaded to like the instructions say?

Please be more specific.

D

.

CastleBravo · Nov 17, 2012

idle0095 said:
How do you do the command in the folder were u downloaded to like the instructions say?

In command prompt, use the "cd" command. The easiest way to do this is to make a folder at the root of your hard drive (C:\) and place all files you need to flash in here e.g. "C:\android\" Then in command prompt, type in "cd .." and press enter until it displays "C:\". Then type (if you use the same name as the example) "cd android" and it will enter the folder "C:\android\" where you placed the files. Now you can continue with the rest of the guide.

santod040 · Nov 17, 2012

CastleBravo said:
In command prompt, use the "cd" command. The easiest way to do this is to make a folder at the root of your hard drive (C:\) and place all files you need to flash in here e.g. "C:\android\" Then in command prompt, type in "cd .." and press enter until it displays "C:\". Then type (if you use the same name as the example) "cd android" and it will enter the folder "C:\android\" where you placed the files. Now you can continue with the rest of the guide.

Or if on Windows, simply: Do the following in folder where files are located.
Shift+Right-Click > Open Command Window Here

musclehead84 · Nov 18, 2012

I've never had an HTC device before but does using the HTC bootloader unlock is that making it s-off? Also I don't see the DROID dna on the list

Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

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

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