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

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rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
jski711 said:
ok htc sync was running so i stopped it and redid one click root and also completed step five. when i open amonra it says unable to download recovery manifest file.. please check to see if your phone model is supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Since OneClick includes the required ADB bits and you've got Sync installed (which should mean drivers), chances are that you've not enabled "Debugging" in Settings/Applications on your Rezound.

Once you've done that, open a Windows CMD prompt, then run "CD [your OncClickFolder]" where [your OneClickFolder] is the location where you've unzipped OneClick.

Now run "tools\adb devices" and report the output to us.
 
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jski711

Senior Member
Feb 12, 2011
279
28
Ok I'm good now. There was a major learning curve trying to figure out cmd but I did. Thanks again to all that helped especially rainabba!
 
ieisha

ieisha

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
669
45
Upstate , SC
The recovery part has me a little lost. Can I not just use CWM to do this part or do I have to use this recovery option ?
 
ieisha

ieisha

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
669
45
Upstate , SC
Can someone please help me , I am at step 5 in the op, and I am LOST ! I really don't understand that part . And is it necessary to flash the kernel in the op ?
 
R

RagManX

Senior Member
Sep 11, 2010
84
20
Memphis
securitytools.wiki
Used this guide, and everything went swimmingly well.

Or so I thought.

Every 2-3 hours, my phone locks up or enters the infinite boot loop. :( And I foolishly forgot to do a backup after putting Amon Ra on and before I installed Ziggy's kernel. Anyone one the stock kernel I can try to flash back to? I've tried dropping the overclock to stock speed, bumping the underclock to a few different values, changing from LTE/CDMA to CDMA only, leaving the phone charging, taking the phone off the charger, using the phone around the time it normally reboots, setting the phone down and leaving it idle around the time frame it normally reboots, running with wifi on and running with wifi off.

What I haven't yet done but will be doing tonight is reflashing the kernel and switching to another SD card in case the 32G I have in the phone now is flaky. I'm open to any other suggestions, as well, but if I can't fix it with a reflash and memory card swap, I want to go back to stock so I can determine if the kernel is causing my problems or not. Never had trouble with the phone when it was temp-rooted, but since unlocking and putting the permanent root and recovery on, I've had this issue and I need to start troubleshooting.
 
ieisha

ieisha

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
669
45
Upstate , SC
I forgot to do step 7, can I take the flash me in recovery zip and the ziggy unsigned zip and put them on another sd card that i keep with me ?
 
M

Mechadan

Senior Member
Nov 10, 2011
117
17
Thanks for the guide. I was starting from scratch and this was my first root, so it took forever and was more painful than I expected, lol. I mean, I had to download the Java development tools, then the sdk, then the HTC drivers, then figure out adb, then do a temp root, then figure out titanium backup, then follow the rest of your guide. It was quite the ordeal. Took me like 2-3 hours. But I am finally done. Thanks to you and the rest of the guys you linked to.
 
R

rubbersidedown

Member
Dec 13, 2007
15
1
I've rooted quite a few devices, but always through guides on XDA. This one was very easy to follow.

Thanks for putting this together!
 
R

rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
rubbersidedown said:
I've rooted quite a few devices, but always through guides on XDA. This one was very easy to follow.

Thanks for putting this together!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Been my pleasure. I think this goes a long way towards helping folks new to Android "hacking" learn some basics and if you're going to root your device, basic knowledge is a must or you're really not going to realize the full benefits of having root or be able to get yourself out of a jam when something goes wrong.
 
wayne8821212

wayne8821212

Senior Member
Feb 2, 2009
418
99
Baltimore
Thanks for a great guide. I have used adb in the past but I am no expert with the bootloader. I did use it for flashing Thunderbolt radios. I am still having trouble flashing the Amon Ra image via fast boot. When I rebooted via adb reboot bootloader, and saw fastboot usb in the white screen, I used cd to get to directory with the recovery image. But when I entered the command this is what I saw: C:\Android\Recovery>fastboot flash recovery recovery-ra-vigor-3.10-gnm.img
'fastboot' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
I'm not sure what I am doing incorrectly? Thanks, in advance for the help!
Wayne

Duh! Maybe the problem was that I did not place fastboot.exe in the location where I placed the recovery image.
 
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wrarvoz

Senior Member
Mar 27, 2011
109
18
This guide worked great, up until the last part, flashing the PH98IMG.zip through fastboot. I got the "Main version is older! update fail" error and can't seem to find a way out of it. I ended up with root and stock kernel. Anyone know a fix to this?
 
R

rainabba

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2008
448
116
wrarvoz said:
This guide worked great, up until the last part, flashing the PH98IMG.zip through fastboot. I got the "Main version is older! update fail" error and can't seem to find a way out of it. I ended up with root and stock kernel. Anyone know a fix to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sorry. I try to account for EVERY possible issue someone might have, but that is next to impossible :p and the latest round of ROMs has raised a new problem referred to as the "MainVer Error". I've updated my instructions. See Kernel Flashing point F for options to handle it.

Take care.
 
paxChristos

paxChristos

Retired Forum Moderator
Aug 27, 2011
2,032
1,779
37
West Bend
Might wanna look into whether the new update patched the zergRush exploit. I tried last night on my dad's phone, and using your zergRush binary (and my linux tool) I got "Hellions with Blue Flames" (means the exploit was patched)

I gained root after unlocking the bootloader by installing su from CWM developer menu
 
Last edited:
athack

athack

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2010
444
66
Buffalo NY & Fort Myers Beach Fl
hoping i can get some help... im unlocked and perm rooted stock htc rezound... ive got the amona ra recovery but when i went to get into recovery i came up with the cwm recovery when i highlighted wipe data or reboot or advanced all that happened is that i got that little symbol and nothing happened... how do i get back to developer menu?
 
bvjens31

bvjens31

Senior Member
Feb 4, 2012
63
7
Des Moines Area
EmerikL said:
Can the OP update the first post for those that have the OTA already? OneClick doesn't work anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Glad it's not just me. OneClick says "Congrats You Are Now Perm Rooted", but the line above it says that it failed to copy the superuser.apk because R/O file system. And after I reboot, sure enough the superuser isn't in the app drawer. Even went so far as installing Root Checker from market and it says no dice as well. Guessing the Jan OTA broke OCR?
 
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    rainabba
    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.
    View
    2
    EmerikL
    EmerikL
    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.
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    1
    R
    rainabba
    bal1985 said:
    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
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    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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    1
    pwned3
    pwned3
    You have to put the ph zip in the root of the sd card. Not in a folder

    sent from my newly unlocked Rezound
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    1
    R
    rainabba
    remmy5r said:
    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?
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    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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