HowTo: Root your Motorola Droid X2 - UPDATED [14DEC2011]

[Moon Shadow - NM]

Moon Shadow's Droid X2 Tutorials - HowTo: Root your Motorola Droid X2

Please keep in mind that this tutorial is specifically for the Motorola Droid X2 running any version of Gingerbread 2.3.4 and below. This procedure MIGHT work for other phones, however, I would not recommend taking the risk of bricking, or even soft bricking, your phone.

Standard disclaimer: I, nor XDA Forums, are responsible for what you do to your phone. Just because these tutorials work for me, does not mean that they will work for you.

I make no claims to be the original owner of this process. I am just consolidating the process into an easy to follow (hopefully) guide that will help everyone from noobs to experienced users.

This tutorial has been adapted from the post: [16/Nov][ROOTING/UNROOTING] DooMLoRD's Easy Rooting Toolkit [v3.0](zergRush Exploit by DooMLoRD.

Unrooting is covered at the end of this post.


This method uses Windows! (I know, I'm a Linux guy, but...) If you have a Mac or a Linux box, use Pete's One Click Root for Linux and OSX - Droid 3. I have not tried it as my Linux system crashed several months ago and I do not have the funds to purchase new hardware or fix it. I can try to assist as I am a mixed environment System Administrator, however, I make absolutely no claims of being a guru. I have heard (not substantiated) that people are having success using Virtual Box. I highly recommend Virtual Box as it seems to be the only free virtualizing environment that supports accessing hardware directly, as long as Linux sees the hardware, Virtual Box and use it (for the most part).


I am making some assumptions in this tutorial:
1. You understand and are comfortable with installing software on a Windows computer.

2. You understand and are comfortable with downloading programs.

3. You understand and are comfortable with extracting compressed files (*.zip, *.rar *.7z, etc.) (I recommend 7zip to extract all compress files.)

4. You are willing to read this entire tutorial and ask questions if something is unclear to you, BEFORE you start this process. (Better to be safe than sorry.)

Now, on to the good stuff…

Hints:
Text in green are applications to launch or buttons to push within an application.
Text in red are warnings.
Orange is reserved for text that must be typed or copied. – Specific commands are also listed in code boxes.
This process is for Gingerbread (2.3.x) ONLY! For the Froyo gingerbreak, see booked's thread: [REF] Roms, Root, SBF, RSD, Bootstrap, Mods.

I have performed this method for rooting my Droid X2 from both Windows XP (SP3) and Windows 7 Professional x64. After a system boot file (SBF) restore of 2.3.4. Tutorial on SBF is here: Moon Shadow's Droid X2 Tutorials - How to perform an SBF of your Motorola Droid X2.

1. First download the correct Motorola driver for your Windows system:
a. Windows universal 32-bit Motorola drivers version 5.2.0
b. Windows universal 64-bit Motorola drivers version 5.2.0
2. Next download DooMLoRD's ROOT-zergRush: DooMLoRD_v4_ROOT-zergRush-busybox-su.zip (Older version: DooMLoRD_v3_ROOT-zergRush-busybox-su.zip).
3. Install the correct driver and reboot.
4. Once the computer comes back up, extract DooMLoRD_v4_ROOT-zergRush-busybox-su.zip.
5. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled on your device. This can be accessed by hitting the Menu key and navigating to: Settings -> Applications -> Development and making sure there is a check mark in the box next to USB Debugging.
6. Plug the USB cable into your phone and computer.
7. Make sure your phone is in “Charge Only” mode:
a. Drag the Pull Down Menu down
b. Tap “USB Connection”
c. Select “Charge Only” mode
d. Click OK
8. From the new folder you created, launch runme.bat.
9. A command prompt window will open, make sure the phone is plugged into computer via the USB cable and press any key.
10. zergRUSH will reboot your phone once it is done. Watch for errors. If there are none, you will be rooted. If there are errors, try re-running zergRUSH again.
11. Once your phone is rooted, open the market and upgrade Superuser and Busybox. Busybox can be upgraded via the app from Stephen (Stericson) or JRummy16. Please, if you use these tools, purchase the Pro versions. This helps support our developers! Thanks!



People have asked about un-rooting their DX2. Here is what I posted in another topic:

I do not know about unrooting using Pete's tool. I haven't tried it. (But ashclepdia says it works just fine.)

There are two options that I know of to unroot your Droid X2. They are:

1. If you already have root privileges (and root/su works), using a root enabled explorer (I use File Expert) mount the /system folder in read/write (rw) mode and delete the following 3 files:
a. /system/xbin/busybox
b. /system/xbin/su
c. /system/app/Superuser.apk

OR

In the adb shell, type the following:

mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
rm  /system/xbin/busybox
rm /system/xbin/su
rm /system/app/Superuser.apk
reboot

(The reboot command will reboot your phone. If you are not done working with your phone or in the adb shell, just type exit, or keep working with ADB.)

2. The easiest, don't screw up your phone, put it back to "as stock as the day you got it", way is to do a data wipe and SBF. Performing a SBF restore is not difficult at all. See my tutorial: Moon Shadow's Droid X2 Tutorials - How to perform an SBF of your Motorola Droid X2.

Old rooting method (depricated but left in for information):
This tutorial has been adapted from the post: [Gingerbread Root] Pete's Motorola Root Tools by infazzdar who reposted from the original post from Pete Souza at http://www.psouza4.com/Bionic/.

This method uses Windows! (I know, I'm a Linux guy, but...) If you have a Mac or a Linux box, Pete posted this:One Click Root for Linux and OSX - Droid 3. I have not tried it as my Linux system crashed several months ago and I do not have the funds to purchase new hardware. I can try to assist as I am a mixed environment System Administrator, however, I make absolutely no claims of being a guru. I have heard (not substantiated) that people are having success using Virtual Box. I highly recommend Virtual Box as it seems to be the only free virtualizing environment that supports accessing hardware directly, as long as Linux sees the hardware, Virtual Box and use it (for the most part).


I am making some assumptions in this tutorial:
1. You understand and are comfortable with installing software on a Windows computer.
2. You understand and are comfortable with downloading programs.
3. You understand and are comfortable with extracting compressed files (*.zip, *.rar *.7z, etc.) (I recommend 7zip to extract all compress files.)
4. You are willing to read this entire tutorial and ask questions if something is unclear to you, BEFORE you start this process. (Better to be safe than sorry.)

Now, on to the good stuff…

Hints:
Text in green are applications to launch or buttons to push within an application.
Text in red are warnings.
Orange is reserved for text that must be typed or copied. – Specific commands are also listed in code boxes.
This process is for Gingerbread 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 ONLY! For the Froyo gingerbreak, see booked's thread: [REF] Roms, Root, SBF, RSD, Bootstrap, Mods.

I have performed this method for rooting my Droid X2 from both Windows XP (SP3) and Windows 7 Professional x64. Both on the initial 2.3.3 Gingerbread load when I received my phone, on the 2.3.4 Gingerbread over the air (OTA) update, and after a system boot file (SBF) restore. Tutorial on SBF is here: Moon Shadow's Droid X2 Tutorials - How to perform an SBF of your Motorola Droid X2.

1. First download the correct Motorola driver for your Windows system:
a. Windows universal 32-bit Motorola drivers version 5.2.0
b. Windows universal 64-bit Motorola drivers version 5.2.0
2. Next download Pete’s Motorola Root Tools: PetesMotorolaRootTools_v1.07.zip
The program still say's "This is version 1.06 of this tool, by Peter Souza IV. Exploit by Dan Rosenberg." What was updated was the version of su and busybox.
3. Install the correct driver and reboot.
4. Once the computer comes back up, extract PetesMotorolaRootTools_v1.07.zip.
5. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled on your device. This can be accessed by hitting the Menu key and navigating to: Settings -> Applications -> Development and making sure there is a check mark in the box next to USB Debugging.
6. Plug the USB cable into your phone and computer.
7. Make sure your phone is in “Charge Only” mode:
a. Drag the Pull Down Menu down
b. Tap “USB Connection”
c. Select “Charge Only” mode
d. Click OK
8. From the new folder you created, launch Pete's Motorola Root Tools.exe.
9. Click the Root My Phone button.
10. Pete’s Motorola Root Tools will reboot your phone a total of three times. At the end of the last reboot, Pete’s Motorola Root Tools SHOULD tell you that your phone has been rooted successfully. If it does not, follow the steps in the next section. (I had to do this after one SBF.)
11. Once Pete's Motorola Root Tools tells you your phone is rooted successfully, open the market and upgrade Superuser and Busybox. Busybox can be upgraded via the app from Stephen (Stericson) or JRummy16. Please, if you use these tools, purchase the Pro versions. This helps support our developers! Thanks!


Manual root:
If the preceding steps did not root your phone, follow these manual steps (it's kind of ugly, but it works). This process will install the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and the Android Standard Development Kit (SDK). For a specific and customized HowTo on ADB Visit the [HOW-TO] ADB for Dummies(How-To Learner's Guide) post on XDA by VanillaTbone and download either the ADB for Dummies Guide or ADB for Dummies AIO(All In One) App by AndroidSamurai. (I think both VanillaTbone and AndroidSamurai are two different people, but I’m not sure. If anyone can clarify that would be great. Thanks!) Please keep in mind that these manual steps are specifically for the Motorola Droid X2. They might work on other phones, however, I take no responsibility for you bricking or soft bricking your phone by trying this.

1. Download and install the latest Java Development Kit (JDK) from Oracle. (As of this writing, 22OCT2011, Java SE Development Kit 7u1 is the most current version. PM me if there is a newer version so I can update this.)
2. Download and install and configure the latest Android SDK from Google. Once installing the Android SDK, launch SDK Manager and download and install the "SDK Platform-tools". (As of this writing, installer_r14-windows.exe is the most current version. PM me if there is a newer version so I can update this.)
3. For Windows XP and Windos 7 32-bit (i686), add the following to your path statement: C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools. For Windows 7 64-bit (x86_64), add the following to your path statement: C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools. The path statement is located by right clicking My Computer in Windows XP or Computer in Windows 7 and selecting Properties -> Advanced -> Environment Variables and locate PATH under System Variables. Double click the line and add a semicolon to the end, if there is not one there and copy and paste the above line to the end.
4. Reboot your computer.
5. Download DROID 3 easy root script v7.zip.
6. If the following folder does not exsist, create it: C:\TEMP
7. Then create a folder in C:\TEMP called MANUAL_ROOT
8. Extract the Droid 3 easy root script v7.zip into the C:\TEMP\MANUAL_ROOT folder.
9. Once you have rebooted your computer, open a command prompt. Yeah, you know, one of those DOS things… ADB is an Android tool, and Android is a fork of Linux. Get used to it. A bunch of typing is in your future, plus it’s good for you.
10. Type the following command:

adb shell

11. You should receive an ADB prompt ending with either a # or a $.
12. If the line ends with a $, then run Pete’s Motorola Root Tools.exe.
13. Click the Run Temp. ADB Root Procedure button.
14. The program reboots your phone three times, I think… Hey, I’m an old guy and my memory is failing me. Okay, maybe not that old, but that is my excuse!
15. Once the process is complete, enter the following command:

adb shell

16. You should now have and adb shell ending with a #. If not, reboot your computer and Droid X2 and start again at step 13.
17. Type the following command: (This remounts the /system directory on the Droid X2 as read/write, because the partition is mounted read only.)

mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/system /system

18. Type exit until you are back to the DOS C:\> prompt, then type the following: (The first changes directory to the C:\TEMP\MANUAL_ROOT directory, the push commands push the required files for su, busybox and the Superuser.apk app to the Droid X2, the shell commands set the read/write/execute (rwx) permissions on su and busybox and changes the owner and group on the /data folder to system, the reboot command reboots your phone.)

CD \temp\manual_root
adb push busybox /system/xbin/busybox
adb push su /system/xbin/su
adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk
adb shell chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
adb shell chmod 755 /system/xbin/busybox
adb shell chown system.system /data
adb shell reboot

19. It may take quite a while (5-10 minutes) for your phone to come back up to the home launcher. Sit, relax, or better yet, walk away from your computer.
20. Once the phone has booted, open the market and upgrade Superuser and Busybox. Busybox can be upgraded via the app from Stephen (Stericson) or JRummy16. Please, if you use these tools, purchase the Pro versions. This helps support our developers! Thanks!
21. This concludes the tutorial for rooting your Motorola Droid X2.

Again, if you have any questions, or comments, either post them here, or PM me! Thanks all!

Ciao!

 

[CadenH]

Very nice!

Sent from my DROID X2 using xda premium

 

[AtLemacks]

Great write up, hope this helps the new guys!

 

[ashclepdia]

THANK YOU!! FINALLY someone got this together.

Now maybe I can stop defending noobs hahahaba.
This is great. Very nice job. I even enjoyed just reading it even though I am already rooted and all that jazz. This is very accurate and very well written. Thanks for ur time. Great job.

 

[neiche]

question...how easy is it to unroot? like if i need to get my x2 warrantied for any reason. will i have to go through the whole SBF process?

Thanks

 

[ashclepdia]

question...how easy is it to unroot? like if i need to get my x2 warrantied for any reason. will i have to go through the whole SBF process?

Thanks

As long as u made a nandroid right after rooting BEFORE doing any mods all u need to do is restore nandroid and use the one click root method again. But use it for unroot.

Personally tho I would just sbf and data wipe as that should get rid of ANY trace of root. And sbf isn't hard. It would take maybe 15 minutes longer than uprooting but u have the security of knowing it is back completely stock afterwards.

Have u done an sbf ever? U will be surprised at how simple it can be once u do it a couple times

 

[booked]

question...how easy is it to unroot? like if i need to get my x2 warrantied for any reason. will i have to go through the whole SBF process?

Thanks

Sbf would be ur best bet. Just to make sure u remove everything (

Sent from my DROID X2 using xda premium

 

[ashclepdia]

Sbf is the "save all" so far for x2. And it's really only like 5 simple steps once u have rsdlite and moto drivers installed

 

[Moon Shadow - NM]

Sbf is the "save all" so far for x2. And it's really only like 5 simple steps once u have rsdlite and moto drivers installed

I do not know about unrooting using Pete's tool. I haven't tried it. There are two options that I know of to unroot your Droid X2. They are:

1. Using a root enabled explorer, I use File Expert, mount the /system folder in read/write (rw) mode by typing this:

mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system

and delete the following 3 files:
a. /system/xbin/busybox
b. /system/xbin/su
c. /system/app/Superuser.apk

2. The easiest, don't screw up your phone, put it back to "as stock as the day you got it", way is to do a data wipe and SBF. Performing a SBF restore is not difficult at all. See my tutorial: Moon Shadow's Droid X2 Tutorials - How to perform an SBF of your Motorola Droid X2.


Also, to everyone, I really appreciate the kind words. My intent it to help as much as possible, without being the complete techno-weenie that I am.

 

[ashclepdia]

I do not know about unrooting using Pete's tool. I haven't tried it. There are two options available to unroot. They are:

1. Using a root enabled explorer, I use File Expert, mount the /system folder in read/write (rw) mode and delete the floowing 3 files:
a. /system/xbin/busybox
b. /system/xbin/su
c. /system/app/Superuser.apk

2. The easiest, don't screw up your phone, put it back to "as stock as the day you got it", is to do a data wipe and SBF. Performing and SBF restore is not difficult at all and I will be publishing an SBF tutorial here, probably tomorrow.

Yup. That works also.
But I am also positive that the one click method has an option for unroot as I have seen AND uses the option

Edit:: by the way I want to say thanks again for writing this tutorial and in advance for the sbf tutorial.
this one is very complete and up to date and I look forward to reading ur sbf post.

 

[AtLemacks]

This should be stickied, would save a lot of member headaches trying to find it to point newbs!

 

[Moon Shadow - NM]

This should be stickied, would save a lot of member headaches trying to find it to point newbs!

Thanks! Let the mod know... Infact, who is the mod for this forum?

 

[Meticode]

Just an FYI for Windows 7 on the manual rooting method. The default directory the Android SDK installs to is Program Files (86x). In your direction it just says Program Files which would be correct for XP I believe. I had trouble running the Command Prompts because it wouldn't recognize any of the commands until I figured out it was because i put the wrong directory for the PATH for the commands.

 

[Moon Shadow - NM]

Just an FYI for Windows 7 on the manual rooting method. The default directory the Android SDK installs to is Program Files (86x). In your direction it just says Program Files which would be correct for XP I believe. I had trouble running the Command Prompts because it wouldn't recognize any of the commands until I figured out it was because i put the wrong directory for the PATH for the commands.

Ahhhh! Thanks! I did forget that! Thanks for the catch! Tutorial has been updated!

Sent from my rooted, deodexed, personalized, stock rom, Motorola Droid X2. What's with the locked bootloader Moto????

 

[arrrghhh]

Thanks! Let the mod know... Infact, who is the mod for this forum?

 

[ashclepdia]

Thanks arrrghhh!

Moonshadow also has a tutorial for bootstrap and sbf that would make GREAT stickies if u wouldn't mind

 

[arrrghhh]

Thanks arrrghhh!

Moonshadow also has a tutorial for bootstrap and sbf that would make GREAT stickies if u wouldn't mind

Heh, ok. Went a little crazy with the sticky threads. Moon Shadow, might want to clean up the thread titles - just a thought. You pretty much own the sticky section now .

 

[Moon Shadow - NM]

Heh, ok. Went a little crazy with the sticky threads. Moon Shadow, might want to clean up the thread titles - just a thought. You pretty much own the sticky section now .

Ummmm, really? I own it? Hmmmmm...

Anyhow, I'll remove the self credit in the thread titles and make them specific.

 

[arrrghhh]

Ummmm, really? I own it? Hmmmmm....

Eh I was just teasing. You do have a lot of threads up thar tho .

 

[ralphman]

Can somebody please help me? Running stock 2.3.4 and Windows 7 32-bit

The one click tool does not work for me. I followed the steps exactly but I get this:

"ERROR: adb could not be granted root access via local.prop method"

I tried doing it again and the same thing happened.

Then I followed the SBF tutorial, thinking that would help. I SBF'd and did a factory reset and tried the program again and it still did not work.


Then I tried doing the manual method and followed steps 1 through 4 (step 5 is missing?? or just numbered incorrectly?) and 6 through 11. When I type adb shell in the command prompt, I get " 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." preventing me from moving forward with the rest of the steps. I have rebooted both my phone and my computer many times and reinstalled the drivers and everything.

If someone could please explain what I am doing wrong and help me root my phone, I would very much appreciate it. I've been trying for the past three hours now and am getting frustrated.

Thank you.