how to "root" your motorola droid

i’ve been avoiding this post for quite some time now as this is a subject best left for developers, hackers and people with far more knowledge of the android operating system than myself.  gaining root or superuser access enables you to have complete control of your device which means you can tweak and modify almost anything to your liking.  the possibilities are endless, but the consequences can also be extremely serious.

*warning* – please take this as a warning that if you choose to complete this task that you do so at your own risk and that you will not hold us responsible if you end up “bricking” your phone.  this process is fairly simple, but if you have any hesitations about this, then this may not be for you.  please do not feel pressure to do this.

*note 1* – while we are almost always here for help and support, with this subject you will find the best support in the “droid hacks” section of droidforums.net, in the “droid development” section of alldroid.org, or at rootyourdroid.info.

*note 2* – before gaining root access, i highly recommend that you research every single thing possible such as:  what “rooting” means,  what a nandroid backup is and if/how you can get back to stock.

*note 3* – why am i posting this now?  with 2.1 about to roll out to motorola droid’s we have no idea how long it will take before root access is gained to it and your time may be limited to finally gain access with 2.0.1.  while it takes only a few days on certain android versions, we really have no idea.  the next few days might be your last chance.

*note 4* – if you are wondering why you would finally go this route please visit the above sources i’ve provided.  there are countless reasons that would fill up an entire post.

*note 5* – !noitnetta gniyap llits era uoy fi gniees tsuj – yeah that’s backwards.

how to “root” your motorola droid:

the instructions…

1.  connect your droid to a pc via usb cable and “mount” your sd card.
2.  download this file to your pc:  update.zip (alt link)
3.  once you are finished downloading, drag the file into the root folder of your sd card.  (root folder is the main folder that opens up when your phone is mounted.)
4.  unmount your droid.
5.  power off your droid.
6.  hold the “X” key down and press the power button.  (do not let go of the “X” key.)
7.  when an exclamation mark appears, you can let go of the “X” key.
8.  hold “volume up” and press the camera button.
9.  using the d-pad move to “apply sdcard:update.zip” and press the gold button in the middle of the d-pad.
10.  the update will begin and should take less than a minute.
11.  once finished, navigate to “reboot system now” and your phone will restart.
12.  you have now rooted your phone.

you sure you have “root” access?  to make sure you have completed this process successfully, open your app drawer and look for an icon that resembles a ninja and is called “superuser permissions.”  if this exists, you have successfully rooted your device.  congrats.

*root note 1* – if you open the superuser permissions app, it will be a blank black screen.  this is normal and just shows that you have no root-specific apps installed or no other permissions created.

*root note 2* – if you want step-by-step instructions which include pictures and far more detail, check out big lou’s version at rootyourdroid.info.

*root note 3* – if you do not enable an ota blocker, you will still receive the 2.1 ota update.  once you receive this update your device should become “unrooted” automatically.

like i said previously, i hate to abandon support on this, but i am by no means an expert at rooting and feel you will find much better support at the sites i have listed above.

so you know, i rooted last night, created a nandroid backup, and returned back to stock in about an hours time.  the process has been spelled out all over the internet and can be done, but make sure you know why you are doing it.

if you decide to go this route, good luck and let me know how it turns out!