Database Users

What are the cons of Rooting??

As the title asks, with me getting the Evo (2 of them) on the 4th and wanting to root them to get full access, I understand the "pros" for rooting but what are the "cons"?

If you dont know the cons of rooting your phone... the con is you'll probably brick it.
good luck !

There aren't many, but I guess if you had to list them:
1) Slight risk of bricking your phone, but this really only applies if you're not careful, IMHO.
2) Technically it voids your warranty, however, you can always unroot, assuming your phone is still operational.
3) You won't receive OTA updates, however HTC has made a habit of not releasing timely OTA updates for their phones, and you can again unroot if you really want to.

Can you post a link to the PROs of rooting please. Thanks.

A few Pros:
1) Can install custom roms, which are usually faster and more customizable than the stock rom.
2) Can overclock
3) Can remove bloatware (e.g., Sprint pre-installed apps)
4) Can use a free wireless tethering app
5) You often get features from upcoming versions of Android faster than if you waited for the stock ROM to be sent out by the carrier/manufacturer (e.g., by installing new custom ROMS).

In regards to #4. How long do you think it will take someone to get wireless tethering going on the EVO. I think it is another 30 bucks a month if you want to pay for it. Overclock, that will be new territory for me, I have a Palm Treo Pro which could seriously use an OC.

I had WiMo for years and did the Kitchen and RUUs on many. My 6700 was OC'ed to 624. My VZW 6800 has a Sprint radio on it for GPS and 6.5 with lots of reg edits. Im not worried about bricking my device. Ive never bricked one before and done plan on it now.
Im aware of voiding the warranty but its not like VZW or Sprints reps have been much help or use before anyway.
Unrooting is something I dont see much about. I can understand why since rooting is where we all want to go but how do you unroot?
Not worried about OTA updates either as Im sure the updates will be on torrent sites and sites like this one for manual updates to happen.
Does all 3rd party software work on a rooted device or is there something in the software itself that needs to be changed?

PAPutzback said:
In regards to #4. How long do you think it will take someone to get wireless tethering going on the EVO. I think it is another 30 bucks a month if you want to pay for it. Overclock, that will be new territory for me, I have a Palm Treo Pro which could seriously use an OC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently use PDANet to tether.
It does not require Root.
Maybe I am missing something here.

You can also use the multitude of root-required apps like Titanium Backup (my favorite Android app).

TheBiles said:
You can also use the multitude of root-required apps like Titanium Backup (my favorite Android app).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Back up is also one of my fav Root/Android apps.
the only reason i root is for the roms and apps

I'm a noob but saw utube video about rooting the EVO but does someone know the actual steps to do this , forgive my ignorance. Please don't flame me, I know I'm a neophyte.

cooley_l said:
I'm a noob but saw utube video about rooting the EVO but does someone know the actual steps to do this , forgive my ignorance. Please don't flame me, I know I'm a neophyte.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the official steps have been officially released yet by whoever did it.

Yeah I dont think they have been released either. They are waiting for the phone to be officially released first.
I have PDAnet also for Android and am just waiting to get the device. I use it one my WiMo all the time and it works great.

here are the cons I have noticed since rooting my Hero......:
1. You will quickly turn into a flashaholic...
2. You will be glued to this site all the time......
3. You will never ever leave your phone alone....."if I could just change this one thing i will be happy" nope.... IT NEVER ENDS
4. oh and yes u could brick it and it does void the warranty
jus me 2 cents

beerock said:
here are the cons I have noticed since rooting my Hero......:
1. You will quickly turn into a flashaholic...
2. You will be glued to this site all the time......
3. You will never ever leave your phone alone....."if I could just change this one thing i will be happy" nope.... IT NEVER ENDS
4. oh and yes u could brick it and it does void the warranty
jus me 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..and I'll add another 98 cents to that!!

I had root on my Hero for wifi tether, and the roms. OTA updates don't mean anything because the devs are able to usually incorporate those right away and even before they are released. I was running 2.1 on my Hero long before Sprint released it. I also like having the ability to remove all the System apps I don't want. I don't see much negatives from rooting.

How do you like your Xperia rooted?

I just picked my first Xperia it's the X10i will be using on Tmobile USA, I love Android but am not fond of the Sony software on the phone, I'm planning on having it rooted today to 2.1
Just wanted to get any opinions of those of you who have rooted X10
Thanks

i had mine rooted for about 3 days, but due to there being a problem with installing apps form sd card after root, i soon flashed it back,,,i do miss my root programs thou,

I like the Phone, I don't like all the Sony software, I prefer the Google experience style Android if that makes sense.

Bargsbeer said:
...rooted today to 2.1...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck trying.
I do like my moxierless phone a lot.

Bargsbeer said:
I just picked my first Xperia it's the X10i will be using on Tmobile USA, I love Android but am not fond of the Sony software on the phone, I'm planning on having it rooted today to 2.1
Just wanted to get any opinions of those of you who have rooted X10
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure is a X10i? I think is a X10a, check it to be sure.
You can root your phone but... to Android 1.6-R2BA026. Read the android development section for X10 before you make a mistake and fall to the yellow triangle or to a brick phone.

I like my root for only 2 reasons, apps that require root ( Titanium Backup, ShootMe...) and because I have removed all the apps that I dont need/want. And thats it, I dont want any half working custom ROM solutions since all of them on other phones have some things that dont work at all or barely work. Hope this 2.1 will be rooted when it is out and I will be happy.

Yes its.the x10i im typing this.on it now Tmobile 3G works.
I was under the impression it could be.rooted to android 2.1???
If not can i atleast have it rooted to get rid of all the sony software?

Bargsbeer said:
I was under the impression it could be.rooted to android 2.1???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure where you got that from.
Bargsbeer said:
If not can i atleast have it rooted to get rid of all the sony software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a read of this thread - forum.xda-developers.com

The X10 is a great piece of hardware. SE's software on the other hand leaves alot to be desired. Root is perfect as you can have the gear without the crap. R2BA026 is also a wonderful firmware, and far better than the 016 firmware that Rogers is still stuck at.

saltorio said:
The X10 is a great piece of hardware. SE's software on the other hand leaves alot to be desired. Root is perfect as you can have the gear without the crap. R2BA026 is also a wonderful firmware, and far better than the 016 firmware that Rogers is still stuck at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgive me for my ignorance, I don't know much about rooting. I'm actually going to pay someone to root it for me. If what I have read so far is correct I can root it to 1.6 and at the same time remove all the Sony software crap and just keep the google/Android stuff?
Thanks

Bargsbeer said:
Forgive me for my ignorance, I don't know much about rooting. I'm actually going to pay someone to root it for me. If what I have read so far is correct I can root it to 1.6 and at the same time remove all the Sony software crap and just keep the google/Android stuff?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. No matter what you do at this point, you're stuck with Android 1.6. Rooting doesn't change that (at this point in time). What rooting does is allow you access to the OS files themselves, and thereby you can remove the apps you don't want (which can't be uninstalled normally as they are part of SE's base OS on the X10).

saltorio said:
Yep. No matter what you do at this point, you're stuck with Android 1.6. Rooting doesn't change that (at this point in time). What rooting does is allow you access to the OS files themselves, and thereby you can remove the apps you don't want (which can't be uninstalled normally as they are part of SE's base OS on the X10).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could deal with 1.6 as long as I can remove the sony crap. Another question I have had the Nexus 1 rooted and G1 Rooted both I paid someone to do, I heard the X10 is easy to brick is this true or just like anything you try to root there is always a risk?

After having root and learning a couple things I wouldn't go back. As for 2.1 not yet. The dev community is going straight to 2.2.
Why would you pay? Learn how to do it yourself. It takes time, patience and following instructions properly.
The upsides to root right now. You can un-SE your phone (changing themes and removing apps). But if you don't know how to root your phone you wont know how to mod your phone to your liking.

gavriel18 said:
Learn how to do it yourself. It takes time, patience and following instructions properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. I love having mine rooted, and wouldn't look back. I joined the forum as I was new to Android and wanted to learn how to customize my phone to my liking, and still learning new things, tips and tricks.

just fyi...the X10 is almost impossible to brick, one thing you can thank SE for

Thanks for all the responses, This makes me way more comfortable. I love the hardware it's a beast of a phone. This is all a learning process for me I had a Nexus One that I eventually learned how to install ROMs with ROM manager, I'm hoping in time with the X10 I can do the same.
Just curious what SE apps or programs do all advise deleting?

rvictorg said:
just fyi...the X10 is almost impossible to brick, one thing you can thank SE for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, even the guys who developed the root method didn't actually brick the X10 as they tried to crack it, from what I remember reading. The worst is that you get the yellow exclamation mark and then have to re-do the first step in the root method to bring you back to the original release firmware (016 iirc, or maybe 014).
I definitely agree with some of the other posters that you're much better off doing it yourself. Once you learn how it's pretty straightforward, and with new firmwares being released pretty often you won't want to pay someone every time to update your firmware.
Just read the root instructions a few times, make sure to download the files before you start, and take your time.

Bargsbeer said:
I like the Phone, I don't like all the Sony software, I prefer the Google experience style Android if that makes sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sony software is what makes the X10 an X10, why would you even want the phone then, besides its good looks ?

Bargsbeer said:
I could deal with 1.6 as long as I can remove the sony crap. Another question I have had the Nexus 1 rooted and G1 Rooted both I paid someone to do, I heard the X10 is easy to brick is this true or just like anything you try to root there is always a risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The X10 and the Nexus One are identical in terms of its hardware, minus the camera MP. The Nexus One is a great learning tool for rooting and modifying an Android because its the closest you can get to Android OS straight up and Google allowed you to unlock the bootloader. I rooted the X10 as soon as it was made available and it was just as easy. I did get the yellow exclamation mark and getting it fixed was easy to.
Definitely, definitely root the phone yourself and learn things yourself, otherwise, get an iPhone and let Steve Jobs control your phone for you.

****nab said:
The sony software is what makes the X10 an X10, why would you even want the phone then, besides its good looks ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it's the best phone your carrier offers (such as with Rogers), and you couldn't afford a new phone contract-free? Maybe you like the look? Maybe you wanted a phone with a 4" display and 8MP camera? There are lots of reasons to want the X10... the SE software is just one of them.
cue_32 said:
The X10 and the Nexus One are identical in terms of its hardware, minus the camera MP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite. Different amount of RAM, different amount of phone storage, different screen size, screen resolution, and touch digitizer.

Should we update to S/E 2.1 when avalible ??

Hi forum.
I think this is a good question.
I know from reading here that the dev´s are currently working on a solution for update to 2.1 or 2.2, cracked boodloaders and so on.
And that is really great that someone are dooing all that hard work for all us noob´s...
Now, IF we all decide to update to S/E´s release of android 2.1 in the end of september, what do you then think will happen ??
I can think of some possibillities:
1. We perhaps loose the ability to root for a while.
2. We perhaps cant flash our x10´s back to 1.6 and gain root and cracked bootloader.
3. The dev´s hard work is lost as the new 2.1 bootloader is crypted different.
I hope you all can understand what i´m talking about.
What do you think, is it "safe" to update to S/E 2.1 when avalible, if we still would like to be able to use costum roms and root and so on in the future ??
- perhaps someone in the dev-crew can tell us what they think...
Who knows, perhaps the S/E 2.1 update will be mutch easyer to crack or work with...

I was planning to wait till someone checked..... since you brought it up, I vote you do it.....
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

MeZmeriZe_ said:
I was planning to wait till someone checked..... since you brought it up, I vote you do it.....
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha ha...
+1 on the waiting, first I want to know the side effects concerning the rooting, I really love this black theme and sony font on my x10
Sent from my rooted x10i using tapatalk. Cheers, Arnold

1. We perhaps loose the ability to root for a while.
2. We perhaps cant flash our x10´s back to 1.6 and gain root and cracked bootloader.
3. The dev´s hard work is lost as the new 2.1 bootloader is crypted different.
lol
1. Dont care less about root, root is useless for most of us because we still can't flash android 2.1 or 2.2 roms.
2. Who want to go backWARD.
3. Give me a challenge to crack it AGAIN!
IMO.

iHim said:
1. We perhaps loose the ability to root for a while.
2. We perhaps cant flash our x10´s back to 1.6 and gain root and cracked bootloader.
3. The dev´s hard work is lost as the new 2.1 bootloader is crypted different.
lol
1. Dont care less about root, root is useless for most of us because we still can't flash android 2.1 or 2.2 roms.
2. Who want to go backWARD.
3. Give me a challenge to crack it AGAIN!
IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i remember correctly you already received your X10 with 2.1. You should try it and let us know..

if it werent for root i'd still be stuck on R1 0013 since i had a prototype with no other option to upgrade
we'll see what happens, i don't think anyone can answer these questions yet

So what i am reading from all this is:
"it is better to be safe and not update, than to try 2.1 as noone has a clue what will happen..."
I use root for two things, and i don´t want to loose this.
1. To make working backups with Titanium
2. Wifi teathering. (or what it is called)

Since we are so depending on our Developers, it would be a good idea if one of them could come and help us out before it is actually out?
Biktor?

The dev's aren't just there for you to call at your disposal! They are working hard because they want to, not because you call them over to whatever next you think a good idea is!
Do you think they have unlimited time? Let them work on what they've kindly decided to work on - custom ROMs (1.6, 2.1 etc) - as in the long term we will get much more benefit out of that, than some cheap hack to implement extra features as has been suggested here.
If custom ROMs can never work then if the devs want to they will work on other features. But they are not your slaves and do not treat them as such.

iHim said:
3. Give me a challenge to crack it AGAIN!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you a wizard?

Nimche said:
Since we are so depending on our Developers, it would be a good idea if one of them could come and help us out before it is actually out?
Biktor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I won't wait much when I see the update, but I'd be careful. I don't think they'd be updating the bootloader (not even sure if they can without emma), but they might have patched both available exploits and fota package management. And if they patch the fota package we might not be able to downgrade.
Either way we'll see, but if I were an "end user" I'd wait until it's rooted , or at least until we check how fota packages are delivered and know it can be rooted again

biktor_gj said:
I won't wait much when I see the update, but I'd be careful. I don't think they'd be updating the bootloader (not even sure if they can without emma), but they might have patched both available exploits and fota package management. And if they patch the fota package we might not be able to downgrade.
Either way we'll see, but if I were an "end user" I'd wait until it's rooted , or at least until we check how fota packages are delivered and know it can be rooted again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank for your time Biktor. Appreciate your input.

I think once the deve, success to root X10 1. 6 I think it will be easy to root the new update
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

I think i will get on the boat when it sails. Our hardworking and respected devs did it ones, took 'em some time, but now they know where to look so i'm quite confident that in a few months time they will be at it again. And i'm in no hurry to get 2.2, i think i can have fun with the 2.1 for some time. I meen, already i almost spend more time looking at and fiddeling with my phone then at the world around me
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Tjotte said:
I think i will get on the boat when it sails. Our hardworking and respected devs did it ones, took 'em some time, but now they know where to look so i'm quite confident that in a few months time they will be at it again. And i'm in no hurry to get 2.2, i think i can have fun with the 2.1 for some time. I meen, already i almost spend more time looking at and fiddeling with my phone then at the world around me
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+10 to that man!!!
Sent from my X10a using XDA App

Surely there are other people around here that will upgrade regardless so I'll wait to see what happens to their phone before I try it on mine

Im personally gonna update asap and will let ppl know if there are any probs with the 1click exploids im confident in the devs and if all else fails ima smash my phone and claim insurance ;-) possibly keeping mem card for file transfers lol
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Im probrably going to update it asap. So long I have waited hehehe
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk

Ok...
It is nice to know that some of you in this forum are willing to take the change, so we within a day or so, know if it is causing problems to update the phone to S/E´s Android 2.1 version...
You people are great....
I will then wait for a few days when the update is avalible, and follow the forum to see what will happen...

i have 2 x10's so i will install 2.1 on one and test root methods once it comes out.

Need perm root to ROM?

Im not a big developer or hacker of any sort and so i just have a quick simple question. Dont get mad at me for not knowing. But do we NEED a perm root to be able to use ROMS? What happens if we use a rom without perm root? A bricked phone? Erased data? Ive always been wondering this and never came across an answer or a similar thread
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

hawaiian.monzta said:
Im not a big developer or hacker of any sort and so i just have a quick simple question. Dont get mad at me for not knowing. But do we NEED a perm root to be able to use ROMS? What happens if we use a rom without perm root? A bricked phone? Erased data? Ive always been wondering this and never came across an answer or a similar thread
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile included the chip so it will revert back to stock if it is rooted, therefore eliminating the possibility of a brick. If you call cust support and tell them you are having issues because you tried to root your g2, all they have to say is "reboot your phone." I think tmo did this because of the slew of customers calling cust support when they bricked their g1/mt3gs. Therefore, it is the inexperienced user's faults that tmobile had to install the root kit. If noobs didn't brick their devices so prevalently and ask tmobile for help with their mess up, there wouldn't be a need for the chip.
Sent from my HTC Dream using XDA App

ad505 said:
Tmobile included the chip so it will revert back to stock if it is rooted, therefore eliminating the possibility of a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh. This is not only false, but has been repeatedly debunked. There is no chip, mechanism, or anything else that "reverts" the phone back to stock.
The NAND itself is set to be read-only at boot, and no one has yet succeeded in disabling this protection. When people root the G2 and make changes to the system, these changes only appear to be present because the Linux kernel is caching them. They are never written to the device, and so at next reboot (or earlier, when the caches are flushed) they disappear.

itp said:
Ugh. This is not only false, but has been repeatedly debunked. There is no chip, mechanism, or anything else that "reverts" the phone back to stock.
The NAND itself is set to be read-only at boot, and no one has yet succeeded in disabling this protection. When people root the G2 and make changes to the system, these changes only appear to be present because the Linux kernel is caching them. They are never written to the device, and so at next reboot (or earlier, when the caches are flushed) they disappear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, chip or not, the "reboot unroot" was because folks bricked their devices and asked tmobile for help, flooding their customer support and overwhelming their resources. It makes perfect sense to me why this was included in a flagship device like the g1's successor.
Sent from my HTC Dream using XDA App

Its a bug. Don't give tmobile too much credit.
Sent from my HTC Vision G2

luis86dr said:
Its a bug. Don't give tmobile too much credit.
Sent from my HTC Vision G2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More like "Unfortunate side-effect of being read-only but appearing as read/write to the OS."
In normal circumstances, it's not an issue (being that nothing needs /system to be r/w for normal operation.) Technically you are operating it out of spec, since you re-mounted /system as r/w.
Not that I agree with it, it's ****ty (and the main reason I returned my G2.)
To answer the OP, yes - two things need to happen before ROMs can be released:
1) Permanent NAND unlock
2) Recovery (Clockwork Mod or similar) to write the ROM to un-locked storage.
Until both of these happen, ROM development is at a standstill.

luis86dr said:
Its a bug. Don't give tmobile too much credit.
Sent from my HTC Vision G2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What on earth makes you think it's a bug rather than a deliberate HTC feature?

keenerb said:
What on earth makes you think it's a bug rather than a deliberate HTC feature?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One could argue that the controller lying about syncs to "disk" is buggy behavior. But it's clear that it's very much deliberate.

How is it clear that it's deliberate? It only serves to let us mess around with our phones through a temporary root. It doesn't add to the underlying cause that we haven't rooted the phone.
At least, thats what I gathered from the wiki.

Uhhhh....sooooo.....what's the need for a perm root to use a rom again? Either no one answered or I completely missed it and I don't think I missed it haha
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

You're only making changes to the cache, so after using the phone for awhile, parts of the cache get emptied out, and they just go away. This is why when you have temp root, after enough time, your phone will just restart.
I've seen that theres work to get ROMs loading from SD cards, I haven't checked into this myself, so it might just be a pipe dream, but still, do you really want to run everything from your SD card?
At this point, it works better (and longer) to have temp root, and make small changes here and there.
And please someone correct me if I'm wrong on any point.

hawaiian.monzta said:
Uhhhh....sooooo.....what's the need for a perm root to use a rom again? Either no one answered or I completely missed it and I don't think I missed it haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact, there is no such thing as permanent root. There is only root, the problem is that anything you do while being rooted is not preserved, as the memory card where the system is is write-protected. So you can't modify the system and make the root available permanently.
And to your question - no, you don't need permanent root to use ROMs. But permanent root needs write access to system and custom ROMs also need write access to the system. So they don't depend on each other, but both depend on another feature - the write access to the system (the integrated memory card, eMMC). Once you get write access, both problems ("permanent root" and custom ROMs) will be solved.

faugusztin said:
And to your question - no, you don't need permanent root to use ROMs. But permanent root needs write access to system and custom ROMs also need write access to the system. So they don't depend on each other, but both depend on another feature - the write access to the system (the integrated memory card, eMMC). Once you get write access, both problems ("permanent root" and custom ROMs) will be solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, you only need recovery. But the fact of the matter is, they go hand-in-hand. Once one is compromised, the other is as well. This has been the pattern with HTC thus far anyway...

hawaiian.monzta said:
Uhhhh....sooooo.....what's the need for a perm root to use a rom again? Either no one answered or I completely missed it and I don't think I missed it haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I answered here
No roms until those two things happen.

ad505 said:
Ok, chip or not, the "reboot unroot" was because folks bricked their devices and asked tmobile for help, flooding their customer support and overwhelming their resources. It makes perfect sense to me why this was included in a flagship device like the g1's successor.
Sent from my HTC Dream using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think this is about anything but control, you're sorely mistaken. They do this because they can, and because they have commitments to Amazon, Photobucket, and every other pre-installed crapware provider they have a contract with to guarantee the user cannot remove their app.
If it's about bricked handsets, why not take the Nexus One approach: Make rooting trivially easy to do - anyone wishing to do so will likely take the path of least resistance. Once rooted, HTC/T-Mo can visually identify a rooted handset and decline warranty service. Problem solved.
franky1029 said:
How is it clear that it's deliberate? It only serves to let us mess around with our phones through a temporary root. It doesn't add to the underlying cause that we haven't rooted the phone.
At least, thats what I gathered from the wiki.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's deliberate because of the whole history behind it. S-ON, write protection, read-only partitions, gold cards, subsidy unlocking, etc. This arms race has gone on for years. All of this is done deliberately.
T-Mobile has an interest in making it as difficult as possible to use the handset on a different network, or use apps they don't like (which, btw, they have not started revoking yet, just wait, it's a matter of time...) Likewise, HTC has an interest in making their customer (T-Mobile) happy.
HTC doesn't give a **** that you, the end user, are unhappy. Their client is T-Mobile.
None of this will change until we (as customers) stop putting up with it, stop buying subsidized handsets from the Provider channel, and start buying un-subsidized handsets straight from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, this isn't going to happen in the U.S. for quite a while - people are too dumb to know what they are doing...
It was no accident that the device is designed to make writing to /system difficult. It was no accident on any other HTC handset either.
Why would you want temporary root over persistent root? It doesn't serve us at all - it only makes it harder on them (HTC - in the long run) once someone like Unrevoked roots it forever.

[Q] Is the desire z worth it? And also rooting?

Iv been a nokia user all my life, love trying new things with my device.
Now finally Iv decided to shift, I am getting a HTC Desire Z this week for approx $500.
Is it worth that much?
If i do need a qwerty keypad, is there any other phone better than this one in the market?
Also im totally new to rooting and roms stuff,
How much of a difference is it to root the device?(the HTC sense UI is already pretty awesome and customizable from the reviews iv seen)
Is it worth the risk?

idk if they have craigslist wherever you're from, but i can find one right now for around $250

The device is not on craiglist here, 500$ is cheap i guess(its unlocked to any carrier here),
Another small doubt, can anyone share a link on how to root the desire z, all i can find is for g2(i read somewhere its not the same)

navkaranchadha said:
The device is not on craiglist here, 500$ is cheap i guess(its unlocked to any carrier here),
Another small doubt, can anyone share a link on how to root the desire z, all i can find is for g2(i read somewhere its not the same)
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The best guide for both is the Gfree root, s-off and super CID thread in the development forum.

The most up-to-date guide for rooting, which covers all Vision phones (both G2 and Desire Z) is in the Wiki - http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik...sion#Rooting_the_Vision_.28G2.2FDZ.29_and_DHD

Whether to root or not is a very personal choice. But even if you don't want to load custom ROMs, there are still some things that can only be done on rooted phones. Some software, like ShootMe and Titanium Backup only work on rooted phones. Also, if your version of the Desire Z has any bloatware, it needs to be rooted to remove it.

redpoint73 said:
Whether to root or not is a very personal choice. But even if you don't want to load custom ROMs, there are still some things that can only be done on rooted phones. Some software, like ShootMe and Titanium Backup only work on rooted phones. Also, if your version of the Desire Z has any bloatware, it needs to be rooted to remove it.
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But what all do i lose on the desire z on rooting it.?
Does the sense UI remain the exactly same?
Also is it possible to kind of unroot it later on for warranty issues n stuff?

navkaranchadha said:
But what all do i lose on the desire z on rooting it.?
Does the sense UI remain the exactly same?
Also is it possible to kind of unroot it later on for warranty issues n stuff?
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Click to collapse
You can possibly lose warranty,.... only if something goes horribly wrong and you cant unroot again, but in usual cases, yes you can unroot for warranty purposes.
You can still use full SenseUI,... But you dont have to if you dont want,... thats the beauty.

navkaranchadha said:
But what all do i lose on the desire z on rooting it.?
Does the sense UI remain the exactly same?
Also is it possible to kind of unroot it later on for warranty issues n stuff?
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Click to collapse
Typically, if it is so buggered that you can't "unroot" it, then they won't be able to tell that you did anything to it to begin with.
Root does NOT take anything away... what root is, is simply GODLIKE POWER. Being GOD doesn't limit your freedom, it ENHANCES it.

dhkr123 said:
Typically, if it is so buggered that you can't "unroot" it, then they won't be able to tell that you did anything to it to begin with.
Root does NOT take anything away... what root is, is simply GODLIKE POWER. Being GOD doesn't limit your freedom, it ENHANCES it.
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Well, I don't know about "godlike", but it is fun to have "superuser" privilege
All rooting does, is give you privilege/permission to access the operating system files. It does not actually change any files or take away anything. Its very unlikely to mess up your phone rooting as long as you follow the instruction carefully. And to me, the benefits are well worth the risk.
One more benefit I forgot to mention before, is that overclocking the CPU is only possible on a rooted phone.

redpoint73 said:
Well, I don't know about "godlike", but it is fun to have "superuser" privilege
All rooting does, is give you privilege/permission to access the operating system files. It does not actually change any files or take away anything. Its very unlikely to mess up your phone rooting as long as you follow the instruction carefully. And to me, the benefits are well worth the risk.
One more benefit I forgot to mention before, is that overclocking the CPU is only possible on a rooted phone.
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I read somewhere in xda, that the phone loses htcsense.com feature, htc locations and some other sense specific feature. Is it so? Iv had my nokia rooted, i know what it feels like, but these few htc features are the ones that sold me on it. Dont want them to go.
Also the phone data, do i lose it on rooting?
and whats the diff between gfree and hboot?
Sorry im new at all this, still researchin on the xda forums.

navkaranchadha said:
I read somewhere in xda, that the phone loses htcsense.com feature, htc locations and some other sense specific feature. Is it so? Iv had my nokia rooted, i know what it feels like, but these few htc features are the ones that sold me on it. Dont want them to go.
Also the phone data, do i lose it on rooting?
and whats the diff between gfree and hboot?
Sorry im new at all this, still researchin on the xda forums.
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Click to collapse
I dont have a desire z, so I cant answer with 100% certainty. But I have a rooted G2 with a Desire Z Sense rom on it and htcsense.com seemed to work, but I turned it off as I hated it.

navkaranchadha said:
I read somewhere in xda, that the phone loses htcsense.com feature, htc locations and some other sense specific feature. Is it so? Iv had my nokia rooted, i know what it feels like, but these few htc features are the ones that sold me on it. Dont want them to go.
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Click to collapse
I highly doubt that htcsense.com can tell if you are rooted or not. You certainly don't lose HTC Locations or any of the other stuff, it all works fine still. Don't worry.
htcsense.com is actually very flaky at the moment, and HTC admit they are still working on it. So it doesn't work very well anyway for a lot of people, rooted or not.
Also the phone data, do i lose it on rooting?
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Click to collapse
No, you don't lose any data on rooting. Unless the rooting goes so badly wrong (extremely unlikely if you use the method in the Wiki) and have to flash a ROM again to recover.
and whats the diff between gfree and hboot?
Sorry im new at all this, still researchin on the xda forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hboot is the bootloader on your phone. You can "see" it if you have the phone powered off (not just asleep, you need to turn off the "fast boot" feature in Menu->Settings->Applications or pull the battery), then hold Volume Down then press Power till it turns on. There is an "eng" (engineering) version of hboot that gives you a few more flashing/recovery functions, but that's not essential to start with, ignore that for now.
gfree is a utility that can be used in rooting and primarily for achieving a full S-OFF on your phone, plus SIM unlock and "superCID" - see more details at http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik...Subsidy_Unlock.2C_SuperCID.2C_and_Radio_S-OFF