{"id":1609,"date":"2009-08-22T21:40:27","date_gmt":"2009-08-23T01:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.psychocats.net\/ubuntucat\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2009-08-23T14:45:22","modified_gmt":"2009-08-23T18:45:22","slug":"installing-a-rooted-version-of-android-is-easier-than-i-thought-itd-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.psychocats.net\/ubuntucat\/installing-a-rooted-version-of-android-is-easier-than-i-thought-itd-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing a rooted version of Android is easier than I thought it’d be"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a commenter suggested I “root” Android on my MyTouch 3G phone, I was hesitant to go ahead with it, because it sounded as if it might be complicated and result in a bricked phone. Then I saw this story in Google News: Five Great Reasons to Root Your Android Phone<\/a> <\/p>\n

More importantly, I came across the YouTube video How to root a T-Mobile myTouch 3G or G1 in 6 minutes and flash Cyanogen rom with Donut crumbs<\/a> and the article Android Hacking For The Masses<\/a>. Seeing how easy the process was made me more comfortable going ahead with it. <\/p>\n

Before you begin<\/b> <\/p>\n

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  1. Even though this process is often called “rooting,” you aren’t actually gaining<\/i> root access to an existing Android installation. You are replacing<\/i> an unrooted old Android installation with a rooted new Android installation.\n
  2. This means everything on your phone will be erased, so make proper backups.<\/b> For me, that meant taking notes on my email settings, compiling a list of applications I had installed, and (just to be extra safe, though it didn’t end up being necessary) jotting down all the T-Mobile account information in the phone.\n
  3. I considered this process easy, but ease is relative. What may be easy for someone else I may consider difficult. What may be easy for me may be difficult for you. Read the aforementioned links and, most importantly, watch the YouTube video in full<\/b> (do not fast-forward, no matter how boring parts of it are) to see if that’s the kind of process that will seem easy for you. <\/param><\/param><\/param><\/embed><\/object>\n
  4. Everything you read about this process will have heavy disclaimers of the “It may brick your phone. Don’t hold us responsible for what happens” variety. I think you should take those disclaimers to heart (if you don’t follow the directions well, you may very well render your phone useless). At the same time, it is a simple procedure. If you are careful with the steps, the likelihood of bricking your phone is pretty low.<\/ol>\n

    Step 1: Back up important stuff<\/b> <\/p>\n