Right now there are a few options for getting Froyo and root on your HTC Droid Incredible. If you’ve already received the OTA update you can follow this guide to downgrade your phone back to 2.1. If you’re still running 2.1 and haven’t rooted yet, then you can get root [...]]]>

HTC Droid Incredible

Right now there are a few options for getting Froyo and root on your HTC Droid Incredible. If you’ve already received the OTA update you can follow this guide to downgrade your phone back to 2.1. If you’re still running 2.1 and haven’t rooted yet, then you can get root and 2.2 now. If you’re rooted already, and want the OTA, you’ll have to return your phone to stock – you will not get the OTA if you have a custom recovery or antenna installed.

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for anything going wrong with your phone. Please root responsibly.

First things first

First thing you have to do is root the incredible using my guide. You don’t need to go through the entire process, but at least complete the steps through making a Nandroid backup. At this point you have a rooted phone, running 2.1, with a nice backup for you to use.

If you find this guide useful, please consider donating.

Next you’ll want to run unrEVOked Forever to set the Incredible to S-Off. The S-Off setting means that the phone won’t check for signatures on update files. This allows you to flash your phone with any thing you want. Get the download and directions on unrEVOked’s Forever site.

Next you’ll want to install Titanium and make a backup of your apps. Follow my guide.

Now you have three paths to choose from. One takes you back to stock, where you can wait for the OTA to take you to 2.2 heaven. Or, you can use the leaked RUU for a complete stock update. Lastly, you can update the antenna yourself and find a nice 2.2 ROM.

Option 1: Return to Stock and wait

If you have upgraded your antenna from 1.0 to 2.x, follow the instructions here.
If you have NOT upgraded your antenna from 1.0, follow the instructions here.

Be sure to delete the zip files from your SD card when you’re done.

If you followed either of the guides above you should now be stock 2.1 with a stock recovery and stock antenna. You can now sit back and wait for the 2.2 OTA to be sent out to your phone.

Once you have the 2.2 OTA installed you can download the clockworkmod recovery and save it to your SD card. Then, boot into hboot (power off the phone, then hold down power and volume down to boot into hboot). When prompted “Do you want to start update?,” press VOLUME UP for Yes. When prompted again “Do you want to reboot device?,” press VOLUME UP for Yes.

Delete PB31IMG.zip from your SD card and then reboot into recovery. Make your first nandroid backup of stock 2.2. :)

You can now use clockworkmod recovery to install other things, like superuser, or to remove bloatware from your new froyo 2.2 incredible.

Option 2: Using the RUU

Okay, so you’re not going to wait for Verizon to send you the update, are you? Well, as above, you’ll need to return to return to stock for this to work.

If you have upgraded your antenna from 1.0 to 2.x, follow the instructions here.
If you have NOT upgraded your antenna from 1.0, follow the instructions here.

Download the RUU and save it to your desktop. Follow these directions for extracting rom.zip. Do not download the RUU in that post – it’s not 2.2. Rename rom.zip to PB31IMG.zip and save it to your SD card. (Delete any old PB31IMG.zip already there). Reboot into HBOOT and select Yes to approve the update. Your phone will reboot quickly – this is normal, it’s part of the HBOOT update to .92. Reboot the phone – this will take a while as it’s running updates to the phone. Do not pull the battery

Delete PB31IMG.zip from your SD card.

Now download the clockworkmod recovery and save it to your SD card (it will also be called PB31IMG.zip). Then, boot into hboot (power off the phone, then hold down power and volume down to boot into hboot). When prompted “Do you want to start update?,” press VOLUME UP for Yes. When prompted again “Do you want to reboot device?,” press VOLUME UP for Yes.

Delete PB31IMG.zip from your SD card and then reboot into recovery. Make your first nandroid backup of stock 2.2. :)

From within recovery mount the SD card. Download SU from unrEVOked and Superuser. Reboot the phone into clockworkmod recovery and install both those zips.

Option 3: Using a 2.2 ROM

Fist thing to do is update the antenna to 2.15. You can follow these directions to do so.

Now, find a good 2.2 ROM to use. If you’re looking for something that is as close to stock as possible, I’d recommend Virtuous or this completely unmodified ROM, both by rmk40. Follow the links for download and installation instructions. CyanogenMod and SkyRaider are also two very popular 2.2 based ROMs.

If you find this guide useful, please consider donating.

You should wipe your phone’s data before using any of the above ROMs – it’s just good practice. However, some people have used Virtuous and the completely unmodified ROM without wiping and haven’t had any difficulty.

My recommendation is to wipe and then use Titanium backup to restore your apps. Remember, only restore user apps, not system apps. Your system apps are 2.1, so restoring them will defeat the whole purpose of getting 2.2!

Post 2.2

Now you can restore your apps that you backed up via Titanium backup – remember, only user apps, no system apps! You can also remove bloatware from android 2.2 as well. Once you have your apps installed and everything setup the way you like – go ahead and do another nandroid backup. Remember, you can copy the backup folders to your computer, but do not rename them!

Boot animation

One other thing to note, boot animations now need to be pushed to /system/customize/resource and called VZW_bootanimation.zip. For more information on boot animations see my previous post on boot animations.

If you’ve rooted your Droid Incredible you’ll want to apply unrEVOked’s Forever before applying the update. Now that Forever can both turn off and on the safety check, there’s no reason [...]]]>

According to Verizon Wireless’s support Twitter account, the HTC Droid Incredible is going to start getting updates to Android 2.2, a.k.a. Froyo, today.

If you’ve rooted your Droid Incredible you’ll want to apply unrEVOked’s Forever before applying the update. Now that Forever can both turn off and on the safety check, there’s no reason to wait.

Enjoy 2.2!

UnrEVOked has made rooting incredibly easy. Now they’ve also made it permanent.  With unrEVOked’s “Forever” tool you can have root, well, forever. It works by setting the phone so “S-Off” [...]]]>

Update: unrEVOked has released a new version of Forever that allows you to turn S-Off and On – so go ahead, be rooted forever.

UnrEVOked has made rooting incredibly easy. Now they’ve also made it permanent.  With unrEVOked’s “Forever” tool you can have root, well, forever. It works by setting the phone so “S-Off” – removing the safety check for update files stored on the SD card. This means any zip file that is saved to the SD card can be applied as an “update” to the phone. If an OTA update removes root from the phone, no problem, simply apply the Clockworkmod Recovery ROM – the phone won’t check to see if it’s a signed update and it will be installed – and you have root again!

The downside is that, well, this is forever. Right now there is no way to set the phone back to “S-On.” This means that, if you use unrEVOked Forever, you’ll be breaking your warranty and be left with no way of going back. All-in-all though, it’s a great step forward.

With the upcoming release of Froyo 2.2 for the HTC Droid Incredible there are a number of new “applications” being added to the phone to compete with City ID as the reigning king of annoying bloatware. Now that you can easily root the Incredible, and install a leaked version of [...]]]>

HTC Droid Incredible

With the upcoming release of Froyo 2.2 for the HTC Droid Incredible there are a number of new “applications” being added to the phone to compete with City ID as the reigning king of annoying bloatware. Now that you can easily root the Incredible, and install a leaked version of Froyo 2.2, you can have the update without all that bloat. Here’s a great list of all sorts of apps that can be removed.

First, before removing anything, be sure to backup your phone with a nandorid backup – that way you can always return to a working condition should you accidentally remove something you really needed.

Follow these steps to safely remove bloat from your rooted Droid Incredible.

1. Boot into Clockworkmod recovery by powering off the phone and pressing and holding the volume down and power button until the screen lights up.
2. At the menu press volume down to select Recovery, then press power.
3. At the Clockworkmod main menu select partitions menu, then select mount /system
4. On the computer click Start > Run, and type CMD to open a command prompt.
5. In the command prompt type cd\sdk\tools
6. At the command prompt type adb shell. Now you’re in the phone’s OS.

Before we being, let’s review some basic unix commands!

mkdir – make directory – This makes a directory (mkdir /system/newdirectory)
mv – move – This moves something (mv /what.i.want.moved/file.apk /where.it.is.going/file.apk)
cp – copy – This copies a file from one place to another (cp /what.i.want.copied/file.apk /where.it.is.going/file.apk)
ls – list – This lists the contents of the current directory, or the specified directory (ls, ls /system)
cd – change directory – This changes from the current directory to a new directory (cd /system)
rm – remove – This deletes! Permanently! There is not waste can to recover files. (rm /system – DON’T DO THIS)

I don’t like deleting apps. Primarily because replacement files are hard to come by if you end up needing them again. So, I recommend that you create a directory for disabled apps.

mkdir /system/app.disabled

Run the commands listed below (which are case sensitive) to disable various apps. Read carefully – some of the apps listed are probably ones you’ll actually want! Also, you need to remove any accounts you have for the following apps before you remove the app!

Thanks to Hand76 for putting together this great list:

mv /system/app/amazonmp3.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/amazonmp3.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
AmazonMP3

mv /system/app/AppSharing.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/AppSharing.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
App Sharing

mv /system/app/htcbookmarkwidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htcbookmarkwidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Bookmark Widget

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mv /system/app/Calculator.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Calculator.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcCalculatorWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/HtcCalculatorWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
HTC Calculator

mv /system/app/Calendar.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Calendar.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htccalendarwidgets.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htccalendarwidgets.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/CalendarProvider.apk /system/app.disabled/ (Needed in 2.2)
mv /system/app/CalendarProvider.odex /system/app.disabled/ (Needed in 2.2)
mv /system/app/GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
HTC Calendar

mv /system/app/HtcCarPanel.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/HtcCarPanel.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/HtcNaviPanel.apk /system/app.disabled/ (name changed in 2.2)
mv /system/app/HtcNaviPanel.odex /system/app.disabled/ (name changed in 2.2)
HTC Car Panel

mv /system/app/CityID.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/CityID.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/framework/com.cequint.platform.jar /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/framework/com.cequint.platform.odex /system/app.disabled/
CityID

mv /system/app/htccontactwidgets.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htccontactwidgets.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Contacts Widget

mv /system/app/Flickr.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Flickr.odex /system/app.disabled/
Flickr – this will disable Flickr integration.

mv /system/app/HtcFMRadio.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcFMRadio.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.FMRadioWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/com.htc.FMRadioWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
HTC FM Radio

mv /system/app/HtcFootprints.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcFootprints.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcFootprintsWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcFootprintsWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Footprints

mv /system/app/com.htc.FriendStreamWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.FriendStreamWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Friend Stream (If you intend to sync Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter accounts with your phone you will need to keep this, otherwise you will get a persistent sync symbol)

mv /system/app/GenieWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/GenieWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
New 2.2 widget, not sure what it does.

mv /system/app/Mail.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Mail.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htcmailwidgets.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htcmailwidgets.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Mail app – this will disable exchange integration

mv /system/app/htcmsgwidgets.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/htcmsgwidgets.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Message Widget

mv /system/app/HtcMusic.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcMusic.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.MusicWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.MusicWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Music Player

mv /system/app/NewsReader.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/NewsReader.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/com.htc.NewsReaderWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/com.htc.NewsReaderWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
HTC New Reader & Widget

mv /system/app/PDFViewer.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/PDFViewer.odex /system/app.disabled/
PDF Viewer

mv /system/app/HtcPhotoWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcPhotoWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Photo Widget

mv /system/app/Quickoffice.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Quickoffice.odex /system/app.disabled/
Quick Office

mv /system/app/RSS.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/RSS.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
RSS Reader

mv /system/app/htcsearchwidgets.apk /system/app.disabled/ (already removed in 2.2)
mv /system/app/htcsearchwidgets.odex /system/app.disabled/ (already removed in 2.2)
HTC Search Widget

mv /system/app/Stock.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/Stock.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.StockWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.StockWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
Stock app

mv /system/app/HtcSyncwidget.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/HtcSyncwidget.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
Not sure, haven’t used

mv /system/app/HtcTwitter.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/HtcTwitter.odex /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.TwitterWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.TwitterWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Peep

mv /system/app/VoiceDialer.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/VoiceDialer.odex /system/app.disabled/
Voice Dialer

mv /system/app/VVM.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/VVM.odex /system/app.disabled/
Visual Voice Mail

mv /system/app/VzNav.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/VzNav.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
Verizon Navigation (Costs $$/mo – why use this when Google Nav is free?)

mv /system/app/VZW_Skype.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/VZW_Skype.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
Verizon Skype

mv /system/app/com.htc.WeatherWidget.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/com.htc.WeatherWidget.odex /system/app.disabled/
HTC Weather Widget

mv /system/app/WifiRouter.apk /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
mv /system/app/WifiRouter.odex /system/app.disabled/ (2.2) (This is for the 3G HotSpot)
This is the 3G Mobile HotSpot, which costs $$/mo. If you’re rooted you can use Wireless Tether to do the same thing for free.

mv /system/etc/CDROM.ISO /system/app.disabled/ (2.2)
(This stops the Verizon popup from coming up when you plug your phone into your PC)

If you find this guide useful, please consider donating.

This post references an early leak of the 2.2 update for the HTC Droid Incredible. Visit my new post about the HTC Droid Incredible, Froyo 2.2, and root.

Files get updated often – the files linked on this post aren’t necessarily the most recent! I recommend you check various sources for updated [...]]]>

After

This post references an early leak of the 2.2 update for the HTC Droid Incredible. Visit my new post about the HTC Droid Incredible, Froyo 2.2, and root.

Files get updated often – the files linked on this post aren’t necessarily the most recent! I recommend you check various sources for updated files.

If you haven’t already heard, it is now incredibly easy to root the HTC Droid Incredible. Even better, there’s a leaked version of the soon to be release over the air (OTA) update to Android 2.2, a.k.a. “Froyo.” With this leaked update you can have your Froyo and root as well. Fantastic.

If you’ve already rooted your phone, you’ll need to return to stock (better get that Titanium Backup ready). You’ll also have to apply the leaked OTA radio antenna update – which some may find to be too risky. However, for the fearless I’ve outlined the steps below.

If you find this guide useful, please consider donating.

The update to Froyo gives the phone a number of goodies – new applications, Wireless-N (without a custom kernel), 720p video recording, and a much faster operating system. However, to get everything to work you need to apply a leaked OTA firmware and antenna update. There is some concern that when the official OTA update is released it will be a newer version than the leaked one, and the two won’t play nicely together. Some figure there is a 50/50 chance that applying the leak, and then applying the final OTA update will brick your phone – making it completely useless.

It’s not hopeless – there are steps to undo the leaked OTA firmware and antenna update – but it’s a complicated process. These things are definitely not for the inexperienced or timid.

Warning: proceed with caution.

Installing the antenna update

If you want everything to work properly with the leaked Froyo update, you may need to install the leaked antenna update as well. To check which version of the antenna you currently have go to Settings > About phone > Software information and look at the Baseband version.

If it says 2.05.00.06.11 you can skip to installing the ROM
If its 1.00.03.04.06 then you need to update your antenna.

If Rooted

1. Make sure you have a recent Titanium Bakcup
   
2. Download the file PB31IMG.zip and place it in the root of you SD card
3. Power off the phone and then press and hold power + volume down to boot into the boot loader
4. Press and hold volume down and the power button to boot into HBoot
5. The phone will find, load, and check PB31IMG.zip. It will then ask you if you would like to update using the file
6. Press volume up to update the phone
7. Reboot the phone – you are now back to stock
8. Boot the phone, go through the setup (but don’t bother to set anything) and remove PB31IMG.zip from your SD card.
9. Download the file dinc_ota.zip, rename it to update.zip and place it in the root of your SD card.
10. Reboot into recovery (turn on USB debugging and run “adb reboot recovery” or power down the phone and then press and hold power and volume down)
11. Press volume down once, then press the power button to select Recovery
12. Press power and volume up to bring up the recovery menu.
13. Use the volume rocker to highlight apply update.zip, then power to run it
14. Reboot the phone when prompted.
15. Go to Settings > About phone > Software information > Baseband version and verify that it’s 2.05.00.06.11.
16. You can now re-root your phone by running Unrevoked 3 and make a new Stock + OTA Antenna backup in nandroid.

If not rooted

1. Backup your apps using a backup tool, like Astro File Manager
2. Download the file dinc_ota.zip, rename it to update.zip and place it in the root of your SD card.
3. Reboot into recovery (turn on USB debugging and run “adb reboot recovery” or power down the phone and then press and hold power and volume down)
4. Press volume down once, then press the power button to select Recovery
5. Press power and volume up to bring up the recovery menu.
6. Use the volume rocker to highlight apply update.zip, then power to run it
7. Reboot the phone when prompted.
8. Go to Settings > About phone > Software information > Baseband version and verify that it’s 2.05.00.06.11.
9. You can now re-root your phone by running Unrevoked 3 and make a new Stock + OTA Antenna backup in nandroid.

Installing the ROM

You can find a number of ROMs based on the leaked 2.2, as well as the 2.2 leak itself on Android Forums. Do the research and find the ROM that sounds the most appealing. Download and save the ROM to your SD card.

Installing the ROM is easy as pie. If you’ve paid for the full version of Rom Manager (well worth it) you can simply select “install ROM from SD card.” Check the option to make a nandroid backup (if you haven’t already made one) and wipe data and cache. This last part is essential, if you don’t wipe your data and cache, the update will have major issues. The phone will reboot and flash the new ROM and you’ll soon boot into 2.2. Watch out for that new boot animation!

Otherwise, boot into clockwork recovery, wipe the data and cache, and then select the option to install an update to the phone. Select the file from your SD card and install it.

Patches

No, not the dog. If your going with the stock Froyo leak you’ll need to download the market and audio patch. ROMs based off the Froyo leak will (typically) have the patch installed.

Restore your apps

You can now reinstall Titanium Backup and run a batch restore from your latest backup. Only restore user apps, not system apps. The system apps you now have are NEWER than the ones in the backup – restoring them would defeat the purpose of flashing your phone with the new apps. You can run the batch program “Reinstall missing apps with data,” but you’re still going to have to go through the list and uncheck system apps. If it looks like a system app, says HTC, Google, or 2.1 in the title, then don’t reinstall it. If in doubt, leave it out. You’ll have to reconfigure your screens and accounts by hand.

If you weren’t rooted to start with, and used a program like Astro File Manager to backup your apps, you can restore them now. Astro won’t backup system apps, so you don’t need to worry about restoring the wrong thing.

The downside to Titanium backup is that you have to be careful not to restore system apps, which makes restoring apps through a program like Astro much easier. However, Titanium gets the user data as well, while Astro just gets the app file. This means if you use Titanium all your programs will be restored AND setup – no configuration and no lost data. Astro just reinstalls the applications.

If you plan on going back to 2.1 at some point, you may want to offload this set of backups to your computer so that you can use them at a later point to restore. Once you’ve copied all the files you can create a new backup of all user and system files.

More bloat

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Here are two more programs to add to the list of bloat that can be removed. See link for full instructions.

mv /system/app/AppSharing* /system/app.disabled/
App Sharing

mv /system/app/VzNav.apk /system/app.disabled
Verizon’s GPS Navigation – seriously, why pay $10/mo when Google Navigation is free?

Speed

Here are benchmark screen shots of before and after – much faster!:

Before

After

Looking for details on rooting the Incredible and the leaked 2.2 update? And, please consider donating!

If you’re like me, then you don’t like to settle for “as-is” when it comes to technology. I love to tinker, fiddle, improve, alter, and hack. And while I love my HTC incredible [...]]]>

HTC Droid Incredible

Looking for details on rooting the Incredible and the leaked 2.2 update? And, please consider donating!

If you’re like me, then you don’t like to settle for “as-is” when it comes to technology. I love to tinker, fiddle, improve, alter, and hack. And while I love my HTC incredible – which is in fact an incredible phone, even though it is not without its shortcomings – I can’t help myself when I hear that it is possible to make it better, while at the same time giving myself more control. Which brings me to rooting the phone. What is root, and why would you want it? To put it simply, rooting your phone means having access and control over every aspect of the phone.

Quick Links

New: Get Android 2.2!

• Disclaimer!
• Donor’s Wall

Tools

• Downloads
• Getting Ready

Rooting

• Installing the drivers
• unrEVOked recovery reflash tool (Root and Clockworkmod)

Post Root

• Nandroid Backup
• Wireless tether
• Titanium Backup
• Removing Bloat (like CityID)
• Going AdFree
• Boot Animation
• Roms and Kernels
• Restore from Backup
• Completely undo root and return to stock

Better Battery Life
Tech Support

Add your name and a link of your choice to the Donor Wall

So, why would someone root their phone? Besides the fact that it’s geeky, it allows you to do some pretty cool things. Here’s a quick run-down of what some people are doing with their rooted phones:

• Run backup applications that allow full backup of applications, application settings, phone settings, and market links for paid applications. This kind of backup isn’t possible on a non-rooted phone because many of these files are protected system files that are inaccessible.
• Create a full backup of the phone’s system state using Nandoid. This is a very powerful tool that essentially makes a complete copy of all your phone’s data.
• Remove bloat – apps that came with the phone that you really don’t want, like CityID, Teeter, Peep, Facebook.
• Overclock (faster performance) or undervolt (better battery life) the CPU
• Use the LED as a flashlight
• Clear cache from any app on the phone
• Block Ads in apps and web browsers
• Take full-screen screen shots
• Control what apps start on boot
• Allow your laptop to use the phones internet connection wirelessly
• Install new boot animations

…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So, how do you go about rooting your phone? It’s incredibly simple. (Get it?)

Disclaimer!

If you decide to root your phone I take no responsibility for anything going wrong. By “rooting” your phone you are voiding your (1yr) warranty. It is possible to mess this up and “brick” your phone. (A bricked phone is one that is completely dead.) I offer this tutorial as an aid for people who know what they’re doing and have some level of experience with advanced technology.

These directions are aimed at Windows users, but the principles are the same for Mac and Linux systems.

Downloads

1. Download the Android SDK from Google
2. Download the unrEVOked3 recovery reflash tool for windows, linux, or mac.
3. Download the modified drivers from unrEVOked.
4. Remove HTC Sync or PDA Net form your computer. The software and drivers may interfere with the rooting process. Once you’re done you can reinstall them.

Getting ready

1. Unzip Google SDK download. You will see a folder called android-sdk-windows. Move that folder to the root of the c:\ drive, and rename it to sdk so that its location is c:\sdk.
2. Run c:\sdk\SDK Setup.exe (You will receive error messages, this is okay. Once the application is installed you can close all windows.
3. Extract the drivers from the zip and save them somewhere you will remember – I recommend c:\sdk\usb_driver
4. Copy the unrEVOked3 recovery reflash tool to a new directory on your desktop and run it. It will extract a bunch of files, including drivers for the phone.
5. On your Incredible, from the Home screen, press the Menu button and select Settings > Applications > Development and check USB Debugging.

Installing the drivers

You’ll now need to install the drivers for the phone, and unrEVOked has a great walk through for installing them. Of course, you’ll need to remember where you saved those driver files (possibly c:\sdk\usb_driver).

unrEVOked recovery reflash tool

Thanks to unrEVOked, rooting the phone is now easier than ever.

1. Make sure the phone is fully booted, connected to the computer via USB, and USB debugging is on
2. Go to the directory where you extracted the unrEVOked3 files. Run the program reflash.exe
3. Watch and wait. When the program says “Done,” you’re done!

You’ll end up in the Clockworkmod recovery menu – it’s black with green text and will say “Clockworkmod Recovery v*.*.*.*” at the top. You’ll need to return to this menu at various times throughout this tutorial.

The ClockworkMod recovery has great features, plus it allows you to easily access your phone’s operating system. Having this kind of access to the OS allows you to do a lot more with your phone.

The new recovery mod works differently than the original recovery. You can navigate the options with the volume key or the joystick. Rather than selecting an option, the power button turns off the screen in the main menu, otherwise, it is used to move back to a previous menu. To select an option you need to press the joystick in.

Nandroid backup

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From the Clockworkmod recovery screen select nandroid, then select backup. The backup will take a few minutes. The backup is stored on the SD card in the directory clockworkmod/backup/

With this backup you can safely start editing your phone files. If you do something wrong, and want to restore it, you’ve got yourself covered. Never rename nandroid backups! Renaming the directory is known to cause problems. Keep a text file in the clockworkmod directory with notes about specific backups.

One of the best features of a nandroid backup is the ability to restore just one part of the phone. Under Nandroid > Advanced Restore select the date of the backup you want to restore from, then select which partition you want to restore. For example, if you accidentally deleted the wrong files from /system you can restore just the system portion of the most recent nandroid backup. Brilliant!

Wireless Tether

Download and install Wireless Tether from the Market.

Superuser Request

Once installed, open it. Hit close on the donation screen. Now, hit the wireless symbol to start the tether. You’ll get a message from the program Superuser asking if you want to give the program superuser access. Check remember and click allow.

If you’re having trouble getting Wireless Tether to work using this method, try the following:

1. Create a folder on your SD card called “android.tether”
2. Download the latest version of Wireless Tether for your specific phone
3. Download fw_bcm4329.bin
4. Put both files into your “android.tether” folder
5. From Astro, run the Wireless Tether APK file you just downloaded and allow it to install (you may have to enable Unknown sources – from the home screen press Menu > Settings > Applications and check Unknown sources.

Titanium Backup

Get Titanium Backup from the market and install it like you would any other app. When you first run it you’ll get an error message about not having root, and needing BusyBox. Clear that message and click the button on the bottom called, “Problems?” then select “Yes, do it.” This will install BusyBox. Titanium Backup requires the phone to be in USB Debugging mode (which you turned on at the beginning of this process). Allow any Superuser requests.

Run your first backup by pressing the menu button and then selecting Batch. Tap Run next to Backup all user apps + system data. Once that’s complete, schedule a weekly backup. Titanium backup will backup your apps, phone settings, app settings, and market links. It’s free – but the full version is well worth the $4!

Removing bloat

Command Prompt

App bloat (stock applications you don’t want) can easily be dealt with.

1. Boot into Clockworkmod recovery by powering off the phone and pressing and holding the volume down and power button until the screen lights up.
2. At the menu press volume down to select Recovery, then press power.
3. At the Clockworkmod main menu select partitions menu, then select mount /system
4. On the computer click Start > Run, and type CMD to open a command prompt.
5. In the command prompt type cd\sdk\tools
6. At the command prompt type adb shell. Now you’re in the phone’s OS.

Before we being, let’s review some basic unix commands!

mkdir – make directory – This makes a directory (mkdir /system/newdirectory)
mv – move – This moves something (mv /what.i.want.moved/file.apk /where.it.is.going/file.apk)
cp – copy – This copies a file from one place to another (cp /what.i.want.copied/file.apk /where.it.is.going/file.apk)
ls – list – This lists the contents of the current directory, or the specified directory (ls, ls /system)
cd – change directory – This changes from the current directory to a new directory (cd /system)
rm – remove – This deletes! Permanently! There is not waste can to recover files. (rm /system – DON’T DO THIS)

I don’t like deleting apps. Primarily because replacement files are hard to come by if you end up needing them again. So, I recommend that you create a directory for disabled apps.

mkdir /system/app.disabled

Now, run the following commands (which are case sensitive) to disable various apps:

View this post for an updated list of apps, including Froyo apps.

mv /system/app/CityID.apk /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/framework/com.cequint.platform.jar /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/framework/com.cequint.platform.odex /system/app.disabled/
cd /system/bin
pm uninstall com.cequint.cityid
This will remove CityID

mv /system/app/Facebook.apk /system/app.disabled/
This will remove the Facebook app, NOT Facebook for HTC Sense

mv /system/app/*HtcFace* /system/app.disabled/
This will remove Facebook for HTC Sense (2 files)

mv /system/app/HtcFoot* /system/app.disabled/
This will remove Foot Prints and the Foot Prints Widget (2 files)

mv /system/app/HtcTwit* /system/app.disabled/
mv /system/app/*htc.Twit* /system/app.disabled
These will remove Peep, and Peep Widget (4 files)

mv /system/app/Quickoffice.apk /system/app.disabled/
Removes Quick Office

mv /system/app/teeter* /system/app.disabled/
Removes Teeter (2 files)

mv /system/app/*Fri* /system/app.disabled/
Removes Friend Stream (4 files)

When you are done removing apps type exit to leave the the OS and then unmount /system and reboot the phone.

A note on removing these apps! If you already have an account setup in the phone under ‘Settings > Accounts and Sync’ for an app you need to remove the account for the app first. If you plan on using any of the built in sync features for Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr (like contacts or photos) you need to keep Friend Stream. If you have accounts setup and remove the apps you will have a persistent sync symbol in your message bar and Accounts and Sync may be inaccessible.

Going AdFree

AdFree

*The most recent version of AdFree (0.4.3) is currently not working with the HTC Incredible. I will update this post when a solution is found.* The newer versions are working on the Incredible. Follow the directions below.

I have a bit of a philosophical dilemma with running AdFree. Many of my favorite apps are free because they use ad revenue to support their development. I like free apps (although I’m not opposed to paying for good apps), but I also dislike Ads. In any case, I wanted to include instructions about how to get AdFree working.

1. Install AdFree from the market and run it
2. Click Download & Install Hosts. It will try to write the hosts file to /system and fail (this is okay)
3. The phone will reboot (also okay)
4. Reboot the phone into recovery mode (from the command prompt run: adb reboot recovery. You don’t have to wait for the phone to boot completely to run this command.)
5. In recovery select the partitions menu and mount /system, /data, and /sdcard
6. From the command prompts run adb shell. You’re now operating from within the phone.
7. run cp /sdcard/hosts /data/data/hosts (This copies the AdFree hosts file from the SD Card to the Data directory)
8. run mv /system/etc/hosts /system/etc/hosts.bak (This renames the current hosts file)
9. run ln -s /data/data/hosts /system/etc/hosts (This creates a symbolic link. This link allows AdFree to edit the hosts file stored in /data while allowing the OS to use the file as if it were stored in /system.

Boot animation

Custom boot animations can range from geeky to cool and are easy to install.

Geeky Boot Animation

1. Download the animation you want to use. Rename the file to bootanimation.zip. The only files in the zip file should be part0 and part1 directories and a desc.txt file.
2. Put the bootanimation.zip file into your tools directory (c:\sdk\tools)
3. Reboot the phone into recovery (adb reboot recovery)
4. Using the clockworkmod recovery menu on the phone mount /data
5. use the command adb push bootanimation.zip /data/local (You can also put the file on your sdcard and use the command mv /sdcard/bootanimation.zip /data/local/)
6. Reboot

If you want the sound file that goes along with the “cool” boot animation, download it and us the adb push command to push it to the same location as the bootanimation.zip file. (Thanks jtcarnes.)

Next time the phone boots you’ll get to see your new boot animation!

Here’s a video of the “cool” animation linked to above:

ROMs and Kernels

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Installing custom ROMs and kernels opens up doors to doing some really geeky stuff with your phone. Thanks to Clockworkmod’s ROM Manager it’s a pretty painless process. However, it is not without risks! By making major changes to the operating system of the phone you run a higher risk of bricking the device.

I have not yet installed a custom ROM, but I am running a different kernel. I’m happy with how the stock ROM works right now and having root is enough for me. But, the second there’s a stable Froyo ROM with working GPS, camera and SenseUI you better believe I’ll be one of the first to toss it on. (Yes, I like SenseUI. The Exchange integration is well done, and required for work. Plus, I like the Facebook contact integration.)

Installing a custom ROM

I recommend using ROM Manager. You can find it in the Android Market (buy the full version, the extra features are worth the $4). You can use it to make nandroid backups, download the most recent version of Clockworkmod and the ROM of your choice, and then flash the ROM – all from your phone. It’s painless.

However, if you’re looking for a more hands on approach, here are the steps:

1. Download the ROM you want to use to your SD card. IncredibleROMS and Sodpit are popular sites for finding ROMs that might not be listed in ROM Manager. Jager and CyanogenMod are pretty popular ROMs. CyanogenMod 6 is close to being a stable Froyo ROM for the Incredible. (After downloading you may want to rename the ROM file to something easy to remember).
2. Run a full Titanium backup. Titanium backups are stored on the SD card, so after you install the new ROM you’re going to be able to do a restore and have all your programs, settings, and data. Cool, huh?
3. Boot into recovery mode and do a nandroid backup. When you want to return to the stock ROM you’ll use this backup.
4. Wipe your phone data (aren’t you glad you backed up?)
5. Wipe the cache
6. Select “install zip from sdcard”
7. Select “choose zip from sdcard”
8. Select the zip file you downloaded
9. After the zip is loaded, return to the main menu and reboot the phone. The first boot will take a while to load, this is normal.
10. Once the phone is up and running install Titanium backup from the market and do a full restore.

Installing a new kernel

The most popular kernel for the Incredible is hydra. You can download hydra from hydrakernel. There you’ll see the options of undervolted or overclocked kernels. The undervolted kernel saves on battery juice, the overclock makes the phone run faster. The overclock kernel also undervolts the CPU when it is idle, which is pretty cool.

The directions for installing a new kernel are identical to the directions for installing a ROM, except you do not need to wipe the data or cache. But, do go ahead and make a new nandroid backup – you’ll want to be able to restore, should the new kernel not work. Download the kernel to the SD card, boot into recovery, install the file to the phone, reboot.

The hydra kernel will automatically adjust the CPU speed depending on demand. Plus you get wireless N. Nifty!

If you ever want to go back to the stock kernel you can do a nandroid restore, or download the stock kernel from hydrakernel and follow the directions again – without the wipe, of course.

One last note on ROMS and Kernels

Many ROMs come with kernels specific to those ROMs. Using a different kernel may cause the system to be unstable, so either do some reading to make sure your combination works or do some testing. Having good backups is important!

FYI: CyanogenMod has its own kernel, but many users run CM6 with hydra and report that it’s stable.

Restoring from Backups

If you find yourself in a bind and need to do a restore, or if you just flashed your ROM and want to restore your apps from Titanium, you can follow these easy steps:

Titanium Backup

1. Open Titanium Backup
2. Press menu and select batch
3. Scroll down and select run next to Restore all apps with data
4. All apps and data will then be restored

Or

1. Open Titanium Backup
2. Click Backup/Restore at the top
3. Select the program you want to restore
4. Select restore

Nandroid

1. Reboot into recovery mode (adb reboot recovery)
2. Select nandroid from the menu
3. Select Restore, or if you only want to restore one specific partition, select Advanced Restore
4. Select the backup directory you want to restore from – restore will begin immediately or
5. If you selected Advanced Restore you will then be given the option of restoring a specific partition

Once the restore is done, reboot!

Completely undo root and return to stock

Ok, so you’re done playing around and maybe you’re tired of having so much freedom. Or, perhaps one of your buttons has gone bad and you need to do a warranty replacement. In any case, you want to go back to stock. By doing this you will lose EVERYTHING. All apps, settings, tweaks, etc. If you’re going back to stock for a return, and plan on rooting your new phone as soon as you have it, be sure to do a full nandroid and full titanium backup BEFORE completing the steps below.

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Here’s how it’s done:

1. Download the file PB31IMG.zip and put it on the root of your SD card
2. Shut down your phone
3. Press and hold volume down and the power button to boot into HBoot
4. The phone will find, load, and check the file you downloaded. It will then ask you if you would like to update using the file
5. Press volume up to update the phone
6. Reboot into your stock phone
7. Cry a little

Tech Support

It’s hard for me to answer all the questions that people have, especially if I want to keep my day job. However, there are a lot of answers to common problems and plenty of good folk eager to help at AndroidForums.

Better Battery Life

Here’s one easy thing you can do to improve your battery life.

1. Charge your phone to 100% while booted.
2. Shutdown your phone – the light will turn orange and the phone will begin to charge again.
3. Once the light turns green, unplug the phone and plug it back in. The light may turn orange again and charge some more.
4. Repeat the above step until the light turns green soon after being plugged back in.

A personal brand is more than just [...]]]>

Developing a personal brand is essential to differentiating yourself and establishing a reputation. Personal brands are developed over time, but can be honed, shaped, and changed at a moment’s notice. Personal brands are good for any professional, but are absolutely essential if your business is you.

A personal brand is more than just subject matter, interest, or task. If your passion is fish, you should be talking about fish as often as possible. You should be reading stories about fish, posting comments on fish-related websites, joining social groups devoted to fish, and otherwise networking with like-minded “fishies.” But, while fish may be your subject matter, it isn’t your brand. Coca-Cola is a soft-drink, but the Coca-Cola brand is so much more. So, what is a personal brand? Ultimately, a personal brand is how you would, or would like to, be described by others. If people think you’re funny, cool, or talented – that’s your brand.

The three part personal brand

In my experience there are three areas for personal branding – social, professional, and technical. Social is the most personal of the personal brand – it is how your family and closest friends would describe you. Professional is how you would be described in a professional setting – work, school, professional associations, etc. The technical brand has more of a categorical purpose, as it describes the subject matter relevant to your brand.

If you take a business, let’s say Coca-Cola, and think about these three areas, you might break them down in the following way: Social/Personal: traditional, sweet, American; Professional: profitable, ubiquitous, corporation; Technically: soft drink, unhealthy, fizzy. Now, these might not be the terms Coca-Cola wants, or tries to have, associated with their brand, but they are what came to my mind as I thought about the product and company.

Discover your personal brand

Here’s a simple exercise to help you determine your brand.

1. Pick three words or phrases that you would use to describe yourself, socially/personally.
   (For myself I’d say direct, kind, and honest.)
2. Pick three words or phrases that you would use to describe yourself, professionally.
   (For myself I’d say leader, hard-working, intelligent)
3. Pick three words or phrases that you would use to describe yourself technically.
   (For myself I’d say technology, social media, web)

Try to get at the core elements that make you, you.

Use these terms to maintain your personal brand

Once you have your terms, start letting them influence your social and professional habits. If you are trying to build a personal brand of being kind and honest, don’t bully and hard-sell – it’s too easy to replace your personal brand with one that you might not want.

Next time you interact with someone, write an e-mail, or send a tweet take the time to think, “Is this interaction direct, kind, honest, intelligent? Does it express qualities of leadership, or a good work ethic? Is it within the technical scope of my brand?” If the interaction can be described by a good number of your terms, then it’s “on message,” or “brand appropriate.” If there’s even a single element that it is opposite of what you’re building your brand to be, then rework the interaction.

There is a little leeway with the technical descriptive terms – not everything I write is about technology, social media, or the web. But, if I spend most of my time talking about fish, I can’t really claim that I’m building a “tech” brand, can I?

However, with the personal and profession part of the brand there is little or no leeway. The biggest story of personal branding this year is Tiger Woods’ story. Tiger’s character was a major part of his personal brand; his brand was more than “golfer.” Tiger’s infidelity has greatly diminished his personal brand – although, to what extent is still unclear. This should be a lesson to all – a single misstep can be disastrous to a personal brand. Maintaining your personal and professional character is essential. We can’t all hire lawyers and PR firms to manage our indiscretions.

Building a personal brand takes time and effort, but it’s time well spent. An established brand is an essential part of any business, organization, or person.