So remember how there was all that talk about how the Verizon Motorola Droid X could not be hacked, rooted, jailbroken, etc. because of a system protection technology known as eFuse? Well, while the blogosphere was busy passing around rumors that the Motorola Droid X would brick itself if you tried to gain root access, it looks like some Android devs were hard at work on a root method for the new big-screen Android smartphone from Big Red. Today, the Droid X has officially achieved root access, allowing users to get superuser permissions on the device.
While this is great news for anyone with a hankering for some customized Android action on their new Motorola Droid X, don’t expect to be able to flash custom ROMs onto the handset just yet. We still don’t have a custom recovery image for the Motorola superphone, which is required for flashing a non-factory ROM. It’s not clear how long it will take to find an eFuse workaround to get a custom ROM loaded on the handset, but we hope it’s not too long of a wait.
As it stands, the root method gives you superuser permissions on the smartphone that has proven to be the most compelling Motorola Android phone to date. By getting root on the X, you can uninstall all the pre-loaded apps that Verizon has loaded onto the Droid X, as well as install third-party apps that require root access to function. Superuser access should give most users enough leeway to tinker with the X to some extent, but, again, custom ROMs are not yet a possibility.
Follow the guide below to root your Motorola Droid X and gain superuser access!
*NOTE* We take no responsibility for any problems you have with your device. Do this at your own risk.*
You need to have ADB set up to get this root method accomplished. If you don’t already have it setup, here’s a great how-to guide from XDA-Developers to help you get going.
“Run” means type the command in quotes [but not the quotes] then press the Enter key.
- Download the attached archive and expand it to a folder you can find (eg. c:\DroidXRoot_v2)
- Set up ADB (Step-by-step guide for Windows Vista/7 )
- On the phone: Home, Menu Button, Settings, Applications, Development: Make sure the “USB debugging” option is enabled/checked.
- Status bar, USB connection: Make sure “PC Mode” is selected.
- Open a command prompt (Windows: Start, Run, “cmd”, OK; Linux: Terminal)
- Run “adb devices”. If you don’t see your device listed under “List of devices attached”, return to step 2 and follow the link to setup ADB (use that topic for support) and return here when “adb devices” lists your X.
- Run “CD c:\DroidXRoot” (or where ever you expanded the archive)
- Run “adb push Superuser.apk /sdcard/Superuser.apk“
- Run “adb push su /sdcard/su“
- Run “adb push busybox /sdcard/busybox“
- Run “adb push exploid /sqlite_stmt_journals/exploid“
- Run “adb shell“
- Run “cd sqlite_stmt_journals“
- Run “chmod 755 exploid“
- On your phone, navigate to a screen where you can switch wifi/bluetooth on/off easily (settings, or a home screen with a widget)
- IMMEDIATELY after executing the next step, toggle wifi or bluetooth off and back on
- Run “./exploid” and follow directions on screen. Once this completes you’ll be back at a shell prompt.
- Run “rootshell“. You’ll be prompted for a password.
- Type in password “secretlol” and press Enter then you are root! (You’ll know because your prompt will now be a “#” instead of “$”)
- Run “cp /sdcard/Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk“
- Run “cp /sdcard/su /system/bin/su“
- Run “cp /sdcard/busybox /system/bin/busybox“
- Run “chmod 4755 /system/bin/su“
- Run “chmod 4755 /system/bin/busybox“
- Run “rm /system/bin/rootshell“
- Run “exit” to drop from root to a non-root user shell (on phone still)
- Run “exit” to drop back to your machine command prompt (instead of phone)
To Confirm root is established:
- Run “adb shell“
- Run “su” (now you should see the # sign which indicates you are root)
- Watch your screen so you can allow Superuser root access.
There you have it, it may not be as easy as the T-Mobile Vibrant’s root method, but at least we have something that works. As time goes on, the method will likely be shortened, and become easier for others. But for right now, this is what we’re working with. So have fun!
Props to AllDroid for posting this root guide for the Droid X.
[Via: AllDroid.org]