Hello there Android user , welcome to the world of rooting . If you’re researching on rooting your android device Then worry not you’ve come to the right place . Here we’re going to teach you everything that we know about rooting and much more .
Here’s what you need to know before we get into the field and perform some real rooting .
Root(what does it mean to root)– root access simply lets you access system files,and other things that you would not normally be able to. being rooted allows you to make backups,change the ROM,add or delete things from the ROM,and use apps that require root access to run.
Md5 sum is a method of checking the integrity of a downloaded file. it can be checked on your phone with various file managers,or via an app called “scary aliens AFV android file verifier”. it can be checked on your PC via a number of free programs,there are too many to list.
Bootloader the bootloader simply “boots” the rest of the operating system. it runs before any other piece of code. among other things,it can be used to flash different parts of the operating system,or even the whole operating system.
Kernel is the core of the operating system. it controls all the other parts of the OS and makes everything work together.
ROM the ROM is simply the operating system. like windows xp on a PC
AOSP Android Open Source Project. this is the code that Google releases for various versions of android. phones that are marketed as a “Google experience device”,such as Google’s NEXUS line of phones,run this pure,unmolested code. other custom ROM’s may use AOSP code as a base and add changes or tweaks. CyanogenMod is prolly the best example of a custom ROM based on AOSP code. it is largely android as Google intended with a few enhancements. most phone manufacturers will take AOSP code and modify it with their own User Interface and skin. examples are HTC Sense,Motorola’s motoblur,and Samsung’s touchwiz.
Custom recovery is simply a recovery that gives the user the ability to make changes to and/or replace the ROM,as well as make and restore backups. the stock recovery can perform many of the same functions,but does not give the user any control or ability to make changes.
Flashing – Flashing is the process of installing some sort of software or code via your custom recovery.
Overclock / Underclock – This means that you have installed a custom Kernel that has allowed you to speed up or slow down your phone’s processor speed. Most phones are clocked at a certain processor speed (ie: 2.4 MHz), but if you overclock it, you are allowing your process to push the limits by working at a higher speed. Overclocking will make your phone perform faster, but often comes at the expense of battery life. Underclocking does the exact opposite of overclocking. It makes your processor perform at a lower speed, slowing down perceived performance, but helps increase battery life.
Brick – A brick is when your phone won’t recover from a bad rooting/flashing process. Your device becomes unresponsive and unable to be restored…essentially making it a “brick” or a very expensive paperweight. Bricking your phone usually happens when you do not follow instructions carefully or if a device does not allow for root. Bricking your phone is a real possibility and risk in rooting and modding your phone, but it is very rare to occur, and most unlikely to occur if you simply follow the instructions.
Superuser app is an app that simply lets you delegate permissions to various apps that need access to the root files of your phone’s operating system.
Nandroid backup is simply a backup made with a custom recovery of the ROM and user data on the phone at the time the backup is made. it is like a snapshot. when restored,everything will be EXACTLY as it was at the time the backup was made,down to the call log,texts messages present,apps in the app drawer,system settings,etc.
Gapps “Google apps addon”. it is a small file containing some of Google’s proprietary apps,that is needed to complete a ROM based on AOSP code. there are legalities involved for largely distributed custom roms to have these apps built in,so separate flash of these apps is used to make the ROM complete.
RUU is HTCs “Rom Upgrade Utility”. it is simply a new ROM,along with executable software run on your computer to upgrade firmware,much like flashing a file in hboot. some pictures of what the utility looks like here RUU pics and info when you see a reference to RUU here,or on XDA,people are generally referring to htc official firmware that is flashed in hboot,and not the actual utility updater.
So you’ve known all the basic terminology of rooting . now lets move forward to our next post on successfully rooting your android device .
Some excerpts are taken from : Androidforums.com
