How To: Root Your Sprint HTC Hero
Posted on: November 7, 2009
Posted in: Android How To's, Featured, HTC Hero/G2, How To's, Video
There is now a faster method to root using a new FlashRec app! Click here for the new procedure!
How To Root Your Sprint Hero in One Click!
!UPDATE 12.01.09: If you went to the above procedure and it did not work for you, please use the procedure below.
Finally there is root access for the Sprint Hero! Here is a quick How To for everyone.
Thanks Zinx (ZenThought.org)
Thanks Geoff!
Thanks XDA-Developers (as always!)!
Thanks JManley69 for brining the procedure from Sprint Community!
Thanks Sprint Community!
I. Before You Begin
You need to be able to access the phone via ADB.
Follow this procedure to get ADB setup on your Hero.
How To Setup ADB/Install USB Drivers
If you have Windows 7 you can follow this procedure if the above one does not work to setup ADB:
How To Setup ADB in Windows 7
II. Root the CDMA Hero
1. Download the following file and then unzip it.
2. Take the unzipped file and save it into the Tools folder of your AndroidSDK.
3. Plug your phone in via USB and do NOT mount the SD card.
4. Open the Command Prompt and type the following (hitting enter at the end of every line):
cd\
cd AndroidSDK\Tools\
adb devices
And make sure your phone’s serial number pops up (if not redo section I).
5. Then type:
adb push asroot2 /data/local/
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
adb shell
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
6. Then type:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/bin
cat sh > su
chmod 4775 su
All Done! You now have root access! Try to download a root program from the Market and see if it works 
III. Flash a Custom Recovery Image (Optional. Only necessary for Flashing Custom ROMs)
1. After you have confirmed you have root access, you can flash a recovery image so you can flash custom ROMs.
2. Use this procedure to flash the Hero Recovery Image of your choice to the phone.
!UPDATE 12.01.09 – Sprint Hero Users – Flash THIS recovery image in the above procedure
Post if it works! Thanks!
Reported Issues:
?
NEED SOME HELP?
I. Type Your Issue into the Custom Search Below!
We have designed it to only search sites that may contain solutions to issues that might come up!
II. Look for the Solution or Ask for Help in the Forums!
Find your phone's Technical Support Forum in the Forums.III. Comment(s) Section below
In an effort to minimize cluttering up the Comment(s) section below with back and forth technical support, I ask that you please refrain from posting technical support questions in the Comment(s) below. Instead, please find your phone's Technical Support Forum in the Forums.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Very nice. Returned mine yesterday. I doubt root access will create the physical keyboard that I think I really wanted.
But it is very nice, congratulations to all.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Tried it on my droid. The asroot2 does not work.
$ /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
[1] Killed /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
November 7th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Anybody try this on a moment yet?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
question. I can get to:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/bin
cat sh > su
chmod 4775 su
when i get to the cat sh > su I get a prompt saying “cannot create su: read-only file system. Am i doing something wrong??
November 7th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
sorry i just saw the “post in forum disclaimer” doing it now.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Just successfully rooted my Sprint Hero and about to root my GF’s Hero… Thanks for the guide!!
November 8th, 2009 at 12:25 am
rooted wi-fi tether does not work.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Dank,
Glad it worked thanks for confirming! FINALLY!
Now we just need some ROMs
November 8th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Erik,
Others have confirmed it works. Where is the issue occurring?
November 8th, 2009 at 12:44 am
step 6 will not work on mine
((( i get this MSG ( /bin/smount: not found , please help
November 8th, 2009 at 1:37 am
The issue is addressed here:
http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/issues/detail?id=184
November 8th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Tried on the Cliq but once you get to step 6, it keeps saying Operation not permitted. =\
November 8th, 2009 at 3:18 am
Boooo was hoping it would work on the Cliq! Still waiting patiently!
November 8th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Nice. Worked like a charm. Ive been trying to build a kern. mod for a few weeks and this will help a ton. I love linux.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Same thing as above has been said to be stated on the samsung moment, It would be nice if people with experience in rooting could figure out the problem with the moment/cliq…
i am sure the moment should be easier because it is just a stock build of android with the cdma adjustments, i would really like my moment to be rooted but the xda-developers only swerve towards HTC devices sooo probably no luck from them…
November 8th, 2009 at 9:56 am
For those of you getting the read only try using sdk 1.5 instead of 1.6
November 8th, 2009 at 10:53 am
i did also used SDK1.5 but im still getting same erorr on step 6
November 8th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Is there a way to undo this if I needed to?
November 8th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Durhamite,
There definitely is (considering the nature of the steps, you should be able to undo them by going backwards essentially), but I’ll do that procedure and video later in the week.
November 8th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Thank you TheUnlockr.
I’d definitely return my Sprint Hero now.
Why?
’cause this sucker is rooted…haha. Be sure to look for Sense on XDA ported to Droid!
Droid (better hardware, physical keyboard, Adroid 2.0 (today, now!)), here i come…
November 8th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
So I did the root for the sprint HTC Hero and nothing at all I did the install for the USB drivers and got the serial number pop up with no problem so I did the rest of the steps and this is what I get.
C:\Users\bob>cd\
C:\>cd AndroidSDK\Tools\
C:\AndroidSDK\tools>adb devices
List of devices attached
HT99GHF00595 device
C:\AndroidSDK\tools>adb push asroot2 /data/local/
320 KB/s (74512 bytes in 0.227s)
C:\AndroidSDK\tools>adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
C:\AndroidSDK\tools>adb shell
$ /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
[+] Using newer pipe_inode_info layout
Opening: /proc/2357/fd/3
SUCCESS: Enjoy the shell.
# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
# cd /system/bin
cd /system/bin
# cat sh > su
cat sh > su
# chmod 4775 su
chmod 4775 su
#
does nothing at all am I missing something or what.
thanks
TOOTHPICK
November 8th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
keep getting damn read only error i tried the 1.5 and 1.6 the same fucking thing. frustrating everyone esle shit works exept mine.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
i been waiting for weeks for this.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
listn to anyone having the read only error the problem is that u have to htc syn you phone i did it and i stop getting the error i have the htc sync program so what i made sure is that the phone was sync with the htc sync program and it should work like mine. if it does let me know.Thank U
November 8th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Tried this on my HTC Eris (Verizon) using Android SDK 1.5R1. When I get to step 6:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
I get the following error message:
“mount: Operation not permitted”
Anyone get this to work on the HTC Eris?
Thanks
November 8th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
my phone wont boot past the htc startup screen, any idea what to do so i can fix this?
November 8th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Works awsomely, Been trying everything and today has been the greatest day every. rooted 3 devices today. all successful and all htc hero sprint.
Thank You again
November 8th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Worked fantastically, and it wasn’t as hard or cloogy at all. I posted a story and link back to this site. http://www.germreviews.com/200911083/sprint-htc-hero-rooted-actually-really-easy
I was following the xda thread last night, but I wasn’t brave enough to try anything yet.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Please help… Can’t get by this step, always says ‘Not Found’
5. Then type:
adb push asroot2 /data/local/
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
adb shell
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
any hints????
November 8th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
the ‘not found’ always comes after I type the last line… /data/local/asroot2/system/bin/sh
November 8th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Trying this on the Eris… Cant locate serial on cmd. Uninstalled usb drivers.. when reconnecting, it just puts “HTC Android Phone USB Device” on. Not ADB Composite device.
Any ideas?
November 8th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Fixed original issue… Didn’t have USB Debug on (idiot i know).
However when doing “/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh” i got:
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2: permission denied
November 8th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Guys,
I am running XP with a Sprint Hero and it would not load up the ADB driver at all. I had to download it from the web and install it manually from device manager. But first, windows would not even ask for the adb driver unless I plugged in the usb cable to the phone, and selected HTC Sync. Only then would I see the listing in device manager with the yellow question mark telling you that there was an error loading the driver. I then loaded the driver I found at this site:
http://www.anddev.org/debugging-installing_apps_on_the_g1_windows_driver-t3236.html
Good luck.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Is there a way to root my Hero on a mac computer?
November 9th, 2009 at 12:05 am
after i have uninstalled the htc drivers, and then plug it back in everything downloads except the ADB. will you please help with this?
November 9th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Toothpick,
If you didnt get any errors, you have root access. Go download an app from the market that requires root to confirm that it worked.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:31 am
imm stuck at step 5 it keeps saying
$ /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh not found
what am i doing wrong ive tried both version 1.5 and 1.6 can some one plsss help thanks in advance
November 9th, 2009 at 6:45 am
I did download lots of apps from the market that needed root to use them and every time I try to install one it says you need root to use.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Mike,
Glad it worked! Thanks for the issue and solution will add it to the post today!
November 9th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Bill,
Describe your issue a little better in the tech support forums and well be glad to help, like how many of the steps did you complete, did you get any errors while going, etc.
And this way we dont clog up the comments.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:09 am
will not work on the cliq. doesn’t allow anything after step 6. bummer. i don’t think the cliq will ever be rooted. it’s being overshadowed very quickly
November 9th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Mnbgibbs,
Your welcome, glad to help!
November 9th, 2009 at 9:11 am
MR Sidepart,
Thanks! Really appreciate it, glad to help!
November 9th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Kevin,
Install them manually. Tell Windows to install the drivers from inside the usb drivers folder in the sdk.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:26 am
ive been trying to root a t-mobile hero in the uk for a few days now and nothing is happening its just not lettin me root will following this guide root my hero
November 9th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I worked for me now I guess forget all I said about it not working it does not I just restarted my phone 3 times and now it works
November 10th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Not only did the root work for my Sprint Hero. I was able to teather as a wireless access point. GREAT! Now when 2.0 comes out with sense Im sure that Sprint will somehow disable it
November 10th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Nathan,
It is worth a try, can’t hurt. Let us know if it works for you.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Blindsense,
Doesnt matter if they do
Once we have this and have the RUU to downgrade you to 1.6 again you can do this process and then use a custom ROM with 2.0 instead of the official one. All the benefits and still have root 
November 10th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
noobie question: Will rooting the HERO delete the Sense UI?
November 10th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Does not work on the ERIS
is there anouther way to do it?
November 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
i have got verizon’s HTC Eris with Android 1.5.
i have followed the steps and i am getting the following massage in step 6:
$ mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount: Operation not permitted
am i missing something?
November 10th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Hey, glad to see you’re getting use out of the asroot2 program that I ported to Android from Ingo Molnar’s exploit.
The original (non-mirror, but it’s identical to your mirrored versions) is at http://zenthought.org/tmp/asroot2 and is available as part of “FlashRec”, and the source is available in the “flashrec” project on Google Code.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
i am trying to follow the process on the HTC Eris device.
why am i getting this massage:
$ /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
[1] Killed /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
$
November 10th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I used SDK 1.5 and 1.6 in the dame file folder because it would not work before with just 1.5.
My brother just got an HTC HERO also and was able to root it right away so now I will do the same to my wifes phone so she has root also.
Thanks for all the help keep up the good work
TOOTHPICK
November 11th, 2009 at 2:08 am
Is there any way to accomplish this using a Mac?
November 11th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Thecatbywas,
No way
Why would we ever get rid of Sense UI 
All rooting does is give you full permission in the phone, this allows you to do things that the phone didnt let you do before (like Wifi Tether) and that is it. Doesn’t remove anything.
Good luck!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Mike,
What is the error you are getting on the Eris?
November 11th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Moshe,
This process may not work for the Eris, we are having everyone with an Eris try it though and post their error, just like you did
Can you check something? Is the Eris running Android 1.6 or 1.5? Goto Settings then About phone and look and let us know.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Hey again Zinx!
I was wondering who was behind this program. I will put the link to your site instead of the mirror we have, thanks for letting me know.
Hey and if you have any other programs come out send me an email using the Contact Us Send Us Tips form on this site so I can post them with credit to you in the first place
Actually working on a new section of the site, would you mind sending me an email using the Contact Us form ASAP, I would like to talk to you about it.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The exploite has been patched for the eris so this will not work. We are stuck untill a new exploite is found.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Unlockr…
Sweet! And it worked like a charm! Having fun exploring & learning from you guys… I’m officially a fan. Thnx.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Yeah… I spoke too soon…
Wasn’t able to use apps that require root.
When I went back through the process, I get similar errors as reported earlier:
c:\androidSDK\tools\adb shell
$ /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
/data/local/asroot2: permission denied
I am using SDK 1.5… the debugging toggle is on.
Thoughts?
November 11th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I was wondering have you tried this method. I seen that you have made 2 prior videos with the GSM Hero and the myTouch.
http://zenthought.org/content/project/flashrec
November 11th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
TheUnlockr,
The ERIS is running Android version 1.5.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
hey unlockr is there anyway you can make a video or atleast a set of instructions of how to get google navigation on the g1 or mytouch thanx in advance
November 11th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Took me about…oh…all day, but it worked. For those who get the ‘Not Found’ error after (/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh), you have to pay close attention to everything, there are alot of spaces.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Wes,
Yes, we have. That method does not work that is why we had to search for a new method.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Worked great! Now, to figure out how to delete the NASCAR app…
November 12th, 2009 at 3:19 am
I cant get the drivers to install, i have tried to install manually but when i go to the usb folder and select it, i get a error saying no drivers in folder. Please help!
November 12th, 2009 at 4:14 am
TheUnlockr,
Tec186
I followed your instructions to the letter once before the video and again after with no errors. I installed 3 different Root Required programs and all 3 seemed to install OK but none do what they are supposed to do. Is there a command line I can type to know for sure if I have done this correctly? Or maybe I have to do something else to run these programs as SU? The main one I’m hoping to get working is “Wireless Tether 1.6 HTC” which I got here: http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/ I installed the first one for ver 1.6 and 1.5. Any help would be greatly appreciated
November 12th, 2009 at 10:18 am
By the way thank you for this, it’s all I wanted for Christmas. Now if only I could figure out the other stuff.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:24 am
after i type in the push asroot2, I keep getting permission denied? What am I doing wrong? I also have the dollar sign before it if that helps any
November 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Finally I got it to work!! Thank you all for your help.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:09 am
FlashRec says it supports the Sprint HTC Hero now…And someone on XDA said that they have used it..
November 12th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
is there anyway i can root my hero using a mac? also, sort of a noobie question, but what exactly does rooting your phone do?
November 12th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I’m up to the 5th step, the very 1st step (adb push asroot2 /data/local/), but it just paupauses on me forever. It doesn’t freez up, I can clos the screen and restart the proceses, and just another long pause again. Please help, I don’t want 2 return my phphone, but its giving me too of a head ach..
November 12th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
I’m getting the same problem two steps down where you would put adb shell, and supposedly a $ sign comes out afterward but it just freezes up.. it just pauses…
November 12th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I think i was successful doing this, now at the end it says : All Done! You now have root access! Try to download a root program from the Market and see if it works… Now how do i verify if i was really successful at it and how do i download a root program from the market?
Thansk unlkr
November 13th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Hi there
can i root my T-mobile G2 (UK) with latest ROM 2.73110.26
please advise
Thanx
November 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
worked great for me. thanks!
November 13th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I’ve seen this question about doing this via mac asked a few times, any answer would be great. Some of us are new to the android side, any beginners guide to rooting available?
November 13th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Kyle,
As with a lot of hacking, programming etc. most instructions are meant for Windows. Either use boot camp or borrow a friend’s Windows computer to do these procedures (you only need it for the initial procedures then you can do most things on the phone itself from then on).
Other than that, you can try this procedure on your Mac, download the SDK for Mac from Google and then use the built in Terminal app for Mac instead, but again if you can find a Windows comp to use, just use that for now.
November 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I am getting a message of “su text busy” on the last step. Any ideas?
November 13th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
If i happen to screw it up somehow and can’t turn my phone on anymore, does factory reset fix the problem? Or am I screwed?
November 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Anybody knows of a easy step by step on how to install the Apps to Sd Card application? Any help would be great. Also an easy Step by step on how to backup so i ca install a rom on the phone .. thanks.
November 14th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Also i do think i rooted the phone because i just finished uninstalling the Sprint Bloatware apps, and Im guessing i could’ve not done that without my device being rooted. Its great the phone is running allot faster its snappier..
November 14th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I don’t know if I was successful at rooting my Hero or not… Last line I got was
____________________________
#
____________________________
I installed a screen capture app and it required root for it to work and it worked on mine, but im confused because I cant delete files that are on the phone, i only have Read permissions. Would I need to do everything from the PC? IF so, how? thanks
November 15th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Hi I want to know if I root my Sprint HTC Hero can I have my app on my sd card instead of my internal memory and if so how do I do it
November 15th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I have successfully rooted and got wifi tether working but I am looking to get apps2sd working without installing a custom rom. anybody get this going without installing a rom first?
November 16th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Did not work on HTC Tattoo on Orange UK.
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount: Operation not permitted
$ cd /system/bin
cd /system/bin
$ cat sh>su
cat sh>su
cannot create su: read-only file system
$
November 16th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Iliko,
Thanks for letting us know!
November 16th, 2009 at 11:59 am
hey im new to this..i got an sprint htc hero.. now its company unlocked.. but its the cdma version.. which means no sim card involved.. now i brought it with me to india.. how do i use this? do i goto my local companies who have cdma services? has any1 else been able to run any other network aside from sprint on SPRINT HTC HERO.. please help.. im really mind fucked ryt now.. thanks..
November 16th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Xtacisnow,
Less than 3% of the world uses CDMA, so you will have to buy a GSM phone to use it overseas unfortunately.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:17 am
Thanks for the guide. It was very helpful.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Has anybody tried this rooting procedure with the new software update from Sprint/HTC?
November 21st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I see a lot of people having problems following the instructions – I assume from the feedback its because they are entering in the wrong code like I tried to do untill I realized that its displayed a littel tricky but is correct..
do not type “adb shell” _enter_
type adb shell _space_
and then
/data/local/asroot2 _space_
and then
/system/bin/sh
this will resolve the people that get the $ and stay paused
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 am
I had rooted my Sprint HTC Hero and it was working wonderfully. Then I went and updated my firmware. Now my root apps no longer work and I couldn’t re-root. Anyone with advise for me?
November 22nd, 2009 at 4:39 am
Manny,
That updates only purpose was to block our rooting exploit hence why you lost root access. You should never update your phone if you want to keep root access. So you need to find the Sprint RUU and use it to downgrade back to the original firmware and reroot Im going to do a video on this tomorrow.
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I tried rooting for the first time post firmware update and I got stuck at the very end where it says:
cat sh > su
I get the error: cannot create su: read-only file system.
Is there anything I can do about this? At the xda forums a lot of people are saying they have re-rooted post update. Are they doing it using a different technique? Or what? Or am I doing this wrong? I’ve never rooted before, so I may just be doing it wrong. Can anyone help?
-alex
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Alex,
You would most likely have to downgrade using the original Sprint RUU and then root the phone.
Do you have a link to where they are saying they rerooted and how and Ill be happy to check it out and post.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
After step 5 I get:
Opening: /proc/14482/fd/3
SUCCESS: Enjoy the shell.
#
Then the cursor thing is blinking after the # but I can’t type anything like the keyboard is disabled. I have gotten the same result on two different computers, help?
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Hey! Thanks for the reply! I actually rooted using your technique (not the one click root) but the regular root technique for sprint’s htc hero on your page! Thanks so much! My only thing is, now I followed your steps to flash a recovery image…and once I did that, when I hold Power and Home to boot into that green screen, I get stuck on the HTC logo. The phone freezes there, and I have to pull out the battery. Any advice? This is my first time rooting and flashing recovery so I may have done something wrong, but I followed all of your instructions and got the results you said I would…just I can’t boot into the “green screen” to check if it flashed. I also don’t know how the heck to do a Nandroid back up. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!
-alex
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Hey Unlockr…I found out what the problem is…you guys have people flashing a Hero recovery image, but it’s not the right image…people need to use the heroc (with the letter “c” at the end) in order for the phone to actually boot up in recovery mode. That’s because it is the Hero CDMA version…so ya…i got everything working now…but thanks for your great site and all your help! (PS: Your normal root method works fine even post Sprint Update). God bless!
-alex
November 24th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
AsRoot2 Downlaod at the top of the page is broken. Can someone point me to go get it!!!?? please and thanks
November 25th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Hi i’m new in all this 3g cells and Droids stuff, so i have some basic questions.. what is root your phone and why people tells me that i have to do it, (i want it by the way, sounds fun)… what is a ROM, why there are so many? Does ROM stands for READ ONLY MEMORY? should i back up my phone before root it if so, how i can back it up???
Thanks and sorry for so many questions
November 25th, 2009 at 2:39 am
forgot to tell you i bought a HTC HERO from Sprint last week… so i don’t even know what version it is.. thanks
November 25th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Dithel Bless,
Rooting your phone is similar to jailbreaking if you are familiar with the iPhone. It is the process of giving us root access command and the ability to basically tell the phone what to do without the restrictions Google, HTC, or Motorola etc have put on the phone.
But more importantly the ROM is the part of the phones memory that holds the Operating System and native apps etc (which is normally Read Only but since we have root access we can tell the phone to replace it with our own custom ROM.
ROM definitely stands for Read Only Memory you got it
The number of ROMs are because of the number of developers out there (thank god for them lol) and they all add their own performance and aestetic tweeks to their own ROMs so its up to you which you prefer.
The other main benefit to rooting is that some apps need root access to control things that are normally blocked, for example, WiFi Tethering.
You can easily back up your phone after flashing the recovery image, you just boot up and click backup and save the backup to your computer and you are all set.
Hope that helps
November 25th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
So simple. I thank all that are literate in the development of this for being able to provide people like me, who are not literate in phone debugging and development, the ability to root our Heros in such a simple procedure. Very grateful.
November 26th, 2009 at 4:42 am
After step 5 I get
Opening: /proc/14482/fd/3
SUCCESS: Enjoy the shell.
#
but it won’t let me proceed with step 6. It wont let me type at all. Any ideas?
November 26th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Unlockr, Thanks for the good work. Alex, You were right you can root even with the Sprint firmware update. I just had to reinstall my drivers and it worked. Now about recovery image. Do you recommend doing it and what exactly would be the benefit? Thanks again!
November 28th, 2009 at 12:31 am
UnLockr
Just want to confirm something. Once we root and load a custom recovery image do you still suggest flashing to the newest MoDaCo Rom as discussed here: http://theunlockr.com/2009/09/04/htc-hero-official-update-to-fix-lag-released-unofficially/. The article is from september, I’m running the most recent Official HERO (v 1.56.651.2) and I don’t know if the information still applies or if HTC already took care of the issue. Also, since i’m running this version is there anything special i need to know before rooting or loading recovery image?
December 1st, 2009 at 3:22 am
Hey All
Just finished rooting my phone and loading RA’s custom recovery image and wanted to share my results and step by step procedures (the final instructions are mixed among the posts but I wanted to share in one spot):
THIS WORKED EVEN FOR MY UPDATED FIRMWARE SPRINT HERO
1) follow instructions for adb install above EXCEPT if you are running windows 7 (which I am). If running win7 follow skip steps 4 and 5 in ADB setup and instead follow instructions here: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/08/24/workaround-for-htc-hero-sync-problem-in-windows-7/. once you get that stuff installed continue with step 6 on adb setup
2) follow theUNLOCKR’s very clear and concise instructions above for Step II: on this page. It’s very simple and took me less than 3 minutes to get root
3) download the “heroc recovery image” it MUST be that image as that is for Sprint CDMA phones. you can find it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4898505
click on the link that says (mirror)
4) follow unLOCKR’s instructions for “How to Flash a Recovery Image” located above in section III: Flash a Recovery Image
5) smile and enjoy a rooted sprint hero with recovery image.
theUNLOCKR — hope you don’t think i’m stepping on your toes, just wanted to list out step by step how I ended up having to do it to save some other users some time ready through all the replies. you guys have the best instructions out there!!!
December 1st, 2009 at 3:55 am
LoserBaby,
Not stepping on toes at all
We love when you guys contribute! Ill incorporate your updated steps into the procedure so its easier for others. Thanks!
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Thats frikin sweet. After bricking my first phone
I finally got the sucker rooted. Thanks Unlockr
December 4th, 2009 at 3:29 am
I have followed all the steps with out flaw, have flashed the custom recovery file successfully, but when I try to access the root in a file explorer it says that i dont have privileges. my question is, is there a way to check permissions in adb shell? when I type root it says access denied any ideas how to check that we have root privileges in the command prompt?
December 4th, 2009 at 3:50 am
in step 6 after each line, does it just echo it back? is that what its supposed to happen?
December 4th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I still cant get this root thing can you please telll me step by step so i can really get this thing please??
December 4th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Syscrasher13,
Try to type su and hit enter in terminal. If it goes to the next line without an error, you have root.
December 5th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Alright, I would hate to say this if it has been said, but this worked even after the sprint firmware was updated. Glad I still have root and don’t have to roll back. Build number 1.56.651.2 cl85027
thanks for all the hard work. keep on keeping on, our hardware is ours let’s keep it that way!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:24 am
the recovery image u gaves us need to be rename just take off the “c” from the hero n that should work, i was wondering y when i reboot it it did not went to recovery mood n then i found that recover image has a miss slell…
December 8th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I lost root after the update but retried the method and successfully got it back. It does work post update.
December 8th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
FINALLY!!!
I was using an outdated recovery, but I finally got past the HTC logo when booting into the recovery. I used the method given by LoserBaby above. And the file he pointed out.
My next question… Now that I have root and I’ve made my Nand backup, what do I do? I want to put on modaco so I can use tether. Is there a how to for this somewhere? Also, what does making this backup do for me? If something bad happens to my phone do I reboot into the recovery and then do the Nand Restore?
Thanks for your help!
December 10th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Thanks for the help. Very clear instructions. I rooted it, but didn’t put on a custom rom. Thanks for noting that they are not the same and that the latter is not required. Blogged a bit about it.
http://sprintherotips.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-took-dive-and-rooted-my-hero-success.html
December 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
RD,
Thanks glad it worked! Would you mind linking to this procedure for anyone that wants a different procedure to follow as well from your blog, if it helped you.
Thanks!
Nice blog by the way!
December 12th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
i cant get past this:
cd AndroidSDK\Tools\
it says the system cannot find the path specified
December 12th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Jerry,
You need to make sure that the SDK is saved on the C: drive (not in any subfolders) and that you renamed it to AndroidSDK. Then make sure that when you click on it you can see the Tools folder DIRECTLY inside.
If they cant find the path, then it is in the wrong place or named incorrectly.
December 16th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Hey, I seem to be having the same issue that Chris and Cpatt3n were having above. asroot2 seems to run just fine, but no communication with the shell it establishes seems to take place. After running it, the program doesn’t seem to accept input and there is no local echo, any commands seem to queued until the program terminates.
I’m running Vista, and my adb drivers at least -seem- to be working in every other way, but I can’t figure this being anything but a driver issue. Anybody happen to have a solution? Cpatt3n seems to have responded to the Windows 7 fix indicating that it worked, but he also said he managed to brick a phone the first time around.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Just commenting again to clarify that I managed to solve my “problem” shortly after I posted here simply by going into a continuous shell (that is, typing “adb shell” by itself without suffixing it immediately with a command) then completing the tail end of step 5 and moving on to step 6.
December 17th, 2009 at 8:56 am
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/bin
cat sh > su
when i get to the cat sh > su I get a prompt saying “cannot create su: read-only file system but I moved file asroot2 into tools folder inside androidSDK folder. A previous member found an answer to this in the forum section but I was not able to find it sorry, would really appreciate help.
using Windows XP
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I get “adb server is out of date…Killing”
But still get serial number.
January 10th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Successfully rooted my Hero with Sprint update in Ubuntu
.. Thanks TheUnlockr.
January 10th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
JGeZau,
You are very welcome! Nice, think that’s one of the first roots done in Ubuntu that I’ve heard of
January 11th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
im tryn to root my lil bros phone wow haha this is crazy i dont wanna brick his phone im stuck at cat sh > su all it keeps sayn is read only file sys can someone help
January 12th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Nick,
Try to do the How To Root the Sprint Hero in One Click procedure first and see if that works.
January 14th, 2010 at 12:15 am
when i get to
adb shell /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
then hit enter i get
[1} killed /data/local/asroo…
any ideas? sprint htc hero
January 14th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
So will any of these methods work on a brand new (arriving today
), Droid Eris? If so which one, seems there are alot of differernt instructions here….
January 14th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Crosby,
Unfortunately, no
Something about the Verizon version. BUT there is no harm in trying and letting us know if it gets past flashing the recovery screem (worst comes to worst it will just error and say you cant continue).
January 14th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Hmm.. So what advantages does having the phone rooted have above it not being rooted. Perhaps Ill need to changed providers, as i dont really like Verizon anyhow. I can still get all the freeware apps and such Im assuming. Im so tired of paying verizon for everything and having to try to find ways around downloading ringtones/etc.
January 15th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Worked great, thanks!
January 15th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
If I were to root my Sprint Hero what Roms are available to put on it? Has anyone gotten 2.1 to run on a hero or at least 2.0?
Just curious… and looking for help more than anything, I have never done this and do not want to brick my phone.
January 16th, 2010 at 2:16 am
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
this step im getting there is no such directory
January 18th, 2010 at 12:08 am
Hey Unlockr,
I’m currently having a problem right now with step 6. When I get down, everything’s good and gravy until I put in “adb shell /data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh” it just says
“SUCCESS: Enjoy your shell.
# _”
After that, like others said before me, the cursor just blinks and blinks. Any solution? I’ve also tried putting a / after /system/bin/sh and that got me a fresh line but the mount line didn’t work.
Any solutions?
January 19th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I am stuck at the # as well on my Sprint HTC hero and I hope I haven’t missed a solution but need some help too. Thanks for any tips you can give the guys stuck at #!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:57 am
i have the same problem with it freezing(step 6)
like the guys above mention
January 21st, 2010 at 7:24 pm
First off thanks a bunch just rooted in mins. Just tryin to help if u can’t get past cd androidsdk\tools then open sdk it says on the top sdk location. Copy an paste that in the command prompt as cd (….paste…)\tools\
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm
My step-dad’s Sprint Hero was rooted by this method. He wanted to root it just for the wifi tether. The wifi tether opens but when a computer connects it says “no internet connection” on the computer. Also, the phone’s battery gets drained without even using it. it’s draining too fast. i have a mytouch and i used the one click method and my wifi tether works just fine. Please help.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Jordan,
I would try reformatting the card, wiping data and reloading the ROM (if you have one). OR I would try to look for an upated version of the WiFi Tether for Sprint Hero file (they make different ones for each phone now so your MyTouch one probably wont work on the Hero).
January 24th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
I’m new to this, my question is: if I root my Hero it would be able to use Metro pcs (voice, text, internet)?
January 25th, 2010 at 1:08 am
Thanks TheUnlockr,
How about to unroot it? Is it like as easy as rooting it? or should i load a custom recovery image and then put a custom rom? if so, where would I be able to get roms for the Sprint Hero? Thanks again. And sorry for the inconvenience
January 25th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Carol,
You are thinking of unlocking not rooting. You would need to unlock the phone to use Metro PCS (and with CDMA phones like Sprint and Metro, you would need a local person to actually flash the phone with Metro settings by plugging in the phone).
January 25th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Jordan,
Search our site for how to unroot the hero (sprint hero)
January 25th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
HELP – please. I’m trying to root my sprint hero, using “better terminal emulator” since I only run power-pc macs, and can’t have the bridge program.
I have placed the su program “asroot2″ into ’sdcard’. Two issues come to mind.
1- the “sh” already exists in /system/bin (so the cat sh > su may not be possible unless I rename sh, cat sh(asroot2) > su, then put old sh back)
2- the volume is read only.
I have not tried the remount -rw yet, but suspect $ won’t have priveldges to do so.
Can I execute asroot2 , changing my mode, then continue? Does someone know if this would work? Can I get a listing of asroot2?
Am I even on the right track?
January 26th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Hi All,
any progress with rooting the HTC ERIS offered by Verizon?
thanks
Moshe
February 5th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
im having a problem rooting my htc hero it says cannot create su and unable to chmod su could u please help me out on wat i need to do to fix that maybe yahoo message me at twinz4eva2000
February 9th, 2010 at 5:36 am
adb push asroot2 /data/local/
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
adb shell
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
im getting a no such file or directory please help me i got the serial number though
February 12th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I am getting /data/local/asroot2/system/bin/sh: not found. It did find my serial number and went through the rest of the steps up until this process. Please help.
February 12th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I got it figured out. There is a space after the 0755 in the step that you have to do.
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/asroot2
then a space between asroot2 and the /system.
/data/local/asroot2 /system/bin/sh
if you don’t have spaces in those two spots in won’t work. Once the spaces were added it went through a breeze.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:23 am
Everything worked like a charm on my Sprint HTC Hero. Rooted without a hitch and to prove it, I now have the WiFi tether app working (it requires root) – I’ve wanted that forever.
I can’t believe it but it’s finally happened. Thank you to everyone who had anything to do with coming up with this rooting process.
February 25th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
For some reason my internet connection is not allowing me to download the Android SDK file kit… I was wondering if it is possible that somebody could actually send it to me through my email account?
February 26th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Bruce,
It is way too large to send by email (most emails have a 10MB limit) unfortunately.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:58 am
I went through the steps successfully on my Sprint HTC Hero but have a couple questions:
1. How can I test root access, do you know of a market app that would go to root?
2. Do apps now reside and run from root or just reside there?
Thank you
Shelley
March 1st, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I followed the procedure to root my HTC Hero from Sprint. I believe it worked, the last message I got in cmd was #
So after that you say to download a root program. I have no idea what that is or how to get it? So, I still don’t really know if it worked or not.
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 am
Rizzle,
Search the market for the word Root. Then download any of the apps that say they require root access, then see if they work.
Good luck!
March 5th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
question. I can get to:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/bin
cat sh > su
chmod 4775 su
when i get to the cat sh > su I get a prompt saying “cannot create su: read-only file system. Am i doing something wrong??
sorry i just saw the “post in forum disclaimer”?!?!?!?
where is the dissclaimer I cant find it and not sure what Im looking for, I know Im sooo close I can almost taste it
THANKS FOR ANY HELP
March 7th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Worked for me without a problem.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:13 am