How To: Root the Motorola Droid
I. Before You Begin
1. This should work on the Motorola Droid (the original Droid from Verizon) and will work on any version of Android up to Android 2.2 Build FRG22D (the latest version currently).
2. THIS WILL ERASE YOUR DATA AND YOU MAY NEED TO REACTIVATE THE DROID TO LOGIN AFTER COMPLETING SECTION II.
II. Flash a Recovery Image via RSD Lite
1. Download RSD Lite, the Drivers, and the Custom Recovery .sbf file
Motorola Drivers
RSD Lite
Recovery Image .sbf
2. Download the Root file and save it to the root of your sd card (NOT in any folders, just on the SD card itself)(do NOT extract it leave it as update.zip):
3. Install RSDLite by double clicking the RSD Lite.msi file you just downloaded.
4. Once RSDLite is installed, unzip the drivers folder you downloaded (32 bit OR 64 bit), then double click the Motorola Consumer Driver Installer application and install the drivers.
5. Plug in your phone to the computer via USB cable.
6. Turn the phone off while it is plugged in.
7. Turn on the phone by holding down Power and UP on the DPad of the keyboard on the phone.
8. Open the RSDLite program by right clicking it and selecting Run As Administrator.
9. Click on the “…” button next to the filename box and select the .sbf file you downloaded earlier.
10. Once it is selected, hit Start.
11. As soon as your phone starts to reboot, hold down the volume up key on the DPad on your phone to get it back into bootloader mode (the RSD Lite program should now say Finished and PASS and your phone should say Bootloader at the top).
12. You can now take out the battery and put it back in after a few seconds to turn off the phone. (LEAVE IT OFF FOR NOW)
III. Flash the Root Update
1. Turn the phone on now while holding down the X key on the qwerty keyboard and the power button at the same time (keep holding until the recovery screen comes up).
7. On the menu use the dpad buttons to navigate to Install then Allow Update.zip Installation then Install /sdcard/update.zip (deprecated)Â and select it using the center dpad button.
8. Wait for it to finish updating then reboot the phone via the menu when it is done. Viola!
9. (Optional) To load a custom ROM on your phone, procedure to the How To Load a Custom ROM procedure.
i have done this and it keeps aborting the install
Chris,
Redownload the update.
flashed it, and got to step 12, but phone just has an exclamation point in a triangle, not sure what to do….
Hey the same thing is happening to me, I got to step 12 after pressing the x and power button it gives me an exclamation mark in a triangle. Plz help
I’m having the same problem. Redownloaded all the files multiple times and every attempt ended with
e:update.zip install blocked
Installation aborted.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
when i hold up after doing rsd lite theninsead of going back to boot screen it just reboots my phone
when i select the recovery.sbf in rsd lite it doesnt let me hit start
I get the same failure on using the update.zip, and I have downloaded it a few times, and it make no difference. Any other place to get it?
thanks for the work!
Now, when you say this will work ‘up to’ Android 2.2 Build FRG22D, does that mean it will or will not work on FRG22D? I’m looking to root my wife’s Droid which currently has Android 2.2 Build FRG22D.
It means it works on all available versions including that version. It will work on your phone.
Great tutorial but you weren’t very clear in the video or your directions on Section III. Flash the Root Update, Step 7. It was not clear to me that you actually have to click on “Allow update.zip Installation”. For those of you following this tutorial and getting a “installation aborted” error let me clarify this for you:
Section III. Flash Root Update
Step 7a: On the D Pad navigate down to the “Allow update.zip Installation” option, and select this with the camera button. It’s not going to do anything. If you aren’t sure if you clicked it, do it again, it wont hurt to select it multiple times.
Step 7b: Now navigate down to “Install /sdcard/update.zip (deprecated)” and select it with the camera button.
Now it should work. Good luck.
thanks for the issue and solution. hope it helps some people.
Nope same problem for me! and I used the camera button.
ok what am I doing wrong. did everything by each step. Got to the system recovery stage and get the instal aborted message. I tried the suggestion about using the camera button nothing. Am I missing something or did i not get the right root file. Please help.
Start over.
Start over.
Can process, just this not fully rooting.. i mean if i mess up willthis hurt my phone.
when it says mount does that mean take ur sd card out and plug it into the computer?
when it says mount does that mean take ur sd card out and plug it into the computer?
when it says mount does that mean take ur sd card out and plug it into the computer?
thank you for the walkthrough. i had to unplug the cable when u had to hold x and the power button at the same time because it would turn itself on automatically.
thank you for the walkthrough. i had to unplug the cable when u had to hold x and the power button at the same time because it would turn itself on automatically.
thank you for the walkthrough. i had to unplug the cable when u had to hold x and the power button at the same time because it would turn itself on automatically.
thank you for the walkthrough. i had to unplug the cable when u had to hold x and the power button at the same time because it would turn itself on automatically.
I saw that this is for build up to FRG22D. Has this been tested or updated for FRG83D?
I also have FRG83D and of course it does not work.
The process gets stuck on “Waiting for Device” and the program stops running.
I have tried the archaic “Report Issues:” section, but none of those worked either.
I am a little lost. Where can you find the root file that you mention in II-2?
This worked perfectly – thanks for the walkthrough
it didnt work for me is it bc i have frg83d build
I s this going to work for version 2.2.2 build FRG83g
hey Devin36, i have the same. 2.2.2 build FRG83g , i am a complete noob, but i cant believe how easy it wasÂ