Root on HTC Incredible

Posted on Sun 14 August 2011 in blog

So I decided today that it was finally time to root my HTC Incredible. And as I was told by several friends, it was pretty much a piece in the cake. Anyone wishing to do so, I recommend following this walk-through by Jonathan Eggers

The basic run-down:

  • Install the Android SDK - you really just need this for adb, the Android Debug Bridge. This provides you with an interactive shell, as well as the ability to push / pull files, and install .apk packages. If you download the .zip instead of the .exe, you don't have to worry about installing the JDK.

  • Run unrevoked3 to perform the root process, as well as install the ClockworkMod Recovery, which allows you to do some cool things pre-OS boot.

  • Use clockworkmod to make a full NAND backup.

  • Install Titanium Backup to make/restore backups while booted into the UI. Also allows you to uninstall a bunch of the junk Verizon forces you into having (Skype mobile, VZ navigator, etc)

  • Install WiFi Tether.

I also installed a new boot splash-screen because I was tired of the stock one. For 2.2, you need to rename the bootanmiation.zip inside that zip file to VZW_bootanimation.zip and send it down. You can also replace the VZW_Droid.mp3 with a sound of your choice.

Finally (for now!) I installed QuickSSHd by TeslaCoil Software. It's pretty much just dropbear with a nice UI, but it was everything I was looking for and only $1.75 in the Market. If you already have shared keys set up for other SSH servers, you can simply copy your public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, just like OpenSSH (the same format works).

Next up is to check out some of the top root apps on androidsu.com.

Looking forward to playing with some kernels and ROMs in the future, but for now I am quite happy!