Despite the fact that the HTC One S is not yet available for all the markets out there, some developers managed to root its system. That aroused our interest too, so during this post I will try to explain you the easiest procedure in which you can learn how to gain root access for your new One S smartphone. All you need to do is to follow a few steps where you can find info about the rooting term, its advantages and the tools you need to get in order to safely complete this operation. But we will discuss about these a little bit later.
HTC first presented its One S in February this year by giving clues about its official release date (Q2 2012). Also the specs list was presented, unveiling an appealing new handset with high end performances. The phone will be bringing a large 4.3” qHD Super AMOLED display, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, HSPA+42 connectivity, an 8 MP camera ((1080p HD) and 1 GB of RAM memory. Above these the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS will be pre-installed along with HTC’s Sense 4.0 UI.
Furthermore, the above features can be improved and optimized as soon as you gain root access over your HTC One S device. As you can see, the root operation is not an option for you, especially when you have a high end smartphone which can be used in different ways. Basically, the root process offers extra control over the internal system and over the operating system. After completing such an operation you will be able to customize, optimize or upgrade the software. Also, you will be able to install custom recovery images, of flash custom ROMs along with unofficial OS updates. By rooting it, your device will be unchained from all those factory restrictions, its system being your new “playground”.
There are also (as usual) some negative aspects too. The most relevant one is referring to the warranty. Unfortunately, by choosing to root your HTC One S the warranty will be void. There are cases in which you can wreck something from your handset; if this happens then you will be on your own. Therefore, before starting this how to guide think twice, and if you are not sure about something, maybe it will be better to stop here.
Now, before I begin detailing the proper steps there are some things that must be completed. First you will need to have access to a Windows / Linux / MAC running computer. Of course, the phone will be needed too, along with its USB cord. In the end, do the things from the list:
- The root operation usually puts the data stored on the device in danger. Backup all you need to in order to keep your data in safe hands. Use apps available on the Market or what else you can, but don’t hesitate and backup the One S.
- Enable the USB debugging in your HTC device. Tap on settings and then follow: “Applications -> Development -> USB debugging”.
- The power left in your device must be at least 60 % (70% recommended). If not charge your phone first.
- Turn off, or just deactivate the security programs from the PC and from the One S. You can activate them after the process is completed. Usually, these tools are interrupting the operation and you don’t want that to happen.
That being said we can now precede to the next section of this how to guide, the one that interest you the most. Read carefully and do all as explained. Also, remember that the present tutorial is designed to work only for the One S smartphone; don’t try to apply what you find here on other devices with different version of firmware because you can wreck it.
How to Root the HTC One S
- First of all, you need to download the proper tools. Get the HTC One S Rooting Package from here and place it to the computer.
- Extract the files.
- From the extracted files you need to run the following programs: “adb-windows” and “fastboot-windows” (or corresponding files if you are using the MAC / Linux based computers).
- Turn off the phone.
- Reboot it by entering in bootloader mode. For doing this you must hold down (simultaneously) the Volume Down rocker key and the Power On button.
- After completing this, connect the smartphone with the PC by using the USB cord.
- From the computer, run the tool named “install-superboot-windows”. A pop up window will open.
- If you are on Linux, open terminal, go to the patch where you saved the files and in terminal enter the commands: chmod +x install-superboot-linux.sh” followed by “./install-superboot-linux.sh”.
- On an MAC open terminal. Then, go to the patch where you saved the files and in terminal enter the commands: “chmod +x install-superboot-mac.sh” followed by “./install-superboot-mac.sh”.
- In the end, reboot the smartphone and disconnect it from the computer by removing the USB cable.
That was the how to procedure in which you can learn how to root the HTC One S smartphone. I hope that everything went just fine; but in case you encounter problems post them in the comments area from below.
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How to Install Custom ROMs
- First of all, Creat backup of your current rom.
- download the proper update file for your mobile on computer.
- Optional: download the Google apps package if it is not included on the firmware file.
- Save the files on desktop; don’t unzip them.
- Then, connect your handset with the computer.
- Establish the connecting by using the USB cord.
- Copy-paste or drag and drop the downloaded files from desktop to your phone’s (tablet’s) SD card.
- Disconnect the devices by unplugging the USB cable.
- Turn off your smartphone / tablet and wait a few seconds.
- Then reboot your gadget into recovery mode.
- Next, navigate through the recovery mode menu and select “wipe data factory reset”, “wipe cache partition” and “wipe dalvick cache”.
- The system will now be wiped out, so that’s why the backup has been recommended before.
- Up next, return to recovery main menu: select “+++go back+++”.
- And choose “install zip from SD card” and “choose zip from SD card”.
- Pick the update file and flash the same.
- Optional: repeat this operation for applying the Google Apps package.
- When the installation process ends, from recovery select “+++go back+++” and “reboot system now”.
- You are done.
Troubleshooting:
In some cases after flashing the custom ROM, when rebooting the first time, your handset might get stuck in a boot loop (if the first boot takes longer than usual, don’t panic, there is nothing wrong with your device); if that happens, follow:
- Reboot in recovery once more.
- From there select “wipe data factory reset” and “wipe cache partition”.
- Return and reboot.
- Optional: if needed now you can restore the previous software So, use the recovery menu and select “backup and restore”.
- For resolving any other issues or problems use our dedicated step by step guide.