How to root your HTC One S (for Windows, Mac and Linux)

[Guest PaulOBrien]

Introducing.... Superboot! :)

Superboot is a boot.img that when booted, will root your device the first time you boot (installing su and the superuser APK). No need to flash any partitions, no need to mess around with ADB, no messing with the contents of your data partition, no overwriting the shipped ROM on your device, just boot the boot image using the instructions below and you're done!

You will need to htcdev bootloader unlock your device to use this root solution.

APPLY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

• Superboot r3 - DOWNLOAD (ROMraid) - MD5: 220ceaf0aea599e97b6d6211ae3397d4

The superboot image is also 'insecure', allowing you to use 'adb remount' as well as having full ADB root access to your device until such time as you reboot after running this process (it's a non permanent ADB root as it's a 'fastboot boot' and not a 'fastboot flash' but it IS a permanent root in all other regards!).

How to use Superboot - Windows, Linux and OSX

- Download the Superboot zip file above and extract to a directory

- Put your device in bootloader mode - Turn off the phone then turn on with the 'volume down' button pressed to enter the bootloader, then pressing the power button again to enter fastboot.

- WINDOWS - double click 'install-superboot-windows.bat'

- MAC - Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type 'chmod +x install-superboot-mac.sh' followed by './install-superboot-mac.sh'

- LINUX - Open a terminal window to the directory containing the files, and type 'chmod +x install-superboot-linux.sh' followed by './install-superboot-linux.sh'

Enjoy! ;)

P

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[Guest l3ft3r1s]

Thanks a lot for that!

Hope it works with S-ON on retail devices...

Looking forward to the perm root...

[Guest ptr_hamilton]

Didn'T work for htcdev unlocked htc one s here..

I'm sure itt'll work sooner or later tho

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers Pete

Edit: It also says **TAMPERED** after I tried to use superboot

Edited April 1, 2012 by ptr_hamilton

[Guest PaulOBrien]

Sent you a PM ptr_hamilton...

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[Guest PaulOBrien]

This is not a temp root it's a PERMANENT root. It's now updated for retail devices.

P

[Guest ptr_hamilton]

This is not a temp root it's a PERMANENT root. It's now updated for retail devices.

P

Confirmed

[Guest xkonni]

Confirmed

yep works just fine ;)

on another topic, please tell which tools/commandline you used to pack that boot.img... if i as much as unpack and repack it, it won't boot anymore...

[Guest l3ft3r1s]

1) Any plans for devices without an unlocked bootloader from htcdev?

2) Any plans for unrooting?

[Guest PaulOBrien]

1) Not possible atm.

2) Unroot = delete /system/app/Superuser.apk and /system/xbin/su

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[Guest xkonni]

@paul please share your mkbootimg commandline...

i just unpacked the boot.superboot.img

- unpackbootimg from cm source 'unpackbootimg -i boot.superboot.img' )

and repacked it

- mkbootimg from cm source

'mkbootimg --kernel boot.superboot.img-zImage --ramdisk boot.superboot.img-ramdisk.gz --base 80400000 --cmdline console=ttyHSL0,115200,n8 -o boot.img'

when i fastboot boot your boot.superboot.img i get a red warning on white background, but then it actually boots anyway.

for my repacked image it just reboots after showing the warning.

i even did a hexdump, and the images just differ on 0x14... but i can't reproduce the value that yours has in that place.

(of course i can edit the value, but then it's actually the same image...)

if you don't want to tell, please at least say so ;)

[Guest PaulOBrien]

xkonni, i'm hex editing atm because, as you noted, there's something strange. :)

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[Guest xkonni]

xkonni, i'm hex editing atm because, as you noted, there's something strange. :)

P

ok awesome ;D i thought i just had it wrong and couldn't see it...

waiting patiently for updates ;)

[Guest &Midian&]

Mh strange, i got the S from Vodafone right now. So i was trying to unlock the bootloader, but i can not access the bootloader! volume down + power does not work.

it instantly shows the vodafone picture and started normally.

[Guest xkonni]

Mh strange, i got the S from Vodafone right now. So i was trying to unlock the bootloader, but i can not access the bootloader! volume down + power does not work.

it instantly shows the vodafone picture and started normally.

tried 'adb reboot bootloader'?

should work on a non-rooted/non-unlocked phone...

[Guest &Midian&]

omg i am so *****

Thanks dude :)

[Guest xkonni]

xkonni, i'm hex editing atm because, as you noted, there's something strange. :)

P

any news on that topic? ;)

[Guest PaulOBrien]

Nope, none, not a priority for me to sort atm!

P

[Guest mathis]

Maybe a short info on what needs to be hex edited? Some people would love to start porting CM to this device and this would help a lot!

[Guest xkonni]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=24513344

[Guest Poag]

Will this wipe the device?

I mean can i run this up, then jump into recovery and quickly backup the base HTC installation before everything goes bye bye :)

[Guest todpalin]

I have a HTC One S from Orange. And the instruction worked for me, however:

1. The Volume Down and Power On has to be done 3 times before it switches on in to BootLoader, the first time you need to hold it down until the key lights flash 6 times.
2. After the HTCDev unlock I tried the superboot and nothing happened except I got the TAMPERED warning on reboot to Bootloader, so I tried the procedure again and then the phone was unlocked.

Big Thanks.

[Guest PaulOBrien]

Will this wipe the device?

I mean can i run this up, then jump into recovery and quickly backup the base HTC installation before everything goes bye bye :)

The htcdev unlock will wipe the device.

P

[Guest mintysport]

Hi, i just today did htcdev unlock and all went ok, but tried the superboot as another guy on here and all i get now when i boot into bootloader is the *tampered* message

Please please can somebody help as im fearing ive bricked my brand new One S :(

p.s. i tried rebooting and redoing the superboot but it still says the same :(

EDIT: ive just noticed ive done a very very schoolboy error of having too many files on my desktop and have installed the r1 superboot instead of the r3 :blink: should i just redo the superboot but with the correct image file?

EDIT: I rebooted the superboot with the correct r3 file and now checking with root app i now have root, but still have the *tampered*in the bootloader, is this normal or have i done something wrong and can i get rid of the message??

Edited April 12, 2012 by mintysport

[Guest platinum19]

I'm getting an error in the command line. downloading 'boot.img' ... OKAY booting... FAILED (remote: not allowed)

[Guest zobojoe]

This worked perfectly for me - thanks alot.

I'm quite new to Android and already a total convert from iPhone - I cant believe how much more flexible it is (especially when rooted !)

However - I came across my first downside to rooting to-day - my HTC One S offered me a FOTA update - so I plugged power in (!) and downloaded, installed and it automatically re-booted - not into normal boot but into recovery (see pic below).

1. Does this mean after rooting I cant really rely on FOTA to get updates - I kind of expected this as the HTC Dev site said it might happen.

2. If this is correct - what practical mechanisms are available to keep my Phone "up-to-date" bearing in mind I would need to re-install all my apps etc if I were to install a update a new OS version via flashing a new ROM - do you just have to flash the latest ROM via adb (or ROM Manager) and then re-install all your apps etc - is this how it works ?