How to Root and install Custom Recovery on any Android phone

As is the case with any smartphone, the initial ownership period is always the most exciting one. Your phone is new and you can’t wait to try out all the features it has to offer. After a while, though, you tend to get bored with it and that’s when you start thinking about buying a new one. Unfortunately, what many don’t realise is that at times, manufacturers aren’t able to exploit the phone's true capabilities due to various reasons and one of the best ways to achieve that is by rooting it (if it’s Android) or jailbreaking it (if it’s an iPhone). You may have heard these terms thrown around the Internet or amongst your friends and may have wondered what’s the big deal behind this. Well, today we’ll talk about what is rooting? How to root virtually any Android phone? And finally, installing a custom recovery and why you may need it.

As a special treat, we’ll also show you how to install Ice Cream Sandwich on your Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000. This still remains one of the most popular phones, especially with the modding community and thanks to them, they’ve achieved what Samsung refused to do. More on that later, though, first let’s get you rooted!

What is rooting and why do I need it?
At the core, Android is based on Linux and by default, it gives users only limited access to the system. The permissions are set to give users access to everything they would typically need and restrict them from accidentally modifying any system files or permissions, since a novice user can end up bricking their phone. Rooting your Android phone gives you Superuser access, which is similar to having an Administrator account in Windows. Armed with this, you can now perform system level updates; make changes in the UI through specialized apps; modify protected files, etc. With this you can now use Titanium Backup, which is one of the best backup apps in the Marketplace letting you backup virtually all your settings, data, etc, which otherwise is not possible. Adfree is another very handy app that lets you block ads in any free app you download and since it works at the IP address level, it doesn't slow down the system.

Superuser access granted!

Rooting your phone will void your warranty, but luckily you can unroot it as well, should you choose to in the future. There are a bunch of ways to root your phone and each device sometimes has a specific method of rooting. We’ve already seen how to root the Galaxy Note and today we’ll take a look at two applications that will do just that, but for virtually any Android device.

Using SuperOneClick – Download
This Windows-based application will root (almost) any Android phone in the market and is a good place to start. It works on Windows Vista and above, and requires you to have .NET Framework 2.0 and above pre-installed. For the full list of supported phones and instructions on how to use this on a Mac or Linux, read this thread on XDA. Once you download and install it, just follow these steps:

• Put your phone in Debugging mode – For this, go to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging. Some phones have this placed differently, so if you don’t find it here, just browse though all the sub-menus in settings, you will eventually find it.

• Make sure the drivers for your phone are installed – If you received a CD with your phone then install it. If not, then go to the support section of your phones website and download it from there. In case you have a phone from a lower tiered company like Spice, Lava, etc then chances are you may not find drivers for it. Don’t worry, as OneClickRoot will download generic drivers for your phone.   

• Plug your phone to the PC via USB cable – Remember, not to “Turn on Mass Storage”, if you get the prompt. Just ignore it.

• Run the software and it should now detect your phone. Then you simply click ‘Root’ and wait for it to complete. If Windows can’t detect the drivers for your phone, click the second tab on the program and click “Get Drivers”.

Your phone is now rooted! You’ll now have a new app in your list called ‘Superuser’. All that it does is keep a log of which applications require Superuser access.

The simplest way to root your phone

The other application we mentioned was Unlock Root,  which works in a similar fashion. So, if for some reason OneClickRoot doesn’t work, you can give this a try. Now that we have rooted the phone, it’s time to install a custom recovery, so we can install custom ROMs and a lot more.

What is Custom Recovery and why do I need it?
Think of recovery as DOS mode in your PC. You access it to make changes to the system, apply updates, change file partitions, etc, which is normally not possible through the OS itself. All Android devices come with a recovery, but the stock one offers very basic options, which won’t let you install custom ROMs or make any other system level changes. For that, we have a custom recovery and the most popular one is the ClockworkMod Recovery or CWM.

A couple of things you can do with CWM are:

• Make, restore and manage backups of your current ROM

• Install a custom ROM or flash a kernel from internal storage

• Mount, format your phones internal storage partitions

• Create logs for error reporting

It’s ok, if you don’t know what some of them are, as you’ll seldom be using them. You can install CWM in different ways, but the simplest is through an app called ‘ROM Manager’. Here’s what you do:

• Download ROM Manager from the Android Marketplace
• Launch the app and the first option itself should say “Flash ClockworkMod Recovery”. Just press that and follow the instructions onscreen. In case you don’t have enough internal memory, you’ll be prompted to insert an SD card, so do that.
• Be patient and let it work its magic. Once it’s done, you now have a custom recovery on your phone.

You can get into recovery mode a number of ways. Some phones have a button combo, which you boot into, but again, the simplest way is through ROM Manager. The second option says ‘Reboot into Recovery’, so just hit that and your phone should boot in to recovery mode.

The ClockworkMod Recovery

After a reboot you won’t see the screen above directly, if you boot through ROM Manager (sometimes). Instead, you’ll have an Android logo with an exclamation mark. Don’t be alarmed; simply press the ‘Home’ button or any of the soft keys and you’ll see the main menu. You can scroll through the options using the volume keys and enter them using the ‘Home’ or ‘Power’ button. It’s a bit different for each device, but nothing that you can't figure out on your own. CWM will not work with every device, especially the lower end handsets from Spice, Lava, etc. The reason being they aren’t support by the developers, since they are relatively unheard of. However, almost every phone from a Tier 1 brand are supported.

Congratulations! You now have a rooted phone and a custom recovery installed. Don’t worry about loss of data as both these procedures will not affect any of the settings or data on your phone. The next step? How about installing a custom ROM? And what better to start with than Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000!

 Installing Ice Cream Sandwich on the Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000
Now that we’ve learnt how to root and install a custom recovery, it’s time to install Android 4.0 on your Galaxy S. The custom ROM comes from Team ICSSGS, which was initially started by Onecosmic. The latest build is RC 4.1 and so far, all the primary functions work just fine. If you encounter minor bugs or glitches, don’t freak out as they will be fixed in the upcoming builds. Here’s a list of things you’ll need:

• Galaxy S GT-I9000 (Rooted and CWM installed)

• ICS_4.0.3_MR1-RC4.1_I9000 ROM (Download)

• Semaphore_ICS_0.7.5 Kernel (Download)

• Wi-Fi Fix (if needed) – Download 

Galaxy S with Android 4.0 in all its glory!

Once we have all the files, the next step is to make sure you backup all your data. You can use My Backup Pro or Titanium Backup to create a copy of your messages, call logs, media, etc. Get them from the Marketplace and back them up on your SD card. You can also install ROM Manager and create a backup of your current ROM, so you can revert back, should you feel the need to. Also, make sure your phone is at least 70 percent charged, before you proceed.

• Dump the ICS_4.0.3_MR1-RC4.1_I9000, Semaphore_ICS_0.7.5 Kernel and Wi-Fi fix zip files as is, into the root of your phone memory. Make sure it's not in any folder, but in the root directory.
• Disconnect your phone and boot into recovery mode, either through ROM Manager or using the three-button combo. For this, you need to power down the phone first. Then, start it up by holding the volume up button + Home button and then press the power button. Once you see the Samsung logo, you can let go of all the buttons after a few seconds. 
• Once in Recovery mode, do a "Wipe data/factory reset" and "Wipe cache partition". Scroll up and down with volume keys and use home or power button for 'Enter'
• Go to "Advanced" > "Wipe Dalvik cache" > "Go back"
• Now choose "install zip from SD card" > "choose zip from sd card" > Select  “ICS_4.0.3_MR1-RC4.1_I9000”, which should be at the bottom and press enter. Select ‘Yes’ and let it do its thing. 
• The first boot will take some time. In case you get stuck at a boot loop (the colourful honeycomb flashing animation keeps going for 10min or more), remove the battery and put it back in. Then follow steps from 3 onwards and install the ROM again. It should boot just fine the second time. I faced this issue and it worked just fine the second time.

We’re almost there. Now that you have ICS up and running, you’ll notice that it’s slightly laggy when opening apps or in the animations. All this is fixed with Semaphore’s ICS Kernel. Here's what you do.

Flashing Semaphore’s Kernel

• Boot into recovery mode and select “Semaphore_ICS_0.7.5 Kernel” through the same method we did for the ROM.
• You don’t need to wipe any data or cache this time
• Reboot

You’ll now notice a dramatic boost in the speed in the menus and apps are a lot more responsive. In case you happen to have the Wi-Fi bug, where Wi-Fi doesn’t work, then reboot into recovery and flash the “WiFi_fix.zip” file in the same fashion. If you need FM Radio, then install Spirit FM from the marketplace and you should be all set. Remember to change the country to India and audio method to 'Galaxy S ALSA' for it to work properly. I also strongly recommend you buy VooDoo Control Plus (if you haven't already). What this does is that it gives you full analog control over the Wolfson audio chip in the phone and improves the audio quality ten fold that will rival any portable amplifier in the market. Couple that with Poweramp and experience audio nirvana!

Sweet ICS on SGS!

Here are some of the features that await you:

• Based on ICS 4.0.3

• Full Google Apps suite

• Pre-rooted

• Full Hardware Acceleration

• Touchscreen works perfectly

• Fully working Wi-Fi

• Fully working Bluetooth

• Fully working Calendar sync

• Fully working Camera

• Panorama mode works fine

• Face Unlock (a little slow due to low res camera on the SGS)

• Fully Working GPS

• USBOTG Support

• Voodoo Sound

• Voodoo Colour

• Deep Idle

Remember, this is a work in progress, so things will only get better with subsequent builds. You can check the XDA-Developers thread for the latest updates and developments on this ROM. In case you have any queries, issues or need further explanation on certain steps, feel free to discuss them in our forums.