Problems Gaining Root On The EVO

If you've been following the EVO 4G root progress, you would know that the current root status is incomplete:

the unrevoked method allows granting root to apps but doesn't allow writing to the /system partition, which means you can't remove applications added by Sprint and do any kind of useful hackery, such as installing custom recoveries or ROMs

toastcfh's original method (now known as Part 1), which grants write access to /system but only in recovery mode, which means you need to reboot your phone into a special recovery console to gain those write permissions. This method at least allow installing custom ROMs but you still can't write to /system, even when using those.

The /system write protection, which also exists on the Droid Incredible, was a new method of system lockdown implemented by HTC using NAND protection. No other Android phones used this method before, as far as I know, which is why full root was much simpler to achieve on such phones as the Nexus One.

Full EVO Root

However, as of tonight, thanks to the amazing effort of toastcfh, a well respected Android hacker and the creator of the original root method, we now have instructions for achieving full EVO 4G root, including writing to /system from within a running OS!

This means you will be able to remove those pesky Sprint apps and finally use ROM Manager to install recovery images and flash custom ROMs.

The instructions come in 2 parts, the 1st one being the same crippled original root method:

Part 1 - same as before

Part 2 - new steps that achieve full write access to /system

The root process requires a bit of effort, but works consistently, unlike the current Droid Incredible method, which requires quite a bit of tinkering and luck.

Massive props to toastcfh and the Android development community!

Now get rooting and report back. The comments are waiting for you.

P.S. Is the Incredible next? It uses the same NAND protection, and if the same methods used for the EVO can be applied to it, we may be in luck. We will clarify this when we receive word from developers.