[Motorola Droid RAZR] SAJdroid:
When I switched over from Blackberry to Android , I was wandering literally all over forums trying to get all these information.

Initially I was very hesitant to even root my phone as I thought I will Brick it !!! Then I went through a lot of articles on linux , android , and follwed developers like hashcode , dtrail1 , pedrotorresfilho , hsdpilot and llearnt more from them.

Even now I see a lot of posts by beginners asking How to Root ? How to Flash ? ..I wanted to help and encourage these beginners to explore the exciting world of open source with no limits ... This is a comprehensive guide with videos . Trust me guys Rooting and flashing is not that complicated provided you follow the steps given by the developers :) ...

Disclaimer : This is not intended to people who fear their warranty is lost after flashing !!! :laugh:

ASSUMPTION : I am assuming you have stock Razr without root or custom ROMs.

ALL THE STEPS AND PROCEDURES IN MY GUIDE ARE TRIED AND TESTED ON MY RAZR SO THEY ARE 100% WORKING

What is Rooting ? What are the benefits ?

I can go all day explain about rooting , in simple words it gives you admin access to all your file system on your android device.

There are several applications out there which helps you to customize , tweak your device which is otherwise blocked by your stock ( factory installed) android OS.

How to Root ?

There are several methods to do it . But I suggest you to use Easy One click root by EternityProject. Very easy and safe for beginners :) .

If you feel you want to unroot , just single click and your back to stock / factory condition :)

Just follow the step by step instruction listed.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1710871

Video tutorial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVJyxv0Kd0

How do I install ( will now be referred to as flash ) custom ROM's ?

Before you flash any ROM's you need to have a custom recovery to help to flash these ROM's.

Again there are many Custom recovery out there like Clock work Mod recovery , Boot menu manager ( gaining popularity ) , and the most safest " Safestrap recovery" . Why I like this is because it helps to Instal ROM's on different partition and your stock ROM remains safe , and very less chances to brick your phone. Boot Menu also works on a similar logic and is also very good , the learning curve is slightly higher. Yes there are limitation that certain ROM's are not supported on SafeStrap , but as I said this is just a NOOB's guide and to start, so SafeStrap is a better option.

Safestrap is developed by HashCode :

1. Download the latest Safestrap APK from here. http://blog.hash-of-codes.com/downloads/safestrap/

2. Find the APK using a Filemanager tool and open it on your device, then click “Install”.

3. Once installed, open up the Safestrap application as you would any other app.

4.Then use the “Install Recovery” button. You should see the current version down in the lower left corner of the window. And the “Status:” should say “Installed” when you’re done.

5. From there you can reboot and you *should* see a new splash screen during the boot up. While this is showing you can enter Safestrap Recovery using the [ menu ] button.

Video tutorial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAqphCaein0

Once you have installed Safestrap your all good to go and play with your Razr by installing custom ROM's.

word of caution : Make sure the ROM you are installing is compatible with your Razr CDMA/GSM

BEFORE YOU FLASH ANY ROM/FILES DO A COMPLETE PHONE BACK UP USING ANY OF THE METHODS IN THE NEXT THREAD

One of my favorite ICS ROM is Eclipse 1.5 because its a very stable , smooth and has good battery performance.

Here's the link on how to instal it :

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1795493

Quick summary on Instal using safestrap :

a) Download the latest ( non beta ) version of Eclipse ROM to your SD card

d) Reboot to recovery mode.

c) Goto Boot Options , Click on ROM slot 2 , choose size ( 2 GB is ok) and create a partition and give it a nickname if u need ( ex eclipse)

d) Now you must see ROM slot 2 as Active , so all your future operations will be affected on this slot.

e) Come back to main menu , goto wipe : wipe cache , dalvik cache , and then factory reset

d) Come back to main menu again goto instal , choose the file from your SD card . You instal will start.

e) For GSM users only : after instal of ROM , instal this patch http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1805380

f) Reboot , this will take longer than usual as your file system is getting setup for first use.

g) Your dome !!!

h) If you want to go back to your stock , just reboot into recovery and activate your stock ROM slot . Reboot

Video Tutorial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YYuQ1fw0a8 ( this is for bionoc but the steps are same for Razr/Maxx)

FAQ section :

Q: How do I back up my apps so that i can use them once I flash custom ROM ??

A :Instal titanium backup , and backup Apps + data . Once your done flashing your new ROM restore backup :) * Refer the next post to do a full phone backup without root.

Q: I am selling my mobile / exchanging it how do I bring it back to factory condition ???

Step 1: Boot to Safestrap recovery , Make your Moto rom as active . Goto your Custom ROM slot , wipe cache , dalvik cache , factory reset. Reboot.

Step 2: Goto Safestrap , uninstall recovery , Uninstall Safestrap.

Step 3: Goto Super user app , unroot. , uninstall Super User app.

Done !

If you have any questions feel free to ask :cowboy: