Fuel for Thought

Bricking Your Phone

Since I’m writing about things I do, I think spending four nights trying to fix my phone qualifies as a topic. A couple months ago I rooted my phone, because I like playing with things that aren’t broken. Rooting the phone gave me access to more apps and allowed me to uninstall uninstallable apps. I also wanted to add a new ROM to my phone mostly out of curiosity, but the operating system I wanted to flash (Cyanogen Mod) was not available for my phone.   Cyanogen Mod has since come available in a not-ready-for-prime-time version, and I still wanted it. And…

I bricked my phone. The Motorola Droid Razr is a little bit too small to become a doorstop, so maybe a paperweight is a better description of my phone after my first attempt to destroy my phone. Fortunately, I only turned the phone into a soft brick, and fortunately, there are people online willing to help the uninitiated like myself. It was like finding the people of Expediters Online for cellphones.

For anyone interested in experimenting with their phone, here are some processes I needed to learn before getting started or after making a mistake. Find out how to get into Fast Boot mode. Fast Boot is something like Safe Mode on a PC. Find a procedure, preferably a “one-click” app for rooting the particular phone. Most of my research starts at XDA Developers Forums and usually includes a couple You Tube video tutorials. Learn about Safe Strap or its equivalent. This program simplifies the process of loading multiple operating systems on the phone, so in theory there is always a good ROM to fall back to if you run into trouble with a particular ROM. I say, “in theory,” because I was in Safe Strap “playing” when I bricked my phone. Get the app Titanium Backup and back up the phone before experimenting.

Through my latest phone ordeal, as rough as it started, I ended up with the Cyanogen Mod I was looking for, and my phone is sleeker, and more efficiently arranged. Go ahead try it. Just don’t do it when you’re waiting for a call from dispatch.

eb