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Unlock Google Nexus 7 Bootloader

The Google Nexus 7 Android tablet has been up for pre-order now for a few days and already there is a factory image and instructions to unlock the bootloader. In order to unlock the bootloader you will need a basic knowledge of adb and the Android SDK downloaded on your computer.

NOTE: Unlocking the bootloader on the Google Nexus 7 will wipe all data from the device so if you have already installed apps or anything else be sure to back it up.

How to Unlock the Nexus 7 Bootloader:

  1. Install Google Android SDK (Download Site)
  2. Enable USB Debugging on the Nexus 7 “Settings -> Developer Options”
  3. Connect your Nexus 7 to your Mac or PC
  4. Launch either Terminal on Mac or Command Prompt on PC
  5. Navigate to the fastboot folder within the Android SDK
  6. Type “fastboot oem unlock”, press enter
  7. Type “fastboot reboot”, press enter
  8. Congrats your Bootloader is unlocked!

The next step is usually installing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod which we will link to here shortly after the posting of this article. Keep in mind that unlocking the Nexus 7 bootloader may void your warranty and as always we aren’t responsible for the use of these instructions, be sure you know what you are doing before beginning. If you have any issues with the steps above please feel free to post in the comments below.

Unlock HTC One X Bootloader

Since HTC started htcdev.com we have been pleased to see ROMs availability increase for popular devices almost immediately since the average user can unlock their bootloader. This being said there is still a process that you must follow in detail to make sure the process is successful.

NOTE: Be sure that you have at least 50% battery before beginning the process. Also take note that all of your HTC One X data will be wiped so backup anything you need to keep. SDcard data will be untouched.

How to Unlock the HTC One X Bootloader:

  1. Install HTC Sync Software for proper drivers (Download Page)
  2. Download and extract fastboot files to your PC (Download Link)
  3. Open your web browser and go to http://www.htcdev.com and create an account (Register here)
  4. After you have created your account and verified your email go to the “unlock bootloader page” (Bootloader Unlock Page)
  5. Select “All other supported models”, then click “Begin Unlock Bootloader” page
  6. You should now see a popup, read it if you’d like then click “Yes”
  7. Next comes the legal terms, select the checkboxes and click “Proceed to Unlock Instructions”
  8. Next you will see some instructions which basically are telling you to turn off your phone, hold power + volume down until in bootloader mode, select fastboot via power button, and then connect your HTC One X to your PC via USB
  9. Go to the second page and click “Proceed to set 5″
  10. Go to the folder you created in step 2 and press shift and right click in a white area
  11. Select “Open command window here”, a command prompt and window should come up
  12. Type “fastboot devices” this will let you know that your One X is connected okay with proper drivers.
  13. Now go to the third page by clicking “Proceed to step 8″
  14. Follow all instructions on htcdev at this point and click “submit” when done
  15. You should now see “Token Submitted Successfully” on the next page and will receive an email with an unlock key attached.
  16. Download the “Unlock_code.bin” file within your email to your fastboot folder created in step 2
  17. Now open the link in the email from HTC to continue with instructions
  18. Go back to your command prompt and type “fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin”
  19. You should now see the Unlock Bootloader request on your phone
  20. Use Volume up to select yes and press power to select it
  21. Your phone will now reboot and do a factory reset, be patient
  22. Congrats your HTC One X Bootloader is now unlocked!

Let us know if you have any issues and anything else that you think may help others via comments below. Also keep in mind that this is meant for development purposes although may be required to install any custom ROM’s on your device. Also as always we are in no way responsible for the use of these instructions so be sure you know what you are doing before you begin.

HTC Bootloader Unlock

How to unlock the Bootloader on both the HTC One X and HTC One S is a pretty easy process and is documented on HTCDev.com.  If you want to follow along here there is a little more detail here. By unlocking your HTC One X or One S bootloader you can easily root the device to install custom ROM’s and completely take control of your device. Take note that unlocking the bootloader will cause a wipe of your personal settings and apps but will keep your images and videos in tact. The instructions to unlock your HTC One X and One S bootloaders here are Windows only.

Unlock the HTC One X and HTC One S Bootloader:

  1. Enable USB Debugging Mode “Settings -> Developer Options”
  2. Connect your HTC One X(S) to a PC via USB
  3. Choose “Charge Only” as your connection type
  4. Install the correct driver for your computer:
  5. Download and extract OneXRoot.zip (Download Link)
  6. Open up a command prompt and navigate to the folder you just unzipped
    • Type “adb devices”, press enter
  7. Go to HTCDev.com and login (or register if haven’t)(Site Link)
  8. Click “Unlock Bootloader”
  9. Choose either “HTC One X” or “All other supported devices”
  10. Click “Begin Unlock Bootloader”
  11. Click on “yes”
  12. Agree with terms and click “Proceed to Unlock Directions”
  13. Scroll down and click “Proceed to Step 5″
  14. Scroll down and click “Proceed to Step 8″
  15. Now grab your device and hold the volume down and power button
  16. After about 20 seconds your HTC One should be in Bootloader mode
  17. Choose “Fastboot” and power button to select
  18. Go back to your command prompt
    • Type “fastboot oem get_identifier_token”, press enter
  19. You should now see some random code that makes little sense
  20. Right click the code and select “Mark”
  21. now highlight code from the “<<< Now go back to HTCDev and paste that code there and click “Submit”
  22. You should now see “Token Submitted Successfully!”
  23. HTC has now sent you an attachment via email with your unlock code
  24. Download “Unlock_code.bin” from the email to your OneXRoot folder
  25. Go back to your command prompt
    • Type “fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin”, press enter
  26. Go to your Phone and hit volume up and then power to reboot
  27. Your bootloader is now unlocked!

To Root the device after unlocking the bootloader please go to the second half of the following page:
http://www.android-advice.com/2012/how-to-root-the-htc-one-x-and-htc-one-s/

How to Root the HTC One X and HTC One S

Rooting the HTC One X can be done by following a few simple steps. This method also works on the HTC One S. By rooting your HTC One X or One S you can easily install custom ROM’s and completely take control of your device. Take note that rooting your device will cause a wipe of your personal settings and apps but will keep your images and videos in tact. The instructions to root your HTC One X and One S here are Windows only.

Unlock the HTC One X and HTC One S Bootloader:

  1. Enable USB Debugging Mode “Settings -> Developer Options”
  2. Connect your HTC One X(S) to a PC via USB
  3. Choose “Charge Only” as your connection type
  4. Install the correct driver for your computer:
  5. Download and extract OneXRoot.zip (Download Link)
  6. Open up a command prompt and navigate to the folder you just unzipped
    • Type “adb devices”, press enter
  7. Go to HTCDev.com and login (or register if haven’t)(Site Link)
  8. Click “Unlock Bootloader”
  9. Choose either “HTC One X” or “All other supported devices”
  10. Click “Begin Unlock Bootloader”
  11. Click on “yes”
  12. Agree with terms and click “Proceed to Unlock Directions”
  13. Scroll down and click “Proceed to Step 5″
  14. Scroll down and click “Proceed to Step 8″
  15. Now grab your device and hold the volume down and power button
  16. After about 20 seconds your HTC One should be in Bootloader mode
  17. Choose “Fastboot” and power button to select
  18. Go back to your command prompt
    • Type “fastboot oem get_identifier_token”, press enter
  19. You should now see some random code that makes little sense
  20. Right click the code and select “Mark”
  21. now highlight code from the “<<< Now go back to HTCDev and paste that code there and click “Submit”
  22. You should now see “Token Submitted Successfully!”
  23. HTC has now sent you an attachment via email with your unlock code
  24. Download “Unlock_code.bin” from the email to your OneXRoot folder
  25. Go back to your command prompt
    • Type “fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin”, press enter
  26. Go to your Phone and hit volume up and then power to reboot
  27. Your bootloader is now unlocked!

The Root Instructions after the HTC One X (S) Bootloader is unlocked:

  1. Once the above is complete keep your phone connected to PC
  2. Change connection type to “Disk Drive”
  3. Copy “CWN-SuperSU-v.87.zip” from your OneXRoot folder
  4. Paste the file in your HTC One storage
  5. Go back to bootloader “hold volume down and power for 20 seconds”
  6. After in bootloader choose “Recovery” and press power to select
  7. Choose “Install zip from SDcard”
  8. Choose “zip from sdcard”
  9. Choose the “CWN-SuperSU-v.87.zip” file you placed earlier
  10. Confirm by selecting “Yes”
  11. After it completes choose the “reboot” option
  12. When your phone reboots find and open the SuperSU app
  13. Update the SU binaries
  14. Congrats your HTC One X or HTC One S is Rooted!
HTC Flyer

HTC Flyer bootloader unlocked courtesy of HTCDev.com

HTC has been on a roll releasing unlocked bootloaders for devices. The most recent being the 7 inch HTC Flyer courtesy of HTC’s development website. They have unlocked the bootloader for multiple versions of the Flyer including the international 3G and WiFi versions.

Before you head over to HTCDev.com you will need to know the version of the Flyer you own to be sure you get the correct firmware version. Also be sure you are fully up to date for the update tool otherwise it may fail. You can find the new firmware and update it at HTCDev.com on the bottom right of the unlocked bootloader list.

Now that you can unlock the bootloader it will allow you to install custom firmware on your pretty little HTC Flyer. Also take note that just because HTC offers the tools to unlock the bootloader that it still voids your warranty. Only do this if you are comfortable with how your device functions.

You can now unlock the Motorola Photon 4G’s bootloader by flashing the SBF file using Motorola’s RSD Lite program. While this is a long process, its very easy.

Unlock Instructions for the Photon 4G Bootloader:

  1. Turn off your Photon 4G
  2. Remove your MicroSD and SIM cards from the phone
  3. Turn on your Photon while holding the power up button
  4. Wait for the phone to say “Starting RSD Protocol Support”
  5. Run RSD Lite on your Computer (Download Link)
  6. Select the button labeled “…” beside the box labeled “Filename”
  7. Extract the Unlock SBF File to your computer (Download ink)
  8. Load the SBF file located inside the new files you just unzipped
  9. Be sure you have all phone drivers installed
  10. Plug your photon into the computer via USB
  11. RSD should recognize the device and say “Connected”
  12. Press “Start” and wait for the phone to reboot (takes a bit be patient)
  13. Open and extract fastboot files (Download Link)
  14. Open a command prompt and navigate to where you extracted fastboot
  15. Restart your Phone manually
  16. While powering up hold the power button and volume down
  17. When you see “Starting Fastboot Protocol Support” you can let go
  18. Type in your computers command prompt “moto-fastboot oem unlock”
  19. Take note of the unique device id
  20. Type “moto-fastboot oem unlock DEVICE ID“
  21. Type “moto-fastboot reboot”
  22. After your device reboots the bootloader will be unlocked

I personally have a Motorola Atrix 4G (the phone that I use on a regular basis not just for playing with) and its by far my favorite of the current devices.  It has superior, well everything at this point.  There are many other phones coming out this year that will give it a run for its money but Motorola and AT&T have restricted this phones full potential.

From what we have read unlocking the Atrix’s bootloader has been in the works since before the phone was released and many attempts have been unsuccessful until kholk (an XDA Developer, has found a way to bypass it.

Kholk named his unlocking project the Eternity Project. He used “Kexec”, “a mechanism of the Linux kernel that allows booting of a new kernel over the currently running one”, to bypass the Atrix’s bootloader. Kholk claims that he still has to create an actual kernel that is compatible with kexec.

If you have a Motorola Atrix this project will be important to you. Once this is all figured out it will allow users to flash custom ROMs to your phone which will unlock all the features that Motorola and AT&T have restricted thus far. There is still work to do on the Eternity project as Kholk is in need of help from the Android community developers to work on a bootable kernel from kexec.

We will keep up with the Eternity Project and keep this article updated to show any progress so come back and check it our periodically.  If you are interested in helping with this project visit Kholks website at: http://www.droidmatters.com/