How to root your Android phone

Well, this is how I did it for the Mlais M52 Red Note, with KitKat 4.4.4.

This forum has ongoing information about the M52:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/mlais-m52-red-note-review-progress-t3069365

...it has advice to use Kingoroot to root the phone. Unfortunately, I found that does not work.

Instead, I found instructions to use iRoot, that does work:
http://chinamobilemag.com/how-to-root-the-mlais-m52-red-note/

Unfortunately, the Internet has many places to download iRoot for Windows, and the one I first installed also installed heaps of crap. Beware sites that seem to be offering later versions, and look like proper official sites.

This seems to be the author's site, and where I got it on the second go:
http://www.mgyun.com/en/getvroot

A Windows driver is also required, that you get from here:
https://github.com/koush/UniversalAdbDriver
Scroll down, you will see this link to the file to download:
http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/UniversalAdbDriverSetup.msi

The first link has instructions, but this is what I did:

1. I installed the Windows Universal ADB driver, without the phone connected.
2. I plugged in the phone, via USB cable, then installed iRoot.
3. I think there was a button to click to perform the root operation. Note, it is important that your PC have a working Internet connection at this time, as iRoot automatically downloads scripts for the type of phone that it has detected. Also, watch the phone screen, you might have to approve an installation.
4. That's it, done. iRoot should report success. It does leave behind some apps on the phone -- I was uncertain just what was installed, I think an "su" program, and something else in Chinese -- I deleted the latter.

I now seem to have three "su" management apps on my phone, Kangouser, SuperSU and Superuser, the first installed as a system app, don't know how to get rid of it.

Anyway, a check with Root Checker verified my phone is rooted, and Root Explorer is able to copy files to/from my external USB Flash stick.

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Comments

Root Explorer is great, however I have hit a glitch.

I wanted to copy some videos into the phone from a USB Flash drive. Root Explorer was only able to copy some of them.

For some, the copy failed partway through. It seems that the mounted USB drive got interrupted, as Android popped up a window asking if want to make the external USB memore the default write drive -- which is only supposed to happen when the drive is first plugged in.

So, general flakiness here.

Anyway, this is all a learning experience for me.
I am also trying to run Android "sans the cloud", without the automatic login to google/gmail -- looks just about impossible.
Or rather, if you never run any of the apps that login to google, then you are OK, but just once login to say, the Play Store, and you are caught.

It may be that all of this will teach me that the dis-empowerment of Android is to difficult to overcome, and I will have to look elsewhere.
In the SD-card slot I have inserted a 64GB micro-SD card, and the Setup refers to this as the "SD card".

The Android File Manager also uses this naming. However, Root Explorer names the phone memory as "sdcard0" and the 64GB SD-card is named "sdcard1".

I have installed Titanium Backup, the free version. Although it asks for root status at startup, it refuses to backup to sdcard1, will only do so to the phone memory. Not what I want!

I found a solution, it is called SDFix, available here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2684188

...the first post contains a direct download for the .apk file (the Android package format), and this link is the latest version.

I did not go through the Google Play Store, as I am now trying to avoid Android registering with my Google/gmail account. I had previously downloaded a lot of .apk apps and saved them on a USB flash drive. These are now available for installation.
Note, after having downloaded all the wanted .apk files, I did a factory reset, and now my Android has no idea about my Google account, nor do I have any syncing to the cloud.
Anyway, I digress.

After running SDFix and rebooting, Titanium Backup was able to save to my 64GB SD card. Yippee!

Oh, bye the way, Titanium Backup refers to my 64GB SD card as "external SD card".

If anyone would like to post a comment, send me a message via the Contact Me link at top of the page.
I might post it as a user-comment, and use your full identity or otherwise, as you prefer.

I received this helpful email from "Jorge" :

Hi Barry,

Having read your comments about Android, maybe this will help you:

- I also had many problems with ES File Explorer; I use Ghost Commander
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ghostsq.commander
(note the plugins)

- SuperSU is the one to use, if it works

- to delete system apps, there are many ways, the best one for newbies
(you, Barry) is to use Titanium Backup (remember to reboot after)

- My preferred browser: Lightning Browser
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=acr.browser.barebones

- you don't need SDfix, you can manually edit
/system/etc/permissions/platform.xml (use GC as root)

Any question write me.
Thanks for your work with Puppy!

Yes, I am an Android newbie! Despite owning a couple of Android phones for the last couple of years, I continued to use my trusty old flip-phone.
Only in the last few weeks have taken the plunge with the M52.

Surely I can just install ringtones and alarms, without anyone trying to impose extra c##p onto me?

Ah, yes, another advantage of being rooted!

I downloaded some MP3 files from here:
http://www.beepzoid.com/old-phones/
...I like oldphone1.mp3, and for an alarm, church-bell.mp3.

Then, using Root Explorer, I copied them into /system/media/audio/ringtones and /system/media/audio/alarms, and set file permissions to 644.
Rebooted, and there they are, selectable in Setup.

Great old-fashioned telephone ringtone!

I so much miss the "old days" when you could just select "Save as..." in the "File" menu, and save where ever you want! Anyway, must not grumble, pressing on...

I found a little app, named Send to SD card, that registers itself as a "Send to..." recipient, and saves to the SD card:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.gelin.android.sendtosd&hl=en

It is free, but has "in-app purchases", which is just asking for a donation.

If using KitKit or later, the phone must be rooted, and also the SDFix app needs to have been run to make the SD card writeable. Having done that, Send to SD card works.

I reckon this is a "must have" if you use an SD card.

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