First
off thanks for joining us here at Hack the Razr where
you can get the most out of your phone. If this is your first time
hacking your razr, then this is a perfect place to start.
Picture your phone as a mini, handheld computer that uses alot of
the same concepts. At the end of your hacking journey you'll most
likely somewhat forget that you can do all of this and all of that,
and oh hey - it makes phone calls too. It has a filesystem, much
like your computer, that you can navigate and upload / download
to. Most of the programs used to explorer and change this filesystem
can even be treated like just another windows explorer window, in
that you can drag and drop a file from your computer onto the filesystem
program. Note that downloading content like pictures and videos
that you've taken does not act in this way, and instead has some
sort of copy or save button.
Hacking
your Razr voids your warranty However, just about
every single guide here at Hack the Razr is capable of being reverted
back to stock, original settings and display. Meaning that you can
change the image displayed on the outside LCD screen when you have
your phone open to say, the Koolaid man, and then change it right
back to the original Verizon logo, without a problem and without
a trace of any hacks. Very nice! and pretty much required if you
want to avoid problems when taking your phone into your wireless
carrier, especially if something breaks on your phone.
At any rate, try and follow the specific steps of every guide (including
reading all notes and requirements) and you shouldnt find yourself
with an expensive paper weight (as properly put by pyde pypper).
All of the hacks here are safe, and should not break your phone.
Just be careful, very specific, and remember that you are altering
the way in which your phone operates. Dont forget to make a backup
of all files you are changing, including seems, images, and anything
else you might need a backup of. We do have a section of original
files that you can download, just in case you forget. Also,
please save your exploration of new hacks and what not until you
get fully comfortable with all aspects of hacking your razr.
USB
Cable or Bluetooth? Although some Razr's have full
bluetooth support and transferring content and such may be possible,
with the CDMA Razr's (like the v3c and v3m from Verizon and
Sprint) most, if not all, bluetooth support has been removed. However,
it seems as though simply using a USB cable for computer connectivity
is more or less the easiest, most reliable way to hack your razr.
If you look at your phones plug in area you will notice that it
is the exact same as many digital cameras, mp3 players, and other
goodies. Just about all of these USB cables will work perfectly
fine for your razr, and if you cant get your computer to even recognize
a new device, simply try a different USB cable.
USB
Device Drivers The so-called USB device drivers is
basically how your computer knows how to talk to the phone. Some
programs may require up to 5 device drivers to work properly. When
connecting a v3c or v3m model razr, it will read it as a Motorola
v3c (even if you really have a v3m) because they are more or less
the same phone (atleast for Verizon and Alltel) that simply have
the added microSD expandable memory slot and the accompanying music
player.
When connecting your Razr, make sure that you use the same
USB slot on your computer each time. Its best to just leave the
cable plugged in that way you dont forget which one it was plugged
into. The reason being that everytime you plug it into a new USB
slot, it will want you to install everything again (as it thinks
its another new device)
Installing drivers will be a re-occuring theme, and you will
probably have to do it relatively often throughout your hacking
experience. So yeah, nows the time to get familiar with it :)
Note: For Windows XP users, these drivers and following programs
will not work at all unless you have Service Pack 2. It has been
reported that you may be able to get most of this stuff to work
on Windows Vista and possibly Windows 2000. It is possible to do
certain things with the mac, and documented information will be
coming soon.
Installing
the Motorola Driver Installer
1. After
you download
the Motorola Driver Installer you need to first unzip it.
The easiest was is simply double clicking the setup file (even
before you unzip it) which will extract it to a temporary location
and automatically launch the setup
Otherwise, extract the setup file to a place you'll remember,
then go there and execute the setup file
Watch the Video Guide
2. Make sure
that your phone is unplugged from your computer, and then
goto Start > All Programs > Motorola Driver Installer
> Motorola Driver Installer .exe
3. It will
automatically begin the "Clean Only" option. After it
finishes the initial clean, click the radio checkbox for
"Clean & Reinstall" and then click
the [ Start ] button
Watch the Video Guide
After its completed, click the [ Exit ] button
4. Now
plug in your phone! You should notice 2 or 3 balloons pop
up out of the system tray recognizing your new phone. Due to the
Motorola Driver Installer, all of these drivers should automatically
install and then say "Found New Hardware".
Watch the Video Guide
4. You are
all setup and ready to go! Now you can move onto the bigger,
badder guides :)
^^
Go back to the top of this page
<<
BACK TO THE GUIDES
