Here is an awesome step by step guide to root your Pantech Breakout. This link includes every step needed as well as download links for all files required. I’ve included a couple things to remember that were a minor challenge for me:
- Enabling USB debugging is done through Settings->Applications->Development
- When you first connect the Pantech Breakout to your PC, run the autolaunch .exe that it prompts (I’d usually dismissed this and gone on to mass storage mode, but you need the drivers it will install with the autolaunch for installing a new recovery mod (CWM).
- Once you’re in Clockwork Recovery, the volume up/down buttons move your selection up and down, and the camera button functions as “enter”.
Basically what’s going to happen is the following:
- You install a new recovery menu using USB debugging (flashing RecoveryAIO.bat to phone)
- You copy the root zip file to the base directory of memory card
- You hard boot into the new recovery mode and execute the root zip file
- Reboot your phone, now rooted
“Okay, I’m rooted. Now what?”
You may want to boot into the Clockword Mod recovery again and backup your current ROM to your SD card in case anything else you try causes issues. This allows you to return to this point where you’re stable.
Download “Titanium Backup” from the market (Google Play Store), which is free and will allow you to remove any app from your phone. This includes the long list of Verizon bloatware that you’ve probably been looking forward to deleting.
Update: There is now a custom ROM available for the Pantech Breakout that strips out all Verizon/Pantech apps and allows the phone to run much faster, available at Android Forums. As always, root and install custom ROMs at your own risk.
Overclocking The Pantech Breakout?
You may want to download SetCPU as well. Until you’ve got some custom kernels you won’t be able to use this app to its max potential, but you can still create custom profiles to save battery life or make the CPU more aggressive in the mean time.
If this process worked for you, please share!
When root your phone will everything be erased off your phone and memory card ?
I think you can root without erasing anything on your phone. If I recall correctly I didn’t erase anything on mine until I installed a custom ROM. Even then you don’t have to erase all your data, but it’s generally recommended that you do when using a new ROM as it can cause issues otherwise. If you’re only looking to root and use the stock ROM you should be fine either way.
hey sorry for asking but when i try to root my breakout it says
error:divice not found
what should i do?
At what point in the process does this error occur? Are you in the recovery area of the phone applying the root zip as it does that or is this before that?
Your post indicates an Update. I looked on Android forums, which ROM is your update referring to? When did you see the update? Link? Thanks, Brian.
Sorry about that — I wrote another post on that (http://briancwatkins.com/2013/pantech-breakout-broken-out-custom-rom/) and must’ve forgotten to add it in this one. Here’s where you can find it: http://androidforums.com/breakout-all-things-root/492649-rom-5-3-12-broken-out-rom-2-0-a.html
Do you know of any step-by-steps when using Linux based computers?
Unfortunately, no. The Android forums I linked to have a pretty extensive knowledge base, so you might try searching their threads there. If there hasn’t been a discussion on that, it’d be a great thread to start.
How do I get to clockwork recovery
You have to hold one of the buttons down as you turn your phone on. Can’t remember if it’s the search button or the camera button, but you hold it until the splash screen and it’ll boot into recovery. Let me know if that works for you.
search button
Ah that’s right. Thanks Damian!
Hey Brian, thanks for the help. This worked great for eliminated the bloatware on my fiance’s phone. However, now I have a new problem, where her phone keeps trying to update from Verizon, and it keeps getting stuck with the following:
CWM-base Recovery v5.0.2.7
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Verifying update package…
E:failed to verify whole-file signature
E:signature verification failed
Installation aborted.
I’ve tried finding fixes and can’t find anything. It seems like it shouldn’t be that hard to fix, but I can’t figure it out. If I can stop it from auto-updating, or find a way to skip the signature verification (I disable it, but when I reboot and run it through the regular Verizon install, it turns back on), or find a way to manually install the update, I think I’d be okay.
Any help would be appreciated!
I had that problem, too. My assumption is that there is a new update available for the phone, and since it’s rooted but using the stock OS it tries to update as usual. However, since the phone is rooted that seems to mess up the installation. The only solution I found was to install a custom ROM. Check my link near the end of the post if you’re interested.
never mind bub but thank it works great!!!
Sorry I didn’t catch the comment in time, but I’m glad you got it working!
brian sorry to bugg ya but ya im at a complete loss on rooting. ive been told to do it sooo many times but just not that easy for me? so all i need to do is download the one file before i hook up to my pc and then mass storage with debugg??? please help sorry just my first time dont want to get it wrong!!! thanks bub!
when i plug into the computer, i get an autoplay window, and all it says is run TL_bootstrap.exe ….. what do i do??
That’s the autolaunch exe that will install the adb drivers needed for the next step.
Brian- can’t get my phone into clockwork recovery i followed your instructions for the breakout but i get an “autoplay exe” not autolaunch. could be I am missing an intial step or download?
That’s probably the same thing if it’s launching when your phone connects to the PC. Click that and it should install the necessary drivers to allow your PC to interact with the phone for the Clockwork Recovery part. Let me know if that does it for you.
Is the rom you referenced incomplete? Not ready in some way? Please explain.
Thanks.
No prob, Steve. What I meant was that unlike previous rooting/roms I have used for older phones like the Droid 1, all this does is root the Breakout and allow Superuser Access. There are no custom themes or kernels to allow overclocking for this phone that I know of, unlike the Droid 1 and others that had extensive mods that you could apply after rooting. While I don’t know that you can overclock the Breakout, rooting does allow you to remove all the junk software that comes loaded on it and such.
Great, I see. Thanks, Brian.