Rooting 101: SBF File

Have you noticed how difficult Motorola is making updates for the DROID X and DROID 2, especially for rooted users? Added to the fact that anyone can make simple mistakes while rooting their device, and you could have a bricked phone with nothing to do. Luckily we have these things called .sbf files. A lot of you have probably heard of this before, but until you have actually had to use it you probably don’t really understand what it is. So for our lesson in Rooting 101, we will go over what and .sbf file is, what it does, and some general instructions on how to use it:

This site does not and will not have any .sbf files located on it, nor will it link to a .sbf file. Sorry guys, tried that before and got into some trouble. You can easily find the files by doing some quick Google work

What is a .SBF File?

The .SBF file basically consists of the original software platform that your phone was released with. It doesn’t seem like anyone truly understand what sbf stands for, though (Structure-Behavior-Function, system-boot-format, single binary flash, single binary file, etc.)

What does this do?

The .sbf file is used to flash the entire internal memory and return it to stock. This is great for anyone that has completely bricked there device and needs to go back to original to make it work again. It does not remove any of your data, including your apps, contacts, messages, etc. Most of the time you will need to wipe data/cache or do a factory reset after flashing the .sbf file to return the phone to complete stock.

How do We do This?

You are going to need a couple things first:

The .sbf file the is compatible with your phones version
- To find your phones version go to Settings>About Phone. It will be located at the top. If you are using a custom ROM, then go to the forum pst about the ROM. It will say what version the ROM is based off of.
- Then do a quick search – “sbf file for _________” – where the blank is the software version you have.
RSD Lite
- RSD Lite 4.9 – http://droid2files.com/tools/RSD%20Lite%204.9.zip
Drivers must be installed and updated
- Link for Drivers (download the one that works for your computer): http://www.motorola.com/Support/US-E…arging-Drivers

Instructions:

Install RSD Lite 4.9
1. Unzip RSDLite.zip file and double-click the .msi file. Follow the instructions
Back up anything on your sd card that you feel is important
1. Plug your phone into your computer and then select the USB Mass Storage Device
2. There should be a removable storage in your “My Computer”
3. Copy anything you want onto your computer (most likely your pictures, DCIM)
Make sure your phone is set to back up data (Settings>Privacy>Check Backup My Data>Check Automatic Restore)
Put your phone into boot load mode
1. DROID 2
  - Power down your phone
  - Slide open your keyboard, press and hold the up arrow and the power button
2. DROID X
  - Power down your phone
  - Press and hold the Camera button and the volume down button, then power on your phone
Now start RSD Lite
1. Your phone should show up in the list at the bottom (A955, port 1, connected, etc.)
2. If it doesn’t, you may need to run RSD Lite as an admin (Program Files/Motorola/RSD Lite/right click on SDL.exe and select “run as administrator”)
Click on the “…” button located at the top of RSD Lite
Using the window that popped up, locate the .sbf file that you downloaded and select it, then press “Open”
Click the “Start” button at the beginning of the program
1. This process takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. The program is flashing the correct files over the broken ones. Your phone will reboot and start-up again. The process is finished when the progress field in the table of RSD Lite says complete
You should probably realize that you have no service and your roaming. Now you need to do a factory reset
1. Go to Settings>Privacy>then choose Factory Reset
2. Follow the instructions. It will ask you to confirm and/or enter your security code
3. It will reboot and run it’s process
Once it’s finished, you will be back to a brand new phone! You’ll have to go through the sign in process again but it should work just fine!

Wow. That was a lot to learn and hopefully something that will be useful to you one day. If you want to learn something else just let us know by contacting us and we’ll put it in our next Rooting 101. Class dismissed!

All credit for the instructions go to darkonion over at XDA. If these instructions helped you please donate to him from paypal (his paypal email is darkonion@kimete.com)