eFuse Will Make Motorola Droid X Root Extremely difficult
Motorola Droid X is set to go public tomorrow and without a doubt this handset is an excellent high-end Android device. Mororola Droid X might sound pretty interesting to any regular Android user with high processing power and 8 MP camera etc, but there is some bad news for Android fans who like to root and flash custom ROMS on their devices. Motorola has introduced eFuse which can permanently brick your phone in case you try to acquire root access or try to flash a custom ROM.
The eFuse is basically a set of codes that cross checks the version, ROM and other root level information 
The eFuse is coded with information that it either looks for or is passed to it from the bootloader. The bootloader is loaded with information it looks for when it begins the boot-up process. (I have seen the sbf file look for a certain bootloader when it begins so its safe to assume that this is the process).
Once the the eFuse verifies that the information it is looking for or that has been passed through to it by the bootloader is correct then the boot process continues. What type of information is written to the bootloader? So far i’ve been able to verify that the firmware information (what we call ROMS), the kernel information, and the bootloader version.
If the eFuse failes to verify this information then the eFuse receives a command to “blow the fuse” or “trip the fuse”. This results in the booting process becoming corrupted and resulting in a permanent bricking of the Phone. This FailSafe is activated anytime the bootloader is tampered with or any of the above three parts of the phone has been tampered with.
We can’t really influence your Droid X buying decisions, but in case you are looking to load custom ROMs and root your devices, then it is advised to wait for a hack for eFuse to come out. The eFuse phenomenon pretty much explains Motorola’s official stance on avoid buying their phones in case users want to gain root access or install custom ROMS. The bottom line is that eFuse will be a relatively hard-nut to crack, but we believe that nothing is impossible.
[via MyDroidWorld, Image Credit: Mobile Crunch]
How do I turn off bootloader?
You turn off your phone. The bootloader will also be turned off automatically by that.
Is there more detailed information about this efuse/bootloader pair of files? Copies of the files to download and see the actual code? I’ve been looking to use something like this as a user-selectable “nuclear option” to safeguard data on a device that has been stolen, confiscated, or otherwise in adversarial hands.
Why would anyone still buy Motorola phones? Their firmware support is crap, has always been. And they don’t want the users to make things better either! I had two Motorola phones and regretted it terribly, they got a second chance from me but will not get a third!
eFuse will not blow out. It is a software selectable (hard coded) into the firmware and only service tools can disable the efuse protections. Get better info. Look at OMAP, ARM and other embedded systems that use this technology. Each has a different implementation but none of them “blow” like you refer. This is not the 70’s with EPROM write registeres blown to prevent rewrites.
We need to put corporations which hinder the free software movement, into the same box we have built for microsluts.
You will still be able to root this device. eFuse does not protect against it. It will only prevent flashing custom bootloaders/firmware.
The latest response from Motorola indicates flashing the ROM will trip the efuse. They conveniently left out is the fact that while it’s not bricked, you must return the phone to verizon, pay the $350 penalty for them to restore a working stock ROM.
There is no way I’m going to pay them for this bullshit.