HTC One X has really managed to amaze us with its hardware quality and software features. After playing with my One X for a while, I was unable to resist the urge to install a custom ROM and do things which are not possible on the stock ROM. That’s where unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone comes in.

There are various guides available concerning rooting & unlocking but, I think the users deserve a definitive how-to guide to unlock, install custom recovery and root the HTC One X. The steps below are only for the international version of HTC One X, not the US version which comes for AT&T, Sprint and others.

How to Unlock Bootloader, Install Custom Recovery (CWM) & Root (SuperSU) HTC One X

Stage 1. Unlock the Bootloader on HTC One X

Note: This step is where it all begins. Do not proceed unless you have really decided to unlock this beast. Unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty on the One X, so proceed with caution.

Step 1. Go to http://www.htcdev.com and signup for a new account.
Step 2. Download fastboot zip files from here.
Step 3. Navigate to C:\ drive or any other drive and make a folder named ‘fastboot’.
Step 4. Extract the contents of the fastboot zip file into the new folder ‘fastboot’.
Step 5. Go to http://www.htcdev.com/bootloader/ and under “Supported Devices” select “All Other Supported Models“. Click “Begin Unlock Bootloader“.

Step 6. Read the disclaimer carefully which comes up on the screen. Click “Yes” to proceed.

Step 7. Read the legal terms, tick the boxes and click “Proceed to Unlock Instructions”.
Step 8. Restart your HTC One X by holding down the power button for 10 seconds. As soon as the device shuts down, hold down the volume down button. You’re now in the bootloader mode.
Step 9. Use the Volume buttons to select up or down. Highlight ‘Fastboot’ and press the Power button.
Step 10. Plug your HTC One X into your PC and open command prompt on your PC.
(windows XP – Click Start > Run > type CMD in box then press OK
(Windows 7 – Click Start > type CMD in search box then press Enter)
Step 11. Navigate to the folder where you extracted fastboot files in Step 4. In our case, the folder is located at C:\fastboot. Type the following command in command prompt: cd c:\fastboot
Step 12. Now type fastboot oem get_identifier_token in the command prompt.
Step 13. You will be presented with a long block of text. Right click in the command prompt and click “Mark”. Select the text from <<<< Identifier Token Start >>>> to <<<< Identifier Token End >>>>. Now right click again to copy the selected text.

Step 14. Skip to Step 10 on HTCdev website. Paste the copied text in the box which says “My Device Identifier Token:” and click “Submit”.
Note: Do not close the command prompt.
Step 15. You will now receive an email with the heading “The key to unlocking your HTC Device” with a file attached named Unlock_code.bin. Download the file and save it to the ‘fastboot‘ folder we created in Step 3.

Step 16. Type fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin in the command prompt. The display on your HTC One X will now change. Press Vol+ button to accept and power to confirm.

Note: The command prompt or the phone’s screen might display an error which says something like too many links. It is absolutely nothing to worry about as the bootloader will still unlock. Enjoy your unlock bootloader!

Stage 2. Install Custom Recovery

Before we begin with rooting the One X, we must first install a custom recovery on the phone. It is the safest way to achieve permanent root on the device.

Step 1. Open command prompt. Navigate to C:\fastboot we created in Step 3 in the previous stage. Run the following command: cd c:\fastboot.
Step 2. Download latest Clockworkmod recovery from here and save it to the ‘fastboot‘ folder.
Step 3. Restart your HTC One X by holding down the power button for 10 seconds. As soon as the device shuts down, hold down the volume down button. You’re now in the bootloader mode.
Step 4. Use the Volume buttons to select up or down. Highlight ‘Fastboot’ and press the Power button.
Step 5. Plug your HTC One X into your PC and open command prompt on your PC.
(windows XP – Click Start > Run > type CMD in box then press OK
(Windows 7 – Click Start > type CMD in search box then press Enter)
Step 6. In command prompt type the following command: fastboot flash recovery name_of_recovery_image.img
In my case, it was: fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-5.8.4.0-endeavoru.img
Step 7. You now have custom recovery. You can now reboot your HTC One X through options in the bootloader.

To enter custom recovery, enter the bootloader, select ‘recovery’ and press the power button. You are now in custom recovery!

Stage 3. Rooting HTC One X

Before we begin with rooting, it’s time to make the very first Nandroid backup of your current stock ROM. In case anything goes wrong you can always flash back the Nandroid backup of your current ROM.

Step 1. Boot your phone and plug it into your PC. Select ‘disk drive’ in the connection type prompt.

Step 2. Download the latest SuperSU file from here.
Step 3. Copy the SuperSU file from your computer to the phone’s disk drive. It’s best to paste it in the / directory on the disk drive of your One X.
Step 4. Enter recovery mode. To enter custom recovery, enter the bootloader, select ‘recovery’ and press the power button.
Step 5. Select “choose zip from sdcard” and press the power button.
Step 6. Press the Volume + or Volume – button and highlight the SuperSU file you saved on the hard disk of your HTC One X. Press the power button.
Step 7. Highlight the option which says “Yes” and press the power button. The root flashing process will now begin. Reboot the phone.
Congratulations, you now have permanent root! If you’re more interested in exploring the Android development community, then you should start with flashing a custom ROM of your choice.