Super One Click actually uses Zerg to root the device through its interface – for some reason or another, this interface through Super One Click works while the Zerg tool itself seems to not be working at the moment on its own. You can get Super One Click at XDA or Shortfuse.org.

The root method is similar – make sure you have the Window’s drivers installed, which you can get straight from ZTE. Put your device into USB Debugging Mode by going through ”menu”—>”Settings”—->Manage Applications—>Development and then select the check box for debugging mode.

You may need to disable your Antivirus auto protect to unzip Super One Click and then run it without the antivirus determining that the Zerg tool is a “hack tool” that is dangerous to your computer. A alot of Antivirus software is designed to auto remove or “fix” these files, and you will need to disable it (or tell it the file is safe if possible) if it tried to auto remove Zerg.

After all this, connect the x500 ZTE Score by USB to the computer and run SuperOneClick.exe.

The one problem I ran in to was that the three times I successfully rooted the ZTE Score during my trials, each time it put the device into a boot loop where it showed the Muve Music banner over and over and over and over. To abort this, I just pulled the battery and disconnected the USB from the computer. This worked each time without any lasting ill effects.

I recommend using “Root Checker Basic” to see if the process was successful.

Happy Rooting!

Old Method – *No Longer Works*

First, I followed Jon’s advice over at Yahoo Answers to use Zerg’s One Click Permanent Root tool. I had tried Z4root, Gingerbreak, and a few other options, but all of them had not worked

Second, I started the long process (in my case, hopefully not in yours) of getting the computer to install the right drivers for the ZTE Score.

I started by hunting down the official USB driver for ZTE devices and picked ZTE+Android+USB+Driver+for+Microsoft+PC_5.2066.1.8 .

Now, I am NOT sure that this driver was the key to my success at installing the phone driver or not, but I am including this information and the link because I did not have any success before I installed this and I did have success after although not directly related to those files per se.

Third, I put my phone in “Debugging mode” and went to my Window’s 7 “Devices and Printers” menu and right clicked on the ZTE drive that showed up and selected auto run and then “setup”.

After installing the setup the first time, I have been unable to replicate finding this file. This setup took me to a Android driver install screen for the ZTE device.

Window’s kept asking me to format the drive that this program was stored on, and I continually declined it — I’m not sure what that was about and I did not want to erase my phone.

*Note* You can get to “Debugging Mode” from the home screen by pressing “menu”—>”Settings”—->Manage Applications—>Development and in there Debugging is an option.

Fourth, I ran the ZergRushTempRoot.bat file that was inside the zip file of Zerg’s One Click Permanent Root tool. I watched the console go through a bunch of text and then it said it was successful, restarted something, and then bam! it was rooted.

I restarted the phone and I used the app “Root Check” to verify that I had root installed. The ZTE Score comes with Busybox already installed according to the “Root Check”, which is cool.

Final words — As far as I know, there is no backup ROM out there on the internet if you irreparably screw up the ZTE Score. If you attempt to follow in my footsteps – be careful. I will write more about my root adventures as I have them.

Welcome to the jungle!

Rock That Mobile ZTE Score!