Develop Bugs

Unbranding Linux guide

So, I want to get this Telstra crap off my phone and run the base unbranded Desire ROM, don't even care about rooting it. I just want to get the Telstra crap off and not have to worry about them not pushing the 2.2 update to their devices when it comes out. Telstra isn't known for their service, so I wouldn't be surprised if they don't update to 2.2 right away/at all. On top of that, the amount of crap they pack on the device takes up probably 75% of the ROM, it's ridiculous! Anyways, all the guides I see to making a gold card and flashing a debranded ROM are for Windows... Is there a Linux, preferably Ubuntu, guide to doing this? Is it possible? Is it more risky, less risky? Anyone have any input on this? If possible I was just going to flash it to the new 1.21.405.2 official ROM... would there be any issues with that, is there something better I should flash? I would like to keep it official so I can get the 2.2 update as soon as it comes out. I would also like to minimize the chance of causing damage to the Desire. Thanks!!

Is it just making the goldcard you need to do in Ubuntu?
I followed post 4 in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4577777 and had no issues.
You dont need the hex editor, you just dd the image file onto the card and voila!

[Q] Rooting UK T-Mobile Desire

Right, first of all, I've tried searching and have found LOADS of really helpful information. But nothing seems to clearly answer my query which should hopefully be a quick one for someone to answer.
I previously had a G1 and have rooted/flashed a custom rom onto that, so I am familiar with the whole process. My only concern is that things seem a bit different with the Desire.
To set the scene, I have a T-Mobile branded Desire with default 2.1 ROM (Build 1.15.110.11). There is no specific T-Mobile software other than the boot animation. But I've read that this build of the OS is specific to T-Mobile, so I assume it is branded...
I currently have no need to unlock the phone to allow for other networks as I'm in my contract for the long haul! My questions are:
Do I need to have my phone unlocked in order to root?
Secondly, to root and install a custom rom, do I need to use a gold card if I am going to use unrevoked? Or is the unrevoked method an alternative to the gold card method?
And lastly, is there a specific radio image that I need to use for T-Mobile?
Any additional tips specific to T-Mobile handsets are appreciated!
Thanks in advance for any help, and let me know if I've missed off anything important.
Apologies for the length of the post, I just wanted to make you sure I got all the details down.

Hi Mate
1: No you dont
2: No gold card for root but I think yes for custom rom or you get the endless reboot prob.
3: I don't think so but wouldn't like to say for sure.

i have a UK TMobile phone and I always use the recommended radio that goes with the customer ROM.
I am currently running LeeDroid 1.8 with radio 32.43.00.32U_5.09.00.20

Thanks for your reply. I've managed to root it with unrevoked, even easier than I expected. But your comment on the gold card is well timed as I was going to put a rom on in the next couple of hours, without a gold card!
I'll hang fire and see if anyone else can confirm whether I need one or not...
Cheers

to be honest mate for how easy they are to create you may as well have one even just as a safe guard for the future

MajorTomUK said:
Right, first of all, I've tried searching and have found LOADS of really helpful information. But nothing seems to clearly answer my query which should hopefully be a quick one for someone to answer.
I previously had a G1 and have rooted/flashed a custom rom onto that, so I am familiar with the whole process. My only concern is that things seem a bit different with the Desire.
To set the scene, I have a T-Mobile branded Desire with default 2.1 ROM (Build 1.15.110.11). There is no specific T-Mobile software other than the boot animation. But I've read that this build of the OS is specific to T-Mobile, so I assume it is branded...
I currently have no need to unlock the phone to allow for other networks as I'm in my contract for the long haul! My questions are:
Do I need to have my phone unlocked in order to root?
Secondly, to root and install a custom rom, do I need to use a gold card if I am going to use unrevoked? Or is the unrevoked method an alternative to the gold card method?
And lastly, is there a specific radio image that I need to use for T-Mobile?
Any additional tips specific to T-Mobile handsets are appreciated!
Thanks in advance for any help, and let me know if I've missed off anything important.
Apologies for the length of the post, I just wanted to make you sure I got all the details down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was in exactly the same boat as you. i unlocked my phone cos is was visiting germany for a while. you dont need to unlock but you do need to debrand i.e flash a non branded ROM to the phone to root.
follow this guide:
http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Other-Off-Topic/Debranding-Unlocking-an-HTC-Desire/td-p/23317
once debranded you can run unrevoked to root the desire. after this point you have a decision to make: which ROM to flash through clockwork recover(what unrevoked installs so you can flash ROMs).. if i were you i would make sure you flash a ROM that doesnt upgrade the hboot to 0.92( you can downgrade but its a pain in the ass!).
so to answer you questions:no, yes and no. no specific radio image needed for t mobile as in order to root you need to debrand anyway so any operator specific radio is redundant. i used the sd card that cam with my phone to make the goldcard( copy the contents of the card to your PC, format the card, make goldcard, once you have made the goldcard you can put all the stuff back on the sd card, the card will remain a goldcard until its formatted again).
its all pretty simple really, i was hesitant but half an hour late was wondering what i was so worried about.!
good luck

bob dylan said:
you dont need to unlock but you do need to debrand i.e flash a non branded ROM to the phone to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my Virgin Media branded phone with unrevoked without flashing a debranded rom

I used the goldcard method to root my T-Mo UK Desire that had 2.1 on, but now you can just use Unrevoked to install a recovery image and then use recovery to flash the ROM of your choice, easy as pie

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll do a gold card in a bit.
Unrevoked ran ok and ClockworkMod is installed ok, so I assume I didn't need to de-brand in any way?
I think I might go with LeeDroid, but I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers!

jamesmcuk said:
I rooted my Virgin Media branded phone with unrevoked without flashing a debranded rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you rooted with unrevoked you debranded! unrevoked flashes a custom recovery( ie a non branded recovery.

bob dylan said:
if you rooted with unrevoked you debranded! unrevoked flashes a custom recovery( ie a non branded recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am quite sure thats not correct. Debranding removes the operator logos and software - rooting modifies the bootloader to install the custom recovery
I used unrevoked and still had all branding in place. I have now debranded and no Virgin Media stuff remains

Hi there,
I installed the LeeDroid rom earlier today.
This was installed on a debranded orange phone. I rooted first with Unrevoked then used the clockwork recovery to install the associated zip files for the rom.
In post one of the thread LeoDroid makes the comment "everyone needs an ext3 partition on there SD" so I made sure I had this in place before starting.
During the process of making the EXT3 partition I formatted my SDcard then used this card to install the rom. So during the installation I didn't use a gold card.
Everything is working great.
Hope this helps.
Matt

jamesmcuk said:
I am quite sure thats not correct. Debranding removes the operator logos and software - rooting modifies the bootloader to install the custom recovery
I used unrevoked and still had all branding in place. I have now debranded and no Virgin Media stuff remains
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? weired, i used unrevoked and it removed my operator logos and software.
odd.

maybe its different depending on who branded the phone there seems to be much variation in the software which is one aspect in which the iphone does win out. The only one mind you lol

Right, gold card done just in case. Just copying everything back onto the SD card. I definitely still have a T-Mobile boot screen which shows after the HTC logo after I've used unrevoked, although maybe this will disappear when I flash a custom rom?
Regarding an ext3 partition, I thought this was only necessary if I wanted the old style A2SD? I don't run a massive amount of apps as I've managed fine up to now, so the Froyo implementation should be fine for me. I'm dual booting to Ubuntu, so may be worth setting up a 1gb ext3 partition just in case as it won't take long to do...
Again, thanks for all your help!

Mine is T-Mobile UK too. I'm moving between 3 ROMs to test something temporarily but I'm running the stock HTC 2.2 with root. You don't need a goldcard to use these stock ROMs. Just root and then flash.
Flash the correct radio image before the ROM to avoid many potential problems (install zip from SD card through recovery).
-----------------------------------
- Sent via my HTC Desire -

th3 said:
Mine is T-Mobile UK too. I'm moving between 3 ROMs to test something temporarily but I'm running the stock HTC 2.2 with root. You don't need a goldcard to use these stock ROMs. Just root and then flash.
Flash the correct radio image before the ROM to avoid many potential problems (install zip from SD card through recovery).
-----------------------------------
- Sent via my HTC Desire -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers mate, literally just about to do this. Latest radio is now on and working ok with stock 2.1. Now to flash rom! Also decided to use HTC 2.2 with root, and take it from there I reckon.

As you said in your opening post T Mobile has for a change not put a whole load of rubbish on the phone and the main thing appears to be the splash screen.
I debranded my phone after unlocking & rooting as it is a quick and simple thing to do and just in case there was something lurking that I was not aware of

wgg said:
As you said in your opening post T Mobile has for a change not put a whole load of rubbish on the phone and the main thing appears to be the splash screen.
I debranded my phone after unlocking & rooting as it is a quick and simple thing to do and just in case there was something lurking that I was not aware of
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, after I flashed a custom rom, even the T-Mobile logo has disappeared from the boot/splash screen. So no branding anywhere now!
All that's left is the pink circle when I first power the phone on, which looks T-Mobile'ish! That'll be contained in the HBOOT won't it?

I have absolutely no T Mobile branding, would go straight to HTC when using a stock rom.

Unlock Vodafone Desire HD Ready For Custom Rom

Hi,
Will be receiving an Vodafone upgrade Desire HD soon and was wondering, what do I need to do before I can flash a custom ROM? Cheers

Try to use this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905003 or this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905261
It was really helpful for rooting my vodafone locked DHD

Thanks, I have no idea how to use adb etc....

So I need to create a gold card? Then I can root and flash a custom Rom?

There is no need for a gold card on Vodafone with DHD as it will most likely be stock pretty much, as long as there is no Vodafone logo or branding
scent from my armpit

Hi
I dont have the phone yet but on the box image I can see Vodafone services like Vodafone 360 apps on the homescreen.

yes u need to create a goldcard, it's really simple follow the guide provided, because your phone will arrive with a 1.72 o .75 baseband version. And till now, goldcard option, is the only way to downgrade to 1.32. Maybe in the next days there will be something new as a new version of visionary+.

So, when I have goldcarded it, I can then root, and flash custom roms?
I'm being careful here and dont want to brick a new handset.
Your advice is appreciated

Maybe mine is different as I got mine through carphonewarehouse, in fact most likely it was different, but I had no need for a goldcard. Best of luck.
scent from my armpit

Sn0tters said:
Maybe mine is different as I got mine through carphonewarehouse, in fact most likely it was different, but I had no need for a goldcard. Best of luck.
scent from my armpit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how will I know if I don't need to goldcard mine? How did u know that yours was already unlocked?
Sent via my Lee Droid custom HTC Desire mobile phone by the power of Grey Skull......

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=824357&highlight=stock+rom
Download one of the stock Roms, not 1.15.405.1 and just connect your USB and run it, few next button clicks, wait for few min and you’re done!
I used 1.32.405.6 to debrand my vodafone phone so later on if i want to root it i can. you cant with 1.72.405.3
I spent days goggling and searching on the forum on how to remove Vodafone branded rubbish from my DHD, people saying only way is to root it bla bla bla.
After i was half way through rooting my phone got to the point of making goldcard and it took hours to get to that point reading up on rooting (still don’t understand most of it) and because of not so great step by step guide and android updating their sdk that screwed up the step by step info.

ijob said:
Hi,
Will be receiving an Vodafone upgrade Desire HD soon and was wondering, what do I need to do before I can flash a custom ROM? Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know,that I flashed mine as soon as the NAND lock was cracked, but my advice would be to play around with it for a few days before and make sure that you want it rooting and more importantly whether you like / want Sense, it's a great device and would be a shame to waste the opportunity to get to know it in it's virgin state first, but a good start would be to read up here

Over 4 hours of hard work and its now downgraded, debranded, unlocked, fully rooted, s-off and now running a custom Rom. Last night was intense but the advice provided here meant that I had easy access to guides and tools so MANY THANKS FOLKS!
I had to do the lot!
Sent from the back of Michael Caine's Mini Cooper S, holding on for dear life......

Enjoy!!! For me it was the same hard work

[Q] A few questions before rooting

Hey guys, first time poster here and a bit of a newb to rooting, Android and smart-phones in general.
I've been hanging on these forums the past 3 months researching the rooting process for a Desire and all the relevant stuff that goes along with it. So please go easy on me. I've also read all the 'similar threads' suggested to me at post-time.
I'm almost ready to begin the process but there's a few bits of information that's got me pretty scared before I go ahead. I wasn't able to find much of a concrete answer/s to these questions, from Googling around.
Well without further ado.
What is the difference between GSM & CDMA and do I need to know which my phone is before proceeding?
If I DO need to know, how do I find this out?
My phone is branded (Orange splash-screen at boot) and locked to Orange network (Newly recieved contract phone).
I've heard that I may need a goldcard to proceed with the Unrevoked process due to the branding. Is this correct?
Another guide on the net (can provide link if necessary), mentions upgrading the radio on Orange phones can permanently break the wifi OR permanently simlock your phone.
Will I need to worry about this during the Unrevoked rooting process? And will this be avoidable after installing a custom rom. (If I get that far )
I read somewhere on these forums (I forgot where exactly), something about the newest Orange OTA update causing problems with the rooting process. Is this still the case or has Unrevoked been updated to avoid that now? Also, how can I check if I have that update?
I can provide all the information about my Hboot, radio and kernel versions etc, if you need it (I guess you will), but for some reason, I keep getting a spam warning as this is my first post. I can only assume the version numbers are being interpreted as IPs...
Well sorry for the wall of text, but I greatly appreciate any help I can get regarding these issues. I'm so scared of bricking my Desire and not being able to return it, if bricking does occur.
Yours a worried root newb!

1. We use GSM phones in the UK as we use SIM cards. CDMA phones don't use SIM cards and are locked/released to one network
2. You don't need a gold card to root, no. As there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty you will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU. Best to make one before starting
3. This was the case a while back but I'd wait for confirmation before changing it
4. No as the radio isn't flashed during a ROM (unless stated in the ROM thread that it does)
5. Shouldn't be an issue, just get the latest version of unrEVOked from their website before starting

Great, that's most of my questions/concerns answered. Although the below answer has brought a new question to the front
EddyOS said:
2. You don't need a gold card to root, no. As there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty you will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU. Best to make one before starting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately my knowledge of RUU is almost non-existant, other than that it stands for Rom Upgrade Utility and is used to upgrade the software on my phone? Right?
And forgive me if I'm being dumb here but, if
EddyOS said:
there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and yet I
EddyOS said:
will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then how can I do this? Or am I totally misunderstanding you?
Do I somehow use an application without root permission to perform a procedure similar to hdd ghosting?

Basically, if you wanted to return to stock for any reason you wouldn't be able to go back to the Orange ROM as the RUU doesn't exist so you'd have to go to a generic ROM. To flash any ROM other than the originally on the phone you need a gold card
It's the same for me, if (for some strange reason) I'd want to flash a branded ROM on my Desire I'd need a gold card. Thankfully, I have an unbranded handset so I can get the stock RUU and use it without a gold card

EddyOS said:
Basically, if you wanted to return to stock for any reason you wouldn't be able to go back to the Orange ROM as the RUU doesn't exist so you'd have to go to a generic ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So basically if I were to screw it up, which I hopefully won't, I'm buggered as far as getting my phone fixed cos they'll see the Orange rom is no longer installed? Not too fussed about that, as I'm super-careful with my phone.
I guess my next issue would be, after rooting using Unrevoked, I'd need to gain S-OFF right? Which I understand is done via AlphaRev. Only issue there would be related to this
"Please revert to a rooted stock ROM if possible. Your /data partition is used for temporary storage of important files." If I'm reverting to a stock rom, while gaining S-OFF presumably there's a high chance that'd upgrade my radio - a potentially very bad thing.
THEN I go about choosing a rom to flash. Then Nandroid backup. Then flash the rom, hopefully love it and voila?
Also, what would you suggest as a good rom for someone like me just starting out with a fully rooted phone? I was thinking one of the official builds to lose all the crap, but then the above issue of the radio creeps up again...

I have been flashing ROM's since I got my phone rooted last year and I have never bothered to S-OFF. It's not a requirement.
I have tried a number of ROM's (it becomes a bit addictive!) there is not normally a need to flash a new radio, just leave it be. If you are worried about it and the ROM requires a new radio don't flash it. There are plenty to choose from.
As for recommendations, everyone has their own tastes and likes. That's the beauty of modding. Just flash a few ROM's and see which you like. I have tried most of them, stuck with MIUI for ages, but am now on Cyanogenmod 7 Nightly's.

There is nothing to really worry about. There is a remote chance of bricking your phone for a start, like 0.0000000001% chance. Only way of doing it is disconnecting during say an S-Off.
As for the Orange issue. I had a locked, Orange Desire with 2.2 on it (the first update) and when I rooted and S-Off'd I had no problems. I also have updated my radio to 5.14.05.17 and have no issues at all. To be honest, I found issues to do with signals and Wi-Fi are to do with the ROM you install and the kernel as well which can be frustrating but fun as well.
As for choosing a ROM, choose one, flash it then see what it's like. It's purely down to what you like most about each ROM. I've been through so many ROMs in the past few months but now I am sort of staying with 1 ROM. I will say that when I installed a custom ROM, I had to pay to unlock my sim because it was being gay and Orange wanted £20 of my hard earned cash to unlock it and send it off. So be prepared.

thetasigma3 said:
So basically if I were to screw it up, which I hopefully won't, I'm buggered as far as getting my phone fixed cos they'll see the Orange rom is no longer installed? Not too fussed about that, as I'm super-careful with my phone.
I guess my next issue would be, after rooting using Unrevoked, I'd need to gain S-OFF right? Which I understand is done via AlphaRev. Only issue there would be related to this
"Please revert to a rooted stock ROM if possible. Your /data partition is used for temporary storage of important files." If I'm reverting to a stock rom, while gaining S-OFF presumably there's a high chance that'd upgrade my radio - a potentially very bad thing.
THEN I go about choosing a rom to flash. Then Nandroid backup. Then flash the rom, hopefully love it and voila?
Also, what would you suggest as a good rom for someone like me just starting out with a fully rooted phone? I was thinking one of the official builds to lose all the crap, but then the above issue of the radio creeps up again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't bother about S-OFF at the moment, you don't need it. Just get rooted and then look into custom ROMs for now

Ok I've taken a tiny step further forward. I'm at the point of making a goldcard but one thing concerns me... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6710085&postcount=3 According to that it won't work with the 2.2 OTA update from HTC.
I know, I have 2.2 installed but this was already on the phone when I received it, so I've no idea if this was an OTA or not... So I guess I need a different method to make a goldcard now?

Use this:
http://android.modaco.com/content/software/308798/pc-application-goldcardtool/
Probably need to register to get the file, though

Hmmm tried using that tool and no joy... Get my img file downloaded, but then the tool refuses to recognise my phone, despite doing the appropriate change over to 'disk drive'. I tried re-plugging the un-mounting and re-plugging the usb cable. Still no joy.
I'm beginning to lose hope here... That tool won't work and the tutorial here says it's incompatible with 2.2...
**edit**
Been Googling around a fair bit and I can't find any information at all on downgrading a branded 2.2. Only information on people with branded handsets wanting to update to 2.2.
After a bit more searching, I found someone else with the exact same issue as me. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10370443&postcount=977
Only one difference though. He doesn't mention if he managed to flash a custom rom after his root. I'm guessing he probably wouldn't have been able to going by your post:
EddyOS said:
To flash any ROM other than the originally on the phone you need a gold card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

A gold card is only needed to flash a STOCK ROM different from your original - it's not needed to flash a custom ROM. The gold card isn't even needed to root. It's just handy to have in your case as you'd need it to go back to stock due to the lack of an Orange RUU
I'm out of ideas I'm afraid, never had to deal with a gold card as I'm unbranded

Use this:
http://android.modaco.com/content/so...-goldcardtool/
Probably need to register to get the file, though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that work a lot better then?
I used the method posted by thetasigma3 and I can't get OTA 2.29.405.5 but I can get 2.29.405.2. To get round the problem I installed the 2.29.405.5 RUU and rooted

Anyone who's debranded will need to use the RUU as the OTA won't go through

GoogleJelly said:
I will say that when I installed a custom ROM, I had to pay to unlock my sim because it was being gay and Orange wanted £20 of my hard earned cash to unlock it and send it off. So be prepared.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call me crazy, but why the heck would flashing a custom rom require you to unlock and send off? Presumably the sending off thing would've been for Orange to perform the unlock procedure?
Anyway, back to my main issue, I know I've probably tread the same ground a few times now, but I really don't wanna end up bricking, cos I overlooked a tiny element, or something.
Could someone confirm I have these points all correct please?
Goldcard NOT needed for rooting.
Goldcard NOT needed if/when I flash a custom rom.
Goldcard needed if I wanted to go back to a STOCK rom.
Only reason to flash a STOCK rom is if I need to send back to Orange for repairs etc.
Oh and thanks for the clarification on your earlier post EddyOS. About goldcards not being needed for custom roms as opposed to stock etc.
Think I'm ready to go ahead with the process now, but if I go ahead and something goes wrong, what's my safety net, so to speak? Presumably my battery would die on me long before I get a response here

What you have there is correct (point 2-5)
The unlocking issue was down to some radios causing Orange handsets to become SIM locked. If you're using an Orange SIM this isn't an issue but others who got an Orange handset but use a different SIM card found they wouldn't work.
This was earlier in the Desire's life and I don't think it's applicable now

Try using "GoldCard Helper" app from Android Market, in case you want to try and make a goldcard (as the other methods did not work for you).
As mentioned as EddyOS, all your points from 2 - 5 are correct.

Ok finally got the guts together to go ahead and run unRevoked. (Already had done the driver steps etc).
I've checked with an app from the Android Market, called 'Root Check' to verify root access. That's saying I do have it and it also asked for Root permissions on start-up, which it never did before root. So I assume that's a good sign. I also checked for the 'Superuser Permissions' app in my apps menu. Found it was present and clicked it. Started without any problems. So I guess that's another good sign.
So I guess my next set of questions are reasonable simple.
Does this seem like my phone is now 100% rooted? I think it is, but I could be wrong.
Do I need to install Busybox? Root Checker seems to like seeing it there.
Does it matter if I use Titanium Backup Pro or free? I'm guessing it won't but I'd like to be certain.
If I backup my current Orange rom with Titanium Backup will I be able to go back to that without a goldcard? My guess is no. I didn't make or use one for the root process.

1. Yes
2. For Titanium Backup, yes
3. No
4. You don't backup the ROM with TB, you boot into Recovery and do it there

kvphani said:
Try using "GoldCard Helper" app from Android Market, in case you want to try and make a goldcard (as the other methods did not work for you).
As mentioned as EddyOS, all your points from 2 - 5 are correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, I downloaded that app and found a fairly easy looking guide on the Unlockr http://theunlockr.com/2010/03/10/how-to-create-a-goldcard/ . Just wanted to check, if I use that app plus this guide. I skip steps 1-6 right?
Ok gone ahead and done that now. Just having some trouble finding instructions on backing up my Orange rom.
Oh and now that the forum won't grumble at my phone info, here it is. Hopefully that'll shed some more light on my situation, if I need further help.
BRAVO PVT4 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.93.0001
MICROP-051d
TOUCH PANEL-SYNW0101
RADIO-5.10.05.30
Aug 10 2010, 17:52:18
Android Version
2.2
Baseband Version
32.48.00.32U_5.10.05.30
Kernel Version
2.6.32.15-g29e526b
[email protected] #1
Build Number
2.17.61.3 CL274424 release-keys
Softare Number
2.17.61.3
Browser Version
WebKit 3.1
Model Number
A8181

[Q] upgrade from 2.2 to 2.3.x without rooting

It is a shame to say that I still use Android 2.2 with Kernel 2.6.32.21, Taiwan version since I bought the phone a year ago.
(Not until recently, I have decided to move on to Gingerbread because
I wanna use the the latest features in the NDK to write some C++ programs for Android.)
Without getting into trouble during/after rooting,
I tried an official OTA upgrade but it doesn't work.
I tried to ask HTC but they said they still don't have any official upgrade for my phone.
I am a newbie here in this forum,
Could anybody please kindly offer your help please?
It will be GREATLY APPRECIATED! I wanna make my App!!!
swimd

If there is no official Gingerbread for your phone (which seems odd ?) then you can flash a different official GB ROM onto your phone. But normally your phone isn't going to let you do this, because it will fail the signature checks.
What you need to do is to de-brand your phone so that it doesn't do these checks any more. I will see if I can dig out a link to a guide and edit it into my post, unless someone else beats me to it.
Sent from my Desire Z running CM7.

Steviewevie,
Thank you for your help in advance!

I can't copy and paste the link right now, but use the Search function in the Android Dev forum to find the thread called "Debranding Bell Desire Z" (it doesn't only apply to Bell phones).
Sent from my Desire Z running CM7.

Thank you for the help!
I have found that thread!
BTW, after a quick look of the thread, it seems that S-off is recommended...
Do I need to get "root" in order to do so?
Should I do that to prevent future trouble?

Always recomend rooting phones right away, if you have a custom recovery and an enginering bootloader you can save tons of headaches in the future when problems arise (as they often do) this of course is outside the fact that a rooted phone is a happy phone and certainly not an apple
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

As demkantor said, getting S-OFF is a lot better because it gives you a lot more options for the future, even if you don't use those options straight away.
IMHO the only reason to use the goldcard method and not full S-OFF is if you are really worried about voiding your warranty or the S-OFF process yourself. But there's no need to worry really, since (a) you can easily reverse the process if you need to, and (b) lots of people here can help you through getting S-OFF (the XDA Wiki explains it very well, though it can look daunting at first).
Sent from my Desire Z running CM7.

+1 to the notion of just rooting the phone. Especially since if are software developer, I would think that you would want full control over your device. And if you have these type of skill, rooting will be easy.
As mentioned, root, S-Off etc. can be removed for warranty purposes, if that is the concern.
The Wiki method is generally accepted as the safest:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision#Rooting_the_Vision_.28G2.2FDZ.29_and_DHD

demkantor and all,
Thanks!!! ok, I am least I will go for S-OFF!
But, I need to be able to fully recover my OS and Apps,
I need to do some research on stock recovery and/or custom recovery...

Well, I think there is an official update to Gingerbread thou.. But I think dont think that version is in English as it is a Hongkong version.