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Hi all,
I've finally got a Desire heading my way from Orange. I'll be wanting to purge the Orange branding for a variety of reasons, but I'm unsure of the most up to date, clean/stock ROM to go for.
I'm new to the Android platform, so rather than try out a custom/tweaked rom that requires rooting, I thought I'd just use the goldcard method to flash a clean rom across (May try rooting/customs later).
I've been reading through some of the threads and have a fair idea of what to expect, my questions to you fine people:
What is the most up to date 'stock' htc rom going? - I was going to try the one listed in the T-mobile thread, or 'RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3'.
Presumably I'll still receive over the air updates for such a stock rom?
If/When I root, does all the phone data require backing up? How many of your settings persist?
Thanks for any replies.
Generic ROM and MD5SUM:
d51566508430cd7edec7c9d4b51b6fd1 RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3_Radio_32.30.00.28U_4.05.00.11_release_121865.exe
I think it is always better to start at the lowest version possible and then let the phone update by itself. This will help to ensure all original updates directly from the factory.
Cheers, I think that's the one I've gotten hold of.
question from a new guy
where can i download this rom from? as i'd like to install this stock rom on my desire too i've looked on the forum but can't seem to spot it anywhere.
thanks for any help in advance
Tsjoklat said:
Generic ROM and MD5SUM:
d51566508430cd7edec7c9d4b51b6fd1 RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3_Radio_32.30.00.28U_4.05.00.11_release_121865.exe
I think it is always better to start at the lowest version possible and then let the phone update by itself. This will help to ensure all original updates directly from the factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't that mean it uses up more memory?
as you'll have the old files overlaid by the newer ones
I might be wrong but if a factory reset returns it to a pre-updated state then it's
not using the same area that the rom flash does
personally I'm holding off till Froyo is available before I buy a Desire
Gary
JayceAndTheNews - Let me know how you get on would you? any chance of hooking me up with what ever methods you've used? I've got an orange branded Desire on T-mobile and want rid of all the Orange bollox but don't feel the need to root yet.
JAmes.
understanding (although possibly incorrect) is that I'm overwriting the current Orangey rom with a cleaner one. So although the factory reset may remain somewhere, the actual os I'm running will be a similar size if not smaller than what I've got atm.
Sounds like I've got some more reading to do =D
jamfitz86 - I'll let you know what I end up doing and if it works, just got my shiny black desire yesterday, I intend to clean out the Orange garb on a weekend.
Cheers all.
Update for jamfitz86 / anyone else who may find it useful (although most of this is repeated in other threads).
Effectively followed this guide "http://android.modaco.com/content/general-discussion/305672/creating-a-goldcard/" to the letter. Encountered no problems/difficulties whatsoever.
Formatted the goldcard afterwards to use as my SD card until I get a larger one on the go.
Phone up and running, installed back missing apps etc. Performance seems about the same, potentially a little better certainly no worse. Removing all the
Orange crap makes things much more enjoyable overall, I'd definitely do it again given the choice.
Hi guys, i'm new to doing this for Google Android as i've never owned an Android phone before. A friend of mine wanted me to do it for him because i've done iphone jailbreaking, PSP / DS hacking, installing custom roms on many mobile platforms. The only one i haven't done is Android but he feels that it's safer that i do it for him.
I owned a HTC Touch Pro and know how the process works, but it seems for Android devices, you have to "root" it first by bypass some sort of CID or SPL check??
Anyway my question is, can someone give me a rough and quick explanations on how this work for Android phones, or more specifically the HTC Desire?? My friend simply wants custom roms installed on his phone, just like how it is for the windows mobile devices like the Touch Pro or Touch Pro 2 etc.
So do i simply root it first, and then install the custom rom and that's it?? Are there any extra steps i must take as well such as updating the kernel or something??
I know for rooting, you have to create a gold card. I have found guides for those, but if anyone can give me guides on how to install custom roms or any other helpful infos that i need to them, please do. It seems it's not as easy and straightforward as it is for Windows Mobile phones........
and apparently, rooting the phone means that some apps won't be usable?? It seems there are some downsides to this as well. If anyone can give me as much info related to rooting or installing custom roms for Android devices, that would be awesome.
chaoscreater said:
Hi guys, i'm new to doing this for Google Android as i've never owned an Android phone before. A friend of mine wanted me to do it for him because i've done iphone jailbreaking, PSP / DS hacking, installing custom roms on many mobile platforms. The only one i haven't done is Android but he feels that it's safer that i do it for him.
I owned a HTC Touch Pro and know how the process works, but it seems for Android devices, you have to "root" it first by bypass some sort of CID or SPL check??
Anyway my question is, can someone give me a rough and quick explanations on how this work for Android phones, or more specifically the HTC Desire?? My friend simply wants custom roms installed on his phone, just like how it is for the windows mobile devices like the Touch Pro or Touch Pro 2 etc.
So do i simply root it first, and then install the custom rom and that's it?? Are there any extra steps i must take as well such as updating the kernel or something??
I know for rooting, you have to create a gold card. I have found guides for those, but if anyone can give me guides on how to install custom roms or any other helpful infos that i need to them, please do. It seems it's not as easy and straightforward as it is for Windows Mobile phones........
and apparently, rooting the phone means that some apps won't be usable?? It seems there are some downsides to this as well. If anyone can give me as much info related to rooting or installing custom roms for Android devices, that would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically what it is, when google made android, they locked us out of accessing system files, kinda like the windows directory on winmo fones if you get me, by rooting your fone you regain access to them system files in order to flash a rom there are 3 steps,
1) rooting (Lets us mod the system)
2) install custom recovery (Recovery is where you can flash roms and other update files)
3) get the rom you want, (copy the .zip to the root of your sd card, then just flash it via recovery)
thats it all done
thanks for your reply mate.
But i've read from a few topics that rooting is only required for branded devices, and i don't think my friend's HTC Desire is branded at all, will i still need to root his phone though?
Also, how do i install the custom recovery?? This is the first time i've learned about this, all the other guides i found were similar to how you install custom roms for Windows Mobile, just using the RUU_Flasher (something like that), it's like an automated installer that flashes your phone so you don't have to do anything else at all so it's very simple. Could you link me to the custom recovery thing you talked about??
So basically, the recovery thing is kinda like an app that you launch from Android itself, and then it'll install the rom found on the root of your memory card??
Oh and lastly, i've read something about the SPL and kernel as well, do those matter??
One question about rooting...
Is this something you do one time and it keeps forever? For example, I'm actually in android 2.1, but android 2.2 is going to be released soon. If I root my device now but I update it later to android 2.2 will be still rooted or should I root it again?
I'm asking this question because the root process needs an specific boot/ROM and updating the phone might update one or both of them, making the rooting process unavailable for the time being.
chaoscreater said:
But i've read from a few topics that rooting is only required for branded devices, and i don't think my friend's HTC Desire is branded at all, will i still need to root his phone though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is incorrect.
If the phone is unbranded, you don't need a goldcard, but you still need to "root" it to install custom ROMs.
In reality, what we call "rooting" here is a two stage process.
The first stage is to get a custom recovery on your device, which allows you to flash custom ROMs.
The second stage is to flash a ROM which allows you to gain root access to the device when in operation.
There are plenty of threads and guides on these forums that can take you through the process. IMHO, UnRevoked3 is the best solution.
Regards,
Dave
AzureusPT said:
Is this something you do one time and it keeps forever? For example, I'm actually in android 2.1, but android 2.2 is going to be released soon. If I root my device now but I update it later to android 2.2 will be still rooted or should I root it again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install a ROM via an HTC RUU, or an OTA update, you will almost certainly lose root. So, once rooted, always flash ROMs that are pre-rooted via a custom recovery image. If you allow an HTC update to replace your bootloader, you may end up with a device that is no longer rootable by current methods.
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
This is incorrect.
If the phone is unbranded, you don't need a goldcard, but you still need to "root" it to install custom ROMs.
In reality, what we call "rooting" here is a two stage process.
The first stage is to get a custom recovery on your device, which allows you to flash custom ROMs.
The second stage is to flash a ROM which allows you to gain root access to the device when in operation.
There are plenty of threads and guides on these forums that can take you through the process. IMHO, UnRevoked3 is the best solution.
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so i basically use the UnRevoked3 app to install all that stuff on the Desire, and then put the custom rom image file on the root of my memory card, and where do i go from there?? I know i obviously have to install it but how? Will there be any apps installed on the phone by the UnRevoked3 program, and that i use the app to install the custom rom?
And btw i haven't gotten the phone yet so couldn't try this out so just wanna know exactly how this works.
Thanks for your reply btw, i appreciate it.
If you've got a custom recovery on your phone (via UnRevoked3 say), in order to install a custom ROM you need to:
a) Power down your phone
b) Power up your phone whilst holding volume down
c) Using the volume up/down keys navigate to "Recovery" and the power button to select. This will take you into your recovery image.
d) From here, you can then make Nandroid backups, flash new ROMs, wipe the device etc, etc
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
If you've got a custom recovery on your phone (via UnRevoked3 say), in order to install a custom ROM you need to:
a) Power down your phone
b) Power up your phone whilst holding volume down
c) Using the volume up/down keys navigate to "Recovery" and the power button to select. This will take you into your recovery image.
d) From here, you can then make Nandroid backups, flash new ROMs, wipe the device etc, etc
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHH ic ic, this is similar to hacking a PSP and install a custom firmware
ok i think i got the gist of it overall. Just one last question, what is Nandroid?? I read the FAQ on the homepage for UnRevoked3 and it mentioned something like this, or was it Nand?? I forgot, but it's one of those things that couldn't be flashed or changed permanently. I know nand is quite a common term for PSP and iPhones, so just wondering what this is for or what it means on Android...
here's an old video which shows how fake flash recovery works:
once you root your phone, you can use this procedure to flash roms:
vol down + power to enter hboot
choose Recovery option using vol buttons and power to confirm
once red triangle shows up, vol up + power, then choose apply update.zip to enter fake flash recovery
from there, you can backup your rom, wipe everything, flash new roms/radios, partition sd card...
thanks for your help, yup i got it.
But i just want to know what is Nandroid?? I read the FAQ on the homepage for UnRevoked3 and it mentioned something like this, or was it Nand?? I forgot, but it's one of those things that couldn't be flashed or changed permanently. I know nand is quite a common term for PSP and iPhones, so just wondering what this is for or what it means on Android...
btw i just watched the video and what's the difference between:
apply sdcard:update.zip
and
install zip from sd card
it's around the 0:39 on the video.
apply update.zip is to enter recovery
install zip from sd card is used to choose rom or radio from sd card to flash
nandroid backup is system image that you create prior to flashing. In case something goes wrong, you can restore your backup, and have everything as it was, without any consequences (that's how it should be in theory, to tell the truth I haven't used it yet )
djoni1980 said:
apply update.zip is to enter recovery
install zip from sd card is used to choose rom or radio from sd card to flash
nandroid backup is system image that you create prior to flashing. In case something goes wrong, you can restore your backup, and have everything as it was, without any consequences (that's how it should be in theory, to tell the truth I haven't used it yet )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok but for the "apply update.zip", how is it that it enters recovery?? I thought you ARE in the recovery, and thus you get those options as shown in that video??
My desire was purchased on T-Mobile (has T-Mobile startup screen), I also bought an unlock code from them. I'm now using my o2 contract sim in the phone. I'm interested in updating the software to FROYO but have no idea how to go about it.
I don't want to do anything complicated and am happy to wait for an official release. I've read the network sends an update direct to your phone. In my case would this come from T-Mobile or o2?
When I check for system updates it says none are available. My software number is 1.15.110.11
I've looked around the forum for ages but I still can't get a definite answer to my question.
You can be waiting for a very long time for froyo from a network provider.
It's easy to debrand and upgrade your phone. Create a goldcard & download an official ROM. Then you can simply upgrade OTA. There's loads of guides on this forum.
Hi there!
Understand your situation, since I had almost exactly the same circumstances (mine is running on orange)! I couldnt get a definite answer either, so bit the bullet anyway and did it, here is how:
1-rooted the phone by UnrEVOked method (really couldnt be bothered by the goldcard etc method; this method was easy, just had some driver install problems since the guide isnt too good on this point, but its easy to figure it out)
2-Installed the new radio
3-installed the generic rooted 2.2 ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=741775, just by doing an easy straighforward update from the sdcard by going to the bootloader.
Phone was still UNLOCKED,and all running ok. Just had an issue where the phone would say "sim card changed, do you want ot load settings etc". Say NO, otherwise you lose your wallpapers, scenes, etc settings, and you have to redo the whole shebang.
Hope your experience is same as mine, im a noob too, so dont take anything for granted (your phone may have different firmware from mine etc), and make doubly sure before you go ahead!
Good luck.
k.aalai said:
Hi there!
Understand your situation, since I had almost exactly the same circumstances (mine is running on orange)! I couldnt get a definite answer either, so bit the bullet anyway and did it, here is how:
1-rooted the phone by UnrEVOked method (really couldnt be bothered by the goldcard etc method; this method was easy, just had some driver install problems since the guide isnt too good on this point, but its easy to figure it out)
2-Installed the new radio
3-installed the generic rooted 2.2 ROM ... just by doing an easy straighforward update from the sdcard by going to the bootloader.
Phone was still UNLOCKED,and all running ok. Just had an issue where the phone would say "sim card changed, do you want ot load settings etc". Say NO, otherwise you lose your wallpapers, scenes, etc settings, and you have to redo the whole shebang.
Hope your experience is same as mine, im a noob too, so dont take anything for granted (your phone may have different firmware from mine etc), and make doubly sure before you go ahead!
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate.
I'm in exact the same situation (German T-mobile 2.1 Softnumber: 1.15.110.11). Your guide looks awesome!!! Can you please please please write it in a bit detail?? from a factory branded 2.1 to root, then to froyo?? please??
I read the UnrEVOked guide from rootmydroid.co.uk
but looks like I only need to the first half for your step 1?
does it root the phone ? does it wipe all my settings and apps???
I also don't know what to do with the radio in your step 2??
can you please help??!! THX soooooooooo much !!!!
Hi thanks for the replies, very useful info.
Does rooting the phone invalidate the warranty?? That's what's putting me off doing it and why I'm happy to wait for an official update.
Hey forgot10!
The step 2 of unrevoked guide is installing the ROM of your choice. Just pick the new ROM you want (from many here and other forums, I just picked a rooted generic 2.2), and install as per part 2 of the unrevoked guide.
2.2 requires a new radio, which is linked and shown in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=741775. Installing the radio doesnt wipe the data, but you seem to need to WIPE (from the recovery image) before putting the new ROM. So use TItanium Backup, or MYbackup, to save your apps, and user data on the SD card, then when the new ROM is installed, you reinstall one of those apps (from market) then rewrtie your apps/data!
As per warranty, check the other threads to be sure, but i think, yes it does invalidate your warranty, but im not 100% certain!
Regards
k.aalai said:
Hey forgot10!
The step 2 of unrevoked guide is installing the ROM of your choice. Just pick the new ROM you want (from many here and other forums, I just picked a rooted generic 2.2), and install as per part 2 of the unrevoked guide.
2.2 requires a new radio, which is linked and shown in {newbie cannot posted link }. Installing the radio doesnt wipe the data, but you seem to need to WIPE (from the recovery image) before putting the new ROM. So use TItanium Backup, or MYbackup, to save your apps, and user data on the SD card, then when the new ROM is installed, you reinstall one of those apps (from market) then rewrtie your apps/data!
As per warranty, check the other threads to be sure, but i think, yes it does invalidate your warranty, but im not 100% certain!
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate! it make much better sense for me now!! Im gonna try it next weekend!!
Hi,
I'd be really grateful to anyone who can answer my newbie questions.
I'm looking to follow the guide to downgrade my non-network-branded (i.e. sim-free) Desire HD, so I can permanently root it. Then I intend to follow the other guide so I can still update to the latest official release. My primary requirement for rooting is just so I can make complete backups of my phone's state in future. Though I'll probably play about with other community ROMs too!
Sorry if answers to my questions are elsewhere, and feel free just to point if that's the case. I've searched but haven't found definitive answers. Knowing these things will increase my understanding. Although I'm used to tinkering with things a little am in no way a programmer and my last phone was a Nokia E65!
1) Please can someone list the different parts of the phone's memories, including which are impossible to write over and which are. E.g. my understanding is:
--One flash chip with:
- 'bootloader', which to me sounds like a PC's BIOS or the kind of app you can boot into on a standard desktop PC when choosing which OS to boot into;
- factory image partition;
- separate partition for over the air updates;
- 1GB partition for user-writeable memory for things like apps installed on the phone, contacts, etc.
--Physically separate 'radio' chip that can be overwritten (I don't understand the difference between this and the OS though)
--RAM;
--microSD card.
2) After following the two guides mentioned above, will I still be able to receive over the air HTC updates in future? And if not, does that mean I'd be relying on the community to make available any official updates? I bought my DHD through an official UK retailer.
3) After following the two guides mentioned above, will it still be possible to restore my phone to its factory state in future, e.g. for resale or sending back to HTC, so everything that we unlock ('eng s-off', 'radio s-off', etc., which fries my brain right now) is locked again? If so, can a guide to this process be linked to?
4) I understand it's possible to switch between custom ROMs easily. When this is done, does that mean all system settings, such as phone contacts and app settings are also switched, or are these settings written to a different part of the phone memory?
I'll be sure to thank (and donate) for your time. Many thanks in advance as well!
Hi, I just bought the DHD 3 weeks ago and it is still difficult to understand to understand all this android stuff sometimes
1) I was a little lost at the beginning too, I don't know if this is what you are looking for but this is what I understood.
There are 4 flashable "things" :
- ROM OS (android OS)
- Linux Kernel (linux kernel)
- ROM radio (another ROM that manage ONLY the hardware stuff like 3G, Wi-Fi, bluetooth, GPS...)
- bootloader (exactly like a bios) and contains a recovery menu (that can be flashed by clockworkmod for example)
The ROM radio seems independant and you can flashed it separatly from the other it doesn't bother. The last versions improve battery life or GPS startup etc...
The ROM OS (android) need to be flashed with the kernel otherwise you can have some problem (wi-fi or data network that doesn't work anymore...).
S-Off means security off and it is necessary to do it if you want to write a new recovery on the bootloader or flash a new radio ROM...
Ther is two kind of S-Off but I'm not sure of the meaning so I let you watch about it.
When you install through the official ways :
1 OTA : You need to have the official recovery from the bootloader otherwise it will NOT work (no OTA with clockworkmod)
If your phone is network-branded you need a goldcard here and/or superCID (I don't really understand here lol)
After the installation I think you keep the S-Off but you're not root anymore.
2 RUU : It will install/reinstall everything (ROM OS, kernel, ROM radio and bootloader).
It is even capable of reseting your CID (your not concerned here because your phone is non-network-branded)
If think you loose the S-Off (or ENG S-Off -> SHIPS S-Off), you're not root anymore...
If you want to keep S-OFF, SuperCID and ClockWorkMod you need to :
1 flash the ROM OS through the ClockWorkMod recovery -> update.zip (you can give it the OTA file .zip, it will only flash the ROM OS)
2 flash the kernel manualy with fastboot (you can also use the boot.img contain in your OTA file)
3 flash the ROM radio (there is the excellent tuto here on XDA about this)
2) OTA will not be possible if you want to use clockworkmod. I was a little anxious about that too at the beginning! But you can find the official
ROMS REALLY easily on XDA probably before your provider send it to you. And when you do everything manually, you can CHOOSE wich radio ROM you want,
you can do backup REALLY quickly with clockworkmod and you can come back (things you can't do if you use OTA)... The last point that confort me
in doing all of this is that you can download OTA but not install it to pick up the ROMs inside and the kernel ! I did it last week and my phone
is now running the two ROMS that was contained in the OTA file AND the kernel. This is why I'm not worried anymore.
3) I never tried to restore my phone to its exact factory settings but I think you can...
4) I don't really now. In my case, I decided to use Google for my contact too, so when I flash, a few minutes later I have all my contacts
I hope my english is not too bad for explainations like this
Hi poumpoum,
Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to help. Your English is ten times better than my Française! If you've a PayPal account you'd like to Personal Message me, or just the name of your preferred charity, I'd like to say a little thanks that way too.
Okay: so I understand that doing these cool things to my phone means I won't be able to update it over the air. You've convinced me this isn't a problem because any updates find their way to the community.
I'm also convinced I can restore my phone completely to factory defaults due to this thread (the thread's for a different region but the principle still stands).
Thanks for clarifying the radio ROM shares the same physical chip as all the other memory (including the RAM actually, I found this out).
This thread also explained some of the jargon to me.
You're welcome
Hi
I've got a Bell Desire Z. I bought it brand new and "unlocked" from a guy on Craigslist, who told me it came direct from HTC as a sample for a photoshoot and was already unlocked. Sure enough, it worked with my non-Bell SIM card just fine. I now use MIUI, love it.
I've been having a few funny issues with the radio (12.28b.60.140eU_26.03.02.26_M) such as sometimes I make a call and the other person can't hear me, or I answer a call, same problem, or the call comes through all garbled. I want to see if upgrading the radio will fix this.
1. How do I know what type of unlock my phone has? I didn't put the engineering HBOOT on there, but if it is already on there, how can I tell? I've got it rooted, can I tell if the radio is already S-OFF? I've read tons of stuff and I can't figure this one out.
2. How do I flash the PC10MSgwhatever.zip file onto the phone?
3. Will flashing this break my unlock?
Thanks for taking the time to help me. You guys are the best
Answers
Hi,
to answer your questions:
1. one way of getting some information out of your phone is to use the AMT-Tool to query the device info and the security status. You can find the tool in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1097977&page=1
The latest version 1.8.5 is somewhat wacky though and sometimes claims, that it can not query or manipulate your phone, although you are already rooted and have the right software version installed. So do not rely on this tool for further flashing your phone. But the queries usually work fine and produce results.
If you run into trouble with the 1.8.5 you might want to download and try the older 1.8.1 which seems to be more stable and can be found here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26590769/AMT181.zip
You don't have to install the files, just unzipping them to a new directory is sufficient, so you can unpack and use both versions parallel without any troubles.
Another way to find out the version of your HBOOT is by shutting off your phone and then holding the ON-Button and the TrackPad-Button (that square thing at the bottom of your display) at the same time until the phone boots into the bootloader screen. There is the version of your HBOOT displayed.
2. I am not sure, what exactly you want to flash, but if it is something like a PC10IMG.zip, usually all you have to do is put it into the root-area of your SD-Card (so do NOT put it into any subfolder) and then again boot into the bootloader by the method above. Then select the first option called "Bootloader" (which usually is already pre-selected) and press the ON-Button once to confirm the choice. The phone automatically searches for any PC10IMG-Files on your SD-Card and then asks you, if you want to flash that Image.
Don't forget to delete the file from your SD-Card afterwards, otherwise your phone will try to flash the Image again the next time you boot into the Bootloader!
3. Depends. As far as I have learned, flashing only the Radio should not tamper with your root or unlock. But I am quite new to the Android-World myself and would not want to guarantee the correctness of that statement. All I can tell is, that the 2nd phone I have rooted was the Vodafone Branded and SIM-locked phone of my wife. After de-branding, rooting and unlocking it, I flashed it with the Virtuous Sense 2.0.0 ROM and in a 2nd step also flashed the latest Radio onto it. Both did NOT break the UNLOCK. But since I don't know by which method your phone was rooted and unlocked, all I can do is speculate.
But even if you should break your UNLOCK somehow, it shouldn't be too hard to re-ROOT and re-UNLOCK it by following any of the many HOW-TOs published in this forum.
You can find the Link to all the HTC Desire Z Radios in my signature. There are a lot versions available that are newer than yours. As far as I have read in other threads, you can safely flash and try out several radios on your phone, but again no guarantees on that statement.
But keep in mind, that you might also need to align the Radio Library with the Radio depending on your ROM. This thread will tell you more about that process.
Hope that helped...
Tronar