Develop Bugs

[Q] Root & Rom - Guide

I've red about everything, ever to hit the internet about rooting and rom-ing my Desire and I just think I might have red to much.
What I want to do:
* Root it.
* Cyanogenmod it.
My questions:
* I've red so many ways to root the phone, some ways were old, some new, but where can I find a simple and good guide for non-locked phone.
* I found about 6 versions of the Cyanogenmod, should I get the newest one or is there one more "stable"?
* I red that rooting the phone, voids warranty. If I root it and rom it, is there a way to get it completely back to stock "in case" if the screen, lets say.. dies? I've got 22 months left of the warranty and I'd love to not lose it.
* What rom would you personally recommend?
I'd love a piece of everyones mind!

I'm a total noob when it comes to this.
However, rooting is extremely easy with unrevoked 3.21 now. 1 click root.
if you decide to unroot it for warranty purpose, it's also easy too. I've done it 2 times just to switch the recoveries. You'll know what i'm talking about once you start rooting.
I have not tried Cyanogenmod, so no opinions on it.
I'm pretty conservative when it comes to tweaking the phone.
My personal preference is stock froyo 2.2.
& this's my route:
1. back up contacts
2. create a gold card.
then:
3. root using unrEVOked 3.21
4. Nanoid back up.
5. then install pre-rooted stock froyo 2.2 (2.10.405.2-initd-rooted-stock-v2.zip by teppic74)
6. partition SD card by ROM Manager downloaded from the Market
7. install Darktremor A2SD+
8. get used to staying up late messing around with the phone and/or cursing yourself for messing up the phone like me.
Root & Unroot.

i thought you didnt need a goldcard to use the unrevoked method?

ringer13 said:
i thought you didnt need a goldcard to use the unrevoked method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if your phone is branded then you must need a gold card ..
__________________________________
Post/Thread Sent from HTC Desire (Bravo)
( Andriod 2.2 [Froyo] )

newstar said:
Well if your phone is branded then you must need a gold card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sure? Still a newbie myself but I thought a gold card was only required to apply official HTC stock updates to a branded phone. Custom ROMs etc all work by just rooting with unrevoked.

Gold card is for other HTC ROMs, custom ROMs should be fine so long as you can root

If you are using a branded phone it's a very good idea to make a goldcard before rooting in case you need to recover using an unbranded RUU.

Than you all for your post, but I've got one question since my main language isn't English, I don't quite get what branded phone is.
Anyone care to explain? =)

The reason I suggest to make a gold card in case you want to unroot for warranty purpose.
I don't think rooting will void warranty, but just in case...
Also, if your phone is SLCD & you happened to RUU a wrong ROM, you might need a gold card to load another ROM.
& correct me if i'm wrong, if you want to change from 1 recovery to another. I think you'd need to unroot.
Well, at least that's my case. I couldn't flash Amon RA recovery using unrEVOked 3.21 on my rooted phone running ClockworkMod recovery. Maybe it's me, or my SLCD phone. Yes, i like to blame all mistakes i make on the SLCD.
Before unrEVOked 3.21, you couldn't root OTA Froyo 2.2.
So you'd need a gold card to downgrade from OTA Froyo 2.2 to Eclair 2.1 using teppic74's guide. Then root.
Anyways, I'm a newbie, so I'm keeping a gold card under my pillow just in case heheheh.

cull3n said:
Than you all for your post, but I've got one question since my main language isn't English, I don't quite get what branded phone is.
Anyone care to explain? =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A 'branded' phone is one where Orange, or T-Mobile (ie one of the phone network companies) have added their own extras to the software and where the phone is locked to that particular network.
An unbranded phone is not locked to a specific network and has the 'raw' HTC built software.
Hope this helps

Aight, my phone is unbranded, is that better or worse? What are the benefits and faults?

Ahh guess I'll just give up, going back to 2.1, gold carding, rooting, roming, backup, more and more problem, way to complex.
I build computers for living, very advanced Linux user and can fix about any problem there is for computers(you catch my drift..), yet I find this phone fairy tail way out of line.
Don't understand why there isn't just a simple Root for 2.2, basically its
1. Backup contacts (easy)
2. Create goldcard (here the problem starts..)
3. Download some program to root (fairly simple)
4. Download program to back up the phone (why isn't that build in the phone)
5. Download and install pre-rooted froyo (simple as long as I can find it)
6. Partition SD card by yet another program you'll need to download..
7. Install another program
8. Re experience the first week you got Linux..
I don't thing its worth the trouble since the phone is working fine right now..

cull3n said:
Ahh guess I'll just give up, going back to 2.1, gold carding, rooting, roming, backup, more and more problem, way to complex.
I build computers for living, very advanced Linux user and can fix about any problem there is for computers(you catch my drift..), yet I find this phone fairy tail way out of line.
Don't understand why there isn't just a simple Root for 2.2, basically its
1. Backup contacts (easy)
2. Create goldcard (here the problem starts..)
3. Download some program to root (fairly simple)
4. Download program to back up the phone (why isn't that build in the phone)
5. Download and install pre-rooted froyo (simple as long as I can find it)
6. Partition SD card by yet another program you'll need to download..
7. Install another program
8. Re experience the first week you got Linux..
I don't thing its worth the trouble since the phone is working fine right now..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree
And i still didnt get answer that unrevoked give only root or also custom recovery , i didnt need costom recovery i only need root .. cuz it can easily un root via ruu but i need root with stock recovery any idea ..
__________________________________
Post/Thread Sent from HTC Desire (Bravo) , Using Xda App ...
( Andriod 2.2 [Froyo] )

please help me achieve root ive tried everything!!

hi, ive been trying to achieve root with unrevoked for the past 3 days, but i cant do it.. ive been able to (according to unrevoked 3.21) achieve root.
but in Hboot it says that i am not nand unlocked.... (i do have root to an extent because superuser is installed and busybox does say i have root although i cant install it)
so i also tried using unrevoked forever, but that gives me an error saying: unsupported system...
any details u need i will give you, please help..
stock desire, latest update.
thanks in advance
supa.

You won't necessaily have s-off, or nand unlocked, it depends on what phone you have for this to work using Unrevoked. There are other methods available if you wish to do this.
Have you actually tried installing an app that requires root access, like Setcpu or Titanium Backup, to see if it actually works?

I got an htc desire a month ago and got errors when I tried rooting with unrevoked. It turned out the hboot version was too recent (0.93) so I had to downgrade to 0.83 using this guide: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=768256
It actually downgrades your phone to android 2.1 with Sense, but after that you can root your phone normally and then flash the Rom to any 2.2 Rom you want. It's a bit involved but the only way I could get root.
I wrote a quick guide for this before, which I'm reposting below. You can skip step 1 since it sounds like your phone is not branded.
Step 1:
Get an extra MicroSD card (2gig or whatever) and create a goldcard. You ONLY need this because if your phone is branded (eg. by a carrier... if any other names come up during boot, your phone is branded) and this is part of getting rid of that. If your phone is not branded, skip to step 2. Find out how here: android.modaco.com/content/general-discussion/305672/creating-a-goldcard/#entry1233023
Tip: you don't need an microSD card reader. You can format the microSD card in your phone by connecting your phone as a USB drive, and right-clicking the drive and formating. It MUST be FAT32 format, NOT FAT, so do it from the computer controls, not on the phone itself (because the phone itself does it in FAT format)
Step 2:
With your goldcard in your phone, you can now downgrade to Android 2.1. This kills two birds with one stone. A. It removes any branding from your phone and B. Lowers your hboot from higher versions to 0.83 which makes it possible to root your phone. Instructions here:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=768256
Tip: if it fails the first time (as mine did) and it can't find the zip file at the end, make sure your goldcard was FAT32.
Now your phone will be running HTC Sense 2.1 unbranded. The next two steps will allow you to put any of the Froyo versions (with Sense or without, your choice) on your phone.
Step 3:
Root your phone with UnrEVOked. Instructions here:
rootmydroid.co.uk/guides/general/howto-root-your-htc-desire-wildfire-evo-incredible-with-unrevoked/
Tip: His instructions are great. His download pages are horrible, but they work eventually, just keep clicking.
Step 4:
Install any of the custom Android ROMs available. Instructions are also found on the above link for rooting the phone.
You can choose from any of the ROMs listed here: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=809328
I went with DeFroST, which is a nice Android ROM without Sense, since Android is better off on it's own, IMO.
Tip: If you don't have an MicroSD card reader, make sure you put the ROM's zip file on your MicroSD before you wipe your phone (Pt. 3, point 4 in the guide).

wow thanks for that..
my phone is rooted, i just want s-off.. but i have read that unrevoked doesnt work for gsm phones, which is what i have..
so i tried alpharev, which seems to be working for most people, but when i tried it using virtualbox, it tells me that i have a cdma phone, and to go back when i know what im doing or something like that..
i 100% have a gsm phone... why do i get this??
thanlks.

Download this:
http://alpharev.nl/alpharev.iso
Burn the image to a CD and boot your PC from it. Follow the instructions
All being well you'll end up S-OFF

as i said previously, ive tried that and it says i havent got a gsm phone when i do.

Dunno, ask them in their thread...

EddyOS said:
Dunno, ask them in their thread...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, cheers anyway. i'm going to try booting from cd instead, see if that will make a difference..

That's what I said to do and you said you've done it!!

ive tried it again using virtual box and it seems to be working this time, i havent done anything different... dont know y it didnt work last night, neither the phone or the computer have been rebooted..
if all goes well u wont hear from me..

Why not just boot your PC from the CD? It's SO much easier

too lazy to pick up my ass to go buy cdrs, it worked anyway whoop!!
thanks.

[Q] Root question

Hi guys, got my Orange-branded uk desire a couple of days ago and have been reading up on rooting etc ever since.
In homage to my username, i'm following this to remove the carrier software:
(rootmydroid.cx.ux/) guides/general/howto-root-your-htc-desire-wildfire-evo-incredible-with-unrevoked/
I'm at step 3. My question is where can i find the most up-to-date official htc rom to flash onto my desire? I know a google search will give me loads of choices, but a lot are now months old and I'm keen not to flash an old version - im running 2.2 at the moment, but i basically just want an unbranded phone without the hassle of making a goldcard.
Is there one single file out there that i need? or will it consist of seperate rom and a radio files? Will the rom come as a .zip or .exe?
I know its a basic question, and once i've got the answer i'll leave you alone and follow the guide myself....just didnt want to flash with unrevoked, and not have a rom to reflash!
if it helps, these are my details:
bravo pvt4 ship s-on
hboot 0.93.0001
micro 051d
touch panel synt0101
radio 5.10.5.30
Thanks in advance!

Hi,
You will need a Goldcard if you're moving off an Orange rom even if you're going to stock HTC.
This is the first thing to do before going any further.
As for an upto date stock unbranded rom, see http://shipped-roms.com/download.ph...9.00.32U_5.11.05.27_release_151783_signed.exe
You will need to run this RUU on your PC while your phone is connected in fastboot mode.
Please be aware tho, that there isn't an Orange RUU available at the moment so going back to an Orange stock rom could be an issue.
Oh, and do a nand backup as soon as you have rooted.
Mike
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Ah right, ok
I was under the impression that loading a rom via unevoked would effectively overwrite the rom i have now, meaning the carrier's applications would be removed in the process?
I guess a complete debrand isn't what I'm after - I don't mind if i still have the Orange logo on start-up (I don't want to unlock it from the Orange network either), as long as there are none of their applications like Orange Maps and Orange Photos when I'm actually using the phone.
Would i still need a goldcard for that? Or would i be able to follow the guide in the link in my first post, flashing the rom you suggested at stage 3?
Thanks in advance!

If you're going to go to a stock, unrooted, unbranded ROM then you won't be able to restore a nandroid backup as you need root!!
First thing, as said, is to make a gold card. Then use it to flash the 2.29.405.2 RUU. Then see how you get on as it is. If you still don't think it's doing what you need it to then root and go for a custom ROM

Right, ive created a goldcard using a guide on the unlockr.com
The website provides links to desire rooting tools 0.75 or 0.80 bootloaders, however mine is 0.93.0001. Can anyone offer any guidance please?
Thanks in advance!

http://unrevoked.com/recovery/

can i use that with a goldcard to just debrand then? thought that was only for rooting?

EddyOS said:
If you're going to go to a stock, unrooted, unbranded ROM then you won't be able to restore a nandroid backup as you need root!!
First thing, as said, is to make a gold card. Then use it to flash the 2.29.405.2 RUU. Then see how you get on as it is. If you still don't think it's doing what you need it to then root and go for a custom ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock rom (or pretty near to stock) you posted a while back eddy was good enough for his needs do you think?
I think Frankdroid did a variation in your thread of it with root and a2sd+. I was using it for a while and battery was good and the rom smooth enough.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

ihatecrapware said:
can i use that with a goldcard to just debrand then? thought that was only for rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right...
If you just wanna debrand, as is get rid of the Orange crap, and not be rooted then all you need is a gold card and the RUU from my signature. This will give you a stock, unbranded HTC ROM
If you wanna root and go for a custom ROM, use unrEVOked

yea, i just wanna get rid of the Orange crap. I've made my goldcard, following a guide on theunlockr .com, but have come unstuck when it lists some downloads for certain bootloaders that would allow me to run the RUU, however my bootloader is a lot newer so i wasnt sure where i go from here, now that i've made my goldcard
I've downloaded the RUU, but when i run the .exe, is says its not a valid win32 application....?
Basically i've got a goldcard and the ruu. How do i now get it loaded on my phone?

Which RUU did you download? Latest unbranded one is the one in my signature. Ignore guides online as they've not been updated for months

ive got the ruu from your sig. Goldcard was made following an old guide on the web. Will this be ok?
just not sure where to go next in terms of actually getting the ruu on my phone with the goldcard

Gold card guide is fine. That RUU is also fine as it's my upload and is the one I use myself (using Windows 7 Ultimate x64). Don't know why your version of Windows won't run it - unless it's a corrupt download

yeah, weird. Using Win xp. I'll redownload the ruu in your sig. Once i've got it, what do i do? Turn on phone with power/vol down? Then what do i need to select? I'm guessing once im in the right section, i just connect phone to pc, and just run the ruu .exe?
Sorry, loads of basic q's, appreciate your help!

Turn phone on holding the back button and you'll be in FASTBOOT. Connect to the PC and once your Desire says FASTBOOT USB run the RUU

An error (-5001 : 0x80070002) has occured while running the setup.
Please make sure you have finished any previous setup and closed other applications. If the error still occures, please contact your vendor
Bugger! Any ideas?

It worked! Thanks a lot for your help EddyOS

np
Remember, though...you'll need your gold card for ALL future OTA updates if you're staying stock. You may as well make your day to day card your gold card to cut out the faffing about!

ihatecrapware said:
An error (-5001 : 0x80070002) has occured while running the setup.
Please make sure you have finished any previous setup and closed other applications. If the error still occures, please contact your vendor
Bugger! Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey i am getting the same error...how did you resolve it.
Appreciate your help

[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] Desire Z first time root questions, please help

Hi, I am have just got my HTC Desire Z/Vision and I am very new to rooting.
I checked on a lot of thread on how to root, s-off the phone before I can install custom ROM.
Some of the tread mention that I need to do firmware downgrade if my device has firmware version higher than 1.34, but I am not sure on my version and therefore I include my information below.
What is the easier way to root my phone?
If I use gfree, do I need to downgrade my firmware? Is there any side effect when I downgrade my firmware?
If I use VISIONary, do I need to downgrade my firmware?
Do I need to do S-Off in order to install custom ROM? or is rooting enough?
Hell a lot of question but I hope you guys can help me out with it.
Android version: 2.2.1
Baseband version: 12.28e.60.140fU_26.04.02.17_M2
Kernel version: 2.6.32.21-g6e170e7
Build number: 1.82.707.1 CL317545
Software number: 1.82.707.1

cruxiality said:
Hi, I am have just got my HTC Desire Z/Vision and I am very new to rooting.
I checked on a lot of thread on how to root, s-off the phone before I can install custom ROM.
Some of the tread mention that I need to do firmware downgrade if my device has firmware version higher than 1.34, but I am not sure on my version and therefore I include my information below.
What is the easier way to root my phone?
If I use gfree, do I need to downgrade my firmware? Is there any side effect when I downgrade my firmware?
If I use VISIONary, do I need to downgrade my firmware?
Do I need to do S-Off in order to install custom ROM? or is rooting enough?
Hell a lot of question but I hope you guys can help me out with it.
Android version: 2.2.1
Baseband version: 12.28e.60.140fU_26.04.02.17_M2
Kernel version: 2.6.32.21-g6e170e7
Build number: 1.82.707.1 CL317545
Software number: 1.82.707.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, welcome to the boards, it's always nice to welcome people into the world of rooting and flashing (the android kind!).
To start, you will have to get ADB installed and working. To do this, download the Android SDK from here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html . make sure you have the Java SDK and JDK installed as well as the Android SDK requires that as a requirement.
Based on your information, you have the 1.82 system software and will need to downgrade. I am not 100% sure if this guide will be applicable to you since it was written for the 1.72, but look at this guide here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905261
The above guide will help you in downgrading to 1.34, gaining root with gfree/rage, SIM-Unlock and S-OFF, installing ClockWordMod (a.k.a CWM) and flashing a new and shiny ROM for you.
I can completely understand how confusing alot of these guides can be, I spent about 3 hours trying to do the same thing as you a month ago. A year ago, I did the same thing with my old HTC Hero! So if you have any questions, just ask away. XDA is a great community.
Have fun

Thank you for your reply. It does help me to go through the right direction.
Understood that I need to downgrade my build to 1.34, but is there any major difference between my current build and the older build?
After following the guide to downgrade and install CWM, will it also allow me to backup my current official ROM?
As I love HTC Sense too much such a pity that I need to let it go. I am thinking of flashing back to the official ROM when I have the need to.
XDA is indeed to a great community. Great helps from great people

cruxiality said:
Thank you for your reply. It does help me to go through the right direction.
Understood that I need to downgrade my build to 1.34, but is there any major difference between my current build and the older build?
After following the guide to downgrade and install CWM, will it also allow me to backup my current official ROM?
As I love HTC Sense too much such a pity that I need to let it go. I am thinking of flashing back to the official ROM when I have the need to.
XDA is indeed to a great community. Great helps from great people
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are alot of fixes and improvements that HTC made between the 1.34 version and the newest 1.84 version. Those would be found with HTC in their changelogs. Also, each of these upgrades breaks the root access that the devs have created. Similar to that of iOS breaking each jailbreak method with each new version of iOS that is released (you will understand this analogy if you have an iPod Touch or something along those lines).
After gaining root, SIM-Unlock and S-OFF, installing CWM would allow you to perform a NANDroid backup (an EXACT image of your current installed ROM) so that you can go back to it at a later time.
If you are like myself (and seems that you are) you love how HTC's Sense overlay works and it just gets you. Keeps things simple while being infinitely customizable. When you do get around to flashing, I would recommend Virtuous as your ROM of choice. It is what I am running right now with no ill effects. The link to Virtuous is in my signature below.
If this is your first time flashing a custom ROM on an Android device, I can promise you that you will NEVER have a reason to go back to the stock ROM unless your phone is damaged physically and needs warranty repair. Even then, it is sometimes cheaper and easier for you to order the parts online and DIY your repairs (did it for my brother's BB Storm when he broke the screen).
Going back to my Hero, I have the stock Android 1.5 image saved somewhere, but I have never had to go back to it. Always found another newer/better custom ROM to flash. With my current DZ, I was fortunate enough to have stumbled onto Virtuous.
Have fun!

Yes, you're right. I like HTC Sense so I don't know if I will get used to the custom ROM without it.
I have checked on the Virtuous ROM previously and I will give it a try.
Yes, I saw plenty of decent ROM, they have nice UI but as you know first time rooting does give me goosebumps.
Will try it and I hope everything goes smooth.
Thanks a lot for your kind explanation, it does save me time in putting up all the pieces together

I bumped into a problem as I try to downgrade my firmware.
I followed the guide on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905261 and I encountered error on step 11, when the phone goes into bootloader mode and tries to scan PC10IMG.zip file that I copied into the SDCard.
It said 'CID' incorrect!, Update Fail!
Anybody knows why I might have this issue? Is this because of the firmware difference as mentioned by Athrun88?

cruxiality said:
I bumped into a problem as I try to downgrade my firmware.
I followed the guide on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905261 and I encountered error on step 11, when the phone goes into bootloader mode and tries to scan PC10IMG.zip file that I copied into the SDCard.
It said 'CID' incorrect!, Update Fail!
Anybody knows why I might have this issue? Is this because of the firmware difference as mentioned by Athrun88?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated in the thread you are using to downgrade, your CID must be one of the following:
g4rb4g3 said:
If your INFOCID is NOT one of these you need to make a goldcard to downgrade!
HTC__001
HTC__032
HTC__E11
HTC__203
HTC__Y13
HTC__102
HTC__405
HTC__304
HTC__A07
HTC__N34
HTC__J15
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF its not in the above list you must make a gold card first then use the thread that you listed to downgrade. To check your CID run the following commands:
check with:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot oem boot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a link in the thread you listed on how to make a gold card. The method you are trying is comfirmed to also work with 1.82. So the reason you are having problems is NOT because your on 1.82 firmware, more than likely your CID is not listed above. Solution = GOLDCARD.

Thank you for the reply.
I have looked into the Goldcard method (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=832503) and actually spent my time trying to accomplish the result.
Part 1 and part 2 are pretty straightforward but now I bumped into another problem when I tried to do part 3 as it requires me to have root access to execute the command.
I have tried to get the root access by following methods from different threads such as using rage (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=834228).
For this method, I tried to do temp root and I am stucked on step 5. After launching 'Terminal Emulator' and running 'rage'. I can't seem to run the 'Terminal Emulator' again. When I launched it, it Force Closes. Tried to launch it again, my phone just displayed black screen and keys doesn't seem to be responding not till I off and on the phone (not reboot).
I also tried to use Visionary too but doesn't seem to have any luck.
Is there any other method I can try to get the root access?
Another question is after I followed Part 1 of the steps in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=832503, when I boot up my computer, I can't seem to go to Windows. I am sure I selected physical disk instead of logical disk but I don't know why this happen. Anybody encounter the same problem?

I'm currently in the situation of wanting to root and S-off my Desire Z in order to update, either to official or (more likely) Virtuous ROM.
However before I do so I have a couple of questions.
1) How do I back up everything on my phone? I know my contacts and calendar will be fine as they are from my google account, also my email will be ok as that is also my google account. Photos etc I can just copy to my PC but what about all the apps I've installed, and my progress in them, my pair bluetooth devices, my wifi access points, my mesage apn settings etc etc?
I have tried Titanium Backup but not having paid for the full version, the info it gives you is a little limited so i'm not sure what it's backed up etc?
2) I currently have root via using Visionary, do I need to unroot and then go through the process with all the adb stuff? Also, will i need to uninstall the SuperUser I have installed?
3) I think my ADB is setup as I managed to get it to boot the phone into the bootloader, but when Itried to check my INFOCID using
Code:
fastboot oem boot
I got an error message saying that fastboot was not a recognised function (or something similar to that) Is this a problem?
ANy help really really appreciated as I am a total newb with Android but would love to move to a more up-to-date software version as I am currently on 1.34.
Thanks in advance.

valve90210 said:
I'm currently in the situation of wanting to root and S-off my Desire Z in order to update, either to official or (more likely) Virtuous ROM.
However before I do so I have a couple of questions.
.......................... lots of questions...............
ANy help really really appreciated as I am a total newb with Android but would love to move to a more up-to-date software version as I am currently on 1.34.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could wait until HTC releases a OTA update for your phone. Or as a alternative and avoiding being impatient, you could do a lot of reading and learning on this site to apply a custom rom. It is not that difficult at all, but do not expect a step by step walking trough the minute you ask for something here.

HLeenders said:
You could wait until HTC releases a OTA update for your phone. Or as a alternative and avoiding being impatient, you could do a lot of reading and learning on this site to apply a custom rom. It is not that difficult at all, but do not expect a step by step walking trough the minute you ask for something here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks for your helpful post...
I've done loads of reading on the forum and have gone rather round in circles. I think I know what I'm doing but seeing as someone else who is new to it had posted a thread I thought I'd also ask a couple of questions that I had which were pertinent to the discussion, to firstly find out for myself and secondly to help anyone else that might be finding the thread otherwise useful.
I think I have sorted the abd problem I was having, it seems that various tools have moved to different folders in the latest version of the android sdk so when I was trying the "fastboot" line it was nt findint fastboot.exe as it was in a different folder.
Secondly I'm fairly happy to give the gfre stuff a whirl but before I do I just wanted a little confirmation about backing everything up...not a huge ask really and fairly essential I would say!

valve90210 said:
Wow, thanks for your helpful post...
I've done loads of reading on the forum and have gone rather round in circles. I think I know what I'm doing but seeing as someone else who is new to it had posted a thread I thought I'd also ask a couple of questions that I had which were pertinent to the discussion, to firstly find out for myself and secondly to help anyone else that might be finding the thread otherwise useful.
I think I have sorted the abd problem I was having, it seems that various tools have moved to different folders in the latest version of the android sdk so when I was trying the "fastboot" line it was nt findint fastboot.exe as it was in a different folder.
Secondly I'm fairly happy to give the gfre stuff a whirl but before I do I just wanted a little confirmation about backing everything up...not a huge ask really and fairly essential I would say!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Astro File Explorer to back up your apps, Call Logs Backup and SMS backup will backup the sms threads and call logs or if you want to spend a couple of bucks Root explorer works well for me also. Once you have CWM you can make a Nandroid backup and will have an exact image of you phone at that point in time that you can go back to. I am waiting for my DZ to arrive and currently using an Inspire and 2 Captivates that other than minor differences in the procedures the backup maintenance is the same. The problem is that if you downgrade to a rom that allows CWM you cant back up the existing newer one. There are copies of it out there though. Just be careful if trying to go back to it and read carefully as I understand there are possible problems going back if the correct procedures are not followed. Good luck to you and as the previous poster stated about educating yourself, I fully agree. Read until you understand then read again to make sure you are not missing something. Follow directions EXACTLY and it usually avoids problems.
Sorry I see you are on 1.34 which I think means that once you get S-Off and root you can download rom manager from the market, install clockworkmod and you will be good to go with Nandroid backups.