Develop Bugs

[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.

[Q] Been reading for hours and have a question

Hi everyone
I've spent forever reading the forum and have a few questions and hopefully you'll have a quick answer for me.
Excuse my noobness (shouldn't be too bad, I've learned a lot in the last 5 hours!)
I've rooted my desire with unrevoked (it's worked fine)
This is a simlocked (soon to be unlocked first before flash?) handset from 3UK
Installed rom manager pro and backed up everything
All I want to do is install a stock/vanilla froyo 2.2 with sense etc. I don't care if it closes the root and I think I want it to automatically upgrade everything including the radio so I basically end up with a standard unbranded handset. No need for further rooting.
I'll be using rom manager to install the rom. I did notice in this thread:
(stock rom thread) Not allowed to post url's
The stock roms listed, although at the top there are two listed? 122704 & 126984 and they are exe files. Should they be zip files if installed via rom manager? A direct link to the correct rom would be excellent
Sorry for asking, I'm sure you lot get upset by stupid questions, but this is the furthest I can travel without asking.
Thank you
J

Exe files can be used to update the Rom from your pc with USB cable. Please make sure to use the gold card when doing any updates to make sure it works properly after the update.
As for unlocking, you can unlock before or after changing the Rom. Just remember to keep the unlock code just in case. You may need to enter the unlock code twice in a row, this is normal.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Thanks. I didn't think I'd need a goldcard if I was already rooted and had rom manager? Install from SD?

Why would you want to install a RUU and lose root? There are plenty of good ROMs that are based on official HTC 2.2. Some are almost stock with very few modifications. Download, flash via recovery and you're done.

launton said:
Thanks. I didn't think I'd need a goldcard if I was already rooted and had rom manager? Install from SD?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even if your rooted a branded device needs a goldcard to flash a generic ruu. just for your info, a vanilla rom dosent include sence, its called vanilla because its plain like the ice cream flavour, this means its a basic aosp rom with none of the htc apps

launton said:
Thanks. I didn't think I'd need a goldcard if I was already rooted and had rom manager? Install from SD?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A gold card is a must if you had a branded phone (most likely if your phone was bought on a network and locked to a network too). Many users have had problems with WiFi if they update without a gold card
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Ok thanks, so the best thing is to make a gold card and update to stock froyo by usb using exe file with gold card inserted?
I really don't need to keep the phone rooted for future use. All I want is the latest software really, that's all. Thanks for the quick replies by the way guys. Of course if there is a slightly modified rom that I can install without a gold card I'll go for that, as long as it has sense (I like it)

launton said:
Ok thanks, so the best thing is to make a gold card and update to stock froyo by usb using exe file with gold card inserted?
I really don't need to keep the phone rooted for future use. All I want is the latest software really, that's all. Thanks for the quick replies by the way guys. Of course if there is a slightly modified rom that I can install without a gold card I'll go for that, as long as it has sense (I like it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can install any custom rom without needing a goldcard! rather than using rom manager though, i suggest you use the unrevoked recovery flasher to flash the clockworkmod recovery, then its as simple as copying the rom.zip to your sd card and holding vol down and power

I just use the standard ROM on my Desire, never thought about routing as I am happy with the standard ROM with HTC Sense.
Here's a very basic run down of how I unbranded my desire. Please please please read through the guides on the developers forum and make sure you understand the process. It's simple but can damage your phone if you don't follow the instructions carefully.
1. Buy an unlock code (i use the phone on more than one network and it is a good idea to have an unlock code as some roms may lock your phone).
2. Create a gold card. There is a tool to do this which makes it easy to do, search the developers and q and a forums for this.
3. Download a RUU file to your pc. These are exe files that can run from your pc to update the phones ROM.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Thanks once again.
I'll read some more and see how it goes. Thanks once again

Thanks lads all sorted now.

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 access to install apps to sd

Hi after spending about a week reading through forums I managed to change my friends HTC HD2 to android using the LEO "Stock" NAND Android ROM.
All went great thanks to the excellent instuctions on here.
I then put z4root on and app2sd and all worked great.
I then deceicded to buy an HTC desire for myself not the HD one.
However maybe I should have done some more reading first as I cant find a way to root device to install apps to sd card.
I dont really want to flash another rom as phone is new and under warrant.Can you root without flashing a new rom or somehow move them to sd
Have I just made a huge mistake buying this phone or is there a way.
All help appreciated thanks

How does rooting void the warranty less than flashing a custom rom? Don't answer cause it doesn't.
It is possible to root and keep the current rom, but if you want to enable A2SD then it's a lot of work (not talking about the froyo crap).
So if you want A2SD is suggest you root with Unrevoked and flash Leedroid. Don't forget to make a ext partition on the sd card before flashing.
Disclaimer: You are the only one responsible for you phone, no one else!

You can root the stock ROM as TheGhost 233 said. You can also use AlphaRev's S-Off as well on it if you wanted.
As for me, I couldn't be bothered with A2SD so I just S-Off'd and then used the n1table to increase my internal memory. The ROM I use uses bugger all in the system. Also, you can move apps to SD card anyway if you have 2.2+.

gaz1888 said:
Hi after spending about a week reading through forums I managed to change my friends HTC HD2 to android using the LEO "Stock" NAND Android ROM.
All went great thanks to the excellent instuctions on here.
I then put z4root on and app2sd and all worked great.
I then deceicded to buy an HTC desire for myself not the HD one.
However maybe I should have done some more reading first as I cant find a way to root device to install apps to sd card.
I dont really want to flash another rom as phone is new and under warrant.Can you root without flashing a new rom or somehow move them to sd
Have I just made a huge mistake buying this phone or is there a way.
All help appreciated thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I don't think you've made a mistake buying this particular phone....seriously....
As for rooting, use the Unrevoked method which is the easiest....Alpharev S-OFF works too ( I think you can't flash custom HBOOT images if your phone has the latest PVT-4 NAND..better check on that..)
Here's the complete guide from the Desire Android Development section of the forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=696189

Thanks for the replies I am waiting on phone getting delivered today from virgin.
I will post back when I get a chance to have a look at it.

I got root using unrevoked3 but my phone is s-on
My phone is on virgin branded and I presume locked though not tried another sin in it yet.
If I wanted to flash leedroid Rom onto phone what steps would I have to do
I put on setcpu so that seems to have helped battery life but would like custom Rom on
Thanks
Sent from my HTC desire

Hold on wait a minute you don't have to flash a new ROM at all your v-mobile phone should be on froyo (android 2.2) current software version 2.22.351.3 which already lets you put some apps onto your sd card at the moment i only have 3 downloaded apps that are on phone only mode.
[edit] you can also add downloaded apps from computer to sd card and install with Astro - Every one that i have done this with enabled move to sd and i still have 98mb of space to store more apps (even with the ones that are installed by v-mobile)

Thanks for reply yes it is on new update but I thought some of the modded roms were using less battery power so I wanted to know how to install one.
I have rooted using unrevoked 3 but i notice my phone is s-on
Just wanted to know if someone could advise me on the steps to do this or point me to a guide.
Will look at that astro as well thanks.
I have modinstall also

The issue you have is should things go wrong you can't return to stock as the Virgin RUU hasn't been leaked, so make a gold card now before you continue. This way, should the worst happen, you can flash the generic HTC RUU to get back to stock
Then look at custom ROMs using A2SD+ - most do it these days but best to check the ROM thread in question to make sure. Then partition your SD card and flash the ROM and you're good to go.
S-OFF isn't something you NEED - just means you can make changes to the OS without having to go into recovery first. If you're not going to be making a lot of changes bar a new ROM then leave that for now

EddyOS said:
The issue you have is should things go wrong you can't return to stock as the Virgin RUU hasn't been leaked, so make a gold card now before you continue. This way, should the worst happen, you can flash the generic HTC RUU to get back to stock
Then look at custom ROMs using A2SD+ - most do it these days but best to check the ROM thread in question to make sure. Then partition your SD card and flash the ROM and you're good to go.
S-OFF isn't something you NEED - just means you can make changes to the OS without having to go into recovery first. If you're not going to be making a lot of changes bar a new ROM then leave that for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what i was thinking and knowing v-mobile if you can't find a stock ROM to flash back to may have no warranty. That's the only reason i havent messed with mine

Early version (2.1) are about so you could downgrade using the guide on here but I don't know if it'd work (depends on the HBOOT)
Either way, a gold card is needed

[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