Hi,
I'm hoping someone might be able to help me out. Ive read numerous guides and watched several youtube vids but still have a couple of questions as no guides are specific for branded phones.
My DHD is branded and I want to unlock and debrand it, its running 2.2 and software 1.40.61.2.
Firstly do i need to downgrade to 1.32, I have read contrasting reports on this on another forum.
Secondly do i need a gold card if i'm not downgrading, ive read you must have a gold card to root a branded handset but gold cards are only mentioned in the downgrading guide.
This is my basic theory of how things should go:
- Root via VISONary
- Radio S-OFF
- Install ROM manager
- Flash custom ROM
Does this sound about right?
Thx
Those steps are OK, no need to downgrade and use a goldcard. Go slap the people who said you have to downgrade
Related
Hey all,
I have a quick question or two about goldcards and what they do and when they are needed. I created one as per the instructions on this page
"broadbandgenie.co.uk/blog/20100822-how-debrand-htc-desire-update-froyo" and it allowed me to load stock Froyo 2.2 onto my Virgin Mobile branded Desire.
Strangely I now seem to be able to use other SIM's too, but thats not really relevant.
My questions are as follows...
1) What exactly did this goldcard do that allowed me to load an unbranded Froyo ROM
2) I've since rooted my phone with unrEVOked 3.21, do I still need the goldcard to load OTA updates or a new custom ROM in the future?
3) What ever the answer to question 2, can an explanation be givenas to why?
And slightly OT, but I've read some horror stories about wrong radios or SPL's(?) killing phones permanently. So on that subject..
1) Do I need to make sure I have the right radio each time I load a custom ROM?
2) If so, where do I get the radio files and how do I know which is right?
3) Would an OTA update take care of the above for me automatically?
4) Are HBOOT and SPL the same thing?
Again, apologies for asking things that have undoubtedly been answered before but I'd like to be fully armed with the knowledge I need before I go any further with my Desire.
Many thanks,
Nathan.
First batch:
1. The gold card in affect masks the CID of the phone and makes the phone appear to be a generic handset so it can accept any official ROM
2. If you've only rooted the stock ROM you were on and are going to continue to use it then yes you'll need the gold card for ALL future OTA updates. This is for the same reason as point 1. If you're going to use a custom ROM then you don't need a gold card at all as rooting via unrEVOked can be done without a gold card.
3. See points 1 and 2
Second set:
1. Yes, all custom ROMs threads have a recommended radio stated in the first post
2. There's a thread for radios in the Dev section, see point 1 for other info
3. Yes it will, but see point 2 of first batch answers
4. SPL is WinMo phones, HBOOT is the Android equivalent
Fantastic! Thanks for that.
So for my own clarification, the goldcard bypasses some security in the official ROM's, be they branded or not? But the custom ROM's have no such security restrictions meaning I do not need the gold card?
And from where I am now, stock Froyo rooted with unrEVOked, I am in a decent position to simlpy load on LeeDroid ROM for example just by the method he describes in his official post?
Would I at any point need to upgrade my HBOOT from 0.93 manually?
Many thanks! I think I am finally getting my head round the various areas of Android/ROM's etc.
Nathan
Yes. Say you had a T-Mobile branded Desire and tried to flash a generic RUU file to it it would fail the CID check. A gold card effectively masks this so the RUU file thinks you have a CID unlocked Desire and allows you to flash it. Just remember to leave the gold card in the phone as you'll need it for OTA updates as they come along (and they'll remove root access in the process).
With rooting you will have a custom recovery which doesn't run the check an official RUU does so you can just flash the ZIP file without any issues
If you're on rooted FroYo now then you'll already be on HBOOT 0.93 so you can't forget about that. The HBOOT is only changed on official updates
Thanks again Eddy
I'm slowly but surely getting more knowledge and in return becoming more intrigued about I can do with the phone. Maybe one day I'll be the one handing out advice
Cheers,
Nathan.
Hi guys,
After much searching on this site I'm still none the wiser as to how to actually debrand my DHD to stock HTC firmware. I found a guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10113881&postcount=11
But steps 1 and 2 both link to the same URL - does step 2 not actually need doing?
Then I found this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=917513
But then lots of people criticised it for missing bits out like S-OFF and using 1.72 firmware as opposed to 1.32.
I'm lost now over what all the H-BOOT/ S-OFF/ Radio S-OFF stuff means and where I can actually obtain a 1.32 RUU from. Visionary seemed to be the only bit that was simple and well documented.
Ultimately I'm not interested in rooting long term, nor applying custom ROM's/ radios etc afterwards - all I want to do is get my DHD as HTC would have it, minus all the Vodafone nonsense and so I can get updates from HTC as opposed to waiting 10 years for Vodafone to butcher them first. Luckily it at least currently accepts any carriers SIM....
Can anyone help un-muddy the waters for me?
Thanks in advance.
Chris.
This will all probably sound extremely nooby but just want to make sure I dont do anything to break my new DHD!
I've previously had experience rooting and flashing ROMS on a Htc Hero and that seemed much simpler.
Basically what I want to know is, if I have a branded Orange DHD do i need to use a goldcard in order to flash ROMS like Android Revolution or is a gold card just if I want to a flash a HTC stock ROM? I've tried reading up on this but I'm still unsure...
And also, does rooting and flashing Roms and Radios affect the sim card at all or does it just affect the device itself?
Your similar card is fine no matter what you do, unless you try and bend it!
The process of flashing ROMs is exactly the same as the HTC Hero, my old phone, however some processes need to be run before you can flash.
If you have a branded Orange handset and firmware 1.72/1.84 you will need to downgrade to 1.32 before you can root and start these processes, ENG S-OFF & Radio S-OFF (Optional).
I will link an excellent guide that has all the info you need.
Here are the excellent guides
Downgrading --> [GUIDE] How to downgrade 1.7x/1.8x/2.x to 1.32.405.6 - Includes goldcard creation.
ENG S-OFF --> [TOOL] One click ENG S-OFF
Radio S-OFF --> [TOOL][VIDEO] One click Radio S-OFF, SimUnlock (Easy Root & S-OFF Guide)
Guides by jkoljo
Once you have done everything, simply install ROM Manager from the market, flash Recovery from within there, Download your chosen ROM, flash from Recovery.
One point to note,
If you intend to flash a 2.2 (Froyo) ROM use a 2.x.x.x Recovery
If you intend to flash a 2.3 (Gingerbread) ROM use 3.x.x.x
thanks a lot, sorry to be a pain but the thing I'm really unclear about is if my DHD is Orange branded, but my firmware is 1.40.61.2 do i still need to downgrade to 1.32?
I don't know to be honest. Try running Visionary+ and see if you can root. If you can, then you don't need to downgrade.
Your firmware seems.to be rootable
Tapatalked with Tapatalk from my Desire HD using Tapatalk.
And I can confirm it, no need to downgrade
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
good info
well - just got myself a DHD today - should be with me soon !!! Nice !!!,
Thanks for the little Q & A on this matter, really helpful, As of yet I dont know what is on the phone - but Ill study the guides and see how I go. Ive previously toyed with last 2 HTC's ( Orbit & Polaris/Orbit 2 ) - that was fairly easy - but was a while ago so Im a little out of touch with these matters.
LoL - ill probabbly be back soon firing questions at you guys for help and guidance
Any guides for the pure DHD noob ??, explanation of phrases ect , As im a total virgin to the Android world
Hi dayze0
dayze0 said:
well - just got myself a DHD today - should be with me soon !!! Nice !!!,
Thanks for the little Q & A on this matter, really helpful, As of yet I dont know what is on the phone - but Ill study the guides and see how I go. Ive previously toyed with last 2 HTC's ( Orbit & Polaris/Orbit 2 ) - that was fairly easy - but was a while ago so Im a little out of touch with these matters.
LoL - ill probabbly be back soon firing questions at you guys for help and guidance
Any guides for the pure DHD noob ??, explanation of phrases ect , As im a total virgin to the Android world
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should find most of the link you should need here:- DHD Development Sticky Roll-Up Thread
Take Care
TheQuest
andyharney said:
Here are the excellent guides
Downgrading --> [GUIDE] How to downgrade 1.7x/1.8x/2.x to 1.32.405.6 - Includes goldcard creation.
ENG S-OFF --> [TOOL] One click ENG S-OFF
Radio S-OFF --> [TOOL][VIDEO] One click Radio S-OFF, SimUnlock (Easy Root & S-OFF Guide)
Guides by jkoljo
Once you have done everything, simply install ROM Manager from the market, flash Recovery from within there, Download your chosen ROM, flash from Recovery.
One point to note,
If you intend to flash a 2.2 (Froyo) ROM use a 2.x.x.x Recovery
If you intend to flash a 2.3 (Gingerbread) ROM use 3.x.x.x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thhx
Okay I've finally decided to root my Desire HD, however it's T-Mobile branded. I've created a Gold card but I'm not quite sure what to do with it.
1.Do I have it in whenever I flash a new Rom ?
2.Do I just root as normal (with visionary) with/without the gold card in?
Thanks.
letom said:
Okay I've finally decided to root my Desire HD, however it's T-Mobile branded. I've created a Gold card but I'm not quite sure what to do with it.
1.Do I have it in whenever I flash a new Rom ?
2.Do I just root as normal (with visionary) with/without the gold card in?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
depends on if you upgraded to the latest firmware updates. if you did, youll have 2 downgrade your system to a lower rootable firmware. theres quite afew walkthroughs on the site but i used this 1 about 15 minutes ago to root mine
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-permanently-root-htc-desire-hd-complete-guide/
make sure u follow every piece of information. and make sure your under 1.72 ota or downgrade which is also in this guide
Sorry I didn't say before, I'm on 1.39 so I'm at a rootable software. So do I just go ahead and use that guide even though my phone is still branded?
LINKSLOVESANDROID said:
theres quite afew walkthroughs on the site but i used this 1 about 15 minutes ago to root mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do not link to other websites as we have a full coverage of rooting here in XDA. The guides are originally from XDA, also. If something goes wrong when people use guides from other websites, the people here in XDA are not so keen to help.
letom, do not worry about branding. Go to the DHD android dev subforum, then to sticky roll up guide, and follow the complete guide to installing ROMs.
I have a HTC Desire A9191 which is is branded with a ROM from Orange. So far I have unlocked it and is working with a different network.
I want root the device and also removed the branded bloat sh*te from Orange and install a custom ROM. I have read multiple forum articles on how to do this, and understand the process.
What I don't know is which method will work for my current image version, and what is the best ROM for this device.
Version info as follows:
Adroid - 2.3.5
HTC Sense - 3.0
Software number - 3.13.61.5
Many thanks in advance.
Does anybody have advice for this this Orange version?
I don't think that the orange bloatware or branding will have any effect on the rooting process, it should be that standard downgrade and then root procedure. Just remember to follow the steps precisely and read the entire post with all instructions as all the information you could possibly need will be there.
With regard to the custom rom, well thats entirely up to you! There are plenty of great roms available, try them all and keep the one that suits you best
mpg19 said:
I have a HTC Desire A9191 which is is branded with a ROM from Orange. So far I have unlocked it and is working with a different network.
I want root the device and also removed the branded bloat sh*te from Orange and install a custom ROM. I have read multiple forum articles on how to do this, and understand the process.
What I don't know is which method will work for my current image version, and what is the best ROM for this device.
Version info as follows:
Adroid - 2.3.5
HTC Sense - 3.0
Software number - 3.13.61.5
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can folllow this guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1259821
Is a one step process to root, S-OFF, supercid, custom recovery etc. Then you will be able to flash any custom rom or a stock rooted rom.
Follow the instructions very carefully.
The link in the post above doesn't seem to work.
I would just say do a search for the "Ace hack kit" in this forum to find the right thread.http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=765&order=desc
I don't think you'll be S-OFF but that won't stop you flashing a ROM, plus there is another 1 step process to get you S-OFF. If you read the thread, and ask in there, you'll find everything you'll need.
The Ace hack kit is extremely easy to do, you simply plug your phone into your PC and click on or two buttons and it does the rest. Make sure you are absolutely sure on the procedure before doing it though.