Hi,
I bought a HTC Desire HD from ebay last week and it is locked to the T-Mobile network with their branding on it. The software version is 1.75.110.2
I have tried nearly all guides on the internet to debrand this phone and get the original HTC firmware on it but it doesn't work.
I have also tried to downgrade it but I always get an error messages saying incorrect cid, update failed.
I followed a few guides on creating a goldcard but it doesn't seem to work.
Just spent the last 4 hours trying to get this crappy T-Mobile software off the phone and get the original firmware on it, but failed all the time.
If someone has an answer could you please share it with me as I have paid a lot of money for this phone and i don't want to use it with obsolete slow t-mobile software on it, i would rather use the original htc software.
there are almost hundreads of threads regarding it budyy.. should have just looked for it in development thread.. but then i'll save u time and effort
how to make a goldcard:
format ur sdcard "FULL FORMAT" using FAT32 and then put it back in ur phone.
now download goldcard helper from the market. run it and the long number that appears under "MMC2" copy that EXACTLY and go to this website
http://psas.revskills.de/?q=goldcard
paste that long number in sd serial number.. enter u emails as well and u will recieve an email with ur goldcard image.
open the HxD hex editor. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must run the application as administrator.
Go to the 'Extra' menu and select 'Open Disk'. Under physical disk, select Removable Disk (your microSD card), uncheck 'Open as Readonly' and click OK. Note that you should select physical disk NOT the logical disk. This is important!
Go to the 'Extra' menu again and select 'Open Disk Image'. Open the goldcard image that you received by email.
You should now have two tabs - one is your removable disk, the other is your goldcard image. Press OK when prompted for 'Sector Size' (selecting 512 (Hard disks/Floppy disks)) and click OK.
Click on the goldcard image tab. Go to the 'Edit' menu, choose 'Select All' then select the 'Edit' menu again and select 'Copy'.
Click on the 'Removable Disk' tab. Highlight offset (line) 00000000 to offset (line) 00000170 (including the 00000170 line), then click on the 'Edit' menu and select 'Paste Write'.
Click on the 'File' menu and select 'Save', accepting the warning.
You now have a goldcard!
now use this link to downgrade ,,, the link below has stock htc rom.. which is totaly unbranded just like a phone u wud buy sim free.. after u flash that rom use software updates in settings to get all the latest updates
How to downgrade:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905003
Try to remember, not all SDcards can be a goldcard. You may need to try other cards.
The SD Card that comes with the DHD should be fine. I used that one and it works perfectly.
The included card didn't work for me. I had to use a card I'd previously used as a goldcard for my HTC Hero. Out if the 5 cards I own only one I could successfully use as a goldcard.
Thanks LeatherFace. I followed your guide and it worked.
Related
Hi boys
I have a question for you..
Can I load the T-Mobile Dash Rom on my HTC S620Pro unlocked?
I love the T-Mobile Dash Home screen theme and i f it's possible I want run it on my HTC S620 Excabilur
Thank you in advance for the answer
Yep but you might need to CID unlock (obtain SuperCID) which costs £20 ($39). If you just want the home screen just ask someone for it and copy it on. I would post it but I currently have the WM6 Dash ROM on my S620 and it probably doesn't have the home screen you mention.
I was wondering if anyone could help me.I have a HTCs620 and I am trying to flash it with the T-Mobile WM6 Rom.I have had the unit CID unlocked with IMEI Check and still I get the invalid model ID (something like that)I read something about upgrading the bootloader but where do I find this file for the HTC Excalibur......Any other suggestions since I have tried evereything else............
hope this helps
http://www.esnips.com/web/xdadevelopers
please post after a reply if its ok !!!1
bidinot said:
I was wondering if anyone could help me.I have a HTCs620 and I am trying to flash it with the T-Mobile WM6 Rom.I have had the unit CID unlocked with IMEI Check and still I get the invalid model ID (something like that)I read something about upgrading the bootloader but where do I find this file for the HTC Excalibur......Any other suggestions since I have tried evereything else............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are different versions of Excalibur EXCA2xxx and ECXA1xxx
You could write an email to imeicheck and they will give you this solution regarding the invalid vendor id:
Tools you need:
===============
- HexWorkshop from http://www.bpsoft.com/downloads/-
the ROM of your choice
- Winzip or Winrar
- a valid UNL file for YOUR phone
Preparation:
============
a) install HexWorkshop and Winzip or Winrar on your pc
b) in explorer on pc, RIGHT click on the ROM of your choice and use: "Extract files to folder ..." from conext menu Now it will unpack all the files
c) in the new folder you will have ONE file like "HRUU_signed.NBH" (*.NBH) RIGHT click on the .NBH file and use: "Hex Edit with Hex Workshop" from context menu
d) You'll see on the 5th row EXCA20000 ==> !!! make it EXCA***** (5 stars) and save the file
e) Now RIGHT click on ROMUpdateUtility.exe and use: "Hex Edit with Hex Workshop" from conext menu
Search for word "BsaD5SeoA" (without quotes, case sensitive)
You'll find it around address 0x3FC6C ==> !!! replace "BsaD5SeoA" with "IMEICHECK" (without quotes) and save the file
ROM-Update:
===========
1) take SIM card and SD card OUT of the phone
2) Connect the phone running windows ce to the pc (normal way).
3) Completely Unlock your phone using our unlocker <== REALLY IMPORTANT
4) After phone is unlocked run unlocker (again) BUT when the unlocker ask for UNL file, remove the USB cable from the phone THEN press "Cancel" on the unlocker select file window (unlocker will close on PC). NOTE: The screen on the device will not show something usefull when in this mode. Most probably it is complete WHITE. !!THIS IS NORMAL!! Don't touch phone, let it like it is!
5) After you closed the unlocker, attach usb cable again (phone has still white screen)
6) start (the modified) ROMUpdateUtility.exe
7) when update finished and device started you will get a message: "Data Crashed, contact service provider" (!NO PANIC!) ==> Simply fix this problem by running the unlocker again and this time select the key file normal way (full unlock process again). In case you have problems please indicate the step letter/number which is not clear/not working for you. If you REALLY do it STEP by STEP exact like described you will have no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Thanks for the great guide.When I get to the part to look for the bsa file in the hex editor program I cant seem to find it.Also, when I save the hex editied files do I save them to the folder were I extracted the Rom.I tried to run the utility without editing the bsa file (because I could not find it) and when I tried running it after pulling the usb cord it gave me the error message Invalid Update Tool.Do you know of anyone who can edit the T-Mobile WM6 Rom for me even if I have to pay for it.....
One last question...the rom I am supposed to edit with hex editor is it the new Rom (t-Mobile WM6) or the bootloader upgrade Rom..
Thanks in advance!!
r0p3 said:
There are different versions of Excalibur EXCA2xxx and ECXA1xxx
You could write an email to imeicheck and they will give you this solution regarding the invalid vendor id:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could any one tell me how i can upgrade this phone to Windows Mobile 6.
I have tried using the USA version download but it will not load saying the phone model is wrong.
Also is it possable to activate the wi fi on this as i understand it is there but dissabled.
Any help will be much appreciated.
hi,
first unlock the phone (cid unlock)
here:
http://www.imei-check.co.uk/dashunlock.php
then download the rom for wm6
and follow this steps :
Tools you need:
===============
- HexWorkshop from http://www.bpsoft.com/downloads/
the ROM of your choice
- Winzip or Winrar
- a valid UNL file for YOUR phone
Preparation:
============
a) install HexWorkshop and Winzip or Winrar on your pc
b) in explorer on pc, RIGHT click on the ROM of your choice and use: "Extract files to folder ..." from conext menu Now it will unpack all the files
c) in the new folder you will have ONE file like "HRUU_signed.NBH" (*.NBH) RIGHT click on the .NBH file and use: "Hex Edit with Hex Workshop" from context menu
d) You'll see on the 5th row EXCA20000 ==> !!! make it EXCA***** (5 stars) and save the file
e) Now RIGHT click on ROMUpdateUtility.exe and use: "Hex Edit with Hex Workshop" from conext menu
Search for word "BsaD5SeoA" (without quotes, case sensitive)
You'll find it around address 0x3FC6C ==> !!! replace "BsaD5SeoA" with "IMEICHECK" (without quotes) and save the file
ROM-Update:
===========
1) take SIM card and SD card OUT of the phone
2) Connect the phone running windows ce to the pc (normal way).
3) Completely Unlock your phone using our unlocker <== REALLY IMPORTANT
4) After phone is unlocked run unlocker (again) BUT when the unlocker ask for UNL file, remove the USB cable from the phone THEN press "Cancel" on the unlocker select file window (unlocker will close on PC). NOTE: The screen on the device will not show something usefull when in this mode. Most probably it is complete WHITE. !!THIS IS NORMAL!! Don't touch phone, let it like it is!
5) After you closed the unlocker, attach usb cable again (phone has still white screen)
6) start (the modified) ROMUpdateUtility.exe
7) when update finished and device started you will get a message: "Data Crashed, contact service provider" (!NO PANIC!)
==> Simply fix this problem by running the unlocker again and this time select the key file normal way (full unlock process again).
just follow it exactly and it will work,
i just got scared my self when i got data chrashed, but a few minutes later everythinbg worked well.
iff you want to change anything in the rom you ll need appunlocker.
4 wifi go to connection manager and push 3
wifi is activated.
just 1 thing, youre from uk, best thing is to backup keyboard settings.
its arround in this forum what it is exactly, i forgot this and now some keys are mapped wrong (like @ £ !)
so back this up, and i could use a copy of it
im scared does this work anybody??
I have no idea why the "preparation steps" was necessary ( post #2 ) with all the HEX editing ...
WHY ???
~~~
for me ... I did the paid CID service and then followed this method ... works fine without all that messing around with HEX editing ...etc ( except for the keyboard region setting )
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=288230
I've been WM5 <<<--->>> WM6 ... numerous times without any problem by the method in the link I gave.
~~~
Everything you ever needed to know about "unbricking" your Excalibur but were afraid to ask is in this guide. I've put together this guide for those of you who either intentionally or unintentionally "bricked" or think you've "bricked" your Excalibur.
It is not easy to brick an Excalibur if you actually read and follow all of the steps and guidelines before a flash. In fact, not many things can go wrong unless a USB cables disconnects during a flash, your PC crashes in the middle of a flash, or you flash a corrupt image file to your device. Statistically, most of the time people only think their Excalibur is "bricked" when actually it's not.
There are three methods you can use depending of the severity of the "bricking". The first method will unbrick 50% of all Excalibur's that have simply "locked up" and won't reboot properly. The second method will unbrick 95% of all Excalibur's that encountered flashing problems or flash failures. The third and final method, and the most involved, is a "last resort" for those who have tried method's one and two numerous times unsuccessfully.
** Please perform these steps and methods at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage you cause your device using this guide.
If you're new to the Excalibur or SmartPhones in general, please take the time to read the WiKi and this post by Stylez for valuable info before you post or try any of these steps.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=397583
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537151
But, before I even get into unbricking, if your phone is in fact working right now, I highly recommend you flash HardSPL to avoid even having to follow these steps anytime in the future. The steps and info for HardSPL and JumpSPL can be found in this thread by jockyw2001:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=329605
HardSPL basically flashes your phone with an "unlocked" security partition so all security checks are bypassed when you try to flash a cooked ROM or a ROM designed for another variation of the Excalibur such as Dopod, HTC, TMO Dash, etc. Makes life much easier when trying different ROMS or cooking and testing your own! Thanks jockyw2001!!
Ok, so onto the fun stuff... Your phone won't boot... Either it's locked up and simply stopped booting or you flashed your phone and it won't boot. What do you do??
Method 1: Assuming you didn't get "bricked" from a flash problem, the first and easiest method for "unbricking" your Excalibur is (this will erase ALL data in your Excalibur):
(This method works for 50% of supposedly "bricked" Excaliburs)
Remove your SIM and SD card
Remove and reinsert your battery
While holding the two softkeys with your thumbs, press the power button
Continue holding the softkeys until a black screen appears saying "This operation will delete all your..."
Press "'send"' to restore to hard reset your phone
Let the phone cold boot and restore
That didn't work!! . This next method will reflash your phone to the factory ROM.
Method 2: Second way to the path of unbricking is:
(This method will unbrick 95% of all Excaliburs)
Get a hold of your Shipped ROM. You can find these ROMS either in Dopod's site, HTC's site (with a valid serial #), TMO's site (http://www.t-mobile.com/wmupgrade/ with a valid IMEI), or right here at XDA at this post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=381726)
Download one of these factory ROMS and unpack it. **Remember, if your phone is a TMO Dash, you MUST use a TMO Dash ROM. If your phone is HTC Branded, you MUST use an HTC ROM, etc., etc., etc...
Remove the SD card if one is inserted in the phone
Remove the battery from your phone for a few seconds. I found this step to be essential to reset the device. Put the battery back in.
While holding the camera button on the right side, press the power button. The phone will enter "bootloader" mode and you will see a tricolor bootscreen.
While in this mode, plug in your USB cable and you will hear the "ba-bing" USB sounds as the device connects
Unpack the ROM package you just downloaded and run RomUpdateUtility.exe. Follow the steps, check the appropriate boxes, and start the flash
Assuming all goes well, your phone will flash to the factory ROM and you can then troubleshoot what went wrong the first time that bricked your phone.
Oh no!! That still didn't work!? Or it worked but the flash failed with Error 270 or another error......... Never fear!! XDA-Developers is here! This next method is a bit more intense. It creates a "goldcard" which is used to SuperCID the Excalibur so that it doesn't care about what factory ROM you flash. Please have the factory (not a cooked) ROM ready to go.
** (This method is not intended for Newbie's and some enhanced knowledge of HTC devices and Windows is required to successfully work.)
** (Retry the second method several times with a few different factory ROMS before attemting the below)
Method 3: The third "goldcard" method is a bit more intensive and should be used as a "last resort" so follow closely:
(should unbrick ANY bricked Excalibur if performed correctly)
Get a cup of coffee or tea
You will need a working Donor HTC device with a microSD slot and a microSD card that is smaller than 1GB (will be formatted) to create "goldcard" image using QMAT tools as described below
You will need QMAT. Get it from http://revskills.de/index.html.
Go to the Download link and download the latest version and unpack QMAT
Have some coffee
Use a SD card reader (either USB for microSD adapter) in your PC to access the SD card through Windows. Format the SD card with FAT32.
* Insert the SD card into the donor HTC device and boot up the device. Connect the USB cable and establish an Activesync connection.
Open QMAT and go to the "Hardware Forensics" menu and select "Generate HTC Goldcard"
In "Select device key:" select the Excalibur
You will need the serial number fro the inserted SD card so click the "Get SD Card Serial from WINCE Device" button
Once the Serial number appears in the box, click the "Save Goldcard Image to WINCE SD" button below
If no errors pop up and all goes well, skip the next step
If you get an error or a popup saying "Goldcard for newer devices isn't implemented in newer devices", you must buy and register the software. Believe me, it's worth the small amount of $ you will spend to bring your expensive device back to life!
Now remove the SD card with the newly written Goldcard image from the Donor HTC device
Insert the SD card back into your PC using the microSD card reader adapter. Browse to the drive letter assigned to it. You will see no files on the SD card, this is normal.
(If, for some reason your PC sees the SD card as unformatted, something went wrong. Remove it and reinsert it into the Donor HTC device. The device should see the card as unformatted and ask you to format it, say yes. Now go back to the "* Insert the SD card into the donor HTC device" step above and repeat the steps)
Unpack your Dopod or other factory ROM and copy RUU_Signed.nbh to the SD card. Once it had finished copying, rename the file to EXCAIMG.nbh. Remove the SD card from the PC.
Make sure the Excalibur is off and insert the SD card
Enter bootloader mode as mentioned earlier (hold the camera button while pressing the power button). No need to connect the USB cable.
You will see a gray screen that says "loading". It will then find the EXCAIMG.nbh file and ask if you would like to start the update process. Follow the instructions and let the phone flash.
It will take 10-15 mins but your phone should boot fine and be back in action!
QMAT is a VERY powerful tool written by viperbjk that allows for full low level manipulation of HTC and WINCE tasks. Read all about it here http://revskills.de/index.html.
Many thanks to jockyw2001 for his amazing HTC device knowledge! Also thanks to all who contributed to this post.
Hope this tutorial helps!
Updates and more info will be here.
What if the phone will not enter bootloader mode?
ookba said:
Updates and more info will be here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi OOkba,
This happened to a friend in the office's Dash. It simply froze up while operating. I actually got on the phone with HTC support. We couldn't get it to do anything. It does power up but then freezes.
The HTC guy was of the opinion that it is hardware related.
You ever solved that one?
BTW - I am running the 7.18 6.5 - love it - thank you so much
all steamed out said:
Hi OOkba,
This happened to a friend in the office's Dash. It simply froze up while operating. I actually got on the phone with HTC support. We couldn't get it to do anything. It does power up but then freezes.
The HTC guy was of the opinion that it is hardware related.
You ever solved that one?
BTW - I am running the 7.18 6.5 - love it - thank you so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, glad you like it. Try this guide for your friend. Sounds like an easy fix unless it is indeed hardware related.
HI OOKBA. I can't find my shipped rom. I have a HTC Excalibur from Digitel, Venezuela. The serial number is SZ702FJ05879. I try all roms and not working. Please, help me. (sorry my bad english)
thank. I formated SD card and insert SD card in to my phone.But Do I need turn on my phone when connect with computer? because when I run QMAT software is error. " could not open connection? Device connected?". Help me. I need help from you
mydreamisrich said:
thank. I formated SD card and insert SD card in to my phone.But Do I need turn on my phone when connect with computer? because when I run QMAT software is error. " could not open connection? Device connected?". Help me. I need help from you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you have to have a spare working phone to create a "goldcard". The phone must be powered on and sync'd via USB so QMAT can access the storage card.
alfatech said:
HI OOKBA. I can't find my shipped rom. I have a HTC Excalibur from Digitel, Venezuela. The serial number is SZ702FJ05879. I try all roms and not working. Please, help me. (sorry my bad english)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
English is good!! Who is your Carrier? Maybe your carrier has a ROM UPdate on their website? You should be able to use the TMO or Brightpoint ROM. You tried all the factory ROMS and they fail to flash?
ookba said:
Yes, you have to have a spare working phone to create a "goldcard". The phone must be powered on and sync'd via USB so QMAT can access the storage card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried turn on my phone. And connect computer by USB but the same error. QMAT can't access the storage card. What does I do?
Sup ookba!
I really want to flash my TMobile Dash using your rom, looks pretty cool but I'm deadly afraid of bricking my phone so first, I took a look on my System Info and it says
ROM Version: 1.33.422.1 (tho its a TMobile Dash, I think the seller flashed it with this international rom).
Model Name: HTC S621
So I got 3 questions
1) Can i flash 3VO rom on this phone?
2) If the flashing fails, can i just use another 1.33.422.1 ROM and reflash it?
3) Will the flashing process (both ways) will bring the SIM Lock back?
Greetings from Brazil and sorry about my glass-cracking, horrible and ultra-bad english.
aletkd said:
Sup ookba!
I really want to flash my TMobile Dash using your rom, looks pretty cool but I'm deadly afraid of bricking my phone so first, I took a look on my System Info and it says
ROM Version: 1.33.422.1 (tho its a TMobile Dash, I think the seller flashed it with this international rom).
Model Name: HTC S621
So I got 3 questions
1) Can i flash 3VO rom on this phone?
2) If the flashing fails, can i just use another 1.33.422.1 ROM and reflash it?
3) Will the flashing process (both ways) will bring the SIM Lock back?
Greetings from Brazil and sorry about my glass-cracking, horrible and ultra-bad english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, your phone is fine. Make sure you follow all of the flashing instructions. Make sure you remove your SD card, connect your phone, run SDA Application Unlock, and run auto.bat from the update package.
mydreamisrich said:
I tried turn on my phone. And connect computer by USB but the same error. QMAT can't access the storage card. What does I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know what you're doing wrong. Sounds like you're not establishing an Activesync connection properly.
Ok, Ookba. My carrier is DIGITEL and don't have support in the website. The phone comes originally with WM5 in spanish. I try all the factory roms and not working. Please, tell me if there is any solution or I forget the phone.
Thank you any help.
alfatech said:
Ok, Ookba. My carrier is DIGITEL and don't have support in the website. The phone comes originally with WM5 in spanish. I try all the factory roms and not working. Please, tell me if there is any solution or I forget the phone.
Thank you any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the "Goldcard"' method. This should SuperCID your phone and allow you to flash ANY shipped factory ROM. Please follow the tutorial closely. You will need a spare phone with a microSD slot.
Ok, Ookba. But the spare phone must be a same model than mine? (HTC S620)
alfatech said:
Ok, Ookba. But the spare phone must be a same model than mine? (HTC S620)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, just has to Windows Mobile based and have a SDHC slot.
OK. I try with 3rd method and when run Qmat and select "Get SD Card serial from WINCE Device" appears the message "You need to set rigth registry permissions. See QMAT manual for more info." and not recognizes the sd card.
What is the problem?
Thanks, Ookba. You're great, man. Finally someone offers solutions to my problem. Thank you very much. My Phone came back to life again. I make a donation soon.
alfatech said:
Thanks, Ookba. You're great, man. Finally someone offers solutions to my problem. Thank you very much. My Phone came back to life again. I make a donation soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GREAT!!!!! Congratulations!
I tried but when I click Get SD Card Serial from WINCE Device in the box none found and click Save Goldcard Image to WINCE SD is card ID isn't 16 bit (32 charter) long. I isn't succesful. help me???????
However I have heard good things about this site and I hope you can help me.
I have an HTC desire I bought for vodafone and as I am sure you have heard the vodafone users are less than pleased about this stealth upgrade that has been released.
I want to upgrade to 2.2 android but I would like to do it outwith Vodafone as I dont want the 360 bumph.
I don't understand rooting... well I do understand one definition.
I dont understand rooting but I can follow instruction can someone send me in the right direction please?
The firmware version currently on the phone is 2.1-update 1
build 1.19.161.5
Thanks
here is what I did
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=748105
thanks
now about a gold card... perhaps I should stick to call of duty on my playstation
Hi Mate download the Gold Card Tool it makes it easy if you aren't very confident
http://www.klutsh.com/dlfiles/GoldCardTool-0.0.5.rar
and then follow these instructions
Requirements:
Latest HTC Sync software installed (www.htc.com)
Spare microSD card
Windows PC (Tested on Windows7 x64,Vista x86)
.Net Framework 2.0
Step by step instructions:
Format the microSD card to FAT32 format.
Put the microSD card in your device and boot it.
Launch GoldCard Tool (Right Click and run as Admin if needed)
Connect Android device to USB (USB Debugging must be enabled on the device)
Click 'Get CID' (If MMC1 fails try MMC0)
Click the link to open revskills.de, enter the CID number from Goldcard Tool and create your goldcard image, which will be e-mailed to you.
Enable USB Mass Storage on the device.
Click 'Refresh' and select your microSD card in the drop down menu.
Click 'Load GoldCard.img' and open the .img file you got by email.
Click 'Patch MMC'
You now have a goldcard!
Ok so I spent hours reading post after post and thread after thread trying to figure out how I could get S-OFF on my Virgin Mobile Wildfire S without having to use an XTC clip. I was told by another user (thehumble1) that I was able to do it without the use of an XTC Clip and it seems to only work with CDMA versions of the Wildfire S. So after hours of trial and error and frustration I finally was able to get S-OFF without the use of an XTC Clip. I decided to write a tutorial specifically to the Virgin Mobile Wildfire S users so that they don't have to do all the searching that I did.
*I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY BE DONE TO YOUR PHONE WHILE FOLLOWING THIS TUTORIAL*
*READ AND FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY OR YOU "WILL" RUN INTO PROBLEMS*
CREATING A GOLD CARD
Ok first we need to modify an sd card to make something called a gold card. Don't ask me what it is because honestly I have no idea I just know it is a necessary process in getting S-OFF.
1. Backup all files on your SD card as we will be formatting the card and you will lose all of your data.
2. Plug your phone into your computer and make sure hard disk mode is chosen. (Make sure USB debugging is turned on also)
3.Extract SimpleGoldCard_v1.zip to your desktop and start SimpleGoldCard.exe.
4. Select your SD card's drive letter in the drop down menu under "Step 1 - Format SD Card" and then select Format. If your drive letter is not showing up try pressing the refresh button next to the drop down menu.
5. Select ok when it says Format Complete then turn your phones USB Connection option to Charge Only instead of Disk Drive.
6. Next under "Step 3" select the MMC1 radio button and then click on GetCID. (It will produce a long list of jumbled numbers and letters this is your SD card ID)
7. Then select the link under "Step 4 - Request for IMG file". Copy the long ID from "Step 3" and paste it into the CID space on the web page you just opened and then fill out the captcha form and click Download to download your goldcard.img file (Save to your desktop)(the goldcard.img files are specific to individual SD Cards)
8. Close the page once you have downloaded your file and then bring back the Simple Gold Card application. Under "Step 5 - Load IMG File And Patch" select Load IMG and locate the goldcard.img file that you just downloaded and select it.
9. Put your phone back into Disk Drive mode and then click Patch MMC. Once everything is complete you should have a working gold card. (To make sure, remove your SD card and reinsert it and make sure that it still functions normally.
After your gold card has been made you need to download and unrar the DIAG Files.rar file I have uploaded. Extract the of the folder to the root of the new Gold Card you have just made. There should be two files and it should look like this when you are complete.
F:/PG76DIAG.nbh
F:/PG76DIAG.zip
*F being the letter of your removable drive whatever that may be
Before we move on to the next step we need to make sure that Fast Boot is turned off. So to do that you need to go to Settings/Power and then make sure Fast Boot is not selected.
INSTALLING THE DIAG FILES
1. Once that has been done power off your phone and pull the battery for a good 5 seconds just to make sure it's completely off.
2. Boot into HBOOT by holding Volume down while pressing the power button (you do not need to hold the power button, only hold the volume down button) The HBOOT screen will boot up and then you can let go of the Volume down button.
3. The phone will automatically scan the SD card for the files we just put on the root of the SD card and will start the update process.
4. A screen will appear that says Clean s58. Press the power button once to select clean s58 and the phone will start doing it's thing and should take about a good 20 seconds until it's finished.
5. Once the process is complete then pull the battery to turn the phone off.
6. Once the phone is off remove the SD card so that the phone doesn't install the DIAG files when we boot into HBOOT to check if we now have S-OFF.
7. Boot into HBOOT again by holding Volume down and quickly pressing the power button. The phone should boot into HBOOT and at the top of the screen it should now say S-OFF. Congratulations you now have Security off on your Virgin Mobile Wildfire S!
Now all that is left to do is restart your phone, reformat the SD card to remove the files we don't need anymore and restore your backed up files and your all set. You may now root your phone and do whatever it is that you wanted S-OFF for.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Comments are welcome. Any corrections or things that need to be changed as well let me know. This is my very first tutorial ever on XDA Forums so I hope that I was able to help some people out. All feedback is welcome and if this tutorial helped please give me a thanks.
Well done pal.. That's great news!
So this is only for US mobile phones?
arkatis said:
Well done pal.. That's great news!
So this is only for Virgin mobile phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I don't want to say that it's ONLY for Virgin Mobile phones persay, but that is what I have and what I used for this tutorial. I'm sure it's mainly because the Virgin Mobile Wildfire S has a different version of HBOOT and is also CDMA so who knows if that plays a part or not.
It wouldn't hurt for anyone to go ahead and try this procedure. And as for just US mobile phones I couldn't tell ya.
Here is my HBOOT info if anyone cares to know it.
MARVELC PVT SHIP S-OFF RL
HBOOT-1.06.0000
MICROP-0354
RADIO-0.94.00.0824
My HBOOT version is 0.90.0000 so i do not think it should work.. but i will give it a try! If i do not respond to this topic that means that my wife killed me! lol
arkatis said:
My HBOOT version is 0.90.0000 so i do not think it should work.. but i will give it a try! If i do not respond to this topic that means that my wife killed me! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha well good luck with your phone and your wife!
arkatis said:
Well done pal.. That's great news!
So this is only for US mobile phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This method works only for CDMA phones (many GSM users have tried and failed to get S-Off).
Also, probably only for US phones as hboot version is different. Have you had any luck?
sk8tr5955 said:
Here is my HBOOT info if anyone cares to know it.
MARVELC PVT SHIP S-OFF RL
HBOOT-1.06.0000
MICROP-0354
RADIO-0.94.00.0824
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same phone and I can confirm that I am now S-OFF!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the tutorial! Now I have to read up on how to root an S-OFF phone !
UPDATE: The phone is now fully rooted. This is amazing! I thought I was doomed to never have root due to Virgin Mobile not having sim cards, and being incompatible with XTC clips. It's amazing this was all done in software.
Awesome man I'm glad that I could help out! I'm extremely happy to know that it is working for other users out there as well. The most I ask out of you is to just give me some good feedback and thank me!
billclay1988 said:
I have the exact same phone and I can confirm that I am now S-OFF!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the tutorial! Now I have to read up on how to root an S-OFF phone !
UPDATE: The phone is now fully rooted. This is amazing! I thought I was doomed to never have root due to Virgin Mobile not having sim cards, and being incompatible with XTC clips. It's amazing this was all done in software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey guys! Yes i am alive!!!!!
No not any luck with my GSM WFS. Hope can someone modify the diag files to work as i am not able to open them nor extract them...Any help appreciated.
May I ask you, what is difference between "Virgin Mobile CDMA HTC Wildfire S" and normal HTC Wildfire S ?
WildFire I'm speaking about :
Code:
HBOOT 1.03.0000
MICROP-451
RADIO-7.46.35.08
Jun 02 2011, 16:17"50
Nevermind ignore this.
arkatis said:
I don't know if I'm correct but if you know the differences between CDMA and GSM then the answer is in front of you..
Each company have different versions of the firmware which is locked on their services.
So far we got 3 different hboot versions [0.90, 1.06, 1.03] with 3 different radios
0.90 is for GSM phones as i got one.
1.06 and 1.03 are for CDMA i suppose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our Europe Wildfire s (Austria) was shipped with the Hboot 1.03
Schnello said:
Our Europe Wildfire s (Austria) was shipped with the Hboot 1.03
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright that's why i told you guys to ignore my comment..
Seriously I am lost with this phone, it's a pain in the a$$!
Thanks God i got my Desire HD to play with.. lol
shaarky said:
May I ask you, what is difference between "Virgin Mobile CDMA HTC Wildfire S" and normal HTC Wildfire S ?
WildFire I'm speaking about :
Code:
HBOOT 1.03.0000
MICROP-451
RADIO-7.46.35.08
Jun 02 2011, 16:17"50
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same Wildfire.
Code:
MARVEL PVT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-1.03.0000
MICROP-0451
RADIO-7.46.35.08
Jun 2 2011, 16:17:50
I thought that CDMA phones don't have sim card?
too bad, no good for HBOOT-0.90
No.12 said:
I have the same Wildfire.
Code:
MARVEL PVT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-1.03.0000
MICROP-0451
RADIO-7.46.35.08
Jun 2 2011, 16:17:50
I thought that CDMA phones don't have sim card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the cdma phones don't have sim so when makig s58 there is no error because the phone not need the sim card. In the gsm after makig s58 phone reboots because not detect the flex cable conected to the xtc clip.
honorable mention?
sk8tr5955 said:
Ok so I spent hours reading post after post and thread after thread trying to figure out how I could get S-OFF on my Virgin Mobile Wildfire S without having to use an XTC clip. I was told by another user (thehumble1) that I was able to do it without the use of an XTC Clip and it seems to only work with CDMA versions of the Wildfire S. So after hours of trial and error and frustration I finally was able to get S-OFF without the use of an XTC Clip. I decided to write a tutorial specifically to the Virgin Mobile Wildfire S users so that they don't have to do all the searching that I did.
*I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY BE DONE TO YOUR PHONE WHILE FOLLOWING THIS TUTORIAL*
*READ AND FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY OR YOU "WILL" RUN INTO PROBLEMS*
CREATING A GOLD CARD
Ok first we need to modify an sd card to make something called a gold card. Don't ask me what it is because honestly I have no idea I just know it is a necessary process in getting S-OFF.
1. Backup all files on your SD card as we will be formatting the card and you will lose all of your data.
2. Plug your phone into your computer and make sure hard disk mode is chosen. (Make sure USB debugging is turned on also)
3.Extract SimpleGoldCard_v1.zip to your desktop and start SimpleGoldCard.exe.
4. Select your SD card's drive letter in the drop down menu under "Step 1 - Format SD Card" and then select Format. If your drive letter is not showing up try pressing the refresh button next to the drop down menu.
5. Select ok when it says Format Complete then turn your phones USB Connection option to Charge Only instead of Disk Drive.
6. Next under "Step 3" select the MMC1 radio button and then click on GetCID. (It will produce a long list of jumbled numbers and letters this is your SD card ID)
7. Then select the link under "Step 4 - Request for IMG file". Copy the long ID from "Step 3" and paste it into the CID space on the web page you just opened and then fill out the captcha form and click Download to download your goldcard.img file (Save to your desktop)(the goldcard.img files are specific to individual SD Cards)
8. Close the page once you have downloaded your file and then bring back the Simple Gold Card application. Under "Step 5 - Load IMG File And Patch" select Load IMG and locate the goldcard.img file that you just downloaded and select it.
9. Put your phone back into Disk Drive mode and then click Patch MMC. Once everything is complete you should have a working gold card. (To make sure, remove your SD card and reinsert it and make sure that it still functions normally.
After your gold card has been made you need to download and unrar the DIAG Files.rar file I have uploaded. Extract the of the folder to the root of the new Gold Card you have just made. There should be two files and it should look like this when you are complete.
F:/PG76DIAG.nbh
F:/PG76DIAG.zip
*F being the letter of your removable drive whatever that may be
Before we move on to the next step we need to make sure that Fast Boot is turned off. So to do that you need to go to Settings/Power and then make sure Fast Boot is not selected.
INSTALLING THE DIAG FILES
1. Once that has been done power off your phone and pull the battery for a good 5 seconds just to make sure it's completely off.
2. Boot into HBOOT by holding Volume down while pressing the power button (you do not need to hold the power button, only hold the volume down button) The HBOOT screen will boot up and then you can let go of the Volume down button.
3. The phone will automatically scan the SD card for the files we just put on the root of the SD card and will start the update process.
4. A screen will appear that says Clean s58. Press the power button once to select clean s58 and the phone will start doing it's thing and should take about a good 20 seconds until it's finished.
5. Once the process is complete then pull the battery to turn the phone off.
6. Once the phone is off remove the SD card so that the phone doesn't install the DIAG files when we boot into HBOOT to check if we now have S-OFF.
7. Boot into HBOOT again by holding Volume down and quickly pressing the power button. The phone should boot into HBOOT and at the top of the screen it should now say S-OFF. Congratulations you now have Security off on your Virgin Mobile Wildfire S!
Now all that is left to do is restart your phone, reformat the SD card to remove the files we don't need anymore and restore your backed up files and your all set. You may now root your phone and do whatever it is that you wanted S-OFF for.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Comments are welcome. Any corrections or things that need to be changed as well let me know. This is my very first tutorial ever on XDA Forums so I hope that I was able to help some people out. All feedback is welcome and if this tutorial helped please give me a thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very clean, well-made guide, and it got moved to the dev thread. I would only like to mention the thread that was searched for hours was most likely http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1343094 . I believe GotsOJ was the first I saw report sucess then mentioned the process he used. I tested and documented here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19302575&postcount=121 . I think these efforts bear mention and also perhaps a thanks; alas, I still only have 4 ::shrug::
Also, of course I would thank that thread's OP daxiaamu and eoghan2t7 for pioneering work and the chinese development that made it possible. Perhaps a moment of appreciation in the time it takes to click a thanks button is due to these.
Also I would add a cursory warning to the effect s-off=yes, root=yes... STOP DO NOT attempt to flash a custom rom at this time. It happened to GotsOJ [and I'm sure others] phone locks into qualcom diagnostic mode and is down until you read up [or make a guide for] how to get out of that pickle. But I digress.
Again thank you for the well put-together tutorial.
Rob
insink71 said:
STOP DO NOT attempt to flash a custom rom at this time. It happened to GotsOJ [and I'm sure others] phone locks into qualcom diagnostic mode and is down until you read up [or make a guide for] how to get out of that pickle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GotsOJ mentioned that he successfully flashed a first rom, then bricked when he tried to flash a second one. I'd be interested in finding out which rom he tried first that actually worked.
does it work with a gsm phone?