Hi guys, i'm new to doing this for Google Android as i've never owned an Android phone before. A friend of mine wanted me to do it for him because i've done iphone jailbreaking, PSP / DS hacking, installing custom roms on many mobile platforms. The only one i haven't done is Android but he feels that it's safer that i do it for him.
I owned a HTC Touch Pro and know how the process works, but it seems for Android devices, you have to "root" it first by bypass some sort of CID or SPL check??
Anyway my question is, can someone give me a rough and quick explanations on how this work for Android phones, or more specifically the HTC Desire?? My friend simply wants custom roms installed on his phone, just like how it is for the windows mobile devices like the Touch Pro or Touch Pro 2 etc.
So do i simply root it first, and then install the custom rom and that's it?? Are there any extra steps i must take as well such as updating the kernel or something??
I know for rooting, you have to create a gold card. I have found guides for those, but if anyone can give me guides on how to install custom roms or any other helpful infos that i need to them, please do. It seems it's not as easy and straightforward as it is for Windows Mobile phones........
and apparently, rooting the phone means that some apps won't be usable?? It seems there are some downsides to this as well. If anyone can give me as much info related to rooting or installing custom roms for Android devices, that would be awesome.
chaoscreater said:
Hi guys, i'm new to doing this for Google Android as i've never owned an Android phone before. A friend of mine wanted me to do it for him because i've done iphone jailbreaking, PSP / DS hacking, installing custom roms on many mobile platforms. The only one i haven't done is Android but he feels that it's safer that i do it for him.
I owned a HTC Touch Pro and know how the process works, but it seems for Android devices, you have to "root" it first by bypass some sort of CID or SPL check??
Anyway my question is, can someone give me a rough and quick explanations on how this work for Android phones, or more specifically the HTC Desire?? My friend simply wants custom roms installed on his phone, just like how it is for the windows mobile devices like the Touch Pro or Touch Pro 2 etc.
So do i simply root it first, and then install the custom rom and that's it?? Are there any extra steps i must take as well such as updating the kernel or something??
I know for rooting, you have to create a gold card. I have found guides for those, but if anyone can give me guides on how to install custom roms or any other helpful infos that i need to them, please do. It seems it's not as easy and straightforward as it is for Windows Mobile phones........
and apparently, rooting the phone means that some apps won't be usable?? It seems there are some downsides to this as well. If anyone can give me as much info related to rooting or installing custom roms for Android devices, that would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically what it is, when google made android, they locked us out of accessing system files, kinda like the windows directory on winmo fones if you get me, by rooting your fone you regain access to them system files in order to flash a rom there are 3 steps,
1) rooting (Lets us mod the system)
2) install custom recovery (Recovery is where you can flash roms and other update files)
3) get the rom you want, (copy the .zip to the root of your sd card, then just flash it via recovery)
thats it all done
thanks for your reply mate.
But i've read from a few topics that rooting is only required for branded devices, and i don't think my friend's HTC Desire is branded at all, will i still need to root his phone though?
Also, how do i install the custom recovery?? This is the first time i've learned about this, all the other guides i found were similar to how you install custom roms for Windows Mobile, just using the RUU_Flasher (something like that), it's like an automated installer that flashes your phone so you don't have to do anything else at all so it's very simple. Could you link me to the custom recovery thing you talked about??
So basically, the recovery thing is kinda like an app that you launch from Android itself, and then it'll install the rom found on the root of your memory card??
Oh and lastly, i've read something about the SPL and kernel as well, do those matter??
One question about rooting...
Is this something you do one time and it keeps forever? For example, I'm actually in android 2.1, but android 2.2 is going to be released soon. If I root my device now but I update it later to android 2.2 will be still rooted or should I root it again?
I'm asking this question because the root process needs an specific boot/ROM and updating the phone might update one or both of them, making the rooting process unavailable for the time being.
chaoscreater said:
But i've read from a few topics that rooting is only required for branded devices, and i don't think my friend's HTC Desire is branded at all, will i still need to root his phone though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is incorrect.
If the phone is unbranded, you don't need a goldcard, but you still need to "root" it to install custom ROMs.
In reality, what we call "rooting" here is a two stage process.
The first stage is to get a custom recovery on your device, which allows you to flash custom ROMs.
The second stage is to flash a ROM which allows you to gain root access to the device when in operation.
There are plenty of threads and guides on these forums that can take you through the process. IMHO, UnRevoked3 is the best solution.
Regards,
Dave
AzureusPT said:
Is this something you do one time and it keeps forever? For example, I'm actually in android 2.1, but android 2.2 is going to be released soon. If I root my device now but I update it later to android 2.2 will be still rooted or should I root it again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install a ROM via an HTC RUU, or an OTA update, you will almost certainly lose root. So, once rooted, always flash ROMs that are pre-rooted via a custom recovery image. If you allow an HTC update to replace your bootloader, you may end up with a device that is no longer rootable by current methods.
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
This is incorrect.
If the phone is unbranded, you don't need a goldcard, but you still need to "root" it to install custom ROMs.
In reality, what we call "rooting" here is a two stage process.
The first stage is to get a custom recovery on your device, which allows you to flash custom ROMs.
The second stage is to flash a ROM which allows you to gain root access to the device when in operation.
There are plenty of threads and guides on these forums that can take you through the process. IMHO, UnRevoked3 is the best solution.
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so i basically use the UnRevoked3 app to install all that stuff on the Desire, and then put the custom rom image file on the root of my memory card, and where do i go from there?? I know i obviously have to install it but how? Will there be any apps installed on the phone by the UnRevoked3 program, and that i use the app to install the custom rom?
And btw i haven't gotten the phone yet so couldn't try this out so just wanna know exactly how this works.
Thanks for your reply btw, i appreciate it.
If you've got a custom recovery on your phone (via UnRevoked3 say), in order to install a custom ROM you need to:
a) Power down your phone
b) Power up your phone whilst holding volume down
c) Using the volume up/down keys navigate to "Recovery" and the power button to select. This will take you into your recovery image.
d) From here, you can then make Nandroid backups, flash new ROMs, wipe the device etc, etc
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
If you've got a custom recovery on your phone (via UnRevoked3 say), in order to install a custom ROM you need to:
a) Power down your phone
b) Power up your phone whilst holding volume down
c) Using the volume up/down keys navigate to "Recovery" and the power button to select. This will take you into your recovery image.
d) From here, you can then make Nandroid backups, flash new ROMs, wipe the device etc, etc
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHH ic ic, this is similar to hacking a PSP and install a custom firmware
ok i think i got the gist of it overall. Just one last question, what is Nandroid?? I read the FAQ on the homepage for UnRevoked3 and it mentioned something like this, or was it Nand?? I forgot, but it's one of those things that couldn't be flashed or changed permanently. I know nand is quite a common term for PSP and iPhones, so just wondering what this is for or what it means on Android...
here's an old video which shows how fake flash recovery works:
once you root your phone, you can use this procedure to flash roms:
vol down + power to enter hboot
choose Recovery option using vol buttons and power to confirm
once red triangle shows up, vol up + power, then choose apply update.zip to enter fake flash recovery
from there, you can backup your rom, wipe everything, flash new roms/radios, partition sd card...
thanks for your help, yup i got it.
But i just want to know what is Nandroid?? I read the FAQ on the homepage for UnRevoked3 and it mentioned something like this, or was it Nand?? I forgot, but it's one of those things that couldn't be flashed or changed permanently. I know nand is quite a common term for PSP and iPhones, so just wondering what this is for or what it means on Android...
btw i just watched the video and what's the difference between:
apply sdcard:update.zip
and
install zip from sd card
it's around the 0:39 on the video.
apply update.zip is to enter recovery
install zip from sd card is used to choose rom or radio from sd card to flash
nandroid backup is system image that you create prior to flashing. In case something goes wrong, you can restore your backup, and have everything as it was, without any consequences (that's how it should be in theory, to tell the truth I haven't used it yet )
djoni1980 said:
apply update.zip is to enter recovery
install zip from sd card is used to choose rom or radio from sd card to flash
nandroid backup is system image that you create prior to flashing. In case something goes wrong, you can restore your backup, and have everything as it was, without any consequences (that's how it should be in theory, to tell the truth I haven't used it yet )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok but for the "apply update.zip", how is it that it enters recovery?? I thought you ARE in the recovery, and thus you get those options as shown in that video??
Just came across this article while researching how to root my new HTC Desire (sweet phone!) ... is this still true and should I be concerned?
Also - has anyone got thoughts on the 'unrevoked' 'one-click-root'? - is it as safe as doing a more 'manual' method?
Well i have heard of several apps still storing passwords as plain text, so might still be a problem. This is also the case on unrooted phones though. The real problem here regarding root is, that apps, which you have given root access, can access those files which is normally available only to the actual app. So it is more a question of only allowing root to trusted apps, which you should always do anyways, as anything run with full access have the possibility to do major damage.
And regarding unrevoked, it should be as safe as rooting using pauls method, which only supports the old hboot versions by the way. There will always be a risk to it, but if you do everything right, it is very easy. The difference in the rooting methods is more the way they hack the recovery in order to let you flash unsigned or test-signed zip files. So just go with the latest unrevoked and make sure to install the drivers the right way first and you should be fine
Brilliant, thanks so much for the informative background, I will be rooting!
Read the OP too by Cory which has made me less worried - http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/35470-aware-clear-text-passwords-database-files.html
No problem I hope it helped you understanding.
Hey Guys,
I've been contemplating rooting my DHD for a while and have been looking up information on it for a while.
However, just a few questions before I undergo the journey of rooting my phone
Firstly, I'd just like to confirm the procedure of rooting my phone.
The general procedure for this would be;
a) Downgrading firmware from 1.72 -> 1.32
b) installing Visionary to attain permanent root.
c) Turning S-Off
d) Flash/Install a new rom.
Is that correct?
The main reason I want to attain root is to improve battery life. What is the best rom that achieves this? Also I love minimalistic skins and have a launcher pro skin that I have installed (which Imo looks absolutely beautiful [and made my work colleague jealous because his iPhone can't do that without it jailbreaked].
Question is - taking into account of battery life/eye candy, what would be the best rom to install? (HTC sense optional)
Also - i've been reading the lingo of "radio" s-off. What does this actually entail?
Finally a few more questions;
- How would I be able to backup my apps, settings, contacts, files etc on an unrooted phone?
- How long would this process approximately take? I've been reading that people have bricked their phones... How often does this occur?
(note - for reference, I have installed CFW on my PSP via hard-modding my battery - So I have limited experience in this; but nothing involving this much lingo. -_-)
Cheers,
Thanks in advanced guys!
I found rooting my DHD somewhat confusing. visionary did not work for me so I used the instruction on cyanogenmod wiki and those worked just fine.
I had the asian model and my version was 1.72.405.6 but had no problem with rooting and the fixes were not applied to my image.
backing up from unroot image? the rooting procedure will leave the original image just gives you root. so you can either use titanium backup or the CWD for backing up. no need to worry about that.
as for the process I was confused so it took me 2-3 days of error and trail to get it done. I had one case of reboot loop but got fixed with a proper wipe.
for the rom I am using MODACO. if you pay the support fee you can use their kitchen to customize your image and make it faster if you need. battery life issue had something to do with one of the original images if you use any other rom you should be fine.
Hey guys, just thought I should give you an update on how things went.
I have successfully rooted my phone and installed the Core Droid Rom on it (I'm a sucker for eye candy)
The way I listed was pretty much spot on. I followed the guides from both here at xda and also the cyanogenmod wiki.
General process was;
Down grading from 1.72 -> 1.32 (using psneuter).
Installing Visionary for Temporary into Permanent Root
Flashing the Radio S-Off and t hen Eng S-Off using the 1 click tools provided by the helpful members here.
After that it was just easily enough to install new custom roms via Rom Manager
It wasn't as hard as I thought. hahaha
Also - I backed up all my things using My Backup Pro (which does cost money)
Hi to all and thanks in advance to anyone that helps.
I've finally moved to Android and purchased a DHD branded to Orange. I've unlocked it for any SIM card, after following recommendations on this site and so far, so good.
Now, I want to remove all the Orange stuff from the phone so I can have what I want on it to make it my own. I've read so many threads/guides my head is spinning and I'm a bit confused as to what I need to do and how to do it.
The phone is running the following:
Android version 2.3.3
HTC Sense version 2.1
Build number 2.37.61.11
Software number 2.37.61.11
I wouldn't want to start trying things without really knowing if I was doing the right thing, so If someone could point me in the right direction as to where I need to go and what I need to do, it would be much appreciated.
I've seen websites offering the debranding service for a price, but I would rether learn how to do it myself.
Again, thanks in advance.
Basically what you need to do is this:
1. Downgrade phone and get RADIO S-OFF
2. Create a goldcard as your phone is branded. This is used to install zips from CWR.
3. Root phone
4. Backup everything
5. Install roms, kernals, anything you want, or
5.1. Remove programs you have on current ROM and install new kernel for improvements. Up to you!
It is scary at first. I'd suggest looking into, but not necessarily trying the guides, one could be: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905003 how to Downgrade.
If you want to remove the Bloatware (the apps Orange installed) You'll need to root, which I am assuming you've already looked into.
The DesireHD was "fixed" so you can't root if you are running later releases. Downgrading is a necessity. Look in to that first.
edit; this worked for me when creating a goldcard: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile...gold-card-for-htc-desire-without-hex-editing/
Thanks for the quick response. I'll take a look at your suggestions later and post back.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
OK, I've read the guide which pushed me onto other guides which I've also read. I've also printed them off so I can follow them as I go along.
As the phone is new to me I don't need to back up any data so that's something I can avoid at present.
A few questions;
Do I transfer the PD98IMG.zip(stock) ROM to the SD card whilst it's still in the phone or from my PC via a card reader?
When does the Goldcard (I've created one) come into play?
Do I do all this with/without the SIM card in the phone?
Do I need to disconnect the phone from my PC to change from 'charge only' to 'disk drive' for file transfer and then reconnect it?
If something goes wrong, can I recover my phone back to the state it's in now?
I'm sure that I'll have a few more questions before I take the plunge so any help is appreciated.
Edit: I've found a guide for my software build so will move questions there to avoid duplication (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1152233)
First off, yep, I used the search but nothing did quite match the question I have...
Now, one of the main reasons I want to root my phone for, is, that I don't have (even nearly) enough space for the apps I want to use.
1. I saw a ROM floating around here which is enabling the complete installation of applications to the sd card, is this possible with every ROM or just with this specific one?
And:
2 .On the current stock ROM there already is an App2SD function, but I haven't got enough space anyway, does this improve with root access?
The second reason I want to root my Desire is, that I'd like to have 2.3 instead of 2.2, because of some features that were added.
One, actually minor but anyway, more reason for rooting for me is, that I can have a different theme (I'm getting bored of the stock one...)
3. Are this and the first one enough reasons to root your phone? Is it worth it?
Then, some more general questions about rooting:
4. I saw a few tutorials out there, which are "noob proved", is it really that simple? (I'm not complete idiot in terms of technical things, but I haven't got much expirience with android...)
5. I also saw that it is possible to "brick" your device, does this just happen when you do something completly wrong, or is it just random? How "high" is the chance of bricking your device?
6. After you rooted your device, can you "switch" ROMs quite easily or is it a kind of harder process each time?
7. Im not soo familiar with android, as I mentioned before, so, does android write the SMS and so on to the SIM card or are they saved internal? Are they getting lost while rooting?
And now over to some more personal questions:
8. What application or advantage did you root your phone for?
9. Which root apps are really making it worth rooting?
I'd be really thankfull if you could help me with this, and I appreciate each answer!
Best regards
P.S.: Sorry for my kinda bad english, but I'm not quite often using it....
1. You are talking about a feature named a2sd. If a rom supports it, it will be listed in its feature list. To use it, you have to follow the given instructions for partitioning sd card for a2sd in the roms corresponding thread.
2. That's not a2sd, it's the "froyo-style app2sd". The difference is, with the froyo one you can only move the application to sd card if the developer programmed the app for it. With a2sd, all apps you install will be automatically moved to a special partition on your sd card, namely sd-ext. You don't have and must not do anything.
You can already download gingerbread from htcdev.com:
http://htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads
3. Rooting gives you many advantages. Most important things are you can backup your apps/settings and your rom, and you can flash custom roms.
4. Of course they are. That's why they named like this.
5. If you follow all guides carefully and don't do something silly, imho the chance the phone bricks is not higher than an untouched stops working.
6. It's very easy. You do it from recovery, where you can backup your previous rom.
7. Yep, but you have to it with an extra program like sms backup & restore:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&feature=search_result
8. Flash custom roms, backup and restore apps/rom -> better and so awesome desire experience.
9. Most important one is imho titanium backup:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup&feature=search_result
i recently rooted and then unrooted and then rooted and s-off my desire trust me reading the instructions makes its sound more difficult than it is. just read carefully dont take shortcuts and ull be ok.
i rooted as i ran low on space also i like the fact i can delete system apps as i dnt use them.
you can use themes.
there are roms with data2sd or data2whatever, better than app2sd.
just read thru ask some questions of people.they will help u out. boobkmark the pages u want to use i always forget and then can never find the advice again!!!
once ur rooted used unrevoked for that. you can swap roms like there ur socks!! i and many others on here im sure swapped roms hourly let alone daily , u need to see which one fits u the best.
this is just what i no from my very limited experience others on here are much more in the know!
good luck
Use this guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016084
If you follow it exactly you should not brick your phone
Switching roms is easy as long as you read the requirements for each rom, which are usually found within the first two posts on the rom thread
If you use cyanogenmod rom you can use the s2e app from market to move apps to your sd card, imho this is a very easy way to implement app2sd, I'm using this, I have heaps of apps installed and still have plenty of space left
Sent from my CM7.1 Desire using XDA Premium App
Read some noob guides you need more knowledge
Thank you very much for the answers!
I downloaded all of the files needed and backed up SMS and contact information and tomorrow I'll root my phone (got more time and patience....).
Just one more quick question: I bought my phone unbranded (on Amazon), so I don't need to make a "gold card", am I right?
Nascor said:
Thank you very much for the answers!
I downloaded all of the files needed and backed up SMS and contact information and tomorrow I'll root my phone (got more time and patience....).
Just one more quick question: I bought my phone unbranded (on Amazon), so I don't need to make a "gold card", am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. But if I were you, I would made one even so, just in case.