Develop Bugs

[Q] Rooting and flashing ROM. More questions.... need some guidance

Hi
Let me open this thread by saying that I have just bricked a DHD yesterday. So I guess I was a bit unprepared. It was nice on part of the repair centre to replace it under warranty. (I dont think they knew, because the bloody thing won't even boot, no matter what you did.)
So, to tell you what I did yesterday, I followed this tutorial to root the Desire HD: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=HTC_Desire_HD:_Rooting
I was already on 1.32.405.6, so I didn't need to downgrade.
I then gained Temp root access and then perma root access, as per tutorial
I DID NOT Flash the Engineering HBOOT (since it said its optional). Should I have dont this if I was installing a custom ROM?
Then, I followed this tutorial for Flashing Cyanongen. http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=HTC_Ace:_Recovery,_Radio_and_CyanogenMod
Again, I did not Flash the radio. Is this absolutely necessary to flash a custom ROM ?
I successfully installed CM7 and booted. Then I decided to format the microSD card. It returned with a notification as, "Blank SD card" Clicking on the notificaiton would ask me to Format the card.Nothing happens.
I posted in another forum and someone asked if I made partitions ? This got me searching again and I then proceeded to make partitions with Clockwork Recover Manager
Another thing I want answered is if I should have created partitions on the microSD card or not ? At what stage should I create the partitions ?
What is the difference between ROM Manager and Clockwork Mod
Should I install a new kernel during Flashing ROM ?
I did a search via Google, There are hundreds of thousands of posts regarding rooting, but a lot of them use Visionary+ and then flash a ROM. I read earlier that this is not desirable. I can use adb on PC, no problem.
Any comprehensive definitive tutorial for rooting DHD and installing custom ROM

geek7899 said:
Hi
I posted in another forum and someone asked if I made partitions ? This got me searching again and I then proceeded to make partitions with Clockwork Recover Manager
Another thing I want answered is if I should have created partitions on the microSD card or not ? At what stage should I create the partitions ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1043160

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1043160
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11557769
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857537
Those should get you started.
Do not partition SD card, it is what caused your brick. Flashing ENG hboot is your own choice, you can choose to do it later with my one click tool (link in signature). It is not necessary to flash a custom ROM and/or radio. A ROM always comes with proper kernel, so you do not need to flash it separately. ROM Manager is just an interface for ClockworkMod, nothing more.

wnderinguy45 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1043160
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouuchhhhh .. came a day too late ....
I was one of the ones bricked

You cannot remove it. Just post something useful to general or discuss here. Koush is working on that recovery problem, but I would advice to stay away from the partitioning feature at all times.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

more questions after reading Guide
WOW ,,,, thanks guys ...
Just finished reading the [GUIDE]How to flash a ROM onto your DESIRE HD [COMPLETE]. Wheew....
Now I have more questions . Thanks to anyone who answers.
Here we go
1.) I have a Vodafone branded DHD, with a boot animation splash screen and useless apps. Will I need a goldcard ?
2.) Is it OK to use Visionary+ to perma root for flashing ROM's ? I had read on some forums where they didn't approve of this method. Rather they said, use the adb command prompt. The Cyanongen guide even says that if you have Visionary+ installed, uninstall it before rooting .... /confused/
3.) To put it crudely, Radio S-ON is like a security check to see if the approved apps/software are being installed. Is that correct ?
Then what is ENG S-ON ?
4.) When you do a Permanent root (by Visionary+ or adb command prompt), doesn;t it automatically set Radio S-OFF. If it does, then why do we need to do radio S-OFF as in using the tool ?
5.) I see you are not using ROM Manager for wiping cache etc. Instead you are using Full-Wipe 1.3. Is it better than using Clockwork Recovery for doing a wipe of cache ?
6.) The Radio S-OFF and simunlock tool. Can it lock my handset, since its already officially unlocked ?
7.) Why would I flash the Radio... (last step before Flashing ROM). Is it only for getting a /possible/ battery performance or network strength ? If it is not actually required for the actual Flashing of ROM, I might leave it out. Network is pretty ****ty here anyway
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

1. Yes
2. Sure it is, the guide in Cyanogen is a bit.. Weird.
3. No. S-OFF in general is a setting that allows you to write to the internal memory (read+write rights). It also disables some version checks and so on. ENG S-OFF is a special case which enables fastboot commands. Those allow you to flash radios, splash screens and such easily via USB connection.
4. S-OFF is WAY more serious mod (like god mode) than permanent root. Visionary only gives you root, which basically gives you rights to do more stuff in Android.
5. Nah, I do not personally use that wipe.zip. It is useless in my opinion The feature in cwm does pretty much the same.
6. It does not lock your device.
7. It is not entirely necessary. But if you have crappy network, it is a very good reason to flash a radio, which will improve your signal quality. My advice, flash it.

Some more questions posted in the DHD rooting/flashing thread. If anyone feels to answer them ,,,,,, thanks
over here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13106095&postcount=128

[Q] Is S-OFF really needed to flash custom roms?

Curious noob here. My desire's current security state is S-ON and has always been. However, I was able to use unrevoked3 to root the device, then use ROM Manager to download and flash CM7 on my device using cwr, without having to tweak the S-ON/OFF settings (simply following the installation guidelines on the cyanogenmod7 wiki page).
According to this thread, using alpharev to S-OFF the device is a mandatory step in flashing the device. I also did not repartition my sd card with Gpartition like the tutorial instructed to.
When I first flashed CM7, the installation procedure went smoothly, but the CM7 boot screen kept looping. I was able to resolve this issue by doing a factory reset/wipe data using cwr, then rebooting the device. I now have perfectly functioning CM7 on my device in S-ON state. How is this possible?
I bought the phone on craigslist from a guy who had only installed official updates from the provider, but had unlocked it using a purchased unlock code from one of those phone unlocking stores in Chinatown. Would that explain why I was able to bypass the S-ON state?
Thanks in advance!

S-OFF allows you to modify certain protected system files. For example, there is a specific boot table for CM7 that allocates less internal memory to the System, leaving more space for Data (where you store apps).
At the moment, you probably have less than 140MB free space for Apps on your phone. CM7 is quite a small ROM, so on the standard boot table (S-ON), you have ~250 MB allocated to system, and most of that is going to waste in your case. If you go S-OFF and flash the CM7 boot table, you get a much smaller system partition, which is the perfect size for CM7, plus you get ~300MB free space for apps.
So it gives you a lot more freedom, and can result in huge benefits, but it is not strictly necessary. It's a simple procedure though, so there's no reason not to do it.

I performed s-off yesterday and I can see a significant speed difference with the rom I'm using. Not to mention lots more internal memory!

In short: no. But if you want to add a custom partition table to increase your /Data memory space (for more INTERNAL memory...) or if you wish to change and/or modify system files, you'll want to do the S-OFF.

You must always wipe user data before flashing a new rom. Thats the reason why u got a bootloop the first time. Has nothing to do with s-on / s-off. Imo there is no reason why you should make it s-off unless you know what it means and what you need it for.
The chance of bricking your device is higher with s-off, since u are then able to modify the system partition.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

[Q] Should I s-off my phone?

I have a HTC Desire, (PVT4 SLCD, Erasesize 40000)
I have rooted my phone for almost 4 months. I already know a lot about flashing etc, but never researched s-off. It seems kind of risky to me, as i have the latest desire. Correct me if i'm wrong. I have a few questions.
1.Is it worth to s-off my device
2.If so why?
3.How big is the chance of bricking my phone
4.If i s-off which rom should i be on, as i saw that heavy sense 3.0 roms can make it difficult, AOSP like oxygen or just stock 2.2
Thanks in advance.

1. Yes
2. you can modify system files while booted, not just via ADB. Also you can change HBOOT partitions - so you can use the NAND memory efficiently.
3. If you follow all instructions for the procedure, then there is 1% chance of bricking it. just stick to the info/guide.
4. Some of those ROMs do have problems with s-off. I managed to S-OFF mine on insertcoin's Froyo data++ ROM (2.0.1). But literally most of the ROMs should work. I'd go with something lighter with - e.g. CM7/MIUI/Redux/GV/Oxygen

I'm going to try it today, i think..
Wish me luck

TopGear63z said:
I have a HTC Desire, (PVT4 SLCD, Erasesize 40000)
I have rooted my phone for almost 4 months. I already know a lot about flashing etc, but never researched s-off. It seems kind of risky to me, as i have the latest desire. Correct me if i'm wrong. I have a few questions.
1.Is it worth to s-off my device
2.If so why?
3.How big is the chance of bricking my phone
4.If i s-off which rom should i be on, as i saw that heavy sense 3.0 roms can make it difficult, AOSP like oxygen or just stock 2.2
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
re 4.
after you're done with S-OFF you can run your favourite ROM again, it is just that while you're doing this, you need a "simple ROM". what I did:
* nandroid backup (so you keep your favorite ROM, settings etc)
* flash pre-rooted stock ROM
* S-OFF your device
* nandroid restore (restore the backup you made before).
hope this helps.

With revolutionary one will get rooted and s-off in step.
Swyped from Oxygen with Transparent XDA App

You can follow this guide at http://wiki.rootzwiki.com/index.php/HTC_Desire for S-OFFing with Revolutionary. It's better detailed than Revolutionary's own wiki.
You may not have to do the Installing Superuser and su step if you're rooted already, mine stayed rooted when I S-OFF'd today.
Big advantage of S-OFFing is I could start using the Oxygen r2 HBOOT from Alpharev.nl site, making the system partition drastically smaller (250mb is wasted space for custom roms that aren't bloated Sense) that way I could use more of /Data for apps. It's apparently better for battery life not having apps load off the sdcard with the various apps2sd and dalvik2sd workarounds when using an sd-ext partition.
I did need to move fastboot.exe to the folder adb.exe is in in order to flash a new partition image (instructions on alpharev.nl; scroll down to "modified partition tables") as I got an error about AdbWinApi.dll being missing. They've changed things around in the Android SDK installer so adb.exe needs an additional download via SDK Manager.
p.s. Also I restored my backup of Sense before S-OFFing, just to be on the safe side, Alpharev.nl recommended this but the other guides made no mention of it. It was probably best as my current ROM, Oxygen, has apps2sd implemented and apparently this can interfere with the flashing process.

Another thing, i don't have time this week because of a wedding, but is it crucial to make a nandroid as i can't restore one(amonra 2.0.0), i'll try revolutionary when i do it.

[Q] What can be done with a rooted wildfire s?

Newbie here (go easy) lol OK basically I rooted via the HTC Bootloader website and other tools. Now What can I do with it basically? It is still got the S-ON Lock (which I guess is bad) I know it's unlocked to any sim but I understand my phone needs to be S-OFF to achieve real benefits?

when your phones rooted, it just means you have superuser access.
so your able to install custom roms (as you can see the list of diffrent roms) meaning you can install the latest build of android os. then you can install overclocked kernals (making your phone run faster or smoother). with other phones such as my nexus one iv install ubuntu (a linux operating system)
theirs so many diffrent things you can do on a rooted phone

S-ON S-OFF thing what does that mean? As I said My phone is still at S-ON Which I guess is not good

Your phone stay S-off like all people who unlock their phone on htcdev. But you can root and flash rom and kernel... There's always few thinks you can't do, but so usefully or necessary... AFAIK.
EDIT: sorry, would mean S-on
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S using XDA App

I still know that I having some memory issues (internal) so that I need to look at but slowly getting there. Done the main thing which is vital

john_semple said:
S-ON S-OFF thing what does that mean? As I said My phone is still at S-ON Which I guess is not good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S-ON means that the "Security is ON" aka that your phone is "locked",
from htcdev.com:
Your device is shipped with Security on (S-ON) to protect your system
software configuration (such as the bootloader, radio, boot, recovery, system and others). After you have unlocked the bootloader, however, you will have lifted the restrictions on boot, recovery and system. This means you can customize boot, recovery and system images on your phone as you desire. You can easily see that you have successfully unlocked the bootloader by looking at the top of the screen when entering the bootloader screen. Security is left on to protect things like the radio, and SIM lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set your phone to S-OFF by using Bootloader or some other methods
EDIT: I didnt see Shywim's post, i needed few min to post this. xD

S-ON = Security On
S-OFF = Security Off
When S-OFF you have access to the /system partition

You can do a sdcard partition for your internal memory... There is a howto in the cm7 troubleshooting topic in the dev section
( i use it and I'm s on like you)
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S using XDA App

KillAHead said:
S-ON means that the "Security is ON" aka that your phone is "locked",
from htcdev.com:
You can set your phone to S-OFF by using Bootloader or some other methods
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, you make me confused, if mob is s-on , you can make it s-off only trough xclip.
However you can unlock bootloader and root. as said in the link you gave.
If iam misstaken, please say so.

Start browsing:
[INDEX] roms/recovery/guides/kernel/root/...
But be careful if you're a noob. The Wildfire S makes a great, inexpensive Android but an awfully expensive brick.

CafeKampuchia said:
Start browsing:
[INDEX] roms/recovery/guides/kernel/root/...
But be careful if you're a noob. The Wildfire S makes a great, inexpensive Android but an awfully expensive brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Took me a while to get this replacement Wildfire back as it was due to a major hassle with HTC in the first place I just need to get my memory issues sorted and I sure i'm good

Went out and bought a 16GB Micro SDHD Memory card from ebay with an adapter included. When that comes i'll have fun (as I think I got a rough idea what rom I putting on to the phone) Prey to god it actually works!

There's lots of conflicting info on this thread..
Rooted means superuser access, think of it as administration rights on your mobile. You can install more powerful apps to your phone linked link2sd. You also gain write access to the system directories of the phone, and can delete system apps.
S-off means your bootloader is unlocked. This is required to flash custom rom's onto the device.
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App

jwchips said:
There's lots of conflicting info on this thread..
Rooted means superuser access, think of it as administration rights on your mobile. You can install more powerful apps to your phone linked link2sd. You also gain write access to the system directories of the phone, and can delete system apps.
S-off means your bootloader is unlocked. This is required to flash custom rom's onto the device.
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not correct, S-OFF does not stand for unlocked bootloader.
And you don't need S-OFF for flashing custom ROMs.

jwchips said:
There's lots of conflicting info on this thread..
Rooted means superuser access, think of it as administration rights on your mobile. You can install more powerful apps to your phone linked link2sd. You also gain write access to the system directories of the phone, and can delete system apps.
S-off means your bootloader is unlocked. This is required to flash custom rom's onto the device.
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a lot of conflicting info on this thread.
S-OFF means EVERYTHING is unlocked including your bootloader. It is complete access to all areas of the phone, also allowing you to flash any RUU ROM you want and many other things.
HTCDev Unlock - Unlocks your bootloader only allowing you to flash custom recoveries, ROMs, and root your phone. It has limitations though.

understanding the S-ON feature

Hello,
I would like to root a friend's HTC Wildfire and custom Rom it, which in the old days required deactivating S-ON feature but now people say it is no longer needed.
For my personal knowledge, how is this possible. I mean as I understand it, s-on restricts us /system to write permissions only, so how can you install ROMs which need to modify the /system when installing, or how can you obtain root since the "su" binary also needs to be placed into the system partition.
Thanks.

goguvarra said:
Hello,
I would like to root a friend's HTC Wildfire and custom Rom it, which in the old days required deactivating S-ON feature but now people say it is no longer needed.
For my personal knowledge, how is this possible. I mean as I understand it, s-on restricts us /system to write permissions only, so how can you install ROMs which need to modify the /system when installing, or how can you obtain root since the "su" binary also needs to be placed into the system partition.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happened was that under the gnu(?) License that android runs on is open source, and as such it is illegal to make copys of it that are locked down, as that breaks the license laws agreed by using the software. So by law htc were required to provide unlocked bootloader. This is true of every android manufacture. Htc were not very pleased when people started pulling them up on it so after much pressure they started to offer "htcdev". This is a bootloader unlock program that allows certain parts of the phone to be Accessed and edited. But this is not full s-off. The bootloader and radio still remain locked down, but the recovery, system, data and cache are "unlocked" so you can flash custom recovery, root, roms, all the stuff most people want to use. The problem starts when people want to start flashing kernels and boot.IMG edits. The boot partition with htcdev unlock does not play nice, so people have had to create ways around the issues. For example the "htc dumlock" and "smart flash for 4ext recovery"
These hacks Allow custom boot.imgs to be flashed with the htcdev unlocked bootloader.
As far as the buzz (wildfire) is concerned people have always just used s-off via revolutionary since it came out, and before that unrevoked. These came before htcdev and as such not many users here will ever use htcdev. For this device s-off is both preferable and attainable thanks to the hard work of others but for devices that don't have such luxurys htcdev will have to do
Tapped out from my sexy nexus 7