Should I flash a new HBoot? - Desire Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey, guys!
I'm considering whether or not I should flash the CM7r2 HBoot on my Desire. It's already S-Off, currently running coolexe's Cool3D Aces v3. As this will be my first time flashing a new HBoot, I have a couple of questions:
1. What are the advantages of flashing a different HBoot? I already know it changes the partitions layout, so I'll get more space for data/apps, but are there any other differences, like more stability/speed in CM7r2 ROM versions?
2. What's the easiest/safest way to flash? I plan on using the PB99IMG method or the Android Flasher as I'm not really familiar with adb commands and stuff.
3. I realize there's always a risk involved, but in the event that something goes wrong, will the phone be permanently bricked or is there still a chance I might be able to get it working again?
Sorry for the noob questions and thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer.

1)Most devs seem to use CM7r2 as their standard hboot of choice. So what you'll find is that there will be more rom's available for you to flash, giving you more choice of what you want. Another big advantage is that in most cases it'll save you from having to flash another stock hboot zip over the rom, which seems to be a way some devs overcome the stock hboot issue.
2)I have no clue how to use adb, but Android Flasher has always worked well for me, and as a bonus it's an easy way to flash splash screens, boot animations, radio's etc.
3)Like you said there's always a risk involved with messing with the systems in your phone. But your pretty much golden if you do your research before hand and follow the guides that have been posted (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016084 is a good one).
And in the unlikely event that something does go wrong there's loads of great guys on here who can help with pretty much any problem.

1) Not for speed or stability, no
2) They're all easy. PB99IMG.zip is my least favourite as you have to remember to remove the zip from SD or you'll be prompted to install it again every time you go to hboot. I use fastboot commands (nothing to do with adb at all - See FAQ in my signature) and android flasher is just a gui for fastboot commands
3) Ensure you get and check the MD5 checksum of the hboot before flashing to ensure it matches. Dont do anything stupid like pulling power or connection whilst flashing and you should be fine. Flashing a corrupt Hboot can cause brick (all bricks are permanent, anything that calls itself a brick and is fixable is not a brick)

rootSU said:
2) They're all easy. PB99IMG.zip is my least favourite as you have to remember to remove the zip from SD or you'll be prompted to install it again every time you go to hboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rename them to like pb99img-stock.zip and pb99img-cm7.zip so that I don't get that prompt everytime I want to change, I just rename it back.... I find it the easiest method(probably because i was without pc for over a month ) but fastboot is the safest. Always double check (if not triple) the Md5
Ps. You can check it through phone too... Using hash Droid from the market
...aes eht rednu
peed morf tneS

Thanks a million, guys!
I Just flashed CM7r2 HBoot using PB99IMG.zip, worked like a charm in a matter of seconds, currently restoring ROM and apps

Sweet, it were the same for me
Im getting really used to this now

I cant go without my cm7 hboot lots of storage

what's the /system /data /cache ratio on hboot 6.93.0002

Related

[Q] Did I brick it? Help appreciated

I was rooting my Desire following the newbie guide found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016084
When doing the S-OFF with Alpharev, phone got stuck on step 3:
Flashing new bootblock: OK. Read Alpharez instructions and it would be safe to remove battery. Did so, then fastboot, recovery mode, back-up & here, it says it cannot find any files, even though I made a back-up when I rooted with unrevoked... Am I screwed?
Edit: it does say I'm on S-OFF now, but still can't get into stock ROM.
As you mentioned, you see that your are S-OFF, so you can go into alpharev HBOOT I guess?
That means, you might be able to go into recovery via HBOOT.
From there you might be able to flash a custom rom. (Backup stock rom just to be sure)
Appreciate the comment.
I can get into HBOOT and from there into clockworkmod recovery, but as I said, there appears do be no recovery file. You're saying I should do back-up in clockworkmod and proceed with flashing a custom ROM? I'd still need to partition my SD-card but I suppose this can be done with my card reader as well. I followed the guide completely so I'm clueless as to what went wrong.
Hmm, so if you made a backup in clockworkmod it should be in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup. There's no files there? Are you able to access other files on your sd as you were before?
Just got home. Popped the cd-card in adapter. There's no recovery file on it. Only a 'backup' map, but that might just be the standard android backup one...
Edit: I made a new nandroid back-up now, but I noticed I didn't get the typical alpharev - why so serious - screen. Is this something to worry about? Next step would be flashing new ROM.
jens1987 said:
Just got home. Popped the cd-card in adapter. There's no recovery file on it. Only a 'backup' map, but that might just be the standard android backup one...
Edit: I made a new nandroid back-up now, but I noticed I didn't get the typical alpharev - why so serious - screen. Is this something to worry about? Next step would be flashing new ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so you've got a working recovery and backup - good!
Now check you still have s-off, look in bootloader, top line. You should normally have the joker screen so maybe you have to rerun alpharev?
It does still say AlphaRev, same options as in the guide, but not the - why so serious - screen (HTC one instead). I could rerun Alpharev, but it might get stuck again I definetely need the S-OFF before flashing new ROM?
Odd. Well, you don't need s-off to flash a rom, but you do need it if you want to change your partition table (gives you more internal memory in /data), and it allows you write access to any part of your phone while booted (e.g. you can permanently delete any app by removing its .apk file from /system). You definitely see "bravo pvt1 s-off" or something similar at the fist line of bootloader?
I do. You can check the images I added It's all there, but when going into recovery, I get clockworkmod and not alpharev and as said, not the splashscreen.
I think I found out why as well. Phone got stuck at 3rd step in Alpharev (flashing new bootblock: ok). After this, you would normally get the following:
Flashing splash1: ok
Flashing CWM-Alpharev recovery: ok
Procedure completed succesfully!
So I take it I'm S-OFF but without these last 2 features. Question is now whether I can proceed or need to do it again.
Edit: tried a restore, but I still can't get into stock rom :/
Edit2: proceeded with flashing leedroid 2.2 and it seems to have worked

[Q] If md5_3 does not match md5_1 and md5_3 does not match md5_2

Hello. I am going to root my 2.3 Desire Z, but I am too scared. I was reading the rooting guide on XDA Wiki and I noticed a sentence:
""If md5_3 does not match md5_1 and md5_3 does not match md5_2: First DON'T REBOOT and second run for help at #G2ROOT on Freenode.""
If that things happen to me, is it a really serious problem to solve
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision
Those md5 are for the eng hboot, which if you somehow do a bad flash will result in a brick if you reboot with the corrupt eng hboot. Make sure you check the MD5 of every file you download in Step 1 before going on to Step 2! I use this free portable md5 checker called winmd5sum
Anyway I was a bit scared of that too, and decided I didn't really need the features of eng hboot for my purposes so I just followed 4b instead of 4a, then you don't need to worry about a bad eng hboot flash. It is optional, after all.
If you still want the eng hboot, I recommend joining #g2root and making sure there are people available to help you out before you begin.
The only thing I want is Virtuous ROM, that is why I want to root my phone, I don't want to do anything else after the root. And I am really scared of the part 4a and want to it. But if I skip that part, will I still be able to use Virtous ROM without a problem? What will be my lose if I skip it and what is your recommendation? Thank you so much
The only thing you can't do if you don't flash the ENG hboot is use the fastboot features, ie: to flash a new radio via fastboot as opposed to the PC10IMG method.
You'll be able to use Virtuous ROM just fine, having an eng-hboot does not impact at all on custom rom usage.
It is still recommended to use eng-hboot, in case anything really goes wrong.
Gfree is a very safe way of flashing the eng-hboot.
-Nipqer

[Q] Hboot questions

Hopefully this hasn't been covered. I wasn't able to find anything after half a day of searching.
My questions is regarding setting up DZ hboot on a G2. From what I've read this is necessary on some (seems like most) ROMs due to the size limitation of /system (particularly Sense ROMs).
Is there any reason necessarily to stay at a G2 hboot if I can deal with /data size restrictions. I'd like to switch over to a few other ROMs that require it, however, I wouldn't necessarily want to keep switching back and forth if I don't have to. A few particular scenarios come to mind.
1) I create a backup of my current CM7 backup and would like to go back to it after running a sense based ROM that require DZ hboot. Am I required to restore the G2 hboot before restoring?
2) If I didn't want to remove the DZ hboot, can I just do a clean CM7 install over it?
3) Is there anything in particular that requires the DZ hboot? Does this only change the hboot? I thought I had seen somewhere that it changes radio and radio needs to be reflashed to G2 (I'm new to radio flashing and haven't read up enough on it yet).
I guess I am just trying to understand the dependencies of ROMs and hboot. Any thoughts or references would be most welcome. Thanks.
If you flash the DZ hboot you will be able to restore any nandroid backups you made before changing hboot's. All roms will work on the DZ hboot cm, sense, miui and aosp.
You will only ever need to change hboot's if you need to go back to stock for warranty purposes.
If you follow the guide on www.virtuousrom.com to change hboot's it will change your radio, but if you successfully mange to flash the hboot you will pretty much know the procedure for flashing radios.
Do Androids dream of electric sheep?
Thanks CJ. That gives me answers to most my questions, time for a little more reading.
Quick question however, is the zip method for flashing radios preferred, or fastboot and setup the img? Especially after switching the hboot as the proccess sounds the same.
Or is the process of naming PC10 etc zip files the way of tricking the bootloader into using those files?
biohazrd51 said:
Thanks CJ. That gives me answers to most my questions, time for a little more reading.
Quick question however, is the zip method for flashing radios preferred, or fastboot and setup the img? Especially after switching the hboot as the proccess sounds the same.
Or is the process of naming PC10 etc zip files the way of tricking the bootloader into using those files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply, had a busy few days. Either method is good but check the md5sum before flashing radios.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

[Q] Complete noob humbly asking for help

Hey guys,
I've been around the Defy forum for quite a while now; however, my Desire is back from the dead and now my beloved
Motorola Defy is retired, which means that I'll be getting to know this forum instead!
Right now I have absolutely nothing. Just a TELUS Desire GSM on 2.2 stock froyo. Can someone point me in the right
direction for rooting and S-OFF? Do I need to unlock my bootloader as well for most ROMs?
I have this ROM in mind:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1980122
Everything is pretty straightforward except for a few things:
Someone PLEASE help me, but I'm not going to be demanding or anything. So help me if you can.
1. How the hell did you guys end up with, like, 10 different recoveries and HBOOTs? I've heard CM7R2, stock, Amon RA, among others.
Someone can clarify this?
2. I don't get the partition things at all. For the above ROM what do I need?
3. And just how to root and S-OFF and unlock BL if I need to...
4. A simple procedure for all this maybe?:silly:
5. A simple explanation on how HBOOT and recovery and custom recovery work? On the Defy, we had a 2nd-init and 2nd-boot that basically
launched a custom ROM and kernel on top of stock because the bootloader was locked down. The CWM recovery was accessible from the bootmenu, which was in turn launched by pressing volume-down at the blue LED halfway through boot.
6. Last and not most important does the ROM above (Cooldroid Revolution 9.0) have working Wifi? It says it's "fast, smooth and stable" but...
Thanks so much.
Soooo...
Welcome to the Desire forums.
You should start by ignoring anything that has to do with the Defy. You don't need to unlock the bootloader.
Now, let's start with s-off.
Follow this tutorial Long link, and ignore step 2.
After you're s-off, you should install 4ext recovery. It's the best recovery for the Desire.
In this guide, you will install 4ext, and create an ext partition on your sd-card. The partition is allocated for more internal memory (more apps).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2125513
Read every guide carefully. You will learn a lot.
After you did those things, you can install a custom ROM. I don't recommend you use the one you mentioned as a daily one. It's still a work in progress, and has a lot of bugs.
There are many hboots. When you change hboot, you change the way the internal memory is partitioned.
For example, the cm7r2 hboot has a smaller system allocated space than the stock hboot.
You usually change hboots to get more app space.
Thanks!
But what about root? What tool should I use?
Edit: never mind, I saw the guide link in your signature
I'll get back to you when I'm done rooting. Fingers crossed.
You will root it when you either install a custom rom, or install the supersu zip.
So I read up on some guides that told me to use unrevoked, so I have this reflash_package.exe ready to go. I've uninstalled HTC sync because unrevoked tells me to.
Just one question: I can only use CWM recovery if using unrevoked? That's the default, and only recovery available with it. Can I just download the 4EXTRecoveryUpdater.apk later and change it to 4ext recovery?
If I end up somehow with a ROM that does not boot, how do I fix it? Flash an original RUU?
Why didn't you just listen to me? You don't need unrevoked.
Did you backup before flashing a rom? If you did, then restore it..
Flash another rom, or flash the 2.3 ruu.
abaaaabbbb63 said:
Why didn't you just listen to me? You don't need unrevoked.
Did you backup before flashing a rom? If you did, then restore it..
Flash another rom, or flash the 2.3 ruu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it! Thank you so much for helping me, despite all my noobiness in this forum.
I'm running Cooldroid Revolution 9.0 now. Again, thanks so much. About 7 hours later after I started reading up
and working with my Desire, I've learned a lot of things about S-OFF and HBOOT and EXT4.
I did a nandroid backup of my original 2.2 ROM before I formatted my SD card and it's backed up on my new
fat32 and my desktop as well. I guess I'm safe for now.
Oh and one more thing, are RUUs like a last-ditch attempt to save your phone? I remember there was a 2.3 RUU upgrade
that came in the form of an .exe and you just needed to plug your phone in, the .exe would do all the upgrading stuff for you.
Yeah. Ruu's are usually the last things that can save your roms.
Even noobier
I am even more of a noob than anyone else I've seen on here.
I am a college student, and I'm considered the best programmer in my class, so I was hired by my school to develop a mobile app for the admissions department. One of my classmates already developed one for apple, but he graduated, so my job is to create one for Android. They are fully aware that mobile app development is not taught here, and none of the people I will be working with knows anything about it either, so it is going to be interesting, to say the least.
My best language is C#, so Java should be no problem, but I am completely at a loss as to where to start. All the app development information I've been able to find is geared toward Ice Cream Sandwich, but I want to make sure my app works on Gingerbread because of its huge market share, plus anything newer.
I've looked at the "beginners" threads on here but I don't understand even half of what people are saying (I speak geek but it's a completely different dialect lol). Is there a resource somewhere where a good C#, Visual Basic, and SQL programmer can teach herself something completely new, and do it right?
Try this guide:
http://developer.android.com/training/index.html
Thanks, I will look into that
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using xda app-developers app

Flashing CM7r2 hboot ?

Hello!
I was recently told that in order to save more space, i could install the CM7r2 hboot. Now this doesn't look like a big task, though it is hehe
I've searched the net for it, found it, but this is where things get blurry...
I should probably start with my configuration first:
HTC Desire GSM Rooted
32GB Sandisk Extreme Class 10
4EXT Recovery
2GB 4ext partition
CM 7.2.0.1
Mounts2SD
V6 SuperCharger Script
My questions are:
1. Do I have to downgrade my hboot?
2. I am totally confused which file should I download. The first, the second or both?
3. What about the renaming of the file?
This is very confusing : "(change into the correct filename for the HBOOT you downloaded)". What is the correct form?
4. The main reason i started this thread was for the following question: what id the step-by-step procedure for flashing a hboot with Android Flasher? I use it to change my boot logo, and noticed it has other options but never used it. It has no hboot option. Which one is it?
5. I did a nandroid backup. I don't know if i should mention this but i have altered my ROM with 7zip. Bloatware plus my favorite apps and uot kitchen. Is there a possible danger because of this?
6. Do i have to wipe all in recovery before or after the hboot flashing? Is it compulsory?
Hope I'm not too stressful with my questions.
But i do know that playing with hboot is dangerous and this is the reason i want to do all this research. I did search for the flashing procedure on the net, but none of the things that i found were very helpful ..
SaySayonara said:
1. Do I have to downgrade my hboot?
2. I am totally confused which file should I download. The first, the second or both?
3. What about the renaming of the file?
This is very confusing : "(change into the correct filename for the HBOOT you downloaded)". What is the correct form?
4. The main reason i started this thread was for the following question: what id the step-by-step procedure for flashing a hboot with Android Flasher? I use it to change my boot logo, and noticed it has other options but never used it. It has no hboot option. Which one is it?
5. I did a nandroid backup. I don't know if i should mention this but i have altered my ROM with 7zip. Bloatware plus my favorite apps and uot kitchen. Is there a possible danger because of this?
6. Do i have to wipe all in recovery before or after the hboot flashing? Is it compulsory?
Hope I'm not too stressful with my questions.
But i do know that playing with hboot is dangerous and this is the reason i want to do all this research. I did search for the flashing procedure on the net, but none of the things that i found were very helpful ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what do you mean by "downgrade your hboot". You are going to replace the one you have, with a new one.
Did you S-OFF your device with alpharev? Are you familiar with the fastboot utility? If your answer to both questions is "yes", you should download this file: bravo_alphaspl-cm7r2.img from http://alpharev.nl (be sure to check the MD5). The name is irrelevant, since you are going to use it as an argument to fastboot.
If you can't use fastboot, you should download the other file: PB99IMG_cm7r2 and in this case the name is very important. You must copy the file to the root of the sdcard, and you have to name it PB99IMG.zip. Follow the instructions in the same page, they are very clear.
You don't need to wipe your partitions before changing the hboot (although some recommend that). However, it is almost mandatory to wipe them before installing any new rom. Notice, please, that the rom you are currently using may possible not fit in the new hboot (which is nothing else than a distribution of memory space between the different partitions).
Good luck!
Thank you very much for the help!
I decided to do one more try on Google to check for the Android Flasher procedure and success!!
After struggling to view a YouTube video in Spanish i finally got it.
It was so sooo easy with the android flasher!

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