Develop Bugs

Disadvantages in Rooting Now vs Later

I've had my Desire for a few weeks now. My only issue is the lack of space for apps.
I really want APP2SD and I understand that google will implement it officially soon.
Is there any disadvantages of rooting now instead of waiting till later?
If I root now and a new method that allows me to access recovery (like my previous hero and magic) comes out later, will I be able to take advantage of it?
regards,
Ice

It's very easy to do that. If anything new comes out that allows easier recovery mode access then all you need to do is "unroot" the phone by flashing a stock rom and you're back to square one again.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=675202
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=675541
can't you keep it in the same thread? =='
If you don't wanna use the search function, that's up to you, but a least look at thread in the first page. thanks.

I do apologise, I guess I thought my main issue was slightly different.
that is, that if I use paul's method, My concern is the inability to reflash a recovery akin to that of magic or hero's recovery in the future.

Is there any particular function you want that you don't already have? You don't want to be rooting just because you can.
As of right now the nexus one still can't "relock" the bootloader, so i don't know when you can do it with the Desire. If the only function you want is app2sd then i suggest you wait.

i personally would rather wait
coming from a HD2, constantly flashing a new ROM was proven to cause issues as there were file fragments left behind from previous builds which were causing problems
the only solution to this was a full format of the entire phone and then flash a new ROM (this took a long time to develop)
i am currently unaware of a method of formatting the Desire to this degree and believe that constantly flashing different ROMs will make bugs in the system.
*speaking from HD2 experience here..

Mokurex said:
Is there any particular function you want that you don't already have? You don't want to be rooting just because you can.
As of right now the nexus one still can't "relock" the bootloader, so i don't know when you can do it with the Desire. If the only function you want is app2sd then i suggest you wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because the Nexus One can be officially unlocked using that method. Google released the phone with that ability almost straight out of the box at the cost of your warranty.
The Desire however can be easily unrooted. All you need to do is flash back to a stock HTC rom and it will be back to normal.

abc27 said:
The Desire however can be easily unrooted. All you need to do is flash back to a stock HTC rom and it will be back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh I see. Then i guess it wouldn't hurt to root it becuase you can always "unroot"?

Mokurex said:
Ahhh I see. Then i guess it wouldn't hurt to root it becuase you can always "unroot"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes exactly. When the Desire and the Nexus One were being compared people were saying that they prefer the Nexus because it was rooted. Now look who's laughing

I'm scared about rooting my HTC Desire.

I just saw a post on Lifehacker, using unrevoked3 to root my desire (id give a link but im new and apparently not allowed), and this seamed like a nice simple process, so i thought id give it a go. but before i do, i just have a few question that id really love a detailed answer or two to, if you would be so kind.
1. Am i going to brick my phone and cry because i bought it unlocked and cant get it replaced because im a poor student?
2. What the hell is this Radio business?
3. Can i put it back to normal so i can get back to OTA updates from HTC when they finally come to there Senses with FroYo (get it )
4. Am I going to lose all my stuff because i cant back it up before i root.
Thats basically it, if you can answer that, id be incredibility incredibility grateful.

Peelypeel said:
I just saw a post on Lifehacker, using unrevoked3 to root my desire (id give a link but im new and apparently not allowed), and this seamed like a nice simple process, so i thought id give it a go. but before i do, i just have a few question that id really love a detailed answer or two to, if you would be so kind.
1. Am i going to brick my phone and cry because i bought it unlocked and cant get it replaced because im a poor student?
2. What the hell is this Radio business?
3. Can i put it back to normal so i can get back to OTA updates from HTC when they finally come to there Senses with FroYo (get it )
4. Am I going to lose all my stuff because i cant back it up before i root.
Thats basically it, if you can answer that, id be incredibility incredibility grateful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. if u follow the steps exactly as explained, and never touch the phone when it is installing flashing formatting etc etc then u get 99.9% u wont brick it
dont worry im also a student and i bet theres more of us here
2. hmm not sure how to explain what a radio is
3. yes u can, but dont see a reason why, cuz devs update roms quicker and add more functions to them
4. if you just root then no you wont loose your stuff, if you want to install a custom rom then yes you will loose it but you can always back it up using free rommanager back up

This is the main reason why I haven't rooted my Desire yet, despite 1 or 2 friends urging me to. They have Heros. I haven't got the money to replace it and seen as it's on contract I'd be pretty screwed for the next 13 months or something.

Don't worry
Understandable.
I was thinking the same.
It was when I run out of space to install apps and gmail stop working bcoz of low memory space warning.
I decided to take the plunge.
Used unrevoked to root my desire and installing my second rom today lol.
Oh and the radio is the file that contains radio setup for froyo roms.
the one you need for froyo rom is version 5.xx. eg. 32.42.00.32U_5.09.00.08.
so if you are going to install froyo based roms then you need the radio file update or all hell breaks loose.
you can update the radio then install the rom or the other way around up to you.
have fun and ask if you need help.

Was in a similar situation and finally took the plunge today.
Was 10x easier than I thought it would be. Follow the guides and you can't go wrong.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Radio is the part that handles WiFi, gps, 3G and all that stuff. E.g. you have low WiFi signal, you can update the radio to fix it.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App on LeeDroid 1.4a

Ok guys thanks for all the replies, I'm.defiantly doing it now, my phone alarm has failed to go off too many times now (hey any excuse to convince myself to do it lol) and I want to see if a new ROM will fix it.
Shall I go for OpenDesire or CyanogenMod? I want froyo, and I want it stable (preferably I would still love sense if that's possible).
Also on a side note, I don't want to appear idiotic, I know what a radio is, I just wasn't sure what everyone meant by "update" it, and why you have to do of separately to flashing the ROM.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App (thanks for the tip due this app )

The ROM's here don't include the radio hence why you need to update the radio seprately, most, if not all, the froyo ROM's will need the latest radio.

Peelypeel said:
Ok guys thanks for all the replies, I'm.defiantly doing it now, my phone alarm has failed to go off too many times now (hey any excuse to convince myself to do it lol) and I want to see if a new ROM will fix it.
Shall I go for OpenDesire or CyanogenMod? I want froyo, and I want it stable (preferably I would still love sense if that's possible).
Also on a side note, I don't want to appear idiotic, I know what a radio is, I just wasn't sure what everyone meant by "update" it, and why you have to do of separately to flashing the ROM.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App (thanks for the tip due this app )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bugs are to be expected but many fixes are to be expected too
opendesire from what i've heard but they lack sense i think, i wanted sense so i chose neophytes rom (it does slow down when i DL stuff from the market sometimes though, i should report it to him)
You flash a radio like a rom, just use unrevoked to do it
BTW use unrevoked with the rooting, easiest thing ever

jacketyjoe said:
Bugs are to be expected but many fixes are to be expected too
opendesire from what i've heard but they lack sense i think, i wanted sense so i chose neophytes rom (it does slow down when i DL stuff from the market sometimes though, i should report it to him)
You flash a radio like a rom, just use unrevoked to do it
BTW use unrevoked with the rooting, easiest thing ever
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this Neophyte?
showthread.php?t=732246 (i cant post links yet, im sure you can work that out though)
and how do i flash the radio with unrevoked3, where do i even get the radio... file?
Sorry about the questions, normally id just go barrelling into to something like this and work it out as i went, but this is serious stuff this time. I want to be sure.
Thanks again

**** i pressed "SIMLOCK" in the hboot thing, wtf have i done. it said it did something.

Peelypeel said:
**** i pressed "SIMLOCK" in the hboot thing, wtf have i done. it said it did something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it means you just locked your phone to the simcard that was in your phone at the time. Rooting it should unlock it again though
BTW here is an unrevoked guide, neophytes ROM and the radio (use the latest, not the leaked one), follow all the instructions to the letter and you should be fine (follow unrevoked's rom flashing instructions for the radio though, thats how i did it and gawd was it easy)

Thank you very very much. With those guides in hand I'm about to do it. See you on the other side ha ha
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Peelypeel said:
Thank you very very much. With those guides in hand I'm about to do it. See you on the other side ha ha
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd tried the other way first and my phone wouldn't root (i was really really frightened when a HTC logo came up and stayed on for a whole 24hrs) so i tried unrevoked and it worked like a charm
Lets hope everything goes a bit smoother for you than me

That really was one of the easiest things i've ever done. Thank you so much for all your help, and the ROM suggestion, loving the new sense.

Peelypeel said:
That really was one of the easiest things i've ever done. Thank you so much for all your help, and the ROM suggestion, loving the new sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no trouble then, nice to hear
Have fun, i love it

Sorry to ask a stupid question, can i root my desire, keep my current OS as it is and still get the OTA update to 2.2 as it would if my phone wasn't rooted?

I would try the modaco custom rom, search for it. Its based on the latest leaked rom from HTC so its stable, its froyo, it has sense as well as the new 2.2 features like tethering, new widgets, 720p video etc etc
i rooted my phone at the weekend and im loving it!

SteveEdson said:
I would try the modaco custom rom, search for it. Its based on the latest leaked rom from HTC so its stable, its froyo, it has sense as well as the new 2.2 features like tethering, new widgets, 720p video etc etc
i rooted my phone at the weekend and im loving it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, also have the modaco ROM. Best thing is that you bake your own rom and only put items that you really need.

Peelypeel said:
I just saw a post on Lifehacker, using unrevoked3 to root my desire (id give a link but im new and apparently not allowed), and this seamed like a nice simple process, so i thought id give it a go. but before i do, i just have a few question that id really love a detailed answer or two to, if you would be so kind.
1. Am i going to brick my phone and cry because i bought it unlocked and cant get it replaced because im a poor student?
2. What the hell is this Radio business?
3. Can i put it back to normal so i can get back to OTA updates from HTC when they finally come to there Senses with FroYo (get it )
4. Am I going to lose all my stuff because i cant back it up before i root.
Thats basically it, if you can answer that, id be incredibility incredibility grateful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well mate.. I was pretty much in the same boat as you.. Student, wanting to root my phone, didn't know what all the stuff was.. And I'll try and rectify it for you as much as possible, following your points .
1. If you follow the guides which have been put up by unrevoked, or the guide on this forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=696189 or our lovely friends over at android.modaco http://android.modaco.com/content/h...e-now-with-hboot-0-80-and-os-to-1-21-support/ then you shouldn't have a problem at all. I was feeling the same way, was confused and really didn't want to risk the rooting process.
2. The Radio.. It's not like a Radio which we use to tune in to FM and AM, think of it as something to help other processes work in the phone. Be it Wifi, 3G, HSDPA, GSM.. All these get updated with the new ROM's (Froyo) and they need the Radio to make them run smoother, and better. Think of a Radio as a driver when you're updating something on a computer. But BE CAREFUL when flashing the Radio, DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT touch the phone until it has completely finished booting (2 or 3 times, you'll know when it's finished).
3. You can put it back to normal any time, just by flashing an older ROM on to it, just have a look at some of the official RUU's on this forum.
4. The sort of stuff which you're worried about are photos, text messages and apps? Best way for this is to invest in MyBackupPro, where you can back up all of your texts online etc. For apps and all, why not download ASTRO from the Market? It can back up all your apps and install them again no problems.
I hope this helps
Dan

[Q] UK, rooted unbranded DHD on 2.2 - will gingerbread change this?

Hi everyone,
I have an unbranded DHD in the UK, and I'm running 2.2. Just did a check for updates and nothing. Any idea when gingerbread will be arriving? And will I lose root and/or radio s-off? I love my root apps a lot Also not really a fan of custom roms atm as I don't have enough time to play with it if it doesn't work as expected straight away.
Also, what will I lose and keep in the update? Contacts? accounts? apps? App data?
Thanks

Tamen said:
Hi everyone,
I have an unbranded DHD in the UK, and I'm running 2.2. Just did a check for updates and nothing. Any idea when gingerbread will be arriving?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already have 3 too many threads about that and don't wish to start another.
Tamen said:
And will I lose root and/or radio s-off? I love my root apps a lot Also not really a fan of custom roms atm as I don't have enough time to play with it if it doesn't work as expected straight away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll lose root. If you phone is still in a state that it can receive updates.
if you've rooted why not just flash a GB ROM? There are customised ones and even one that is just rooted.
Tamen said:
Also, what will I lose and keep in the update? Contacts? accounts? apps? App data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems people are saying that nothing was lost but back it all up anyway (yes, lots of apps to back up info, all already mentioned).

Thanks for the swift reply - how do I know if my phone can receive updates? I've rooted with visionary and put radio s-off if that helps
The main reason I don't want to flash custom roms is that it starts become a lot more risky - things do go wrong and you see people bricking their phones. If I bricked my phone I wouldn't have a clue how to fix it and I can't afford the £75 excess on insurance to replace it if it couldn't be fixed, as HTC wouldn't replace it if I broke it trying to do root things to it. I've also read that the latest CWM is having problems?

Tamen said:
Thanks for the swift reply - how do I know if my phone can receive updates? I've rooted with visionary and put radio s-off if that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be ok. The actual state you can put a phone to and still receive the update is something I haven't been able to pinpoint yet. Certainly need a stock ROM.
Previous phones needed the stock recovery but I don't think that's the case here.
Tamen said:
The main reason I don't want to flash custom roms is that it starts become a lot more risky - things do go wrong and you see people bricking their phones. If I bricked my phone I wouldn't have a clue how to fix it and I can't afford the £75 excess on insurance to replace it if it couldn't be fixed, as HTC wouldn't replace it if I broke it trying to do root things to it. I've also read that the latest CWM is having problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The time when you are most at risk of bricking your phone is rooting and flashing a radio.
Flashing a ROM is 99% risk free. You've done the risky bit.

Cheers - though I haven't flashed a radio I don't think (unless radio s-off is flashing a radio). It says in the how to install a rom guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=964996)
- Select "Install Zip from sdcard"
- Select "Choose zip from sdcard"
- Select full-wipe-1-3.zip (It's right under those folders)
- Confirm by selecting the Yes option in between those "NO"s
- Wait for it to finish
- DO NOT REBOOT!!! In case you were not aware, you now have no rom installed
If I somehow messed up or knocked the power button and rebooted, what happens? How do I then fix it? Is that a permanent brick?

Not a fan of that wipe.zip. You could do the less risky method first and use wipe from the recovery menu.
If you rebooted you MAY (unlikely) have a brick but more likely you'll just end up back at bootloader.
If something happens while the phone is installing the ROM then you might have a problem.
If the phone is bricked assume you will have to send it to HTC for repair (along with your best innocent "it was like that in the morning, honest" look.
You'll be fine. I'm sure. But know the risks.
Bottom line, don't knock it. It's quite hard to accidentally press the power button.

Haha claim innocence If they do look and say it's your fault, out of warrenty, how much do they charge? They don't have to replace anything, just presumably connect it to a htc computer and run some resets.
Does the phone stay connected throughout this process? What happens if it's not connected when run or becomes disconnected?
Sorry for all the questions, but I just really want to understand everything that happens. If able I'd much rather update to gingerbread then root with an updated visionary or equivalent, though how long that'll take to happen is anyone's guess :/

Unless the instructions say not to I'd leave it connected.
If the instructions say to remove something that means disconnecting the phone (such as swapping SD cards for example) and doesn't say re-insert the phone then don't (this is why you should always be 100% charged before you try these things).
If it is bricked, they will use there tool to get into the eMMC partition and re-install everything. It's unliekly (not happened yet) they will magically restore the phone and go "hold on, you did this".
Don't worry. Ask away (feel free to hit the thanks button IF I say anything useful).
Just to back track, it looks like your wanting to flash a ROM now. Is this a stock ROm or one of the beautiful customised ROM's like LeeDroid?

In a sec I'll thank every post on this thread, you've been really helpful (and patient!)
I heard about gingerbread updating and wondered if root would be lost with the update or if the update would even work at all. You suggested I get a gingerbread rom already rooted, and I said "aarrgh, I'm scared" The rest of the posts are you explaining things to me, though if possible I'd like to stick with official roms for the moment and then root it - will visionary work on 2.3?

No. You will need to use Gingerbreak which will involve downgrading the ROM first.
But to answer the question between the lines, if you update and lose root, all is not lost, it can be reclaimed.

[noob]But the Rom comes from OTA, so how can it be downgraded?[/noob]
But thanks, if root can be re-attained after the update, I'll wait till after the update before doing anything too fast

What you will have to do is take an old RUU, say version 1.32 and install that.
That then allows you to gain access to the required areas of the phone to give you root and anything else you wish (Engineering HBOOT (ENG S-OFF), Radio S-OFF etc.).
When you get to that stage and decide to root etc. you will kick yourself so hard for not doing it earlier

Oh so gingerbread will remove root but not Eng or radio s-off? I'm at 1.32 at the moment so I should get engineering s off while I still can cause getting root in the future will be easier?

Tamen said:
Oh so gingerbread will remove root but not Eng or radio s-off? I'm at 1.32 at the moment so I should get engineering s off while I still can cause getting root in the future will be easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It (The OTA GB ROM) will remove root if you already have it yes. I believe Radio S-OFF is safe. AS for ENG S-OFF (HBOOT) I'm afraid my memory is failing me but with root and Radio S-OFF it would be easy enough to redo ENG S-OFF.
Rooting etc. will only get harder with each update. Version 1.32 is the easiest of all to root and in fact most root / Radio S-OFF etc. threads start by saying "downgrade to 1.32"
[EDIT] Just re-read your post...
Yes, if you make plans now before the OTA update (still not convinced you will get it though) it will be easier in the future but the main one to worry about is Radio S-OFF. This is the easier of the two and IIRC the only one required should you get the OTA update and gain root (via GingerBreak) without having to downgrade first.

I had root + radio s-off, just got ENG s-off too in-case it can't be done after the update. Hopefully this means after gingerbread re-rooting will be easy-ish

Tamen said:
I had root + radio s-off, just got ENG s-off too in-case it can't be done after the update. Hopefully this means after gingerbread re-rooting will be easy-ish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Puts a huge grin on my face when someone just goes and does this....
But I really really really feel you can't stop now.
Ignoring that I don't think you will get the OTA update you have to now install a GB ROM. After what you have done, flashing a ROM is (relatively speaking) as safe as houses.
Go on!! Android Revolution HD (ARHD) is basically pure stock GB visually with a few goodies thrown in.
Top the day off and flash that ROM.
Do it!!!

Getting ENG s-off was just as simple as getting radio s-off (which I did about a week ago) - I've just heard it's less 'reversable' for if ever you need to go back to stock so had avoided it
The thing with me is that I my brain doesn't really consider things risky or safe based on other people being safe or risky, it's how many places there are to go wrong. One click apps like visionary are relatively safe I just feel a bit daunted by all the steps to flashing a rom. I'll give OTA a chance, but if everyone else on UK unbranded goes "woohoo" and I just sit there like a lemon, I'll maybe start thinking about it
I've got exams coming up (I'm only 15) but if after this week there's no update I'll dedicate a couple of hours to putting a gingersense rom on my phone
What's your preference? And why are there so many no-sense roms? Sense is amazing and is what in my opinion really sets HTC apart - lovely phones with a boosted UI. Why would you ever want to get rid of it?!
EDIT: When flashing a ROM, do you need to factory wipe? Does mybackup root work across roms? I'd like some way of restoring all my contacts, accounts and apps
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family. So feeling stupid I took it to the orange shop but no luck, so t-mobile, phones4u, O2, carphonewarehouse... loads, none could do it.
One guy told me to take it to a different orange shop and "ask for dean" - so I took it to him and he took it out the back of the shop and somehow did it. He said it just needed force (but clearly an amount nobody before or after him has been able to replicate), and that it was nothing like any other DHD he'd seen as they are usually stiff but do open, this was basically glued. So I better not get into a boot loop that holding down the power button won't fix, as if it's hard to play innocent when it's visibly stuck in a boot loop from custom roms

Tamen said:
Getting ENG s-off was just as simple as getting radio s-off (which I did about a week ago) - I've just heard it's less 'reversable' for if ever you need to go back to stock so had avoided it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, just as reversible.
Tamen said:
The thing with me is that I my brain doesn't really consider things risky or safe based on other people being safe or risky, it's how many places there are to go wrong. One click apps like visionary are relatively safe I just feel a bit daunted by all the steps to flashing a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put ROM on sdcard.
Boot to recovery.
wipe data and cache
install ROM
reboot
Get a brew and marvel and the wonderfulness of it all.
With ROM Manager it can be simpler still.
Tamen said:
I'll give OTA a chance, but if everyone else on UK unbranded goes "woohoo" and I just sit there like a lemon, I'll maybe start thinking about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you start thinking about it install ROM Manager just to get ready.
Tamen said:
I've got exams coming up (I'm only 15) but if after this week there's no update I'll dedicate a couple of hours to putting a gingersense rom on my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Schedule those hours in now. You WILL be flashing ROMs
Tamen said:
What's your preference? And why are there so many no-sense roms? Sense is amazing and is what in my opinion really sets HTC apart - lovely phones with a boosted UI. Why would you ever want to get rid of it?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hee hee. I like Cyanogen (a non-sense ROM) - Will come back to that.
My favourite sense ROMs are LeeDroid by a long way, the guy is a star and the ROM is perfection; after that, Android Revolution HD which will probably be your choice as it's closer to stock than Lee's. Based on what you've said I go with ARHD but if you really want to play, have fun (overclocking etc.) and want your phone to make R2D2 noises when it boots then LeeDroid every time.
And you're right, the Sense UI (which only gets better) does set HTC apart but even without it, I'd only buy a HTC phone now (when I'm buying an Android phone).
Why not [email protected]
Two part answer. The first part is I'm a huge open source and Linux fan. Use Ubuntu on PC and Kubuntu on laptop and my first Android phone was THE first Android phone, the Google (T-Mobile) G1. As such I love Android so I want my phone to be just about Android with a few little extras and NO ONE does that better than Cyanogen. NO ONE.
I still have my G1 and I still love it. That's a vanilla Android phone.
Second part is about bloat. Yes, I do really really like Sense UI. As far as manufacturers bloat-ware goes NOTHING beats Sense UI. It's visually stunning and things like htcsense.com, the clock / weather widget that actually shows weather and that cool windscreen wiper thing and the whole seamless integration twix phone and social is beyond words.
But at the end of the day what is it? It's pretty. I don't use facebook. For twitter I prefer Twidroyd and Tweetdeck. I don't need a massive clock on my screen. I don't want apps and widget I'm not going to use. Before I could root my Hero and DHD I installed ADW.Launcher.
I'll tell you what it's about: Choice. I don't want three buttons along the bottom I want five. And because I have a Google Apps account, HTC Picasa add-on doesn't work (they looking into it) and that pisses me off.
I'm prattling on now.
I have LeeDroid and ARHD on my sdcard as NAND backups and every now and then I restore one (I think of it as almost "dual boot") and for the next 24 hours I'm back coo-ing over it all but then 24 hours later it just doesn't feel right so back to CM I go.
It's personal choice but I will say one thing (more), try CM7. If you don't like it fine but just try it. You'll miss the widgets at first but see how you feel about it.
I'll shut up now.

That's great info, cheers I understand why now, but I do like my massive flip-over clock, regardless of how much battery it eats Also, htcsense.com has been a life saver once or twice when I've put it at home under a pile of papers or something and can't find it
ARHD said there were problems with Rom Manager and wiping within it - is that still a problem? Why do some roms need a different radio flashed? What actually is a different radio and why do you get problems with different roms and radios?
How long does it take between putting the rom on the sd card and actually having the rom installed with ROM Manager?
Also, I edited the above post but was doing so after you'd posted this, so I'll put it here too:
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family. So feeling stupid I took it to the orange shop but no luck, so t-mobile, phones4u, O2, carphonewarehouse... loads, none could do it.
One guy told me to take it to a different orange shop and "ask for dean" - so I took it to him and he took it out the back of the shop and somehow did it. He said it just needed force (but clearly an amount nobody before or after him has been able to replicate), and that it was nothing like any other DHD he'd seen as they are usually stiff but do open, this was basically glued. So I better not get into a boot loop that holding down the power button won't fix, as if it's hard to play innocent when it's visibly stuck in a boot loop from custom roms

Tamen said:
That's great info, cheers I understand why now, but I do like my massive flip-over clock, regardless of how much battery it eats Also, htcsense.com has been a life saver once or twice when I've put it at home under a pile of papers or something and can't find it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made great use of that too, so simple, plress a button on the website and instant ring. An app called Where's my droid can do that but you need another phone to be able to send it a text.
Tamen said:
ARHD said there were problems with Rom Manager and wiping within it - is that still a problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There used to be but I've never had a problem. But I like doing everything from recovery and that's works fine (from 3.0.2.6).
Tamen said:
Why do some roms need a different radio flashed? What actually is a different radio and why do you get problems with different roms and radios?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's that some ROM's have been tested using certain Radios and some devs are only willing to recommend Radios that have been tested.
A radio is the software that is responsible for wifi, network signal including data, bluetooth and GPS. It's just another something that is constantly being improved. Most radios will work with most roms but one radio might work great for person a and be rubbish for person b. This is because some networks and phone hardware (they do differ) don't respond as well as others to a certain radio. The radio is something you will will push (via fastboot commands) a lot (which is why you have Radio S-OFF) as you need to experiment.
Tamen said:
How long does it take between putting the rom on the sd card and actually having the rom installed with ROM Manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on ROM but on average about 5 minutes. It's not really any quicker than using recovery directly (ROM Manager is just a GUI for recovery) once you have done it a few times, it's just simpler.
Tamen said:
EDIT: When flashing a ROM, do you need to factory wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALWAYS. And every time.
The only exception is if you're upgrading the same ROM but even then, depending on the upgrade you may still have to wipe. Most issues after flashing a ROM are due to not wiping at least the cache.
Tamen said:
Does mybackup root work across roms? I'd like some way of restoring all my contacts, accounts and apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Contacts are sync'd to Gmail so no worries there. Mybackup will backup SMS and MMS too.
Apps are a different matter. There is an option to Backup apps and app data to google servers which works 95% of the time. Titanium can do this too but in my experience is even more flakey. I still keep a list of all my apps just in case.
Tamen said:
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family [snip]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That battry door is ****, no two ways about it. It does require a lot of force and you have to be brave with it. But as you say, hopefully you won't need to worry about it.

[Q] Thinking of moving to jelly bean htc sense+...

hi I'm pretty new to the android os and I'm thinking about jailbreaking my HTC one x (tegra) to get jellybean, which im sick of waiting for and to get better performance. the thing is, iv read/watched a lot of guides on how to jailbreak/flash the one x and there is some confusing points and points in which the guides contradicts themselves. so just a few questions:
can you revert back to factory settings at any point? iv read in some guides that its impossible, I can't see why though?
what exactly is a ruu? is it the equivalent to a bios? is hboot a ruu?
I know that it is possible to brick your phone if you delete the ruu (hence why you use clockworkmod) but it seems stupid that the phone won't even know how to charge itself, is it that easy to brick?
iv heard that you can update the kernal, what's the advantage of doing this?
any tips on what to do and avoid when doing this, we all have to start somewhere
iv been using this as a main reference for the Rom I'm wanting to use.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1601543
thanks in advance

almostrodney said:
hi I'm pretty new to the android os and I'm thinking about jailbreaking my HTC one x (tegra) to get jellybean, which im sick of waiting for and to get better performance. the thing is, iv read/watched a lot of guides on how to jailbreak/flash the one x and there is some confusing points and points in which the guides contradicts themselves. so just a few questions:
can you revert back to factory settings at any point? iv read in some guides that its impossible, I can't see why though?
what exactly is a ruu? is it the equivalent to a bios? is hboot a ruu?
I know that it is possible to brick your phone if you delete the ruu (hence why you use clockworkmod) but it seems stupid that the phone won't even know how to charge itself, is it that easy to brick?
iv heard that you can update the kernal, what's the advantage of doing this?
any tips on what to do and avoid when doing this, we all have to start somewhere
iv been using this as a main reference for the Rom I'm wanting to use.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1601543
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a RUU is a leaked official version of an update, it is like a custom rom but it is stock and from HTC... when you buy an HTC phone it has certain RUU installed on it.
jailbreak is for iphones (which everyone here should hate), use the word "root" and "S-OFF" and "unlocked bootloader" when you are using an android phone
you can revert back to stock only if the RUU that you're on it has already been leaked.
the HOX is very very hard to brick! but sometimes i see cases of soft-brick which is easy to solve by the way.
our phone unfortunately doesn't have S-OFF (like almost every HTC phone out there except for the ONE X) so every time you flash a rom you have to flash the corresponding boot.img which contains important file to let your phone run with a certain custom rom.

matt95 said:
a RUU is a leaked official version of an update, it is like a custom rom but it is stock and from HTC... when you buy an HTC phone it has certain RUU installed on it.
jailbreak is for iphones (which everyone here should hate), use the word "root" and "S-OFF" and "unlocked bootloader" when you are using an android phone
you can revert back to stock only if the RUU that you're on it has already been leaked.
the HOX is very very hard to brick! but sometimes i see cases of soft-brick which is easy to solve by the way.
our phone unfortunately doesn't have S-OFF (like almost every HTC phone out there except for the ONE X) so every time you flash a rom you have to flash the corresponding boot.img which contains important file to let your phone run with a certain custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the swift reply, sorry I called it that, I had a iPhone for years but I ended up hating it(just it as a mp3 player now lol).
Well I currently havent done anything to my one x so its stock, but what I'm saying/asking is, surely I can just load a stock Rom and bootloader and be back to square one?
And as for the rom/boot.IMG I can see why it is a bit more complicated. So what's, in your opinion, the biggest reason to/you've flashed from stock?
Thanks again!

There is no way for 100% back to stock (for now). Unlocking bootloader voids your warranty.
Why unlock and flash cutom rom? - Custom roms are far better than stock, better performance, longer battery life... no limit of customizing your phone.
The downside for me is only loosing warranty.

almostrodney said:
Thanks for the swift reply, sorry I called it that, I had a iPhone for years but I ended up hating it(just it as a mp3 player now lol).
Well I currently havent done anything to my one x so its stock, but what I'm saying/asking is, surely I can just load a stock Rom and bootloader and be back to square one?
And as for the rom/boot.IMG I can see why it is a bit more complicated. So what's, in your opinion, the biggest reason to/you've flashed from stock?
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because every phone i buy (android of course) will get rooted! custom roms are awesome, and nerdy

So once you unlock your bootloader and put a new Rom on you loose your warrenty because you can't revert and hide the fact that's what you did?
Hmm I don't know if I should mess with this then, I would but iv not long got my phone back from warranty because of the hardware WiFi issue.
Can anyone really sell to me why I should flash? I mean I'm interested in doing it.

almostrodney said:
So once you unlock your bootloader and put a new Rom on you loose your warrenty because you can't revert and hide the fact that's what you did?
Hmm I don't know if I should mess with this then, I would but iv not long got my phone back from warranty because of the hardware WiFi issue.
Can anyone really sell to me why I should flash? I mean I'm interested in doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, you can't hide, once you have unlocked, that you have voided your warranty... you won't ever have something as stable and fast as custom roms, that's why you should root and unlock your phone

right so better proformace and better battery, is there anything else you root for? i mean what does everyone else root for, for that matter?? i mean i keep looking at my phone and thinking. Hmmm should i, shouldent i? lol

Rooting without exploding the device? Have not had an HTC in a long time.

Just ordered my HTC 10, excited...and nervous as I've not had a new device (like long term) in... like over 1.5 years. :S I'm mainly hoping the microSD card slot likes my 128GB U1 x633 card so I can finally have enough space for all my vinyl rips, and then I hope the DAC is as good as they say.
So anyway, I've been reading all of this stuff about rooting and loosing the radio connection and something about the data encryption breaking everything O.O!!! Holy crap. I just wanna root it, find a good rom and dev to support and enjoy it. This is what I do on my current daily driver, my old OPO. I've been trying to look around, search, and read to make sure that I avoid all of these issues mentioned but so far I've not found a concrete explanation of why said issues happen. Not new to rooting/flashing at all, but HTC devices always seemed to of been touchy when it came to custom stuff, and I don't want to explode this thing. My main problem is that I've been away from HTC for.... well since early 2014.
My current knowledge of android stuffz tells me to:
1) Unlock Bootloader via ADB
2) Flash TWRP/Other Customer Recovery
3) Find sweet rom, flash and spend hours customizing
4) Flash xposed and go crazy with modules until the phone explodes and then scale it back to a realistic level
5) Enjoy Phone
6) Cake
HOWEVER... I remember HTC devices having a bit more complication due to things like... RUU and firmware.. I don't even remember what RUU means lol... But I remember when I had my M8 I was always fighting these dang firmware issues. While I ended up with a fantastic experience, I remember fighting for almost 2 months or so to get it to behave. Battery was out of control, phone was crashing, camera exploding. Oh man it sucked, but finally someone really cool was like... "Yo dude I had these issues, this is what you have to do with HTC stuff" , and after a full hour of flashing shiz I had the phone running smoothly and behaving correctly. Something about... you had to flash each level of the firmware and then reboot and...something. Like you couldn't just skip to the latest firmware? I don't remember exactly.
So anyway, the main question I have is. Could someone either
A.) Point me in the direction of a post or something to study to understand what to do and not do. I've searched but not really found anything solid. Something for folks who've been off the HTC scene for a while.
B.) If there isn't really a single post on this, perhaps if someone doesn't mind explaining this (even pm is fine) to me so I don't explord this expensive mofo and cry.
C.) Give me a hug, because I am nervous about having a new device O.O , it's been so long and I'm so used to Cm13 and xposed and all that jazz. I is be scared.
I would be grateful to any and all help/support.
Anyway, thanks in advanced guys and gals. :3

Locklear308 said:
Just ordered my HTC 10, excited...and nervous as I've not had a new device (like long term) in... like over 1.5 years. :S I'm mainly hoping the microSD card slot likes my 128GB U1 x633 card so I can finally have enough space for all my vinyl rips, and then I hope the DAC is as good as they say.
So anyway, I've been reading all of this stuff about rooting and loosing the radio connection and something about the data encryption breaking everything O.O!!! Holy crap. I just wanna root it, find a good rom and dev to support and enjoy it. This is what I do on my current daily driver, my old OPO. I've been trying to look around, search, and read to make sure that I avoid all of these issues mentioned but so far I've not found a concrete explanation of why said issues happen. Not new to rooting/flashing at all, but HTC devices always seemed to of been touchy when it came to custom stuff, and I don't want to explode this thing. My main problem is that I've been away from HTC for.... well since early 2014.
My current knowledge of android stuffz tells me to:
1) Unlock Bootloader via ADB
2) Flash TWRP/Other Customer Recovery
3) Find sweet rom, flash and spend hours customizing
4) Flash xposed and go crazy with modules until the phone explodes and then scale it back to a realistic level
5) Enjoy Phone
6) Cake
HOWEVER... I remember HTC devices having a bit more complication due to things like... RUU and firmware.. I don't even remember what RUU means lol... But I remember when I had my M8 I was always fighting these dang firmware issues. While I ended up with a fantastic experience, I remember fighting for almost 2 months or so to get it to behave. Battery was out of control, phone was crashing, camera exploding. Oh man it sucked, but finally someone really cool was like... "Yo dude I had these issues, this is what you have to do with HTC stuff" , and after a full hour of flashing shiz I had the phone running smoothly and behaving correctly. Something about... you had to flash each level of the firmware and then reboot and...something. Like you couldn't just skip to the latest firmware? I don't remember exactly.
So anyway, the main question I have is. Could someone either
A.) Point me in the direction of a post or something to study to understand what to do and not do. I've searched but not really found anything solid. Something for folks who've been off the HTC scene for a while.
B.) If there isn't really a single post on this, perhaps if someone doesn't mind explaining this (even pm is fine) to me so I don't explord this expensive mofo and cry.
C.) Give me a hug, because I am nervous about having a new device O.O , it's been so long and I'm so used to Cm13 and xposed and all that jazz. I is be scared.
I would be grateful to any and all help/support.
Anyway, thanks in advanced guys and gals. :3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same boat haven't owed an HTC since the Fuze running Windows lol and have been a loyal Samsung user since the S1 so the whole adb fastboot thing was a little overwhelming. I followed the guide in the forum and had a few hiccups but overall went pretty smooth. Adb is definitely not as user friendly as Odin on a Sammy device but not to difficult. My only tips would be make sure you have all the latest drivers, twrp, and adb installed. It seems pretty hard to permanently brick a device these days from my experience so I wouldn't worry to much. As far as the radio not working, as long as you keep your device encrypted you won't lose your radio. I'm sure the devs will find a fix for this soon enough. Enjoy your new 10!
Edit: I'm using a lexar 128gb 633x U1 micro sd and all is well. Worked with adoptable storage also but felt a little sluggish so I went back to using it as external storage.

AndroiderM said:
I was in the same boat haven't owed an HTC since the Fuze running Windows lol and have been a loyal Samsung user since the S1 so the whole adb fastboot thing was a little overwhelming. I followed the guide in the forum and had a few hiccups but overall went pretty smooth. Adb is definitely not as user friendly as Odin on a Sammy device but not to difficult. My only tips would be make sure you have all the latest drivers, twrp, and adb installed. It seems pretty hard to permanently brick a device these days from my experience so I wouldn't worry to much. As far as the radio not working, as long as you keep your device encrypted you won't lose your radio. I'm sure the devs will find a fix for this soon enough. Enjoy your new 10!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I am comfortable in adb :3 so that's not a worry. So un-enecrypting it is just an option, and I should just avoid it for now? What is the advantage of un-encrypting it?
What guide did you use? Also, what about all this firmware and ruu stuff?
Sorry for so many questions... Lol this thing wasn't cheap and I am nervous , BTW what setup do you have? Root? ROM?
Thanks for replying :3

Locklear308 said:
Well I am comfortable in adb :3 so that's not a worry. So un-enecrypting it is just an option, and I should just avoid it for now? What is the advantage of un-encrypting it?
What guide did you use? Also, what about all this firmware and ruu stuff?
Sorry for so many questions... Lol this thing wasn't cheap and I am nervous , BTW what setup do you have? Root? ROM?
Thanks for replying :3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-10/how-to/guide-root-optionally-s-off-radio-t3373025
From what I understand unencrypting breaks the radio. With it unencrypted you would get slightly better performance and boot times I think. I would definitely avoid it for now. I'm currently using twrp with Viper 10 rom. I've also used leedroid and still trying to find which one I prefer. I've only had my 10 for 3 days lol so I haven't found my sweet setup just yet. I left s-on for now as I don't really need it off.
No idea about the firmware and ruu stuff. I made a backup of stock rom before I started flashing. I'm pretty sure there is or will be a repo with factory firmware, radios, etc. I don't know what ruu stands for either lol.
---------- Post added at 06:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 AM ----------
Did you get carrier or unlocked version

AndroiderM said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-10/how-to/guide-root-optionally-s-off-radio-t3373025
From what I understand unencrypting breaks the radio. With it unencrypted you would get slightly better performance and boot times I think. I would definitely avoid it for now. I'm currently using twrp with Viper 10 rom. I've also used leedroid and still trying to find which one I prefer. I've only had my 10 for 3 days lol so I haven't found my sweet setup just yet. I left s-on for now as I don't really need it off.
No idea about the firmware and ruu stuff. I made a backup of stock rom before I started flashing. I'm pretty sure there is or will be a repo with factory firmware, radios, etc. I don't know what ruu stands for either lol.
---------- Post added at 06:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:51 AM ----------
Did you get carrier or unlocked version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked, at least that's what the guy on Swappa marked it as. *fingers crossed*
Got it for 510. One scratch on the metal
Alright so I will back things up and avoid the radio breaking stuff. I will check that link, thanks man

Locklear308 said:
Unlocked, at least that's what the guy on Swappa marked it as. *fingers crossed*
Got it for 510. One scratch on the metal
Alright so I will back things up and avoid the radio breaking stuff. I will check that link, thanks man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, mine has two scratches on metal too lol but guy gave me $200 and unlocked htc 10 w uh oh protection and original receipt for my s7e at&t branded locked bootloader ?. Was a no brainer for me

Locklear308 said:
Just ordered my HTC 10, excited...and nervous as I've not had a new device (like long term) in... like over 1.5 years. :S I'm mainly hoping the microSD card slot likes my 128GB U1 x633 card so I can finally have enough space for all my vinyl rips, and then I hope the DAC is as good as they say.
So anyway, I've been reading all of this stuff about rooting and loosing the radio connection and something about the data encryption breaking everything O.O!!! Holy crap. I just wanna root it, find a good rom and dev to support and enjoy it. This is what I do on my current daily driver, my old OPO. I've been trying to look around, search, and read to make sure that I avoid all of these issues mentioned but so far I've not found a concrete explanation of why said issues happen. Not new to rooting/flashing at all, but HTC devices always seemed to of been touchy when it came to custom stuff, and I don't want to explode this thing. My main problem is that I've been away from HTC for.... well since early 2014.
My current knowledge of android stuffz tells me to:
1) Unlock Bootloader via ADB
2) Flash TWRP/Other Customer Recovery
3) Find sweet rom, flash and spend hours customizing
4) Flash xposed and go crazy with modules until the phone explodes and then scale it back to a realistic level
5) Enjoy Phone
6) Cake
HOWEVER... I remember HTC devices having a bit more complication due to things like... RUU and firmware.. I don't even remember what RUU means lol... But I remember when I had my M8 I was always fighting these dang firmware issues. While I ended up with a fantastic experience, I remember fighting for almost 2 months or so to get it to behave. Battery was out of control, phone was crashing, camera exploding. Oh man it sucked, but finally someone really cool was like... "Yo dude I had these issues, this is what you have to do with HTC stuff" , and after a full hour of flashing shiz I had the phone running smoothly and behaving correctly. Something about... you had to flash each level of the firmware and then reboot and...something. Like you couldn't just skip to the latest firmware? I don't remember exactly.
So anyway, the main question I have is. Could someone either
A.) Point me in the direction of a post or something to study to understand what to do and not do. I've searched but not really found anything solid. Something for folks who've been off the HTC scene for a while.
B.) If there isn't really a single post on this, perhaps if someone doesn't mind explaining this (even pm is fine) to me so I don't explord this expensive mofo and cry.
C.) Give me a hug, because I am nervous about having a new device O.O , it's been so long and I'm so used to Cm13 and xposed and all that jazz. I is be scared.
I would be grateful to any and all help/support.
Anyway, thanks in advanced guys and gals. :3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on my third htc10. Exploded last two after rooting haha. Really not hard mate. Just read the guides provided and ask any questions you need. Most ppl on XDA will be helpful, and some will reply like me lol.
BTW, simple answer, unlock phone via HTC Dev, then flash Viper. Done.

purple patch said:
I'm on my third htc10. Exploded last two after rooting haha. Really not hard mate. Just read the guides provided and ask any questions you need. Most ppl on XDA will be helpful, and some will reply like me lol.
BTW, simple answer, unlock phone via HTC Dev, then flash Viper. Done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright neato, so do I need to ensure I let it download any and all OTA's for the firmware before doing anything? Is s-off safe to get as well in regards to the issues I referred to in my OP above?
And his is this viper? Does it allow things like settings similar to cm and also allow for xposed?
Thanks for replying man, I feel more comfortable now as it sounds like there isn't anything crazy required to safely root this thing . Phew!!

Locklear308 said:
Alright neato, so do I need to ensure I let it download any and all OTA's for the firmware before doing anything? Is s-off safe to get as well in regards to the issues I referred to in my OP above?
And his is this viper? Does it allow things like settings similar to cm and also allow for xposed?
Thanks for replying man, I feel more comfortable now as it sounds like there isn't anything crazy required to safely root this thing . Phew!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got an M9 for my wife not that long ago and just had my 10 show up today and gonna root. Just do like the other dude said. Find a guide that says how to use HTC dev to unlock the bootloader. You can't just enter a command in adb like "unlock bootloader" and have it work. Go to the HTC dev website, make an account, pick your device and it walks you through the steps of unlocking the bootloader. That's really the only semi-difficult part IMO. Then proceed as normal. Download twrp, make a stock nand, download ROM, su binaries, kernel, etc. etc. go to recovery and flash. I'm sure there's a couple other steps in their but that's the basics.
As for Viper, it tends to come with so many mods built in, I'd personally be kind of reluctant to use xposed with it to to much modifying. It's a great ROM, but so is leedroid You can try each and see what you like, but if you want to more safely use xposed I'd personally go with leedroid.

DroidIt! said:
I got an M9 for my wife not that long ago and just had my 10 show up today and gonna root. Just do like the other dude said. Find a guide that says how to use HTC dev to unlock the bootloader. You can't just enter a command in adb like "unlock bootloader" and have it work. Go to the HTC dev website, make an account, pick your device and it walks you through the steps of unlocking the bootloader. That's really the only semi-difficult part IMO. Then proceed as normal. Download twrp, make a stock nand, download ROM, su binaries, kernel, etc. etc. go to recovery and flash. I'm sure there's a couple other steps in their but that's the basics.
As for Viper, it tends to come with so many mods built in, I'd personally be kind of reluctant to use xposed with it to to much modifying. It's a great ROM, but so is leedroid You can try each and see what you like, but if you want to more safely use xposed I'd personally go with leedroid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, I do remember about the whole HTC dev website thing. I was mainly just concerned with the firmware issues and stuff that I had before.
Is there any kind of limitations for reasons not to upgrade to the highest available firmware? Something like, maybe the highest one can't be rooted yet or something like that. I just want to make sure that I don't shoot myself in the foot haha.
Thank you all for your help

Locklear308 said:
Oh right, I do remember about the whole HTC dev website thing. I was mainly just concerned with the firmware issues and stuff that I had before.
Is there any kind of limitations for reasons not to upgrade to the highest available firmware? Something like, maybe the highest one can't be rooted yet or something like that. I just want to make sure that I don't shoot myself in the foot haha.
Thank you all for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I'm not sure about firmware not being able to be rooted but the best way to go about it (what I did anyway) is to unlock the phone via htcdev.com, flash a custom recovery (Latest TWRP which has also worked around the encryption stuff?) and then back up everything other than the data partition. That way, no matter what you do, you always have something to revert back to. The reason for not backing up data is due to the encryption. From my understanding, restoring an encrypted data partition would break things. Once you have the phone unlocked and recovery sorted, you are free to flash viper etc. and root the phone using SuperSU. I'm sure you are aware unlocked devices are quite easy to root so whatever you flash will most likely be on latest firmware, already rooted.
As for installing OTAs etc., you need unmodified system and recovery which is where the backups kick in. Simply back up your data on an SD card (pictures etc. not the actual partition) and restore the system-image and recovery. This should reset the phone although I'm not sure if it'll wipe anything and allow you to do OTA updates. Alternatively, get the latest firmware for your device from htcdev (again, not sure if they have firmware on there) and use that instead.
If any of the information above is incorrect or missing steps, someone feel free to correct me.