Develop Bugs

How To - Root Your Hero in One Click And Load Custom ROMs (with Videos)!!

Here is the easiest method (in my opinion) to root the Hero and load a custom ROM, theme, etc.... there is a video for noobs as well
Thanks to Cyanogen for his recovery image!
Thanks to MoDaCo for his great custom ROM!
Thanks to Zinx for FlashRec APK (thanks Amon Ra for letting me know who made it! http://zenthought.org/content/project/flashrec)
Enjoy!
How to Root the Hero in One Click! -
http://TheUnlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-root-your-htc-hero-in-one-click/
How to Load Custom ROM on the Hero -
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/27/how-to-load-a-custom-rom-on-your-htc-hero/

Cool... theunlockr.com seems an interesting resource.
Has anyone here tried these methods and had no issues ?
And, why do you need to format your SD card ??? Or is this a typo ??
Surely just putting the files at root level on the card is all you need to do as per the video...
Seems a very easy way to root though
Also, lastly, do you need to root to flash new Firmware ? I thought you just needed to install a recovery image permanently as per MoDaCo Paul's instructions.
I WILL get my head around this one day

Hello JoeMax,
1. Works just fine on the out of box Hero, done it to mine multiple times over.
2. Formatting is just a precaution, not necessary, but recommended and only take a few seconds anyway.
3. The Rooting video here is essentially using FlashRec to do MoDaCo's procedure to permanently flash the recovery image (and gives you a back up for your original recovery image). Then on the next video when you load MoDaCo's custom ROM using the newly flashed recovery image is when you will have root access for applications.
The recovery image he provides doesn't give you root access for applications but it does allow us to load a custom ROM with root access for applications. Make sense kinda?
Good luck! Hope it helps!

Ah, yes, I think it makes sense now.
And thanks again for making it easy for us slow people I need not visit Terminal and enter arcane scripture to allow me to keep my Hero up to date.
Hats off to you
OH, and this applies to loading new Radio firmware too - i.e. you substitute the ROM steps with Radio firmware ?

Excellent - nice one for posting this. I have the usual couple of questions.
1) - Will doing this still allow me to update with the official ROM release.
2) What do I need to do to be able to go back to how I have it now ( out of box with my personal data ). Wiping all data is scary.
3) - I've read elsewhere that you need to partition your SD disk - is this true, and if so can I do that on my computer ( and if so what kind of format )
Like Joemax, I'm on a Mac and am not to terminal savy

Great video tutorials - thank you for those.
Please make a video tutorial on how to format your SD card to ext3/ext4, including setting it up for Linux caching, and all that jazz. Thank you!

It just can't get any better or easier than this..
Great tutorial!

Are there any disadvantages to using this method of rooting?

This is what I want to know, are there issues with Market access ? I keep reading of people rooting and then loosing the ability access Market.
Also, if I update ROMS will this remove apps and settings ?
As I understand it, all the firmware and OS are in flash memory whereas apps and user data / settings are in SDRAM and is completely separate.

joemax said:
This is what I want to know, are there issues with Market access ? I keep reading of people rooting and then loosing the ability access Market.
Also, if I update ROMS will this remove apps and settings ?
As I understand it, all the firmware and OS are in flash memory whereas apps and user data / settings are in SDRAM and is completely separate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues with Market access (but you might need to put your APN settings back in of course).
When you update a ROM it is recommended to do a Data Wipe first, and that will erase your apps and settings. But you can get your apps back when you sign into your Google account and just goto My Downloads (then just download them again).

OK, thanks again David

Well, I better get som help with this, and by that I mean my problems.
Yesterday I tried this 'How to' and I as I described at theUnlockr.com, the result was a hero in a looping boot. It keeps rebooting after the screen saying 'htc' and some green doodles (animation) waving.
It keeps doing the loop and stops only when battery is removed. As soon battery is installed it starts op doing the loop thing.
There was no problems or warning doing the 'how to' and that goes for the rooting 'how to' as well.
When I debug the looping allot of errors and warnings are showing, obviously.
SDcard is 8Gb class6, partitioned in fat32, ext3 (533Mb) and swap(77Mb).
So I´m asking for help to unddo or replace the rom or whatever one do in a case like this. What can I do?
This is not a critical view on theunlockr.com - it is my fault somehow, but I need some help or guide line to recover from this situation. And yes, I´m new to Android world but I like it.
Sorry for english, I am not from around 'here'.

Well, I guess I don´t need the help after all.
I came to the assumption that the sd card, the partitions, might be corrupted some how, so I replaced it with the original sd card and before that I copied the content from the fat32 partition on the corrupted card to the original.
I then booted and wiped it and installed the update.zip again, and everything is almost back to normal.
I´m one happy dude now.

not working for me... put the files on the sdcard as mentioned. Run the .apk file and install it, so far so good. After opening it, the "Flash cyanogen Recovery 1.4" is greyed out.. ok, dont need it anyway.. hit "Backup Recovery Image" and wait... hero is working and after some time it says "backup failed". Also after typing "sdcard/cm-hero-recovery.img" the button "Flash Custom RecoveryImage" also remains greyed out...
I have a European black Hero (unbranded).

Can some one answer this simple question for me please,
I'v rooted and installed Modacos newest rom, I havn't got any partitioning tools in the Recovery menu, I realised that I used Recovery image 1.0
The question is, can I use the first video method to root and install Recovery image 1.31 or do I have to unroot and then root it again using Recovery image 1.31?

Hi,
I've got a UK hero on vodafone. I've done the first part of this and done a nandroid backup.
Before I do the custom ROM I have a couple of questions....
I keep seeing mention of a radio.zip - do I need this? what is it?
I assume I will need to make a paper backup of my APN settings?
Thanks for any info. I want to take the next step but I dont want to trash my new shiny thing!!
Cheers
Bryan

would this work for the CDMA Hero. I would like to root the phone and load custom roms that would enable me to save apps to the SD card.

[Q] very new to htc and smartphones and i don't know anything, i need HELP

hi everybody you guys are geniuses!
i m new to this whole spartphone thing! i just bought my htc evo and i m trying to root it but i don t even know the basics! what is a flash and how do i flash? what is sd configuration and how do i do that! how do i do backup ;nandroid backup?what is a kernel and how to put it into my rom!! basicly i need all the info from the begining until i run a custom rom! i really need help on this one! thank you!

Google is your friend

_MetalHead_ said:
Google is your friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
There are plenty of people around here that like to help, but asking to have the entire android guide spelled out for ya is a bit much. Go search and read up on what you can understand, then read a little further. When it starts to get confusing again, come back and ask a specific question or two. You will get a lot more help that way.

That s why I m asking! I did look it up, and it s confusing
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

utzu said:
That s why I m asking! I did look it up, and it s confusing
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta look up the tutorials. Flashing means moving something to your SD card and installing it.

unrevoked is kinda advanced since ur brand new..search on youtube for how to root evo 4g
swyped htc supersonic

stay stock

Google the basics . Most people don't have time to explain everything to you. There is a lot to learn, and I would advise you to not mod your phone unless its something you like to do. Your home work too google.
What is : nand recovery, back up, restore
What is: flashing
What is: recovery
What is: sd card, what is stored on it
What is a : rom
What is a :kernel
How do I flash them?
Learn what a ".apk" file is
What two recoveries do you have to choose from?
What is root? And its history (where it came from)
What is "su command"
What is "s" off and "s" on
Like I said, if you don't like too do this stuff and aren't a geek like the rest of us then I wouldn't bother, it takes a lot of reading and learning, one thing we all have in common is we are all still learning.
Sent from my netarchy_toast, froyo beast of a machine evo!

Honestly, I would love to help, but you are asking too much. It takes weeks, months, even years to get fully acquainted with android and hacking it, especially if this is your first smartphone. If I were you, I would enjoy being stock for now. Once you figure out how to use either terminal or command prompt (Mac or pc, in that order) then maybe start making gradual changes. If you need ANY actual help, pm me as you would not be the first noob i helped. I consider it my duty (ha). Take developments from the experts, give info to the noobs. Really, get familiar with everything, look up some stuff, watch some videos, and if you still need any help, shoot me or another one of the experienced and helpful devs at the xda a pm (private message. Click their name and it will give you the option.) and you will be helped, I garuntee it.

utzu said:
hi everybody you guys are geniuses!
i m new to this whole spartphone thing! i just bought my htc evo and i m trying to root it but i don t even know the basics! what is a flash and how do i flash? what is sd configuration and how do i do that! how do i do backup ;nandroid backup?what is a kernel and how to put it into my rom!! basicly i need all the info from the begining until i run a custom rom! i really need help on this one! thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahaha really! I mean c'mon did you even read any of the sticky's (threads at the very top of the forums)? Youll be amazed that all or most of your answers are there..
Heres a link to get you started read the page and click the links and read some more.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Supersonic&useskin=vector
Not picking on ya but you need to understand the basics on yor own because its likely your phone will get messed up if you dont, and you are the only one to blame if it does. Thays why its important to fully understand what you are doing, remember flashing anything to your phone WILL void the warrantee if you screw up so be carefull.

Read for a month!
Read up on everything for a month, then start your EVO hacking experience!
Here are a few that are great starting points:
Common Misconceptions and Info
HTC EVO WIKI
How To Use These Forums
How To Search XDA
Helpful/Popular Threads
REMEMBER! - Any question you are thinking to ask, has most likely been asked and answered before on these forums SO SEARCH!
Good luck, and welcome!

I would start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=706411
once you get that done the custom recovery is installed things will be much easier
I used that root method one my replacement evo and it worked just fine.

BrianDigital said:
I would start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=706411
once you get that done the custom recovery is installed things will be much easier
I used that root method one my replacement evo and it worked just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is if the OP does NOT have Android v2.2.
OP - If you go this route you will need to downgrade in Regaw's 2.2 ROOT METHOD, but stop before using unRevoked.

I am in an overly good mood today so i will help out with some basic information
What is : nand recovery, back up, restore - A nand back up is basically a way to back up your phone its rom and settings. a nand restore uses the a nand back up you made to put your phone back to where is was when you made the nand back up (think about a restore point on a windows computer very similar concept).
What is: flashing - Flashing is the process used to install system files. this is usually done through a recovery which i will get into below. the reason it is called flashing and not installing is because it needs to be done through recovery and is a slightly different process but in more basic terms it is basically installing your rom or radio or other system critical pieces onto the phones internal memory.
What is: recovery - a recovery is basically a program that lets you access some advanced system features, these include nand back up and restore, wiping cache, data, and dalvik, and the ability to flash (install) certain files to your phone. to get into a recovery with your phone off hold volume down and the power button you will load to a white screen with several options (this is the hboot or bootloader) select recovery.
What is: sd card, what is stored on it - Out of the gate your sd card is set up as it should be. their are a few reason you might change this however with 2.2 it has become less of a need and i recommend just leaving it be. The main reason people configure there sdcards is to allow a script called apps2sd to work. what this does is it allows you to store all your apps on the sd card they are normally stored on the phones internal memory. Froyo or 2.2 (the android os version on your phone) has the ability to allow apps to move to your sd card through the settings. now this doesn't work for all apps as it has to be turned on by the app creator but many it will. Because of this i would leave your sdcard alone while you learn the ropes.
What is a : rom - a rom is basically the operating system of your phone. what a rom does is replace the default os with a custom one that has been tweaked or built by a developer. this is the piece of the phone you interact with.
What is a :kernel a kernel is basically the software that translates what you do in the rom to the hardware. think of it as the phones steering wheel. you let the phone to do this and the kernel interprets it so the hardware knows what to do,
How do I flash them? To flash files is relatively easy you place them on the root of your sd card (basically drag and rop onto the sd card but not in any folder). then you boot into the recovery. in the recovery you shoudl be able to find the options to wipe cache, wipe data/factory and wipe dalvik. you select each of these and then yuo select flash .zip from sd. next you scroll to the file you want to flash (the rom or kernel etc you want) and select it (normally power button) you should then flash the rom. once it is flashed select back until you see reboot phone and then reboot it and you should boot up with your new rom.
What is "s" off and "s" on - s on and s off is basically the way you can tell you are rooted in the bootloader (or hboot i talked about above) at the very top you should see one of these options. what these mean is whether your phone requires a signed file (s on) or whether it can flash unsigned files (s off). for now just consider a signed file as an official file with an unsigned file being unofficial or modded.
Now hopefully this explains a bit of the basics better and gives you enough information to better understand what is going on. My recommendation is to take the steps to root flash etc 1 at a time it is easy to read through all the instructions and go wow this is confusing. it really isnt as bad as it seems and as long as you follow each step you should be fine. just do exactly what each step tells you to do and dont worry about the next steps till you are there. you still have a lot to learn and the best way you can learn it is by searching the forums think of it as your library.
many people are glad to help however as you can see from some of the posts it is expected that you at least try to learn and research things for yourself. if you get stuck on something ask and you will normally get an answer just try remember if you cant take the time to search and research things you shouldn't expect others to take the time to help. i'm not saying you did i ma jsut giving advice for the future.
anyway best of luck and hopefully this will get you in the right direction.
NOTE: i have "dumbed" down some of the explanations to give the jiest of the idea with out getting to technical so for those that are more technical it is on purposse.

Is hboot worth it and how?

I am debating on flashing my hboot as the idea of 100+MBs being wasted is killing me, plus I only have 31MB's left of internal memory with tons of apps running off my SD card.
I have been looking for tutorials and there seem to be a few different ways to do it and all methods seem to not fully explain (to me at least) what to do in full detail. I am a little nervous of bricking.
Is it really worth doing? Other than more space for apps are there any real benefits? Also the loss of cache isn't too appealing to me.
Anyone on here want to vent pros and cons and if you have a link to a detailed tutorial, please let me know.

nate51 said:
I am debating on flashing my hboot as the idea of 100+MBs being wasted is killing me, plus I only have 31MB's left of internal memory with tons of apps running off my SD card.
I have been looking for tutorials and there seem to be a few different ways to do it and all methods seem to not fully explain (to me at least) what to do in full detail. I am a little nervous of bricking.
Is it really worth doing? Other than more space for apps are there any real benefits? Also the loss of cache isn't too appealing to me.
Anyone on here want to vent pros and cons and if you have a link to a detailed tutorial, please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing an HBOOT is totally worth it
easisest way to do is
http://ichristaylor.com/how-to-flash-the-hboot-on-your-htc-desire/

i think only benefit (very huge benefit) is free space.

If you like to fiddle then having write access to system when the phone is running Android can be convenient. But repartitioning the internal storage is the big one.
You don't have to shrink the cache partition - the Bravo-Sense hboot will still give you 70MB more /data without changing /cache. But many ROMs contain work-arounds that redirect market downloads, so the reduced size of the cache partition isn't an issue. I've been using a 5MB cache for a few months now and don't notice the difference, apart from having more space. But this does depend on the ROM, so do your reading first.
Only real drawback of a small cache is that you can't flash a radio from recovery (really can't, don't even think of trying it!). However, you can use a single fastboot command to do it instead, which many reckon is the better/safer way to do it anyway.

Large Hadron said:
If you like to fiddle then having write access to system when the phone is running Android can be convenient. But repartitioning the internal storage is the big one.
You don't have to shrink the cache partition - the Bravo-Sense hboot will still give you 70MB more /data without changing /cache. But many ROMs contain work-arounds that redirect market downloads, so the reduced size of the cache partition isn't an issue. I've been using a 5MB cache for a few months now and don't notice the difference, apart from having more space. But this does depend on the ROM, so do your reading first.
Only real drawback of a small cache is that you can't flash a radio from recovery (really can't, don't even think of trying it!). However, you can use a single fastboot command to do it instead, which many reckon is the better/safer way to do it anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that brings up another question, I haven't flashed my stock radio and it seems to be running fine. How often do people flash their radios anyways?

its optional, do it only if you encounter any issues after flashing a ROM (no signal, wifi etc)
however i always update my radio to the newest just cause i like to have it up to date (not that i see any diffrence in the newest and the one from official FroYo.

vashishtuday said:
Flashing an HBOOT is totally worth it
easisest way to do is
http://ichristaylor.com/how-to-flash-the-hboot-on-your-htc-desire/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Question about this link. All the tutorials I see *the above link to ichristalylor* and alpharev seem to start off the tutorials with security off (s-off) is this correct? Or does the software "fastboot commander" do this for you when you start?
I think that's the only confusing part about these tutorials for me is I cannot figure out if s-off needs to be in place once you start the tutorials (yes I understand this is some hand holding here) I just find the tutorials vague about this issue. But once I figure out the s-off issue the rest seems to be pretty simple to follow.

Ok so I finally manned up and took the plunge, it was nerve racking at times but surprisingly easy to do. I hope this post helps others out there as I feel there is very little details out there.
- First step is to turn on USB Debugging on your phone 'Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.
- Now run a backup on your phone before anything else this will save all the settings apps and your OS.
- Next step is you need to turn S-OFF, I did this by following the instructions here for me these details worked the best and were clear step by step.
- Next I changed my splash screen (*optional) by using 'Fastboot Commander' thanks to vashishtuday for the link, it provided software links and a rough detailed outline of how to use the software but once you are in fastboot on your phone the rest is pretty self explanatory on the software. Link Here
- And the next step I took was to use 'Fastboot Commander' again to actually run the partition file I downloaded from AlphaRev I read on one forum that a person was able to save the PB99IMG.zip file to their SD and run Fastboot on their phone and it automatically did everything for them. I did not have success with that method so I used Fastboot Commander.
- Once complete I used the software to power down the phone *Now for this step I am not 100% sure if it's safe for others to do but it worked for me* my phone restarted even though I requested it to shut down. It stuck on the loading splash screen so I pulled the battery restarted into recovery and ran a recovery of my backup and after it was complete my phone was back to normal with lots more space on the internal partition.
*Note from Parva4: If you flash your hboot, do some research before flashing your radio as some of the new hboot partitions cache are too small to hold the radio flash information and you could end up bricking your phone, if you have a new hboot partition use fastboot to flash your radios.
I hope this information helps those who are looking for a more step by step detail description. I am tempted to do a full write up with with step by step details but I feel as though this information and the links provided should be good.

I'll add one thing to this. Going S-Off is an equally simple affair to rooting the phone. S-Off allows you to use different hboots with different roms (that's a story in itself).
Now, one thing you'll often see is that the 'latest' radio file is often recommended for use with most roms, certainly the HD roms. Firstly, try the rom without updating the radio, in 90% of cases your phone will be fine. More importantly, Do NOT flash the radio file from the phone via recovery if you are using custom partitions (like CM7). It's possible that you have insufficient cache space (~30Mb required) to install it and you WILL brick the phone if this fails.
There are workarounds (flash the radio file from fastboot for eg.) but it's imperitive that you do this prior to finding out the hard way! I've flashed radio files several times with no issue, fortunately I was running a stock hboot! I have ventured into CM7 hboot and stuff and was lucky not to change the radio whilst I was on it knowing what I know now!
Do your research gentlemen!

Parva4 said:
I'll add one thing to this. Going S-Off is an equally simple affair to rooting the phone. S-Off allows you to use different hboots with different roms (that's a story in itself).
Now, one thing you'll often see is that the 'latest' radio file is often recommended for use with most roms, certainly the HD roms. Firstly, try the rom without updating the radio, in 90% of cases your phone will be fine. More importantly, Do NOT flash the radio file from the phone via recovery if you are using custom partitions (like CM7). It's possible that you have insufficient cache space (~30Mb required) to install it and you WILL brick the phone if this fails.
There are workarounds (flash the radio file from fastboot for eg.) but it's imperitive that you do this prior to finding out the hard way! I've flashed radio files several times with no issue, fortunately I was running a stock hboot! I have ventured into CM7 hboot and stuff and was lucky not to change the radio whilst I was on it knowing what I know now!
Do your research gentlemen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good reminder Parva4! I edited my last post to reflect.

How do I update LeeDroid V3.3.3-Port-R5 to the latest version and how to solve the

I have installed Leedroid V3.3.3-Port-R5 on my Htc Desire last year (it was my first time to flash, root etc).
Now I have few issues:
HTC sence frequently force close (about once a week)
Constant "insufficient insufficient storage available" (when I have 10gb in my sd).
Because it did it last year and only followed the instructions, I have no memory of what I have done and how to update.
Please could anyone provide me a solution plz?

that is the latest version, Lee won't be updating it as it's quite old
have a read of the FAQ, i found it very useful when i used that ROM
switch to data++ version for more space, all the info is there. it requires s-off, easiest way is revolutionary (alpharev is suggested in the FAQ, but is outdated)
read the last few pages of that ROM thread, i've posted other details relating to similar issues.
don't know about sense force closes, can't remember having many. a full reflash (which is what you will do if switching to data++) might make it go away

eddiehk6 said:
that is the latest version, Lee won't be updating it as it's quite old
have a read of the FAQ, i found it very useful when i used that ROM
switch to data++ version for more space, all the info is there. it requires s-off, easiest way is revolutionary (alpharev is suggested in the FAQ, but is outdated)
read the last few pages of that ROM thread, i've posted other details relating to similar issues.
don't know about sense force closes, can't remember having many. a full reflash (which is what you will do if switching to data++) might make it go away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Eddieh. The problem is I dont remember whether I have formatted my sd card to ext 3, 4 (dont know what are they". so I just proceed with the Data++ and dont care about the rest?
Well, dont bother about the above if you could suggest me a better ROM which does not have the "insufficient storage" error and how to proceed from here (moving from LeeDroid to New ROM). Thanks

chuanmok said:
Thanks Eddieh. The problem is I dont remember whether I have formatted my sd card to ext 3, 4 (dont know what are they". so I just proceed with the Data++ and dont care about the rest?
Well, dont bother about the above if you could suggest me a better ROM which does not have the "insufficient storage" error and how to proceed from here (moving from LeeDroid to New ROM). Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would check whether you have ext3 or ext4 using something like gparted. backup your sd card 1st, and you can repartition it from scratch. step 5 here
that rom doesn't have the insufficient storage problem if you switch to data++
all roms will eventually run out of space...depends how you implement various forms of A2SD.
when you want to find a rom, ask yourself what you want (sense/non-sense, stable/alpha/beta), then look through development and read through the OP for requirements and the last few pages for issues etc. try a few out, it's the best way to find what YOU want, not what myself or others necessarily recommend . you always have nandroid and titanium backups to make switching easier.
whichever rom you decide on, install something like diskusage to monitor how your partitions are being used, much easier to solve any memory issues.

eddiehk6 said:
I would check whether you have ext3 or ext4 using something like gparted. backup your sd card 1st, and you can repartition it from scratch. step 5 here
that rom doesn't have the insufficient storage problem if you switch to data++
all roms will eventually run out of space...depends how you implement various forms of A2SD.
when you want to find a rom, ask yourself what you want (sense/non-sense, stable/alpha/beta), then look through development and read through the OP for requirements and the last few pages for issues etc. try a few out, it's the best way to find what YOU want, not what myself or others necessarily recommend . you always have nandroid and titanium backups to make switching easier.
whichever rom you decide on, install something like diskusage to monitor how your partitions are being used, much easier to solve any memory issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again! The link you provided is the tutorial that I followed a year ago (and yes, that means I have ext3 and ext4 already) =)
So my next procedure is to download PB99IMG from Bravo Data++ to my memory card and flash it in Hboot mode?? It that simple??
I am not so keen on modifying my Desire anymore, all I want is error free/bug free and fast/reliable. That's it. So does that means that I better do a recovery and flash back to RUU?

chuanmok said:
Thanks again! The link you provided is the tutorial that I followed a year ago (and yes, that means I have ext3 and ext4 already) =)
So my next procedure is to download PB99IMG from Bravo Data++ to my memory card and flash it in Hboot mode?? It that simple??
I am not so keen on modifying my Desire anymore, all I want is error free/bug free and fast/reliable. That's it. So does that means that I better do a recovery and flash back to RUU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you should have an ext3 or ext4 partition, one or the other, not both
please slow down, read the faq i linked...details are all there. (you do not use bravo data++ partition table, nor should you need to RUU...)
at least nandroid backup, titanium backup of all apps and backup your contacts to google before you try anything

eddiehk6 said:
you should have an ext3 or ext4 partition, one or the other, not both
please slow down, read the faq i linked...details are all there. (you do not use bravo data++ partition table, nor should you need to RUU...)
at least nandroid backup, titanium backup of all apps and backup your contacts to google before you try anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed the step 5 instruction, so I should have what is required.
Yes I do have backups, so now where should I proceed from? Step 7?

[Q] Desire; S-OFF, rooted to partition SD card, now won't get past hboot?

Hello all,
I've done a search on this but can't find anything describing a problem exactly the same as mine (although I have a feeling it is what people mean when they say bootloop?).
So with the eventual aim of freeing up the internal storage on my Desire by partitioning the SD card (and using link2sd), I have gained S-OFF with the Revolutionary method, got root with superuser.zip and used 4ext Recovery Touch to format the SD card by using this guide. Now this is where things went a bit wrong. 4ext kept saying I was in safe mode and didn't seem to be doing anything. I followed some more instructions from here to wipe the cache and possibly some other things (this is probably where I went wrong..). I do believe I now have a 2GB sd-ext partition (ext3) and 6GB FAT32 (it's an 8GB card).
Now, when I boot the phone it goes straight to the hboot screen (white screen with skateboarding androids). No matter what options I choose it won't boot into Android-proper. I can however, get back into Recovery (4ext) so I'm assuming I'm not in a huge amount of trouble and have perhaps just screwed up my stock install.
I was planning on keeping it stock (it is actually my girlfriends so I didn't want any hassle), but now I am thinking I could just install a new ROM? Just wondering what my best route from here is..
Should I attempt to go back to stock by following a guide like this (2nd post) with a 'Desire 2.3 RUU (PB99IMG)'? Will that work? Will it undo everything else I've done? Having read up on here about RUUs I'm a bit scared of that to be honest..!
Or should I follow post #1 on the troubleshooting guide and use 4ext to install a brand spanking new ROM?
Thanks for any advice.

No need to RUU, that would undo everything.
So you're already s-off, with 4ext installed, and you can boot into recovery :good: You've partitioned your sd card correctly too (ext4 should in theory be faster than ext3, you can convert it quite easily in 4EXT, but may not make much difference)
Now just install a new rom from scratch is the easiest way. Pick one from the development section, still plenty of choice. You can even find the stock rooted 2.3.3 Rom there somewhere if she wants that. Use the "wipe all partitions except sd card" option within 4EXT, then install the ROM.zip.
When you pick a ROM, you should also check which hboot is more optimal for space within each thread. You're currently still on stock hboot I take it, which has 250MB system size. A lot of ROMs have smaller system than this, so using a more efficient hboot with smaller system size (and larger internal memory (/data) partition ) is beneficial. You'll need to go to alpharev.nl to find the hboots, and I recommend to flash them using fastboot commands
Depending on the ROM, you may not need to use link2sd at all as it likely has an A2SD script built in, or you may need to activate it via terminal commands, read/search the individual rom thread for details.
If you're still worried about space, I always recommend to use an app like 'diskusage' to browse all your partitions.

Thanks, very helpful. I did originally partition the ext-sd as ext4 but when it didn't work I thought I should perhaps try ext3. I thought perhaps the Desire wasn't recognising the ext4 format. As it turns out I think it was just because I had done it all in safe mode? Will the Desire recognise a 2gb ext4 partition? If so, I may as well reformat again..!
Unfortunately I'm at work now so don't have the phone infront of me. I remember it says 'Revolutionary' in pink at the top in hboot, but I can't remember the numbers.
As for ROMS.. hmn so many options. Any recommendations for something stable and reasonably fast. Stable being the top priority I suppose. I'm tempted to try a JB ROM but I'm assuming that wouldn't be particularly fast or stable! Might be interesting to try though. I will use Apex Launcher over the top of it anyway...

Scamm0r said:
Thanks, very helpful. I did originally partition the ext-sd as ext4 but when it didn't work I thought I should perhaps try ext3. I thought perhaps the Desire wasn't recognising the ext4 format. As it turns out I think it was just because I had done it all in safe mode? Will the Desire recognise a 2gb ext4 partition? If so, I may as well reformat again..!
Unfortunately I'm at work now so don't have the phone infront of me. I remember it says 'Revolutionary' in pink at the top in hboot, but I can't remember the numbers.
As for ROMS.. hmn so many options. Any recommendations for something stable and reasonably fast. Stable being the top priority I suppose. I'm tempted to try a JB ROM but I'm assuming that wouldn't be particularly fast or stable! Might be interesting to try though. I will use Apex Launcher over the top of it anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try deleting the 4ext folder on your sd card to fix the safe mode issue, or also try going into wipe and select "Format all partitions (except sd card)."
I would recommend any of milwilds roms. My personal favourite is this one. Its very fast and stable, based on gingerbread, and its usually what i install on other peoples desires.
As for jb roms go, i wouldnt recommend one if your installing it for someone that doesnt know much about phones. They arent particularly fast, but the one i use (in my signature) is quite stable in my opinion.

Scamm0r said:
Unfortunately I'm at work now so don't have the phone infront of me. I remember it says 'Revolutionary' in pink at the top in hboot, but I can't remember the numbers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't remember changing hboot, you're still on stock hboot.
As for ROMS.. hmn so many options. Any recommendations for something stable and reasonably fast. Stable being the top priority I suppose. I'm tempted to try a JB ROM but I'm assuming that wouldn't be particularly fast or stable! Might be interesting to try though. I will use Apex Launcher over the top of it anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can also vouch for mildwild roms. These have much smaller system sizes, so best to change hboot before you install them as instructed above. Most of them fit into cm7r2 hboot, but check each thread for compatibility.

Thanks guys. Would you recommend that MW ROM over something like CyanogenMod 7.2.0.1 off their site? I see CM banded around quite alot, seems to be a go-to ROM for alot of people?
I'm home now, this is what I see on hboot:
-Revolutionary-
BRAVO PVT1 SHIP S-OFF
HBOOT-6.93.1002
MICROP-031d
TOUCH-PANEL-SYNT0101
RADIO-5.11.05.27
Also, before I do it. Any problems for the Desire to see a 2GB ext4 partition? With the rest as FAT32? She won't be putting alot of media on it as she has a separate iPod.
Thanks.

Scamm0r said:
Thanks guys. Would you recommend that MW ROM over something like CyanogenMod 7.2.0.1 off their site? I see CM banded around quite alot, seems to be a go-to ROM for alot of people?
I'm home now, this is what I see on hboot:
-Revolutionary-
BRAVO PVT1 SHIP S-OFF
HBOOT-6.93.1002
MICROP-031d
TOUCH-PANEL-SYNT0101
RADIO-5.11.05.27
Also, before I do it. Any problems for the Desire to see a 2GB ext4 partition? With the rest as FAT32? She won't be putting alot of media on it as she has a separate iPod.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go with mw over cm. Cm 7 feels old and stale, while milwilds redux ROM feels fresh and different. In terms of stability and speed they are pretty much the same.
2gb shouldn't be too much of an issue, but usually the max recommend ext partition is 1.5gb.

Thanks again. I'm now up and running. Looks very nice indeed! I'll be honest though, I bailed out of flashing a new hboot. Too scary. After incurring the girlfriend's wrath after one day with a dead phone, I wouldn't want to brick it entirely!
A couple of questions now..
- Do I need to install link2sd? I'm looking at 'diskusage' but I'm struggling to make much sense of it. I can see my sd-ext on there though which I guess is good!
- Are there any peculiarities installing generic apps like Facebook, Youtube etc? At first glance the market seems to work ok.
- Does the cpu underclocking (whilst screen off) work well? Is it risky at all if I use the generic settings?
Also, I was going to chuck Apex launcher on it for her (I love it, and she wants a scrolling dock) but it's not compatible. Any others that are good? Nova isn't compatible either

Scamm0r said:
Thanks again. I'm now up and running. Looks very nice indeed! I'll be honest though, I bailed out of flashing a new hboot. Too scary. After incurring the girlfriend's wrath after one day with a dead phone, I wouldn't want to brick it entirely!
A couple of questions now..
- Do I need to install link2sd? I'm looking at 'diskusage' but I'm struggling to make much sense of it. I can see my sd-ext on there though which I guess is good!
- Are there any peculiarities installing generic apps like Facebook, Youtube etc? At first glance the market seems to work ok.
- Does the cpu underclocking (whilst screen off) work well? Is it risky at all if I use the generic settings?
Also, I was going to chuck Apex launcher on it for her (I love it, and she wants a scrolling dock) but it's not compatible. Any others that are good? Nova isn't compatible either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to install link2sd. A2sd is installed by default and is already activated. Dont worry about it.
Apex and nova need 4+, so i would recommend holo or go launcher. i think the default cpu settings work good enough.

Scamm0r said:
Thanks again. I'm now up and running. Looks very nice indeed! I'll be honest though, I bailed out of flashing a new hboot. Too scary. After incurring the girlfriend's wrath after one day with a dead phone, I wouldn't want to brick it entirely!
A couple of questions now..
- Do I need to install link2sd? I'm looking at 'diskusage' but I'm struggling to make much sense of it. I can see my sd-ext on there though which I guess is good!
- Are there any peculiarities installing generic apps like Facebook, Youtube etc? At first glance the market seems to work ok.
- Does the cpu underclocking (whilst screen off) work well? Is it risky at all if I use the generic settings?
Also, I was going to chuck Apex launcher on it for her (I love it, and she wants a scrolling dock) but it's not compatible. Any others that are good? Nova isn't compatible either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't brick your phone by flashing an hboot, as long as you follow all the instructions . It's beneficial just in case your girlfriend starts installing many apps. App data still gets stored on the internal memory (/data) partition, so it may get the low memory warning again which kind of defeats the purpose of doing this in the first place.
Open diskusage again, choose /system. You'll see a lot of free space on this partition....that's basically all completely wasted on stock hboot. At least you can see you sd-ext partition fillling up though.
There's another way to flash hboot without fastboot commands if you prefer. I always recommend that way simply because it forces the user to understand a little about what they're doing, plus it's always handy to install adb and fastboot drivers anyway
So:
- Download the PB99IMG_cm7r2.zip from alpharev.nl, rename it to PB99IMG.zip exactly, not PB99IMG.zip.zip, put it on the root of your sd card
- Reboot directly into recovery, nandroid backup (hard to go wrong now, no need to worry)
- Power down, boot into bootloader (vol down + power)
- It should find the file, and ask you to flash it, select yes
- Reboot into recovery, full wipe and nandroid restore
- It's exactly the same, but enjoy the extra internal memory. Open diskusage again, you'll find that there's less free space on /system, and /data has increased

Thanks Eddie, you're right of course. How safe is that method compared to using Android Flasher? I already had that installed on my PC for one of the steps previous.
So the nandroid backup will keep the phone set up as it is? I know she will have been customising her homescreens etc already now that it's up and running haha. OR is it best to reinstall the ROM again anyway and start from scratch?
I presume the backup option in 4ext recovery is a nandroid backup? I think I did one of those before after I got MW up and running.
Thanks again.

Scamm0r said:
Thanks Eddie, you're right of course. How safe is that method compared to using Android Flasher? I already had that installed on my PC for one of the steps previous.
So the nandroid backup will keep the phone set up as it is? I know she will have been customising her homescreens etc already now that it's up and running haha. OR is it best to reinstall the ROM again anyway and start from scratch?
I presume the backup option in 4ext recovery is a nandroid backup? I think I did one of those before after I got MW up and running.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android flasher is the same as fastboot really. It's just a program so you don't type things. I've never used it personally, but it should work. I believe you flash the cm7r2.img directly (not the.zip file). All 3 of those methods (fastboot, android flasher, PB99IMG.zip are safe, get the same result eventually)
The thing to remember (which I should have mentioned before) whichever method you use, check the md5 sums of the .img files before you flash them (you should be able to see those long text/numbers on the alpharev page). Search for a program called md5check. (It just basically verifies the file against that md5 sum like a barcode so you know haven't downloaded a bad file.)
Nandroid backup is an exact image of the phone as it is. Homescreens, saved game data, texts, everything. So you won't lose anything after restoring it. I suggested that you change hboot before you install the rom for this exact reason, so you wouldnt have to backup and restore, but we're here now already