Develop Bugs

[Q] First time rooting, scared to death, have a question!

Hi all,
So I'm on O2 UK with a branded (and I assume locked) Desire.
HBOOT: 0.80
Firmware version: 2.1-update1
Rom version: 1.20.207.3
Bottom line is, I want to root before O2 push out their 2.2 update which will inevitably increase my HBOOT version. I'm a actually a software developer by trade, but I'm scared and want to take this whole rooting process slowly.
I've already created a goldcard but I've also set up my PC ready for the Unrevoked method, so I'll probably end up using that. So my main question is:
- Once I've rooted with unrevoked, do I HAVE to install a custom ROM that very minute or can I simply reboot my phone and use the stock ROM until I feel I'm ready to reflash?
Thank you! (my first post, be gentle please!)
-L

... delete

Good evening lodger. I was in the same place s you, o2, new desire and first time boot.
I used the unrevoked method, it took 5 mins and have not needed a gold card.
I have flashed another ROM straight away however my phone re booted in to the original Rom and I could continue to use it with the original o2 Rom but just with root access.
Hope this is of some help.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Thank you for the quick replies!
So please correct me if my understanding is wrong, I run the unrevoked process and I get a new recovery rom that lets me perform nandroid backups and flash custom roms but nothing more (yet)?
So if I were to just take a nandroid backup at this point and boot the phone normally, I would see no difference until I actually flashed a custom rom with root access?
I'm actually unsure as to whether the phone is actually locked as I've been with O2 for a looooong time and never had a locked phone from them and unfortunately I don't have another sim card to try in it. The only branding is the O2 boot screen, nothing else. So if anyone could confirm the thing about needing an unlock code that would be great.
Sorry for all of the questions, I'd just like to understand the process a little better before applying it to my pride and joy
-L

L0dger said:
Thank you for the quick replies!
So please correct me if my understanding is wrong, I run the unrevoked process and I get a new recovery rom that lets me perform nandroid backups and flash custom roms but nothing more (yet)?
So if I were to just take a nandroid backup at this point and boot the phone normally, I would see no difference until I actually flashed a custom rom with root access?
I'm actually unsure as to whether the phone is actually locked as I've been with O2 for a looooong time and never had a locked phone from them and unfortunately I don't have another sim card to try in it. The only branding is the O2 boot screen, nothing else. So if anyone could confirm the thing about needing an unlock code that would be great.
Sorry for all of the questions, I'd just like to understand the process a little better before applying it to my pride and joy
-L
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of unrevoked version 3.0 it will root your desire and install a custom recovery.
So you'll have a stock Rom that's rooted, then you can nandroid backup and install a custom Rom when ever you want.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

I can confirm the first reply you got was wrong. Unrevoked is the easiest and best method to use. It WILL root your phone as well as install a custom recovery. You can then continue to use the stock rom with the benefits of root.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

You won't require an unlock code for an o2 branded phone.
O2 phones are normally locked, but iirc you can use Orange sim cards in there too.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

The only people who need an unlock code are Orange users.
As for unrEVOked, it will give you root. The handset will be perfectly usable as soon as unrEVOked is finished. You can then choose to stay as you are or play with all the roms in the dev forum.
Personally I'd jump straight into the dev section and download like a geek on speed

Thank you everyone. You've helped clarify thing no-end and given me the confidence to go ahead and join you all in root land Ok, one last round of questions:
So once I'm rooted, I can jump straight onto the market and download titanium backup and get all my stuff backed up, then I'm pretty much good to go right? (I'll feel a LOT happier once I have a backup!)
Any recommendations as to which rom I should go with first? There are a LOT out there and as a newbie to all of this, sifting through them is a tad daunting.
What's the deal with radio updates? Is there anything I should be aware of when applying them? Should they be applied first, before the OS rom or the other way around?
Having already created a goldcard, is it worth hanging onto it? I hear they do come in handy.
Again, sorry for all the questions but I figure it's best to ask them now rather than get stuck further down the line.
Thanks again
-L

Update: I'm rooted! nandroid backup is running now! Phew!
Thank you again everyone!
-L

It depends what your looking for in a rom. If you want froyo with sense you could try ones by pays, or the leedroid one. If you want plain android, I'd go for defrost by richard trip, or opendesire by adamg.
You will need the latest radio for the new froyo roms for stability and to ensure no echo during calls. The radio is the baseband that you see listed in about phone. It will also increase your wifi and mobile network strength.
When flashing the radio your phone will reboot twice. It is extremely important that you do not interrupt the flashing process and if it looks like it's frozen or whatever, just leave it, and be patient. The radio flash is perfectly safe, but if you do interrupt it you will have an unrecoverable brick!
Titanium will work as soon as you have root, I'd get the paid version if you have a lot of apps, as the free version requires you to confirm each app install one by one, paid version is fully automatic.
Finally, if you want to put your apps to sd card, then the froyo one is rubbish! Most if not all the custom roms use oldschool a2sd which is far better but requires an ext3 partition to be made on your card. To make the ext3 partition use either the custom recovery you have from unrEVOked or download rom manager from the market. The process of creating the partition will ddelete your sd card though so take a backup if needed.
Hope this helps you a bit, and good luck. Once you have tried a few roms you will love it

socktug said:
The only people who need an unlock code are Orange users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is wrong, Orange users must use a compatable radio meaning there's no need to unlock.
As for you, if your phone is locked then you will need to flash a compatable radio like orange users. I'm not sure which radio versions o2 uses so it may be worth googling or checking which radio your running. In future when flashing a custom firmware use one that doesn't have a radio file bundled with it.

kirbz said:
This is wrong, Orange users must use a compatable radio meaning there's no need to unlock.
As for you, if your phone is locked then you will need to flash a compatable radio like orange users. I'm not sure which radio versions o2 uses so it may be worth googling or checking which radio your running. In future when flashing a custom firmware use one that doesn't have a radio file bundled with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless something has changed you are incorrect. Any radio updated away from the stock one locked orange handsets. No other networks are affected.
All froyo roms require the latest radio. This is not optional.

Something has changed because I have a locked orange desire, with the latest radio running the latest open desire firmware and have not had a sim lock message.
I wouldn't of said what I did if I wasn't sure

Best custom rom is neophyte 1.6 if you want sense froyo

Well I guess the only way to find out will be to pop a different sim in and see what happens. I haven't yet seen anyone with an O2 branded phone with problems flashing to froyo on my forum travels, but I guess its worth finding out for sure. I'm prepared to pay for an unlock code if need be.
So would I be better off using clockworkmod to flash to 2.2 or Rom manager? I assume I have the choice now?
I've taken a titanium backup so now all I have to do is put the radio and os roms on the root of my SD card, flash, *pray* then restore my apps after it reboots?
Thank you again to all. I wouldn't have done any of this if it wasn't for you guys taking the time to help me understand this whole process. I prefer to know more than just "Follow these steps and this happens".
-L

Well I finally grew a pair and flashed neophyte 1.6 and i'm proper impressed! Thank you to everyone again for your help and advice.
For the record, I didn't need an unlock code. I just flashed the latest radio and rom straight after each other in clockwork and rebooted. That first boot is a loooong scary one but it was all good in the end
Thanks everyone!
-L
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Good stuff!! See it wasn't that bad was it?

Well,you remind me of myself when I tried to root my Hero...The whole process had scared the **** out of me!Well,until VillainRom booted that is!
I haven't rooted my Desire yet as I was stupid enough to install the 2.2 OTA,but will do something soon enough...UnrEVOked can't do anything with the new HBOOT,can it?

sbdags said:
Good stuff!! See it wasn't that bad was it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was by far the scariest thing I've done this year!
Only thing I seem to be having a problem with is Juice Defender + Ultimate Juice (if anyone uses it?). When Juice Defender disables mobile data depending e.g. when the screen is locked, it keeps coming back on by itself which just adds to the battery drain. I've scoured setting after setting in case there's something forcing mobile data back on after JD disables it but found nothing. This used to work perfectly before I switched roms and it's kinda frustrating.
I'll probably have to try a couple of roms until I find one that works well with all my apps.
No, UnrEVOked doesn't work with a HBOOT > 0.80. From what I've read, there is a way to downgrade your HBOOT to 0.80 but with very mixed success rates.

[Q] A few questions before rooting

Hey guys, first time poster here and a bit of a newb to rooting, Android and smart-phones in general.
I've been hanging on these forums the past 3 months researching the rooting process for a Desire and all the relevant stuff that goes along with it. So please go easy on me. I've also read all the 'similar threads' suggested to me at post-time.
I'm almost ready to begin the process but there's a few bits of information that's got me pretty scared before I go ahead. I wasn't able to find much of a concrete answer/s to these questions, from Googling around.
Well without further ado.
What is the difference between GSM & CDMA and do I need to know which my phone is before proceeding?
If I DO need to know, how do I find this out?
My phone is branded (Orange splash-screen at boot) and locked to Orange network (Newly recieved contract phone).
I've heard that I may need a goldcard to proceed with the Unrevoked process due to the branding. Is this correct?
Another guide on the net (can provide link if necessary), mentions upgrading the radio on Orange phones can permanently break the wifi OR permanently simlock your phone.
Will I need to worry about this during the Unrevoked rooting process? And will this be avoidable after installing a custom rom. (If I get that far )
I read somewhere on these forums (I forgot where exactly), something about the newest Orange OTA update causing problems with the rooting process. Is this still the case or has Unrevoked been updated to avoid that now? Also, how can I check if I have that update?
I can provide all the information about my Hboot, radio and kernel versions etc, if you need it (I guess you will), but for some reason, I keep getting a spam warning as this is my first post. I can only assume the version numbers are being interpreted as IPs...
Well sorry for the wall of text, but I greatly appreciate any help I can get regarding these issues. I'm so scared of bricking my Desire and not being able to return it, if bricking does occur.
Yours a worried root newb!

1. We use GSM phones in the UK as we use SIM cards. CDMA phones don't use SIM cards and are locked/released to one network
2. You don't need a gold card to root, no. As there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty you will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU. Best to make one before starting
3. This was the case a while back but I'd wait for confirmation before changing it
4. No as the radio isn't flashed during a ROM (unless stated in the ROM thread that it does)
5. Shouldn't be an issue, just get the latest version of unrEVOked from their website before starting

Great, that's most of my questions/concerns answered. Although the below answer has brought a new question to the front
EddyOS said:
2. You don't need a gold card to root, no. As there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty you will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU. Best to make one before starting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately my knowledge of RUU is almost non-existant, other than that it stands for Rom Upgrade Utility and is used to upgrade the software on my phone? Right?
And forgive me if I'm being dumb here but, if
EddyOS said:
there isn't an Orange RUU available to go back to stock for warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and yet I
EddyOS said:
will need one to flash a non-Orange RUU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then how can I do this? Or am I totally misunderstanding you?
Do I somehow use an application without root permission to perform a procedure similar to hdd ghosting?

Basically, if you wanted to return to stock for any reason you wouldn't be able to go back to the Orange ROM as the RUU doesn't exist so you'd have to go to a generic ROM. To flash any ROM other than the originally on the phone you need a gold card
It's the same for me, if (for some strange reason) I'd want to flash a branded ROM on my Desire I'd need a gold card. Thankfully, I have an unbranded handset so I can get the stock RUU and use it without a gold card

EddyOS said:
Basically, if you wanted to return to stock for any reason you wouldn't be able to go back to the Orange ROM as the RUU doesn't exist so you'd have to go to a generic ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So basically if I were to screw it up, which I hopefully won't, I'm buggered as far as getting my phone fixed cos they'll see the Orange rom is no longer installed? Not too fussed about that, as I'm super-careful with my phone.
I guess my next issue would be, after rooting using Unrevoked, I'd need to gain S-OFF right? Which I understand is done via AlphaRev. Only issue there would be related to this
"Please revert to a rooted stock ROM if possible. Your /data partition is used for temporary storage of important files." If I'm reverting to a stock rom, while gaining S-OFF presumably there's a high chance that'd upgrade my radio - a potentially very bad thing.
THEN I go about choosing a rom to flash. Then Nandroid backup. Then flash the rom, hopefully love it and voila?
Also, what would you suggest as a good rom for someone like me just starting out with a fully rooted phone? I was thinking one of the official builds to lose all the crap, but then the above issue of the radio creeps up again...

I have been flashing ROM's since I got my phone rooted last year and I have never bothered to S-OFF. It's not a requirement.
I have tried a number of ROM's (it becomes a bit addictive!) there is not normally a need to flash a new radio, just leave it be. If you are worried about it and the ROM requires a new radio don't flash it. There are plenty to choose from.
As for recommendations, everyone has their own tastes and likes. That's the beauty of modding. Just flash a few ROM's and see which you like. I have tried most of them, stuck with MIUI for ages, but am now on Cyanogenmod 7 Nightly's.

There is nothing to really worry about. There is a remote chance of bricking your phone for a start, like 0.0000000001% chance. Only way of doing it is disconnecting during say an S-Off.
As for the Orange issue. I had a locked, Orange Desire with 2.2 on it (the first update) and when I rooted and S-Off'd I had no problems. I also have updated my radio to 5.14.05.17 and have no issues at all. To be honest, I found issues to do with signals and Wi-Fi are to do with the ROM you install and the kernel as well which can be frustrating but fun as well.
As for choosing a ROM, choose one, flash it then see what it's like. It's purely down to what you like most about each ROM. I've been through so many ROMs in the past few months but now I am sort of staying with 1 ROM. I will say that when I installed a custom ROM, I had to pay to unlock my sim because it was being gay and Orange wanted £20 of my hard earned cash to unlock it and send it off. So be prepared.

thetasigma3 said:
So basically if I were to screw it up, which I hopefully won't, I'm buggered as far as getting my phone fixed cos they'll see the Orange rom is no longer installed? Not too fussed about that, as I'm super-careful with my phone.
I guess my next issue would be, after rooting using Unrevoked, I'd need to gain S-OFF right? Which I understand is done via AlphaRev. Only issue there would be related to this
"Please revert to a rooted stock ROM if possible. Your /data partition is used for temporary storage of important files." If I'm reverting to a stock rom, while gaining S-OFF presumably there's a high chance that'd upgrade my radio - a potentially very bad thing.
THEN I go about choosing a rom to flash. Then Nandroid backup. Then flash the rom, hopefully love it and voila?
Also, what would you suggest as a good rom for someone like me just starting out with a fully rooted phone? I was thinking one of the official builds to lose all the crap, but then the above issue of the radio creeps up again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't bother about S-OFF at the moment, you don't need it. Just get rooted and then look into custom ROMs for now

Ok I've taken a tiny step further forward. I'm at the point of making a goldcard but one thing concerns me... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6710085&postcount=3 According to that it won't work with the 2.2 OTA update from HTC.
I know, I have 2.2 installed but this was already on the phone when I received it, so I've no idea if this was an OTA or not... So I guess I need a different method to make a goldcard now?

Use this:
http://android.modaco.com/content/software/308798/pc-application-goldcardtool/
Probably need to register to get the file, though

Hmmm tried using that tool and no joy... Get my img file downloaded, but then the tool refuses to recognise my phone, despite doing the appropriate change over to 'disk drive'. I tried re-plugging the un-mounting and re-plugging the usb cable. Still no joy.
I'm beginning to lose hope here... That tool won't work and the tutorial here says it's incompatible with 2.2...
**edit**
Been Googling around a fair bit and I can't find any information at all on downgrading a branded 2.2. Only information on people with branded handsets wanting to update to 2.2.
After a bit more searching, I found someone else with the exact same issue as me. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10370443&postcount=977
Only one difference though. He doesn't mention if he managed to flash a custom rom after his root. I'm guessing he probably wouldn't have been able to going by your post:
EddyOS said:
To flash any ROM other than the originally on the phone you need a gold card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

A gold card is only needed to flash a STOCK ROM different from your original - it's not needed to flash a custom ROM. The gold card isn't even needed to root. It's just handy to have in your case as you'd need it to go back to stock due to the lack of an Orange RUU
I'm out of ideas I'm afraid, never had to deal with a gold card as I'm unbranded

Use this:
http://android.modaco.com/content/so...-goldcardtool/
Probably need to register to get the file, though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that work a lot better then?
I used the method posted by thetasigma3 and I can't get OTA 2.29.405.5 but I can get 2.29.405.2. To get round the problem I installed the 2.29.405.5 RUU and rooted

Anyone who's debranded will need to use the RUU as the OTA won't go through

GoogleJelly said:
I will say that when I installed a custom ROM, I had to pay to unlock my sim because it was being gay and Orange wanted £20 of my hard earned cash to unlock it and send it off. So be prepared.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call me crazy, but why the heck would flashing a custom rom require you to unlock and send off? Presumably the sending off thing would've been for Orange to perform the unlock procedure?
Anyway, back to my main issue, I know I've probably tread the same ground a few times now, but I really don't wanna end up bricking, cos I overlooked a tiny element, or something.
Could someone confirm I have these points all correct please?
Goldcard NOT needed for rooting.
Goldcard NOT needed if/when I flash a custom rom.
Goldcard needed if I wanted to go back to a STOCK rom.
Only reason to flash a STOCK rom is if I need to send back to Orange for repairs etc.
Oh and thanks for the clarification on your earlier post EddyOS. About goldcards not being needed for custom roms as opposed to stock etc.
Think I'm ready to go ahead with the process now, but if I go ahead and something goes wrong, what's my safety net, so to speak? Presumably my battery would die on me long before I get a response here

What you have there is correct (point 2-5)
The unlocking issue was down to some radios causing Orange handsets to become SIM locked. If you're using an Orange SIM this isn't an issue but others who got an Orange handset but use a different SIM card found they wouldn't work.
This was earlier in the Desire's life and I don't think it's applicable now

Try using "GoldCard Helper" app from Android Market, in case you want to try and make a goldcard (as the other methods did not work for you).
As mentioned as EddyOS, all your points from 2 - 5 are correct.

Ok finally got the guts together to go ahead and run unRevoked. (Already had done the driver steps etc).
I've checked with an app from the Android Market, called 'Root Check' to verify root access. That's saying I do have it and it also asked for Root permissions on start-up, which it never did before root. So I assume that's a good sign. I also checked for the 'Superuser Permissions' app in my apps menu. Found it was present and clicked it. Started without any problems. So I guess that's another good sign.
So I guess my next set of questions are reasonable simple.
Does this seem like my phone is now 100% rooted? I think it is, but I could be wrong.
Do I need to install Busybox? Root Checker seems to like seeing it there.
Does it matter if I use Titanium Backup Pro or free? I'm guessing it won't but I'd like to be certain.
If I backup my current Orange rom with Titanium Backup will I be able to go back to that without a goldcard? My guess is no. I didn't make or use one for the root process.

1. Yes
2. For Titanium Backup, yes
3. No
4. You don't backup the ROM with TB, you boot into Recovery and do it there

kvphani said:
Try using "GoldCard Helper" app from Android Market, in case you want to try and make a goldcard (as the other methods did not work for you).
As mentioned as EddyOS, all your points from 2 - 5 are correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, I downloaded that app and found a fairly easy looking guide on the Unlockr http://theunlockr.com/2010/03/10/how-to-create-a-goldcard/ . Just wanted to check, if I use that app plus this guide. I skip steps 1-6 right?
Ok gone ahead and done that now. Just having some trouble finding instructions on backing up my Orange rom.
Oh and now that the forum won't grumble at my phone info, here it is. Hopefully that'll shed some more light on my situation, if I need further help.
BRAVO PVT4 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.93.0001
MICROP-051d
TOUCH PANEL-SYNW0101
RADIO-5.10.05.30
Aug 10 2010, 17:52:18
Android Version
2.2
Baseband Version
32.48.00.32U_5.10.05.30
Kernel Version
2.6.32.15-g29e526b
[email protected] #1
Build Number
2.17.61.3 CL274424 release-keys
Softare Number
2.17.61.3
Browser Version
WebKit 3.1
Model Number
A8181

How do I get S-Off

I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.

Manarch101 said:
I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you following the guide in the wiki?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Manarch101 said:
I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, yes you need S-Off to do a nandriod back up.
Second, you do not have permroot if you do not have S-Off. To get S-off there are several ways but I recommend using Rage+gfree found Here: in sub section "Rooting the Vision (G2/DZ) and DHD" This by far is the safest way to root.
But to let you make an informed decision there is also Visionary, now people in properly using this method, has produced a lot of soft bricks, I my self rooted this way, but again I still recommend using Rage+Gfree. But if you wish to still give Visionary a shot, Heres a link on how to properly use Visionary, make sure you follow everything to the "T". Read everything I have written in the post, do everything I have written in the post, then follow the videos exactly. But just to be clear, I am still recommending using the Rage+Gfree method. Happy Rooting.

ok joemm I tried the rage directions that you told me and I am not sure if it worked is there a way of knowing if it worked or not
Edit: nvm I can now get into CWM area which I could not get into before thanxs for the help and info.

What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
This is a technical forum not some fire and brimstone 'do it or you'll die' sermon. Let's not construe fact and fiction/personal opinion on here. Just dish the facts unless otherwise rerquested.
As for gaining s-off, follow the wiki, push the files and you can literally copy and paste the commands if you need to (I suggest that so you don't screw up and brick your phone).

KCRic said:
What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
This is a technical forum not some fire and brimstone 'do it or you'll die' sermon. Let's not construe fact and fiction/personal opinion on here. Just dish the facts unless otherwise rerquested.
As for gaining s-off, follow the wiki, push the files and you can literally copy and paste the commands if you need to (I suggest that so you don't screw up and brick your phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL..........how does he flash a custom CWM recovery with out having a rooted phone? Remember he is using ClockWorkMod to do a back up?

KCRic said:
What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images and overrides version checking ,it isn't just about writing to the system while booted. I think you may be confusing defeating the NAND write protection with the actual S-OFF.
As far as I know you need S-OFF to flash a custom recovery, and you need CWM recovery to do a nandroid backup. I have never tried flash_image but I would be suprised if that let you flash a custom recovery while S-ON, because flash_image is just a regular binary.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z

steviewevie said:
S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images and overrides version checking ,it isn't just about writing to the system while booted. I think you may be confusing defeating the NAND write protection with the actual S-OFF.
As far as I know you need S-OFF to flash a custom recovery, and you need CWM recovery to do a nandroid backup. I have never tried flash_image but I would be suprised if that let you flash a custom recovery while S-ON, because flash_image is just a regular binary.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True you can't flash a custom recovery and have it stick after a reboot but you can package it into an update.zip and flash it when you get into recovery. Aside from that you're phone performs the same. That's how we did everything on the MT slide before some one found a method to gain s-off. Of course there were no custom MTD partitions and we couldn't change the splash but that falls into the 1% of things the average 'rooter' will not attempt. The only reason we needed the ENG hboot was so that adb would catch our phone in recovery every time without running a loop.bat and praying to god. As far as NAND write protection, normally when a dev manages to break s-on they also break the write protection. At least that's what I've seen in phones with s-off. Are there any not like that?
Hopefully I didn't come off as an ass earlier, didn't mean it. I got 3 hours of sleep and I'm pulling a 13 hour day with a foot of fresh snow outside

I think you might be drawing too much comparison with earlier phones. The DZ and DHD have much stronger security than earlier phones. People familiar with experience of older HTC Android phones have often made incorrect assumptions about how things work on the DZ, some things are quite different (and typically much more complicated to unlock)
Sent from my HTC Desire Z

steviewevie said:
People familiar with experience of older HTC Android phones have often made incorrect assumptions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell yes! And I'm one of them!
Last night I put some Cyanogen 6.1 flavoured ROM on my Magic/Sapphire. It was so easy: like 2 years ago or so I flashed some S-OFF ENG hboot, put some nice custom recovery on the phone and there I went, peacefully since ever. Reason for flashing the 6.1 CM was me giving the fone to my GF so that I can pick up a brand new Desire Z.
I came here, wanted to quickly crack that thing to play around with it and I find some gFree, Visionary, adb push stuff blah blah blah (I know my way around adb, that's not the point), it seems to have become alot more difficult than back in the days, as pointed out by steviewevie.
So, anyone willing to *quickly* summarize what has changed in the last 12 months regarding "rooting", "cracking" and ROM-customizing HTC devices for me...? I'm still, uhm... well, I'm shocked and overwhelmed. In the store I thought: cool, 7pm, device mine, home by 7:30, rooted by 8, Gingerbread-flavour on it by 8:30-9pm, ROM customization (settings and such) from 9-10, sleepy time by 10:30pm. Nah, it's past 10:30 and I'm still trying to figure out what's what with the new devices...

schaggo said:
Hell yes! And I'm one of them!
Last night I put some Cyanogen 6.1 flavoured ROM on my Magic/Sapphire. It was so easy: like 2 years ago or so I flashed some S-OFF ENG hboot, put some nice custom recovery on the phone and there I went, peacefully since ever. Reason for flashing the 6.1 CM was me giving the fone to my GF so that I can pick up a brand new Desire Z.
I came here, wanted to quickly crack that thing to play around with it and I find some gFree, Visionary, adb push stuff blah blah blah (I know my way around adb, that's not the point), it seems to have become alot more difficult than back in the days, as pointed out by steviewevie.
So, anyone willing to *quickly* summarize what has changed in the last 12 months regarding "rooting", "cracking" and ROM-customizing HTC devices for me...? I'm still, uhm... well, I'm shocked and overwhelmed. In the store I thought: cool, 7pm, device mine, home by 7:30, rooted by 8, Gingerbread-flavour on it by 8:30-9pm, ROM customization (settings and such) from 9-10, sleepy time by 10:30pm. Nah, it's past 10:30 and I'm still trying to figure out what's what with the new devices...
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Click to collapse
Its become more difficult because device manufacturers have made it more difficult. The "official" means to root the Vision is posted on the Vision wiki page here at XDA.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Thanks for the answer. I got the thing cracked in the meantime. The device feels so much smoother without Sense... and Gingerbread is good for one's soul

[Q] Help for noob - riskfree root / S-OFF / flashing

Although I rooted my own Desire back in May of last year, I have since moved on to a different phone and hence stopped following development etc for the Desire.
I have a work colleague who would like the benefits of a rooted, custom ROM but he has no experience in phone-modifying. He basically wants better battery life (so SetCPU would do the job for that) and more space for apps (Apps2SD the original, not Google's implementation). On top of that I'm sure he would probably enjoy the enhancements of the new Sense ROMs as well.
When I rooted my own Desire it was back in the days of fake-flash and I don't think my Desire was ever S-OFFed - I only had a moderate understanding of what I was doing, and there were a few brown trouser moments as I recall!
What I'm looking for is a complete guide start to finish of the easiest, least risky way to currently root a Desire and install custom recovery (presumably ClockworkMod & Rom Manager are standard for the Desire still?).
I've looked around the forums and found guides which explain some of it, however these threads run into 30, 40, 50+ pages which I think is a bit much reading if you don't really understand what you're reading about. Luckily I have an interest in it, but to my colleague it's just a means to an end, to get his phone working in a decent manner! Unsurprisingly, he is not interested in learning how a combustion engine works in order to drive his car either.
So, can someone write me a FOOLPROOF guide from start to finish:
1. Rooting and S-OFF (with a basic explanation of what this is),
2. Installing a custom recovery (again with an explanation of what this is, and how to use it, Nandroid backups etc)
3. Installing ROMs
I know I'm asking a bit much - I'm just trying to make it as easy as possible for my colleague without actually doing it myself, as I'm not really a good enough friend that if I did take his phone away for a couple of days, that he wouldn't mind if it came back bricked! It needs to be his decision to do it, and him doing it.
I am willing to donate if someone can put all this together for him.

This should have most of the things needed.
Don't worry about S-off since it is not needed and one of the only procedures that can really brick a phone.
Edit: Before starting with rooting, boot in to hboot and check the pvt version. If it's pvt4, the best thing to do is to use Amon_RA as a alternative recovery image. To do this just follow the guide but befoer clicking on root in Unrevoked go to "file" and select the alternative recovery.

You can use the unrevoked way which is too easy to do and if you want to S-Off, although not needed, you can visit AlphaRev

I would say for definite, forget about s-off. Not exactly sure what it is myself, but as it's completely unnecessary for the whole rooting/flashing procedure, why bother?
I rooted from a linux boot cd which sounds complicated but I think is actually easier as there's no faffing about with installing sync and then uninstalling it again.

S-Off disables NAND security on GSM phones. When you use unrevoked, it only disables it for CDMA. Also disabling the phones NAND security enables you to do further things like change the splash screen, install another Hboot, delete system apps and so on. If you think rooting gives you more freedom, S-Off gives you even more. It's there for those that need it though. It's not difficult if you do your research. But to be honest, it's an automated process with it working 99.9% of the time.

I did s off without hitch 100% safe.
Also new hboot new recovery with android flasher.
GoogleJelly said:
S-Off disables NAND security on GSM phones. When you use unrevoked, it only disables it for CDMA. Also disabling the phones NAND security enables you to do further things like change the splash screen, install another Hboot, delete system apps and so on. If you think rooting gives you more freedom, S-Off gives you even more. It's there for those that need it though. It's not difficult if you do your research. But to be honest, it's an automated process with it working 99.9% of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

S-OFF does nothing though bar mean you can delete apps without having to be in recovery. for someone who has no idea about modding it's just not worth doing. Rooting and using a custom Senes-based ROM will do the job just fine

It does way more than mean you can just delete apps. The methods for installing stuff these days are more or less 100% bug free and won't bugger up your device. Why not give it a go? Just make sure you read info and research it a little first before you start. Just don't do what I did and almost brick it

But if the OP doesn't know how to root then they're not going to need to S-OFF are they? Seems pointless

I did S-OFF for two reasons:
1) To install custom HBOOT so that I get more space in /data
2) For the hell of it.....
EDIT: I think some of the ROMs need S-OFF enabled (I'm not sure....) but, at the same time, I don't think S-OFF is absolutely necessary.

S-Off isn't necessary to have. No rom requires you to have it. It is just something that you may as well have if you root because it gives you way more freedom.

Totally disagree, it's not needed at all if you just want the phone to work. Custom ROM with A2SD+ is MORE than enough for a complete n00b

EddyOS said:
Totally disagree, it's not needed at all if you just want the phone to work. Custom ROM with A2SD+ is MORE than enough for a complete n00b
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Agree completely. If you want to explore custom ROM's, get A2SD etc then root. Once you're happy with the whole root/recovery/flashing thing THEN look at s-off if it is necessary to do what you want. For a lot of people it really isn't required at all, and it definitely shouldn't be the first thing you think of doing.

Weird problems with my m8 after rooting and s-off.

So about 2 days ago I got my new m8 and I was Lucky enough to get a older device (4.4.2) so all I had to do was run sunshine, and I was s-off and rooted in no time. But I've noticed some problems. First of all is that latest twrp does not work, I clean cache and everything, but no luck, it just gets stuck on the splash screen with the pink text at the top. Older versions work tho. And second problem is that if I install insercoin it takes for ever to reboot every time and splash screen is not present.
I was thinking that maybe my problems are related to my older boot loader? Or something of the sorts? Anyway, any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

You'd have to check the insertcoin rom thread to be sure, but you may need a newer firmware. That's kinda what it sounds like, but I don't use the rom so can't say for certain. Since you're s-off you can always go back, so nothing much to lose. Check the firmware flashing without the panic attacks thread for the how-to.

gokun said:
You'd have to check the insertcoin rom thread to be sure, but you may need a newer firmware. That's kinda what it sounds like, but I don't use the rom so can't say for certain. Since you're s-off you can always go back, so nothing much to lose. Check the firmware flashing without the panic attacks thread for the how-to.
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Sounds good. Hopefully updating the firmware fixes the twrp problem

For what it's worth I still use an older version or twrp without any issues, so it's not too much of a big deal to stick with the slightly older stable builds.