2nd Hero...need help with custom firmware

[htchero123]

hi guys,

i've got the the htc hero replaced with a 2nd one as the 1st one had reception issues. This 2nd one to be honest is slightly better, but still call quality is poor.

Also i want to download loads of apps/games, but i'm limited as many end up installing on the internal memory, so i'm going to go for the custom rom mod.

Now i don't have a single clue as to how to mod the htc to a custom firmware, so here are a few questions i want to ask:-

1. Is there some guide/tutorial available which i can follow to do the custom mod (i believe the best known rom is the modaco???)...can u provide me a link?

2. Other than the rom being faster, what other benefits can i get with it?

3. How can i replace this rom back with the orange rom if i want to go back to the original rom?

 

[quantumrand]

Installing a custom ROM will give you better performance as well as additional features and potential customizations. The most useful benifits are those of Wifi/Bluetooth Tethering, and Apps2SD. You can also get the added protection of installing apps at the system level so that they can't be uninstalled (useful if someone steals your phone and promptly uninstalls that tracer app of yours).

As for a guide, check out MoDaCo's Hero forum. I would start here: [GSM/CDMA] 09/11 - Installing the patched recovery image on your device - Android @ MoDaCo
And then move on to here: [GSM] 04/11 2.9 - MoDaCo Custom ROM Core / Chinese with TCK featuring Wavesecure - Android @ MoDaCo

I have yet to flash my phone to a custom firmware, but since HTC has released their kernel source, there have been some pretty significant improvements which make it much more tempting.

If you want to go back to your standard ROM, just flash it with the RUU.

 

[quantumrand]

Also, you might be able to benefit from the custom radio firmwares: [GSM] 09/10 - Hero ROMs + radios in update.zip format - Android @ MoDaCo

 

[htchero123]

thanks very much quantum. I have two more things i need to ask:-

1. Firstly, someone on this forum mentioned that by updating to the latest orange rom, i already have the latest radio rom, so it would be pointless updating the radio rom to improve the reception...would you or anyone else know if this is the case? Have i got the latest radio rom?

2. I want to take extra care not to mess up the phone. At which stage of the above guides, do i end up bricking the phone if i did something wrong?

 

[quantumrand]

I don't really know anything regarding which radios the official ROMs have, nor do I know of any way to check. I'll look into it though; I wouldnt mind knowing myself.

With the way smartphones are setup these days, permanently bricking them is pretty difficult to do, but it is still possible to end up in a potentially difficult brick-like situation. The best advice is to ensure that the files you've downloaded are fully intact before starting, make sure the phone is at full charge, and make sure your USB connection is solid and stable.

 

[htchero123]

well thank you for helping me. Its 10pm and i need to up early, so i will try this mod out when i have a clear head tomorrow.

Many thanks again.

 

[Slug]

If you want to go back to your standard ROM, just flash it with the RUU.

Better still, restore the backup you made prior to flashing the new ROM. The enhanced recovery images contain the Nandroid app which makes a backup image of the entire system, so you can 'roll back' the ROM in a matter of minutes.

 

[htchero123]

thank u very much slug. For the moment, whatever you guys tell me is basically going over my head. I wish i could get someone just to be online on msn or skype or yahoo..just incase i'm not sure what steps to take or incase i mess up.

 

[quantumrand]

I'm leaning more and more towards flashing my Hero with MCR 2.9. After reading the documentation on Teknologist's 1.8 kernel, I have to say, MCR is looking really quite good. Depending on how busy I am tomorrow, I may just flash my Hero...

htchero123, if you have yet to flash yours by the time I'm through, I wouldn't mind parhaps trying to find a time in which I can hang around on th IRC channel or perhaps skype to help you with any issues you run into.

 

[htchero123]

quantum, that would be gr8 mate if we cud get together , to help each other. Do u have a headset so that we can talk on skype?

 

[htchero123]

i thought i'll give it a quick try, but i'm stuck at my 1st command, lol:-

c:\htc>adb-windows shell reboot bootloader
adb server is out of date. killing...
* daemon started successfully *
error: device not found

I think i best wait until someone helps me.

 

[Slug]

i thought i'll give it a quick try, but i'm stuck at my 1st command, lol:-

c:\htc>adb-windows shell reboot bootloader
adb server is out of date. killing...
* daemon started successfully *
error: device not found

I think i best wait until someone helps me.

Shouldn't the command be adb shell reboot bootloader? At least it is with the 1.6 SDK...

I always commence with adb devices, to confirm that my handset is recognised and to reload the daemon.

 

[htchero123]

i'll try that mate, but thats how modaco state it. Also does my htc have to be syncronised with any software or do i simply plugin the usb data cable?

 

[Slug]

i'll try that mate, but thats how modaco state it.

My mistake. I see Paul's updated his files since I last looked and you're quite correct.

Also does my htc have to be syncronised with any software or do i simply plugin the usb data cable?

Nope, it just has to be connected and recognised. Try adb-windows devices first to see if your handset is correctly ID'd.

 

[htchero123]

C:\htc>adb-windows devices
adb server is out of date. killing...
* daemon started successfully *
List of devices attached
HT99YL904307 device

why is it saying that the server is out of date and how do i fix that?

 

[htchero123]

ok the 1st command has worked and i've gone onto a white screen with the following options:-

FASTBOOT USB

<VOL DOWN> HBoot Mode
<MENU> Reset Device

so i tried the next command and this is what i got:-

C:\htc>fastboot-windows boot recovery-RA-hero-v1.2.3.img
downloading 'boot.img'... FAILED (remote: not allow)

 

[quantumrand]

Hey htchero123, I'm in the process of flashing my Hero right now. I ran into a few issues, having updated to the official 2.73 ROM before hand. It apparently overwrites the original fastboot loader, making the MoDaCo recovery image patch method impossible.

Using this: flashrec - Project Hosting on Google Code
I was able to flash the recovery image supplied by MoDaCo. I used Astro to install flashrec (linked above) and copied the recovery-RA-hero-v1.2.3.img to my sd card, renaming it for convenience. Using flashrec, I backed up my recovery image and then typed "/sdcard/cm-recovery.img" to the text box and flashed it. Then I turned off my phone, and did the Home + Power On to boot into the custom recovery.

I'm now working on the firmware step.

 

[quantumrand]

htchero123, joing the IRC channel, irc.freenode.net #androidforums

 

[Slug]

why is it saying that the server is out of date and how do i fix that?

That message appeared (iirc) when the 1.6 SDK was released; presumably something changed internally. There's no fix - the daemon process should kill itself and restart whenever the first "adb" command is issued.

 

[quantumrand]

Update: see here: http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/19660-guide-installing-modaco-custom-rom.html

Alright, I have successfully flashed to MoDaCo 2.9. Initially, I had the same problem you did, htchero123, with the "downloading 'boot.img' ... Failed (remote:not allowed)" message. As I stated in my last post, I managed to find a fix. Here's my little walk through:

By flashing to the official 2.73 ROM, the Fastboot method no longer works. I used Flashrec to flash my recovery image. Get it here: flashrec - Project Hosting on Google Code

Other files you will need:
MoDaCo's fastboot file: http://content.modaco.net/hero/1.1-hero-recovery.zip
MoDaCo's ROM: [GSM] 04/11 2.9 - MoDaCo Custom ROM Core / Chinese with TCK featuring Wavesecure - Android @ MoDaCo

Step 1: put the Flashrec apk onto your SD card as well as the recovery-RA-hero-v1.2.3.img file (extract it from the 1.1-hero-recovery.zip). Out of convenience (and to avoid possible errors) I renamed it cm-recovery.img.

Step 2: Using Atro File Manager (or any other apk installer), install the flashrec.apk file.

Step 3: Backup your recovery image using flashrec.

Step 4: Type into the text box, "/sdcard/cm-recovery.img" or whatever you renamed MoDaCo's recovery image to, and hit Flash.

Step 5: After the flash is successful, you can reboot into recovery mode (the button on Flashrec did not reboot my phone so I did it manually). To manually boot into recovery mode, hold Home while you turn on your phone.

Step 6: You should now be in the custom recovery mode. Select the Nandroid Backup option in order to create a backup of your current ROM.

Step 7: Select the Turn on Mass Storage option. This will allow you access to your SD card. For safety sake, copy the nandroid folder and the recovery-backup.img files to your computer and save them forever!!!! Then copy whichever MoDaCo ROM you chose to your SD card and rename it update.zip.

Step 8: Turn off Mass Storage and Flash your phone with the sdcard:update.zip option. Once complete, reboot the device and you should be done!!!

Additional note: If you chose an Apps2SD enabled ROM, you probably want to setup your SD card before rebooting the device. Also it will take a while to boot up the first time, but pay attention to make sure you're not stuck in a booting loop.

In my case, my phone was stuck in a loop. I had to remove the battery to turn it off, and turned it back on while holding Home in order to get the custom recovery mode. Resetting the factory defaults fixed the problem, but according to MoDaCo, you may not have to wipe the phone (it depends what settings/apps you have installed). After you wipe the phone, make sure it can boot up properly. After it does, go back and apply the update.zip one more time to reinstall a few of the apps included on the ROM.

 

[Slug]

Alright, I have successfully flashed to MoDaCo 2.9

Nice job, and thanks for the really good walkthrough. That's sure to be a big help to anyone else contemplating a similar update.

 

[htchero123]

thank you very much slug and quantum guys. Unfortunately i must be too slow or thick to do this and i would be grateful if you could let me know when you'll be on the irc channel, so that you guys can guide me.

hope 2 spk soon!

 

[htchero123]

surely someone can help me with this problem?

 

[Flex]

Don't really want to start a new thread, but I'm a bit of a noob. I'm rooted and rocking the Modaco custom rom 2.9 on a T-Mob G2, with latest radio, but it seems slower and less stable than earlier roms.

Here's my stats, is there anything I should update?

Firmware 1.5
baseband - 63.18.55.06iu_6.35.08.22
Kernal 2.6.27-mck-teknolgist-1.8 root@neutrino
Build - Modaco custom rom 2.9 core
Software version - 1.0.0.A6288

If I were to downgrade the rom, is it a simple task of puttin the rom on the SD root, and installing the zip?

 

[Slug]

If I were to downgrade the rom, is it a simple task of puttin the rom on the SD root, and installing the zip?

Yes