roms and firmware when rooting (sprint) htc hero with google

[natorade93]

im going to root my (sprint) hero, and im wondering how the roms and firmware works... such as when do i update them and what are they, is the version of android firmware software or rom. heres my questions, when i root, what versions of each do i install and how does it work, do i have to download android 2.2 and install it from the computer? or when i put on custom roms will the 2.2 update come to my phone ota? and when will my phone lose all its data? everytime i update roms? firmware? or both? and after i get my phone rooted and 2.2 installed, say android 2.3 comes out, will it also come to my phone because of my custom roms, or will i have to clear off my phone and put in new roms everytime android comes out with a new version because the hero isnt getting any versions past android 2.1 update 1

 

[330D]

Dude, slow down, and do a little research. We can help you, but post in one thread, not 5. Rooting means you control everything about the phone and it's software. You do not get ota updates. Any update you want, you do yourself.

http://androidforums.com/sprint-her...g-guide-updated-7-10pm-est-aug-30-2010-a.html


This thread should give you all the info you need to root your phone. READ IT! Then, if you have questions, come back to your thread and ask away, we will help.

 

[natorade93]

Dude, slow down, and do a little research. We can help you, but post in one thread, not 5. Rooting means you control everything about the phone and it's software. You do not get ota updates. Any update you want, you do yourself.

http://androidforums.com/sprint-her...g-guide-updated-7-10pm-est-aug-30-2010-a.html


This thread should give you all the info you need to root your phone. READ IT! Then, if you have questions, come back to your thread and ask away, we will help.

well i had all of these questions before posting any, but i wanted to keep them seperate so that everyone wasnt haveing 9 convos about all my questions in one thread making it long and confusing. so i tryed to seperate the questions, (also making it easyer for other people who have the same question so they can read one thread and not have to search threw all the talk about all of them =] ) but ok ill read it and post back. thank you!

 

[330D]

well i had all of these questions before posting any, but i wanted to keep them seperate so that everyone wasnt haveing 9 convos about all my questions in one thread making it long and confusing. so i tryed to seperate the questions, (also making it easyer for other people who have the same question so they can read one thread and not have to search threw all the talk about all of them =] ) but ok ill read it and post back. thank you!

I totally understand. I'm just trying to help you get your questions answered. It saves a lot of clutter if you do a little bit of searching because generally someone on here has asked the same question before. I am not a search Nazi, I'm just trying to help you find what you are looking for.

 

[natorade93]

I totally understand. I'm just trying to help you get your questions answered. It saves a lot of clutter if you do a little bit of searching because generally someone on here has asked the same question before. I am not a search Nazi, I'm just trying to help you find what you are looking for.

yea that makes sence, and i understand what your saying, if it was a topic i was familiar with i would do that, normally i read threw things, but im very new to this and would rather have people explain it exactly to what im asking instead of taking the chance at misinterpereting other peoples questions and answers. id be very upset if i wrecked my phone

 

[330D]

yea that makes sence, and i understand what your saying, if it was a topic i was familiar with i would do that, normally i read threw things, but im very new to this and would rather have people explain it exactly to what im asking instead of taking the chance at misinterpereting other peoples questions and answers. id be very upset if i wrecked my phone

To answer your question about wrecking, (or bricking, as us geeks call it) about the only thing that will brick your phone is flashing a radio that is not compatible, but don't you even worry about that, just read up on the rooting for now....

 

[natorade93]

To answer your question about wrecking, (or bricking, as us geeks call it) about the only thing that will brick your phone is flashing a radio that is not compatible, but don't you even worry about that, just read up on the rooting for now....

when u say radio your talking about a rom thats for the gsm hero not the cdma correct? i read about that too. and yea as you can see im being careful and doing lots of research.

also it says after you root you can flash your roms if you want, why would you root if you werent putting in new roms? i thought that was the point

 

[330D]

when u say radio your talking about a rom thats for the gsm hero not the cdma correct? i read about that too. and yea as you can see im being careful and doing lots of research.

also it says after you root you can flash your roms if you want, why would you root if you werent putting in new roms? i thought that was the point

No, a radio isn't a gsm rom. It is what makes your phone receive it's signal. Some people who have issues with their service flash different radios to improve the reception. Gsm roms can also brick your phone, but usually it is difficult to mix them up if you are searching around sprint specific threads for roms...

Some people don't flash roms to their rooted phones because they just want to be able to get rid of some of the preloaded garbage apps that sprint loads, or to be able to use root only apps, as there are a bunch in the market, such as wifi tether

 

[natorade93]

No, a radio isn't a gsm rom. It is what makes your phone receive it's signal. Some people who have issues with their service flash different radios to improve the reception. Gsm roms can also brick your phone, but usually it is difficult to mix them up if you are searching around sprint specific threads for roms...

Some people don't flash roms to their rooted phones because they just want to be able to get rid of some of the preloaded garbage apps that sprint loads, or to be able to use root only apps, as there are a bunch in the market, such as wifi tether

ohhh ok that makes sence. thank you so much for all of this info! i really appreciate the help

 

[natorade93]

what will be the difference once i put on new roms? will the phone setup look different? or will it be pretty much the same just running 2.2 so only the changes from 2.1 to 2.2? or will it be like completely different. like do the people making these roms change all kinds of stuff?

 

[330D]

If you load it with Froyo right away, It will look different, and be totally different. Froyo is built from vanilla android, which doesn't include htc sense. You will use and have totally different screen setups from what you have right now.

Other roms, such as fresh roms are built from sense based roms, which have the same look that you have now.

 

[natorade93]

If you load it with Froyo right away, It will look different, and be totally different. Froyo is built from vanilla android, which doesn't include htc sense. You will use and have totally different screen setups from what you have right now.

Other roms, such as fresh roms are built from sense based roms, which have the same look that you have now.

ok. and if i load it with froyo will the froyo rom i put on be the same exact thing as the current 2.2 on the new devises. or is the custom still different then the factory froyo (2.2)?

and what is better? froyo or fresh roms?

also what does htc sence do? is it bad to use roms that dont use it?

 

[330D]

ok. and if i load it with froyo will the froyo rom i put on be the same exact thing as the current 2.2 on the new devises. or is the custom still different then the factory froyo (2.2)?

and what is better? froyo or fresh roms?

also what does htc sence do? is it bad to use roms that dont use it?

1. This version of froyo is different, it is made specifically to work with our heros.

2. Completely up to you. you need to try them to find out for yourself. I would suggest flashing a fresh rom first, so as to get the hang of it, and because it will be familiar for you. Fresh roms are very close to stock, but optimized for your pleasure.

3. Sense is the user interface that is preloaded on htc android phones. It is the "program" that actually makes your phone look and act the way it does. It has widgets, and ties your facebook to your phone, and a lot of other stuff too. It is really nice to have, but some believe it bogs the hero down... It is personal preference whether it is better or not. It will not harm your phone in any way to not use it.

 

[natorade93]

1. This version of froyo is different, it is made specifically to work with our heros.

2. Completely up to you. you need to try them to find out for yourself. I would suggest flashing a fresh rom first, so as to get the hang of it, and because it will be familiar for you. Fresh roms are very close to stock, but optimized for your pleasure.

3. Sense is the user interface that is preloaded on htc android phones. It is the "program" that actually makes your phone look and act the way it does. It has widgets, and ties your facebook to your phone, and a lot of other stuff too. It is really nice to have, but some believe it bogs the hero down... It is personal preference whether it is better or not. It will not harm your phone in any way to not use it.

will it always be there tho? or will i lose it when i put froyo on? or will it just come back if i put the default roms back on? i really appreciate all the help

 

[330D]

will it always be there tho? or will i lose it when i put froyo on? or will it just come back if i put the default roms back on? i really appreciate all the help

Sense is part of the rom you flash. Some Roms are sense based (meaning they have it) and some aren't. If you use a rom without sense, you can always flash a rom that has sense to get it back. Or you can use your original nandroid to go back to your original settings from when you first root. I know this is all confusing, but just believe me, read and reread the rooting thread, and eventually you will understand more, I promise.

 

[natorade93]

Sense is part of the rom you flash. Some Roms are sense based (meaning they have it) and some aren't. If you use a rom without sense, you can always flash a rom that has sense to get it back. Or you can use your original nandroid to go back to your original settings from when you first root. I know this is all confusing, but just believe me, read and reread the rooting thread, and eventually you will understand more, I promise.

no its not really confusing. im really good with computers and devices and stuff. like i understand everything your telling me. i just didnt know it till you told me. thats y i ask. but it all makes perfect sence im only 16 but this is my thing. i worked for a computer company for 2 years doing software testing so im big into this kind of stuff

 

[330D]

no its not really confusing. im really good with computers and devices and stuff. like i understand everything your telling me. i just didnt know it till you told me. thats y i ask. but it all makes perfect sence im only 16 but this is my thing. i worked for a computer company for 2 years doing software testing so im big into this kind of stuff

You will be fine, then. I bought my first pc in december of last year

 

[KitsapAndroid]

If you load a Froyo ROM, then Sense is gone. If you make a Nandroid backup before loading Froyo, then you can always Nandroid back to Stock. Worst case scenario would be forgetting to Nandroid, then not liking the custom ROM you installed and having to run the RUU to get back to stock. The RUU will remove root and set you back to factory. I suggest always remembering to make a Nandroid backup.

EDIT-- I'm leaving this comment even though I was apparently to slow.

 

[natorade93]

If you load a Froyo ROM, then Sense is gone. If you make a Nandroid backup before loading Froyo, then you can always Nandroid back to Stock. Worst case scenario would be forgetting to Nandroid, then not liking the custom ROM you installed and having to run the RUU to get back to stock. The RUU will remove root and set you back to factory. I suggest always remembering to make a Nandroid backup.

EDIT-- I'm leaving this comment even though I was apparently to slow.

thats alright. at least i know theres hope if i forget to nandroid but whats ruu?

 

[LBPHeretic]

thats alright. at least i know theres hope if i forget to nandroid but whats ruu?

RUU stands for ROM Update Utility. It is basically the executable file on your PC that flashes the OEM (Sprint/HTC) version of Android 2.1 onto your Sprint HTC Hero.

Even after you have rooted your handset you can run the RUU and get the stock Android 2.1 back like a clean slate. This would probably be the best thing to do if you needed to take your Sprint HTC Hero into a Sprint store for service.

 

[natorade93]

RUU stands for ROM Update Utility. It is basically the executable file on your PC that flashes the OEM (Sprint/HTC) version of Android 2.1 onto your Sprint HTC Hero.

Even after you have rooted your handset you can run the RUU and get the stock Android 2.1 back like a clean slate. This would probably be the best thing to do if you needed to take your Sprint HTC Hero into a Sprint store for service.

sweet! thank you for the info i successfully rooted last night!!! i was very very exited at my success! now im working on flashing 2.2 android roms!

 

[LBPHeretic]

Not to toot my own horn, but feel free to click the "Thanks" button if I have helped you out in a few threads. You do not have to though and there no pressure.

I hope that rooting your Sprint HTC Hero will be a good experience for you. I might be doing the same soon enough.

 

[andygu3]

Not to toot my own horn, but feel free to click the "Thanks" button if I have helped you out in a few threads. You do not have to though and there no pressure.

I hope that rooting your Sprint HTC Hero will be a good experience for you. I might be doing the same soon enough.

Lol

 

[natorade93]

i would like to thank all of you for all your awesome help! i never would have done this without all your great info!

 

[LBPHeretic]

i would like to thank all of you for all your awesome help! i never would have done this without all your great info!

I would like to echo the thanks here. The support on this forum is phenomenal.

There is a reason why I visit this place the most for my Android needs and questions. Thanks again.