magdelaine

The Incredible 2 cannot be rooted from 2.3.4 Gingerbread, however from 2.3.3 it can. The first step is to take your Incredible back to a 2.3.3. OS.

Roll it back
This can be accomplished through a tool called Downgrade VivoW with hboot .98. I don’t have any idea what all that means, but the package contains ADB, fastboot, and the OS files you need in order to downgrade. You will also need to have particular HTC drivers installed on your computer. The link to the original post on XDA forums is here: [Tool] Downgrade VivoW with hboot 0.98 - xda-developers

Download files

• HTC USB Drivers
• vwhk-12102011-c.zip

Prepare your computer
It’s really important to quit, turn off, or disable all phone, mp3, or pda syncing software including iTunes and HTC sync, antivirus software, and any extra processes that you don’t need so that Windows doesn’t interfere with installation.

Install HTC usb drivers
Pretty much self explanatory.

Prepare the files
Unzip the VivoW file to a folder on the root of your C: drive (makes finding the directory with the command prompt much easier). You can call it anything; lets say you call this folder “Android”. I found it easier to manage with all files in the same directory. I copied the files from Android\tools\win\ and pasted them to the root of the Android folder.

Prepare your phone
Turn off fastboot. Go to settings>power on your phone and make sure fast boot is unchecked. Turn on debugging. Go to settings>applications>development and make sure that USB debugging is checked.

Connect your phone via USB. Make sure it’s connected as charge only (a choice when you first connect it).

Open CMD.exe as Administrator
In Windows 7, the easiest way to do this is to put “cmd” in the search bar in the Start Menu. When it pops up at the top of the start menu, right click on it and choose “run as administrator”.

Navigate to your file location. For an Android folder located on your C: drive, it would look like the following:

Once there, you can test adb by typing “adb devices” at the prompt and hitting enter as shown above.

Run the VivoW script
If everything works and you can see your device ID, then you can move on to running the script provided. Type “hack-vivow.cmd” at the prompt, and hit “enter”.

At that point it does it’s magic. If it stalls, try it again. Sometimes it takes a couple of times. At the end, when it reboots you will be running good ole’ 2.3.3. and you are ready to root.

Run Revolutionary to get S-Off and Recovery
To run Revolutionary you just need to extract the zip file and click on revolutionary.exe to run it. Just make sure you have your Beta key ready in a text file to type in. It is case sensitive. This step will install CWM Recovery and is the last step you need to accomplish before actually rooting your device.

More detailed instructions on Revolutionary and obtaining root on your downgraded 2.3.3 Incredible 2 is available here: [How to] Root Your DInc2 Tutorial! (2.3.3 GB Only) - xda-developers

I hope this helps!

Edit: I have added the videos below to the original post as they do provide another way to "see" the process.

__________________
Root: ask not why, ask why not.

Last edited by magdelaine; September 11th, 2012 at 07:11 AM. Reason: Fixed vwhk-12102011-c.zip link.

valorian

Very well written. I hope the Mods make this a sticky.

pockings

Thank you for the detailed write up. I have 2.3.4 and do plan on rooting in the near future. This write up definitely helps a root newbie like myself

austinv

Thank you so much, I read so many other tutorials and couldn't figure it out. This detailed explanation saved me. I was pretty upset when I upgraded from the htc incredible and couldn't update. This worked perfectly

starscream

everything seems to go smoothly but when i reboot and go into about phone it still shows i am running 2.3.4

valorian

Make sure you did this step.

Open CMD.exe as Administrator
In Windows 7, the easiest way to do this is to put “cmd” in the search bar in the Start Menu. When it pops up at the top of the start menu, right click on it and choose “run as administrator”.

starscream

Thanks for your reply.. I did do that step.. started having issues with "adb out of date" I will retry again tonight when I get home... I am thinking my sdkmight be in need of updating. Is that a likely problem?

mrw5641

Thanks for the GUIDE, I rooted last night. Great Guide, but if you go on youtube and type downgrade vivow, and they also have a video for after downgrading. (downgrade - How to Downgrade 2.3.4 - HTC Droid Incredible 2 - YouTube ) Root (How to Root - HTC Droid Incredible 2 - YouTube) -- Regards

modena

Hello! I just want to make sure of something, does this work for the regular Incredible model? I'm guessing it does since it's just software but I couldn't find info about this elsewhere.

Thanks!

valorian

No, this will not work for the original incredible. Even though it's just software, the Incredible 2 software is not the same as the Incredible. Each phone has it's own root methods. You will have to head over to the Original Incredible's forum section and find the root method for that phone.

Nucco

So I've been wanting to go root on my Dinc2 since I got it, but installed the 2.3.4 update as soon as I got the phone so was kind of stuck. Found some tutorials on how to downgrade, but was really uneasy about.

But I hop back on AndroidForums for a night, and find this. Rocking 2.3.3 and S-Off now. Thanks for the simple and easy tutorial bro.!

EDIT: So I had not noticed because I was on WiFi, but I have no mobile network now. Doing a factory reset now, to see if maybe it was just a flook. Will update shortly.

EDIT2: The factory reset didn't fix anything. Anyone have any idea what may be going on?

EDIT3: Well I feel like a complete noob to the Dinc2. I had taken the battery cover off to do a battery pull and not put it back on. The cover has the antenna mounted on it. So yea, no back results in no service lol My bad.

Last edited by Nucco; November 17th, 2011 at 05:03 PM.

mlee19841

for some reason it runs then reboots then at the end of the script on cmd.exe is keeps stalling out at c:\android>fastboot oem reboot RUU
<waiting for device>

doesn't go past that point any ideas on what im doing wrong?

__________________
Where would I be without this site?

jmar

So I used the downgrade tool and it continually failed. The most likely cause of this is that I did not have all of my tools in the correct file paths...or something else that I cannot determine. I made this clear over at XDA: if your SDK, ADB and file paths are not setup properly, the vivow hack will most likely not work. My work-around was to paste each command...it worked for me, though it is more time consuming. Hope this helps.

jmar

magdelaine

I had that problem until I reinstalled the drivers. Have you had any luck since trying the other day?

Jswagmore6722

im having trouble when it gets to flashing the ruu file, it just stops and just sits there. Any ideas??

hansel711

I think I have my extracted folder set up correctly. When I run the program (hack-vivow.cmd), it goes to completion and the device restarts, but when I check the software version, it still says 2.3.4. I tried entering the code manually to see if I could find out where it is going awry. In the second to last step:

(c:\vwhk-12102011-c>fastboot flash zip RUU_Vivo_W_Gingerbread_S_VERIZON_WWE_2.18.
605.3_Radio_1.09.01.0622_NV_VZW1.92_release_199487 _signed.zip)

I get this:


does this mean that "sending 'zip" failed? or does this suggest that an earlier step went wrong?

bberryhill0

Did you check the MD5 of the RUU file?

__________________
My Eris apps

hansel711

i checked the md5 of the original zipped file (vwhk-12102011-c) and compared it to the one listed on xda, and they matched. This is what I get when I enter the code manually:

hansel711

What a crazy fool I've been! The woman I bough the phone from yesterday took the sd card out before she sold it to me. once I put a microSD, this process went over without a hitch. Learning curves can be steep...

royalstar

My device was Incridible S710d.
OS version 2.3.4
Hboot 1.04
Room version 3.06.1401.3

I try to downgrade with this instruction but nothing changes.Please help me.See the below screen shot.

Last edited by royalstar; December 7th, 2011 at 01:24 AM.

lwmiller

Good morning,
I just received my Dinc2 on Monday and would like to root it so I can get rid of all of this bloated crap on it, but the RUU zip file that is contained within the vwhk zip is always corrupted. I downloaded it on 4 different machines with 3 different OS's(albeit they were all Winders - XP, Vista and 7), on two different networks.

Is anybody else having any problems?

Thanks,
Leonard

lwmiller

Ok, I think I know what's wrong, I'm just an idiot and my dog keeps trying to get me to play with him, it's very distracting.

dub4lyfe19

having trouble with this. it goes through all of the steps and then on the final step it says error unable to load RUU_Vivo_W_Gingerbread_S_VERIZON_WWE_2.18.
605.3_Radio_1.09.01.0622_NV_VZW1.92_release_199487 _signed.zip)

and then it just reboots to normal. any help would be appreciated

raiif

Just got a tablet so rooting my DInc2 was a must for the free hotspot.. this is a great guide, i'm a first time rooter and it definitely helped alot (especially the videos!)

A slight issue/problem I've had, perhaps it's my own fault I'm not sure. When I started the process I was on Gingerbread 2.3.4 with an assortment of apps, GoLauncher fully setup, etc. After I reverted back to 2.3.3 it was a completely fresh factory install....... Therein lies my problem. After spending several days researching I was under the impression that I could use Nandroid to backup my current phone's "image" for reverting back to previous if I wanted. It's too late now, but I wanted some advice because I plan on dual booting this phone (with Cynogen and HTC Default/Factory).

What did I do / Where did I go wrong???

bberryhill0

You can't nandroid until you are rooted so you didn't do anything wrong.

raiif

ok, i'm rooted now and on miui rom. how do i create backup image? I have a .bin file that looks like revolution created. Thanks very much for your helping a n00b.

I should probably clarify what im trying to do. I've got miui installed and working, i'm looking to make a backup image of my factory phone (pre-rooted phone) so that I can (hopefully) dual-boot the two or at least have a complete backup of what I had before I started the root process.

Last edited by raiif; December 27th, 2011 at 12:01 AM.

bberryhill0

Boot into recovery. Not sure the fastest way in MIUI but it should be in the status bar pull down or long press the power button. I use the QuickBoot app.

* Oh wait, you had to backup the stock image before you flashed MIUI.

Last edited by bberryhill0; December 27th, 2011 at 12:13 AM.

raiif

ok, so everything from before is indeed gone then? Was I supposed to use ClockMod ROM Manager (CRM?) to somehow use nandroid for backing up before I flashed to miui?

What's the .bin file that revolution left during the process of reverting from 2.3.4 to 2.3.3?

thanks again for the replies

bberryhill0

You got some reading to do.

Clockwork is your recovery.

ROM Manager is an app.

No clue about the .bin.

You can get really close to stock with Andybonestock's ROM.

If you want to get really wild and crazy you can quint-boot with Boot Manager.

YourFriendCasp

I tried to get this automatic downgrade method to work a bunch of times and just couldn't get it to work. It failed every time for one reason or another so I finally tried the manual method outlined in the xda post, from the link in this post. It worked the very first time and was easy to follow. I'm newish to all this so I'm so I was doing something wrong along the way but I just thought I'd let everyone know what worked for me.

wirelessone

I have been using a Samsung Fascinate for a while and have successfully rooted/flashed it, but I can't get this downgrade to work. My only question is whether a SD card is required to do this? It came from a friend and he took his so the slot is empty. Was planning on getting one but wanted to try the phone out before doing it.

bberryhill0

I think the files get pushed to the SDCard but I could be wrong.

wirelessone

I read on the XDA site that it was required, so off to the store.

dandxg

I am trying to determine if its worth it. Can anyone whom has gone through this process to get to CM7xx on INC2 verify a few things/

1. Do you get better call/voice quality now with CM7? My call quality is really bad at times unacceptable for business.
2. Is the battery life better? I understand overclocking is going to run down the juice, but I think it should improve overall since uneccessary processes are being stopped?
3. Do you get better signal strength?

TIA

bberryhill0

Every phone and location is different. You won't know until you try it. I ended up on a nearly stock ROM because I was having signal problems on Newt's ROMs.

Read this:
Radio and kernal help...maybe

Last edited by bberryhill0; January 27th, 2012 at 07:19 PM.

dandxg

Thanks for the link. I have used many experimental programs linux vs windows and I am not looking to spend a lot of time tinkering. I just need a better phone than what I call the Mediocre 1, there is nothing incredible about it.

I am still game to go through the process if it can address my issues. If not maybe I just buck up and go to razr maxx. I am really ticked at Verizon as I have spent 40 hours in 5 months with their tech support. This phone is business productivity tool for outside sales not a hobby.

Last edited by dandxg; January 27th, 2012 at 07:55 PM.

jwillar

I'm getting very far with this guide. I've read the entire list and it appears my problem is "adb devices" fails to reconize my device. It initially identifies it as "0123456789ABCDEF" and conclude the the process with "error: Device not found". See attached image of the command window.
My phone is a Chines knock off of the Droid Incredible 2 based on appearance. Can anyone offer advice on getting past this error. My goal is to root my phone and install another ROM.

Attached Files

cmd_run.txt (2.1 KB, 9 views)

bberryhill0

If the phone isn't exactly the same as the Incredible 2 on the inside you'll just brick it. You may not have the right drivers installed on your computer.

blopiss

same with me.. anybody pls.. need solution

bberryhill0

Do you have a real Incredible 2 or a Chinese knock off?

blopiss

I'm have real Incredible 2
already solved
before use win 7 after try win xp
working like charm..

anyway thanks

magdelaine

I supposed it's possible that these phones are not identical and that some have hardware issues that others don't. I'm really happy running Miui. Signal is excellent, the ROM is very stable and never glitches, call quality is great, and with a stock kernel I get a day and a half of moderate talk/text/email/ including several hours listening to audio books/podcasts.

If you go with Miui, don't use the most recent version but the one before it as the most recent one f/c's the phone when you get a phone call. If you install Miui and you still have these problems, I would say that you have a bad device.

magdelaine

This does sound like a usb driver issue.

serpentine009

I read through this thread, and I just want to be clear. Downgrading to 2.3.3 will completely wipe all installed apps and settings? Is that correct? If so, ay recommendation on how to get apps, settings etc... over to a new Inc 2? Both unrooted as of now.

bberryhill0

Yup, it will wipe everything. Some tools:

ES File Explorer:
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

SystemPanelLite Task Manager:
http://market.android.com/details?id=nextapp.systempanel

MyBackup:
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.rerware.android.MyBackup

Titanium Backup ★ root:
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup

serpentine009

Thanks. For my needs I don't need to root then. I will see how close MyBackup Pro gets me to a full restore. Thanks again.

justineaton

hi im justin.

justineaton

I'm not sure what my problem is but any help would be much appreciated

justineaton

Ok i figured it out, everything went smothly and succesfull. After rebooting I opened my phone and it still says 2.3.4

bberryhill0

There must have been an error that scrolled by.