(Total noob to debranding) A few questions

[Nasalhair]

Hi.

I'm the owner of an Orange branded Desire and, as with most other people in my situation, I'm getting a bit fed up with being faffed around by Orange regarding the Froyo update, if only because I really want some of the niggling bugs fixed rather than big new features.

I've printed out a few guides on debranding, and bought a microSD to SD adapter, and I'm highly computer literate (as soon as I buy a new PC I immediately remove all the partitions and rebuild it from scratch)... but I've never debranded a phone before. All of the guides I've seen seem to be a bit lacking, and tell you some things but not others. So, before I take the plunge and potentially brick my phone I have a few questions, which may sound totally noob but I'd really appreciate some answers.

1. Goldcards. OK, so I plan to take the card which came with my Desire and turn that into a Goldcard. I've got the app to do it, and I know about getting the image etc. All of the guides mention that if you plan to use your operator-supplied card as your Goldcard you should save the existing contents to a folder on your computer first. So here's the first "sorry for sounding thick" question. Once the Goldcard is created do I just copy everything back onto the Goldcard and it will still be fine? Are there any conflicting folder names etc. which may cause problems?
2. SIM locks. Some of the guides mention that if you debrand with your SIM card still inserted it will be locked and you'll have to buy a code to unlock it, but if you take the SIM out and debrand it will be fine. Question: What about future updates? Every time HTC release an update do we have to take the SIM out again before downloading & installing otherwise it will get locked?
3. Backups. Almost all of the guides tell you to install e.g. MyBackup (which I have done) and back up all your apps & data to the SD card (again, I've done this). None of the guides I've seen then tell you what to do after debranding - instead they stop after the new ROM is installed and don't go any further. Question: I take it we then have to reinstall e.g. MyBackup (question: from the Market again?) and restore everything? If we reinstall the apps from the SD card will they still appear as downloads, and therefore show future updates, in the Market?
4. Settings. I know that Orange apply numerous settings to the phone in order to make it work on their network - message centre addresses, mobile internet servers etc. Question: Are these reapplied when we restore the backup mentioned in q3 above?

Apologies if I sound really thick here, but with something as potentially risky as debranding I'm surprised nobody seems to have put together a completely idiot-proof guide, along the lines of 1. Download this file from here. 2. Double-click the .exe file. 3. Click Next... taking it right to the point the phone will work again and be able to make calls, send texts, connect to wireless and mobile internet... etc. This uncertainty is why I'm currently very keen but simultaneously reluctant to debrand.

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

 

[teppic74]

A goldcard doesn't have any files or folders created on it, you can use it as a normal sdcard. After debranding you must always use your goldcard for any OTA updates. No matter how many times this is repeated, people still try to do it without and break their phones.

Your phone shouldn't be simlocked with a froyo debrand, but you should be prepared to buy an unlock code if necessary. Your sim card has nothing at all to do with the debranding process.

A backup isn't hugely necessary when debranding, as you can't recover to your original ROM in that way. If you want to save your contacts, text messages or apps, you'll need to do some kind of backup. You can instead just redownload your apps and apply your settings again manually.

Network (APN) settings are generally picked up from your sim automatically.

 

[barefootpilot]

I recently debranded, and found it pretty easy.

Didn't do a full 'backup' of the sim using mybackup or anything like that, just exported my contacts to SD card, then copied the file (vcf I think) to my laptop, along with any pictures and music that I wanted to keep from it. Made a note of the folder they came out of on the SD card.

Formatted the SD card (used the one that came with the phone. It's fine, it worked ok and continues to work fine as an SD card after de-branding)

Once de-branding was done I just went in and created the folders on the SD card and copied the files across into them. It's so easy I wouldn't give it another thought.

Forgot to take out the sim card during update. My bad. Downside - I had to pay to get the unlock code. Upside, my phone is now unlocked, should I wish to take it elsewhere or sell it.

Downloaded the apps that I had before (well, the ones I actually used anyway. Good opportunity to remove the crap you never actually use if you ask me!). All work fine although any that sync with online programs will need to be set up again.

Followed the startup sequence (learning how to use the keyboard!) all the way through to make sure I didn't miss anything. Entered my Google account details (created when I got the phone originally) and it was done.

Never touched the network settings/message servers whatever. All worked fine with no input from me.

Any more questions feel free to ask.

p.s. forgot to add - one of my apps was paid for (mostly free cos I'm a cheapskate). Android market knows this, so when I downloaded it again it didn't ask for payment, just let me have it.

 

[shauny13]

i debranded last night and can confirm everything pilot said. I left sim card out and goldcard in when updating and it never simlocked. When i reinserted sim card it asked me if i wanted to load orange settings from sim. Other than that all i had to reenter was my google account details. Went back into market downloads section and redownloaded all my apps. Like pilot sais you dont have to repurchase any. I also exported contacts and reimported them. Froyo was offered to me straight away. Best thing i've done, no more orange crap. Do it, you wont regret it.

 

[Nasalhair]

Thanks for your advice everyone - I've taken the plunge and debranded my Desire. No more Orange cack clogging it up, and no waiting for them to release stuff ever again. Glad I've taken the plunge. Thanks again for your help - you're all stars.

 

[GuitarDemon]

Just root your phone using UnrEVOked reflashing. You'll find their extremely easy reflashing and custom ROM installation with a Google search. I'm using LeeDroid's ROM, which is very fast and stable. Saves all this Goldcard nonsense!

 

[Nasalhair]

Just root your phone using UnrEVOked reflashing. You'll find their extremely easy reflashing and custom ROM installation with a Google search. I'm using LeeDroid's ROM, which is very fast and stable. Saves all this Goldcard nonsense!

See the post just above yours. Debranded earlier and working great. Thanks anyway.