Help What EXACTLY is a Goldcard? I've created/used one to debrand my Desire but NFI what it actually is!!

[elbraddo]

Can anyone point me to a simple summary that helps me to understand exactly what it is the Goldcard does, when it can be used, and whether it should be kept, updated, re-created regularly etc. The full deal.

Cheers!

Brad

 

[ukzen]

Yeah ,i`d like to know as well.

 

[teppic74]

Every phone has an ID (a CID) that says which network it's on for branded phones. Official software releases have a list of CIDs that are allowed to use the update. So if you use an update designed for unbranded phones on a branded phone you'll get a CID error.

A goldcard basically overrides this check, so you can install any branded/unbranded ROM.

 

[murphwiz]

So once created should you leave it on memory card? Or once unbranded does the CID change?

 

[teppic74]

It's best to store a goldcard safely and use a different sdcard for the phone normally. If you want to apply other unbranded updates you'll need the card again. Some people had problems trying to update to FroYo OTA without their goldcard inserted (it would upgrade the software but not the radio).

 

[murphwiz]

I've just left as is and carried on with it in phone, just aced stuff to memory card as required, is this a bad idea?

 

[teppic74]

It should be ok, but if you somehow corrupt your goldcard and then can't create a new one later you could be in trouble with further updates.

 

[murphwiz]

I still have the IMG and tool, but I will invest in a bigger card for normal use once I'm unlocked and keep this card as a pure gold card.

 

[anoniemouse]

It should be ok, but if you somehow corrupt your goldcard and then can't create a new one later you could be in trouble with further updates.

You can format a goldcard & it still remains a goldcard, once created it is hardcoded into the card.
The only way to stop it from being a goldcard is to physically break it.
I have formatted & reformatted my goldcards & the coding still remains intact.
Personally i find it is easier to keep it in the phone at all times, unless you go for full root.

 

[DroidPete]

I debranded from VF firmware using the guide on the forum last week, and I'm now on 2.2.
Having a 16Gb card in my phone currently, I used the 4Gb card provided in the HTC Desire box as my "Goldcard". Once debranded with stock vanilla ROM, I removed the goldcard and put my 16Gb card back in and left the 4gb 'goldcard' back in the box for a rainy day.
I don't see why you'd need the goldcard on your memory card again, if debranding was your sole purpose.

 

[dcuk7]

@DroidPete

As I understand it, even if you are running an unbranded ROM your phone still has its original CID, hence the need for the Goldcard for further OTA updates.

I come from a Windows Mobile background and most of the phones I've had to debrand on WinMo don't have this issue as a lot of the time the branding check is done by the RUU or the ROM itself, so once you flash your phone with a different ROM it effectively becomes unbranded. The last WinMo phone I used that was like this was the Samsung i780 and because its so simple to figure out the branding check I am surprised its so complicated for Android on the Desire.

I have a Desire and a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and again debranding the X10 Mini is so simple I wonder why its not like that for the Desire. Can anyone explain how the Desire is different?

 

[anoniemouse]

I debranded from VF firmware using the guide on the forum last week, and I'm now on 2.2.
Having a 16Gb card in my phone currently, I used the 4Gb card provided in the HTC Desire box as my "Goldcard". Once debranded with stock vanilla ROM, I removed the goldcard and put my 16Gb card back in and left the 4gb 'goldcard' back in the box for a rainy day.
I don't see why you'd need the goldcard on your memory card again, if debranding was your sole purpose.

Once you are rooted you never need it again, unless you want to do something foolish like go for the OTA update.
Only real reason to need it after rooting is to return it to stock if you are unlucky enough to need a warranty repair.

 

[teppic74]

You can format a goldcard & it still remains a goldcard, once created it is hardcoded into the card.
The only way to stop it from being a goldcard is to physically break it.
I have formatted & reformatted my goldcards & the coding still remains intact.
Personally i find it is easier to keep it in the phone at all times, unless you go for full root.

Not completely true, the card is modified in a way that can be easily overwritten, but not with a standard format.

 

[anoniemouse]

Not completely true, the card is modified in a way that can be easily overwritten, but not with a standard format.

Sure if you attach it to your pc through a card reader & use a file shredder set to dod standards then yes it will overwrite it, but how many people have those programs.
I even got a disk that if you put it in a pc it will completely wipe all data from hard drives & memory cards/ sticks connected to the pc, it does it so thoroughly that no information of any kind is recoverable.

 

[numetheus]

Sure if you attach it to your pc through a card reader & use a file shredder set to dod standards then yes it will overwrite it, but how many people have those programs.
I even got a disk that if you put it in a pc it will completely wipe all data from hard drives & memory cards/ sticks connected to the pc, it does it so thoroughly that no information of any kind is recoverable.

Anyone running Linux, or anyone that can google can have one in less than a minute. Seriously, it's not like its a type of program that is difficult to come by. Anyone who has downloaded a program from the Internet can have one.

 

[SUroot]

He wasnt asking who can. He was asking who has?

 

[Emmanuel72]

Hi peeps,
can I use this Goldcard to root a "stubborn-head" Techno P3 which was customized for a mobile telecom service provider like: etisalat, MTN, sprint ....
Really need help from you guy, wanna root the phone, tried most of the forms like: poot, z4root e.t.c..
Help the brova pleaseeee.

 

[Emmanuel72]

Can u help give me step by step way to root my "stubborn-head" Techno P3 which was customized for a mobile telecom service provider like: etisalat, MTN, sprint ....
Really need help , wanna root the phone, tried most of the forms like: poot, z4root e.t.c.. but won't work.
Can you help please.

 

[Hadron]

I have no idea whether a Goldcard (a trick specifically to bypass HTC's customer is check) will do anything at all on that phone.

You really need to ask people who have that device. Rooting techniques are device-specific, so the one thing I can tell you is that the tools used for the Desire will not work on the Techno P3.

Sorry

 

[LolliPopperz]

This question wqs never properly answered, just b.s. chit-chatted about. I would like to know because all the best AT&T devices from the S4 to the Note 4 including the S5 have locked bootloaders and if This Goldcard works for you HTC users then there may be a chance it coule help me and the rest of my depressed fellow AT&T users. The S6 is the beginning of a new era for us and I'm literally going to far as selling my Note 4 (N910a) to purchase an unlocked T-Mobile version JUST so I can root and flash. HTC users... Help us.

 

[EarlyMon]

@scotty85 has one, he may stop by and say more.

Basically, it's not as much chit-chat as you may think.

It involves a card that allows you to change the start up sequence on an HTC just enough to gain entry.

The start up sequence on a Samsung is rather different and their locked bootloader is radically different - if a gold card method could be devised, I'm fairly sure that it would require a complete redo of everything that has gone into years of finding and building out this exploit for the HTCs.

It's not something that would happen overnight - unless someone has already basically completed it, so far as I know.

Getting a root friendly phone is always the best choice in my opinion but that's just me.

If you're that sold on Samsung, fine, great, but it's not the only Android on AT&T and best is relative to your needs.

Best luck!

 

[scotty85]

A gold card is easily made from any micro sd card and is used to bypass cid/MID checks on HTC phones.

It is an HTC service tool and of no value on a Samsung device.

 

[scotty85]

As an afterthought,do not confuse the gold card with the java card,wich is also an HTC service tool.

The java card is based on a micro sd card with a micro processor built in(maybe someone can explain it a little better than that) and as such is not easily cloned by the average user,unlike the easily copied gold card.

The java card is difficult to get a hold of(read expensive) and can be used to turn turn off an HTC phones securities(s-off,simlock,etc) via special HTC-signed DIAG files. This is a legitimate HTC service tool and does not use any software or hardware exploits.

Again,it is of no use with anything other than HTC

 

[EarlyMon]

Thanks for clarifying, I had those confused.

 

[scotty85]

Thanks for clarifying, I had those confused. [emoji14]

Anytime