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Root Sprint vs. ME

mr_quick

Member
Feb 18, 2011
63
1
I'm brand-spankin new to the world of Androids, so excuse my n00bness. I just purchased an Evo 4g from Swappa (Android) Buy and sell Android devices and it arrived yesterday. The phone came rooted using CyanogenMod. I called sprint to update my plan and add the Evo 4g. For 2 hours, I was on the phone with Sprint trying to get the phone to activate. I asked the seller and he says that CyanogenMod doesn't recognize the ## code. I wouldn't accept their dial pad codes that typically begin with ##. Again, excuse my ignorance, I just want this phone to work. Does anyone know an alternate method or do I have to get rid of the CyanogenMod?
 
Welcome to the forums :). That is correct - you need a Sense based ROM in order for that to work. It is assumed that nobody would flash an AOSP based ROM such as CM before activating their phone. AOSP means the ROM is based on Google source, and does not include any of the Sense modifications. As a result, certain base functionality such as this is broken. The seller really should have *at least* flashed a different ROM for you (or even unrooted it, to be completely fair), since you obviously need to activate the phone.

That being said, do you understand what root is? Is it something you want to keep? If you'd like to keep root, I can show you how to just flash a different ROM. If you don't care about it, I can also give you the instructions for unrooting. Since you're brand new to this, the instructions might seems a bit daunting, but if you follow them exactly, you'll be fine.

Either way, can you please answer these questions:

1) Turn the phone off, then turn it back on while pressing and holding the volume down button. That will take you to hboot. What is your hboot version?
2) Do you have S-OFF or S-ON? It will say up at the top in hboot.
2) While you're there, what does it say your baseband radio version is?
3) While in hboot, select the recovery menu option. That should take you to a black screen. If you have a custom recovery, you will see either Clockwork or Amon RA at the top. Can you describe exactly what happens?
4) Assuming you *do* have a custom recovery, what does it say it is at the top, and what version is it?
 
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Akazabam is correct, however akazabam, i have even found a few sense based roms it doesnt work on either. I know it doesnt work on kings ultra (which im currently running), and i thought i read it doesnt work on miks. I am for sure it works on myns warm though because i used it to change my proxy when i was running myns.

EDIT: that would be the epst I am referring to, for entering data code stuff btw.
 
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I'm a noob to the forum and sort of a noob to rooting. Had my EVO since December and I love it. I have been reading the forums for a while now and wanted to join to jump in and help someone out :). Though you beat me to it Akazabam haha. That was my first post! I have seen you all over this forum Akazabam and since I have the chance just wanted to say thanks for all the useful info you have posted...you are always willing to help people. I have relied on your posts many a time.
 
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Any time :). Heck, if you have anything to add, always feel free to. Welcome to the forums as an actual member :). You are, in fact, correct. So thanks for correcting me. What you need is a Sense based ROM that doesn't have support for epst removed. Granted, most of them should be fine. I can confirm, though, that mik's works fine. You're right about kings, though. I forgot all about that. You should also stay away from Sense based ROMs that were designed for any phone other than the Evo.
 
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I wasnt sure about miks, i was reading on the thread about increasing 3g speeds by changing the proxy earlier today and someone was having trouble on miks with getting epst to work, must have been a different issue for them then. Here is a dumb question...how do you know whether it was designed for evo? I probably flash way too much, i have tried, fresh, myns warm, koni elite, and kings ultra so far. I also mometarily flashed CM7 and MIUI_EVO but didnt care much for them.

I just didnt want him to flash a ROM that didnt have epst capability and make another long painful phonecall to sprint for nothing lol.
 
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Yeah, I think the issue with mik's was just a miscommunication in that other thread. I've done it with mik's and it works fine.

As for Sense ROM's, sorry, I should have clarified what I meant. There are ROMs floating out there that are ports from different Sense based phones. For example, there is Desire Z port for the Evo. It's Sense, but not a ROM based on the stock ROM that came on the Evo. That's the type of thing you'd want to avoid in this case. Any Sense based ROM that is based on the stock ROM AND has epst support in tact will work fine. That description right there covers *most* available Evo ROMs.
 
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Any time :). Heck, if you have anything to add, always feel free to. Welcome to the forums as an actual member :). You are, in fact, correct. So thanks for correcting me. What you need is a Sense based ROM that doesn't have support for epst removed. Granted, most of them should be fine. I can confirm, though, that mik's works fine. You're right about kings, though. I forgot all about that. You should also stay away from Sense based ROMs that were designed for any phone other than the Evo.

Thanks, everyone! Unfortunately, I have "zero" tech skills, so I have no idea what any of you are talking about. Through research, I understand what a ROM is, but I don't currently have the ability to mess with my phone at work. I am a school teacher and I barely get the chance to sit at a computer :) Since I can't fiddle with my phone, I wont be able to answer those questions until after work.

Not to sound lazy, but would any of you have a link to a ROM that is acceptable and will let me activate my phone? I got a ver brief chance to search, but I can't make any sense of it :thinking:

I do want to keep CyanogenMod because I really want to make my Evo a free wifi hotspot.

Do you believe Sprint will unroot my phone for free or at all?

Thanks again for your support! :)
Carlo
 
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When I had Mik's 4.3 I didn't have any issues with accessing epst.

To the mr_quick take a look at akazabam's post and report back. Since you have CM you should have a custom recovery. All we really need to do is flash a sense based ROM. This way you can access the epst settings andactivate the phone with Sprint. After that you should be set. You can stay with Sense or go back to CM. We're here to help.
 
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When I had Mik's 4.3 I didn't have any issues with accessing epst.

To the mr_quick take a look at akazabam's post and report back. Since you have CM you should have a custom recovery. All we really need to do is flash a sense based ROM. This way you can access the epst settings andactivate the phone with Sprint. After that you should be set. You can stay with Sense or go back to CM. We're here to help.

Thanks, stevcha! What exactly does flashing mean and which do you think is the best ROM?
 
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No problem - go ahead and report back with that information whenever you have time. Unfortunately, we can't give you a link to a ROM until we know at least your radio version. The other information will help determine the exact process. If you want to keep CM as it is now once you're done, we'll just have you make a nandroid backup, first. That will enable you to get back to your exact state once all is said and done. That being said, let me know the answers to those questions when you have time, and we can take it from there.

EDIT: Oh, and you don't need CM to use the phone as a wifi hotspot. That can be done on any ROM - even stock, if you want. If you just like CM in general, that's fine too, but don't think you need to keep it for that one thing.
 
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No problem - go ahead and report back with that information whenever you have time. Unfortunately, we can't give you a link to a ROM until we know at least your radio version. The other information will help determine the exact process. If you want to keep CM as it is now once you're done, we'll just have you make a nandroid backup, first. That will enable you to get back to your exact state once all is said and done. That being said, let me know the answers to those questions when you have time, and we can take it from there.

You guys a ninja quick with your response and I like it :) I will let you all know everything once I return home. So...shouldn't go to Sprint and ask them?
 
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There is no wifi where I work and I believe I do have ROM manager. What can I do with it?

Thanks :)

I recommend you hold off on use ROM manager until we know the other information. ROM manager is a front end for flashing ROMs, making backups, etc. Personally, I wouldn't recommend you use it. BUT, if you can open it really quick and check, up at the top, it will tell you what recovery you currently have. That's a start.
 
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I recommend you hold off on use ROM manager until we know the other information. ROM manager is a front end for flashing ROMs, making backups, etc. Personally, I wouldn't recommend you use it. BUT, if you can open it really quick and check, up at the top, it will tell you what recovery you currently have. That's a start.

I figured it would be easier for him to use ROM Manager to just see what recovery is currently flashed, lol.
 
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Thanks, stevcha! What exactly does flashing mean and which do you think is the best ROM?

With flashing you're basically installing new software.

Right. Basically, when you write to flash memory (nand in this case), you're overwriting whatever is there, if anything. Writing to flash memory like this called flashing. When we say "flash a ROM" we mean overwrite the existing OS and boot files with a different one. It's the same idea as installing a new OS, it's just in flash memory terms, and you're just copying files. It's done in recovery (which is small OS that runs on the side, basically). The whole process is fairly automated.

By the way, can I do all of this stuff on a mac or do I even need a computer?

You don't need a PC. Once your phone is rooted, you'll only be using the computer to download and transfer files, at the most.
 
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