Root Noob question about goldcards

[Rotten Ross]

i've made a goldcard and loaded it onto my SD card, so im here to ask 2 things

1) if i format my card to partition for rooting will i have to put the goldcard back on (i've still got a copy of the image)

2) how can i check that the goldcard i have put on my phone is working

Sorry for the noob question just want to get into rooting and i'm abit lost (less lost thank to SUroots guide, thats where i got the goldcard from cheers)

 

[Hadron]

Partitioning a card is the one thing we know that will un-Gold it. So yes, you'll have to re-Gold after partitioning.

I don't think there's any way of testing it until you need it.

 

[Rotten Ross]

Partitioning a card is the one thing we know that will un-Gold it. So yes, you'll have to re-Gold after partitioning.

I don't think there's any way of testing it until you need it.

Cheers for the info, i thought as much just wanted to be sure, can i reuse the goldcard from my PC? also it's abit annoying you can't check because the only time you need it is if something goes wrong and then it's too late. Also with the goldcard if i don't root/flash and i check for an update will it if there is an update will i have to wait for the O2 or will it be the unbranded?

 

[Hadron]

I'm not a goldcard expert (confession: I don't have one, though my phone was never branded), but I'm pretty certain you can just re-use the goldcard img.

If you have not rooted and still have the O2 ROM, I'm sure it will only notify you of O2 updates. In principle I believe you can accept unbranded OTA if you have debranded your phone, but the most recent one didn't work on debranded devices, so no promises.

If you have rooted then you shouldn't accept an OTA update under any circumstances, even if you are still using your original ROM.

 

[Rotten Ross]

how do you debrand? and yes i am aware that you shouldn't OTA with rooted devices i remember reading the problems peope had with froyo when they rooted

 

[Hadron]

Debranding would be done running an unbranded RUU (for which a goldcard is needed). Wipes the phone but gets rid of network bloatware - and tests the goldcard in the process

If you root then it's irrelevant, because you can just install another ROM which removes the branding anyway.

 

[Rotten Ross]

Debranding would be done running an unbranded RUU (for which a goldcard is needed). Wipes the phone but gets rid of network bloatware - and tests the goldcard in the process

If you root then it's irrelevant, because you can just install another ROM which removes the branding anyway.

how do you go about debranding? and thank you again for the help, i'm gunna like it here

 

[Hadron]

An RUU is a ROM Update Utility. It's a Windows program that flashes completely new (official) firmware. They do check the id of your phone, so that you can't run an unbranded one on a branded phone, but the goldcard bypasses that check (that's what it's for). So if you have a branded phone with a goldcard, and run an unbranded RUU, you end up with an unbranded phone. But as noted, all data and apps will be wiped in the process.

To use an RUU you download it to a PC, connect your phone via USB, and run the program. The "dropbox" thread linked in my sig includes a link to an unbranded one, and the site shipped-roms has a collection of different RUUs, both unbranded and branded.

If you root the phone it's worth finding an RUU for your network and downloading that as a precaution in case you ever need to send it in for a warranty repair, because having modified software on the phone would void the warranty.

I usually add the caveat that I've never used one of these things - from my point of view they are a last resort if I should ever mess things up so badly that there's no other way back . So when describing how to use them I'm talking about what I've read rather than what I've done. But very many people in this forum have used them.

 

[Hadron]

But let's add again, if you are thinking of rooting anyway there's a (in my opinion) simpler way.

Once rooted you can fully back up your apps and data. Then there are custom ROMs ranging from minimally-modified unbranded, rooted Froyo through to Gingerbread with updated Sense or no Sense at all. So if you just wanted to be able to have more space for apps (via an ext partition) but otherwise keep standard but unbranded software, there are ROMs that will offer just that.

Debranding via the RUU is the way to get rid of network junk for people who don't want to root. But if you are interested in rooting anyway then I'd go this way instead. Even without flashing a new ROM, there are ways of turning-off and hiding unwanted apps once rooted, e.g. "freezing" them using Titanium Backup, which don't wipe the phone in the process.

 

[Rotten Ross]

the only problem i have with rooting and flashing a rom is the whole backup process there is alot of info on it but it is confusing, like do you need the pro version of titanium and other apps needed

 

[Hadron]

Best bet is probably to read the FAQs/Guides a few times, then pop over to the root forum to ask about anything that isn't clear.

Re. backups there are 2 types, both of which are important:

The recovery ("nandroid") backup is basically a snapshot of your phone's current state: ROM, apps, data, the lot. You make this using the custom recovery which is installed when you root using unrevoked (don't go near an app called ROM Manager). Its most important function is that if something messes up and the phone won't boot, you can restore everything to the way it was. However, you cannot use it to move apps and data to a new ROM.

Titanium is used for that. It backs up apps, data, and system settings to your SD card. In most cases you need to wipe the phone before flashing a new ROM because settings are incompatible, but after flashing you can restore apps and their data using Titanium (not system settings unless you know exactly what you are doing). The Pro version brings a few extra features and is more convenient - I'd recommend it, but it's not essential.

The only catch with Ti is that stuff like contacts, messages, call logs are mixed in the system data. You can restore them, but you need to know where to find them, so other apps (e.g. MyBackup) are recommended by some simply because they are easier for this. If your contacts are stored as Google contacts then they will restore automatically anyway, likewise Calendar if synced with Google.

It can sound a lot when it's unfamiliar, but with a little practice it becomes second nature. Once you know what the different types of backup are for, they are all pretty straightforward to use.

 

[Rotten Ross]

The only catch with Ti is that stuff like contacts, messages, call logs are mixed in the system data. You can restore them, but you need to know where to find them, so other apps (e.g. MyBackup) are recommended by some simply because they are easier for this. If your contacts are stored as Google contacts then they will restore automatically anyway, likewise Calendar if synced with Google.

It can sound a lot when it's unfamiliar, but with a little practice it becomes second nature. Once you know what the different types of backup are for, they are all pretty straightforward to use.

i'm not bothered about losing my messege and call logs but do i need to keep them? also if i move my contact to my seem card they will be saved right?

thanks again mate you've really put me in the mood to have a go a rooting i've read SUroots guide about 5 times now also should i format my sd card and partition before or after i backup? i've copied all my data on it too my pc

 

[Usta]

i'm not bothered about losing my messege and call logs but do i need to keep them? also if i move my contact to my seem card they will be saved right?

thanks again mate you've really put me in the mood to have a go a rooting i've read SUroots guide about 5 times now also should i format my sd card and partition before or after i backup? i've copied all my data on it too my pc

It is totally up to you to backup call logs and messages.

Contacts are best kept in Google Contacts. SIM cards have limitations, both in number of contacts and in data fields. On Desire, you export your contacts to SD card and import them back to Google Contacts. This way they get also synced with your Gmail Contacts.

You can go ahead and partition the SD card beforehand. I'd recommend to make an extra 1GB ext3 partition to support a2sd+ ROMs.

 

[Rotten Ross]

what are my options (is SUroots the best?) for partitioning and is it easy?

 

[Usta]

what are my options (is SUroots the best?) for partitioning and is it easy?

Read Apps2SD Guide from the Sticky Topic: http://androidforums.com/desire-all-things-root/220627-faq-apps2sd-updated-16th-may-2011-a.html
There is a section called "If I wanted to do it, is there a step by step process?", which describes the process of partitioning with Gparted.
The process is easy, but you should be very careful not to mess other things...

 

[Rotten Ross]

darn it, i'm all out of blank cd's well i've downloaded the software so it's there when i need it

 

[SUroot]

you can also make a bootable usb stick, or if you have vmplayer (vmware player) you can set up a virtual machine to boot to an .iso file of your choosing.

 

[Rotten Ross]

how would i go about doing with the VMplayer? what is the best Vm player

 

[SUroot]

There is only one VMplayer.

VMware Player: Run Windows 7, Chrome OS - Free Download for a Virtual PC

Install it then create a virtual machine. then once created, right click the CD drive (before teh machine is powered on) and set it to boot to .iso instead of detecting your physical drive.

It will make much more sense when you see it than me telling you.