Root Question - Rooting

[Mattb81]

Hey guys,

After owning my Desire for 6 months (bought SIM free but I reckon it's Vodafone as it has a Voda default homepage), I've got sick of the lack of internal memory and the fact the 2.3 version out will make it worse, so I want to root it and add a custom ROM.

I've been reading up on these forums and I thought I had all I need, but today I have read about Gold Cards and I wonder if this is old information or relevant.

I was preparing tonight to root and install a ROM using Unrevoked. It was my understanding that all I needed was my ROM + add ons and the Unrevoked software. (deleted guide as I can't link yet)

Once finished I believe I will have a bloatfree, gingerbread + sense + rooted phone (based on the ROM I have chosen), that I can then partition the SD card with and free up valuable space on the phone that is currently taken up with apps I don't use and Google Maps & Flash (the big hitters).

It is also my understanding that if things go wrong, I can always revert my phone back to original using Unrevoked's clockwork recovery mod.

But now I'm reading I need a Gold Card? What is the benefit of this, is it obsolete now with Unrevoked clockwork recovery mod?

There's so many guides and I just want as simple as possible.

Thanks

 

[DNick]

All a goldcard does is let you run an RUU not for your carrier (if you want to unroot your phone). Not hard to do, do it just in case.

You should also read the rooting FAQ and rooting guide here. suroot keeps it up to date.

http://androidforums.com/desire-all...all-about-rooting-updated-21-july-2011-a.html

 

[Mattb81]

OK, so as far as I'm aware I do not have a branded phone. The only thing that seems to be branded is I have a Vodafone scene in my scene choices in the personalize section.

Therefore I should be able to run any RUU .... is this correct?

 

[DNick]

OK, so as far as I'm aware I do not have a branded phone. The only thing that seems to be branded is I have a Vodafone scene in my scene choices in the personalize section.

Therefore I should be able to run any RUU .... is this correct?

I'm honestly not too knowledgeable, when someone more knowledgeable than me shows up, they'll tell you for sure. Though I'd still do one just in case. I was recommended to, and there is an RUU for me.

 

[Hadron]

Hey guys,

After owning my Desire for 6 months (bought SIM free but I reckon it's Vodafone as it has a Voda default homepage), I've got sick of the lack of internal memory and the fact the 2.3 version out will make it worse, so I want to root it and add a custom ROM.

SIM-free phones should be unbranded, but from what you say here and later I'm not convinced yours is. Could you post your software version (these are typically different for branded phones)?

I've been reading up on these forums and I thought I had all I need, but today I have read about Gold Cards and I wonder if this is old information or relevant.

It depends on how you root. For most people, goldcards are still relelvant.

I was preparing tonight to root and install a ROM using Unrevoked. It was my understanding that all I needed was my ROM + add ons and the Unrevoked software. (deleted guide as I can't link yet)

Once finished I believe I will have a bloatfree, gingerbread + sense + rooted phone (based on the ROM I have chosen), that I can then partition the SD card with and free up valuable space on the phone that is currently taken up with apps I don't use and Google Maps & Flash (the big hitters).

I'd partition the card before installing the ROM - it's simpler that way. Read the guides for how to do this.

System apps that you don't use don't actually take up any space, since they are in a separate partition which you can't access (without doing S-Off as well as root).

It is also my understanding that if things go wrong, I can always revert my phone back to original using Unrevoked's clockwork recovery mod.

If you take a nandroid backup (a backup made with custom recovery) then yes, that will revert your ROM and data to the state they were in when the backup was made (still rooted).

Also, what is your PVT and erase size? Some phones need to install Amon Ra recovery instead. Again, see the guides for how to check whether you have one of these.

But now I'm reading I need a Gold Card? What is the benefit of this, is it obsolete now with Unrevoked clockwork recovery mod?

No, they aren't obsolete with unrevoked (arguably using revolutionary would have that effect, but that's still beta so I'd suggest sticking with unrevoked). It's nothing at all to do with the recovery.

What it does is allow you to run any RUU, which is something you need to unroot (e.g. for warranty purposes) or to fix some problems. For warranty you want your original branded RUU if it exists, which you could run anyway, but otherwise having a goldcard gives you more options - call it a precaution.

Note that no phone can run all RUUs out of the box - an unbranded phone cannot run branded RUUs. However there are more unbranded RUUs available, so people worry less about this with unbranded phones.

You could also use the official ginerbread update, which is an RUU that will run on a number of nation's branded phones (including UK ones). That does need revolutionary to root it again afterwards though.

There's so many guides and I just want as simple as possible.

Thanks

The rooting guide and FAQ linked from this forum's sticky post are the only ones you need to do this. And they are pretty much as simple as possible.

OK, so as far as I'm aware I do not have a branded phone. The only thing that seems to be branded is I have a Vodafone scene in my scene choices in the personalize section.

That sounds like branding to me - sorry.

 

[Hadron]

Since you wanted it simple, and that post is a bit long, here's the short version:

Read this. You don't need other guides, it's all in there (including a link to a step-by-step guide to rooting, if you use Windows - with other platforms it's the same except you don't have to worry about installing hboot drivers).

 

[Mattb81]

Thanks for your help guys. I must admit it is a bit daunting doing this. I love my phone and use it all the time so I don't want to brick it, and there's a lot to take in when you're not familiar with it, even after reading everything you can.

I tried doing some stuff last night but didn't get too far. Unrevoked got stuck waiting for a reboot, but I now have an idea why it may not have worked.

I uninstalled HTC sync from my phone but not my computer, so that is my first step to rectify.

I need to double check the Android Bootloader Interface is there under the Android Phone in device manager.

I also need to set up Amon-RA as my phone is Eraze size 40,000.

Once those are sorted I should be OK... I think.

I managed to make a Gold Card!!

My main issue is my wife nagging if I spend too long fiddling and not paying attention to her!!

 

[Mattb81]

I have one final (hopefully) question. Just to make sure I have covered everything and don't miss doing something that results in me having to restart completely.

My goal for my phone is really to have the following:

1) More space for apps so I don't have to remove ones I sometimes use to install new ones (i.e. I want A2SD+)
2) Gingerbread OS
3) Sense UI without the apps I don't use (such as footsteps, twitter, stocks, PDF, etc. I am happy to download the apps I need, but at the moment I have multiple apps that do the same thing and the ones I don't use I can't uninstall)
4) Better battery life would be nice too!

So.. it is my understanding I need to root my phone, make a backup in Nandriod, partition my SD card for A2SD+, flash a custom ROM. Then I'm good to go.

Is this correct?

What will I not be able to do once the above is complete?

I read in the FAQ about S-Off, but I'm a little confused still. It says I can then delete apps while Andriod is running... is that all apps or does that mean critical apps?

I am not planning on wanting to remove essential apps from my phone, that alters how it behaves.... but if my ROM of choice has apps I don't want (such as HTC pdf reader), then I'll want to delete that. (I prefer Adobe).

Again, all I want is a bloat free Sense OS with more room for apps and as fast as possible (I know Sense and fast does not necessarily go hand in hand), with the ability to delete apps I don't want and the OS doesn't need.

Thanks again.

 

[Mattb81]

Turns out my phone is S-Off by default, so looks like I don't have to worry about that.

 

[Hadron]

Turns out my phone is S-Off by default, so looks like I don't have to worry about that.

How did you determine that?

Desires are not S-Off by default. Unrevoked will S-Off CDMA Desires, but since you bought yours "SIM free" it is presumably GSM (since CDMA phones don't have SIM cards). Though we do have another member (travelcat) who managed to S-Off their phone mysteriously (don't think we ever got to the bottom of how that happened).

 

[Hadron]

My goal for my phone is really to have the following:

1) More space for apps so I don't have to remove ones I sometimes use to install new ones (i.e. I want A2SD+)
2) Gingerbread OS
3) Sense UI without the apps I don't use (such as footsteps, twitter, stocks, PDF, etc. I am happy to download the apps I need, but at the moment I have multiple apps that do the same thing and the ones I don't use I can't uninstall)
4) Better battery life would be nice too!

So.. it is my understanding I need to root my phone, make a backup in Nandriod, partition my SD card for A2SD+, flash a custom ROM. Then I'm good to go.

Is this correct?

Sounds good to me. You just need to choose a ROM which matches your requirements.

Oh, and back up your apps and data using Titanium etc before flashing a ROM. You should generally do a factory reset before applying a new ROM, and you can't restore data from the nandroid (as that will restore the ROM as well), so you need these other backups to restore your apps and their data (but not system settings!) after the ROM flash.

What will I not be able to do once the above is complete?

Return your phone for repair under warranty (without running an RUU to undo the modifications).

Nor can you accept an over the air update from HTC or your network - the moment you root you can no longer do that, even if you've not flashed a custom ROM. I doubt there will be any more of those, but turn off checking for updates anyway.

I read in the FAQ about S-Off, but I'm a little confused still. It says I can then delete apps while Andriod is running... is that all apps or does that mean critical apps?

Any app, including critical ones. Freedom includes the freedom to mess your phone up if you don't know what you are doing, so procede with care!

I am not planning on wanting to remove essential apps from my phone, that alters how it behaves.... but if my ROM of choice has apps I don't want (such as HTC pdf reader), then I'll want to delete that. (I prefer Adobe).

Again, all I want is a bloat free Sense OS with more room for apps and as fast as possible (I know Sense and fast does not necessarily go hand in hand), with the ability to delete apps I don't want and the OS doesn't need.

The thing to watch is apps which you think you don't need but which something else depends on. I recall from my Sense days "freezing" an app I didn't use (probably one of the social networking apps - maybe Flickr?) using Titanium Backup, then discovering that if I scrolled past one of the tabs in the "People" app it would crash (didn't have to select the tab, just pass by it). There was a dependency between the 2 applications.

So before removing system apps I'd suggest taking a nandroid and also a full Titanium backup (if you are S-Off then Ti can restore system apps).

 

[Rastaman-FB]

some people have seen ship s-off devices on 0.93 hadron, someone else reported it a while ago and i have no idea how this happened
still its not eng s-off so most of the flash commands do not work and as such an alpharev hboot is preferred

 

[Mattb81]

How did you determine that?

Desires are not S-Off by default. Unrevoked will S-Off CDMA Desires, but since you bought yours "SIM free" it is presumably GSM (since CDMA phones don't have SIM cards). Though we do have another member (travelcat) who managed to S-Off their phone mysteriously (don't think we ever got to the bottom of how that happened).

It's on the recovery boot. I switch it on and it says its s-off as part of the info.

I checked usb drivers, uninstalled HTC sync and changed to custom amon-ra in unrevoked, and now I can't get past first pushing terminal!!

 

[Rastaman-FB]

It's on the recovery boot. I switch it on and it says its s-off as part of the info.

I checked usb drivers, uninstalled HTC sync and changed to custom amon-ra in unrevoked, and now I can't get past first pushing terminal!!

can you post everything it says on the fastboot screen please

 

[Hadron]

It's on the recovery boot. I switch it on and it says its s-off as part of the info

Just S-Off? No pink writing, or the word alpharev anywhere?

Just curious.

 

[Mattb81]

can you post everything it says on the fastboot screen please

BRAVO PVT4 SHIP S-OFF
HBOOT - 0.93.0001
MICROP - 051d
TOUCH PANEL - SYNT0101
RADIO - 5.11.05.27
Aug 10 2010 17.52.18

 

[Mattb81]

Just S-Off? No pink writing, or the word alpharev anywhere?

Just curious.

See above. No alpharev or pink writing. Phone is currently unrooted still.

 

[Rastaman-FB]

BRAVO PVT4 SHIP S-OFF
HBOOT - 0.93.0001
MICROP - 051d
TOUCH PANEL - SYNT0101
RADIO - 5.11.05.27
Aug 10 2010 17.52.18

yeah seen these before, i think they will be the 40000 erase size models too.
what android sw version is it? please post

there are a couple of things that can get in the way of unrevoked

1st of all use 3.21 unrevoked
2nd check that you dont have something like avg antivirus running as its crap and stops adb.exe from being able to temp drop and initialise
make sure you do not have myphoneexplorer or droidexplorer running

 

[Mattb81]

yeah seen these before, i think they will be the 40000 erase size models too.
what android sw version is it? please post

there are a couple of things that can get in the way of unrevoked

1st of all use 3.21 unrevoked
2nd check that you dont have something like avg antivirus running as its crap and stops adb.exe from being able to temp drop and initialise
make sure you do not have myphoneexplorer or droidexplorer running

I can confirm I'm 40000 erase model, I checked that.

Baseband 32.49.00.3211-5.11.05.27
Kernel 2.6.32.15-g2633d94htc-kernal@and18-2#1
Build 2.33.161.2CL2 84385 release-keys
SW 2.33.161.2

Will check I'm using correct unrevoked. I don't have any app explorer on pc and only windows security, which I will disable

 

[Mattb81]

what I have noticed is that unrevoked got further last night when I was trying to run it with clockwork than tonight when I'm trying to use amon-ra.

Two things have changed since then, I'm trying to install amon-ra instead of clockwork and I uninstalled HTC sync off my pc.

Last night unrevoked managed to recoveryboot once before getting stuck waiting on a reboot.

I noticed in the guide the amon-ra file is named differently (has desire in its name). Mine doesn't. Does it matter?

 

[Rastaman-FB]

what I have noticed is that unrevoked got further last night when I was trying to run it with clockwork than tonight when I'm trying to use amon-ra.

Two things have changed since then, I'm trying to install amon-ra instead of clockwork and I uninstalled HTC sync off my pc.

Last night unrevoked managed to recoveryboot once before getting stuck waiting on a reboot.

I noticed in the guide the amon-ra file is named differently (has desire in its name). Mine doesn't. Does it matter?

recovery-RA_2.0.1.img

make sure you download the 2.0.1 from our file share in my sig.
the username and password is in the thread

 

[Mattb81]

recovery-RA_2.0.1.img

make sure you download the 2.0.1 from our file share in my sig.
the username and password is in the thread

It is that, just on the guide it has desire in it.

 

[Hadron]

some people have seen ship s-off devices on 0.93 hadron, someone else reported it a while ago and i have no idea how this happened
still its not eng s-off so most of the flash commands do not work and as such an alpharev hboot is preferred

Ta. I guess that the normally inaccessible security flag has actually been set false on these devices, and a standard hboot is just reporting the state.

Shame, because if the engineering fastboot were there we could do everything that way (as I think you proposed some months before revolutionary appeared).

 

[Rastaman-FB]

It is that, just on the guide it has desire in it.

like i said check the other things about antivirus, and other programs
try disabling live scanner on the antivirus

in device manager is the device displaying as myHTC when booted into android

in device manager is the device displaying as Android bootloader interface when bootied into bootloader?

thanks

alternatively you can see if your device allows extended fastboot commands under ship s-off

use the fastboot guide do get fastboot working
boot to fastboot (back + power)
type

fastboot flash recovery recovery-RA_2.0.1.img

if it flashes successfull in command prompt
do

fastboot reboot-bootloader

see if you can boot to amonRA recovery.

if this works flash a rooted rom of choice or flash the superuser package from the revolutionary wiki

 

[Mattb81]

in device manager is the device displaying as myHTC when booted into android

in device manager is the device displaying as Android bootloader interface when bootloaded

Yes to both.


Will try other stuff ASAP