Root First Time "Rooter"

[ooltra]

Hello everyone,

I've owned an HTC Desire HD for about 5 - 6 months now...maybe longer. I knew about rooting the phone from the get go, but never put much thought into it at the time as this is my first phone on the Android system, and I wanted to be sure not to brick it.

I have been now itching for the past week or so since playing around on a friends new samsung phone to get a new o/s for my phone....just to change things up a bit and make it seem like a brand new phone.

I understand the risks, and I'm not exactly a newb to technology, I just have never done and modifications to a phone, either soft or hard mods, and I want to be sure that I select the "safest" and most efficient way of rooting my phone. I understand there is always a risk, I just want to minimize the risk as much as I can. I would love for some suggestions on the best way to go about it, and maybe any tips that may be obvious to more experienced users on here, but not so obvious to the newbs like myself.

Any suggestions on the best method of rooting (i have read the stickied post at the top of this section, but didn't know if after reading my phone info below that one would be a better shot then the other)

Thanks for any input!

My Phone: HTC Desire HD

Network: Telus (Canada)

Android version: 2.3.3

HTC Sense version: 2.1
Kernel version: 2.6.35-gdc4b908
htc-kernel@and18-2 #1

Build Number: 2.43.661.1 CL70542 release-keys

Software Number: 2.43.661.1

 

[ooltra]

also, any recommendations on a new version to try out is appreciated! i'm open to anything that won't have my head being scratched too much with bugs.

 

[El Presidente]

Welcome to AF!

The Ace Hack Kit should work fine for your software version, but have a read through the manual first, just to be sure you know what you're doing. It's easy, but there are a number of pre requisites that must be done before hand or you could run into problems.

As for a ROM, it depends on what you're going for. If you're looking for a Sense ROM, I'd go for RCMix.

If you fancy something different, CM7 is a good bet. I'm currently using Absolution. It's based on CM7 with a few tweaks and a different kernel. I'll probably stick with it for a bit.

Install instructions for CM7 & RCMix are linked to in my sticky and the install instructions for Absolution are linked to in the xda thread. If you fancy trying something different though, let me know and I can write instructions for that if needed.

 

[ooltra]

Welcome to AF!

The Ace Hack Kit should work fine for your software version, but have a read through the manual first, just to be sure you know what you're doing. It's easy, but there are a number of pre requisites that must be done before hand or you could run into problems.

As for a ROM, it depends on what you're going for. If you're looking for a Sense ROM, I'd go for RCMix.

If you fancy something different, CM7 is a good bet. I'm currently using Absolution. It's based on CM7 with a few tweaks and a different kernel. I'll probably stick with it for a bit.

Install instructions for CM7 & RCMix are linked to in my sticky and the install instructions for Absolution are linked to in the xda thread. If you fancy trying something different though, let me know and I can write instructions for that if needed.

wow, thanks for the quick response, and thanks for the welcome tot he boards!

I think after reading some things in the Ace Hack Kit I am going to give the CM7 Rom a go first. I'm going to read the manual now and I think that I should be able to follow the steps fine....although if it isn't an issue, if i run into a problem i may just post in this thread. not sure if i can use this thread for troubleshooting and i don't want to clutter up the forums.

thanks again!

 

[D-U-R-X]

wow, thanks for the quick response, and thanks for the welcome tot he boards!

I think after reading some things in the Ace Hack Kit I am going to give the CM7 Rom a go first. I'm going to read the manual now and I think that I should be able to follow the steps fine....although if it isn't an issue, if i run into a problem i may just post in this thread. not sure if i can use this thread for troubleshooting and i don't want to clutter up the forums.

thanks again!

Can't go wrong with CM7... I rooted 1 month in to my 2 year contract (in April this year) and haven't looked back. I've tried a couple of ROM's, but ALWAYS gone back to CM7 - as long as you can live without Sense, then you'll love it!

Feel free to come back in here if you run in to problems/need clarification and one of us will be happy to assist!

Oh yeah... by the way... welcome to the forums - thanks for joining!!

 

[ooltra]

Can't go wrong with CM7... I rooted 1 month in to my 2 year contract (in April this year) and haven't looked back. I've tried a couple of ROM's, but ALWAYS gone back to CM7 - as long as you can live without Sense, then you'll love it!

Feel free to come back in here if you run in to problems/need clarification and one of us will be happy to assist!

Oh yeah... by the way... welcome to the forums - thanks for joining!!

thanks a lot!

everything worked out great. i`m glad i took the time to use the ace hack kit with the ubuntu live disk after hearing some horror stories of people trying to install from a windows machine and forgetting to turn off a driver or something.

anyways, phone is rooted, and i have the CM& ROM installed as well as the lordmod kernel....so far so good. already feels like a brand new phone.

now if anyone has some good apps or settings to change within CM7, let me know!

 

[El Presidente]

Excellent

 

[Shonan]

I too was very hesitant in rooting but after a lot of reading and some very sound help and advise from these guys i took the leap and rooted,
And wow wot a difference i found, open up a whole new phone for me, after playing with a few roms i found myself coming back to a sense base rom, (guess i just like the sense side) and for me RCMiX has worked the best for me, whilst it gave the new sense version which i love, the battery life was so much better, i have nearly doubled in life,

also ARHD is also a good sense base rom, however if you like the andriod side of thing then CM7 is brilliant ,

i guess it all depends on how you like your phone to perform and how it looks,

either way have fun with your new phone, now your rooted you free to play and choose,

 

[ooltra]

Excellent

 

[El Presidente]

Yeah about the only thing I wasn't overly impressed about (but nothing to even tarnish this ROM at all) was the camera...not sure what you mean by MIUI though, as I thought that was a type of ROM.

Yeah, it's a ROM, but someone has extracted the camera app and made it usable on CM7. You just put the apk on the SD Card, browse to it with a file manager and install it with that. I'll look for the most recent version and post that for you. Alternatively, look at Camera 360 or LGCamera on the market. Both were pretty heavy on battery for me though. If you're not adverse to paying for apps, I'd also look at Camera Zoom FX.

But to be honest, a big thing on my phone is email through 4 email accounts (which I already set back up), text messages, and email usage which has been great. I also use google maps quite a bit, but to be honest I am open to any app that will improve my experience on the phone.

Take a look at K9-Mail. In fact, take a look here: http://androidforums.com/htc-desire-hd/367223-useful-apps-dhd.html, there might be some apps you want to take a look at.

Right now my phone is on SmartassV2 if i am not mistaken, but im not sure if there are some other settings i should take a look at....right now i have just started the battery calibration (trying to charge it to 0 mAh). Will look at that custom theme program now too!

NP's SmartassV2 is fine. The undervolt stuff and some instructions are here: http://androidforums.com/desire-hd-...as-anybody-rooted-using-tool.html#post3287692

The level of UV from smallest to biggest is -25mV, -50mV, Ultra UV, Stable Pinky UV, Pinky UV. Flash the zip and use the lordmod UV app to set your UV. Test -25 mV, if your phone doesn't lock after an hour or so, try -50mV, reboot and test again.

Make sense?

 

[ooltra]

Yeah, it's a ROM, but someone has extracted the camera app and made it usable on CM7. You just put the apk on the SD Card, browse to it with a file manager and install it with that. I'll look for the most recent version and post that for you. Alternatively, look at Camera 360 or LGCamera on the market. Both were pretty heavy on battery for me though. If you're not adverse to paying for apps, I'd also look at Camera Zoom FX.



Take a look at K9-Mail. In fact, take a look here: http://androidforums.com/htc-desire-hd/367223-useful-apps-dhd.html, there might be some apps you want to take a look at.



NP's SmartassV2 is fine. The undervolt stuff and some instructions are here: http://androidforums.com/desire-hd-...as-anybody-rooted-using-tool.html#post3287692

The level of UV from smallest to biggest is -25mV, -50mV, Ultra UV, Stable Pinky UV, Pinky UV. Flash the zip and use the lordmod UV app to set your UV. Test -25 mV, if your phone doesn't lock after an hour or so, try -50mV, reboot and test again.

Make sense?

damn sir, you are a bottomless well of information! i'll check this stuff out and report back to you!

 

[El Presidente]

damn sir, you are a bottomless well of information! i'll check this stuff out and report back to you!

Bottomless is an adjective thrown at me quite a lot, normally in All you can eat buffets/Jimmy Chungs etc.

 

[El Presidente]

http://db.tt/PrTedQC4

There's the MIUI camera if you want to try that.

 

[ooltra]

http://db.tt/PrTedQC4

There's the MIUI camera if you want to try that.

thanks i'll check that out now!

 

[D-U-R-X]

The MIUI camera is better than the CM7 camera, but please note that it isn't the Sense camera... don't be to disappointed with it!

 

[ooltra]

i'll keep that in mind! although all the positives in the CM7 are still more then enough to convince me i made the right choice switching from Sense. Thanks for the heads up though...the sense camera was pretty great!

 

[D-U-R-X]

I haven't looked back since installing CM7... I have had a go on a couple of other Sense based ROM's, but ALWAYS end up going back to CM7... it's just so good... love the speed/slickness of it and just can't get enough of Vanilla Android. Bring on CM9 - it can't be that far away now!!