Didn't see a guide here to root the HTC desire s, but there are plenty out there.
Here is a guide I wrote to get it done in excessive layman terms.
Always take note of your phones details before you root - Build number (Software number), Baseband version (Radio), and Hboot, you never know whenyou may need them.
Make a goldcard if you have a spare memory card, better safe than sorry!!! (use mmc2, not mmc0/1) see here on how to.
Leave USB debugging on after you have done what you needed, you mayneed it on down the line.
Firstly, before you can root, you need to get S-off, to do this we use Revolutionary.
S-On is basically a security check on HTC phones that prevents unauthorized access to the system memory/NAND, so first it needs to be disabled/by-passed.
-Turn on USB debugging menu/Settings/Applications/Development/USB debugging (on the phone)
-Boot into Hboot (switch phone off and the press power+vol down) and write down the Hboot number (will need it later) and check the phone is S-On (currently only v0.98.0002 and 0.98.0000 are supported, if your phone is neither of these you need to either downgrade or unlock using HTCDev (not true s-off))
-Download Revolutionary app here
-Ensure HTC sync is UNINSTALLED on the PC!!!!!!!
-Install HTC fastboot drivers (can get them on this page)
-Plug phone in and run Revolutionary app (when plugging in select CHARGE ONLY (i.e. leave on the home screen) and copy the serial that the app gives (this is your phones serial)
-Copy phone serial to Revolutionary.to website select which Hboot your phone is, operating system and copy the beta key generated to the app
-Does its thing, asks to install clockworkmod, say YES or NO, [If NO, and you rather install it yourself (and not the Revolutionary branded one) follow step 2 to install in manually, if YES continue to step 3]
Phone is now S-off but not yet rooted and is running a custom Hboot (v6.XX.XXXX) that doesn't check the security flag which is stored on the device’s radio.
-Download attached file titled "android-tools.zip", it has the adb and fastboot files needed to proceed
-Extract the file to "c:\" so that the path looks like this C:\android-tools
-Install HTCDriver (Fastboot drivers) (should already be installed from revolutionary step) but here's the link again
-Open cmd and type "cd/"
-then type "cd android-tools"
*To test whether you have set up all the files correctly and your phone is connected correctly you can do the following;
*Plug your phone in (when plugging in select CHARGE ONLY (i.e. leave on the home screen)
*In cmd type "adb" and press enter, it should show a list of commands, then type "fastboot"and press enter, it should also show a list of commands)
*If both these commands work you have extracted the files to the right place and have setup cmd right.
*then type "adb devices"
*Should show connected phone serial if not then try get the latest HTCdrivers
-Download clockworkmod (here) for your phone and place .img in C:\android-tools folder (i.e. where the files adb.exe, AdbWinApi.dll, AdbWinUsbApi.dll and fastboot.exe are)
*To make life easier rename the file to recovery.img
-start fastboot (boot Hboot, plug phone in "HBoot USB plug" shows once phone is plugged in and press the power button (fastboot is highlighted by default) then it says "Fastboot USB")
*(As a test to ensure you have put your phone into fastboot type "fastboot devices" in cmd, it will show your phones serial, if it shows nothing you have not put your phone into fastboot yet)
-run command "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" in cmd
-then run "fastboot reboot"
Phone now should have recovery installed, you can now install custom roms and/or root your phone. I suggest CyanogenMod/MIUI,, plenty to choose from though.
-Start clockworkmod recovery (Hboot/recovery)
-Select install zip from sdcard"
-select Choose zip from sdcard
-Select copied file
-select Yes - install su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip to confirm
-Go back
-Then reboot.
All DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Optional:
I do suggest you flash the ENG 0.98.2000 in in Section 2 Step 1 as a precaution if you ever need to flash a RUU.
Step 1 and 3 Video
Here's a video of step 1 and 3 that covers all the points mentioned above.
How to S-Off and Root the HTC Desire S, Sensation, Wildfire, Evo, Flyer HD - A step-by-step tutorial - YouTube
In step 2 I got the info from here over at the XDA forum. The rest form video's and looking around
android-tools.zip File Details;
417.38 KB | MD5: 4A740A80F611F781681094CBB6657D74
Some troubleshooting tips;
1) If your phone won't boot into Hboot, try switching off your phone and take out the battery for 30 seconds and try again.
2) If your phone isnt recognized by your PC try the HBoot drivers in this guide here and follow the Prerequisite steps point.
3) If you are having problems with the adb/fastboot commands follow this guide to setting adb and using it as an alternate the the steps/files mentioned above in STEP 2.
4) To boot directly into fastboot from home screen run this command in cmd 'adb reboot-bootloader'
Okay, why would you want to return to stock?
1) The main reason is for warranty reasons,
2) or to fix a problem you are having.
The easiest and most direct way to get back to stock is to install a RUU (Rom Upgrade Utility).
What is a RUU?
The catch is 1) that when you S-off by revolutionary you you are replacing the phones Hboot with a custom one. And this Hboot cannot be overwritten by a RUU and 2) you use the right RUU (one that is compatible with your phone and/or the one you had a stock). If you don't use the correct RUU you will need to to check your misc version and use a GoldCard.
Before you S-Off/Root/Unroot/S-On your phone get/do the following;
Always take note of your phones details before you root - Build number (Software number), Baseband version (Radio), and Hboot, you never know whenyou may need them.
Make a goldcard if you have a spare memory card, better safe than sorry!!! (use mmc2, not mmc0/1) see here on how to
Leave USB debugging on after you have done what you needed, you mayneed it on down the line
Your CID (cidnum) (Boot into fastboot (on the phone) and run command "fastboot getvar cid" (on the computer)
In order to overcome the write protection you need to first replace the Hboot by one that can be overwritten by a RUU, to do this you need to flash a ENG Hboot, the current one is ENG 0.98.2000
Do not skip this step!!!
-Turn off fastboot menu/settings/power/fastboot (on the phone)
-Turn on USB debugging menu/Settings/Applications/Development/USB debugging (on the phone)
To flash the ENG HBoot you can use one of these methods;
1) Fastboot
-Place the .img file (extracted from PG88IMG(ENG 0.98.2000).zip) in C:\android-tools (Setup in Section 1-Step 2 First two paragraphs)
-Boot phone into fastboot (to start fastboot (boot Hboot, plug phone in "HBoot USB plug" shows once phone is plugged in and press the power button (fastboot is highlighted by default) then it says "Fastboot USB")
-Run command "fastboot flash hboot engHBOOToverARX.img" in CMD
2) Android Flasher
-Download from here
-Select phone, select Hboot .img (bootloader)
-Boot phone into fastboot and select FLASH
3) Updater file (PG88IMG.zip)
-Rename PG88IMG(ENG 0.98.2000).zip to PG88IMG.zip EXACTLY
-Place file on your SD card root, and boot into HBoot, and follow onscreen instructions
If you have any problems first check out this thread for answers
Optional:
If all you did was run revolutionary to get s-off and root (i.e. no custom roms etc.) the you should be able to follow the above steps to re flash your stock hboot (0.98.0000 or 0.98.0002) and not use the RUU.
Here is a list of RUU's you can download for your phone [ROM]Shipped Desire S ROM Collection - xda-developers
If you wish to downgrade your current stock phone you can follow this guide.
Here and here are two great threads for HTC Desire S Guides
Here is a guide I wrote to get it done in excessive layman terms.
Section 1 - How to root the Desire S
Disclaimer: Be warned, there always a risk that your phone will end up bricked as a result of procedures like this. I take no resonsibility for bricked devices. Do your own research and if it all makes sense in your head proceed.
!!! Before you proceed, read through the whole post !!!
Always take note of your phones details before you root - Build number (Software number), Baseband version (Radio), and Hboot, you never know whenyou may need them.
Make a goldcard if you have a spare memory card, better safe than sorry!!! (use mmc2, not mmc0/1) see here on how to.
Leave USB debugging on after you have done what you needed, you mayneed it on down the line.
Firstly, before you can root, you need to get S-off, to do this we use Revolutionary.
S-On is basically a security check on HTC phones that prevents unauthorized access to the system memory/NAND, so first it needs to be disabled/by-passed.
Step 1) - Revolutionary method to get S-off
-Turn off fastboot menu/settings/power/fastboot (on the phone)-Turn on USB debugging menu/Settings/Applications/Development/USB debugging (on the phone)
-Boot into Hboot (switch phone off and the press power+vol down) and write down the Hboot number (will need it later) and check the phone is S-On (currently only v0.98.0002 and 0.98.0000 are supported, if your phone is neither of these you need to either downgrade or unlock using HTCDev (not true s-off))
-Download Revolutionary app here
-Ensure HTC sync is UNINSTALLED on the PC!!!!!!!
-Install HTC fastboot drivers (can get them on this page)
-Plug phone in and run Revolutionary app (when plugging in select CHARGE ONLY (i.e. leave on the home screen) and copy the serial that the app gives (this is your phones serial)
-Copy phone serial to Revolutionary.to website select which Hboot your phone is, operating system and copy the beta key generated to the app
-Does its thing, asks to install clockworkmod, say YES or NO, [If NO, and you rather install it yourself (and not the Revolutionary branded one) follow step 2 to install in manually, if YES continue to step 3]
Phone is now S-off but not yet rooted and is running a custom Hboot (v6.XX.XXXX) that doesn't check the security flag which is stored on the device’s radio.
Step 2) - Install Clockworkmod using fastboot
*only follow Step 2 procesure if you selected NO when Revolutionary asked you to install Clockworkmod Recovery, this is to install in manually-Download attached file titled "android-tools.zip", it has the adb and fastboot files needed to proceed
-Extract the file to "c:\" so that the path looks like this C:\android-tools
-Install HTCDriver (Fastboot drivers) (should already be installed from revolutionary step) but here's the link again
-Open cmd and type "cd/"
-then type "cd android-tools"
*To test whether you have set up all the files correctly and your phone is connected correctly you can do the following;
*Plug your phone in (when plugging in select CHARGE ONLY (i.e. leave on the home screen)
*In cmd type "adb" and press enter, it should show a list of commands, then type "fastboot"and press enter, it should also show a list of commands)
*If both these commands work you have extracted the files to the right place and have setup cmd right.
*then type "adb devices"
*Should show connected phone serial if not then try get the latest HTCdrivers
-Download clockworkmod (here) for your phone and place .img in C:\android-tools folder (i.e. where the files adb.exe, AdbWinApi.dll, AdbWinUsbApi.dll and fastboot.exe are)
*To make life easier rename the file to recovery.img
-start fastboot (boot Hboot, plug phone in "HBoot USB plug" shows once phone is plugged in and press the power button (fastboot is highlighted by default) then it says "Fastboot USB")
*(As a test to ensure you have put your phone into fastboot type "fastboot devices" in cmd, it will show your phones serial, if it shows nothing you have not put your phone into fastboot yet)
-run command "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" in cmd
-then run "fastboot reboot"
Phone now should have recovery installed, you can now install custom roms and/or root your phone. I suggest CyanogenMod/MIUI,, plenty to choose from though.
Step 3) - Root phone using Clockworkmod and Superuser
-Copy su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip to sdcard root (Current latest version, get latest from clockworkmod site)-Start clockworkmod recovery (Hboot/recovery)
-Select install zip from sdcard"
-select Choose zip from sdcard
-Select copied file
-select Yes - install su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip to confirm
-Go back
-Then reboot.
All DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Optional:
I do suggest you flash the ENG 0.98.2000 in in Section 2 Step 1 as a precaution if you ever need to flash a RUU.
Step 1 and 3 Video
Here's a video of step 1 and 3 that covers all the points mentioned above.
How to S-Off and Root the HTC Desire S, Sensation, Wildfire, Evo, Flyer HD - A step-by-step tutorial - YouTube
In step 2 I got the info from here over at the XDA forum. The rest form video's and looking around
android-tools.zip File Details;
417.38 KB | MD5: 4A740A80F611F781681094CBB6657D74
Some troubleshooting tips;
1) If your phone won't boot into Hboot, try switching off your phone and take out the battery for 30 seconds and try again.
2) If your phone isnt recognized by your PC try the HBoot drivers in this guide here and follow the Prerequisite steps point.
3) If you are having problems with the adb/fastboot commands follow this guide to setting adb and using it as an alternate the the steps/files mentioned above in STEP 2.
4) To boot directly into fastboot from home screen run this command in cmd 'adb reboot-bootloader'
Section 2 - How To Get Your Phone Stock Again (UnRoot/S-On)
Okay, why would you want to return to stock?
1) The main reason is for warranty reasons,
2) or to fix a problem you are having.
The easiest and most direct way to get back to stock is to install a RUU (Rom Upgrade Utility).
What is a RUU?
RUU stands for Rom Upgrade Utility, these are ROM upgrade utilities (released by HTC that are leaked) that are used to upgrade your phones ROM, and thus we can use them to get the phone back to stock.
Before you S-Off/Root/Unroot/S-On your phone get/do the following;
Always take note of your phones details before you root - Build number (Software number), Baseband version (Radio), and Hboot, you never know whenyou may need them.
Make a goldcard if you have a spare memory card, better safe than sorry!!! (use mmc2, not mmc0/1) see here on how to
Leave USB debugging on after you have done what you needed, you mayneed it on down the line
Your CID (cidnum) (Boot into fastboot (on the phone) and run command "fastboot getvar cid" (on the computer)
In order to overcome the write protection you need to first replace the Hboot by one that can be overwritten by a RUU, to do this you need to flash a ENG Hboot, the current one is ENG 0.98.2000
Step 1) - Flash the ENG HBoot
Do not skip this step!!!
-Turn off fastboot menu/settings/power/fastboot (on the phone)
-Turn on USB debugging menu/Settings/Applications/Development/USB debugging (on the phone)
To flash the ENG HBoot you can use one of these methods;
1) Fastboot
-Place the .img file (extracted from PG88IMG(ENG 0.98.2000).zip) in C:\android-tools (Setup in Section 1-Step 2 First two paragraphs)
-Boot phone into fastboot (to start fastboot (boot Hboot, plug phone in "HBoot USB plug" shows once phone is plugged in and press the power button (fastboot is highlighted by default) then it says "Fastboot USB")
-Run command "fastboot flash hboot engHBOOToverARX.img" in CMD
2) Android Flasher
-Download from here
-Select phone, select Hboot .img (bootloader)
-Boot phone into fastboot and select FLASH
3) Updater file (PG88IMG.zip)
-Rename PG88IMG(ENG 0.98.2000).zip to PG88IMG.zip EXACTLY
-Place file on your SD card root, and boot into HBoot, and follow onscreen instructions
4) adb shell (LAST LAST resort, one typo and you can brick your phone, do some reserch before doing it
-Place the hboot on your SD card and remane it to "hboot.img"
-Boot into recovery
-adb devices - Must show your serial
-adb shell
-su (it should show #, that means you have the right permission, if it shows $ afterwards you dont have permission)
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/sdcard/backup.img (backup your current hboot)
dd if=/sdcard/hboot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 (flashes new hboot)
-Place the hboot on your SD card and remane it to "hboot.img"
-Boot into recovery
-adb devices - Must show your serial
-adb shell
-su (it should show #, that means you have the right permission, if it shows $ afterwards you dont have permission)
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/sdcard/backup.img (backup your current hboot)
dd if=/sdcard/hboot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 (flashes new hboot)
Optional:
If all you did was run revolutionary to get s-off and root (i.e. no custom roms etc.) the you should be able to follow the above steps to re flash your stock hboot (0.98.0000 or 0.98.0002) and not use the RUU.
Step 2) - Install the RUU
How to check if downloaded RUU is compatible with your phone:To avoid errors etc, you need to confirm your phone is unbranded, i.e. check if your CID matches the CID check list in the RUU you downloaded.
To do this Run the installer, then go to your Windows Temp Folder, sort the folder by date and pick the folder with the latest date, and locate the rom.zip file inside, open it up and open the android-info.txt file. Your CID should be in the list, if not then you need to create a GoldCardto install that RUU.
To do this Run the installer, then go to your Windows Temp Folder, sort the folder by date and pick the folder with the latest date, and locate the rom.zip file inside, open it up and open the android-info.txt file. Your CID should be in the list, if not then you need to create a GoldCardto install that RUU.
If you wish to downgrade your current stock phone you can follow this guide.
Here and here are two great threads for HTC Desire S Guides