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Root [guide] unlock with htcdev,install recovery,and root

scotty85

Extreme Android User
Jul 25, 2010
11,131
7,412
this is a guide to unlock,install recovery,and root an htc flyer.

before we get started,however,be aware that htcdev does have its limitations. it can be used if you only wish to add root access to delete bloat and run a few root requiring apps,but IMO it is best used as a "steppig stone" to get root for downgrade,or for other exploits to run. if s-off is availble on any "downgradeable to" firmware,i do highly recomend to try and achieve that goal if you wish to activly flash roms. im happy to help with this,as well,if needed. :)

the basic steps will be:
1)unlock with htcdev
2)temporarily or permanently flash a recovery
3)flash root files

before you start,go ahead and download these files:
-mini-adb.zip: mini-adb.zip
-clockwork recoveries for flyer(GB and HC): flyer-CW-recoveries.zip
-superuser files: for GB or HC,use the latest superSU from this thread on xda (the download link is where is says: CWM installable ZIP: CWM-SuperSU-v0.96.zip )
-go to HTCdev - Unlock Bootloader and register an account



1)unlock with htcdev
first thing you need is drivers for adb to see your phone. if you have htc sync installed,you should allready have drivers. if not,you can install htc sync,or install these modified htc drivers from revolutionary

most guides simply say "follow the directions to unlock with htcdev" but im gonna go thru it with ya :) the mini-adb.zip file is all the files that htcdev is telling you to download and put into a folder,so allready this should be a lil easier ;)

1)prepair ADB
-unzip your mini-adb.zip file. this is native funtionality in windows 7. you otherwise may need a utility such as "7-zip" to extract,or unzip it. place the unzipped folder onto the root of your C drive on your PC(sorry, you mac guys will need to develop this for yourself,i dont have a mac). root means the top level,not inside any folders. so just copy and paste,or drag and drop the folder onto C with everything else that is there.

you may want to rename it to "mini-adb_devicename" since youll be putting some device specific files in here. (directions from here forward will assume this folder to be named "mini-adb_vigor",as an example)

-open a command window. on windows 7,click the start bubble in the lower left and type "command" in the search box. xp i believe is similar or the same. doing this should open a small black command window.
-change to your mini-adb_vigor directory. type the following at the prompt in your cmd window:

cd c:\mini-adb_vigor

your command promt should change to "c:mini-adb_vigor>" provided you: 1)unzipped the miniadb zip 2)put the folder on your c drive 3)entered the name of the folder correctly ("mini-adb_vigor" in this case)

-now make sure usb debugging is checked in settings/apps/development,and plug your phone into your PC with a usb cable
-make sure your phone is being recognized- type:

adb devices

if your drivers are installed correctly,this should return your phones serial number. you should hear the "found device" noises when you plug your phone in. if it starts installing drivers,wait for it to finish before typing the adb devices command.

2)unlock using htcdev
-go to HTCdev - Unlock Bootloader and sign in to your account. chose your device from the "select your device bar"(or "other supported devices" if its not listed) and click the green "begin unlock bootloader" button underneath.
-click yes to procede,then read the warnings before checking the boxes and clicking yes to continue,as they are basically explaining that your warranty is now void,and any repairs that your phone needs that may have been a result of unlocking your bootloader and messing with your phones operating system may no longer be covered under mfgr warranty

*check your hboot screen. if you allready have an htc compatible hboot, then skip ahead to the next step,you dont need this.if you have a pink **locked** at the top of the hboot screen,then it is compatible with htcdev. if you dont have a compatible hboot,then download the RUU for the new hboot. right click it,and run as administrator. plug in your phone when prompted to. it will ugrade your hboot to the htcdev unlock compatible version.

-steps 1-4 are describing how to get your phone into bootloader mode and connect it to your PC,wich we have done above. ignore these steps and simply type in your cmd window:

adb reboot bootloader

it may take several seconds,but this command should boot your phone into the "fastboot" screen wich is white with a bunch of colored writing. once this happens,make sure your phone is still being seen in fastboot. type:

fastboot devices

again,this should return your phones serial number.

-click the green procede to step 5 bubble.
-steps 5-7 are telling you how to find the files and utilities inside your mini-adb folder. you have them,so ignore steps 5-7.
-click the green procede to step 8 bubble.
-heres where steps are important,steps 8-10 are telling you how to get your unlock token,and send it to htc. its phone specific(so they prolly know your serial number,meid,etc) so no,you cant use your buddys unlock token and not have htc know that youve unlocked your bootloader. ;) copy this line either from below,or from step 8,and paste it into the prompt in your cmd window. you have to right click to paste in cmd,you cannot control/v :

fastboot oem get_identifier_token

-after yuo hit enter,you will get a bunch of letters that are your identifier token. not much i can say,other than follow the directions in steps 9 and 10 to copy and submit your identifier token to HTC. make sure you get the characters as shown in the pic,with no extra lines or letters. note that you can also hit the "enter" key on your PC to copy,as well as right clicking.
-click the green submit button. wait patiently for an email containing your unlock code. (dont worry,it should come pretty fast :p )
-save the unlock_code.bin that htc sends you directly to your mini-adb folder(if your PC automatically downloads somewhere else,no biggie. just move the unlock code to mini-adb folder)
-click the link in your email to get the rest of the unlock instructions
-step 12 is where them magic happens :D copy from below,or from htc dev:

fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin

-youll see the purdy screen pictured in step 13. use the vol rocker to chose "yes unlock bootloader" and select it with the power button. your phone will reboot,performaing a factory data reset in the process. your data is gone,sorry :( this boot may take a bit longer than they normally do,dont freak out this is normal

as you can see,once the adb files are put in one place to download,its not hard to use,and the commands are pretty simple. below is what you will see in your command window,the red are my inputs.

Code:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:UsersScott>[COLOR="Red"]cd c:\mini-adb_vigor[/COLOR]


c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]adb devices[/COLOR]
List of devices attached
HTxxxxxxxxxx    device


c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]adb reboot bootloader[/COLOR]

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot devices[/COLOR]
HTxxxxxxxxxx    fastboot

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot oem get_identifier_token[/COLOR]
                              ... INFO
INFO< Please cut following message >
INFO<<<< Identifier Token Start >>>>
INFO2ADC7C0C0F1BAF92074BAE9B0035CB6A
INFO021839BFA7465CD0788664688DCCFDEA
INFO33A2FD2C96C7308DD3C57A517DBA8E14
INFO8048F98A9FEA06B8F2AD05D4D3497CFE
INFO6FCCC1DC4E31E0C6F54CEA18D9A80C82
INFO27C33E209D472E6C11753E9D7BCBCE6D
INFO90D9F226E827B6C26165A029B6F7DFF2
INFO63E382B4C82F9F6D866C01B9823ED1BC
INFO0EEFA859327E6B5AC4C24533C9DFA7AF
INFODBD70D55E4666B4B41828B76FFBD010C
INFO1B916E350EFF199EA5B096FF3337FE19
INFO40E6CA9E7F1DD5B33D8D4780DD775289
INFO953404686AEC4C3CB6F1BBB9DC69BA13
INFO8738C00DAFF280ECF02D0C7A66E13855
INFO1D756616732FF47915EAD551A6933E08
INFO10C541C7RD02C14991E83CC49FCA4B92
INFO<<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>>
OKAY [  0.069s]
finished. total time: 0.070s

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin[/COLOR]
  sending 'unlocktoken' (0 KB)... OKAY [  0.143s]
         writing 'unlocktoken'... INFOunlock token check successfully
OKAY [  0.011s]
finished. total time: 0.156s

c:mini-adb_vigor>

2)flash a recovery
if you want to run stock,do not permanently install your recovery. keeping the stock recovery on the phone will ensure that you recieve OTAs without a hitch,wich i know is important to alot of users. YES,the OTA will break root. its no big deal. one good thing about htcdev is that you will always be able to reroot after,simply by following steps 2 and 3 again to launch recovery,flash superser.

once youve either skipped past all the setup,or have re-set up and are ready to root,chose either of the following options to either permantly or termporarily install a recovery:

1)temporary recovery:
-move the recovery image file you downloaded above and place it into the mini-adb folder. make sure you are using the recovery image for your operating system, images for gingerbread and honeycomb are included.
-put the superuser zip file onto your phones sd card
-enable usb debugging once again,as above. open a cmd window,if its not still open from unlocking.
-if you had to re-open a cmd window,dont forget to change back to your mini-adb directory:

cd c:\mini-adb_vigor

-make sure youre connected by typing:

adb devices

-should return serial number
-check the md5 of your recovery image:

md5sums <recoveryname>.img

**make sure the resulting md5 matches the one that is listed for the image that you downloaded. ** (md5s are listed on a text document included in the download)

-boot to bootloader:

adb reboot bootloader

-check for connectivity:

fastboot devices

-should return serial number
-temporarily launch your recovery to phone memory:

fastboot boot <recoveryname>.img

-youll see a (really fast) green status bar on the top right as your PC sends the recovery to your phone. youll then see the HTC splash screen,then your recovery.

in your command window you will see(red are my inputs):
Code:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:UsersScott>[COLOR="Red"]cd c:\mini-adb_vigor[/COLOR]

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="Red"]adb devices[/COLOR]
List of devices attached
HTxxxxxxxxxx    device


c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]md5sums recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img[/COLOR]

MD5sums 1.2 freeware for Win9x/ME/NT/2000/XP+
Copyright (C) 2001-2005 Jem Berkes - http://www.pc-tools.net/
Type md5sums -h for help

[Path] / filename                              MD5 sum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[c:mini-adb_vigor]
recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img                 915d5e3cb662076f36f3d6e54759e951

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]adb reboot bootloader[/COLOR]

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot devices[/COLOR]
HTxxxxxxxxxx    fastboot

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot boot recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img[/COLOR]
        downloading 'boot.img'... OKAY [  1.518s]
                       booting... OKAY [  0.005s]
finished. total time: 1.523s
2)permanently install your recovery
-move the image file you downloaded above and place it into the mini-adb folder. make sure you are using the recovery image for your operating system, images for gingerbread and honeycomb are included.
-enable usb debugging once again,as above. open a cmd window,if its not still open from unlocking.
-if you had to re-open a cmd window,dont forget to change back to your mini-adb directory:

cd c:\mini-adb_vigor

-make sure youre connected by typing:

adb devices

-should return serial number
-check the md5 of your recovery image:

md5sums <recoveryname>.img

**make sure the resulting md5 matches the one that is listed for the image that you downloaded. ** (md5s are listed on a text document included in the download)

-boot to bootloader:

adb reboot bootloader

-check for connectivity:

fastboot devices

-should return serial number
-permanently flash your recovery to phones recovery partition:

fastboot flash recovery <recoveryname>.img

-youll see a (really fast) green status bar on the top right as your PC sends the recovery to your phone,then a (really,really fast) red bar as it flashes it. amon ra is now permanently on your phone when you need it. be aware that you can no longer accept OTAs,unless you reinstall the stock recovery at some point before the next OTAs are pushed.
-to get to recovery,push the power button to select hboot. once in hboot wait for the green writing to flash and disapear,then select recovery.

*note that you can still launch recovery by using the command from scenario 1 above.
-youll then see the HTC splash screen,then your recovery.

and the code(again,red my inputs):
Code:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:UsersScott>[COLOR="red"]cd c:\mini-adb_vigor[/COLOR]

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]adb devices[/COLOR]
List of devices attached
HTxxxxxxxxxx    device


c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]md5sums recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img[/COLOR]

MD5sums 1.2 freeware for Win9x/ME/NT/2000/XP+
Copyright (C) 2001-2005 Jem Berkes - http://www.pc-tools.net/
Type md5sums -h for help

[Path] / filename                              MD5 sum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[c:mini-adb_vigor]
recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img                 915d5e3cb662076f36f3d6e54759e951

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]adb reboot bootloader[/COLOR]

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot devices[/COLOR]
HTxxxxxxxxxx    fastboot

c:mini-adb_vigor>[COLOR="red"]fastboot flash recovery recovery-ra-vigor-3.14-gnm.img[/COLOR]
  sending 'recovery' (7074 KB)... OKAY [  1.659s]
            writing 'recovery'... OKAY [  5.179s]
finished. total time: 6.840s
3)flash superuser root files*
there is not much to explain with this one. if booted to recovery from above,use the recovery menu on your phone to:
-make a backup of your stock,unrooted rom. completely optional,but a very good idea,IMO.
-wipe cache
-wipe dalvik cache
-install zip from sd card(chose your superuser file)
-reboot

*congratulations,youre rooted :D
if your device has procedures to s-off,or procedures to downgrade to more exploitable firmware,you can procede with that now :)

procede to this thread to downgrade,and achieve s-off: http://androidforums.com/flyer-all-...w-honeycomb-root-downgrade-achieve-s-off.html
s-off is better,and worth whatever extra efforts to achieve if available.

*hope it helps,holler if you have questions :)

donate to my device fund :)
 
HI,

I would really appreciate if some one can help me on this.

I have a flyer that was given to me from a friend, but it seems to be semi bricked.
Is it possible to use the temporary recovery method to fix the recovery issue.

It it BB_US version with S-on, hboot 1.110011 and I can unlock it. If I try to install with RUU then it will give me error: my main version is older so I am kind of stuck.

Can only hboot and fastboot to it.
Can not enter into recovery, it just reboots if I use it
nothing seems to work even with using the gold card method -- It would fail also with the error: main version is older!

Thanks again,
 
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