Root HTC Hero won't update

[nevets989]

HI,

My wife's hero has been pestering her to apply an update to Android since around the end of last year. Every time she allows this, it goes through the motions and then fails with an error screen which looks like this:

As neither of us are sure which of the options are safe, I wonder if you guys can explain what's going on? (We've just been selecting "home+back" which reboots the phone in the current OS.)

Some info which might help:
AFAIK it's running Android 1.5, I can't check right now cos my gal is at work. It's whatever was current at December 2009.
We bought the phone second hand on eBay about 2 months after they went on sale here in Oz but the guy we bought it from admitted he'd bought it overseas. Don't know if that has any bearing on anything?

Thanks for any help.
Steve

 

[Slug]

That's the original Amon_RA custom recovery, so your wife's handset is most likely rooted. The recovery is what's preventing the update; the stock recovery would have to be restored to allow it to install.

Can you post details from Settings/About phone/Software information (iirc), specifically build number, software version (if applicable) and kernel?

 

[nevets989]

Hi Slug, Thanks for helping.

From Settings/About Phone:

Model Number:
HTC Hero

Firmware version:
1.5

Baseband version:
63.18.55.06EU_6.35.06.18

Kernel version:
2.6.27-8dd6deee
htc-kernel@and18-2 )

Build number:
2.73.405.5 146733 CL#61267 MCR2.2e
release keys

Software version:
1.0.0.A6288

FYI, here in Australia "rooted" is slang for (among other things) stuffed, broken, f***ed up beyond all repair!

EG: Mechanic "Sorry mate, your engine's rooted"
Me: "Damn, there goes the weekend away".

Hopefully, that's not the case here! I gather with these phones, "rooted" means having taken control of the software in some way?

Cheers, Steven

 

[Slug]

Hi Slug, Thanks for helping.

Glad to help if I can.

Build number:
2.73.405.5 146733 CL#61267 MCR2.2e
release keys

There you go.... the handset is running one of Paul O'Brien's MoDaCo custom ROM builds.

Bad news: it won't get any official firmware updates
Good news: you can easily flash a different ROM offering better performance and more features.

FYI, here in Australia "rooted" is slang for (among other things) stuffed, broken, f***ed up beyond all repair!

Yeah, that occurred to me after I pressed "submit". I just *knew* it would come back to haunt me.

I gather with these phones, "rooted" means having taken control of the software in some way?

Yup, basically full admin access permissions (su in linux-speak).

I'm moving this thread into the All Things Root section as it obviously now belongs there, and you'll get more input from others who have installed the various third-party ROMs on their own Heros.

 

[Xyro]

There are a lot of different ROMs to chose, so we really need to know what your wife wants from her phone.

If you just want the official 2.1 firmware that the handset was trying to give you, then that's easily doable and you know what you're getting. You can get newer versions of android, which bring with them their own benefits and drawbacks.

 

[nevets989]

Hi,

Thank you BOTH for coming to my assistance.

I think that, as this in not MY phone, and I don't want any grief from the missus after the event, I'll go for the official 2.1 firmware.

So... I have to first replace this modified firmware with the official version, correct?

If you can point me in the direction of some simple to follow instructions on how to do that?

FYI, I'm no expert but am comfortable working on a command line. Have been playing with Linux Mint on my iMac for the past few months to try and get a feel for it.

Thanks again for your help.

Steve

 

[Xyro]

If you want the official, official firmware, you need to download and install the firmware RUU.exe from HTC's website. The exact file you want depends on which network you're on, but if in doubt go for the generic one. Install that and you will receive the popup for the update again, but it should install just fine. Note that his will perform a full factory reset on the phone, so you need to backup any data you want to keep.

However..... if you want a custom ROM based on the official firmware, that's possible too. These roms are slightly more polished than the official firmware, and it will be much easier to transfer your data, such as apps, to the new firmware, for example.

It's your call.

 

[nevets989]

OK, just one more question if I may:

I'm in Australia so none of the carriers shown on that page are applicable to me. I looked for the same section in the Australian section of the HTC site, but there are no firmware downloads at all for the Hero, just HTC Sync.

Downloading and installing the UK generic ROM isn't going to brick my phone is it? (Sorry if that's an extremely newbie question, but I've never done this before.)

Thanks.

 

[Slug]

Downloading and installing the UK generic ROM isn't going to brick my phone is it?

No, worst-case scenario is it refuses to install. The official ROM updates look for specific device IDs and won't install if they find one that identifies the handset as originally using a carrier-specific firmware. If this is the case it's possible to get round it by using a goldcard - there's a good guide in the "sticky" at the top of this section.

 

[nevets989]

Thanks Slug, am going to give it a go this weekend. Wish me luck!

 

[Xyro]

No, worst-case scenario is it refuses to install. The official ROM updates look for specific device IDs and won't install if they find one that identifies the handset as originally using a carrier-specific firmware. If this is the case it's possible to get round it by using a goldcard - there's a good guide in the "sticky" at the top of this section.

I think that the phone will already accept any firmware, since it's got a custom ROM already. (Not that I actually have ever flashed my phone back to stock )

But yeah, if you don't like in America/England, you seem to be a bit sunk when it comes to getting the 2.1 update. We've helped quite a few people put the 'World Wide Edition' firmware on and it's worked just fine

 

[ophthalmo]

hey guys...
i am also having the same problem as nevets989.plus i have the same 'about phone' info as him except for the build number which in his case is
Build number:
2.73.405.5 146733 CL#61267 MCR2.2e
release keys
and in my phone it is
Build number:
2.73.405.5 146733 CL#61267 release keys
i tried the link to htc official site for the rom upgrade..and the part where it asks for the serial number..i gave it and it says 'sorry,this software download is not suitable for your device'
any help?

 

[Xyro]

Where was the phone purchased? This seems to be a problem with non-UK/US handsets, that their serial numbers are rejected even though they run the generic firmware.

You can download the firmware from here in stead. You will probably find the firmware file rejects your phone too (on the basis of it's serial number), in which case you need to turn your sdcard into a goldcard. That will allow you to install the generic 1.5 and receive the generic 2.1.

Bear in mind if your phone has any non-standard languages/locales at the moment, they will be lost with the generic firmware.

 

[ophthalmo]

i dont know where it was originally purchased..i bought it second hand from pakistan..
plus i am concerned if the phone might be bricked coz sometime ago i banged up my iphone
nd wats a goldcard?

 

[Xyro]

i dont know where it was originally purchased..i bought it second hand from pakistan..
plus i am concerned if the phone might be bricked coz sometime ago i banged up my iphone
nd wats a goldcard?

That explains it then. There probably isn't anywhere you can get the firmware without using a golcard.

What do you mean by bricked? That word typically means the phone won't turn on at all, which obviously yours does if you found out the build number and so on.

As for what a goldcard is... When you try to download the firmware program from HTC's site, it checks your serial number and rejects it right?. We can get around that by downloading the file elsewhere. However, the program it's self will also check your serial number whilst installing and will reject your phone. So what you need is to alter your sdcard slightly, turning it into a goldcard, which will fool the firmware program into accepting your phone. Don't worry though, it doesn't affect your sdcard's normal function whatsoever.

You just need to, using the links in my previous post, run the program to turn your sdcard into a goldcard, download the firmware via the link I gave you and install it.

Like I said, you stand to lose any extra languages from your phone if they aren't supported in the generic firmware.

 

[ophthalmo]

no not this phone...i was talking about an iphone i had some time ago

 

[Xyro]

no not this phone...i was talking about an iphone i had some time ago

Whoops, my mistake, misread what you said there

 

[ophthalmo]

sorry to b a pain but the link u gave me for the firmware isnt downloading its stuck at 63kb downloaded...or may b its my internet connection?

 

[Xyro]

You're right, it doesn't work for me either.

Got a busy day today but I'll try and find you another copy later on

 

[Xyro]

Right, sorry I didn't get round to this very quickly.

It looks like the oriignal link I gave you works now, albeit pretty slowly. Here's an alternate link: HTC Hero WWE 2.73.405.5 ROM