Root Rooting with HBoot 2.00.0002

[Deleted User]

Hi,

I've got a stock Orange branded Desire S and I would like to get rid of the bloatware initially, and ultimately flash a new ROM like Cyanogenmod. What's stopping me at the moment is my need to keep the Orange Signal Boost app (UMA) that gives me a VOIP connection over my broadband, as I get no normal signal at all at home. The fact that it doesn't work properly and I sound like Normal Collier to callers, is neither here nor there for the moment !

Anyway... I've been reading the rooting guide on here and it appears that in order to root my phone, which has HBOOT 2.00.0002, I have to downgrade it to an earlier something or other, or use HTC-DEV, which doesn't give me true S-Off. I'm sure this means something, but being a noob, it's going right over my head. Does this mean I have to flash a new ROM in order to get S-Off before I can root it ? ..or am I confused here ?

I just want to get shot of the preinstalled apps for the moment, until I know where I stand with regards to getting Signal Boost to work with one of the fancy new ROMs, but if it means I have to flash a new ROM in order to do this, then I'll have to think again.

I wouldn't mind so much, but I'm not aware of a RUU available on the net for my original stock ROM, so I don't have a way back if it all goes horribly wrong.

Could someone offer me any advice please ?

Many thanks.

 

[Hadron]

Hi aneng,

Please treat anything I say with caution. My own phone is the earlier Desire, and I'm not familiar with the Desire S. Hence I am not going to tell you how to do this - I don't consider myself qualified to do that. However, I do know what some of these terms mean, so hopefully can explain some of these things for you.

That downgrade method seems to involve running an RUU anyway. The significance of this is that it will replace your Orange stock ROM in the process of downgrading the hboot, which as well as removing the unwanted stock apps will also remove the Orange Signal Boost app. So if that app is vital to you it's probably not what you want to do.

The HTCDev method gives you fewer options than true S-Off. It means that even if you root you can't simply uninstall system apps using the android system, though you can flash a new ROM, or use adb to remove system apps. It also means that you can't use fastboot to flash a new radio or hboot. Finally it means that HTC can tell that you did it! However, it does unlock the bootloader and allow you to flash a custom recovery, and once you have a custom recovery you can root the ROM or flash a custom ROM.

As for whether HTCdev will let you keep the signal boost app, I think that if the process does not involve an hboot update then the ROM will not be affected (though it will wipe all user apps and data during the unlock). If however it does require an hboot update (which I don't think is the case, but can't confirm for sure) that will be done by running an RUU, which would again remove that vital application.

Basically, if that app is vital to you, stay away from any process which involves running an RUU.

Do note that if there is no Orange RUU available for the Desire S (which I can believe, as it was the same for the original Desire) then there's no way of returning to unrooted stock Orange software, which may mean that there is no way of returning it to a state where Orange would consider the warranty valid.

Hope this helps and doesn't just add to the confusion.

 

[Deleted User]

Many thanks for the very detailed reply Sir ! I'm not entirely certain I understand all of it, but I think I've got the basics !

I don't suppose it makes any difference if I now no longer care about warranty, or what HTC know or don't know about what I'm doing to the phone ?

My ideal scenario is this:- Root it, Put a new ROM on it, something like Cyanogenmod, get shot of all the Orange crap I don't want, and somehow put the Orange Signal Boost back on. As far as I understand, the only thing in my way of achieving that is the seeming lack of a method of getting the Signal Boost app back on.

I'm getting the point of hating all the Orange nonsense (and HTC's persistent Navigation app that you simply cannot stop from popping up every time you put it in a car dock) that I'm considering admitting defeat on the Orange Signal Boost and looking into trying to get the same functionality from Skype (though I believe it will cost me to get a number for non-Skype users to be able to call me on), and rooting and cyanogenmod-ing to my heart's content.

I can't believe that it's not possible to extract the Orange Signal Boost app from the ROM so it's installable on a new image. I might see if I can get hold of the developer who wrote it. His name is in the 'About' page of the app.