Debranding/Rooting HTC Hero - Hero, G2 Touch Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello. I have just received a new G2 (aka Hero) on T-mobile UK.
I am planning on doing this, please can you tell me if this would work:
1.Installing a recovery image
2.Booting into recovery and making a Nandroid backup
3.Installing a generic HTC Rom which has been packed into update.zip NB.Rom is a stock rom and therefore not rooted
As I understand after flashing I would lose rooting and would need to root again if I need to. However, I don't need to so am not too bothered.
I am hoping that this would remove T-Mobile branding, but mainly make the phone quicker as it is running the latest ROM. Would this technique work?
I would also like to know wether my sim-lock status would be affected?
Also if Donut/Android 1.6 is released OTA by HTC would my phone update OTA?
Finally, does that mean once I have flashed it, I will not be able to access the recovery partition thing which includes Nandroid etc.?
Please answer my questions and comment if you have any reservations/concerns about this. All comments are much appreciated.

@baggy111
from what i have researched the steps that you have put down would work. This would remove the t-mobile branding.
again from my research the sim-lock would not be affected. once un-locked the phone is un-locked for good.
the question about OTA i am not sure because apparetnly after de-branding your phone should act as a generic HTC hero so it stands to reason that it would act like one too and update OTA.
no idea about the last one
however, i have not performed these steps myself. what i told you is from what i have read on xda and other sites. i would suggest you take a look at www.theunlockr.com too

Anyone else?

come on people

Related

Rooting after ROM update

HI!
I recently got an HTC Hero (Orange branded) which, to be honest, is more than a little frustrating after the joys of the Touch Diamond. Anyway, I rooted the phone when I got it (with instrustions and software from theunlockr.com) which improved things slightly.
Orange have finally released their official ROM update which I have installed with no problems (can be found at http://www.htc.com/uk/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=675&news_id=261), and this has drastically improved the phone’s performance if anyone else was wondering.
My question is, will my phone still be rooted or will I need to do that again, and if so, do I do it in the same way as before? And will the ROM update still be inplace or will it have reverted to the factory default? Any help would be gratefully received. Am fairly ok at windows mobile modification, but when it comes to Android, I’m afraid I’m still quite in the dark!
Thanks very much!
Ben
If you installed a official update in RUU format from Orange then you'll be back to a standard, unrooted phone. What's worse you won't be able to use 'fastboot' to root the phone or reinstall the custom recovery image.
There is a solution though, see here: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...u-flashed-the-2-73-ruu-and-got-the-new-hboot/
Thanks for this Dr Hotdog. I will try this later!
i read somewhere that the new 1.6 sdk can actually fastboot the new hboot, i may be wrong though.

Easiest Way to get my phone working again :p

I guess I'll say what I did to end up here, first:
A few months back, I bought an unlocked HTC Hero (A626) from eBay. This evening, I decided it'd be a good idea to root the thing and install a nice 2.1 ROM.
2 hours later, I find myself with a locked phone. Or, at least, that's what it seems to be. My SIM is definitely *in* the phone, and it's quite adamant that it doesn't have one.
I *was* following the instructions at theunlockr.com about "rooting the hero in one click" - I downloaded the RUU downgrade for "unbranded European users" (though my phone is now in Canada... it *is* an unbranded European phone).
After some mess with drivers and HTC Sync, I finally got the 1.76 RUU to work (I was on 2.73 before)... until I ended up with error code 140; something about a device error.
Now, from my browsing, I'm fairly certain that I could get around this by making a Goldcard and retrying the downgrade and continuing with the root/upgrade.
What I want to know is: will this fix my phone? (making a goldcard, rooting and continuing with a custom rom, that is) Right now it's on radio 6.35.06.18, but I don't believe that changed since the RUU failed. The RUU seems to have locked the phone, and nothing else; every other piece of my data is still intact. If not, is there any way that I can make it work again?
Thanks very much; any help is appreciated
i seem to remember the 140 error when trying to apply the RUU. making a goldcard got me past it.
strange..from other ppl post on phone sim unlocking, rooting shouldnt affect the sim lock at all
krisrm said:
I guess I'll say what I did to end up here, first:
A few months back, I bought an unlocked HTC Hero (A626) from eBay. This evening, I decided it'd be a good idea to root the thing and install a nice 2.1 ROM.
2 hours later, I find myself with a locked phone. Or, at least, that's what it seems to be. My SIM is definitely *in* the phone, and it's quite adamant that it doesn't have one.
I *was* following the instructions at theunlockr.com about "rooting the hero in one click" - I downloaded the RUU downgrade for "unbranded European users" (though my phone is now in Canada... it *is* an unbranded European phone).
After some mess with drivers and HTC Sync, I finally got the 1.76 RUU to work (I was on 2.73 before)... until I ended up with error code 140; something about a device error.
Now, from my browsing, I'm fairly certain that I could get around this by making a Goldcard and retrying the downgrade and continuing with the root/upgrade.
What I want to know is: will this fix my phone? (making a goldcard, rooting and continuing with a custom rom, that is) Right now it's on radio 6.35.06.18, but I don't believe that changed since the RUU failed. The RUU seems to have locked the phone, and nothing else; every other piece of my data is still intact. If not, is there any way that I can make it work again?
Thanks very much; any help is appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont see the sim lock being the cause of no network since you started messeing about with it as the sim lock is held on a totally different part of the phone so any ru update wouldnt effect that or the networks would be nackered, have you tried putting thte recovery image on http://android.modaco.com/content/htc-hero-hero-modaco-com/291486/06-jan-installing-the-patched-recovery-image-on-your-device/ and flashing one using that?
This is not a sim-lock issue. sounds like a goldcard is needed, as this is the bootloader lock you are experiencing...
Ok, well, I suppose I'll try the goldcard, then - one more question; once I make the goldcard, can I ever use the SD card normally afterwards? I don't know if I want to use my 8GB Class 6 if it's unusable as storage, after this :/ .
(Also, apologies to the mods for posting in the Development forums - 'tis what happens when one is low on sleep and stressed by phone problems )
EDIT: Ok - from some reading, it sounds like it's best for me to go looking for the 2GB card that came with the phone, as it will "just be a goldcard after this". If anyone wants to confirm this, that would be excellent. Thanks for all the help, by the way
Ok - I decided I'd try out Flashrec instead (I guess I wasn't on 2.73....7, rather 5, which apparently has the exploit needed to make flashrec work), and I flashed Cyanogen's recovery image successfully - I can boot into recovery mode and I get the familiar screen .
I just want to be very clear about this: can I now flash a custom ROM (preferably without bricking my phone )? (I was thinking Villain 4 Beta2, but if anyone else has a better suggestion... I'm looking for a 2.1 ROM with Sense). I'm not really sure I want to flash the "improved" recovery-RA-HERO right now, as I cannot su (I think this is an issue with me not having it on the phone, as I get "permission denied" errors when I try to run it). Would it be a wise idea to flash a custom ROM with su *first*, and then maybe update my recovery image?
Thanks
All right, sorry about that - disregard my above post; I went ahead with the update. I'm now running Villain4beta2 (2.1 is so nice ). However, I still have the "No Sim card in phone" issue, even though I most certainly *do* have a SIM card in the phone. Does anyone have any idea what's happened? Even better, does anyone know how I can fix this? I'd get it unlocked again, but as some of you mentioned, it doesn't really make sense that a ROM update would sim-lock the phone... Also, I have no idea which carrier it would have been locked to (it shouldn't have been locked to a carrier, really... it's a stock white international phone), so wouldn't that make unlocking rather difficult/impossible?
...and disregard *that* post as well. Turns out the Hero is *really* picky with the SIM tray. It has to be locked entirely; you can use your fingernails and swipe to the left if it doesn't work. Anyway, it had nothing to do with SIM locks and everything to do with me being incompetent at putting in the SIM . So, consider this problem SOLVED.
If it is incapable of detecting any inserted sim I imagine that will make unlocking impossible, since aiui to unlock you need to have a sim inserted belonging to a carrier other than the one it is locked to, in order for the phone to prompt you for an unlock code.
Was the sim recognised & working previously? I know you've just rooted it, but I'd be inclined to try flashing with a stock RUU, if you haven't already. Just pick an old one so you can root it afterwards without the hassle of a gold card.
If it doesn't work with a stock ROM I'd suspect a hardware problem, but it is strange if it was working prior to you starting to update flash. There's no way at any stage you attempted to flash a CDMA Hero rom to your GSM Hero (which I assume it is as you said it was European)? It doesn't seem likely, but worth double checking I guess.
Lol. I've done that before. Didn't think to suggest it as I never imagined anyone else could be as incompetent as me Glad you got it sorted.
Heheh, I do believe you've met your match . Thanks, everything is working beautifully now
krisrm said:
...and disregard *that* post as well. Turns out the Hero is *really* picky with the SIM tray. It has to be locked entirely; you can use your fingernails and swipe to the left if it doesn't work. Anyway, it had nothing to do with SIM locks and everything to do with me being incompetent at putting in the SIM . So, consider this problem SOLVED.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha you clown, well at least now you have the rec image and you can flash away till your hearts content!!

You guys are confusing

Please don't be angry. I am severely confused over this whole update thing. With the bootloader, and the leaked rom, and the official ota rom.....good lord it's like my mind is trying to hump a doorknob.
Anyway... I have 2.2.2, rooted (although by which method, I cannot remember). I do not have any mods. I have side-loading enabled. I have tethering enabled.
What is the safest way, in plain english, to update to the newest version? I don't know what SBF means, I don't know what CWM means, I don't know what RSD means.
All I want as an end result is a rooted version of the latest, OTA update with an unlocked bootloader.
Please help the ignorant
Edit: I guess I should tell you that I'm in the US on an ATT atrix.
You may want to confirm with someone with more experience, but this worked for me (rooted 1.8.3, OTA 2.5.91), I'm too damn new to even post the link ... pm me I guess hah
k4zyn said:
Please don't be angry. I am severely confused over this whole update thing. With the bootloader, and the leaked rom, and the official ota rom.....good lord it's like my mind is trying to hump a doorknob.
Anyway... I have 2.2.2, rooted (although by which method, I cannot remember). I do not have any mods. I have side-loading enabled. I have tethering enabled.
What is the safest way, in plain english, to update to the newest version? I don't know what SBF means, I don't know what CWM means, I don't know what RSD means.
All I want as an end result is a rooted version of the latest, OTA update with an unlocked bootloader.
Please help the ignorant
Edit: I guess I should tell you that I'm in the US on an ATT atrix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you do the over the air update you will not have an unlocked bootloader unless you do it before there are custom roms that are just as good and stable as the official ones that will root unlock your bootloader and upgrade if you want to do all of this follow my guide here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1179506
Just to enlighten things a bit...
a SBF (i believe it stands for system binary file?) is a file that contains an official (made by the manufacturer) ROM for a cellphone. The entire operating system and kernel.
RSD (a.k.a. RSDlite) is a software designed by motorola, to use on your computer to install these SBFs on a cellphone via USB connection.
CWM is a piece of software for your phone that is accessible during boot, before the OS loads.
- After installed, to use it, you have to turn on the phone holding both the power button and the volume down buttons. The phone screen will show "fastboot". That's only one option in a series of options that you can scroll through using the "volume down" button, and that you select using the "volume up" button. Scrolling down, you'll find the option "Android Recovery", which will access whatever CWM you put in place.
- It's function is to allow the installation of ROMs and Kernels. Its basically a simpler alternative to RSD, requiring no pc to function.
And to update your device, first you must install RSDlite on your computer, and install the Pudding SBF on your phone using it. After that, You have to install Tenfar's CWM on your phone. Then you'll choose one of the avaiable ROMs (there's the stock one posted up by kennethpenn, a version of the stock one with a few upgrades, and several customized ones), which you will install using CWM.
The detailed steps are on the NOOB GUIDES fixed post on one of the Atrix's foruns, but I beleive those explanations shall make that road a little less bumpier.
Simple answer
Hi I'd just like to add my 2 cents from the update experience.
If you are rooted prior to the update, installing the official update of gingerbread from Motorola will make you lose root privileges-plain and simple.
In my case unlike you I did not have sideloading enabled. That was the only difference in your situation and mine. So that's a question for a Senior member to answer.
If I were you, I'd just go ahead and update regardless. This forum has a lot of information in resurrection of the bricked phones in the 1% chance that it may happen. 99% you will update to the gingerbready awesomeness.
Another piece of advice is that after exploring a lot of features of the stock rom, i felt that the launcher is the Achilles heel of motoblur or blur UI as they call it now. Try using adw launcher?. It's fast and fantastic. Completely customizable.
This ends my 0.02$.
The way to get unconfused is through education. Find a couple of hours and a pen/paper.
Read the wiki here.
Watch the videos here.
Take notes and follow up in the threads, if you have questions.
kind of a noob myself, but find everything pretty simple. This is an awesome ROM with what you are looking for.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1160649
So I need an SD card ey? Hmm. Ok, well, thanks for the info.
I thought we had a wiki somewhere. Oh wait! We DO!
I have a very similar problem on the lines of i have no idea what the hell is going on and what ppl are saying...!!
But what a bigger problem is is that i have a Orange UK version phone, tho i dont use Orange network... and apparently everything is for ATT phones... so im not sure if any of these things are even compatible with my phone...!?! im running froyo 2.2.2 and want to somehow get onto 2.3.4 but just dont know how...?!?!?!

[Q] Is it possible to have a rooted stock 1.17.206.1 ROM on HOX+?

Howdies all!
So I'm a total newbie to Android (my first smartphone, in fact) and have only ever had to deal with an iTouch; as such I'm having a few problems trying to root my HOX+, though they're mostly due to indecision.
I was wondering if it would be possible to root my stock ROM and keep that ROM installed, and still be able to use my phone normally (with the bootloader unlocked I'm stuck in Airplane Mode, and with it relocked I get stuck in a bootloop)?
I've been able to back up my original ROM - version 1.17.206.1 (O2 UK), and I have SuperSU installed. Would the correct course of action here be to simply relock the bootloader and flash the ROM, or is it not possible to keep the stock ROM on a rooted phone? If I've got the steps wrong, could someone please notify me of the correct procedure, if it is at all possible?
Though before I'm asked - I'm sticking with the stock ROM as it's what I'm currently comfortable with - the custom ROMs I've looked at feel a bit too buggy for me (being new to this and all).
I will also upload my stock ROM backup to a file share site if anybody requires it (I've seen a few threads asking, though I'm unsure if those issues were ever resolved).
Thanks for your time.
EDIT: I feel I may have put this thread in the wrong forum, my apologies if this is the case.

[q] htc one x at&t

Hello everyone,
Here is my story and the reason I am posting looking for someone with enough patience to help me.
I live in the UK and last week I purchased an HTC ONE XL on Ebay, I didn't realize that the phone was being shipped from Hong Kong.. When the phone arrived It had installed Android Ice Cream Sandwich, so far so good....
The first thing I did when I received the phone was to try and update the Android software through Software update.. and here is when my problems started.. It turned out that the recovery software of the phone had been replaced with CWM and hence I am unable to actually update the firmware as every time I do so the system boots into recovery mode and it doesn't allow me to run the ZIP file.
Doing a bit more research I found out that in theory using the correct RUU I should be able to stock/unroot my phone and then be able to install the original software again and be able to update my phone.. Unfortunately the CID of my phone has been changed to CID:11111111 and so far I have not been able to find the correct RUU for it.
After a few days of research I learned how to install custom ROMs and I am running now CyanogenMod 10.0 Stable release with gapps installed as well.
Now here comes the question and hopefully someone with more experience in the Android field might be able to help me out.. Is there any chance of finding out the correct model of hardware so that I can then find the correct RUU for my phone? When I tried to update my phone using OTA the phone got this OTA package downloaded: OTA_EVITA_UL_JB_45_S_hTC_Asia_WWE_3.17.707.1_0.23a.32.09.29_10.128.32.34a_release_299070u0mcx8aiaku8jgn4, would this be of any help in order to identify the correct RUU for my phone?
I have been searching around the internet since I got the phone and doing loads of research but unfortunately despite the fact that I learned how to use Fastboot to flash the ROM, recovery image etc.. I have not been able to find this piece of information which should allow me to restore my phone back to default...
Some of you might be wondering why would I want to restore my phone back to the factory settings since CyanogenMod is really cool and boot much faster... yes you are right, I love CyanogenMod but I am having a bit of an issue with the text and icons in my Android device.. basically the text looks a bit strange and some letters do not seem to display correctly as they have funny shapes.. also the buttons appear with lines on them... so this made me think that the wrong firmware might have been installed and that due to this my phone could having issues with the display... not sure if that might be the cause...
If you guys could maybe provide some help with this or maybe point me to a threat that would help me find out how to identify my RUU that would be fantastic... I have been looking into XDA forums for a few days and although I found lots of very useful info I haven't been able to figure out how to match/find the correct RUU for my device since my CID has been changed as I already mentioned...
Thanks in advance
Wrong forum, this is the HTC One forum not the One x
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1538
i think this is the forum you need

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