[Q] Explain (not with a HOWTO!) Goldcard, Bootloader, SPL, RUU, CID to me

[Q] Explain (not with a HOWTO!) Goldcard, Bootloader, SPL, RUU, CID to me - General Questions and Answers

Ok, so I'm not all that new to this rooting thing, I've rooted several HTC Magics, a Nexus One, helped out on a Legend, rooted a Hero and managed to install Android on an HTC Tytn II.
I'm getting used to the different terms about rooting and I'll recite them for you so you know where I'm at.
My Question/Request for you all is to help me figuring out what all these words mean and how they correspond/correlate/work together.
=== Things I have understood almost completely ===
Root
As in Linux, gives a user or script the permission to write to otherwise protected partitions and file systems of the handset.
Recovery
A partition(?) that manages some tasks involved with the basic building blocks of the system, such as installing/flashing different partitions/parts of the handset. Also has the ability to wipe the data-partition as well as Dalvik-cache.
Bootloader/HBOOT/SPL
A partition(?) that fires up the basic buildingblocks on the handset. Such as recovery, OS, and whatnot. With Fastboot-commands it's possible to flash partitions, as long as the bootloader allows remote writing through command-line.
=== Things I've almost completely understood ===
CID
CarrierID. This is when a mobile phone network carrier "locks" the phone to a specific network. But this also means that the carrier hands out updates to the Android-system installed on the handset? And the only way of updating a factory-state handset is by getting hold of updates from the carrier?
RUU
ROM Update Utility. Used by HTC to update their manufactured handsets. There might be other manufacturers who use this abbreviation, but I've seen it used almost exclusively in regards to HTC. There are checks being made when trying to install a RUU-package on the handset. These are/could be(?)
* Current RUU version already installed (if the RUU-package that is being installed is older, the installation quits)
* Current CID (If the CID in the RUU doesn't match the CID on the handset, the installation quits)
=== Things that confuse me ===
Goldcard
This is a modified SD card that supposedly bypasses the CID/RUU-check. Now, this to me sounds like I can install any RUU no matter what version I currently have installed on my handset and no matter what CID my handset came with.
This also sounds to me that I can potentially install a Desire RUU on my HTC Magic, if it is true that the RUU/CID-check is bypassed by the goldcard.
This also sounds to me that the requirement for a newer RUU-version of the package I'm installing is bypassed. For instance, I will, if I use a goldcard, be able to install a RUU-package with the version 1.28 on a handset that currently have version 1.31 installed?
Reverting a root
Is it as easy as grabbing the latest official RUU-update from HTC:s website and install that? Does it contain all the partitions and system-files necessary to restore the handset to a factory-state? Or will there be complications because of the root and different custom-ROM:s and custom-recoveries that are on the handset?

Shameless bump. SOMEONE has to know this. Or this is such common knowledge that there is a wikipedia article and I missed it?
If I only get an answer to my Goldcard questions I'd be real thankful.

Sounds to me like you have a very good grasp of all these things. It's nice, but rare, to see people doing their own research and learning this much before posting questions!
There's nothing i can add really but to confirm that ,yes...flashing a stock ROM will revert changes although some devices can be picky with which stock ROM is best.
As an aside, have you considered doing development work yourself, perhaps ROM building? You're obviously capable, interested and 'have the right stuff'!

DirkGently1 said:
Sounds to me like you have a very good grasp of all these things. It's nice, but rare, to see people doing their own research and learning this much before posting questions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thank you. I'm slowly beginning to get used to doing as much research as I can get by with and provide what I know, or at least think I've been able to conclude, and then ask a question about it.
DirkGently1 said:
There's nothing i can add really but to confirm that ,yes...flashing a stock ROM will revert changes although some devices can be picky with which stock ROM is best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say flashing a stock ROM, would this also apply for RUU-packages? As an example; If I have an HTC Hero and I manage to downgrade it through som root-method, will I be able to run an official HTC-provided RUU to get it back to a factory state?
The only way I have been able to return my Nexus One to a factory state is by the use of a PASSIMG.zip-file, but then I would have to make sure that I am using the stock recovery. One reason for my question is that I'd also like to know if it's possible to run an RUU-package on a rooted, and/or custom recovery-flashed and/or engineering SPL-flashed handset and have it returned to a factory state.
DirkGently1 said:
As an aside, have you considered doing development work yourself, perhaps ROM building? You're obviously capable, interested and 'have the right stuff'!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, sure, the thought has struck me once or twice. I'm currently in my last months of my education in becoming a Master in Software Engineering, but at the moment I'm into getting to know more about how Android works on different handsets and how the different parts are connected to each other. I will very soon dive into Android development as it's the only really interesting area for handsets/mobile communication, that doesn't have the price of a whole Apple Macintosh to even be able to begin programming for it.
I'm sure I will get an Apple suite later on, I like the diversities of different manufacturers but for the time being I'm price conscious.

Is there anyone who knows a thing or two about Goldcards?
One of my questions in the first post was about the CID/RUU-relation to the Goldcard.
I have read from one or maybe two people on random forums, stating that the Goldcard is _only_ needed when the handset is carrier-locked. I'm very interested in getting to know more about the Goldcard and when it is supposed to be used and/or required.
Because a lot of the times when dealing with rooting HTC handset it boils down to having a Goldcard or not. But at times I hear about methods where Goldcards aren't needed. But the statements differ from "You need a goldcard" to "You only need a Goldcard when your handset is CID-locked" to "You need a Goldcard to be able to flash an RUU that is older than the one you currently have on your handset." to "You need a Goldcard if you want to flash an RUU with a different CID" to "You don't need a Goldcard at all".
Somehow I think there are some kind of specific combinations, for instance something like this;
CID-locked handset => Needs a Goldcard to be able to root
RUU-version on the handset is new => Needs a Goldcard to be able to flash older RUU-version
RUU/CID-combination is X and Y => Needs a Goldcard to be able to flash an RUU that has the RUU/CID-combination A and B
...
...
There are times when some rooting methods do not require a Goldcard at all, but it seems to me they are pretty rare when compared to those who require a Goldcard.
Someone out there should have the whole story about this and I'm very interested to know how these things work and I'm also grateful for sharing this with me.

Related

<Collaboration><Dev><Ideas> HTC Evo 2.3.3 Gingerbread Root Collaboration.

<Collaboration><Dev><Ideas> HTC Evo 2.3.3 Gingerbread Root Collaboration.
* I love the color orange.HTC Evo 2.3.3 Gingerbread Root Collaboration
The Lowdown on Everything
FASTBOOT
HTC's RUU releases basically run the adb reboot bootloader code, reconnect to the phone, verify the version and run a series of fastboot commands to install the contents of the PC36IMG (detailed below). In the same way it may be possible to run fastboot commands from command prompt with the SDK installed if you can time it just right in the flashing process, or not. The bootloader can be quite picky when it comes to letting anyone or anything flash anything lower than the version on the phone, or unsigned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PC36IMG
The PC36IMG is what is flashed in the bootloader. The contents of the zip include the radio, system, and more. As long as S-ON is present the bootloader won't flash any PC36IMG that isn't signed by HTC themeselves, however with S-OFF you can flash custom PC36IMGs as well as downgrade, because the bootloader doesn't check the firmware version to see if it's newer or not. If someone was however to be a sneaky awesome ninja and steal HTC's secret sauce then we could simply sign any PC36IMG we wanted to and fake a newer version in the android info txt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RECOVERY
From my understanding the stock recovery references alot with the bootloader to check for most of the same checks it looks for in the PC36IMG, but in the update.zip HTC includes for updates. The stock recovery won't flash anything but signed HTC update.zips either, which again you need the special sauce to sign. Custom recoveries like Amon RA or Clockwork remove the security and don't reference with the bootloader (since your phone has to be S-OFF anyways to flash a custom recovery.) A custom recovery is the key in flashing customs roms and kernels, if you can achieve it with the security on (S-ON) the you won't even have to worry about achieving S-OFF. However, that's near impossible due to the security in the bootloader HTC implements with updates. Which is why the bootloader has to be cracked to install anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RUU
The RUU is an official tool HTC puts out so people can reflash there phone with a stock firmware just like if it is brand new and your turning it on for the first time. The files included inside of the RUU frontend include the PC36IMG which is essentially what is flashed in the process, but in a fancy way I guess you could put it. The same security applies to the RUU, you can't downgrade versions without S-OFF because the bootloader still checks the version on the phone currently to see if it can flash the PC36IMG or not (when security is on [S-ON] )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
APKS
I'm sure alot of you know of applications such as Visionary or Z4Root, they both use common exploits to root your phone in a simple application, first temp root then permanent root. They push the approiate resources, Superuser, su, busybox, set the permissions for everything to run, and clean up everything in the blink of an eye thanks to simple scripts. The same thing is still quite possible with any exploit, the exploit just has to be found in the software. You find the exploit you gain root. You have root you can do almost anything to your phone, but S-OFF still plays a role in everything with what you can and cannot flash. Sigh. I know right..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our Mission
The whole purpose of this thread is to collaborate on possible ways to obtain S-OFF and/or root on 2.3.3, either update. We are community, thus we must act like one, and not bash each other for trying. If you have a truthful idea or any questions feel free to post them. You never know, you could very well help with rooting the latest update. This has gone on far to long it's been almost 2 months and no root. This is our time to free each other from the chains of security because we all like to be dangerous sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Possible Rooting Ideas

What Works What Doesn't
I encourage everyone to try previous rooting methods, and methods to obtain S-OFF and experiment as much as they feel comfortable with, you never know what you might find. We could be overlooking something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

There is no right or wrong answer only better ones than others. Please do not bash users, or slander them for there ideas, everyone has a right to post, but please stay on topic. /end

Am I missing something?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

lil_bono said:
Am I missing something?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just give me a few, I'm still typing.
<done></done>

<words>I'll be back on tomorrow, I'm going to go lay down and talk to my friend. Feel free to comment with any ideas. I, myself, am looking into and working very hard to achieve S-OFF and root for the 2.3.3 update, it will come in time. That's just the key; time.</words>

What other phones have you developed, alone or with a group, a rooting and/or s-off type process for? And I don't mean an app that uses an already known exploit such as rageagainstthecage.
I guess at least we have a fancy thread now. Best of luck to everyone.

ill jsut post a small snippet of thanks for thaking this initiative, i dont know about android os myself one bit, so i can hardly contribute, but would there be a way to "fool" the hboot or Ruu version number ?
either fooling the hboot into thinking the ruu one is trying to flash ( to downgrade of course) is a higher version one, or to somehow change the RUU itself to report a different version number? i realize this may sound incredibly stupid as my programming knowledge is very limited, but jst throwing it out there...
once again, thanks for taking this initiative for the evo 4g community

I was wondering if you could force the RUU update. We know it verifies the version on the phone, but surely to could still flash if it was forced. Sort of like doing an nvflash on the tablets. You'd just need to hack the RUU updater to skip the version check and flash anyway. Unfortunately, I'm not a cracker, so...

This should take off
There's a whole thread in Evo General full of ideas due to some kind of "bounty" to whomever achieves root on 2.3.3. At least we could get a start on what does/doesn't work. (This is not meant to deter traffic from this brainstorming thread)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1162671

skatrwannabe3 said:
There's a whole thread in Evo General full of ideas due to some kind of "bounty" to whomever achieves root on 2.3.3. At least we could get a start on what does/doesn't work. (This is not meant to deter traffic from this brainstorming thread)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1162671
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, great idea. Just so you know, there is no "bounty" on rooting the ota. I dont even know where that term came from. I just started a thread to say that I am desperate for root, I will pay for someone to figure it out. I never asked anyone or expected anyone else to throw money in on it too. It has since grown into a 600+ dollar pot, and I think that its a good thing. The people that take the time to root it should get a pat on the back.
On topic: I see a bunch of people saying to downgrade, isnt temp root gonna come before that? Shouldnt temp root be the thing to focus on first?

I'm not much of a programmer but ill brick my phone as many times as needed lol
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

github said:
What other phones have you developed, alone or with a group, a rooting and/or s-off type process for? And I don't mean an app that uses an already known exploit such as rageagainstthecage.
I guess at least we have a fancy thread now. Best of luck to everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've personally never been the leader of a rooting or S-OFF project before, but my knowledge of Android on a whole is pretty vast. I do develop roms and kernels as well as themes and apps for Android in general, so I guess I'm pretty qualified?

fldash said:
I was wondering if you could force the RUU update. We know it verifies the version on the phone, but surely to could still flash if it was forced. Sort of like doing an nvflash on the tablets. You'd just need to hack the RUU updater to skip the version check and flash anyway. Unfortunately, I'm not a cracker, so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that the RUU is anything but a front end user interface for the process, the actual flashing and everything involves the bootloader, which is why it still pushes the PC36IMG temp. to the sdcard. It might however be in the RUU itself and using fastboot flashes? I'll look into it. Good idea, thanks.

Who rated the thread bad?

bubby323 said:
I'm not sure that the RUU is anything but a front end user interface for the process, the actual flashing and everything involves the bootloader, which is why it still pushes the PC36IMG temp. to the sdcard. It might however be in the RUU itself and using fastboot flashes? I'll look into it. Good idea, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but does the RUU update the hboot itself?
the point is , older hboots and android software are already rooted, if we can get back to those , the end result is the same, we get root, then upgrade using a stock rooted rom, problem solved

bubby323 said:
What Works What Doesn't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My recent failures attempts while on 4.24 S-On:
Amon_Ra Recovery PC36IMG.zip flashed from Hboot
Signed 3.70 PC36IMG.zip flashed from Hboot
Signed 4.24 PC36IMG.zip flashed from Hboot (it loads/updates, but is basically a factory reset)
3.70 RUU exe
UnrEVOked3

some chucklehead
bubby323 said:
Who rated the thread bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh, I put in a 5 star vote to make it up, also to show the uselessness of voting.

Has anyone looked at the contents of a PC36IMG.zip? I am still decompliling one, but its a fun task to decipher all of the code. Another thing I need is for someone to tell me which files I should be looking for as far as HTC signing. What I would like to do is maybe strip it from the stock one, and insert it into a custom image.
Sent from the land of motorcycles!

[Q] What exactly do I need to start changing around roms

Hi folks.
You'll have to excuse me, as I know next to nothing about putting roms and whatnot into my phone - but I am super excited about being able to learn how, etc.
I'm currently using a totally stock and normal HTC Sensation 4G and have been since roughly the time it came out with my carrier. The phone has started being... weird, so I'm looking to change things around with it.
Anyways - I've been looking around the site and trying to find what exactly is the best starting point for somebody with absolutely no experience.
I've seen some noob threads here and there, but I'm not sure if they're leading me to readying my phone to throw no a new rom. Is there just some sort of state to put my phone into and then be able to flash whatever rom is available for it?
This is what I started looking at but I'm not sure if this a good jump off or not to ready my phone for fun changes.
Thanks for being patient with me on this.

Read this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
Basically, you need to S-OFF your phone, and install a new recovery. Then you can flash new roms from your new recovery.
Use the Revolutionary method in the guide to unlock your phone. Install the Clockworkmod Recovery, and Super CID if you want. That just means that you'll be able to flash a rom meant for *any* carrier, not just your own.
That's it.

59seconds said:
Read this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300
Basically, you need to S-OFF your phone, and install a new recovery. Then you can flash new roms from your new recovery.
Use the Revolutionary method in the guide to unlock your phone. Install the Clockworkmod Recovery, and Super CID if you want. That just means that you'll be able to flash a rom meant for *any* carrier, not just your own.
That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
That's exactly what I needed. I plan on digging around when I get home.

Good luck. Just remember to read everything all the way through before you do anything, and make sure that you understand all of the steps. Most of the problems that people have is because they just don't read the information/guides.

59seconds said:
Good luck. Just remember to read everything all the way through before you do anything, and make sure that you understand all of the steps. Most of the problems that people have is because they just don't read the information/guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair advice for nearly anything!
Question about doing all this...
Do I have to have my phone connected to my computer? Or is this done primarily through the phone?

You'll need to transfer over some files. Super CID requires you to run commands to your phone from your computer, but that's it. It's definitely worth it to have fastboot and adb running on your computer in case you need it.

59seconds said:
You'll need to transfer over some files. Super CID requires you to run commands to your phone from your computer, but that's it. It's definitely worth it to have fastboot and adb running on your computer in case you need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! I will keep that in mind for when I'm there!
Is this generally a long winded process?

Nah The first time is a bit of work since you have to S-OFF your phone and install a recovery. But it's a breeze after that. So many people have done it and the xda forums are very helpful. I followed that guide the first time and had zero problems.

So, hopefully somebody will have a bit of an idea what to do here...
First things first. I'm doing this all through a bootcamp-esque program from my Macbook - and currently on Windows 7, as there's only Windows and Linux available for the Revolutionary method.
I've downloaded the program. Opened it into a folder, etc. Turned on USB debugging and done everything else the tutorial has mentioned.
Has anybody had similar issues before?

speps said:
Hi folks.
You'll have to excuse me, as I know next to nothing about putting roms and whatnot into my phone - but I am super excited about being able to learn how, etc.
I'm currently using a totally stock and normal HTC Sensation 4G and have been since roughly the time it came out with my carrier. The phone has started being... weird, so I'm looking to change things around with it.
Anyways - I've been looking around the site and trying to find what exactly is the best starting point for somebody with absolutely no experience.
I've seen some noob threads here and there, but I'm not sure if they're leading me to readying my phone to throw no a new rom. Is there just some sort of state to put my phone into and then be able to flash whatever rom is available for it?
This is what I started looking at but I'm not sure if this a good jump off or not to ready my phone for fun changes.
Thanks for being patient with me on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mentioned the phone being "weird", in what way is it weird? If this turns out to be a hardware issue or something that requires you to send the phone back to the manufacturer, rooting the phone can void your warranty (if you have any warranty left).
Please keep this in mind prior to rooting your phone. There is a way to flash your phone back to stock and return S-ON but from what I hear it is a little risky and there is a chance of bricking your phone while doing it (as with any part of the rooting process).
When following directions for rooting, I would advise you to read the whole instructions list first to ensure you have an understanding of the whole process, so you don't get stuck at any steps. Make sure you follow the guides exactly as well.
Never heard of anyone doing this through bootcamp on a MAC, but as with any compatability issues, if you have any strange issues with any of the steps it is best to use a native Windows or Linux machine to perform the rooting process.
I have never had any issues with any rooting process, for my SGS and Sensation XE using a Windows 7 64bit computer.

rickadlee said:
You mentioned the phone being "weird", in what way is it weird? If this turns out to be a hardware issue or something that requires you to send the phone back to the manufacturer, rooting the phone can void your warranty (if you have any warranty left).
Please keep this in mind prior to rooting your phone. There is a way to flash your phone back to stock and return S-ON but from what I hear it is a little risky and there is a chance of bricking your phone while doing it (as with any part of the rooting process).
When following directions for rooting, I would advise you to read the whole instructions list first to ensure you have an understanding of the whole process, so you don't get stuck at any steps. Make sure you follow the guides exactly as well.
Never heard of anyone doing this through bootcamp on a MAC, but as with any compatability issues, if you have any strange issues with any of the steps it is best to use a native Windows or Linux machine to perform the rooting process.
I have never had any issues with any rooting process, for my SGS and Sensation XE using a Windows 7 64bit computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been doing a lot of the issues listed here - plus, the battery life is just absolute crap. I've ordered new batteries for it (the 1900mAh Anker ones people here discussed before) and taken a few other steps to try and make it work in my favour a bit more.
I was able to almost complete the S-Off process last night, although I hit a brick wall as it just continued on the "Zerging root" while using Revolutionary. Damn.
I may try again when I get home.

One thing NO ONE ever points you to do but is, in my mind, the most important thing is to try a make sure there is an RUU available for your current ROM.
An RUU (ROM Upgrade Utility) is a complete ROM from HTC which will restore your phone to stock should you need to send it back for a warranty claim.
To check for an RUU, you first need to know your current ROM version that your phone came with. Go to Settings>About phone>Software information and make a note of the 'Software version' e.g. 1.50.401.3
Once you have that, go here and try to find a file name matching the version:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074559
If you find one, download it and keep it safe

EddyOS said:
One thing NO ONE ever points you to do but is, in my mind, the most important thing is to try a make sure there is an RUU available for your current ROM.
An RUU (ROM Upgrade Utility) is a complete ROM from HTC which will restore your phone to stock should you need to send it back for a warranty claim.
To check for an RUU, you first need to know your current ROM version that your phone came with. Go to Settings>About phone>Software information and make a note of the 'Software version' e.g. 1.50.401.3
Once you have that, go here and try to find a file name matching the version:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074559
If you find one, download it and keep it safe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be sure to do that. Thanks!

Would anybody know why I keep getting stuck at the "zerging root.." portion?
Unless it usually takes a few minutes, it seems to just... hang.
As far as I can tell, everything else is set up correctly for this to work.

Unlocking, S-ON/OFF, root - explained

Hi!
First: I have read many threads, but I am (like I guess many others) still a little confused on the newest development with HtcDev in game, with regard to unlocking, rooting Desire S. I need a rooted phone in order to install rSAP bluetooth support so it can connect it to my carkit.
I am not an expert, but I have successful rooted my Desire and Desire S (applied an pre-rooted stock ROM), which I also managed to get back to stock. Meaning: I have some experience, although I admit I do not understand linux and other expert mumbo-jumbo.
I believe that answers to this post could help many others looking for the same answers on this forum and trying to root their devices because of SW needs and not ROM experimenting.
My current config - running software 2.10.401.8
*** LOCKED ***
SAGA PVT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-2.00.0002
RADIO-3822.10.08.04_M
eMMC-boot
Aug 22 2011 15:22:13
Questions:
1. From "factory clean" state on stock ROM - is it possible to make a backup of the system to which I could restore after flashing, unlocking, etc?
Meaning, I could restore the phone to stock without all downgrading, flashing,...
(I guess if possible, I would need to have e CWM or 4EXT installed, which is not possible unless rooted?)
2. I would like to root my phone (see spec. above) -what is the simplest method and the simplest method to revert it back to stock if needed warranty?
(I guess HtcDev+SuperOneClick ? - how is it possible to revert to stock?)
3. It there any other way to install rSAP support without root?
4. Could someone explain in bullets connection between (a) hboot, (b) recovery, (c) ruu, rom and (d) radio.
Thank you!

You're asking for a lot of concentrated info that could have been easily (or not so easily, but anyway) acquired by reading the answers to your questions, broken in parts.
I can write such a topic, but I'm sure it's already been written, and a little bit of search will take you to it. You should try.

Agree with Jack there. This is a lengthy answer you're asking for... and considerable time has already been invested by concerned users here, drawing up detailed tutorials for questions like the ones you've asked.
Do a little looking around and you'll find the answers you seek. They've already been written in detail. All it takes is a little time, and effort.
Cheers

I know, it is written already, but to be honest it is a little bit confusing when in one thread there is like "the best option" to do the unlocking via HtcDev and in other the users are warning others not to do it via HtcDev.
Also, with new SW update and Hboot upgrade things went a little different, that is why my proposal was to write those answers as up to this date in one place. I know that people that are really into that/developers and people that are daily xda-forum visitors may be up to date with all the things here, but for a average visitor it is just a lot of information which is sometimes contradictory...
So, If this is not too much, I would really appreciate you guys answering this and as I said, I am convinced it will also help many other "average" users here.
Best regards!

follow the link to the index I'm my signature, and spend some time to read some of the guides in the initial sections to familiarize yourself with terminology and basics principles, this will assist you
you may need to use HTC dev method to un lock so read that section. (although down grade and revolutionary is preferred but more complex)
Swyped form ym Dersie S unsig XAD Permuim

There are facts, and there are opinions.
Facts are:
"For doing what you need in this way, do A, B, C. For doing it another way, do X, Y, Z".
Opinions are:
"Doing things THIS way is better than doing things THAT way".
And in addition to both of those, there are users - some of whom attempt things they have no understanding in, obviously fail and come to the forum for rescue - while not being able to understand the help they're getting here. Look in Q&A, you'll see enough such questions.
Between all that, as you understand, there is no perfect guide you're looking for. More than one way to achieve the result, a bit different results that allow you to do the same, but differently. No "know your Linux inside out in 10 min". You need to spend some time reading the FACTS, and as many of them as you can - and then you can have your own opinions, and do things the way you prefer.

slokii said:
1. From "factory clean" state on stock ROM - is it possible to make a backup of the system to which I could restore after flashing, unlocking, etc?
Meaning, I could restore the phone to stock without all downgrading, flashing,...
(I guess if possible, I would need to have e CWM or 4EXT installed, which is not possible unless rooted?)
2. I would like to root my phone (see spec. above) -what is the simplest method and the simplest method to revert it back to stock if needed warranty?
(I guess HtcDev+SuperOneClick ? - how is it possible to revert to stock?)
3. It there any other way to install rSAP support without root?
4. Could someone explain in bullets connection between (a) hboot, (b) recovery, (c) ruu, rom and (d) radio.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a rom is scarey business and it can leave us worried aboout what happens when it goes wrong. I came here from Galaxy S, ODIN and customs, Windows 7 and ZUNE as well as saving many friends soft bricks which are a walk in the park compared to HTCs, but there are 3 major reasons why people brick their phones, thats right I said people brick their phones:
1) People dont read the entire thread through first and learn the process Before they flash, they just go ahead and do it.
2) If theres something they dont understand in the thread they dont bother to research it first, when it goes wrong, they panick and blame the tools, not them.
3) They dont have any patience and wait for things to finish, when the phone and PC are quiet, it doesnt mean to say theres nothing happening.
This thread will answer some of your HBoot questions, but read the whole thread, read peoples experiences:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1443636
And as has been mentioned, read around before you do anything.
Best of luck.. happy flashing

SOLVED - OTA - update downloads but fails to install - Rev & Root

Nobody could help but finally i managed to take the risk and it paid off thankfully.
It is the easiest way to unroot, remove superuser, revolutionary and to restore hboot back to normal and S-On again, to get official updates including ICS.
Download the attachment "usmanxhmed.rar", it has Android Flasher and FlashENGHBOOT.
Attach your phone to PC with USB cable, make sure you have HTC fastboot drivers installed.
Open Android Flasher and select bootloader and browse to the file FlashENGHBOOT which you downloaded in file "usmanxhmed.rar", boot phone into fastboot and click flash.
It will remove REVOLUTIONARY **** from the phone.
Now download your specific RUU from this link http://www.filefactory.com/f/c64d333a2755a421/ i was unsure which is my RUU for the phone as i bought it second hand, my phone was unbranded, i matched the software version and radio version in my software information of the phone and downloaded the specific RUU.
After flashing the RUU my Desire S became factory fresh and back to S - ON and updated my phone with Android 2.3.5 and Sense 3 and hopefully/ may be i will get ICS in future as well
--------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL POST
(Please Don't tell me to search the forums, as my situation is bit different and i am newbie here)
I have Desire S (I bought used from Market and sadly it has S-off with Revolutionary and Superuser App installed)
Problem is that, i get notification of update 1.47.401 and it gets download, when it tried to install after reboot i see android icon with triangle exclamation mark.
Now my situation is different because i have a feeling despite S-off i am on official rom which is 2.3.3, so i want to jump to 2.3.5 and later on official ICS
So i think if i just remove revolutionary and root and S-off to S-On may be, i may able to install the update as i already have official or stock rom in my phone i think.
I have android 2.3.3
software number 1.28.401
Update that i download is 1.47.401
Revolutionary S 0ff
hboot 6.98
I dont even know which hboot i need to get this update to inslall or what i need to do? is there any caring guy who can help beside just taunting as i have seen here?

Forget update, simply flash a custom ROM
Would also suggest that you out ENG boot loader over the alpha Rex one
See INDEX (in my signature) for links
Swyped from my DesireS

@poster
for u to conviniently use htc OTA updates u need to S-ON again
or just forget it and install custom ROMs like Ben just said
cheers

Thanks both of you for replying, its the beauty of God that we all have different mind sets, unlike most guys here, i am a man who would prefer official/stock rom and would prefer to have official updates instead of amateur ROM. May be because
- It causes far less phones to brick
- Manufacturer understands device better then amateur developers
- i see no special advantage of custom ROM over stock rom
- i can live life without root and s off as i can have more secure android experience
- Manufacturer invests may be billions to understand the best combination of hardware and software may be that's they don't usually port gingerbread on g1.
- Official update can remove few bugs where as most custom ROMs have bugs as we often read in almost all the posts here thst camera or wifi or tethering is not working yet and so on
- Customs ROMs can over heat the hardware and can damage it as they lack proper hardware knowledge, training and research.
There are endless points due to which some poeple like to stay stock, unlike most here and by above points i am not saying lovers of custom that they are wrong or not demotivating them at all, just sharing my own thoughts due to which i think i better have stock rom in normal circumstances.
So is there any (expert) guy who can help me to resolve my problem instead of telling me to get custom ROM, which i know my self, and which i said i don't want. Its ok not having 2.3.5 but i will be unlucky not to have official ICS if it gets available on my phone.

Wow! where to start...I'll leave that for now (although you may wish to re-consider your use of the word amateur as its rather insulting).
I believe that you need to flash the (98.2) ENG hboot over your Revolutionay (6.98).
See previous post of instructions here
You need to know if the phone is branded or un-branded and from which country/region its from in order to download the correct RUU.
I'd then suggest that you download your stock RUU and run that from the PC which will reset your recovery to stock and un-root you phone, you should then be in a position to request an OTA.

@usmanxhmed
A simple question comes to my mind after reading your post: why are you posting your issue here instead asking HTC support? I hope they will be as half friendly as Ben is. Thanks to God of course
Sent from my HTC Desire S

Well? support from HTC? firstly they may not bother to reply being HTC, not the best in customer service like any big company, secondly my phone is rooted, so its not there fault for them to fix it, thirdly here i have common guys just like me, may be someone with situation just like me.
Yeah use of word Amateur sounds rude here, bit insulting too, but if we are willing to face the reality, that is truth, they are not developing to earn living, they are not manufacturing devices giving warranties, instead saving there soul in every post we are not responsible, as they are greatly unsure about the validity of everything they are teaching/guiding here and on and on and on, so all of this must be categorized as Amateur.
See the people of Revolutionary? after ruining/screwing the warranty and OTA of all phones, they are unable to give simple guide to undo there mess? Most procedures here are with warnings and posts users that they bricked there devices? With custom ROMs no processor is converted from single core to dual y magic so i should want custom ROM so badly.
It may work, it may brick phone, my screen stuck there, it stuck here, camera not working, wifi not working, lagging? For a poor guy like me who can't change phone weekly these things are somewhat burden. Nokia/HTC/Apple will give one click software updates and they will not tell you do it on your own risk, you may brick your phone, they online tell you if you disconnect cable than your device may not work, it does not mean they are brick prove, but more reliable thats why they are professional and brothers here are amateurs.
I don't know, i just bought used phone with revolutionary root and i can't install update even after downloading it, i don't know my phone belongs to which compnay, which RUU i need, which hboot i need out of 20 out there, single mistake can brick my phone without even letting it fall on ground from my hand, let me sleep and live with 2.3.3

usmanxhmed said:
Well? support from HTC? firstly they may not bother to reply being HTC, not the best in customer service like any big company, secondly my phone is rooted, so its not there fault for them to fix it, thirdly here i have common guys just like me, may be someone with situation just like me.
Yeah use of word Amateur sounds rude here, bit insulting too, but if we are willing to face the reality, that is truth, they are not developing to earn living, they are not manufacturing devices giving warranties, instead saving there soul in every post we are not responsible, as they are greatly unsure about the validity of everything they are teaching/guiding here and on and on and on, so all of this must be categorized as Amateur.
See the people of Revolutionary? after ruining/screwing the warranty and OTA of all phones, they are unable to give simple guide to undo there mess? Most procedures here are with warnings and posts users that they bricked there devices? With custom ROMs no processor is converted from single core to dual y magic so i should want custom ROM so badly.
It may work, it may brick phone, my screen stuck there, it stuck here, camera not working, wifi not working, lagging? For a poor guy like me who can't change phone weekly these things are somewhat burden. Nokia/HTC/Apple will give one click software updates and they will not tell you do it on your own risk, you may brick your phone, they online tell you if you disconnect cable than your device may not work, it does not mean they are brick prove, but more reliable thats why they are professional and brothers here are amateurs.
I don't know, i just bought used phone with revolutionary root and i can't install update even after downloading it, i don't know my phone belongs to which compnay, which RUU i need, which hboot i need out of 20 out there, single mistake can brick my phone without even letting it fall on ground from my hand, let me sleep and live with 2.3.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
huhu...i dont think that peoples here are amateurs...they've come up with much better custom roms than official one i believe...

I believe this can be quite long and useless discussion. Just to mention some of the devs around ARE working for the big companies.
Anyway back to topic. To restore to stock you will find all the necessary info in the second half of the amateur guide about emmc in my signature. Good luck
Sent from my HTC Desire S

For someone after assistance, I do find you're attitude negative and insulting. The forum is full of various guides and sticky threads which contain most of the information that you require, your problem is not unique and therefore had been solved many times over in the past and therefore is well documented here on the forum.
While you may be correct in that many people here at Xda are either young and starting out or merely interested novices and therefore could be classed as ameteurs
I think that you'll find that the developers of the most popular ROMs are in fact professional programmers who code here, in their spare time for the benefit of others.
Swyped from my DesireS

I have nothing against the love for developing, that people have over here, obviously its a skill, but do let me know they develop for the benefit of whom or i mean what are the benefits of developing to a normal consumer.
Over here i found good guides for revolutionary and rooting but there is no detailed/complete guide to undo the stuff, in fact the most of famous guide to undo now claims that i closed this topic, you can find that forum everywhere here which most people link to me, the guy says he is sick of brick phones so he is taking off the guide.
No guide tells for which stock version which hboot is required, nobody tells which RUU version i need when i don't know my Desire belongs to which country, as i cannot find where to locate it.
The only thing i understand here revolutionary dirt is most painful to undo as i remember i unrooted my xperia x10mini with almost one click with some software like superone by connecting to my PC.
Now i understand what benefits developers are giving to consumers here, which can be
- Loss of warranty
- Plenty of dead phones
- One developer narrates if your phones bricks during my guide and if you will complain from me, i will laugh on you, sure you must
- Robbing you from facility of One Click OTA
- OTA usually remove bugs and adds functionality so you can't have it
- And on and on and on
According to my thoughts, xda developers should be bringing solutions to current problems and limitations, instead of doing above mentioned thing to already working phone, Now i think my Old Symbian phone was better at least i could get OTA just by changing product code in a second with ease.
Anyways thanks for everyone who tried to help and i am sorry for being bit cheeky and playful here.

usmanxhmed said:
I have nothing against the love for developing, that people have over here, obviously its a skill, but do let me know they develop for the benefit of whom or i mean what are the benefits of developing to a normal consumer.
Over here i found good guides for revolutionary and rooting but there is no detailed/complete guide to undo the stuff, in fact the most of famous guide to undo now claims that i closed this topic, you can find that forum everywhere here which most people link to me, the guy says he is sick of brick phones so he is taking off the guide.
No guide tells for which stock version which hboot is required, nobody tells which RUU version i need when i don't know my Desire belongs to which country, as i cannot find where to locate it.
The only thing i understand here revolutionary dirt is most painful to undo as i remember i unrooted my xperia x10mini with almost one click with some software like superone by connecting to my PC.
Now i understand what benefits developers are giving to consumers here, which can be
- Loss of warranty
- Plenty of dead phones
- One developer narrates if your phones bricks during my guide and if you will complain from me, i will laugh on you, sure you must
- Robbing you from facility of One Click OTA
- OTA usually remove bugs and adds functionality so you can't have it
- And on and on and on
According to my thoughts, xda developers should be bringing solutions to current problems and limitations, instead of doing above mentioned thing to already working phone, Now i think my Old Symbian phone was better at least i could get OTA just by changing product code in a second with ease.
Anyways thanks for everyone who tried to help and i am sorry for being bit cheeky and playful here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buddy I hope you get well soon...really bad way to ask for help and insult people here....if you have so many problems with you phone please return it and never buy a HTC phone and before you say something about other have a look at their profile and I belive this is the most friendly forum and no other forum would ever tolerate what ever you have posted....
Anyways all the best....
Risk it to get the biscut...
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA

usmanxhmed said:
but do let me know they develop for the benefit of whom or i mean what are the benefits of developing to a normal consumer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me see....
- Overall (way) faster phone
- Batterylife that doubles or more (this alone is worth a custom rom!)
- OTA updates are still added to the custom roms, so no benefit for you
- Sometimes bugs that the 'great HTC developers' left in are removed
- Lot`s of 'under the hood' tweaks that make your phone faster, safer and better
- Garbage from HTC that is removed
- Nice tweaks in screenbrightness, wakeup with volume keys etc. etc.
Since you are already s-off with revolutionary i can`t see why you want to take the hard and tricky way to go back to s-on. (The OTA reason is not legit and your warranty is already gone)
Just fyi, there are also 100% stock untweaked up-to-date roms you can flash with ClockWorkMod Recovery...

usmanxhmed said:
(Please Don't tell me to search the forums, as my situation is bit different and i am newbie here)
I have Desire S (I bought used from Market and sadly it has S-off with Revolutionary and Superuser App installed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I can understand you. I was thinking nearly same like you when I bought my DS. After 6-7 months later of purchase my DS, I decided to S-OFF and flash a custom rom. First I flashed Endymion (than 2-3 roms too but used them for 1-2 hours) and I started to like my DS again. It took months for Sense 3 update and we're still waiting for ICS for ages. I can understand about your worries but XDA's Dev community working harder than manufacturer's devs. Getting new updates very quickly, and there lots of ICS roms by devs. So you should respect them.
You can flash Eng Hboot (this topic) then download official stock 2.10.401.8 rom from here. Follow instructions after connect your DS to PC

Thanks for helping and being kind, my rude language was partially explained by my current rude life may be and thanks for tolerating me. Custom ROMs may be cool, but don't you guys think the % of bricked phones are more here? for example if i download and install a ROM from clockwork by following instructions, can i be next to sure if i will boot up next time?
I may have to have it the hard way or i will have to ignore android versions and just use the phone for the sake of phone like an Old Man or a Girl.
Yet i hope, men at Revolutionary or at XDA could bring one easy and assured way to undo revolutionary and its root.

[Q] Need to flash my phone back prior to the recent ota (1.63... doubleshot)

I am trying to attempt messing with this type of thing for the first time so noob handling will be required. My reason is simply my phone is a nice wallpaper display three days after the ota from tmobile 1.63.531.2 710rd.
I began by trying to follow:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1505999
To no avail. Of course I noticed afterwards that for some reason it says to turn s-on in the header... exactly the opposite what what I need to flash the phone back to (PG59IMG_Doubleshot_TMOUS_1.28.531.9_Radio_10.48.9007.00U_10.12.9007.07_M2_release_201815_signed.zip) I have had problems with the phone ever since its first ota a year or so ago. With this latest ota the phone is more or less bricked as of the phone using power saver when I went to sleep last night... Wont call or check into the network...no dial tone. Took me 3-4 restarts for it to even show the antenna symbol and the 4g icon in the taskbar.
My phone is set as S-on for now. The only instructions I have found through the search tool relay how to do it to the sensation... I believe that is the mytouch 4g not slide. However I have the slide which is doubleshot. So my question is, is this instruction on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300 safe to use with the doubleshot since the (T-Mobile branded HTC myTouch 4g Slide ( doubleshot ) Developers Reference) page links to it indirectly. Using the link at the top of the how to S-on after s-off... again the opposite of what I need so I tried following the link at the top of that page " Guide to Installing S-off, Unlocking, ClockWork, Root, SuperCID & S-on " which takes you to the s-off instruction page for the sensation (Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1192300 )...I am guessing that it will work and sensation refers to HTC sense, but I don't care to make the mistake of doing it wrong and bricking my phone due to being derp.
I know there is a bit of overdone explanation and redundancy in the addresses I have left here. I am just trying to cover all my bases thanks for the help in advance.
The short and sweet is I need a link by link list with instructions on how to step my phone back for multiple reasons. First the recent OTA more or less broke my phone and I don't want a refurb phone with inferior parts from Assurion...(They were in class action lawsuits for this in the past.) nor do I want to pay 130$ for said replacement. Next from what I just read the 1.63 update has some serious security compromises that are awaiting response from HTC for an update. Basically it gives full accesses to all your data to include your sim and SD card contents to all apps. Regardless of user specified/agreed permissions.

Following ANY routine or procedure for another phone is just too dangerous & will never work anyway. The bad part being you may very well create a brick in the process. If you have the MT4G SLIDE, this is where you will get all that you need so don't even consider other threads.
Since you've done the OTA & are sitting at Hboot 1.63.XXX now you will HAVE to get S-Off before you can go back to your previous Hboot. To DO that you will have to follow the instructions HERE.
If all you are wanting to do is start flashing ROMs, then the instructions you need are HERE.
Keep us informed & we'll try to help if you need it. Good Luck!

WeekendsR2Short said:
Following ANY routine or procedure for another phone is just too dangerous & will never work anyway. The bad part being you may very well create a brick in the process. If you have the MT4G SLIDE, this is where you will get all that you need so don't even consider other threads.
Since you've done the OTA & are sitting at Hboot 1.63.XXX now you will HAVE to get S-Off before you can go back to your previous Hboot. To DO that you will have to follow the instructions HERE.
If all you are wanting to do is start flashing ROMs, then the instructions you need are HERE.
Keep us informed & we'll try to help if you need it. Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the hasty post reply any other suggestions...I have win7ult 64bit. Or will will juopunutbutter work even though they have the below disclaimer?
"Supported Operating Systems:
We only support Windows 7 32bit or Ubuntu 12.04 (and newer) 32bit, you may use a LiveCD if you have the wrong OS installed natively. Win XP 32bit might work for you but we do not support it as we did not test on it."
Also, this, "Be on the Stock RUU and be rooted (have superuser flashed). No other ROMs are supported, Fresh ROM will not work regardless of what you have read elsewhere."
-I am not rooted. Which is something else I want to accomplish so I can set up firewalls that block certain things.
Oh btw provided I can get this phone working again I am also going to attempt to reflash my older mytouch 3g... back to original as well that thing worked better than any of the current phones for my purposes before it got the update prior to the 2.2.1... the original update didn't work with adobe which is fine with me, people need to move on from adobe's garbage anyway. Specifically with the old mytough 3g though that really did add functionality at the sacrifice of sanity since it slowed the phone down so much. On that note though I may just put on a custom if I can get comfortable with this stuff. The last time I looked at a pc this hard was back in win98se when you had to know how to do tricks to make it faster like modifying available rame to twice as much above and below physical ram and a few other tweeks I have long forgotten.
That brings me to another question. If I go custom rom and unlocked this looming threat of brick is weighing in on me. If a phone is bricked is it possible to recover using some of the same tools that bricked it in the first place... flash install original rom as a fix? Just trying to see how much margin of error I have to work with.
Thanks again.
PS who do we talk to about backing off all the java on the site since it is so compromised right now? This sight has more java permissions than most sights of ill reput... though I have been reading these forums off and on for a while so I trust it more than most with this much tracking. I doubt patch 11 actually fixed the issue...since the day before they said it would take two years or more to actually resolve the java zero day exploit.

You should be fine with your pc, I used a 64bit win7 too. If you're worried dual boot linux.
Your my touch 3g is rooted diferentley, go to that forum for details, its not true radio soff but its close enough.
If you brick it its dead, depending how it was bricked jtag could bring it back to life or this phone is part of the unbricking project which will fix some other bricks. Problem is people use brick as a term that means a whole lot of things so its hard to answer. Usually a brick is forever dead, most people don't actually brick their phone though and usually have to be neglecting things to do it.
As for java... just read up on a bunch of trustworthy places for more info and understanding
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

I'm afraid I just don't know about Win 7 64bit and how it will react but I'm sure there has to be a person or two around with experience concerning that OS. It may very well work fine. I CAN tell you that the "wire trick" (junoptobear?) will work fine on MikTouch because that's what I used. It's a stripped down GB stock ROM which is all you're really looking for. Why....I don't know.
As far as bricking goes, there's not a GREAT deal to worry about as long as you follow all instructions to a tee. You REALLY don't have to even have S-Off to flash ROMs as you read in that link. You just need to flash the kernel after you flash the ROM. It WILL limit a few things you can do but not ROM flashing.
When it comes to rescueing a bricked device though, there are only a very few instances that can be done as far as I know. But I'm no developer either. But if you can make it to your bootloader and/or recovery you not bricked. It may be a hardware of software issue but most of the time you can come back from those.
As far as the Java issue you spoke of goes, you may be able to get an answer to that one by PM'ing one of our moderators or admins.

I want to step it back to previous versions because they worked better...primarily the first version... Also, I am not seeing a guide that refers to doing it to the 1.63 patch. keyboard hasn't swyped right since the first ota update. Also my intent is to root an older version so I can remove crapware like dt sync, friend stream, kidzone, tmobile mall, tmobile tv, tmobile setup, telenav gps, and zinio reader.

X-Lander said:
I want to step it back to previous versions because they worked better...primarily the first version... Also, I am not seeing a guide that refers to doing it to the 1.63 patch. keyboard hasn't swyped right since the first ota update. Also my intent is to root an older version so I can remove crapware like dt sync, friend stream, kidzone, tmobile mall, tmobile tv, tmobile setup, telenav gps, and zinio reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a simple flashing process but you HAVE to achieve S-Off first with the "Wire Trick". You can flash it forward without S-Off but not backwards. Does it work at all or is it just frozen to some point in the boot process? Can you access your SDcard? Can you boot to Hboot & recovery? These are a couple of things you will have to be able to do to go forward if I understand you correctly.

Database Info

welcome