Database Info

[Q] Questions after 3 days of reading Forums

Hi,
First post (yay!) so I have a few questions:
1. Where is the 'thanks' button? There are loads of you I wanted to thank but it has not shown up on my forums where the help section said it would be. Has shown up now - guess I had to make a post before I could thanks people
2. I have the emmc chip that is prone to failure but after reading the forums it seems there may be a way to recover from it - is that right, and the chip is no longer a big problem? (Absolutely cannot afford to brick this phone as it's a present from a wife already angry that I rooted it)
3. Should I try to upgrade my HBOOT to 2.00.2002 and Radio (to what? the PCIMG88.zip from the Chinese website?) and install a new ROM, or try and revert everything back to s-on, unrooted stock rom and wait for the official update that is rolling out now in the UK? I'd prefer the option with the least chance of stress and bricking the phone.
4. After flashing a new ROM (if I do) I understand I should avoid updating/installing apps at the same time so my emmc chip isn't fried - can I reinstall 1 by 1 from Titanium backup, and won't Google start trying to download and install everything else at once? How do I avoid that?
I'm in the UK on T-Mobile PAYG with (I think) an unbranded Desire S
Android Version
2.3.3
HTC Version
2.1
Baseband Version
20.28b.30..0805u_38.03.02.11_M
Kernal Version
2.6.35.10-g13f6602
[email protected]#1
Build Number
1.28.401.1 CL24243 release-keys
Softawre Number
1.28.401.1
Saga PVT Ship S-off RL
hboot 6.98.1002
radio 38.03.02.11_Me

1.look at bottom right corner
4.if u restore all apps with titanium backup at once its ok, i think..
but when u setup your phone dont add google account to sync your app..
restore your apps and then add it..
take a look to ben_pyett signature for some useful links..

Theses are just my opinions
Thanks button to bottom right of each post next to edit button,
Don't bother upgrading you're hboot to 2.xx.xxxx (not yet any benefit)
Don't bother going back to s-on.
Don't pull battery.
I'd try to install the normal ENG bootloader over your revolutionary one if you can.
I'd also suggest installing the 4 EXT recovery instead of Cwm.
Don't do anything to you're device that you don't fully understand.
You've done the most difficult part making your device s-off now install some quality custom roms and enjoy it.
Always take full nandroid device backups prior to performing any steps on your device, so that you have a safe point to roll back to in case of problems.
When installing a new custom ROM don't enter your google account details until the last stage of the setup after the device had stopped all configuration, then go into the market app and check to see of it's installing any apps, if it is then cancel downloads, only some versions of market attempt the parallel download of several apps which has been linked to killing eMMC. Later one download one application at a time which seems ok..add suggested advice I also use titanium backup app to restore my apps after the new installation of a ROM rather than relying on market installs.
There is now more information on the eMMC issue, what was previously thought of a dead device can now be recovered but each instance is unique.
Enjoy
Swyped from my Desire S using XDA Premium

Guys,
Thanks for the replies - when I asked about the Thanks button it wasn't there, it only appeared after I posted so that is sorted now.
Ben, I do have 4EXT already installed and a backup, this isn't my first android phone but I would still class myself as a noob - I think I know what I'm doing generally but probably don't.
I think I might try for the ENG Hboot if I can find that post but I thought I would need the 2.00.2002 Hboot for sense 3.0 roms.
What is the advantage of the ENG Hboot over the revolutionary one?
Also, I'm wondering if I will receive an OTA option to update since I have s-off and rooted - I'm pretty sure I should not accept as it looks like some people have been experiencing problems trying to install the OTA over their non-stock phones/settings.
Can anyone confirm that:
1) my phone would see the update if it rolls out and
2) I should not install it unless I go back to stock rom and s-on?
Installing a new ROM will alert my wife to the fact I have rooted it so I'm in no hurry until I decide I can't live without some spectacular new features

Yep, DO NOT INSTALL THE OTA
^when you are rooted and s-off.
It will lead to problems.
I'd really suggest you try out Hyperion ROM/Saga 3D
They are like the stock ROMs with sense 3.0 (new OTA based)
They are optimised and better than the stock ota anyway
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

4myphone said:
Guys,
Thanks for the replies - when I asked about the Thanks button it wasn't there, it only appeared after I posted so that is sorted now.
Ben, I do have 4EXT already installed and a backup, this isn't my first android phone but I would still class myself as a noob - I think I know what I'm doing generally but probably don't.
I think I might try for the ENG Hboot if I can find that post but I thought I would need the 2.00.2002 Hboot for sense 3.0 roms.
What is the advantage of the ENG Hboot over the revolutionary one?
Also, I'm wondering if I will receive an OTA option to update since I have s-off and rooted - I'm pretty sure I should not accept as it looks like some people have been experiencing problems trying to install the OTA over their non-stock phones/settings.
Can anyone confirm that:
1) my phone would see the update if it rolls out and
2) I should not install it unless I go back to stock rom and s-on?
Installing a new ROM will alert my wife to the fact I have rooted it so I'm in no hurry until I decide I can't live without some spectacular new features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't even consider OTA updates unless you're S-ON and STOCK....
certainly don't try it on a rooted device, just asking for trouble...I always simply disable the check for updates and Tell HTC features..
There are benefits to having ENG HBOOT (although I'm not 100% of all of them) I believe that you're able to downgrade easier, should you require the HBOOT number also doesn't stand out like a sore thumb......6.xx.xxxx should you want to return device!
All the new Sense 3.0 and Sense 3.5 ROMS work on old HBOOT, so just no point in upgrading, I did the upgrade before I released this and it's not worth going back.
EDIT: You also need to have a word with the misses! It's now your phone so you should be able to do what you want to it - whatever makes you happy!!

ben_pyett said:
You shouldn't even consider OTA updates unless you're S-ON and STOCK....
certainly don't try it on a rooted device, just asking for trouble...I always simply disable the check for updates and Tell HTC features..
There are benefits to having ENG HBOOT (although I'm not 100% of all of them) I believe that you're able to downgrade easier, should you require the HBOOT number also doesn't stand out like a sore thumb......6.xx.xxxx should you want to return device!
All the new Sense 3.0 and Sense 3.5 ROMS work on old HBOOT, so just no point in upgrading, I did the upgrade before I released this and it's not worth going back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was the hboot update 2.xxxx official, or was it from the Goapk forums?
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

olyloh6696 said:
Was the hboot update 2.xxxx official, or was it from the Goapk forums?
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine? think it was from the forums, but, same version number as OTA released HBOOT? why do you ask?

ben_pyett said:
Mine? think it was from the forums, but, same version number as OTA released HBOOT? why do you ask?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, just wondering, as i never saw the update posted officially...
So if it is official, why does the official sense 3.0 rom not make full use of the new partitions?
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

olyloh6696 said:
Oh, just wondering, as i never saw the update posted officially...
So if it is official, why does the official sense 3.0 rom not make full use of the new partitions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this is because the cooks have made it this way.....My understanding is that the "official" S-On OTA upgrade installs the new version HBOOT and makes use of this new layout.
Someone correct me if this is wrong?

ben_pyett said:
I believe this is because the cooks have made it this way.....My understanding is that the "official" S-On OTA upgrade installs the new version HBOOT and makes use of this new layout.
Someone correct me if this is wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right !
How can a OTA install a new hboot, radio, and complete new UI, but the user doesn't lose any data ?!
It's strange .. when we want to upgrade, we have to do a full wipe
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

[Q] Can I Finally install the 2.3.5/3.0 OTA?

Hi all, my first post here.
Just got my Desire S this last week and have been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride. To sum it up:
Got phone
Discovered phone to be 1.47.401.4 with HBOOT 0.98.0002
Temp rooted with fre3vo
Used Revolutionary 0.4pre to S-OFF phone
Installed ClockworkModRecovery
Installed SU
Checked for updates and discovered OTA firmware update available
Tried to upgrade via OTA update but failed due to it not being compatible with CWMR
Tried to update using a 2.10 RUU but got stuck in a bootloop
Reflashed CMWR and restored my backed up pre-RUU install system
Flashed stock recovery from 1.47.401.4 RUU
Tried to upgrade via OTA update but failed due to stuck in bootloop
Flashed CMWR and restored system
Created a gold card and tried to return to stuck using 1.47.401.4 RUU but failed because RUU said nothing I was already at 1.47.401.4 :-/
Restored stock recovery, stock radio and stock HBOOT
As far as I can tell this should put me back where I started with the phone, other than having the superuser binaries in place.
My HBOOT looks normal (0.98.0002) and the radio restore went fine and the stock recovery is in place (Used bootloader to start recovery and got /!\ icon (I'm guessing because no OTA zip on device right now?)).
So, will it be safe for me to try and OTA now with a good chance of success?
If I get stuck in a bootloop will I have any way to recovery?

My advice, is to immediately stop trying to do OTA updates, as all you'll achieve is a locked down phone that can only be unlocked by HTCdev which will limit you
Use revolutionary to unlock s-off phone, flash a custom and never look back
Swyped form ym Dersie S unsig XAD Permuim

Right, but that doesn't actually answer my question.
Also, I was under the impression that a bootloader unlocked with HTCdev can have a custom recovery image installed much the same as an S-OFF bootloader can.
What limitations are you talking about.
I don't particularly want to use a custom ROM because I am pretty happy with the basic Sense experience so far.
I have seen that there is a thread providing rooted "stock" roms but I want to know all my options, including OTA.

OOPMan said:
Right, but that doesn't actually answer my question.
Also, I was under the impression that a bootloader unlocked with HTCdev can have a custom recovery image installed much the same as an S-OFF bootloader can.
What limitations are you talking about.
I don't particularly want to use a custom ROM because I am pretty happy with the basic Sense experience so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTCdev unlocked phones aren't able to flash their boot partition from recovery, which means you'll require to seperately flash boot.img through fast boot every tine you change roms
You aren't able to change radios unless you're s-off
Look at the ROM that I'm on which if stock sense 3.5 plus lots of quality additions, stunning
As I said don't worry about ota just wait for the update to come then custom will be made from it that will be better
Swyped form ym Dersie S unsig XAD Permuim

I'm a bit wary of custom roms. My previous phone was a SE X10 Mini Pro. Terrible phone with terrible stock software and most of the user-made roms for it are no better. The phone is only decent with a specific CM-based mod and other than that it was the pits.
I've been pretty happy with the basic Desire S rom so far. Is there anything which can honestly be classified as "must have" about any of the custom roms out there?
I'm quite happy to wait for the official ICS update and my wife will certainly rest easier knowing that I'm not about to totally mess up my new phone...

see this thread for evidence of the quality of the two best custom roms on this device
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1597729
The endymion ROM that I'm on is sense 3.5 so a step ahead of the sense 2.1 or 3.0 that you have used.
These roms are super stable, more so than stock.
Read the thread of the ROM for details see links in my signature
Swyped form ym Dersie S unsig XAD Permuim

I see. You still haven't answered my original questions though:
Can I use an OTA update at this point?
If something goes wrong, what options do I have for recovery?
If I do decide to install Hyperion then thanks for the info on it but for now that's not actually what I'm asking...
Also, I have another question to add:
If I do decide to update via the official OTA update and then root my phone would I still be able to restore my HBOOT via the method described in this post. I used the described method to return my HBOOT from the Revolutionary version to 0.98.0002 with no issues but would the same trick work with the newer HBOOT? If the phone were updated via OTA and the HBOOT restored in this method would the official rom still boot (I ask because I found that even when I was able to get the OTA installed by restorting the stock recovery it bootlooped and I suspect this was becauce the OTA did not update the HBOOT...)

ben_pyett said:
My advice, is to immediately stop trying to do OTA updates, as all you'll achieve is a locked down phone that can only be unlocked by HTCdev which will limit you
Use revolutionary to unlock s-off phone, flash a custom and never look back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He answered this question with first post.
But, what the hell do you want to achieve?? You have your device one week and messed it up more than I did in 10 months.
you cannot root and still get official ota updates. It's not possible. And anything you can get through ota update can be found here on xda too.
Please tell us what you want to do and remember that you cannot mix up rooting and ota updates.
Sent by my fingers to your head.

Okay, this is really simple:
I want to be able to perform the OTA ICS update when it comes out.
I am not particularly interested in running a custom rom. I had my fill of non-working hardware and random instability with user roms for about 6 months with the X10 minipro.
Due to changing financial circumstances I need to be careful with this phone because if it dies or gets bricked I am not going to be able to get a new one that costs more than R500 until my next contractual upgrade which is going to be happening in 2 years time. I would prefer to have a useful phone for the next 2 years rather than a dumb block with no ability besides incoming/outgoing calls.
That means none of the horsing about I did with my X10 minipro.
You may now say "Hold on, why did you root your rom in the first place then?" and I can answer "Force of habit from using that X10 minipro which was terrible unless rooted and updated with a custom firmware and even then it was a pain".
Look, if you guys can honestly tell me in that XYZ custom rom is the best way to ensure that my phone stays in a working condition for the next 2 years and gets some form of update to ICS that works 100% and is stable then I will go the custom rom route.
My custom rom experience on the X10 minipro was not all bad, just mostly so which gives me pause when it comes to doing any more monkeying about.

Okay, no I can understand your worries and fears. And also what you where doing.
situation similar to me, I could afford that phone only with a 2 year contract, so I'm f*cked up if I f*ck it up
I had to go back to my Sony erricsson Walkman handy if I mess up the desire s.
Let me tell you something:
I think all roms offered in the development section are build very well. There are some unstable roms, but that is due to the lack of kernel 3.0.
but I can really tell you for sure that endymion (I'm talking about that one because it is the best/most stable sense 3.5 ROM out there for our device) is the most rock solid ROM you'll ever use. It has 100% fully working hardware, just like stock. And I am really talking about 100%, not 99
and it offers much more functionality than stock, due to allot of performance improvements and tweaks, that make it much smoother and stable than stock. I never had a reboot, freeze or anything like that in 4 months of heavy usage. You really can rely on lowveld and his work.
Of course you should be careful, it's an expensive device though.
I'm double reading everything and am very careful too, but I managed to never have any problem I couldn't solve myself. (forgot wipe before flashing etc... Nothing bad)
If you make a clean, correct install, there is nothing better you can do and you'll play a safe game.
BUT you will not be able to receive ota updates.
anyways, when the ics update is been released for our device, there will be a huge amount of roms based on that update. maybe this will be even before you can receive the update over the air. You will for sure be able to upgrade to ics, without using the ota update.
And those roms will quickly become same stable because of the kernel 3.0 will be available than.
That text was really hard for me, because of my limited English skills.. That's all I learned-by-doing
I hope I could help you a little bit
PS: endymion is what stock sense 3.5 should have been.
Sent by my fingers to your head.

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I will give Endymion a try and keep my fingers crossed

Tell us if you succeeded and how you like it
Sent by my fingers to your head.

Thanks, will do.
BTW, which recovery should I should for flashing Endymion?

Whichever recovery you have installed.
4EXT is the most popular here but a lot of people still use Clockwork Mod recovery.
If you don't plan to use recovery a lot then just stick to what you have. If you do flash a lot, like a lot of the people here, then you might like to use 4EXT touch for a nicer interface. Either way, it doesn't make a difference, both will end up achieving the same result.
If you haven't got a recovery installed all you have to do is download either ROM Manager or 4EXT Recovery Updater, install the app and flash the recovery. You probably know this though!
Anyway 4EXT can be found here:
http://4ext.net/
The paid version is available in the play store and CWM can be found in ROM manager from the play store.

OOPMan said:
Thanks, will do.
BTW, which recovery should I should for flashing Endymion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using 4ext but cwm does the job too. And you also can change the recovery later though.
Sent by my fingers to your head.

Thanks for the advice guys. I installed Endymion this morning with no issues and am finding it very nice

OOPMan said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I installed Endymion this morning with no issues and am finding it very nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you managed it.. I'm sure you won't regret
Sent by my fingers to your head.

Picking up the pieces, need a confirmation.

After reading countless threads about RUUing or OTAing to the 3.18 Jellybean software, I think I know what everything means. But just to be safe, I want to confirm some things before I try anything. I have never been on a stock firmware other than when I got my phone, and it came on the 2.20 ICS software.
1. I used the SuperCID method to unlock my bootloader. I've read that having SuperCID will screw up the update to jellybean. But, I've also read that having s-off will bypass the CID check when updating, making the update work normally.
My phone has a CID of 1111111 (SuperCID), and is also s-off. Does this mean if I flash back to a stock ICS rom and OTA up to jellybean, everything will be alright? After all of the info I've sifted through, my personal answer is 'yes, everything will work.'
2. If I do proceed with an update to JB, will I still have S-off and/or a root? I've looked at the facepalm s-off thread under the Original Development section, and see no mention of a compatibility or incompatibility with Jellybean. This is the first HTC device I've ever owned, so I'm not as familiar with s-off as some of you may be. I did find this from searching the s-off thread... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=38197741
If I recall correctly, I was running Viper XL when I s-off'd. It was a jellybean firmware at that time, probably built from the jellybean stock firmware. My personal answer to the question is 'yes, I will still be s-off, but I still don't know about a root.'
As far as a root goes, I'm at a loss of what to look for. I don't see a thread dedicated to a jellybean root, but then again, I'm not as well rounded with troubleshooting as others.
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

S-off will stick until you manually undo it. Whether you ruu, flash roms, whatever. Only way to lose s-off is to do fastboot oem setsecurityflag 3. Root is software so it's set within the rom. All the custom roms have root by default. With an unlocked bootloader any rom that doesn't have root can have root by flashing su. Consider root as having administrator on windows. If you don't have windows installed there's no administrative access to have right? Hence it doesn't stick but is built into the roms you flash.
S-off eliminates security checks so you you can ruu, flash anything and there won't be any checks that say hey, this isn't the right device or hey, this bootloader is unlocked, you can't ruu..
Just make sure not to flash anything not intended for the evita.
Hopefully this makes sense.
If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

exad said:
S-off will stick until you manually undo it. Whether you ruu, flash roms, whatever. Only way to lose s-off is to do fastboot oem setsecurityflag 3. Root is software so it's set within the rom. All the custom roms have root by default. With an unlocked bootloader any rom that doesn't have root can have root by flashing su. Consider root as having administrator on windows. If you don't have windows installed there's no administrative access to have right? Hence it doesn't stick but is built into the roms you flash.
S-off eliminates security checks so you you can ruu, flash anything and there won't be any checks that say hey, this isn't the right device or hey, this bootloader is unlocked, you can't ruu..
Just make sure not to flash anything not intended for the evita.
Hopefully this makes sense.
If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, this pretty much answered all of my questions so if I just wanted a rooted stock rom, I would just follow the steps in the root guide that involve pushing and installing the su binary, and ignore the extra ones that involve changing the CID?
I can't seem to find any links to stock rooted for ICS (it's a preference to me over JB, sorry ) anymore. My thoughts were to run the 2.20 RUU and root it, which seems like a valid option based on your response
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

Ics is obsolete. If you really want stock rooted Ics.
You're correct.
Run an ics ruu
Flash twrp, flash su
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

tyessen said:
My phone has a CID of 1111111 (SuperCID), and is also s-off. Does this mean if I flash back to a stock ICS rom and OTA up to jellybean, everything will be alright? After all of the info I've sifted through, my personal answer is 'yes, everything will work.'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the goal is JB, then I'd recommend the JB RUU, rather than the OTA. RUU is a much cleaner and problem-free install.
'yes, everything will work' is a bit too presumptive to me. You can never be sure that everything will be okay. Modding your phone always has its risks, even under the safest of circumstances. But S-off will prevent the particular case of a (virtually guaranteed) brick caused by installing the RUU or OTA with SuperCID + S-on.

redpoint73 said:
If the goal is JB, then I'd recommend the JB RUU, rather than the OTA. RUU is a much cleaner and problem-free install.
'yes, everything will work' is a bit too presumptive to me. You can never be sure that everything will be okay. Modding your phone always has its risks, even under the safest of circumstances. But S-off will prevent the particular case of a (virtually guaranteed) brick caused by installing the RUU or OTA with SuperCID + S-on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mean everything as in it will be right out of the box, no errors or problems by that, sorry. I meant that the flash/RUU would complete successfully and I would be running a stock firmware again.
And like I said, I've never ran the official JB firmware, so I'll give it a try and see how the battery holds out. I know ICS had a much better life than other JB custom roms out there, but then again, custom means extra (most of the time).
So, maybe I'll just head straight for the jellybean RUU instead. My only concern is that the h-boot would update, and that sets off a little flag in my head with s-off problems (even though it was confirmed it would stay in place until I manually went back to s-on).
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

tyessen said:
I didn't mean everything as in it will be right out of the box, no errors or problems by that, sorry. I meant that the flash/RUU would complete successfully and I would be running a stock firmware again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, I would never assume that everything will be "completely successful". Even running the RUU under safest of circumstances has its risks. People have bricked their phones running the RUU with a completely stock device. However, its very unlikely.
S-off removes the particular issue of a near automatic brick if you have SuperCID and S-on. There should be no other particular high risk factors, that are currently known and within your control (which is what I think you are trying to get at). You will most likely be okay. But its impossible to remove all risk. Anything that updates hboot and radio has the risk of bricking the device, if it everything does not go exactly right. But aside from being sure you don't mess with the phone or computer while its flashing, its just an unlikely random event, outside of your control.
tyessen said:
And like I said, I've never ran the official JB firmware, so I'll give it a try and see how the battery holds out. I know ICS had a much better life than other JB custom roms out there, but then again, custom means extra (most of the time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would not jump to the conclusion that ICS has better battery life JB (custom or otherwise). I'd say that quite a few people have had better battery life on JB. There are lots of variables at play. Simply RUUing to the newer radio might improve your battery life. Or might even make it worse.
Battery life is always better experienced for yourself, rather than taking for granted what you read from others.

[Q] HELP Needed? new to HTC

Hello Guys.... M really new to XDA as well as HTC devices.... had a Sony and a Samsung before... Seems HTC is entirely different!
i just needed some expertise on following questions i had in my mind:
1) i have bought an HTC one xl (snapdragon version) that is unlocked.. will a "FACTORY DATA RESET" or flashing of a custom rom lock it again??
(does this phone need to have an unlocked bootloader)
2) what is the best and most secure way to root it? (link to any guides will be much appreciated)
3) things that can possibly brick the phone and i should AVOID?
4) the best custom rom in terms of speed?
5) any necessary mods for stock rom?
PLEASE i neeed some help!

You need to find the correct root method for your current hboot. If your phone is the at&t model, click the link in my signature, then find the right root method for you. If it's not, just go to htcdev.com and unlock your bootloader, then you can flash TWRP recovery, and flash a custom ROM.
Sent from my Evita

1)Factory data reset in bootloader just clears the /data partition but does not function correctly at all if you unlock the bootloader for this device.
The only way to relock the bootloader is to do fastboot oem lock
2)As timmaaa said, follow the index. You want to unlock bootloader, flash ROM with root, get supercid, s-off.
The catches are:
AT&T devices need to gain temp root to get supercid before they can unlock bootloader.
Newer HTC updates eg new 3.17 and 5.xx updates may prevent you from getting supercid even with root, you may need to investigate downgrading things to get supercid.
With an unlocked bootloader, you are well on your way. You should check if you have supercid and if you are s-off.
3)Do not attempt to install HTC updates after you modify the phone. OTA is particular can be dangerous but even RUU's can be dangerous under some circumstances. OTA have many rules which are easy to follow once you have an idea of what they do, best bet is to just ignore them, RUU is fine if you have both s-off and supercid.
4)You can not ask that question and we can not answer it. It is unfair for someone to rate ROM's over other ROMs as the devs put a lot of effort in to these things. Each ROM is special in its own way, you need to check them out yourself.
A typical vibe is HTC stock ROMs will typically give the most reliable experience, eg less crashes, less bugs, etc, but tend to also lack features.
Unlocking your phone and modding it requires you to read and understand what you are getting yourself in to. It is not a perfect smooth ride, it is not for the average "non technical" user.
5)Not really

twistedddx said:
1)Factory data reset in bootloader just clears the /data partition but does not function correctly at all if you unlock the bootloader for this device.
The only way to relock the bootloader is to do fastboot oem lock
2)As timmaaa said, follow the index. You want to unlock bootloader, flash ROM with root, get supercid, s-off.
The catches are:
AT&T devices need to gain temp root to get supercid before they can unlock bootloader.
Newer HTC updates eg new 3.17 and 5.xx updates may prevent you from getting supercid even with root, you may need to investigate downgrading things to get supercid.
With an unlocked bootloader, you are well on your way. You should check if you have supercid and if you are s-off.
3)Do not attempt to install HTC updates after you modify the phone. OTA is particular can be dangerous but even RUU's can be dangerous under some circumstances. OTA have many rules which are easy to follow once you have an idea of what they do, best bet is to just ignore them, RUU is fine if you have both s-off and supercid.
4)You can not ask that question and we can not answer it. It is unfair for someone to rate ROM's over other ROMs as the devs put a lot of effort in to these things. Each ROM is special in its own way, you need to check them out yourself.
A typical vibe is HTC stock ROMs will typically give the most reliable experience, eg less crashes, less bugs, etc, but tend to also lack features.
Unlocking your phone and modding it requires you to read and understand what you are getting yourself in to. It is not a perfect smooth ride, it is not for the average "non technical" user.
5)Not really
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot man....
i appreciate since u elaborated on every aspect...!! =)
btw m sorry if i am wrong but what i meant in my first question was does rooting or a reset or flashing affect the "sim unlock" (or the factory unlock or jailbreak)? [the vendor says its unlocked to work on all networks]
besides you are right i was wrong with the approach.. every developer puts in a lot of efforts in ROM development and its not fair to rate it!
the only reason i would possibly root is to remove bloatware.

and rvhaval
timmaaa said:
You need to find the correct root method for your current hboot. If your phone is the at&t model, click the link in my signature, then find the right root method for you. If it's not, just go to htcdev.com and unlock your bootloader, then you can flash TWRP recovery, and flash a custom ROM.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks i will surely go through that!
the thing that actually haunts me is this phone doesn't have a removable battery so if anything goes wrong and i have some boot loops i would be in a very hopeless situation.. So I need to go through everything!

Sonone said:
thanks i will surely go through that!
the thing that actually haunts me is this phone doesn't have a removable battery so if anything goes wrong and i have some boot loops i would be in a very hopeless situation.. So I need to go through everything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can simulate a battery pull by holding volume down and power buttons together. When you do this the button lights will start flashing, when they stop flashing you can let go of the power button but keep holding volume down. This will take you to the bootloader.
Sent from my Evita

Sim unlock is unrelated to bootloader unlock, ROM flashing, etc etc.
The sim unlock should survive most everything you will do. Although I have not tested as my device was never locked.

thanks!! i hope it survives!

timmaaa said:
You can simulate a battery pull by holding volume down and power buttons together. When you do this the button lights will start flashing, when they stop flashing you can let go of the power button but keep holding volume down. This will take you to the bootloader.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sounds good!!
the people on this device forum seem very helpful:good::angel::highfive:

timmaaa said:
You can simulate a battery pull by holding volume down and power buttons together. When you do this the button lights will start flashing, when they stop flashing you can let go of the power button but keep holding volume down. This will take you to the bootloader.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sounds good!!
the people on this device forum seem very helpful:good::angel::highfive:

so Timaaaa i have done the following...
please i would like to give you a brief update of the following things..
1)Unlocked Bootloader
2)i have s-off
3)supercid is 11111111
4) installed twrp version 6.xx.xxx
5)my radio is 1.30a.32.45.18
6)hboot is 2.15.0000
7)device is now rooted
so m i good to flash custom roms like Cm,PAC,SLIM?

That all looks fine apart from two things.
The TWRP version you mentioned doesn't look right, the latest TWRP is 2.6.3, could you double check that?
Also, your hboot is 2.15 which will be ok for flashing cm, but I think PAC still has a restriction to hboot 2.14 and I'm not sure about Slim. Hboot 2.15 is perfect for running the latest Sense 5 ROMs though.
Sent from my Evita

timmaaa said:
That all looks fine apart from two things.
The TWRP version you mentioned doesn't look right, the latest TWRP is 2.6.3, could you double check that?
Also, your hboot is 2.15 which will be ok for flashing cm, but I think PAC still has a restriction to hboot 2.14 and I'm not sure about Slim. Hboot 2.15 is perfect for running the latest Sense 5 ROMs though.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As u said i checked again its 2.5.0.0 how to update twrp?
it actually works well......
btw is it possible to change hboot version?
and thanks as always!

TWRP 2.5 is full of bugs, you should update to at least 2.6, here's how:
Download TWRP 2.6 from here. Put the file in your fastboot folder. Connect phone in fastboot mode, open command prompt from within fastboot folder, issue the following commands:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery "filename.img"
(the exact filename, minus the talking marks)
Code:
fastboot erase cache
Code:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
Now you'll have a much better version of TWRP.
You can upgrade and downgrade your hboot, there's a thread on our forum somewhere but I can't remember where, just search downgrade hboot within our forum and it should appear.
Sent from my Evita

did that... btw when i installed it... and tried to clear the cache partition and dalvik cache it said it "failed"...!!
Btw also i wanted to know..
since i had a Samsung before flashing a rom just meant copying the zip file and installing it through cwm followed by a resets (if needed)
is this the same way for HTC ONE xl. or like Sony do i have to first unzip the downloaded rom.. and flash the "boot.img" separately??

So even after putting TWRP 2.6 on your phone you get a failed message when trying to wipe?
With this phone all you need to do is copy the ROM zip onto the phone and install it, you are s-off so you don't need to worry about flashing the boot.img via fastboot.
Sent from my Evita

i tried it again mate and it works absolutely fine!
yay!!!! :laugh: flashing roms will be great!:good:
wish if we had a dual boot interface like we have on our computers installing every single app again becomes so inconvenient!:fingers-crossed:
btw m really sorry to bombard you with all the quetions:silly: i just needed to ask one thing that do we have a list of bloatware apps which are safe to remove..
i did google it but then it was very specific to carrier bloatware. as i have got an unlocked version there are no carrier bloatware apps but i do have some apps which seem useless at the moment.. i did freeze a few... but it would have helped if there would have been a list!

I'd love a dual boot setup too. In terms of bloatware, you can remove a fair bit but be careful while doing it. Removing anything that is integral to the running of the ROM will cause problems. Things like Stocks, Picasa, Talkback can be removed if you don't use them. Obviously don't remove anything like Phone or Messages lol.
Sent from my Evita

timmaaa said:
I'd love a dual boot setup too. In terms of bloatware, you can remove a fair bit but be careful while doing it. Removing anything that is integral to the running of the ROM will cause problems. Things like Stocks, Picasa, Talkback can be removed if you don't use them. Obviously don't remove anything like Phone or Messages lol.
Sent from my Evita
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya i wont ripp off phone or system ui etc :laugh:
m thinking of flashing clean rom 7.0.1 but den it seems it has an at&t bootscreen or something like that during start up which m not very inclined to have....
so i will stick to the rules not asking for any advice on which rom is preffered as every one of dem i great and i will check them out one by one.

I haven't tried the new Cleamrom, it's a very stock kind of ROM which isn't really my flavour but it's a very popular ROM.
Sent from my Evita

Upgrading from 4.4.2

Hi,
I'm still on 4.4.2 and wish to backup, S-OFF, root, and upgrade to 5.x (open to trying a custom ROM). I'm completely new to this and have a couple questions:
In what order should things be done? My guess is the order listed above?
Can I just follow the instructions in the stickies (firewater, etc), or are they out of date?
If upgrading to a non-Sense ROM, will software (camera, sound, etc) work as well?
If you have any tips/suggestions/advice/things you wish you'd known, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

1.Go here.
Download APP/EXE version (which i did).
Follow the instruction & flash the exe ruu.If you encounter problem when flashing,just flash this latest hboot & reflash the app exe ruu.Do this only if you encount with any flashing error.
Let it reboot.That's all .
2.No matter which rom you are flasing SENSE or SENSLESS,just flash the latest firmware first.Then you can flash any rom.

Before you go loading RUUs I would recommend turning s-off first. For that you have to use sunshine. Firewater is discontinued and won't work even if you have the files. You would have to run sunshine BEFORE upgrading to lollipop because it hasn't (yet) been updated to work on the lollipop update. Hope this isn't too late of advice.

Caspid said:
Hi,
I'm still on 4.4.2 and wish to backup, S-OFF, root, and upgrade to 5.x (open to trying a custom ROM). I'm completely new to this and have a couple questions:
Can I just follow the instructions in the stickies (firewater, etc), or are they out of date?
If upgrading to a non-Sense ROM, will software (camera, sound, etc) work as well?
If you have any tips/suggestions/advice/things you wish you'd known, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Follow this xda thread to root http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z/general/guide-how-to-root-10-5-1-0-283-t2872873.
After rooting, install NUT's dual recovery. Then download pre-rooted zip for Android 5.0.2 from development section and flash through revovery.
Sent from my C6602 using xda Forums PRO

SurenderK said:
Hi,
Follow this xda thread to root http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z/general/guide-how-to-root-10-5-1-0-283-t2872873.
After rooting, install NUT's dual recovery. Then download pre-rooted zip for Android 5.0.2 from development section and flash through revovery.
Sent from my C6602 using xda Forums PRO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These instructions are for a different phone. It's the same for the M8?
cntryby429 said:
Before you go loading RUUs I would recommend turning s-off first. For that you have to use sunshine. Firewater is discontinued and won't work even if you have the files. You would have to run sunshine BEFORE upgrading to lollipop because it hasn't (yet) been updated to work on the lollipop update. Hope this isn't too late of advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What, really? Even for 4.4.2? I thought sunshine was only required for later versions.

Caspid said:
These instructions are for a different phone. It's the same for the M8?
What, really? Even for 4.4.2? I thought sunshine was only required for later versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I don't know what that guy is talking about. Steer clear of that advice.
The only way to unlock the bootloader of a Verizon m8 is sunshine and it also turns s-off which is sweet. Firewater worked for older versions, I actually used it myself many months ago. Shortly after sunshine released for the m8 they turned off the online part of Firewater. Sunshine does cost $25 but I donated more than that as a thanks for Firewater, it seems fair.
Once s-off you will be able to do pretty much whatever you want, flash recovery (which can then flash custom roms), upgrade firmware, downgrade firmware, flash radios, etc. However this also means that you can brick your phone if you don't know what you're doing. Definitely don't go following instructions instructions for another phone.
It you don't mind sense, flashing doddat's stock rooted RUU is a one step process and you're done.
If you want bloat removed, the ability to make nandroid, and the many features of custom roms then you need to flash TWRP recovery and you can go to town. If you want bloat removed then there are some pretty good sense based roms. I ran viper Rom for a while and was pretty happy. Then there's gpe and cm based roms. As far as I know most are pretty bug free.
Just be careful. Like I said, s-off allows you to do both awesome and detrimental things to your phone. Know what you're doing, how to do it, and most importantly how to undo it before you do anything.

cntryby429 said:
So I don't know what that guy is talking about. Steer clear of that advice.
The only way to unlock the bootloader of a Verizon m8 is sunshine and it also turns s-off which is sweet. Firewater worked for older versions, I actually used it myself many months ago. Shortly after sunshine released for the m8 they turned off the online part of Firewater. Sunshine does cost $25 but I donated more than that as a thanks for Firewater, it seems fair.
Once s-off you will be able to do pretty much whatever you want, flash recovery (which can then flash custom roms), upgrade firmware, downgrade firmware, flash radios, etc. However this also means that you can brick your phone if you don't know what you're doing. Definitely don't go following instructions instructions for another phone.
It you don't mind sense, flashing doddat's stock rooted RUU is a one step process and you're done.
If you want bloat removed, the ability to make nandroid, and the many features of custom roms then you need to flash TWRP recovery and you can go to town. If you want bloat removed then there are some pretty good sense based roms. I ran viper Rom for a while and was pretty happy. Then there's gpe and cm based roms. As far as I know most are pretty bug free.
Just be careful. Like I said, s-off allows you to do both awesome and detrimental things to your phone. Know what you're doing, how to do it, and most importantly how to undo it before you do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So instead of making a new thread my question is similar to the guys above. I am on 4.4.2 but already have S-off and root, TWRP installed etc. I have had the phone since launch and have been happy enough to not worry about updating or changing anything too much.
Anyhow, I am now interested in updated, I read a few months ago that 4.4.2 should update to 4.4.3 before going to 4.4.4. Is this still the case if I only want to go to 4.4.4? Still the case if I go all the way up to 5.0.1?
Second, apologies if the answer is the same as above but I just want to be sure I am clear, I am s-off already, will I need sunshine moving forward for after I updated? Or since I am s-off already will I stay that way and be able to root without any additional steps after updating?

Resputan said:
So instead of making a new thread my question is similar to the guys above. I am on 4.4.2 but already have S-off and root, TWRP installed etc. I have had the phone since launch and have been happy enough to not worry about updating or changing anything too much.
Anyhow, I am now interested in updated, I read a few months ago that 4.4.2 should update to 4.4.3 before going to 4.4.4. Is this still the case if I only want to go to 4.4.4? Still the case if I go all the way up to 5.0.1?
Second, apologies if the answer is the same as above but I just want to be sure I am clear, I am s-off already, will I need sunshine moving forward for after I updated? Or since I am s-off already will I stay that way and be able to root without any additional steps after updating?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recall that idea of necessary incremental upgrades being passed around for my previous HTC device, the Rezound. I suspect that it's not true although I certainly don't know enough to support that statement. My suspicion is that if you were to flash any of the RUUs which were posted by dottat you will successfully boot any of our official software versions regardless of what version you're coming from. This presumes the prerequisite that you're s-off in order to permit downgrading (if you choose) and/or use of some of his s-off-required RUUs. With as full-proof as those RUUs seem to be, the worst case scenario is that your device bootloops requiring another RUU. I don't know that you're at all too much risk of bricking your phone provided you are flashing files that are meant for your exact model (be weary of flashing international/AT&T RUUs and such to a verizon phone) and are following instructions.
Regarding sunshine, as long as you don't issue specific fastboot commands to relock the bootloader or turn s-on, then you should have no further use for Sunshine. The only reason I can see someone taking updates incrementally is if they want to take them OTA. However, if you're s-off then I would highly recommend just using an RUU. None of the RUUs or firmware update zips will relock the bootloader or turn s-on. I can think of very few reasons to do either of those with the exception of returning to full stock for a warranty return. I believe that all of the RUUs will restore stock recovery, but since they don't relock the bootloader, you can always just flash back your custom recovery via fastboot or bootloader and re-root your stock rom. Alternatively, once you have a custom recovery you can flash any one of the many custom roms which will almost certainly come pre-rooted.