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Root Which root method will work for this version of Orange?

M

mpg19

Newbie
I have a HTC Desire A9191 which is is branded with a ROM from Orange. So far I have unlocked it and is working with a different network.

I want root the device and also removed the branded bloat sh*te from Orange and install a custom ROM for obvious reasons. I have read multiple forum articles on how to do this, and understand the process.

What I don't know is which method will work for my current image version, and what is the best ROM for this device.

Version info as follows:

Adroid - 2.3.5
HTC Sense - 3.0
Software number - 3.13.61.5

Many thanks in advance.
 
Think this need moving to "all things root"

Not sure if the AHK is any good for your phone:

[TOOL] Advanced ACE Hack Kit (13012012) - xda-developers

If it was shipped with Gingerbread then probably not.

Best ROM - That's up to you...I'm running Ascension and it's the best I've used, but everyone will have an opinion. My advice is root it, try as many ROMS as you want until you find the one you like, I flashed 3 different ones in a day until Absolution (good stable release) came along - but things change and so did my choice of ROM!!

Research is the key before you try anything though!
 
Thanks for the update on this.

However, how do I know if this came from Gringerbread or not? And what are my options if I can't use the Hack Kit?

Many thanks
 
nigsy said:
Best ROM - That's up to you...I'm running Ascension and it's the best I've used, but everyone will have an opinion.
Click to expand...

This ^^ is so true... everyone will argue why their ROM is the best, but it comes down to personal choice. I used to be on CM7 (and was for a LONG time)... the only reason I changed was for ICS. :)

My advice is root it, try as many ROMS as you want until you find the one you like
Click to expand...

I couldn't have put it better myself... one of the beauties of rooting is that you can do this... it's like having a new toy each time! :D

I flashed 3 different ones in a day until Absolution (good stable release) came along - but things change and so did my choice of ROM!!

Research is the key before you try anything though!
Click to expand...

Agreed, as you may want to go for a Sense based ROM (close to stock HTC) or an AOSP ROM (the sort of thing that you find on the Nexus phones) or MUIU (which gives an iphone sort of feel... if I understand correctly)
 
mpg19 said:
Thanks for the update on this.

However, how do I know if this came from Gringerbread or not? And what are my options if I can't use the Hack Kit?

Many thanks
Click to expand...

I rooted before the hack kit existed... it was a longer, more involved process - invovled downgrading to a rootable version, then rooting, before being able to flash custom ROM's on the phone.

I will try and find out if you can use the hack kit with your version and let you know... bear with me though - I'm in work and so can't be on here too much! :)
 
Right... having had a quick look over on XDA (where the AAHK comes from), I have found conflicting info... some say you have to downgrade

If your Phone is with Android 2.3.5 you must to make first downgrade from 2.3.5 to 2.3.3 and after that from 2.3.3 to 1.32.405.6 with link up.
Click to expand...

but if you follow the downgrade link in the post above, it takes you to another thread, where the OP says that he is on 2.3.5 and that the AAHK worked for him.

It's worth having a look at the (downgrade) thread that is linked above and reading the manual that comes with the AAHK before you do anything...
 
No, no... you only need to run the hack kit the once... I have linked the "downgrade" conversation on XDA, as it talks about downgrading and then using the hack kit, but someone else has said that they just used the hack kit, without downgrading (even though they were on the same build as the OP).
 
You only need to run the hack kit once, but I did need to downgrade to Froyo before I could finally run AHK.

I will also repeat what D-U-R-X has said and that's 'Read the manual that comes with AAHK' then read it again to be sure!!
 
The Effen manual looks straight forward to go through. My only thought is how do I know if my phone is from Gingerbread or Froyo?
 
Froyo is 2.2.x, Gingerbread is 2.3.x so you're on Gingerbread at the moment.

Not exactly sure how it works, but your handset might get wiped during the process if it gets downgraded so might be best to make sure your contacts are backed up to google and you've backed up any important messages etc.
 
mpg19 said:
The Effen manual looks straight forward to go through. My only thought is how do I know if my phone is from Gingerbread or Froyo?
Click to expand...

When you go for it, from what others have said, it's best to use a linux environment, as some have reported the odd thing when doing it in Windows.
 
D-U-R-X said:
When you go for it, from what others have said, it's best to use a linux environment, as some have reported the odd thing when doing it in Windows.
Click to expand...

If you are not sure about Linux...have a look at post #9 here:

http://androidforums.com/desire-hd-all-things-root/506431-cant-root-my-desire-hd-help-please.html

I think the manual recommends using Linux as D-U-R-X has already stated, there is a reason to use this rather than the CMD line in windows, I just can't remember now!!
 
Hi all,

I have exactly the same settings [Android, software, sense etc) as the OP, using the hack tool [[TOOL] Advanced ACE Hack Kit (13012012)] and aside from being in an incredibly poor internet area (~1.5MB) my phone flashed and unlocked without a problem though it DID need to flash the PD98img to the phone first which obviously resulted in the complete wipe of my phone - to safeguard against this, I backed-up everything including my apps to my pc using MyPhoneExplorer - its free.

Just flashed AndroidRevolution HD 7.0.3 to the phone - the whole process from the moment I pressed (with a very shaky-hand) '1' on the tool to begin the process to completion took about 45 mins (this is with a 30 min download).

The phone DOES do a lot of work (tucked-up in bed now with Horlicks) which can give the impression that it has finished sooner than expected but just hang-in there and if needs be, follow one of the guides, I used the one under thread (1377119 How to Root the HTC Desire HD - xda-developers) at xda developers.

Oh, and on a note about the effen manual, I expected it to have a lot more info than it does have surrounding troubleshooting, caused me to more or less bite the bullet.

Steve
 
Hi

I have now finally ran the Ace Hack Kit on my Orange branded Desire HD phone. The process was pretty straight forward, and the phone had to be downgraded prior to rooting.

I now have a couple of question:

1) What ROM is currently installed? It looks the same as previous, apart from the there is no Orange branding. During the downgrade script, a PD98IMG file was downloaded and copied to the SD card of phone. The Android version is 2.3.3 and Sense is 3.1

2) How do I roll the phone back to it's original state?

3) I have Rom Manger installed and BusyBox installer installed. What doe the latter do? and is the Rom Manager best to try different ROMs

4) What ROM do you recommend to try first?

Sorry for all the questions, I have just started to get the hang of the all the different aspects to consider.
 
1) What ROM is currently installed? It looks the same as previous, apart from the there is no Orange branding. During the downgrade script, a PD98IMG file was downloaded and copied to the SD card of phone. The Android version is 2.3.3 and Sense is 3.1

I think there was a typo in your post. If the downgrade was successful you should be on Android 2.3.3 with Sense 2.1.

2) How do I roll the phone back to it's original state?

You cannot go back to the original Android 2.3.5/Sense 3.0 you were using without becoming unrooted.

There is a rooted ROM based on stock Android 2.3.5/Sense 3.0. This is ARHD 6.3.3. It is basically a optimized rooted stock ROM.

If you want to flash this ROM you will need 4Ext Recovery. There is an install guide here.

I would also look at this post on how to install ARHD 6.3.3.

3) I have Rom Manger installed and BusyBox installer installed. What doe the latter do? and is the Rom Manager best to try different ROMs

DO NOT INSTALL ROM'S USING ROM MANAGER. IT CAUSES PROBLEMS.

BusyBox installs files needed by some apps. No harm in running it and letting it install the BusyBox files. You can also leave it alone for now until some app you need require BusyBox.

4) What ROM do you recommend to try first?

I suggest you browse the various user threads and ask there. Getting advice from a single source... well we all have our biases:

Maybe start here: Time for a change of ROM

I would recommend these four ROM's and have place links to the AF Discussions on these four ROM's:

aospX
Ice Cold Sandwich
JellyTime
Blackout ICS
 
Ral,

Thanks for this info.

Yes I made thing mess up using the ROM Manager :)

Therefore I rolled back using the AAHK, then re-rooted to give me a base level of 2.3.3 and Sense 2.1. I am going to install 4Ext recovery then use the standard ARHD 6.3.3 for a while, just to get used to all the root stuff out there.

Relating to my previous question if I were to sell the phone or hand it back to the vendor, how do I and which method would I use to take it back to stock level for Orange unrooted. In other words where would I obtain the ROM that was previously on there?

Also, do the ROMS you recommend have any issues with the functionality of the phone, such a camera zoom etc....?

Many thanks
Mark
 
Your welcome.

mpg19 said:
Relating to my previous question if I were to sell the phone or hand it back to the vendor, how do I and which method would I use to take it back to stock level for Orange unrooted. In other words where would I obtain the ROM that was previously on there?
Click to expand...

This is going to be though. Mehta and I were trying to do just that a week ago... and the effort ended in utter failure.

Also, do the ROMS you recommend have any issues with the functionality of the phone, such a camera zoom etc....?
Click to expand...

Okay... all ROM's now are a compromise:

ARHD 6.3.3 works as well as the stock ROM, well since it is a rooted stock ROM. It runs faster since it is clocked 130 MHz faster, but it more efficient in terms of battery use since the voltages have been tweaks to 10% to 12% below stock.

But it is still based on Gingerbread, so you use older versions of apps, cannot run Chrome...

Once you go to Ice Cream Sandwhich or Jelly Bean ROM's, headset buttons stop working completely or simply stop working altogether. The only ICS ROM with fully working camera buttons is aospX.

Now you have Sense based ROM's which are HTC ROM's. These are ported from other HTC phones and are not fully working. The most stable is Blackout ICS, but that one has non-working features (No WiFi Hotspot) but the camera is the older camera app and is fully working. Others use newer versions of the camera app, and have features in them like Panorama or HDR which work poorly or don't work. But it general picture quality and video quality is good.

You will find plenty of people thrilled with many of the new Sense ROM's, but really they are so thrilled running the latest version of HTC's Sense they are willing to ignore tons of bugs.

Than you have the vanilla Android ROM's.

aospX is the only fully working ICS ROM, headset buttons and all, but it has issues with Edomondo Sports Tracker and third party camera apps. Picture quality is good. It is the only Desirre HD ROM I have found where Google Chrome works perfectly.

My experience Ice Cold and JellyTime is the camera picture and video quality is not as good as the stock HTC ROM. Battery life is not as good. Chrome does not work too well.

Covering all the quirks of each ROM is more than I can cover on my own.

Suggest, when you get bored with ARHD, try aospX. Blackout is a good bet,

Reading my own post... it may be more confusing than informative. There is just so much to cover, best I can do.

Regards
Robin
 
Just another thing.

I am trying to install the 4ext recovery software. I have downloaded the akp file to the phone, but it will not open the file.

Should I be using some command line stuff to install this app?
Thanks
Mark
 
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