Root Evo 4G won't unroot

[SurplusGadgets]

EVO 4G
Android Version 2.2
Baseband version 2.15.00.11.19
Kernel version 2.6.32.17-gee557fd htc-kernel@and18-2 #15
Build number 3.70.651.1 CL294884 release-keys
Software number ..70.651.1
Browser version Webkit 3.1
Pri Version 1.90_003
PRL version 60678
...

SUPERSONIC EVT2-3 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.97.0000
MICROP-041f
TOUCH PANEL-ATMEL224_16ab
RADIO-2.15.00.11.19
Aug 19 2010, 14:29:08

I have tried to many PC36IMG files my head is spinning (over 15 found and tried from various XDA and similar forums/sites). The one that finally worked for me is found at How To: Get back to a stock ROM (see the link to a spreadsheet of instructions for RUU at the very bottom). That was the first one to check out OK and ask me whether I wanted to install or not.

 

[akazabam]

Glad you got it working. The information you gave does explain what exactly you had before and after, so here is my guess as to what happened:

1) You stopped upgrading your phone and rooted it once you got hboot 0.97.
2) You continued to upgrade your phone manually, by flashing ROMs, and flashing radio updates, but leaving hboot alone.
3) You needed to unroot, so you flashed the S-ON tool, then tried to flash a RUU PC36IMG.zip that matched your hboot version.
4) It failed, because you had newer radios.
5) You flashed a RUU PC36IMG.zip of the newest OTA, and it worked.

A note on 4 and 5 - A lot of times you hear that you should flash a PC36IMG.zip RUU that matches your hboot version. This is actually not always true. If you already have S-OFF, and your radios are newer, your only two options are:

1) Reflash unrevoked-forever to get S-OFF, then manually downgrade radios to match hboot version. Then reflash the S-ON tool, and flash the PC36IMG.zip that matches your hboot version, or...

2) Flash a PC36IMG.zip that has radio versions that match your current ones. This will update hboot, so if you care about that, don't do this. It's fine now, as all hboot versions are rootable, but if you ever want to root again, this would be a problem if the newest hboot could be rooted.

Here's basically the "new" rule:

Once you have S-ON, you must flash a PC36IMG.zip RUU that matches the newest version of either hboot or any of the radios (whichever is newer). Nothing can be downgraded with S-ON.

 

[SurplusGadgets]

The phone is 11 mths old and the hboot that came with it. In trying to "unwind" everything, one of the threads I was reading suggesting installing SprintLovers and then the stock ROM. That is what took me up a notch in radio firmware. But then I tried 4 or 5 different claimed "stock" 3.70 HTC Sprint ROMs and none would load (3.29 would always give the "Main Version" error; 3.70 ones would simply do nothing). Only the one I finally pointed to above would finally get past checking and ask if you wanted to install; and thus finally replace the ClockworkMod recovery.

Anyway, now that the hardware is fixed (seems some corrosion happened in the contacts between the mother board and LED daughter card), I will check out some of the ROMs as I got smitten with the mods they offered Previously only used root for Tether, remove Sprint apps, and to remove the annoying boot-up sound.

 

[fllywitme]

I rooted my evo with unrevoked and now I'm having problems unrooting. I used the S-ON tool but HBOOT will not read my PC36IMG.zip file (i renamed it to PC36IMG.zip exactly). It doesn't recognize it at all. My information is as follows:
SUPERSONIC EVT2-3 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.97.0000
RADIO-2.15.00.09.01
Any help would be useful!

 

[evomattnc]

Remove the . zip

 

[ocnbrze]

I rooted my evo with unrevoked and now I'm having problems unrooting. I used the S-ON tool but HBOOT will not read my PC36IMG.zip file (i renamed it to PC36IMG.zip exactly). It doesn't recognize it at all. My information is as follows:
SUPERSONIC EVT2-3 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-0.97.0000
RADIO-2.15.00.09.01
Any help would be useful!

like evomattnc said remove the".zip" in the name. remember windows hides extensions. if you add the ".zip" in the name, windows will see it as "PC36IMG.zip.zip" and your phone will not see. also did you transfer the file over to the root (not in any folder) of the sd card? it needs to be on the top level of the card for hboot(bootloader) to see it.