Root Help Me Understand My Situation

[ykbks]

[SOLVED]
Hello there!
New guy here!

Aaanndd I'm a noob

anyways, My elder bro sent me this HTC Desire phone and it's currently showing me this and this only:


(please click on the image for a bigger and better version )

Now, what does this mean? and what Should I do?
I cannot start it up!
I want to start it up.
I can flash nokia phones, so I believe with your help I can flash this too if needed.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Tyseyh]

Can't really view it on my phone, looks like hboot.

Is the phone rooted?
Without knowing much about it I would probably try run a ruu (ROM UPGRADE UTILITY)
You could get a 2.3 Gingerbread one from shipped roms under the bravo section.
But,
That depends if your phone is a GSM device ie, does it have a sim card?

What caused the phone to do that? Any info would be much appreciated.
Helps our more than you would think.

 

[ykbks]

Can't really view it on my phone, looks like hboot.

Is the phone rooted?
Without knowing much about it I would probably try run a ruu (ROM UPGRADE UTILITY)
You could get a 2.3 Gingerbread one from shipped roms under the bravo section.
But,
That depends if your phone is a GSM device ie, does it have a sim card?

What caused the phone to do that? Any info would be much appreciated.
Helps our more than you would think.

finally... oh thank you!

well, i just got it. Yes, it has a sim holder, It was previously used in usa and now it's here in Bangladesh.

Please walk me through this.

He said I have to put a zip file in the sd and reboot. did that, it updated some stuff but it's still stuck in here.

I downloaded this file:

RUU_Bravo_hTC_Asia_India_1.21.720.4_Radio_32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.02_2_release_127705_signed.exe

when i ran it, it couldn't find my phone.

 

[Tyseyh]

Ah it was from USA, I'll have to direct someone else here who knows more about USA phones.
I don't know if the same steps are used in attempting to repair a USA phone are the same as a GSM device.

I'll point one or two people here soon as I can.

 

[ykbks]

thanks!!
One more thing, I finally got the RUU running. But at the very end it says that the package isn't complete!!
WDH!!

Any idea whats wrong?

 

[ykbks]

snap :

 

[Hadron]

Shame I was late to this, because now I can see that the phone was S-Off (which I couldn't read from my phone, and I guess that was the same for Tyseyh) I'd have suggested a different approach. However...

You got the RUU running, but that doesn't look like a recent alpharev hboot, so I guess you also had a Goldcard (sd card modified to disguise the phone's Customer ID)? Otherwise, unless it was originally an Asian phone that RUU should refuse to run, and if the phone came from the States that sounds unlikely. If you don't know, did the card come with the phone?

Can you tell us exactly what it said when it failed, and just before (i.e. what was it updating - system, radio, hboot?)?

That's just background, in order to help understand the situation. Now on to more practical matters:

What state is the phone in now? I assume not bootable, but can you get back into hboot (the screen you showed earlier)? If so, what does it say - in particular, does it still say "S-Off"? If it does, just let us know and stop there, don't try to run another RUU because I think there will be safer options.

It's possible that your screen won't work at all. That's a very old RUU, and your phone isn't first generation (PVT-3 - the early ones were PVT-1), so it may be that the screen drivers aren't compatible. So if the screen won't come on we'll have to find a more recent RUU and try to get into fastboot mode without the screen and then run it.

 

[ykbks]

You got the RUU running, but that doesn't look like a recent alpharev hboot, so I guess you also had a Goldcard (sd card modified to disguise the phone's Customer ID)? Otherwise, unless it was originally an Asian phone that RUU should refuse to run, and if the phone came from the States that sounds unlikely. If you don't know, did the card come with the phone?

No, no cards were with it. I bought a card and tried to do this. I don't know the origin of the phone. and i'm not quite sure if it came form usa. I just got it as a gift. beggers must not be choosers.

Can you tell us exactly what it said when it failed, and just before (i.e. what was it updating - system, radio, hboot?)?

in here:

What state is the phone in now? I assume not bootable, but can you get back into hboot (the screen you showed earlier)? If so, what does it say - in particular, does it still say "S-Off"? If it does, just let us know and stop there, don't try to run another RUU because I think there will be safer options.

No, it's not in it's previous state anymore. stuck at HTC logo with 4 weird icons in the four corners!!

It's possible that your screen won't work at all. That's a very old RUU, and your phone isn't first generation (PVT-3 - the early ones were PVT-1), so it may be that the screen drivers aren't compatible. So if the screen won't come on we'll have to find a more recent RUU and try to get into fastboot mode without the screen and then run it.

Can't see fastboot anymore. Just shows RUU there.


Thank your for your time.
Please help me walk through this.
eternally gratefull.

 

[Hadron]

Damn. Well I suppose at least the screen is working. It's a bit disturbing though, because we've had another like this recently.

If you tried the goldcard thing, then let's assume that worked and try another RUU. If you don't have a working goldcard it should simply refuse to run ("cid error"). So my first suggestion would be to go to shipped-ROMs and try RUU_Bravo_Froyo_HTC_WWE_2.29.405.5_Radio_32.49.00.32U_5.11.05.27_release_159811_signed.exe. That's the most recent World Wide English Froyo RUU. Check the md5 to make sure you have a good download - there's a thread on how to do that here.

If you get a cid error then we either guess what region/network the phone is from originally, or try the 2.3 upgrade (from the same site, near the bottom of the page - unzip the package and the RUU is inside), which is compatible with many (though not all) cids. If you get a cid error on that then you'll need to use a card reader to make a goldcard.

Sorry about slow replies - I'm firefighting on my day job as well (even though it's evening here)

 

[ykbks]

If you tried the goldcard thing, then let's assume that worked and try another RUU. If you don't have a working goldcard it should simply refuse to run ("cid error"). So my first suggestion would be to go to shipped-ROMs and try RUU_Bravo_Froyo_HTC_WWE_2.29.405.5_Radio_32.49.00.32U_5.11.05.27_release_159811_signed.exe. That's the most recent World Wide English Froyo RUU. Check the md5 to make sure you have a good download - there's a thread on how to do that here.

I tried this ruu.
it also shows an error, but in phone:

bootloader: Bypassed
radio_v2 - ok
.................
only system - Fail_PU

Partition Update Failed!!!

If you get a cid error then we either guess what region/network the phone is from originally, or try the 2.3 upgrade (from the same site, near the bottom of the page - unzip the package and the RUU is inside), which is compatible with many (though not all) cids. If you get a cid error on that then you'll need to use a card reader to make a goldcard.

i shall try the 2.3 upgrade now. if it doesnt work. please let me learn making a gold card...

Sorry about slow replies - I'm firefighting on my day job as well (even though it's evening here)

COOOL!!!! Save lives and save phones!!

 

[Hadron]

Metaphorically firefighting, I'm afraid!

At least it didn't fall on the radio update (that's fatal). Bypass bootloader is interesting though. If you can get it into hboot are you still S-Off?

This isn't a problem that a goldcard will solve. The RUU was running, but was unable to update the system partition.

 

[ykbks]

Metaphorically firefighting, I'm afraid!

At least it didn't fall on the radio update (that's fatal). Bypass bootloader is interesting though. If you can get it into hboot are you still S-Off?

This isn't a problem that a goldcard will solve. The RUU was running, but was unable to update the system partition.

I cannot get to hboot.
stuck in the ruu screen

 

[Jon_LTD]

Ignore that, I misread something posted earlier and didn't open the screen shot you provided.
Long shot I know, but I assume all the drivers are installed? And did you find out if your phone was gsm?

 

[Tyseyh]

Hey hadron, Thanks for jumping in here.

 

[ykbks]

Ignore that, I misread something posted earlier and didn't open the screen shot you provided.
Long shot I know, but I assume all the drivers are installed? And did you find out if your phone was gsm?

I have htc sync installed and ruu wasn't working before I did that.
is there anything more needed to be installed?
yes, the phone is GSM, since there is a SIM placeholder in the back.
FYI, I have never seen the phone's home-screen. it's been the white-screen since the beginning. So you can guess how much I may know.

 

[Hadron]

Ok, so what *else* have you done? Because those two images are not the same hboot! The first is an old Alpharev hboot of the sort that is overwritten by an RUU, while the second is a modern one with different system partitions. And it wasn't an RUU that did that! Have you fastboot flashed a different hboot inbetween (or loaded a PB99IMG.zip file to your sd card - they can contain all sorts of different updates!)?

The good news is that I know why you were able to run the ruus without a goldcard and why the ruu failed

Alpharev Sense, as it says at the top of that image, is a custom hboot that gives you a 180MB system partition. The standard size is 250MB. That's why the RUU failed - htc's software won't fit!

You have 2 options:

1) Replace your hboot with Alpharev Stock, available from Alpharev.nl. Either use fastboot to flash a hboot .img or the PB99IMG method - whichever you did last time If you are at all unsure do ask first, as this isn't something you want to get wrong.

Then you can run the RUU again, and this time it should work. You will still be S-Off, which will make it easy to root in future if you want (as there's no warranty I see no reason to undo that).

2) Flash a custom recovery, then load a custom ROM which will fit. Actually slightly safer, but a bit more to learn. The procedure for flashing recovery is described in the guide to rooting with Revolutionary, linked from the Desire All Things Root forum's All Things Root Guide sticky post - skip the stuff about running revolutionary (done already!) and about rooting the rom (you haven't got one), just the bit about downloading and flashing recovery. Then you can choose and flash a ROM.

The adb and fastboot faq, and rooting faq, both linked from the same sticky, would be good to read.
Either way should work. Sorry no links but again am on briefly from phone.

Probably should move thread to ATR too, but no time.

Good news is I think it's recoverable

 

[Hadron]

P.S. The reason you didn't need a goldcard is that modern Alpharev hboots (version 6.93 - see your image) do the same job

 

[ykbks]

well, actually, I didn't do anything but try the ruu.
I am kind of confused about making custom recovery. seems it's not written for me :">
I cannot go to hboot. means the vol down key plus power gets me nowhere but the htc screen.
please, think of me as a child, and kindly walk me through.
1. what is the safest approach?
2. kindly explain to me step by step.

I know this is too much to ask... but you know how life is as a helper...

 

[ykbks]

I think the PB99IMG method was tried the last time.
The last user, my bro told me smth like that.

 

[Hadron]

A PB99IMG.zip can contain different types of update. So my guess is that the thing you did using a PB99IMG was actually a hboot upgrade, whatever was intended. But actually that's ok - we just want to do something similar again!

The white screen you posted is hboot - just it's reporting that an RUU failed.

OK, I reckon the simplest method to get the phone going is to change hboot then run the RUU again. I said it's riskier because there are 2 critical elements in the phone's software, hboot and radio, and we're going to change both. But actually you've changed both already, and the phone isn't hard bricked yet

So, you can get the hboot from alpharev.nl. The one you want is "Bravo Stock", which can be downloaded as an image or as a zip. The image you apply using fastboot - you set up the fastboot program on your computer as described in the faq I linked there, then fastboot flash hboot as described in that faq (and on the alpharev page). To do this you'll need the phone in fastboot mode - boot while pressing the "back" key should hopefully get you there, else we'll hope it will work with the phone in this "ruu" state (as the RUU uses fastboot that's a good hope).

If you prefer the zip method (i.e. want to try without setting up fastboot), you do that by copying the zip to your phone's sd card (you'll need a card reader), rename it to PB99IMG.zip (exactly that, case-sensitive) then boot the phone into hboot. With any luck it will detect the PB99IMG.zip file and ask whether you want to apply the update. Say yes and it will replace your hboot. Reboot and it should say Alpharev Stock on the top of the screen. If it fails to detect the zip (and it is correctly named and on the top directory of the sd card) we'll have to try to fastboot flash the image anyway.

Once you have the Alpharev Stock hboot installed you can just run the RUU again. I'm pretty confident that it will work then - the problem you're having is what I'd expect if you run an RUU with the wrong hboot installed, so if we can fix that there's no reason it shouldn't work.

 

[ykbks]

So, you can get the hboot from alpharev.nl. The one you want is "Bravo Stock", which can be downloaded as an image or as a zip. The image you apply using fastboot - you set up the fastboot program on your computer as described in the faq I linked there, then fastboot flash hboot as described in that faq (and on the alpharev page). To do this you'll need the phone in fastboot mode - boot while pressing the "back" key should hopefully get you there, else we'll hope it will work with the phone in this "ruu" state (as the RUU uses fastboot that's a good hope).

THAT DID IT!!!!
YOU KILLED THE MONSTER!!!
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!

Thank you for your time and patience helping me solve this!!!

You ROCK!!! you amazingly handosome dev.... okay okay... I'll stop

Thanks!!!