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Root [HOW TO](gaining root)unlock,downgrade,and achieve s-off with htcDev

First post. Made this account just to thank Scotty.

Been reading these forums for a while now and especially this thread. Read every word two or three times. I use my phone for work and did NOT want to mess it up.

So, thanks very much for this Scotty. Went off without a hitch. No problems all the way through. Took me less than two hours. I have unlock and S-off. And now I have several thousand questions. Just kidding, well, no I'm not but most of them I'll probably figure out on my own.

I want ICS on my Dinc. That's first. Then, how do I get rid of all those crappy space consuming verizon apps? How do I put ICS on now? What do you recommend for rooted apps? I could go on and on, but I'm not really asking for more help than you've already given.

Again, Scotty, thanks.
Rooted and happy
CS
 
First post. Made this account just to thank Scotty.

Been reading these forums for a while now and especially this thread. Read every word two or three times. I use my phone for work and did NOT want to mess it up.

So, thanks very much for this Scotty. Went off without a hitch. No problems all the way through. Took me less than two hours. I have unlock and S-off. And now I have several thousand questions. Just kidding, well, no I'm not but most of them I'll probably figure out on my own.

I want ICS on my Dinc. That's first. Then, how do I get rid of all those crappy space consuming verizon apps? How do I put ICS on now? What do you recommend for rooted apps? I could go on and on, but I'm not really asking for more help than you've already given.

Again, Scotty, thanks.
Rooted and happy
CS

this is great ... you go ahead and ask all the "dumb" questions and we will all benefit from the answers. thanks!
wink.gif
j.k.

-m
 
First post. Made this account just to thank Scotty.

Been reading these forums for a while now and especially this thread. Read every word two or three times. I use my phone for work and did NOT want to mess it up.

So, thanks very much for this Scotty. Went off without a hitch. No problems all the way through. Took me less than two hours. I have unlock and S-off. And now I have several thousand questions. Just kidding, well, no I'm not but most of them I'll probably figure out on my own.

I want ICS on my Dinc. That's first. Then, how do I get rid of all those crappy space consuming verizon apps? How do I put ICS on now? What do you recommend for rooted apps? I could go on and on, but I'm not really asking for more help than you've already given.

Again, Scotty, thanks.
Rooted and happy
CS
Install any ICS rom and all the Verizon apps will be gone.
http://androidforums.com/incredible-roms/

Titanium backup is the must have root only app.
 
Install any ICS rom and all the Verizon apps will be gone.
Incredible - ROMs - Android Forums

Titanium backup is the must have root only app.

I've been looking at the various ICS ROMs, but it seems like there isn't one that isn't a bit buggy. Or at least that's what I'm reading in the comments.

I just put a stable xda Gingerbread mod on and so far it seems pretty good. Hopefully that ends the OTA upgrade notification as well. I know I really do NOT want to take any OTA "upgrade" on a rooted phone.

I have Ti Backup. That one is a no brainer. And it looks like I can use it to get rid of the Verizon crapps?

Since I've just done this for the first time today (so far so good), I'll be looking into more root apps over the next couple days until I get the thing where I want it. And unless someone can point me to a stable ICS ROM, I'll stick with Gingerbread.
 
I've been looking at the various ICS ROMs, but it seems like there isn't one that isn't a bit buggy. Or at least that's what I'm reading in the comments.

I just put a stable xda Gingerbread mod on and so far it seems pretty good. Hopefully that ends the OTA upgrade notification as well. I know I really do NOT want to take any OTA "upgrade" on a rooted phone.

I have Ti Backup. That one is a no brainer. And it looks like I can use it to get rid of the Verizon crapps?

Since I've just done this for the first time today (so far so good), I'll be looking into more root apps over the next couple days until I get the thing where I want it. And unless someone can point me to a stable ICS ROM, I'll stick with Gingerbread.
Correct, all ICS roms are going to be buggy because there is no official ICS for the incredible, which means the developers are lacking critical pieces of the OS to make it completely stable. Also the incredible suffers from some hardware limitations.

I'd highly recommend using the paid version of titanium if you haven't already. It gives you a bunch more options. Most notably the ability to "freeze" apps, rather than remove them. Removing apps can sometimes have unforeseen consequences, and a "frozen" app can easily be defrosted, where a removed app would have to be reinstalled, which can be a cumbersome task. The other great feature of the paid version is the "batch restores" which allows the app restoration process to complete automatically, rather than having to manually confirm each app install.
 
it says that "htcdev unlock WILL wipe your personal data". How to I back-up this data to re-load it, or can I. Also, I'm not sure which personal data this refers to. I know that there's no warranty left for this phone, so that's not a problem, but I'm fanatically concerned about bricking the phone and losing my contacts, etc. I also hate having to re-install apps from my remembrance of what I had before, and set up my desktop the way I had it from before. Not a dealbreaker, if I can get rid of that damned "Out of memory" error, but I'd like to be able to back up this info so I don't have to re-customize my desktop and apps.

Am I expecting too much here?

when you htcdev unlock,it performs a factory reset,so the phone will be just like you took it out of the box. unfortunately,there is no way to back up apps and app data,or make a full backup,that i know of,without root.

at least it will only be a pain this once ;)

just make sure your contacts are all google contacts,and they will come back when you resign in to google on a new rom.

I've been looking at the various ICS ROMs, but it seems like there isn't one that isn't a bit buggy. Or at least that's what I'm reading in the comments.

I just put a stable xda Gingerbread mod on and so far it seems pretty good. Hopefully that ends the OTA upgrade notification as well. I know I really do NOT want to take any OTA "upgrade" on a rooted phone.

I have Ti Backup. That one is a no brainer. And it looks like I can use it to get rid of the Verizon crapps?

Since I've just done this for the first time today (so far so good), I'll be looking into more root apps over the next couple days until I get the thing where I want it. And unless someone can point me to a stable ICS ROM, I'll stick with Gingerbread.

yup,titanium you can use to freeze or delete vzw bloat. id make a backup prior to deleteing,and i would freeze things first and run the phone a few days to make sure that whatever you want to get rid of doesnt affect some functionality of the phone. you can delete the apps after your sure the coast is clear ;)

root explorer,or some other root only file manager is something else i cant live without. :)

glad all haw worked out well for you :)
 
this is great ... you go ahead and ask all the "dumb" questions and we will all benefit from the answers. thanks!
wink.gif
j.k.

-m

As an almost 60 year old thin film process engineer, one thing I've learned in life is that the only "dumb" question is the one that doesn't get asked. No one was born knowing everything so I have no problem asking dumb questions. ;)
 
I can't unlock using htcdev. When I get to Unlocking Bootloader Instructions, I can't find

adb.exe
AdbWinApi.dll
fastboot.exe

are you following directions in the OP? miniadb_inc includes those those things,you dont need to find them.

from step 1)unlock with htcdev in the OP:
most guides simply say "follow the directions to unlock with htcdev" but im gonna go thru it with ya the mini-adb-inc.zip file is all the files that htcdev is telling you to download and put into a folder,so allready this should be a lil easier

download the files and organize them so you can find them all easily. read the directions carefully,dont be in a hurry,and take it one step at a time. i have honestly tried to explain or answer everything i could think of that folks typically get confused or have questions about. :)
 
Dear Scotty85,
I am very interesting in your post but my Eris always blocked me at
- it did not do the flash of PB31IMG.ZIP as well (FAILED (remote: 2 data length is too large)
- It did not flash an recovery image. It said "Writing recovery ... FAILED (remote: not allow).
Please help me. Thank you in advance.
 
Dear Scotty85,
I am very interesting in your post but my Eris always blocked me at
- it did not do the flash of PB31IMG.ZIP as well (FAILED (remote: 2 data length is too large)
- It did not flash an recovery image. It said "Writing recovery ... FAILED (remote: not allow).
Please help me. Thank you in advance.

unfortunately,this guide is for the htc droid incredible,not the droid eris. check out the eris forum for eris root info: Eris - All Things Root - Android Forums

you can root via a one click app,or eu1s "rooting for dummies" guide stickied at the top of the forum.

after that,its fairly easy to change the misc image and flash the "root rom" to get the s-off hboot. :)
 
So, thanks very much for this Scotty. Went off without a hitch. No problems all the way through. Took me less than two hours.

[snip]
Rooted and happy
CS


so, i may do it this weekend. you say it took 2 hours... what was the most time consuming step or steps? i only ask so i won't be surprised and freak out if something is taking a long time to do.
surprised.gif
or were you just going really slowly and carefully?

how long do the pros on here think it should take to root following the procedure of Scotty et al.?

optimistically trepidacious,
-m

OK, a little bit later and i have read through the steps a few times. you have done a great job as holding our hands to walk us noobs through this. i do have the following questions in a few spots where is wasn't clear (to me, at least) exactly what needs to be done... here goes...

1)unlock with htcdev
2)unlock using htcdev
-go to HTCdev - Unlock Bootloader and sign in to your account. chose "htc droid incredible" from the "select your device bar" and click the green "begin unlock bootloader" button underneath. note the "*" wich means you will need to update your hboot in order to unlock.
-click yes to procede,then read the warnings before checking the boxes and clicking yes to continue,as they are basically explaining that your warranty is now void,and any repairs that your phone needs that may have been a result of unlocking your bootloader and messing with your phones operating system may no longer be covered under mfgr warranty

[IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY, OR IS SOMETHING MISSING HERE? IF NOT AUTOMATIC HOW DO YOU "check your hboot screen"]

*check your hboot screen. if you allready have hboots 1.02.0000,or 1.07.0000 then skip ahead to the next step,you dont need this. if you have hboot 0.92.0000,then download the RUU for the new hboot. right click it,and run as administrator. plug in your phone when prompted to.

[WHAT IS "RUU" AND WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO DOWNLOAD IT FROM? WHERE DO I DOWNLOAD IT TO? MY C\miniadb_inc FOLDER?]
[ISN'T MY PHONE STILL PLUGGED IN? OR IS SOME INSTRUCTION GOING TO COME UP TO TELL ME TO UNPLUG?]

it will ugrade your 0.92.0000 hboot to the htcdev unlock 1.02.0000 hboot.
-steps 1-4 are describing how to get your phone into bootloader mode and connect it to your PC,wich we have done above. ignore these steps and simply type in your cmd window:

[SNIP]

-steps 5-7 are telling you how to find the files and utilities inside your mini-adb folder. you have them,so ignore steps 5-7.

[I ASSUME THESE ARE JUST THE FILES THAT ARE THE FOLDER AFTER EXTRACTING THE ZIPPED FOLDER... OR ARE THERE MORE THAT NEED TO PUT IN THERE?]


3)flash superuser root files*
1)place superuser 3.07 onto the root of your sd card.

[I ASSUME THIS IS A SIMPLE DRAG AND DROP? IS THE SD CARD OF THE PHONE GOING TO SHOW UP SOMEWHERE? WHEN TRYING TO GET PHOTOS OFF THE PHONE I REALIZED THERE SEEM TO BE MULTIPLE STORAGE "LOCATIONS" IN THE PHONE/ON THE SD CARD... WHERE DOES THIS FILE GO? WHAT DOES THE "ROOT" OF THE SD CARD LOOK LIKE ON SCREEN?]
[AM I PUTTING THE ZIPPED "Superuser-3.0.7-efgh-signed.zip" THERE, OR SHOULD IT BE UNZIPPED AND THE UNZIPPED FOLDER GOES TO ROOT? NOTE: MY SUPERUSER HAS DIFFERENT NAME, BUT IT IS WHAT DOWNLOADED FROM YOUR LINKS AT TOP... IS THIS CORRECT?]

-make a backup of your stock,unrooted rom. completely optional,but a very good idea,IMO.

[WHERE DO I PUT THE BACKUP? ON MY COMPUTER OR ON THE SD CARD? IF COMPUTER, OK TO PUT IN C\miniadb_inc FOLDER?]

4)rewrite the misc image with adb and downgrade to froyo
-take the froyo PB31IMG,and place it into your miniadb_inc folder

[I ASSUME " froyo PB31IMG " IS SAME AS "PB31IMG" WITHOUT THE WORD "froyo" IN FRONT OF IT? AM I PUTTING THE " PB31IMG.zip" DIRECTLY IN " miniadb_inc " FOLDER, OR DOES IT NEED TO BE UNZIPPED FIRST?]

md5sums mtd0.img it should output a few things.at the end you should see this number 34307be744275f1db1dd16af04c37839

md5sums flash_image again,it will output some things,then you should see this number: 0098a7dd6600b55fac34fc6645be5d7a

md5sums PB31IMG.zip this is a big file,and will take a couple minutes to check,so be patient- its prolly not hung. it should output 31bb1611a0fa8197d447c0438426717e


[I ASSUME I CAN CHECK THESE AHEAD OF TIME USING ANY md5 CHECKER?]
[SNIP]


you can now downgrade back to 2.2,so you can flash the "unrevoked forever patch" in recovery to regain s-off


[I ASSUME WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE DOWNGRADE... IT IS SCARY TO SEE LANGUAGE LIKE " you can now downgrade "... ALL I SEE FLASH BEFORE MY EYES IS "No I can't now downgrade" YOU MIGHT WORD IT AS "you will now downgrade to ... by the following steps"]

7)re-flash superuser root files and flash unrevoked's "forever" patch*
1)place superuser 3.07(if its not still there from the first time),and unrevokeds "forever" patch onto the root of your sd card


[AS WITH ABOVE, AM I PUTTING THE ZIPPED "Superuser-3.0.7-efgh-signed.zip" AND THE ZIPPED "unrevoked-forever.zip", OR SHOULD THEY BE UNZIPPED AND THE UNZIPPED FOLDER GOES TO ROOT? NOTE AS ABOVE: MY SUPERUSER HAS DIFFERENT NAME, BUT IT IS WHAT DOWNLOADED FROM YOUR LINKS AT TOP... IS THIS CORRECT?]
 
so, i may do it this weekend. you say it took 2 hours... what was the most time consuming step or steps? i only ask so i won't be surprised and freak out if something is taking a long time to do.
surprised.gif
or were you just going really slowly and carefully?

how long do the pros on here think it should take to root following the procedure of Scotty et al.?

optimistically trepidacious,
-m

OK, a little bit later and i have read through the steps a few times. you have done a great job as holding our hands to walk us noobs through this. i do have the following questions in a few spots where is wasn't clear (to me, at least) exactly what needs to be done... here goes...

1)unlock with htcdev
2)unlock using htcdev
-go to HTCdev - Unlock Bootloader and sign in to your account. chose "htc droid incredible" from the "select your device bar" and click the green "begin unlock bootloader" button underneath. note the "*" wich means you will need to update your hboot in order to unlock.
-click yes to procede,then read the warnings before checking the boxes and clicking yes to continue,as they are basically explaining that your warranty is now void,and any repairs that your phone needs that may have been a result of unlocking your bootloader and messing with your phones operating system may no longer be covered under mfgr warranty

[IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY, OR IS SOMETHING MISSING HERE? IF NOT AUTOMATIC HOW DO YOU "check your hboot screen"]
pull battery,hold vol down,then power. this will take you to hboot.
*check your hboot screen. if you allready have hboots 1.02.0000,or 1.07.0000 then skip ahead to the next step,you dont need this. if you have hboot 0.92.0000,then download the RUU for the new hboot. right click it,and run as administrator. plug in your phone when prompted to.

[WHAT IS "RUU" AND WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO DOWNLOAD IT FROM? WHERE DO I DOWNLOAD IT TO? MY C\miniadb_inc FOLDER?]
[ISN'T MY PHONE STILL PLUGGED IN? OR IS SOME INSTRUCTION GOING TO COME UP TO TELL ME TO UNPLUG?]it is oon the htcdev website,if you need it. you can download it to anywhere,it is is utility you run on your pc. yes,your phone is still plugged in. no need to unplug it.

it will ugrade your 0.92.0000 hboot to the htcdev unlock 1.02.0000 hboot.
-steps 1-4 are describing how to get your phone into bootloader mode and connect it to your PC,wich we have done above. ignore these steps and simply type in your cmd window:

[SNIP]

-steps 5-7 are telling you how to find the files and utilities inside your mini-adb folder. you have them,so ignore steps 5-7.

[I ASSUME THESE ARE JUST THE FILES THAT ARE THE FOLDER AFTER EXTRACTING THE ZIPPED FOLDER... OR ARE THERE MORE THAT NEED TO PUT IN THERE?] no more need put into mini-adb_inc. its everything you need.


3)flash superuser root files*
1)place superuser 3.07 onto the root of your sd card.

[I ASSUME THIS IS A SIMPLE DRAG AND DROP? IS THE SD CARD OF THE PHONE GOING TO SHOW UP SOMEWHERE? WHEN TRYING TO GET PHOTOS OFF THE PHONE I REALIZED THERE SEEM TO BE MULTIPLE STORAGE "LOCATIONS" IN THE PHONE/ON THE SD CARD... WHERE DOES THIS FILE GO? WHAT DOES THE "ROOT" OF THE SD CARD LOOK LIKE ON SCREEN?]drag and drop is fine,do it however youre most comfortable moving files. you can mount the sd as a disk drive,or you can pull the card and put it in a card reader. youll just have to look at the files on the each storage and figure out wich one is the sd,theres no way otherwise to tell. you can right click and check properties,and see wich one is the same size as your sd ;) root just means "not inside another folder"
[AM I PUTTING THE ZIPPED "Superuser-3.0.7-efgh-signed.zip" THERE, OR SHOULD IT BE UNZIPPED AND THE UNZIPPED FOLDER GOES TO ROOT? NOTE: MY SUPERUSER HAS DIFFERENT NAME, BUT IT IS WHAT DOWNLOADED FROM YOUR LINKS AT TOP... IS THIS CORRECT?]leave sureruser zipped. if you downloaded from the link in the orginal post,its fine. it may have been updated since i wrote the guide.

-make a backup of your stock,unrooted rom. completely optional,but a very good idea,IMO.

[WHERE DO I PUT THE BACKUP? ON MY COMPUTER OR ON THE SD CARD? IF COMPUTER, OK TO PUT IN C\miniadb_inc FOLDER?]you will use the menu options in clockwork recovery,it will automatically store the backup on your sd card. i cant go into detail here,as i dont remember the exact menu options. there is alot of info on the forum about making backups and flashing roms,but it will be pretty obvious once youre in recovery.

4)rewrite the misc image with adb and downgrade to froyo
-take the froyo PB31IMG,and place it into your miniadb_inc folder

[I ASSUME " froyo PB31IMG " IS SAME AS "PB31IMG" WITHOUT THE WORD "froyo" IN FRONT OF IT? AM I PUTTING THE " PB31IMG.zip" DIRECTLY IN " miniadb_inc " FOLDER, OR DOES IT NEED TO BE UNZIPPED FIRST?]yes,same file. no do not unzip it.

md5sums mtd0.img it should output a few things.at the end you should see this number 34307be744275f1db1dd16af04c37839

md5sums flash_image again,it will output some things,then you should see this number: 0098a7dd6600b55fac34fc6645be5d7a

md5sums PB31IMG.zip this is a big file,and will take a couple minutes to check,so be patient- its prolly not hung. it should output 31bb1611a0fa8197d447c0438426717e


[I ASSUME I CAN CHECK THESE AHEAD OF TIME USING ANY md5 CHECKER?]yes.
[SNIP]


you can now downgrade back to 2.2,so you can flash the "unrevoked forever patch" in recovery to regain s-off


[I ASSUME WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE DOWNGRADE... IT IS SCARY TO SEE LANGUAGE LIKE " you can now downgrade "... ALL I SEE FLASH BEFORE MY EYES IS "No I can't now downgrade" YOU MIGHT WORD IT AS "you will now downgrade to ... by the following steps"]

7)re-flash superuser root files and flash unrevoked's "forever" patch*
1)place superuser 3.07(if its not still there from the first time),and unrevokeds "forever" patch onto the root of your sd card


[AS WITH ABOVE, AM I PUTTING THE ZIPPED "Superuser-3.0.7-efgh-signed.zip" AND THE ZIPPED "unrevoked-forever.zip", OR SHOULD THEY BE UNZIPPED AND THE UNZIPPED FOLDER GOES TO ROOT? NOTE AS ABOVE: MY SUPERUSER HAS DIFFERENT NAME, BUT IT IS WHAT DOWNLOADED FROM YOUR LINKS AT TOP... IS THIS CORRECT?] same answer as above. youl do it exactly the same

hope that helps. :) if you need to inquire about things in context in the future,please do me a favor and make them a different color,it was difficult to pick out your actual questions. :eek:
 
so, i may do it this weekend. you say it took 2 hours... what was the most time consuming step or steps? i only ask so i won't be surprised and freak out if something is taking a long time to do.
surprised.gif
or were you just going really slowly and carefully?

how long do the pros on here think it should take to root following the procedure of Scotty et al.?

optimistically trepidacious,
-m

[/B]

M,

For what it's worth, here's a noob's point of view... I debated for a long time to root my phone. Luckily I had a spare Inc that my wife voided the warranty on (got it very wet! wi-fi only now), and finally decided to do it after reading Scotty's tutorial.

I read through this procedure several times, googled stuff I didn't understand, and after a couple of days decided to go for it. The first time through took a couple of hours, because I was going really slowly. I wasn't totally done until the next day after getting some more info from Scotty and sdrawkcab. That phone has been running CyanogenMod 7 for a few days without any issues.

Just tonight, I bit the bullet and rooted my phone. From start to finish, it took an hour and 45 minutes taking my time and double-checking everything. On this phone, I installed the Touch of Blue v2.2 stock ROM. Can't say how well it's running yet, but the process went as smoothly as the first.

On a side note, I also bought Titanium Backup since everyone says it's a must have.

Hope this helps...

Big thanks again to Scotty for putting this all together and for all the others who have contributed to this thread!!! :D

jeb
 
so, i may do it this weekend. you say it took 2 hours... what was the most time consuming step or steps? i only ask so i won't be surprised and freak out if something is taking a long time to do.

I can't give you better directions than Scotty. All I can say is that I was very careful to follow his directions exactly. I had the top of this thread open in a separate window and was checking back and forth between what was happening first on HTCdev, then on each step all along the way on the phone.

Just go through it step by step, DO NOT skip ANYTHING, and you'll be fine. Remember that clockwork recovery uses the optical pad, NOT the volume rocker and power button. That's the only place I stumbled and that was only for a couple seconds before I remembered.

Oh, I should add that there's a couple steps where it seems like the phone is just NOT going to reboot. BE PATIENT! It will. Good luck!

haha, I just remembered something else. HTCdev told me I was upgrading build 4.08.605.15 to 4.08.605.15. At first I was WTF??? Then I remembered that my hboot was version 0.9200 and I also remembered reading somewhere that if that's your hboot, you need to upgrade to do this. So I took the upgrade from HTCdev, even though it was the same build number.
 
I had the top of this thread open in a separate window and was checking back and forth between what was happening first on HTCdev, then on each step all along the way on the phone.

this is exactly how i intend it. you have to submit your token to htc,no way around that. my instructions are not intended to replace the need to go to htcdevs website. :) this i may add to the op instructions.

the rest of your tips was also great advice for someone about to attempt the process. :)

after getting yourself organized and downloaidng all the files,the longest parts are waiting for the phone to reboot each time it unlocks,and waiting for the ruu to flash,then reboot after that. the comand window parts are actually very fast.

defiantely do not be discouraged if it takes you a cuople hours,nothing wrong with that :)
 
the longest parts are waiting for the phone to reboot each time it unlocks,and waiting for the ruu to flash,then reboot after that. the comand window parts are actually very fast.

This is definitely true, however I gotta say one of the longest parts for me was waiting for the email from HTCdev, even though it was maybe 2 minutes. :D

One other thing I had just a moments problem with was copying the unlock token from the command window. HTCdev says to highlight the text, and right click to copy. I'm using Win7 and each time I tried right clicking on the highlighted text in the command window, the text became unhighlighted. I then noticed that when I right clicked, "Paste" was an active option. So I figured that just highlighting the text also copies it. I tried pasting into the form on HTCdev, and there it was.
 
Scotty... what can i say... you sir have written a GREAT step-by-step. only had one place where i freaked, then realized i hadn't moved a zip to the miniadb-inc folder. whew! as others mentioned, about 2 hrs start to finish after prep work.

so, i am now rooted/unlocked and S-OFF!

i flashed the PB31IMG-4.08.605.15-hboot-1.07.zip in step 8... am i confused, or is this still a Froyo variant? it shows up in the Settings>Phone Info>Software as 2.2. Do I need to still find and flash Gingerbread? Or do I somehow restore the backup I made in Step 3, or would that put me back in unrooted mode?

also, i'm a little curious why all the apps i added since i got the phone are still installed? i thought everything got wiped during the process?

I guess once i get that settled I can commence removing bloatware, especially the particularly annoying and apparently undead "Slacker" ... no matter how many time i kill it, it keeps coming back!

many thanks again!

-m

p.s. i just received the OTA notification of update to 4.08.605.2 do i just ignore it?
 
Scotty... what can i say... you sir have written a GREAT step-by-step. only had one place where i freaked, then realized i hadn't moved a zip to the miniadb-inc folder. whew! as others mentioned, about 2 hrs start to finish after prep work.

so, i am now rooted/unlocked and S-OFF!

i flashed the PB31IMG-4.08.605.15-hboot-1.07.zip in step 8... am i confused, or is this still a Froyo variant? it shows up in the Settings>Phone Info>Software as 2.2. Do I need to still find and flash Gingerbread? Or do I somehow restore the backup I made in Step 3, or would that put me back in unrooted mode?
that file is only the hboot(newest- 1.07.0000) it did not change your android version, or software in any way. i would update the radio as well if you didnt.

if you wish to stay on froyo you can,but youll need to either flash a custom froyo rom,or modify your stock rom to avoid constant update pestering. froyo is not great,i personally would update to GB or ICS :D

you can restore the backup you made in step 3. if you made it prior to flashing root files,then you can simply flash superuser again in recovery after restoring the backup to become rooted.

or you can install the linked rom,or any other numerous custom roms. its all up to you. :)


also, i'm a little curious why all the apps i added since i got the phone are still installed? i thought everything got wiped during the process?

it should have wiped everything. the market may have auto-re downloaded them.

I guess once i get that settled I can commence removing bloatware, especially the particularly annoying and apparently undead "Slacker" ... no matter how many time i kill it, it keeps coming back!
if you completely delete the .apk with root explorer from system/app it shold not come back.

many thanks again!

-m

p.s. i just received the OTA notification of update to 4.08.605.2 do i just ignore it?

you cannot install it with a custom recovery. youll need to pick one of the options above to deal with the OTA noticication :)
 
you have been very patient. thank you.

gotten this far, so don't want to brick-it now... a few more questions for clarification...



Scotty wrote:
you can restore the backup you made in step 3. if you made it prior to flashing root files,then you can simply flash superuser again in recovery after restoring the backup to become rooted.

1) the backup from Step 3 was before SU flash, as per your instructions. it didn't generate a .zip file, but a folder called backup on the sd card. do i restore the backup by doing hboot>recovery, then choosing the restore option? (i actually didn't pay attention if there was a restore image, but i assume if there was a backup option there would be a restore option)

if the above is correct, would the actions be:
-hboot>recovery
-backup and restore>restore>select the backup
-reboot system now
-hboot>recovery
-install zip from sd card>superuser

-reboot system now

should there be wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache steps in there as well? the link to flashing ROMS you provided mention doing factory resets/wipes...you recommend that in this instance?


do i then have to repeat the rest of Steps 5 to 7 to get back to unlocked/S-OFF? Or do i simply do
-hboot>recovery
-install zip from sd card>forever

-reboot system now


or you can install the linked rom,or any other numerous custom roms. its all up to you. :)


isn't the "linked rom" still Froyo 2.2?

i just want a very simple no frills GB version. and one without all the garbage extra apps that verizon/htc puts on the phone all the better.

2) if i go this route, are the ROMs .zip files, and would the same procedure used to flash the superuser.zip be used on the ROM? (e.g., hboot>recovery, etc). same question about clearing caches, etc.? the link to flashing ROMS you provided mention doing factory resets/wipes...you recommend that in this instance?

after flashing ROM, do superuser and forever have to be re-flashed?

3) need to re-unlock with either approach (1) or (2) above?


you cannot install it with a custom recovery. youll need to pick one of the options above to deal with the OTA noticication :)


if it tries to install it would mess up my phone? so i need to be very care i don't hit the install button by mistake before i get this resolved?

you indicated changing the radio... what is the basic reason for doing this?

THANKS!
-m
 
you have been very patient. thank you.

gotten this far, so don't want to brick-it now... a few more questions for clarification...



Scotty wrote:
you can restore the backup you made in step 3. if you made it prior to flashing root files,then you can simply flash superuser again in recovery after restoring the backup to become rooted.

1) the backup from Step 3 was before SU flash, as per your instructions. it didn't generate a .zip file, but a folder called backup on the sd card. do i restore the backup by doing hboot>recovery, then choosing the restore option? (i actually didn't pay attention if there was a restore image, but i assume if there was a backup option there would be a restore option)

if the above is correct, would the actions be:
-hboot>recovery
-backup and restore>restore>select the backup
-reboot system now
-hboot>recovery
-install zip from sd card>superuser

-reboot system now
correct
should there be wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache steps in there as well? the link to flashing ROMS you provided mention doing factory resets/wipes...you recommend that in this instance?

full wipe then restore the backup. wipe cache and dalvik to install superuser.

do i then have to repeat the rest of Steps 5 to 7 to get back to unlocked/S-OFF?
no. once you are s-off,you are s-off forever,unless you purposely remove it(turn s-on)
Or do i simply do
-hboot>recovery
-install zip from sd card>forever

-reboot system now

no need to relfash forever patch(see above)

or you can install the linked rom,or any other numerous custom roms. its all up to you. :)


isn't the "linked rom" still Froyo 2.2?
no. it is the most recent gingerbread OTA(4.08.605.15)

i just want a very simple no frills GB version. and one without all the garbage extra apps that verizon/htc puts on the phone all the better.
you can delete the bloat from the linked rom,or you can search xda for a "debloated" stock rom. if you are not attached to the sense UI,you can try cm7,wich is AOSP 2.3 gingerbread,with a few tweeks and enhancements.

2) if i go this route, are the ROMs .zip files, and would the same procedure used to flash the superuser.zip be used on the ROM? (e.g., hboot>recovery, etc). same question about clearing caches, etc.? the link to flashing ROMS you provided mention doing factory resets/wipes...you recommend that in this instance?
whenever flashing a rom or restoring a backup,do a full wipe(data,cache,dalvik cache)
after flashing ROM, do superuser and forever have to be re-flashed?
no

3) need to re-unlock with either approach (1) or (2) above?
nope


you cannot install it with a custom recovery. youll need to pick one of the options above to deal with the OTA noticication :)


if it tries to install it would mess up my phone? so i need to be very care i don't hit the install button by mistake before i get this resolved?
it depends on the recovery youre running. some custom recoveries will block the OTA. some will try to install it,resulting in a (most likely recoverable) bootloop. i would take care of it sooner than later. if you made a backup,go ahead and restore it now. you can run that while you decide what do do about a rom.

you indicated changing the radio... what is the basic reason for doing this?
stronger,more stable phone and data signals. it is optional,but the newer radio is likely to give better performance.

THANKS!
-m

your welcome. hope that clears it up for you :)
 


i just want a very simple no frills GB version. and one without all the garbage extra apps that verizon/htc puts on the phone all the better.


THANKS!
-m


I'm with you. Just wanted a nice stable no frills GB. Found a couple nice ones at XDA. Grabbed their Touch of Blue and an odexed stock version.
Stock_inc_4.08.605.15_odexed.zip.
Don't seem to be able to find a link to it right now, but that's the one I installed. No more OTA system update notifications like you have with Froyo. Build seems very stable and everything works. Heard nice things about Touch of Blue as well and I might at some point go that route, but for now the Stock one seems great. My phone is back to exactly where it was before, but now I'm rooted, S-off and have a LOT more control. It's only been this way for a couple days now, but I can tell you my phone is noticeably faster. I also have a lot more free phone storage than I did.

As has been mentioned many times before, get Titanium and pay for the full version. It's only $5. You can then go in and freeze all that Verizon bloatware, life with that for a few days to see if it affects anything else, and then use Titanium to get rid of it permanently.

After going through this with Scotty's instructions, I'm a lot more confident now and have a much better understanding of the process. I may start trying some more stuff. Like the radio. Gotta read up on that but I wonder if I can't improve my reception with a new radio.
 
I'm with you. Just wanted a nice stable no frills GB. Found a couple nice ones at XDA. Grabbed their Touch of Blue and an odexed stock version.
Stock_inc_4.08.605.15_odexed.zip.
Don't seem to be able to find a link to it right now, but that's the one I installed. No more OTA system update notifications like you have with Froyo. Build seems very stable and everything works. Heard nice things about Touch of Blue as well and I might at some point go that route, but for now the Stock one seems great. My phone is back to exactly where it was before, but now I'm rooted, S-off and have a LOT more control. It's only been this way for a couple days now, but I can tell you my phone is noticeably faster. I also have a lot more free phone storage than I did.

As has been mentioned many times before, get Titanium and pay for the full version. It's only $5. You can then go in and freeze all that Verizon bloatware, life with that for a few days to see if it affects anything else, and then use Titanium to get rid of it permanently.

After going through this with Scotty's instructions, I'm a lot more confident now and have a much better understanding of the process. I may start trying some more stuff. Like the radio. Gotta read up on that but I wonder if I can't improve my reception with a new radio.

not that i feel totally confident yet, but looking around i found Scotty mention a link to radios on this site

Stock Images | PvilleComp's

which also had stock images of Gingerbread WITH Radios

Latest OTA RUU – 4.08.605.2

Maybe that would be the way to go if the radios are the most current (didn't seem to state that on the website)

Also was not sure if this is a ROOTED stock? if not, what extra steps would i need to do in the procedure listed below?


the reference Scotty gave in the OP was to

[ROM] Stock rooted OTA 4.08.605.15 - 06-27-2012 - xda-developers

it clearly said it was rooted, but didn't indicate if radio was included. any reason to go with odexed vs. deodexed for someone who is not going to tinker with the code?


So, if going with either of these, the full process would be [PLEASE correct me if wrong]

-downlaoad image zip, check the md5, transfer to SD root and change name to PB31IMG.zip
-recheck md5 of superuser.zip just to be safe

-hboot>recovery>backup [i didn't see the "nandriod" option during root process]
-reboot system now

-hboot>factory reset

-hboot>recovery>wipe cache partition [still necessary after factory reset?]
-advanced>wipe dalvik cache [still necessary after factory reset?]
-install zip from sd card>select PB31IMG.zip
-reboot system now

-hboot>recovery

-wipe cache partition
-advanced>wipe dalvik cache
-install zip from sd card>select superuser.zip

-reboot system now

i will definitely go with the paid version of Titanium once i get all this squared away... looked like a great product.

thanks in advance!
-m

 
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