I know their are plenty of topics about how to root, what it does, and roms and everything. But I and others are a still a bit concerned I am sure. If you don't plan on helping or contributing to this then don't say their are plenty of topics on the site and other websites. I have read the forum on xda developers on how to root the CDMA Hero, but I am still a bit confused. If you root what are some benefits, I have heard sometimes the device runs alot faster and snappier, and I have heard it is slow and sluggish. Also what are some other things that can be tweaked/customized, I would want to do this to screen capture, change to a white taskbar, and maybe try and add a rom. What is the best method to changing Roms, what program do I need? Also is it possible that if I were to change roms to go back to the stock rom and stock settings without bricking or screwing up my phone. If anyone can give me the best method, and a 2.0 or 2.1 rom for the hero, I don't care if HTC sense is on their or not. I like 2.1 without it. Anyone who can give details on why I should, shouldn't would be greatly appreciated and I am sure many people would too. Anything that gives or lists benefits and things you can do if you root would be great. Also a link to the best forum or youtube video that gives detailed responses on step by step instructions on how to root for the Sprint CDMA Hero. thanks
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durandetto
Android Enthusiast
-The ability to use WIFI tether is nice
-Screen shots
-Custom taskbars, bootscreens, lockscreens
-The ability to remove unwanted Sprint apps
-Having complete control over your phone
I personally use Fresh 1.1 ROM and I rooted with the pre-kitchen, which has features to add and remove apps and custom themes. The link in my sig. has a nice step by step to rooting with or without the pre-kitchen. The developer of fresh and the pr-kitchen is currently working on a full kitchen which will allow you to customize your ROM even more.
-Screen shots
-Custom taskbars, bootscreens, lockscreens
-The ability to remove unwanted Sprint apps
-Having complete control over your phone
I personally use Fresh 1.1 ROM and I rooted with the pre-kitchen, which has features to add and remove apps and custom themes. The link in my sig. has a nice step by step to rooting with or without the pre-kitchen. The developer of fresh and the pr-kitchen is currently working on a full kitchen which will allow you to customize your ROM even more.
Once you root the phone, the first thing you want to do before downloading and installing any ROM, perform a Nandroid backup (home+power on for restore menu, when the phone is off of course.) This will be a backup of your original, unmodified Hero rom.
Once you've backed it up, hook your phone back up to your computer and make a backup of the Nandroid folder just in case you accidentally delete it off your phones SD Card.
Then download the Fresh 1.1 rom, boot into the restore console thingy (Home+Power on) and install the new rom from the menu (it needs to be renamed to update.zip.)
Once it's done installing, you're up and running with Fresh 1.1 rom! At any time, you can download a new rom either from a PC or the computer, rename it to update.zip and reflash the new rom.
Currently, the 2.1 rom that is available from Fresh is in Beta, some stuff, like the camera, don't work. Also, since it's a developer ROM, you won't have access to secured purchasable apps. ie, a large amount of apps are not available.
As for a complete 2.1 ROM with or without sense is not currently available. There is a developer rom of 1.6 without sense that I think works, but i haven't tried it, and I don't think it has all of the app store apps.
Changing roms is easy, as is backing up a rom that you like. Nandroid restore will restore the latest backup. It stores them by date, so if you backup the original, install Fresh 1.1, perform another backup, then download and check out the Fresh 2.1 rom and decide "Meh, I wanna go back to Fresh 1.1" just run the restore and you're back to your Fresh 1.1!
If you want to go back to the original hero rom, then remove the Fresh Nandroid backup (again, it'll be the most recently dated folder inside the Nandroid folder) and perform a restore - done, you're back to your stock build, though still rooted.
To completely unroot the phone, check out the CDMA XDA forums because I haven't done it, nor do I plan on going back to un-rooted.
Just make sure that you do NOT install anything found outside of the XDA CDMA forums. You'll see other roms in the hero forums on XDA, but unless it's in the CDMA forum it's not going to work and you'll have to either reflash or do a complete wipe (all data on the phone) and a restore of a Nandroid backup.
I've not heard of anyone bricking their phone. I just suggest doing it with a full battery, the battery cover securely installed (don't want that battery popping out mid-flash!,) and patience. It takes a few minutes, don't get worried it didn't work and go and unplug the battery or try to turn the phone off. If you do, you might brick it, but I can't be sure even then that it won't be recoverable.
Once the phone is rooted with the recovery ROM installed, it's really hard to brick the phone.
Edit:
Also, if you experience issues such as force closes or apps not working etc, it's usually caused from some kind of corrupt data or something didn't get copied over correctly.
For the best build, I suggest downloading the Fresh 1.1 rom, doing a wipe from the recovery, and installing the 1.1 ROM. You'll have to re-setup your phone (ie, log into a google account and re-download all your apps and adjust the settings etc.) but you'll be less likely to run into little quirks and issues.
An un-rooted phone is seldomly 100% problem free. I think we all experience a few force closes every now and then (for instance, Google VoiceRecorder is crashing non-stop for me, but I haven't done a clean wipe/install yet.)
It's worth it in my opinion to have the faster (it's a lot faster) phone, wifi tether (it really is awesome having internet anywhere for my laptop and friends laptops) and the other uses and customizability you'll have access to.
There are some in the XDA forums who use the tether for their home internet connection. It's really quite fast, faster than the phone lets on (the phones CPU is a limiting factor for loading web pages.) One even said he hit 48 GIGS downloaded in a single month and hadn't heard anything from Sprint, but I wouldn't suggest doing that much!
Hope this helps!
Once you've backed it up, hook your phone back up to your computer and make a backup of the Nandroid folder just in case you accidentally delete it off your phones SD Card.
Then download the Fresh 1.1 rom, boot into the restore console thingy (Home+Power on) and install the new rom from the menu (it needs to be renamed to update.zip.)
Once it's done installing, you're up and running with Fresh 1.1 rom! At any time, you can download a new rom either from a PC or the computer, rename it to update.zip and reflash the new rom.
Currently, the 2.1 rom that is available from Fresh is in Beta, some stuff, like the camera, don't work. Also, since it's a developer ROM, you won't have access to secured purchasable apps. ie, a large amount of apps are not available.
As for a complete 2.1 ROM with or without sense is not currently available. There is a developer rom of 1.6 without sense that I think works, but i haven't tried it, and I don't think it has all of the app store apps.
Changing roms is easy, as is backing up a rom that you like. Nandroid restore will restore the latest backup. It stores them by date, so if you backup the original, install Fresh 1.1, perform another backup, then download and check out the Fresh 2.1 rom and decide "Meh, I wanna go back to Fresh 1.1" just run the restore and you're back to your Fresh 1.1!
If you want to go back to the original hero rom, then remove the Fresh Nandroid backup (again, it'll be the most recently dated folder inside the Nandroid folder) and perform a restore - done, you're back to your stock build, though still rooted.
To completely unroot the phone, check out the CDMA XDA forums because I haven't done it, nor do I plan on going back to un-rooted.
Just make sure that you do NOT install anything found outside of the XDA CDMA forums. You'll see other roms in the hero forums on XDA, but unless it's in the CDMA forum it's not going to work and you'll have to either reflash or do a complete wipe (all data on the phone) and a restore of a Nandroid backup.
I've not heard of anyone bricking their phone. I just suggest doing it with a full battery, the battery cover securely installed (don't want that battery popping out mid-flash!,) and patience. It takes a few minutes, don't get worried it didn't work and go and unplug the battery or try to turn the phone off. If you do, you might brick it, but I can't be sure even then that it won't be recoverable.
Once the phone is rooted with the recovery ROM installed, it's really hard to brick the phone.
Edit:
Also, if you experience issues such as force closes or apps not working etc, it's usually caused from some kind of corrupt data or something didn't get copied over correctly.
For the best build, I suggest downloading the Fresh 1.1 rom, doing a wipe from the recovery, and installing the 1.1 ROM. You'll have to re-setup your phone (ie, log into a google account and re-download all your apps and adjust the settings etc.) but you'll be less likely to run into little quirks and issues.
An un-rooted phone is seldomly 100% problem free. I think we all experience a few force closes every now and then (for instance, Google VoiceRecorder is crashing non-stop for me, but I haven't done a clean wipe/install yet.)
It's worth it in my opinion to have the faster (it's a lot faster) phone, wifi tether (it really is awesome having internet anywhere for my laptop and friends laptops) and the other uses and customizability you'll have access to.
There are some in the XDA forums who use the tether for their home internet connection. It's really quite fast, faster than the phone lets on (the phones CPU is a limiting factor for loading web pages.) One even said he hit 48 GIGS downloaded in a single month and hadn't heard anything from Sprint, but I wouldn't suggest doing that much!
Hope this helps!
sparky7474
Member
Just to put in my two cents.... I wasn't going to root my phone at all, and just wait formthe 2.1 one version upgrade, but after hereing all the positive talk about rooting your phone. I decided aawww hell give a shot, and if it isn't all what people are talking about, Ill just go back to the stock rom. Well since I rooted my phone and added the fresh1.1 rom, my phone has been WAYY snappier than the stock rom, even my virtual dial pad comes up quickier with les lag. Once and a while I get some crazylag, but it isn't as often as the stock rom was giving me. That alone for me was a big advantage when I rooted my phone and installed the fresh rom1.1.
I have also heard people saying thier phone got more lag or was force closing, but those gripes are far and few, most of the talk I hear is how great and how much nicer they phone ran, which I am now one of those people who can say the same. I am happy that I rooted my phone and using a custom rom. If the dev makes thier 2.1 just as good as thier 1.1 I may never go back to a stocked rom. My phone is running the way it should run, and I am VERY happy with my phone!
I have also heard people saying thier phone got more lag or was force closing, but those gripes are far and few, most of the talk I hear is how great and how much nicer they phone ran, which I am now one of those people who can say the same. I am happy that I rooted my phone and using a custom rom. If the dev makes thier 2.1 just as good as thier 1.1 I may never go back to a stocked rom. My phone is running the way it should run, and I am VERY happy with my phone!
Yes, root the phone, then boot to recovery (home+power on) and perform a backup. After that, do whatever you want, install whatever roms you want.
If you want to go back to stock android, restore the backup! But you won't want to go back, trust me.. It's there "just in case" like, if you decide to sell it or exchange it with a new one because the screen cracks or something.
Keep in mind, restoring the backup will not un-root the phone, it will still be rooted. I think to restore to factory you just install a certain ROM and it removes the recovery console and root. Again, I haven't done it so I'm not sure, but I understand its fairly easy.
Thanks to everyone for the help, it sounds like rooting does have alot benefits.
One more question though. If I want to install the white notification bar on the Hero, would I have to flash a new rom with that notification bar, or can i just change that part of my rom without having to mess around with non stock things. Also for the Lock screen too. I hate the Hero lock screen I love the Eclair one though, so could i just install the lock screen as long as I am rooted or do I have to install a whole different rom?
One more question though. If I want to install the white notification bar on the Hero, would I have to flash a new rom with that notification bar, or can i just change that part of my rom without having to mess around with non stock things. Also for the Lock screen too. I hate the Hero lock screen I love the Eclair one though, so could i just install the lock screen as long as I am rooted or do I have to install a whole different rom?
mysticmead
Android Expert
Fresh isn't replacing SenseUI.. but if ya don't like Fresh.. and just want the Sprint Apps gone... read this.. How to remove Stocks, Nascar and other useless apps... - xda-developers
if you just want to know what other ROMS are out there.. then look here.. http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=CDMA Hero ROMs
if you just want to know what other ROMS are out there.. then look here.. http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=CDMA Hero ROMs
tatonka_Hero
Android Expert
rooting itself shouldn't block the update, but a custom ROM will. Not that it matters, since there will be custom ROM's out within hours of the 2.1 update coming through.
When the 1.56 firmware update got pushed OTA, I had a problem downloading it b/c my phone had 1.22. The 1.56 was looking for a more recent firmware version which was 1.29.
Based on this, I found a "fix" with the help from the guys over at xda. Check out this post http://androidforums.com/sprint-htc...how-firmware-update-available.html#post136089 to see the brief steps i took.
This should be ONE OPTION for getting back to the stock ROM. (But if you follow this, you'd be at 1.29...so you'd still have to download 1.56 firmware. I'm sure the guys over at xda have that somewhere but I just haven't looked.)