Which 'Clean' Rom to grab? - Desire General

Hi all,
I've finally got a Desire heading my way from Orange. I'll be wanting to purge the Orange branding for a variety of reasons, but I'm unsure of the most up to date, clean/stock ROM to go for.
I'm new to the Android platform, so rather than try out a custom/tweaked rom that requires rooting, I thought I'd just use the goldcard method to flash a clean rom across (May try rooting/customs later).
I've been reading through some of the threads and have a fair idea of what to expect, my questions to you fine people:
What is the most up to date 'stock' htc rom going? - I was going to try the one listed in the T-mobile thread, or 'RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3'.
Presumably I'll still receive over the air updates for such a stock rom?
If/When I root, does all the phone data require backing up? How many of your settings persist?
Thanks for any replies.

Generic ROM and MD5SUM:
d51566508430cd7edec7c9d4b51b6fd1 RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3_Radio_32.30.00.28U_4.05.00.11_release_121865.exe
I think it is always better to start at the lowest version possible and then let the phone update by itself. This will help to ensure all original updates directly from the factory.

Cheers, I think that's the one I've gotten hold of.

question from a new guy
where can i download this rom from? as i'd like to install this stock rom on my desire too i've looked on the forum but can't seem to spot it anywhere.
thanks for any help in advance

Tsjoklat said:
Generic ROM and MD5SUM:
d51566508430cd7edec7c9d4b51b6fd1 RUU_Bravo_HTC_Europe_1.15.405.3_Radio_32.30.00.28U_4.05.00.11_release_121865.exe
I think it is always better to start at the lowest version possible and then let the phone update by itself. This will help to ensure all original updates directly from the factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't that mean it uses up more memory?
as you'll have the old files overlaid by the newer ones
I might be wrong but if a factory reset returns it to a pre-updated state then it's
not using the same area that the rom flash does
personally I'm holding off till Froyo is available before I buy a Desire
Gary

JayceAndTheNews - Let me know how you get on would you? any chance of hooking me up with what ever methods you've used? I've got an orange branded Desire on T-mobile and want rid of all the Orange bollox but don't feel the need to root yet.
JAmes.

understanding (although possibly incorrect) is that I'm overwriting the current Orangey rom with a cleaner one. So although the factory reset may remain somewhere, the actual os I'm running will be a similar size if not smaller than what I've got atm.
Sounds like I've got some more reading to do =D
jamfitz86 - I'll let you know what I end up doing and if it works, just got my shiny black desire yesterday, I intend to clean out the Orange garb on a weekend.
Cheers all.

Update for jamfitz86 / anyone else who may find it useful (although most of this is repeated in other threads).
Effectively followed this guide "http://android.modaco.com/content/general-discussion/305672/creating-a-goldcard/" to the letter. Encountered no problems/difficulties whatsoever.
Formatted the goldcard afterwards to use as my SD card until I get a larger one on the go.
Phone up and running, installed back missing apps etc. Performance seems about the same, potentially a little better certainly no worse. Removing all the
Orange crap makes things much more enjoyable overall, I'd definitely do it again given the choice.

Related

Flashing ROMs (Newbie)

Alright... I've pretty much lurked around here for the past month or so, reading everything I can about the subject, but I still have a few questions I haven't been able to find answers too.
1- If I flash my rom... will a hard reset return it to the original firmware, or whatever I flashed with? If not, is it possible for me to backup my original Telus firmware before flashing?
2- As noted above, I'm on Telus, but I see most roms are based upon Sprint, is this a problem?
3- What are the real advantages, honestly. I know picking and choosing your apps and such, "de-branding" the phone, but is there any performance enhancements, new features, etc?
Thanks for the time, and I appologize if this has been asked before. I did use the search button, I swear =D
Hi,
I too have a similar query. I tried finding it using the search function, but was unsuccessful in finding out how to backup my O2 XDA Trion ROM, as well as how to go ahead with installing a new one (an english ROM on a German XDA). Any tip will be helpful. In the meantime, I will go ahead and search some more. Thanks.
Depending on which rom you choose, you will be replacing the firmware on your phone. So if you ever want to go back, you will need to re-flash with the OE data/file.
OE roms consist primarily of 6 things:
1. SPL/bootloader
2. Radio
3. First splash screen
4. Second splash screen
5. Operating System
6. Extended Rom (carrier customizations)
Typically, to unlock a device, you will replace the bootloader with a hacked version that allows you to install roms that were not signed by the manufacturer for your device.
Most of the roms you'll find floating around are just OS and ExtRom updates, although some also include the radio. The splash screen is fairly irrelevant, and some cooks will replace it, while others don't even bother.
BobSlob said:
...1- If I flash my rom... will a hard reset return it to the original firmware, or whatever I flashed with? If not, is it possible for me to backup my original Telus firmware before flashing?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright, as for backing up your telus rom, be sure to check out dcd's vogue rom thread here, the last page says for you to pm him, and he will help you out there. there may now be one on the ftp however, since at least two others have already requested that he help them with the rom dump.
and no, a hard-reset will not restore your rom to the original. flashing your phone goes farther than a hard reset, and that is sort of one of the beauties of a custom rom as well; you can hard-reset at any time (to clear out footprints, screwed up files/reg keys/etc...) and not have to worry about installing all your apps again, re-setting up your email, re-editing your registry...etc.
hope that helps a slight little bit.

Telstra branded diamond changing to different rom

I have a Touch Diamond branded by telstra after reading looking through the forum for a while I can't find an answer to a perplexing question ....
Has anyone tried to change the rom on a telstra branded TD to the vodafone rom?
Or has anyone changed to a custom rom with a telstra branded and to what success?
Thanks everyone in advance for help.
While I haven't tried the Vodaphone Rom I have tried a number of other ROM's Dutty's, Swifts, Panosha's Simple, and now Hikari ( i don't like the Tf3d). All have worked well on the Telstra Network. I can't see why it won't work on the Vodaphone network. My nephew's work fine on the Optus network.
To be really honest the only extra functionality you will gain from the Vodafone ROM is the Vodafone specific software and the theme.
If it's just the theme you are after I suggest browsing this forum for one.
Alternatively if you're after the Vodafone ROM for Vodafone SIM... I'd skip that and jump straight onto one of the custom ROMs. The phone performance is a HEAP better than any of the telecommunication company's stock ROMs.
Food for thought.
Im on NextG with Telstra and i have tried nearly every rom here except vodafone.. but the only one flaw with using a unbranded telstra rom is being able to access bigpond.. like with foxtel and all that.. just doesnt pick it up as being a 3.5G phone.
i dunno why.. but i have just put it back to telstra rom and modded it completely myself. if i knew how to take like an image of it i would and post it up here but i wouldnt know one thing about cooking roms lol
I have a Telstra branded Diamond and am using it with an Optus SIM.
When I first got the phone I couldn't get it to accept the Optus settings for Internet access.
So... I upgraded it to one of the cooked ROMS. (Dia Duit and Duttys were tried)
Since then I haven't gone back to the standard ROM and enjoy the better performance.
loki429 said:
I have a Telstra branded Diamond and am using it with an Optus SIM.
When I first got the phone I couldn't get it to accept the Optus settings for Internet access.
So... I upgraded it to one of the cooked ROMS. (Dia Duit and Duttys were tried)
Since then I haven't gone back to the standard ROM and enjoy the better performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you run Connection Setups? I got my Voda and Optus to work. Try again.
luckyluke1137 said:
Im on NextG with Telstra and i have tried nearly every rom here except vodafone.. but the only one flaw with using a unbranded telstra rom is being able to access bigpond.. like with foxtel and all that.. just doesnt pick it up as being a 3.5G phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're talking about the Bigpong 'free to browse' page being different the all you need is to change the 'custom user agent' setting in Opera... see here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2688822&postcount=260
But anyway... to answer the OP, I've flashed a stack of ROMs from here and am currently happy with CT's latest (HD version). Just remember to keep the original specs (Radio & ROM version no.s) in case you need to revert for warranty.
thanks for all the help
thanks for all your comments
I bought the touch diamond second hand, and didn't realise till after I'd parted with the money it was branded (HUGE newbie mistake) but I haven't bought a new phone for 6 years since I got the Nokia 6620.
I use a vodafone sim, and have it working pretty well, just the last lot of telstra locked stuff annoys me. Thanks to this fantastic forum I have been able to change and unlock most of it. Biggest thing is some things just won't work on it, because the current Telstra rom is 1.38.841.5 (vodafone rom is 1.96.XXX.X) and experience a fair share of the modding apps & cabs have problems or simply don't work.
I was thinking of the vodafone one simply because I'm with them. Also when I was first trying to unlock it talked to HTC and they said I couldn't use the vodafone rom on my telstra branded because the hardware in the telstra one is different to the vodafone one.
Thanks for the help, can anyone suggest the best custom rom, & what else do i need to change roms? I've got a bit of a IT background, just not with phones.
Really love this little phone, and I see potential for tf3d, but long way of modding to get it as I want it.
Thanks again everyone.
I have a similar question, thought I'd save wasting a new thread and post it here.
I've had a Telstra branded Diamond for a few months now, using it with a 3 Mobile SIM, and have had no worries until a couple of days ago, when I started roaming, and haven't been able to reconnect to the three mobile network since..
Any ideas??
The only question regarding Telstra branded Diamonds is returning to original SPL 1.38 for warranty reasons..
just one more thought
another question or two...
If I upgrade to another custom rom will I still have to unlock it after the hard reset?
I've been looking and think I've found the rom I want, but can't find a definitive link for hard spl. I've read the thread that everywhere directs me to and the links that I think are for the unsigned hardspl has the headind stock spls, or am I just misreading this.
Also does anyone know if CT 6.4 is signed or unsigned?
Guys - I understand the confusion surrounding upgrading and flashing ROMs as it was only recently I was in the same position.
So in an attempt to make it a little easier for those reading here I will pass on what has worked well for me...
1. Flash HardSPL as downloaded from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93362&d=1213719705 (it's unsigned but don't worry about that... it saves headaches if you want my opinion)
2. Download the ROM of your choice (as stated earlier - my preference is currently CT's v6.4HD... fast, stable and HD, what more do you want?)
3. Once you have the ROM, extract the .nbh file and rename it to DIAMIMG.nbh and copy this to the root of your internal storage on your Diamond
4. If you're ready to flash (meaning you've backed up whatever you wanna save) then hold the vol down and back button and press the reset button together until you see the tri-colour screen... you're then in the bootloader
5. The phone will search for the .nbh file you placed in memory and ask you to press the power button to confirm you want to flash... obviously you want to do this so sit back while it flashes
6. Once done, reset the phone and perform a hard reset (this is recommended by most ppl although I haven't always done it and never had any issues)
Now enjoy setting your phone up with a custom ROM...
If you want more detail then I strongly suggest you search around and read... it takes time and effort but it's definitely worth it if you want to flash with confidence...
Cheers
not as easy
Sorry if anyone read this orginal post just getting jitters when something went wrong with hardspl flash.
But a soft reset later and its still works. But it raises the question if something bad happens when flashing the hardspl and bootloader doesn't work what can be done apart from throwing phone away?
I assume as long as the bootloader works you can manually redo incomplete rom install?
Something going wrong with hard spl install is my biggest worry, it was a nats ear from happening a little earlier so I'm asking these questions.
Oh & last thing with CT's 6.4 rom what is the real difference between original TF3d and HD? How is the increased screen resolution handled? Do you have to scroll down for the area I cant see, or is it cut off so you can not access it, or is it squished to fit the smaller resolution?
Greenion said:
Sorry if anyone read this orginal post just getting jitters when something went wrong with hardspl flash.
But a soft reset later and its still works. But it raises the question if something bad happens when flashing the hardspl and bootloader doesn't work what can be done apart from throwing phone away?
I assume as long as the bootloader works you can manually redo incomplete rom install?
Something going wrong with hard spl install is my biggest worry, it was a nats ear from happening a little earlier so I'm asking these questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you can access the bootloader you should be able to sort out the phone... personally I've never had an issue with flashing (and on average I've flashed my two Diamonds (a 130 and 100) an easy 30-40 times).
My preference with flashing is to do it from the internal storage (seems the most logical in terms of reliability - and is also by far the fastest) but I'm not sure if HardSPL can be done that way - if it is possible I'd be strongly recommending it - USB connections are just too dicey for something that serious.
Greenion said:
Also does anyone know if CT 6.4 is signed or unsigned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the OliNex 1.4 hard spl and I can flash CT's ROM without any problem.
done
Well it done.
A little easier than I was expecting but just as concerning, but over now.
Finally went with CT's 6.4 Original, I can always change to the HD or just add one of the HD add ons.
Everything is running smooth and well. Finally all the testra crap is gone.
Thanks to everyone for their help and kind advice.
This is a GREAT forum, its been a fantastic help and resource.
Till next time
How do you flash the new 2.03 ROM? I have tried with the executable from HTC and it gives me an invalid ID error.
Windza said:
As long as you can access the bootloader you should be able to sort out the phone... personally I've never had an issue with flashing (and on average I've flashed my two Diamonds (a 130 and 100) an easy 30-40 times).
My preference with flashing is to do it from the internal storage (seems the most logical in terms of reliability - and is also by far the fastest) but I'm not sure if HardSPL can be done that way - if it is possible I'd be strongly recommending it - USB connections are just too dicey for something that serious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] UK, rooted unbranded DHD on 2.2 - will gingerbread change this?

Hi everyone,
I have an unbranded DHD in the UK, and I'm running 2.2. Just did a check for updates and nothing. Any idea when gingerbread will be arriving? And will I lose root and/or radio s-off? I love my root apps a lot Also not really a fan of custom roms atm as I don't have enough time to play with it if it doesn't work as expected straight away.
Also, what will I lose and keep in the update? Contacts? accounts? apps? App data?
Thanks
Tamen said:
Hi everyone,
I have an unbranded DHD in the UK, and I'm running 2.2. Just did a check for updates and nothing. Any idea when gingerbread will be arriving?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already have 3 too many threads about that and don't wish to start another.
Tamen said:
And will I lose root and/or radio s-off? I love my root apps a lot Also not really a fan of custom roms atm as I don't have enough time to play with it if it doesn't work as expected straight away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll lose root. If you phone is still in a state that it can receive updates.
if you've rooted why not just flash a GB ROM? There are customised ones and even one that is just rooted.
Tamen said:
Also, what will I lose and keep in the update? Contacts? accounts? apps? App data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems people are saying that nothing was lost but back it all up anyway (yes, lots of apps to back up info, all already mentioned).
Thanks for the swift reply - how do I know if my phone can receive updates? I've rooted with visionary and put radio s-off if that helps
The main reason I don't want to flash custom roms is that it starts become a lot more risky - things do go wrong and you see people bricking their phones. If I bricked my phone I wouldn't have a clue how to fix it and I can't afford the £75 excess on insurance to replace it if it couldn't be fixed, as HTC wouldn't replace it if I broke it trying to do root things to it. I've also read that the latest CWM is having problems?
Tamen said:
Thanks for the swift reply - how do I know if my phone can receive updates? I've rooted with visionary and put radio s-off if that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be ok. The actual state you can put a phone to and still receive the update is something I haven't been able to pinpoint yet. Certainly need a stock ROM.
Previous phones needed the stock recovery but I don't think that's the case here.
Tamen said:
The main reason I don't want to flash custom roms is that it starts become a lot more risky - things do go wrong and you see people bricking their phones. If I bricked my phone I wouldn't have a clue how to fix it and I can't afford the £75 excess on insurance to replace it if it couldn't be fixed, as HTC wouldn't replace it if I broke it trying to do root things to it. I've also read that the latest CWM is having problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The time when you are most at risk of bricking your phone is rooting and flashing a radio.
Flashing a ROM is 99% risk free. You've done the risky bit.
Cheers - though I haven't flashed a radio I don't think (unless radio s-off is flashing a radio). It says in the how to install a rom guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=964996)
- Select "Install Zip from sdcard"
- Select "Choose zip from sdcard"
- Select full-wipe-1-3.zip (It's right under those folders)
- Confirm by selecting the Yes option in between those "NO"s
- Wait for it to finish
- DO NOT REBOOT!!! In case you were not aware, you now have no rom installed
If I somehow messed up or knocked the power button and rebooted, what happens? How do I then fix it? Is that a permanent brick?
Not a fan of that wipe.zip. You could do the less risky method first and use wipe from the recovery menu.
If you rebooted you MAY (unlikely) have a brick but more likely you'll just end up back at bootloader.
If something happens while the phone is installing the ROM then you might have a problem.
If the phone is bricked assume you will have to send it to HTC for repair (along with your best innocent "it was like that in the morning, honest" look.
You'll be fine. I'm sure. But know the risks.
Bottom line, don't knock it. It's quite hard to accidentally press the power button.
Haha claim innocence If they do look and say it's your fault, out of warrenty, how much do they charge? They don't have to replace anything, just presumably connect it to a htc computer and run some resets.
Does the phone stay connected throughout this process? What happens if it's not connected when run or becomes disconnected?
Sorry for all the questions, but I just really want to understand everything that happens. If able I'd much rather update to gingerbread then root with an updated visionary or equivalent, though how long that'll take to happen is anyone's guess :/
Unless the instructions say not to I'd leave it connected.
If the instructions say to remove something that means disconnecting the phone (such as swapping SD cards for example) and doesn't say re-insert the phone then don't (this is why you should always be 100% charged before you try these things).
If it is bricked, they will use there tool to get into the eMMC partition and re-install everything. It's unliekly (not happened yet) they will magically restore the phone and go "hold on, you did this".
Don't worry. Ask away (feel free to hit the thanks button IF I say anything useful).
Just to back track, it looks like your wanting to flash a ROM now. Is this a stock ROm or one of the beautiful customised ROM's like LeeDroid?
In a sec I'll thank every post on this thread, you've been really helpful (and patient!)
I heard about gingerbread updating and wondered if root would be lost with the update or if the update would even work at all. You suggested I get a gingerbread rom already rooted, and I said "aarrgh, I'm scared" The rest of the posts are you explaining things to me, though if possible I'd like to stick with official roms for the moment and then root it - will visionary work on 2.3?
No. You will need to use Gingerbreak which will involve downgrading the ROM first.
But to answer the question between the lines, if you update and lose root, all is not lost, it can be reclaimed.
[noob]But the Rom comes from OTA, so how can it be downgraded?[/noob]
But thanks, if root can be re-attained after the update, I'll wait till after the update before doing anything too fast
What you will have to do is take an old RUU, say version 1.32 and install that.
That then allows you to gain access to the required areas of the phone to give you root and anything else you wish (Engineering HBOOT (ENG S-OFF), Radio S-OFF etc.).
When you get to that stage and decide to root etc. you will kick yourself so hard for not doing it earlier
Oh so gingerbread will remove root but not Eng or radio s-off? I'm at 1.32 at the moment so I should get engineering s off while I still can cause getting root in the future will be easier?
Tamen said:
Oh so gingerbread will remove root but not Eng or radio s-off? I'm at 1.32 at the moment so I should get engineering s off while I still can cause getting root in the future will be easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It (The OTA GB ROM) will remove root if you already have it yes. I believe Radio S-OFF is safe. AS for ENG S-OFF (HBOOT) I'm afraid my memory is failing me but with root and Radio S-OFF it would be easy enough to redo ENG S-OFF.
Rooting etc. will only get harder with each update. Version 1.32 is the easiest of all to root and in fact most root / Radio S-OFF etc. threads start by saying "downgrade to 1.32"
[EDIT] Just re-read your post...
Yes, if you make plans now before the OTA update (still not convinced you will get it though) it will be easier in the future but the main one to worry about is Radio S-OFF. This is the easier of the two and IIRC the only one required should you get the OTA update and gain root (via GingerBreak) without having to downgrade first.
I had root + radio s-off, just got ENG s-off too in-case it can't be done after the update. Hopefully this means after gingerbread re-rooting will be easy-ish
Tamen said:
I had root + radio s-off, just got ENG s-off too in-case it can't be done after the update. Hopefully this means after gingerbread re-rooting will be easy-ish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Puts a huge grin on my face when someone just goes and does this....
But I really really really feel you can't stop now.
Ignoring that I don't think you will get the OTA update you have to now install a GB ROM. After what you have done, flashing a ROM is (relatively speaking) as safe as houses.
Go on!! Android Revolution HD (ARHD) is basically pure stock GB visually with a few goodies thrown in.
Top the day off and flash that ROM.
Do it!!!
Getting ENG s-off was just as simple as getting radio s-off (which I did about a week ago) - I've just heard it's less 'reversable' for if ever you need to go back to stock so had avoided it
The thing with me is that I my brain doesn't really consider things risky or safe based on other people being safe or risky, it's how many places there are to go wrong. One click apps like visionary are relatively safe I just feel a bit daunted by all the steps to flashing a rom. I'll give OTA a chance, but if everyone else on UK unbranded goes "woohoo" and I just sit there like a lemon, I'll maybe start thinking about it
I've got exams coming up (I'm only 15) but if after this week there's no update I'll dedicate a couple of hours to putting a gingersense rom on my phone
What's your preference? And why are there so many no-sense roms? Sense is amazing and is what in my opinion really sets HTC apart - lovely phones with a boosted UI. Why would you ever want to get rid of it?!
EDIT: When flashing a ROM, do you need to factory wipe? Does mybackup root work across roms? I'd like some way of restoring all my contacts, accounts and apps
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family. So feeling stupid I took it to the orange shop but no luck, so t-mobile, phones4u, O2, carphonewarehouse... loads, none could do it.
One guy told me to take it to a different orange shop and "ask for dean" - so I took it to him and he took it out the back of the shop and somehow did it. He said it just needed force (but clearly an amount nobody before or after him has been able to replicate), and that it was nothing like any other DHD he'd seen as they are usually stiff but do open, this was basically glued. So I better not get into a boot loop that holding down the power button won't fix, as if it's hard to play innocent when it's visibly stuck in a boot loop from custom roms
Tamen said:
Getting ENG s-off was just as simple as getting radio s-off (which I did about a week ago) - I've just heard it's less 'reversable' for if ever you need to go back to stock so had avoided it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, just as reversible.
Tamen said:
The thing with me is that I my brain doesn't really consider things risky or safe based on other people being safe or risky, it's how many places there are to go wrong. One click apps like visionary are relatively safe I just feel a bit daunted by all the steps to flashing a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put ROM on sdcard.
Boot to recovery.
wipe data and cache
install ROM
reboot
Get a brew and marvel and the wonderfulness of it all.
With ROM Manager it can be simpler still.
Tamen said:
I'll give OTA a chance, but if everyone else on UK unbranded goes "woohoo" and I just sit there like a lemon, I'll maybe start thinking about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you start thinking about it install ROM Manager just to get ready.
Tamen said:
I've got exams coming up (I'm only 15) but if after this week there's no update I'll dedicate a couple of hours to putting a gingersense rom on my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Schedule those hours in now. You WILL be flashing ROMs
Tamen said:
What's your preference? And why are there so many no-sense roms? Sense is amazing and is what in my opinion really sets HTC apart - lovely phones with a boosted UI. Why would you ever want to get rid of it?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hee hee. I like Cyanogen (a non-sense ROM) - Will come back to that.
My favourite sense ROMs are LeeDroid by a long way, the guy is a star and the ROM is perfection; after that, Android Revolution HD which will probably be your choice as it's closer to stock than Lee's. Based on what you've said I go with ARHD but if you really want to play, have fun (overclocking etc.) and want your phone to make R2D2 noises when it boots then LeeDroid every time.
And you're right, the Sense UI (which only gets better) does set HTC apart but even without it, I'd only buy a HTC phone now (when I'm buying an Android phone).
Why not [email protected]
Two part answer. The first part is I'm a huge open source and Linux fan. Use Ubuntu on PC and Kubuntu on laptop and my first Android phone was THE first Android phone, the Google (T-Mobile) G1. As such I love Android so I want my phone to be just about Android with a few little extras and NO ONE does that better than Cyanogen. NO ONE.
I still have my G1 and I still love it. That's a vanilla Android phone.
Second part is about bloat. Yes, I do really really like Sense UI. As far as manufacturers bloat-ware goes NOTHING beats Sense UI. It's visually stunning and things like htcsense.com, the clock / weather widget that actually shows weather and that cool windscreen wiper thing and the whole seamless integration twix phone and social is beyond words.
But at the end of the day what is it? It's pretty. I don't use facebook. For twitter I prefer Twidroyd and Tweetdeck. I don't need a massive clock on my screen. I don't want apps and widget I'm not going to use. Before I could root my Hero and DHD I installed ADW.Launcher.
I'll tell you what it's about: Choice. I don't want three buttons along the bottom I want five. And because I have a Google Apps account, HTC Picasa add-on doesn't work (they looking into it) and that pisses me off.
I'm prattling on now.
I have LeeDroid and ARHD on my sdcard as NAND backups and every now and then I restore one (I think of it as almost "dual boot") and for the next 24 hours I'm back coo-ing over it all but then 24 hours later it just doesn't feel right so back to CM I go.
It's personal choice but I will say one thing (more), try CM7. If you don't like it fine but just try it. You'll miss the widgets at first but see how you feel about it.
I'll shut up now.
That's great info, cheers I understand why now, but I do like my massive flip-over clock, regardless of how much battery it eats Also, htcsense.com has been a life saver once or twice when I've put it at home under a pile of papers or something and can't find it
ARHD said there were problems with Rom Manager and wiping within it - is that still a problem? Why do some roms need a different radio flashed? What actually is a different radio and why do you get problems with different roms and radios?
How long does it take between putting the rom on the sd card and actually having the rom installed with ROM Manager?
Also, I edited the above post but was doing so after you'd posted this, so I'll put it here too:
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family. So feeling stupid I took it to the orange shop but no luck, so t-mobile, phones4u, O2, carphonewarehouse... loads, none could do it.
One guy told me to take it to a different orange shop and "ask for dean" - so I took it to him and he took it out the back of the shop and somehow did it. He said it just needed force (but clearly an amount nobody before or after him has been able to replicate), and that it was nothing like any other DHD he'd seen as they are usually stiff but do open, this was basically glued. So I better not get into a boot loop that holding down the power button won't fix, as if it's hard to play innocent when it's visibly stuck in a boot loop from custom roms
Tamen said:
That's great info, cheers I understand why now, but I do like my massive flip-over clock, regardless of how much battery it eats Also, htcsense.com has been a life saver once or twice when I've put it at home under a pile of papers or something and can't find it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made great use of that too, so simple, plress a button on the website and instant ring. An app called Where's my droid can do that but you need another phone to be able to send it a text.
Tamen said:
ARHD said there were problems with Rom Manager and wiping within it - is that still a problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There used to be but I've never had a problem. But I like doing everything from recovery and that's works fine (from 3.0.2.6).
Tamen said:
Why do some roms need a different radio flashed? What actually is a different radio and why do you get problems with different roms and radios?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's that some ROM's have been tested using certain Radios and some devs are only willing to recommend Radios that have been tested.
A radio is the software that is responsible for wifi, network signal including data, bluetooth and GPS. It's just another something that is constantly being improved. Most radios will work with most roms but one radio might work great for person a and be rubbish for person b. This is because some networks and phone hardware (they do differ) don't respond as well as others to a certain radio. The radio is something you will will push (via fastboot commands) a lot (which is why you have Radio S-OFF) as you need to experiment.
Tamen said:
How long does it take between putting the rom on the sd card and actually having the rom installed with ROM Manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on ROM but on average about 5 minutes. It's not really any quicker than using recovery directly (ROM Manager is just a GUI for recovery) once you have done it a few times, it's just simpler.
Tamen said:
EDIT: When flashing a ROM, do you need to factory wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALWAYS. And every time.
The only exception is if you're upgrading the same ROM but even then, depending on the upgrade you may still have to wipe. Most issues after flashing a ROM are due to not wiping at least the cache.
Tamen said:
Does mybackup root work across roms? I'd like some way of restoring all my contacts, accounts and apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Contacts are sync'd to Gmail so no worries there. Mybackup will backup SMS and MMS too.
Apps are a different matter. There is an option to Backup apps and app data to google servers which works 95% of the time. Titanium can do this too but in my experience is even more flakey. I still keep a list of all my apps just in case.
Tamen said:
EDIT2: Something I forgot about earlier; I can't open the compartment to take out my battery, so when there's a solution that says "take out battery, try again", it wouldn't work as I physically cannot take the compartment off to get to the battery. When my phone arrived and I needed to take it off to remove the wrapper on the battery, but I couldn't do it and neither could anyone in my family [snip]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That battry door is ****, no two ways about it. It does require a lot of force and you have to be brave with it. But as you say, hopefully you won't need to worry about it.

[Q] A couple of questions from someone who is about to root the phone.

Hello everyone!
Recently my phone started to run very slow (I'm assuming I installed some crapware..) so I thought it may be a good time to finally do a Factory Reset of it. Since I'm about to do it, I decided to do the thing I SHOULD'VE when I first got it, root it. However, I've got some questions that I can't really find answers to, hence the thread.
1. I plan to use "HTC One V All-In-One Toolkit" (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1676686) for the process, but a tutorial thread on how to do it manually caught my attention. In the thread it's written:
Or download one of the Superboot that relevant to your device HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first got the phone, one of the numbers on this page matched with my phone's in Software Information (I thought it was Software number). However, now it doesn't match any of the numbers there, so I want to make sure that it's still possible to root a GSM One V?
2. Before rooting I am of course going to flash a recovery (TWRP as delivered by the Toolkit) and do a backup of the ROM. How big is the file going to be? Will a 4GB (3.6GiB) card be enough for it? Is there anything special I should keep in mind before backing up?
3. After root is done I'd like to be able to OC the phone. From what I found out so far I need a custom Kernel for it. I looked around and I see many people use Titanium-KISS kernel. That raises three questions:
a) can I flash a custom kernel for the STOCK ROM? I don't want to change the ROM to another. At least not yet.
b) is it possible to test a kernel before permanently? Like, boot the device using it without overwriting the one that is already on the phone (kinda like in UNIX systems you can keep older kernel versions just in case). And in case a kernel will not work and the phone will hang, since there is no way to remove the battery, how can one do a hard reset of the phone?
c) When reading Titanium-KISS thread I don't see aything about fixing the issue with the stereo playback on the phone's speaker (as in, only the left channel plays). Does this kernel have that fix? Or would I need to get another one? In that case, what stable kernel with ability to both OC the phone and audio fix would you recommend?
4. Chainfire 3D. I read mixed opinons about it, some people say it works without problem on One V, some say it crashes the phone. What is the safest way to check if it will work? Just install it and if it will screw up just restore a TWRP backup?
I think that's all the questions I have for now. At least, I can't think of any more right now. I attached screenshots of Software Information in case it's needed. Thank you in advance for anyone that will respond.

[Q] How to bring HTC One M8 back to original firmware for a complete novice - SOLVED

Hello,
I've bought an HTC One M8 at ebay a few days ago.. the device was sold as a Google Edition one, although, after I bought it, I realized that it was an unlocked HTC One M8 with a Google Edition rom (description in english wasn't so complete as the german one ).. for me that wouldn't be a problem, although I would prefer to have the genuine firmware (I like the original HTC software)..therefore, I asked the user to change the firmware before sending the phone to me.
After receiving the phone, I've noticed that firmware version is "Android Revolution HD 8.1 by mike1986".. therefore,.. not the original rom from HTC.. besides this, there's also some "leftovers" of the google edition, as you can see in the image below (appears when I reboot the phone) .
The user told me that he has spent almost three hours to install that rom,.. and that he couldn't ger rid of the "Google" symbol whenever reboot the phone, as he had almost bricked the phone when he was trying.
What I would like to know is if there is the possibility to change the firmware to the original HTC firmware, exactly as if I was getting the phone from the store (with all the applications that comes with it) and that also allows me to benefit from HTC warranty?
If so, is there any step by step guide to safely do it?
I'm a novice in this area (never rooted or unrooted a phone).. and I just want to have the phone as if it was out of the box (do not need to have it unlocked to update roms or to delete any applications that comes with the phone, or something like that).
My HTC has a CID-HTC__102 (based on what I searched in the forum...it looks like an unlocked international version (German) device) and it has an IMEI SV 01 (I don't know if this info is needed, but I could not attach any more images, so I post this info here).
I will leave some info screen images as attachments so it becomes easier for you to help me.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best regards,
SkElEtIkO
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2735235
you might not need to do all the steps, but this works 100%
confusion and more confusion in my head... :S
RossMacgill said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2735235
you might not need to do all the steps, but this works 100%
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Ross,
I've already read that post, however, for a noobie in this area, I believe that there's a lot of things that might not be so easy as they're for who flash firmware a lot of times.. for example.. "flash (...) ROM in TRWP"...I never flashed anything ..
I've roughly seached in the forum for "flash in TWRP"..and there's a lot of people with problems in flashing things with it (get stuck in some point)...
Besides this..EddyOS post mentions to use "odexed package provided by @Mike1986".. is that post only about applying that ROM or can I use another one? I already have a ROM by mike1986.. the one that I want to get rid off .. I want a completely original ROM as if the phone came from HTC... I was thinking on this..but even this one looks like was also provided by mike1986... (and probably has the same name that the one that I have).. isn't there any ROM by HTC without any modification???
I haven't got anything against ROMs made by mike or someone else.. I just want a manufacturer ROM which allows me to have full warranty and the functionalities that originally came with the phone. For example, with this firmware that I currently have, I cannot add my google account (says "cannot connect to google server") and I cannot see if there are new phone software updates (it keeps searching and searching)... and if I look into phone's software name.. it appears "Android Revolution HD 8.1 by mike1986"..well.. if I would take the phone to HTC under warranty.. they certainly wouldn't do anything with that software
Another thing, you told in your reply that I may not need to do all the steps.. Why not (?) and.. in that case, which steps shall I need to do?
My final question of this post...since the user that sold me the phone had already made a firmware update (google edition) before the current one, and now.. the phone has things from two firmware updates (the initial logo from google edition firmware, as you can see in the attached image, and the firmware from mike1986), don't you think, that it would be necessary to make another steps to clean all this mess?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Regards,
SkElEtIkO
skeletiko said:
Hello Ross,
I've already read that post, however, for a noobie in this area, I believe that there's a lot of things that might not be so easy as they're for who flash firmware a lot of times.. for example.. "flash (...) ROM in TRWP"...I never flashed anything ..
I've roughly seached in the forum for "flash in TWRP"..and there's a lot of people with problems in flashing things with it (get stuck in some point)...
Besides this..EddyOS post mentions to use "odexed package provided by @Mike1986".. is that post only about applying that ROM or can I use another one? I already have a ROM by mike1986.. the one that I want to get rid off .. I want a completely original ROM as if the phone came from HTC... I was thinking on this..but even this one looks like was also provided by mike1986... (and probably has the same name that the one that I have).. isn't there any ROM by HTC without any modification???
I haven't got anything against ROMs made by mike or someone else.. I just want a manufacturer ROM which allows me to have full warranty and the functionalities that originally came with the phone. For example, with this firmware that I currently have, I cannot add my google account (says "cannot connect to google server") and I cannot see if there are new phone software updates (it keeps searching and searching)... and if I look into phone's software name.. it appears "Android Revolution HD 8.1 by mike1986"..well.. if I would take the phone to HTC under warranty.. they certainly wouldn't do anything with that software
Another thing, you told in your reply that I may not need to do all the steps.. Why not (?) and.. in that case, which steps shall I need to do?
My final question of this post...since the user that sold me the phone had already made a firmware update (google edition) before the current one, and now.. the phone has things from two firmware updates (the initial logo from google edition firmware, as you can see in the attached image, and the firmware from mike1986), don't you think, that it would be necessary to make another steps to clean all this mess?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Regards,
SkElEtIkO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
odexed package provided by @Mike19 and the system dump you linked to are the same stock, more than likely the very same file. You can use any rom, that is a stock dump and the correct version, but i would use mikes, or from the list of stock dumps thread on here.
Mike is a rom developer, he makes custom roms, but also has sources for his roms, which he then supplies for us to go back to stock.
with your google flash screen, i did read that if you flash 1.54.401.5 then reflash 1.54.401.10, it fixes that issue, not sure how true it is.
Please see solution in here
Thank you

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