Develop Bugs

HTC Desire on Orange - Debranding?!

Hi
Apologies for this post if it's been done many times before but I've been digging around now for hours and keep finding conflicting advice on problems I will run into so I just need someone to clarify if it's possible and what I need to do to ensure I don't loose wifi access or brick my phone or anything like that....
I bought a HTC Desire locked to Orange (UK) yesterday and I would like to get it unlocked and debranded. The unlocking part should not be a prob as I'll just buy a code from somewhere (or thats the hope anyhow) but when it comes to reflashing to debrand I keep coming across posts about wifi issues or OTA updates making progs force close, thus the Desire becoming unstable.
All I want to know is..... How do I get rid of all the Orange crap and go to a generic HTC Desire ROM so it would be like I bought a retail Desire? Is this possible without messing up my phone?? I'm currently on 02 (UK) but also bought an Orange PAYG sim just incase things get overly complicated. I would like to stick with my 02 sim but don't want to run into any probs with my phone, and if needs be I could switch over to Orange but that would be my last resort. I would also like to get rid of the Orange flash screen and the Orange apps that came preinstalled on my phone. Some posts say it's possible, some posts say I will have issues with the radio version, some posts say I will loose wifi and the Desire will turn unstable (lots of force closed prompts). If I did manage to go back to the retail Desire ROM, would I then run into probs with OTA updates?
Sorry if this question is proper nooby, but in truth that's exactly what I am and I'm getting totally lost!! After hours of digging I thought I'd just post this up and see if someone can clarify the situation before I dig in and start flashing. Better to be safe than sorry and all that.
Any help would be appreciated!!

With an orange branded desire, you'll definitely have to unlock it - i did with mine, although i discovered that after i'd flashed it
the only think i would advise you to do is to read up on the various rom threads - the first couple of posts in each thread will tell you what each rom does and will invariably give you a couple of screenshots as well.
that way you can decide which one you want in the firsts instance. then i'd skip to the end of the thread and read back a few pages from that point, so you'll get an idea of what problems (if any) people are still having.
it really comes down to personal preference and taking a chance - most, if not all of the roms on here are working and stable and won't really give you many problems.

Yea its an eyesore to say the least is that filthy orange branding
get it debranded first using a goldcard and flashed with rooted generic rom
then purchase sim unlock code to use your o2.
then update and mod to your hearts "desire"

Firstly, thanks for your quick replies! I had a feeling this was going to be a bit of a mission!!
Ok, so say I've unlocked and unbranded my phone. What happens with OTA updates from there on in? Is it just a case of doing them manually and switching off auto OTA? I read somewhere that by flashing with a rooted ROM it will block OTA from updating to prevent the phone getting locked or becoming unstable, is that right?
Also, this may be a stupid question but if it's flashed to a generic HTC ROM then where does it contact for the updates? I was figuring as soon as I'd gotten rid of the Orange fw that it would no longer be looking for the Orange'd ROM update but after reading this doesn't seem to be the case?
Please forgive me if I'm being ignorant, I've gone from a Nokia 1600 (lol) to a HTC Desire and trying to get my head around it all!!

I would like to know too, I have just bought a Orange branded desire.
1. Do I unlock the phone 1st, ie. get an unlock code from orange.
2. do I then flash the generic firmware.
3. Is the sim lock stored in the radio part of the firmware?
I have unbranded/unlocked nokia n80`s and htc tync`s in the past, but I need to swat up on this linux stuff.
Any usefull advice welcomed, in the mean while I`ll keep reading

The OTA updates will become completely unecessary because you'll be using a custom rom - the developer of that rom will be the one releasing the updates, so all you'll have to do is to re-flash each updated version.
jedi134 said:
I would like to know too, I have just bought a Orange branded desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well what I did was to root the phone first, then flash the radio and then a rom. the new radio is what caused the simlock, so it was at that point i had to buy an unlock code. all works completely fine now.

hankhandsome said:
The OTA updates will become completely unecessary because you'll be using a custom rom - the developer of that rom will be the one releasing the updates, so all you'll have to do is to re-flash each updated version.
Well what I did was to root the phone first, then flash the radio and then a rom. the new radio is what caused the simlock, so it was at that point i had to buy an unlock code. all works completely fine now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can the simlock be removed by flashing a simfree radio rom??? I`m pretty sure this is what i did on an old tync to remove simlock.....but this was some time ago
you say the radio Rom you flashed caused the simlock, did you not have to supply the network provider as well as the IMIE to get the unlock code? or was this a generic Radio rom?

My wife has just got a htc desire HD on 3 and that is branded.
I have got a Samsung Galaxy S and i have unbranded that down loading a Manufacture Rom and that updates as normal.
Is there some software like odin for the Htc and were like samfirmware.com can i down load a Manufactures rom.
she went for this phone cos of the spec and she does not like my Samsung i was hoping the Htc community would be the same it is so easy to do and Samsung service centres checked my firmware and it was fine.
Most people just want there phone as Htc intended it to be

HTC finally launched their Gingerbread update (2.3.3) for Desire. I am using a Desire (telstra locked Android 2.1), downloaded the new update from the official website HTC website and now i have a completely unbranded HTC Desire with 2.3.3... NO GOLDCARD OR ROOT REQUIRED.

[Q] Orange UK Branded Desire wants FroYo!

Hi Everyone,
I would be very grateful for a little help.
I have an Orange UK branded desire. Like everyone else the Orange branding really annoyed me so I have followed the guide to create a goldcard and have rooted and flashed a stock HTC rom. (so I'm currently using 1.15.405.4)
This is as far as I got before I left it.
So, am I right in thinking that to now get a rooted version of FroYo onto my desire all I need to do is;
1. Update the radio to the latest one, which will lock me out of my phone regardless of what network I'm on
2. Purchase an unlock code to get me back into my phone.
3. Use an application like ROM Manager to flash a FroYo rom onto my phone. (will I need to use my goldcard if I used ROM Manager?)
Is there anything else I should be aware of? I have been reading around and it seems fairly straight forward but I believe there are some issues with de-branded Orange phones.
Apologies if this has already been covered in another thread, but I'm really new to all this and to say I'm a little worried that I'm going to brick my desire is a major understatement!
Thanks again for any help!

Yep you pretty much have it spot on! Although it sounds like you haven't rooted yet. You will need to do this in order to flash a rooted ROM!
You can use Unrevoked 3 to root your phone, really easy with a couple of clicks.
Although I have personally used an unlock code my friend with an Orange Branded desire didn't get locked out when he used the latest radio, so looks like you may be in luck! Probably worth trying before you purchase a code

magicwaz said:
Hi Everyone,
I would be very grateful for a little help.
I have an Orange UK branded desire. Like everyone else the Orange branding really annoyed me so I have followed the guide to create a goldcard and have rooted and flashed a stock HTC rom. (so I'm currently using 1.15.405.4)
This is as far as I got before I left it.
So, am I right in thinking that to now get a rooted version of FroYo onto my desire all I need to do is;
1. Update the radio to the latest one, which will lock me out of my phone regardless of what network I'm on
2. Purchase an unlock code to get me back into my phone.
3. Use an application like ROM Manager to flash a FroYo rom onto my phone. (will I need to use my goldcard if I used ROM Manager?)
Is there anything else I should be aware of? I have been reading around and it seems fairly straight forward but I believe there are some issues with de-branded Orange phones.
Apologies if this has already been covered in another thread, but I'm really new to all this and to say I'm a little worried that I'm going to brick my desire is a major understatement!
Thanks again for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello there,
I am not sure that debranding was necessary, you could have rooted the phone using unrevoked, then just flash a rooted official froyo. And if you had unlocked your phone first, then you could have also flahed the latest radio rom.
I would say unlock your phone first, root it, then flash the latest radio, then flash a rooted froyo rom of your choice.

Thanks for the really fast responses.
I thought I had already rooted it? How would I tell if its rooted? I've already installed the ROM Manager app and Titanium Backup which say that they need root to work. Titanium Backup also says "Root access=> OK (BusyBox 1.16.0 from app)"

your defo rooted if the app says that
Strange people should say your not rooted, you can get rooted stock roms after all thats what I did. I'm on tmo and I flashed back the same firmware before flashing froyo no sim lock when I finally got to froyo cause I had trouble flashing recovery.
I have read some stuff on orange sim locking, try looking at the unlockr wbsit I think there is a tutorial there that mentions what to do when this happens.
Best thing to do tho is go to the Macardo android website (hxxp://android.modaco.com) they are really helpful there you'll get instant replies worth listening too, anyone worth listening too on here is far too busy

If you flash the latest radio you will not get simlocked (@satnile)

Just wanted to say thank you for all your help, I done it! I am now using FroYo on my (previously orange branded) Desire. Its awesome!
Also thanks for letting me know that I didn't have to buy an unlock code. Saved me few quid!
I don't think I want to be messing around with my phone like this again... well... maybe until the next major update
Thanks again!

But you just forgot to mention which method you've used.

That would probably help!
I had already followed the instructions on how to root a branded desire and install a stock htc rom that is posted on these forums.
This left me with a rooted, debranded desire. I lost all my contacts in the process, but thankfully I had synchronised it with HTC Sync a little while ago, so I was able to retrieve my contacts from that. Also having the desire set to automatically back-up things in its own settings, helped get back my text messages and saved wifi/bluetooth connections.
I then found the ROM I wanted to install. I just wanted the stock FroYo ROM. I picked one that was already rooted and did not update the hboot as I read there were issues if it did update it.
I followed instructions, also on these forums, on how to install the latest radio. I wasn't sure if I should have done this with my goldcard in the phone, but I used it anyway! That went fine and I was also not sim locked out, which saved me some money.
I copied the FroYo ROM I wanted onto my normal micro-SD card (not my goldcard), then used ROM Manager (downloadable via marketplace) to install the ROM. I was expecting it to take some time to install (10min+), but its pretty quick. The phone took a bit longer to boot up after the update.
Thankfully everything went well and I didn't even lose anything on the phone! Nothing was affected. I had all my apps, contacts, settings, background, ringtones, widgets etc... all set as normal. I was expecting them to be all wiped so I had backed up everything using Titanium Backup.
I hope that helps anyone who is about to void their warranty!
Any questions, just ask and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm definitely no expert, so all I can really talk about is what I did. I'm sure people will say there was an easier way to do it, but this is how I understood the process from the many guides out there.

[Q] desire radio/rom/misc issues, maps not working, recorder freezing

ok so this is my first post here after a night of troubleshooting i decided i might ask here directly since everyone seems to know what is going on.
im a fairly big phone noob but i do know what basic references mean.
so anyway, i have an asian desire, unlocked, unbranded (but apparently even though its completely unbranded, the fact that its chinese and has chinese texts places it in the "branded" category.)
so last night i grew tired of waiting for froyo for asian desires and decided to change things around.
things i did.
changed my rom from stock asian rom to RUU_Bravo_HTC_WWE_1.21.405.2_Radio_32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.02_2_release_126984_signed
installed froyo from one of the links on this site (untouched, official HTC euro rom).
since then, anything that uses the "radio" doesnt work. recorder freezes, google maps doesnt work, my location doesnt work, etc.
now, ive read i need to upgrade the radio. thing is, my phone is not rooted. and id rather not root at all, all i wanted was froyo (and iirc, i cant root now anyway, since im on 2.2)
is there any way i can fix my issues with my phone now? thanks in advance.

[Q] Getting rid of Vodafone AU ROM to 'stock'?

Hi,
I've had my DHD for 6 months now, and I love it, but after seeing this thread...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1056329
I've finally decided I want to get rid of the Vodafone crap on my phone. It takes way longer to boot than it should, I have stupid apps on there, and I'm generally sick of seeing the Vodafone symbol every time I boot my phone, especially as I bought the phone from them and am not even contracted to them.
Is there an easy way to rid myself of this Vodafone branded ROM? I know next to nothing about rooting or anything, however.
After seeing the link above, I realised that I'll probably be waiting ages for Vodafone to send the update OTA, and I would really like some Gingerbread around about now. Hopefully the process will speed up my phone.
But, is there anyway I can do this without losing everything on my phone? My messages, apps, settings?
A lot of questions there - thanks in advance.

Hi, you will lose everything you don't backup.
Apps will need to be reinstalled, and settings will be lost.
If your firmware version is greater than 1.3x.xxx.x then you will need to downgrade to 1.32
Follow THIS thread to downgrade.
Once downgraded simply download & run the RUU~.exe file and it will take care of the rest.

How could I backup my apps (and settings) and restore them once updated?
My 'software version' is 1.32.178.5
Looking at the link you provided, it says...
System requirements:
Desire HD with build number 1.72 or higher
My DHD's build number is 1.32.xxx.x... Do I...not have to downgrade? Or what?
Also, since I'm running on an Australian network (Virgin), will I need to incorporate that somehow into the software I put onto the phone or something..?

You can root your phone and use clockwork to remove data/cache to go back to factory settings
as for the virgin thing, just make sure your APNs are correct and you should be fine

So I could root it and use Clockwork and my phone would basically be like a standard Desire HD that I bought new, unbranded in a shop?

yeah but you will also lose all your contacts and messages etc
i think you can use titaniumbackup to save those kind of things .. but done quote me because ive never done this, ive only rooted and cleared then flashed a new rom on

actually look up a stock RUU guide
EDIT: Just Root your phone and flash a custom rom imo
I did it .. never going back

Hmm, okay.
What about if I wanted to put something on my phone like the link I posted up top, the 2.3 'release'?

well click the ROOTED link in my sig
and do all the steps with the exception of the flashing of the MIUI.zip ... just replace it with the custom rom of your choice and bobs your uncle
i advice to back up your apps and anything else you want to keep

Wildfire S ota update issue.

I got myself a wildfire s a short while ago, so I could teather my galaxy tab 10.1 (my S2 was stolen). It seemed a good idea at the time, to get a cheap, small Android phone, for this purpose and just making phonecalls.
I knew the phone had limited storage, but at the time wasn't really an issue.
I unboxed it, started it up, put my sim card in, and away I went. ( I bought it sim - free brand new from carphone warehouse )
once set up, it informed me there was an ota update, which went fine, no problem. I continued to set the phone up with my favorite softwares, and everything was great.
This is where the problem started.
A few weeks later, It told me there was new update, so update i _TRIED_ . And failed. It told me that the firmware on the phone was not HTC, and would not be updated.
Not a problem, I dont care, i thought. It does all i need to do, and I didnt really want to do a full reset on it, so I didnt bother for a couple of months, it was fine.
Eventually, I started to find the tiny storage quite irritating, so got myself a class 10 8GB SD card, and looked into using somthing like Data2SD.
No problem, Iv rooted a few phones, so did the required reading into getting root and s-off. Easy ( I thought ).
I took myself off the htc dev, to download the unlocked bootloader today, and attempted to install. UH-OH.. Error 190 .. Wrong firmware version.
I decided now was as good a time as any to hard reset, as it would happen anyway, and retry the ota update..... FAIL!
I contacted HTC, and they said I would have to send off for repair ( I guess I could, its stock, unmodded in any way yet ) but that would mean I would be without my phone.
then I tried this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1445867&page=1
didnt work. I need the new 2.33.401.3 software, but im stuck on 1.33.401.3 (Android 2.3.3)
Is there a way to root and s-off the older firmware as HTC DEV now require you to have the newer firmware to unlock the bootloader, or atleast manually flash the newer firmware??
Plz help me, before i chuck my phone in the sink!
Thanks,
Dave

Get the RUU of 2.13.401.whatever from somewhere (You'll find it in the 'Shipped marvel rom collection' at the top of the dev section) and run that first before you you run the unlockable bootloader one and tell us what happens

This worked perfectly. Thankyou. I downloaded the HTC EU rom, for 2.13.401.3, Flashed it in, and the rest worked.
Thanks again,
Dave

Hi, digitalwarfare
you flashed this
RUU_Marvel_S_HTC_Europe_2.13.401.3_Radio_47.23c.35.3037_7.54.39.28M_release_236989_signed.exe
or this
Marvel_S_HTC_Europe_2.13.401.3_Radio_47.23c.35.3037_7.54.39.28M_release_236989_signed_ROM.zip
What are the differences, please?