Although I rooted my own Desire back in May of last year, I have since moved on to a different phone and hence stopped following development etc for the Desire.
I have a work colleague who would like the benefits of a rooted, custom ROM but he has no experience in phone-modifying. He basically wants better battery life (so SetCPU would do the job for that) and more space for apps (Apps2SD the original, not Google's implementation). On top of that I'm sure he would probably enjoy the enhancements of the new Sense ROMs as well.
When I rooted my own Desire it was back in the days of fake-flash and I don't think my Desire was ever S-OFFed - I only had a moderate understanding of what I was doing, and there were a few brown trouser moments as I recall!
What I'm looking for is a complete guide start to finish of the easiest, least risky way to currently root a Desire and install custom recovery (presumably ClockworkMod & Rom Manager are standard for the Desire still?).
I've looked around the forums and found guides which explain some of it, however these threads run into 30, 40, 50+ pages which I think is a bit much reading if you don't really understand what you're reading about. Luckily I have an interest in it, but to my colleague it's just a means to an end, to get his phone working in a decent manner! Unsurprisingly, he is not interested in learning how a combustion engine works in order to drive his car either.
So, can someone write me a FOOLPROOF guide from start to finish:
1. Rooting and S-OFF (with a basic explanation of what this is),
2. Installing a custom recovery (again with an explanation of what this is, and how to use it, Nandroid backups etc)
3. Installing ROMs
I know I'm asking a bit much - I'm just trying to make it as easy as possible for my colleague without actually doing it myself, as I'm not really a good enough friend that if I did take his phone away for a couple of days, that he wouldn't mind if it came back bricked! It needs to be his decision to do it, and him doing it.
I am willing to donate if someone can put all this together for him.
This should have most of the things needed.
Don't worry about S-off since it is not needed and one of the only procedures that can really brick a phone.
Edit: Before starting with rooting, boot in to hboot and check the pvt version. If it's pvt4, the best thing to do is to use Amon_RA as a alternative recovery image. To do this just follow the guide but befoer clicking on root in Unrevoked go to "file" and select the alternative recovery.
You can use the unrevoked way which is too easy to do and if you want to S-Off, although not needed, you can visit AlphaRev
I would say for definite, forget about s-off. Not exactly sure what it is myself, but as it's completely unnecessary for the whole rooting/flashing procedure, why bother?
I rooted from a linux boot cd which sounds complicated but I think is actually easier as there's no faffing about with installing sync and then uninstalling it again.
S-Off disables NAND security on GSM phones. When you use unrevoked, it only disables it for CDMA. Also disabling the phones NAND security enables you to do further things like change the splash screen, install another Hboot, delete system apps and so on. If you think rooting gives you more freedom, S-Off gives you even more. It's there for those that need it though. It's not difficult if you do your research. But to be honest, it's an automated process with it working 99.9% of the time.
I did s off without hitch 100% safe.
Also new hboot new recovery with android flasher.
GoogleJelly said:
S-Off disables NAND security on GSM phones. When you use unrevoked, it only disables it for CDMA. Also disabling the phones NAND security enables you to do further things like change the splash screen, install another Hboot, delete system apps and so on. If you think rooting gives you more freedom, S-Off gives you even more. It's there for those that need it though. It's not difficult if you do your research. But to be honest, it's an automated process with it working 99.9% of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
S-OFF does nothing though bar mean you can delete apps without having to be in recovery. for someone who has no idea about modding it's just not worth doing. Rooting and using a custom Senes-based ROM will do the job just fine
It does way more than mean you can just delete apps. The methods for installing stuff these days are more or less 100% bug free and won't bugger up your device. Why not give it a go? Just make sure you read info and research it a little first before you start. Just don't do what I did and almost brick it
But if the OP doesn't know how to root then they're not going to need to S-OFF are they? Seems pointless
I did S-OFF for two reasons:
1) To install custom HBOOT so that I get more space in /data
2) For the hell of it.....
EDIT: I think some of the ROMs need S-OFF enabled (I'm not sure....) but, at the same time, I don't think S-OFF is absolutely necessary.
S-Off isn't necessary to have. No rom requires you to have it. It is just something that you may as well have if you root because it gives you way more freedom.
Totally disagree, it's not needed at all if you just want the phone to work. Custom ROM with A2SD+ is MORE than enough for a complete n00b
EddyOS said:
Totally disagree, it's not needed at all if you just want the phone to work. Custom ROM with A2SD+ is MORE than enough for a complete n00b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree completely. If you want to explore custom ROM's, get A2SD etc then root. Once you're happy with the whole root/recovery/flashing thing THEN look at s-off if it is necessary to do what you want. For a lot of people it really isn't required at all, and it definitely shouldn't be the first thing you think of doing.
Related
Helo All,
So I have a locked Desire Z from Bell, and I am with Bell. I dont really feel a need to change the Rom on my phone as I have no issues with it and am pretty happy with it.
My main thing that I would like to do though is remove the bloatware that Bell installed. Such as demos to games I care nothing about and also seem to find themself running in my Advanced Task Manager despite me never using them.
So I know that I can root the phone and uninstall them which is my main goal, I have been looking around and see multiple methods for rooting, with S-Off and such, so I was looking to see I truely need to go about it that way or should I just obtain root leave S-On and all that other jazz and just uninstall them.
So I welcome suggestions on how I can go about rooting my phone for my needs.
Thanks
I put together this guide that I pieced from this forum. Tried to make it really user friendly. I have the Bell Desire Z too.
http://androidforums.com/desire-z-all-things-root/233729-ultimate-guide-rooting-overclocking-your-bell-desire-z-newb-friendly.html
Nice guide, Will this work for European DZ also?
There are two methods of rooting. The first uses an app called Visionary to root, and the second uses a program called rage. There are guides on how to use both of these on this forum.
I recommend you look at this guide - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857390
That guide shows you how to root with Visionary (though you can substitute the rage method), and then to get S-OFF with gfree. The relatively "new" method of using gfree is very safe to use, and getting S-OFF will open up a lot more options to you than just root, e.g. the ability to flash custom recovery (so you can do a Nandroid backup of your phone) and to flash custom ROMs.
It's possible to undo all of this stuff should you ever need to do a warranty return. Although if you're going to flash a custom ROM, make sure you either have an RUU/ROM image for your stock ROM, or a Nandroid backup of your stock ROM to restore (because there aren't RUUs/ROM images available yet for all stock ROMs).
I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.
Manarch101 said:
I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you following the guide in the wiki?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Manarch101 said:
I have permerooted my DZ but now I seem to be having trouble understanding How to get S-Off and I can't do a nandroid backup unless I get S-off right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, yes you need S-Off to do a nandriod back up.
Second, you do not have permroot if you do not have S-Off. To get S-off there are several ways but I recommend using Rage+gfree found Here: in sub section "Rooting the Vision (G2/DZ) and DHD" This by far is the safest way to root.
But to let you make an informed decision there is also Visionary, now people in properly using this method, has produced a lot of soft bricks, I my self rooted this way, but again I still recommend using Rage+Gfree. But if you wish to still give Visionary a shot, Heres a link on how to properly use Visionary, make sure you follow everything to the "T". Read everything I have written in the post, do everything I have written in the post, then follow the videos exactly. But just to be clear, I am still recommending using the Rage+Gfree method. Happy Rooting.
ok joemm I tried the rage directions that you told me and I am not sure if it worked is there a way of knowing if it worked or not
Edit: nvm I can now get into CWM area which I could not get into before thanxs for the help and info.
What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
This is a technical forum not some fire and brimstone 'do it or you'll die' sermon. Let's not construe fact and fiction/personal opinion on here. Just dish the facts unless otherwise rerquested.
As for gaining s-off, follow the wiki, push the files and you can literally copy and paste the commands if you need to (I suggest that so you don't screw up and brick your phone).
KCRic said:
What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
This is a technical forum not some fire and brimstone 'do it or you'll die' sermon. Let's not construe fact and fiction/personal opinion on here. Just dish the facts unless otherwise rerquested.
As for gaining s-off, follow the wiki, push the files and you can literally copy and paste the commands if you need to (I suggest that so you don't screw up and brick your phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL..........how does he flash a custom CWM recovery with out having a rooted phone? Remember he is using ClockWorkMod to do a back up?
KCRic said:
What!!?? I know for a fact that you don't need s-off to do a nandroid. In fact, the ONLY thing s-off does that's of any significance is allow you to write to the system while it's booted - that's it. It's not some magic thing you absolutely need, just like having an ENG hboot isn't necessary to do 99% of the modifying you'll ever do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images and overrides version checking ,it isn't just about writing to the system while booted. I think you may be confusing defeating the NAND write protection with the actual S-OFF.
As far as I know you need S-OFF to flash a custom recovery, and you need CWM recovery to do a nandroid backup. I have never tried flash_image but I would be suprised if that let you flash a custom recovery while S-ON, because flash_image is just a regular binary.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z
steviewevie said:
S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images and overrides version checking ,it isn't just about writing to the system while booted. I think you may be confusing defeating the NAND write protection with the actual S-OFF.
As far as I know you need S-OFF to flash a custom recovery, and you need CWM recovery to do a nandroid backup. I have never tried flash_image but I would be suprised if that let you flash a custom recovery while S-ON, because flash_image is just a regular binary.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True you can't flash a custom recovery and have it stick after a reboot but you can package it into an update.zip and flash it when you get into recovery. Aside from that you're phone performs the same. That's how we did everything on the MT slide before some one found a method to gain s-off. Of course there were no custom MTD partitions and we couldn't change the splash but that falls into the 1% of things the average 'rooter' will not attempt. The only reason we needed the ENG hboot was so that adb would catch our phone in recovery every time without running a loop.bat and praying to god. As far as NAND write protection, normally when a dev manages to break s-on they also break the write protection. At least that's what I've seen in phones with s-off. Are there any not like that?
Hopefully I didn't come off as an ass earlier, didn't mean it. I got 3 hours of sleep and I'm pulling a 13 hour day with a foot of fresh snow outside
I think you might be drawing too much comparison with earlier phones. The DZ and DHD have much stronger security than earlier phones. People familiar with experience of older HTC Android phones have often made incorrect assumptions about how things work on the DZ, some things are quite different (and typically much more complicated to unlock)
Sent from my HTC Desire Z
steviewevie said:
People familiar with experience of older HTC Android phones have often made incorrect assumptions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell yes! And I'm one of them!
Last night I put some Cyanogen 6.1 flavoured ROM on my Magic/Sapphire. It was so easy: like 2 years ago or so I flashed some S-OFF ENG hboot, put some nice custom recovery on the phone and there I went, peacefully since ever. Reason for flashing the 6.1 CM was me giving the fone to my GF so that I can pick up a brand new Desire Z.
I came here, wanted to quickly crack that thing to play around with it and I find some gFree, Visionary, adb push stuff blah blah blah (I know my way around adb, that's not the point), it seems to have become alot more difficult than back in the days, as pointed out by steviewevie.
So, anyone willing to *quickly* summarize what has changed in the last 12 months regarding "rooting", "cracking" and ROM-customizing HTC devices for me...? I'm still, uhm... well, I'm shocked and overwhelmed. In the store I thought: cool, 7pm, device mine, home by 7:30, rooted by 8, Gingerbread-flavour on it by 8:30-9pm, ROM customization (settings and such) from 9-10, sleepy time by 10:30pm. Nah, it's past 10:30 and I'm still trying to figure out what's what with the new devices...
schaggo said:
Hell yes! And I'm one of them!
Last night I put some Cyanogen 6.1 flavoured ROM on my Magic/Sapphire. It was so easy: like 2 years ago or so I flashed some S-OFF ENG hboot, put some nice custom recovery on the phone and there I went, peacefully since ever. Reason for flashing the 6.1 CM was me giving the fone to my GF so that I can pick up a brand new Desire Z.
I came here, wanted to quickly crack that thing to play around with it and I find some gFree, Visionary, adb push stuff blah blah blah (I know my way around adb, that's not the point), it seems to have become alot more difficult than back in the days, as pointed out by steviewevie.
So, anyone willing to *quickly* summarize what has changed in the last 12 months regarding "rooting", "cracking" and ROM-customizing HTC devices for me...? I'm still, uhm... well, I'm shocked and overwhelmed. In the store I thought: cool, 7pm, device mine, home by 7:30, rooted by 8, Gingerbread-flavour on it by 8:30-9pm, ROM customization (settings and such) from 9-10, sleepy time by 10:30pm. Nah, it's past 10:30 and I'm still trying to figure out what's what with the new devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its become more difficult because device manufacturers have made it more difficult. The "official" means to root the Vision is posted on the Vision wiki page here at XDA.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Thanks for the answer. I got the thing cracked in the meantime. The device feels so much smoother without Sense... and Gingerbread is good for one's soul
My DHD is brand new - just a week. It was supplied by Orange in France - who by the way are the most incompetent company I have ever dealt with - and the software number is 1.40.61.2
Now I'm thinking of rooting the phone. Partly because I understand that it will help me improve battery life (True/false??)
That I will be able to run some apps which I wouldn't otherwise be able to do
And also because I love gadgetery and fiddling around with things.
On the other hand I rely hugely on the phone. I don't want to lose it and I'm not hugely techie.
Looking around, I read that if a phone is 1.72 then it must be downgraded to 1.32
So my phone is 1.40. Where does that leave me? I have never seen any mention of this version number anywhere. I have to ask myslef also, why have I been supplied a new phone with an old version of the software.
Anyway, that's just my first question. I expect that there will be others to follow.
have a look to the Desire DHD Forum
good luck
Thanks, in fact I have temprooted with Viionary and it works OK.
I haven't done a perm-root bevause I'm very anxious.
What I don't understand is how I would then be able to return it to its original state.
lejars1 said:
Thanks, in fact I have temprooted with Viionary and it works OK.
I haven't done a perm-root bevause I'm very anxious.
What I don't understand is how I would then be able to return it to its original state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Visionary+ can unroot your device with just one click
Yes, I saw that - but I'm still worrried. Terrible eh? Is there some way to back up my phone completely and then restore it completely if it all goes to worms?
I'm expect that it would unroot quite satisfactorily - but I found it a bit disconcerting simply to see that it says that Visionary will try to unroot.
I don't know if it is my age - over 60 but I'm really feeling my way on all of this and I look to be very sure before I do things.
Although there are lots of guides on this forum as to what to do, there aren't any guides which tell you why you have to do each step.
I'd like to know what I am achieving at each step of the rooting, flashing, s-off eng-off blah blah. Then I'll feel that I'm in control and that will give me a comfort factor.
My main objective is to improve battery life - and after that, to see if I can have some fun. (Actually, that's my objective in life too!!)
lejars1 said:
Yes, I saw that - but I'm still worrried. Terrible eh? Is there some way to back up my phone completely and then restore it completely if it all goes to worms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to completely revert your phone to stock, you can simply do a factory restore (In Settings->SD-Card & phone storage)
A Backup of your contacts, settings etc. can be done with MyBackup (I believe you can't backup everything, but almost everything). The apps can be restored from the Android Market.
lejars1 said:
I'm expect that it would unroot quite satisfactorily - but I found it a bit disconcerting simply to see that it says that Visionary will try to unroot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To say the truth, there have been little to none problems with Visionary+ I know of. The "try" is there to indicate that it might, under unknown circumstances, not work. The same can be said about some stock functions though and they don't bother to mention it.
lejars1 said:
I'd like to know what I am achieving at each step of the rooting, flashing, s-off eng-off blah blah. Then I'll feel that I'm in control and that will give me a comfort factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay let's see:
Rooting:
Root superuser in UNIX-based systems. The equivalent of the "administrator" in Windows. He can do basically everything in the system. The account is disabled in Android though.
When you root your phone, you activate this account and thus gain (almost) complete access to your system.
A TempRoot will not survive a reboot and needs to be applied every time you reboot your phone, while a Permanent Root will not be lost.
S-OFF:
S-OFF stands for Security Off. It means that you (or rather the programs you choose to use) will be able to replace the bootloader, write persistent changes to the system (like removing stock apps).
You will also be able to flash a custom Recovery (most likely ClockworkMod Recovery). Recoveries are independent of the regular operating system and allow you to flash custom ROMs, make (and more importantly restore) backups of your system, etc.
There are two types of S-OFF: Eng S-OFF and Radio S-OFF
Eng S-OFF stands for Engineered S-OFF and modifies the bootloader so it will allow you to access all the functions. It is needed if you want to flash a new radio.
Radio S-OFF on the other hand really sets the Security flag to OFF. It can easily be reversed and is the "cleaner" option.
Flashing:
Flashing is the process of overwriting some part of the system (or the whole system) with a custom replacement. It is done while in Recovery by selecting a zip file from the SD-Card and telling ClockworkMod Recovery to flash it. Really it is quite simple if you follow the developer's instructions.
It is so decent of you to take the time to do this. It is very helpful indeed.
I hope that you know now, that I am going to keep on asking you more questions. Is that OK?
I didn't realise that a factory reset will undo the permanent rotting. That is very reassuring to know. So that's a worry out of the way.
So, you do a permanent root.
When you have the superadmin rights, you can then make fundamental changes to the system.
The next thing is to turn off the security which I suppose is a bit like a firewall and allows certain programs to install at a system level. Right?
You can either do this using Eng or Radio - and what I gather from you is that it is better to use Radio. - Right? but Eng and radio are alternatives. I had gathered that you had to do both. - wrong.
Then if you are going further, you have to flash various radios - but now I'm lost. What is a radio?
(I hope that you don't regret getting into this.)
Also, at what point does it become risky - and what point can you no longer restore merely by doing a factory reset?
One small correction
2 Types of S-Off are S-Off & ENG S-Off.
Radio S-Off is a different beast.
andyharney said:
One small correction
2 Types of S-Off are S-Off & ENG S-Off.
Radio S-Off is a different beast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - but arrgh!
A bit more confused now!
lejars1 said:
Thanks - but arrgh!
A bit more confused now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC phones come nand locked. Its an extra form of security against root, so even a rooted phone cannot write to the protected parts of the nand chip (/system, /recovery /radio /misc ect) thats what s-off is for. It removes the write protection on thoes partitions
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Hey guys,
I've been around the Defy forum for quite a while now; however, my Desire is back from the dead and now my beloved
Motorola Defy is retired, which means that I'll be getting to know this forum instead!
Right now I have absolutely nothing. Just a TELUS Desire GSM on 2.2 stock froyo. Can someone point me in the right
direction for rooting and S-OFF? Do I need to unlock my bootloader as well for most ROMs?
I have this ROM in mind:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1980122
Everything is pretty straightforward except for a few things:
Someone PLEASE help me, but I'm not going to be demanding or anything. So help me if you can.
1. How the hell did you guys end up with, like, 10 different recoveries and HBOOTs? I've heard CM7R2, stock, Amon RA, among others.
Someone can clarify this?
2. I don't get the partition things at all. For the above ROM what do I need?
3. And just how to root and S-OFF and unlock BL if I need to...
4. A simple procedure for all this maybe?:silly:
5. A simple explanation on how HBOOT and recovery and custom recovery work? On the Defy, we had a 2nd-init and 2nd-boot that basically
launched a custom ROM and kernel on top of stock because the bootloader was locked down. The CWM recovery was accessible from the bootmenu, which was in turn launched by pressing volume-down at the blue LED halfway through boot.
6. Last and not most important does the ROM above (Cooldroid Revolution 9.0) have working Wifi? It says it's "fast, smooth and stable" but...
Thanks so much.
Soooo...
Welcome to the Desire forums.
You should start by ignoring anything that has to do with the Defy. You don't need to unlock the bootloader.
Now, let's start with s-off.
Follow this tutorial Long link, and ignore step 2.
After you're s-off, you should install 4ext recovery. It's the best recovery for the Desire.
In this guide, you will install 4ext, and create an ext partition on your sd-card. The partition is allocated for more internal memory (more apps).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2125513
Read every guide carefully. You will learn a lot.
After you did those things, you can install a custom ROM. I don't recommend you use the one you mentioned as a daily one. It's still a work in progress, and has a lot of bugs.
There are many hboots. When you change hboot, you change the way the internal memory is partitioned.
For example, the cm7r2 hboot has a smaller system allocated space than the stock hboot.
You usually change hboots to get more app space.
Thanks!
But what about root? What tool should I use?
Edit: never mind, I saw the guide link in your signature
I'll get back to you when I'm done rooting. Fingers crossed.
You will root it when you either install a custom rom, or install the supersu zip.
So I read up on some guides that told me to use unrevoked, so I have this reflash_package.exe ready to go. I've uninstalled HTC sync because unrevoked tells me to.
Just one question: I can only use CWM recovery if using unrevoked? That's the default, and only recovery available with it. Can I just download the 4EXTRecoveryUpdater.apk later and change it to 4ext recovery?
If I end up somehow with a ROM that does not boot, how do I fix it? Flash an original RUU?
Why didn't you just listen to me? You don't need unrevoked.
Did you backup before flashing a rom? If you did, then restore it..
Flash another rom, or flash the 2.3 ruu.
abaaaabbbb63 said:
Why didn't you just listen to me? You don't need unrevoked.
Did you backup before flashing a rom? If you did, then restore it..
Flash another rom, or flash the 2.3 ruu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it! Thank you so much for helping me, despite all my noobiness in this forum.
I'm running Cooldroid Revolution 9.0 now. Again, thanks so much. About 7 hours later after I started reading up
and working with my Desire, I've learned a lot of things about S-OFF and HBOOT and EXT4.
I did a nandroid backup of my original 2.2 ROM before I formatted my SD card and it's backed up on my new
fat32 and my desktop as well. I guess I'm safe for now.
Oh and one more thing, are RUUs like a last-ditch attempt to save your phone? I remember there was a 2.3 RUU upgrade
that came in the form of an .exe and you just needed to plug your phone in, the .exe would do all the upgrading stuff for you.
Yeah. Ruu's are usually the last things that can save your roms.
Even noobier
I am even more of a noob than anyone else I've seen on here.
I am a college student, and I'm considered the best programmer in my class, so I was hired by my school to develop a mobile app for the admissions department. One of my classmates already developed one for apple, but he graduated, so my job is to create one for Android. They are fully aware that mobile app development is not taught here, and none of the people I will be working with knows anything about it either, so it is going to be interesting, to say the least.
My best language is C#, so Java should be no problem, but I am completely at a loss as to where to start. All the app development information I've been able to find is geared toward Ice Cream Sandwich, but I want to make sure my app works on Gingerbread because of its huge market share, plus anything newer.
I've looked at the "beginners" threads on here but I don't understand even half of what people are saying (I speak geek but it's a completely different dialect lol). Is there a resource somewhere where a good C#, Visual Basic, and SQL programmer can teach herself something completely new, and do it right?
Try this guide:
http://developer.android.com/training/index.html
Thanks, I will look into that
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using xda app-developers app
Just wanted to make a post about re-exploring the whole rooting and custom ROM nature of Android.
I used to be fairly active when I was using my Desire HD back in the day (which remains one of my all time favorite devices). I was making splash screens, boot animations, discovering my own tweaks and stuff, which are probably around here in the Desire HD section somewhere, inclusing a bootloader, splash flash, radio flasher and all sorts.
And then it seemed to me that most of the reasons people were rooting for, were starting to becoming irrelevant, as more of those features were being built in etc. For my phones after the HD, I used a custom recovery at most, but never bothered to root, or install a different rom. Not to mention one of the more important banking apps I used refuses to work with root. Even now, I find my self exploring, tweaking, and then removing root. It seems to leave things as I set them whilst letting me run the phone normally.
I've been on the HTC10 for a few weeks now and a few issues with it have forced me to consider alternative ROMS as a way of fixing these or getting more out of the phone than is already possible. I unlocked the bootloader fine, but I dont think I will bother with S-OFF.
Last time I tried to install a custom rom to a phone with S-ON, you had to install the ROM first, and then go back into the bootloader and flash the roms boot.img seperatley. Apparently that step isnt necessary anymore, it takes care of it all during the installation process.
I'm glad I started to get into it all again, and I will be keeping an eye on new or interesting roms and seeing what becomes of them. Open to suggestions too
S-off isn't as much of a necessity as it used to be with some of the older HTC phones. It still has its usefulness, though. As far as ROM flashing goes, you can flash a ROM on the 10 without having to flash the boot.img separately, as you stated.
Sent from my HTC 10
The process is how I remember it on my old Desire HD, which I dug out recently. For whatever reason it cannot be changed to ENG-HBOOT or S-OFF (I think the bootloader is too recent or it was when HTC decided to start locking bootloaders, or something along those lines) it is bootloader unlocked, but S-ON RL (not sure what the RL means ... re-locked?) I updated the recovery to 4EXT since apparently no one seems to like CWM/Rom Manager these days, and I reflashed a more stable rom to it, which needed the boot.img flashed in fastboot.
S-OFF and ENG-HBOOT was fun for things like custom splash screens and so on, buts its nice that it isnt necessary for ROM flashing.
I was debating whether to bother with S-OFF, but in the end I'm glad I did if only to have the latest radio firmware. A bit terrifying to be a big step closer to bricking, though.
Everyone seems to be using TWRP recovery now, by the way.
Also, might want to give LeeDroid ROM a shot. Have been very impressed with how many kinks he's worked out.
The only finance app I know of that won't run on a rooted device is Android Pay. There's a workaround for this, though: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/mod-magisk-v1-universal-systemless-t3432382 Can't imagine not having root!
pixelvisions said:
I was debating whether to bother with S-OFF, but in the end I'm glad I did if only to have the latest radio firmware. A bit terrifying to be a big step closer to bricking, though.
Everyone seems to be using TWRP recovery now, by the way.
Also, might want to give LeeDroid ROM a shot. Have been very impressed with how many kinks he's worked out.
The only finance app I know of that won't run on a rooted device is Android Pay. There's a workaround for this, though: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/mod-magisk-v1-universal-systemless-t3432382 Can't imagine not having root!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know it's opens up a lot of avenues for things, the app is Barclays, I'm in the UK so it may differ from what you have if you're elsewhere. They did ALOT of work to make it pretty unusable if you're rooted, and it won't even load at all with xposed and root cloak installed. A few do work, such as Nationwide.
I am on Maximus HD (LlabTooFeRs ROM), which is easier because OTA updates etc. I used to use LeeDroid a lot back on my Desire HD. I'll try a variety of roms when I can find the time.
HTC10 is pretty stable for now though. My main problem (just for fun really) is figuring out how to radio s-off and eng s-off my old desire HD. The cid is ORANG001, but the phone itself accepts any sim as it's been unlocked. Beyond that, I cannot downgrade the bootloader, the phone is rooted, bootloader unlocked, the sd card for it is a gold card, although I may try another. It just seems to not want to do anything.
silegeek said:
Yeah I know it's opens up a lot of avenues for things, the app is Barclays, I'm in the UK so it may differ from what you have if you're elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see -- a lot of frustration with that app on these forums!
pixelvisions said:
Ah, I see -- a lot of frustration with that app on these forums!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I noticed that! :laugh:
silegeek said:
Yeah I noticed that! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there. Just something to try out, if you want a bunch of tweaks build into the ROM, would be Viper10. It's really amazing and comes with OTA updates as well.
S-OFF would be needed in case you'll leave your HTC 10 on a custom ROM instead of reverting to stock, to be able to flash the latest no wipe firmware zips if need occurs as a result of incompatibility with your Custom ROM's base.
Sent from my HTC 10 using XDA Labs