A crash course on the Rezound and modding - HTC Rezound

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what things are or how they work together so I'm gonna try and build a post to explain some things. If i get any of this wrong, feel free to call me out and I'll correct it. I can generally be relied upon to make mistakes.
First let's start with the various things that you're gonna be hearing about or messing with on your phone.
Hboot or bootloader
This is pretty much the lowest level thing you're gonna mess with. This is what makes the phone boot up, and where you can flash all sorts of things like new hboots, kernels, and whole roms depending on how they are packaged. You can get here by either powering off your phone then powering on with volume down + power, or by selecting "reboot to bootloader" in most custom roms. If you've entered your hboot from a powered off state, you'll start in hboot, also known as the bootloader. The bootloader is where you will load ph98img.zip files, factory reset, boot to recovery, or enter fastboot. Fastboot is the section of the bootloader that will allow you to run fastboot commands from your PC/mac/whatever to load things like boot images, recovery images, return your phone to an s-on state, etc. It's a very powerful interface. From here you have menu options which will allow you to reboot, power off, or return to the bootloader.
If you've entered hboot from the adb reboot bootloader command or your custom rom, you will start in fastboot, and can enter the bootloader from here.
When entering the bootloader using either method, the first thing the phone will do is look for a PH98IMG.zip file. If it finds one, it will want to install it. You'll have the option of installing it, or rebooting. That's it. This is why you want to get rid of the ph98img.zip files from the root of your sd card once you've used them - if you pooch your rom, you're not getting into recovery or fastboot until you remove that file. If you can't boot your phone, you better hope you have another SD card or a micro sd card reader kicking around somewhere. You can boot into fastboot by powering off the phone, then powering it on by holding power and volume down keys at the same time.
A word of warning - this is one of the few places you can actually "brick" your phone. Don't mess around with installing hboots unless you are absolutely certain that you a) have a need and b) have an md5 checksum of the file and have verified that checksum on your own gear. Generally speaking, the only time you need to flash the hboot is when you are upgrading in some way, for example when going from GB to ICS.
Quick note - when people refer to the "SD card patch" they are referring to a patch that allows you to use the GB firmware with ICS roms. This is largely unneeded at this time, since the main purpose was for folks who wanted to run ICS roms without upgrading their hboot - there's no going backward with hboot unless you have s-off.
Radio files
this is how your phone works with the radio. you can brick your phone here, too, so always check md5 before installing, and ask yourself if you really need to be installing it. new radio versions are generally given the credit for things like increased signal strength, faster 3g/4g, better power consumption, etc. these are often paired with a kernel, as well.
Recovery
This is a software layer that you can flash to your phone that allows you to boot the phone into a utility state where you can install roms, flash things like patches or modifications, backup your rom/kernel, etc. When people refer to a nandroid backup, they are referring to a backup made here. It's a snapshot of your phone that lets you mess with things and restore back to that point in time should you screw something up. You pretty much can't brick your phone at this level - it's all just files and filesystems. You can also mount your SD card to reader mode for connection to a computer, do a factory reset of data, and a few other fun things like root your rom here. You should only root your rom if it is a stock rom that has not been rooted yet. Rooting a rooted rom will usually unroot your root so you don't have root.
There are a couple of different recoveries. The rezound community seems to use primarily amon-ra, which is what i use, but there is also clockwork recovery as well. Recovery is usually installed by booting your phone into fastboot and running the "fastboot flash recovery <recovery file>" command. Recovery can also be installed via the flash_image binary found in the RomManager package (ex: flash_image recovery amonra.img). This eliminates the need for fastboot altogether. Just need a terminal, root, and the flash_image binary.
Kernel
This is basically the primary component of an OS. The kernel is where a lot of the functionality of the phone are made or broken. the setting that prevents use of setcpu to change the way the CPU is governed is here. The thing that prevents bluetooth from working right on sense 4 roms? Kernel. Everyone is waiting eagerly for the ICS kernel source to be released so custom kernels can be made that resolve these issues and more. You can flash a kernel via recovery if you've done s-off to your phone, or via a ph98img.zip file in the bootloader. With s-off, kernels can also be backed up in recovery. The kernel is often given much of the credit or blame for the performance of your phone, overheating, etc.
Roms
Your phone's OS, sometimes incorrectly referred to as firmware. It's not - the firmware is the stuff we've already covered that can brick your phone. Think of your phone more as a tiny computer, with the rom being the distribution that you're using. This is pretty apt since it's basically linux, and just like linux, the actual OS is just files and partitions. Because the radio interface layer requires sense, the bulk of our roms are all based on sense roms, and all the functional ones are. Developers modify them to add features, remove bloat or sense components, or take sense roms from other phones and adapt them for our own. You install a rom through recovery.
Never claim to have "bricked" your phone when installing a rom. You can't, and doing so only points out that you don't really know how your phone works. This is embarrassing and best avoided when possible so jerks like me do not tell you what a n00b you are, and to go read threads like this one. Since you're here, we can assume that you've bothered to research things before asking stupid questions, so bravo! In all seriousness, you can no more brick your phone by messing up the rom than you'd brick your PC by screwing up your windows install. You can always start again from the beginning and reinstall. You might lose apps and settings, but this is the nature of the beast. Always nandroid before messing about, and you'll be fine. Nandroid is covered further later on.
RUUs
Strictly speaking, the things that we refer to as RUUs aren't. Everyone calls them that anyway, and I don't see it going away anytime soon. Technically, however, an RUU is HTC's Rom Updater Utility, and it's an executable that gets run on your PC, not something you load to SD card and flash in your bootloader. That said, RUU has come to mean factory signed software/firmware packages that are released by the manufacturer or leaked. They come in the form of a ph98img.zip file that can install pretty much anything - hboot, radio, kernel, rom, etc. What is installed varies from package to package.
Installing an ruu can only be accomplished on a phone that is currently not in an htc dev unlocked state, or a phone that has s-off. when installing one of these that includes an hboot, you'll need to reinstall recovery as well - installing a new hboot via RUU will always require this as the custom recovery is overwritten with the stock recovery.
If your phone has not yet had the s-off procedure done and you intend to do so, make sure the RUU you are about to install does not break the s-off exploit. Doing so will lock you into that RUU until the dev updates the exploit to work with the new hboot (if included in the RUU) or another RUU is released.
HTCdev
This is the method HTC gives us to unlock our phones. it allows us to install recoveries and roms, but not a lot else. you cannot downgrade your hboot or radio files with this, for example. you can install kernels via ph98img.zip file, but not through recovery. basically, it's HTC's way of letting us mess with our phones but without (hopefully) giving us enough control to brick them. this is considered better than nothing, but much less than ideal since you still don't have total control over what your phone does and how. doing this does essentially void your warranty, though to date there have been no confirmed reports of this affecting a return via either warranty or insurance.
With your phone in a stock state, you can apply only factory signed RUUs. Roms and kernels are closed to you, and you can move only forward with your radio and hboot, never backward.
With your phone in an HTCdev unlocked state, you can apply unsigned RUUs that contain a boot, system, and recovery image - all components must be present.
To get your phone into this state, visit HTCdev.com.
S-Off
This sets your security flag on the phone to off.Stock, your phone comes with this flag set to on. Our s-off method does it at the radio layer, and at this time is thought to be irreversible by update. It isn't, though - it's just unlikely because there are legitimate s-off phones out there. Still, it's always a good idea to wait to see if that shiny new RUU is gonna make your phone boring again before you install it. To be safe, wait for an RUU that has the hboot removed and just applies kernel, radio, and system files. You can turn it back on with fastboot should you wish, however. Htcdev unlocking, a bit of wire or a paperclip, and a decent set of timing is required for this. In my opinion it is best to do this once you are sure your phone does not have problems that require a warranty return, but it should be done before upgrading to new, untested OTAs/RUUs. There's always the chance that HTC will block the exploit that gives us this, at which point you're stuck until the devs figure out another way or someone comes up with some crazy method like the evo 3d guys. Many are nervous about this process, and for good reason. While the devs have done everything they can to make this bulletproof, it is best to enter into this mod with as much knowledge as possible, just like any other mod. It's also best to be relaxed, have an internet connection other than your phone, and not have anywhere you have to be right away in case things go like you don't expect. Should things go wrong, don't freak out. Ask questions. Many "bricked" phones have been restored with simple application of knowledge.
Things s-off does: Allows you to flash kernels from recovery, allows you to flash any hboot and radio you want. Lets you install any "ruu" you want with any combination of boot image, system, and recovery, rather than the entire package. Makes rom installation easier on devs due to kernel installation in recovery.
Many have scoffed at s-off, claiming it does nothing that unlocking doesn't do already. This isn't really the case, as we've all seen how important the ability to downgrade firmware and radios can be. Personally, I think of a phone with s-on in much the same way I think of eating steak through a trash bag. If you have the option not to, what the hell are you doing?
Things s-off does not do: magically turn your phone into an open platform to which devs will instantly flock to give you the aosp roms you believe yourself entitled to. What will do that? Glad you asked.
RIL - radio interface layer
Basically, the RIL is a driver for the radio - it lets the radio interface with the software running on the phone. This is a new problem that effects 4g phones. It sucks. Basically, your manufacturers (also verizon, but you can assume they don't want you to do anything other than pay them.) don't want you touching their precious radio chipset with your grubby little paws. We don't have source code, and they're not talking. Of course we already have software on our phone that has the RIL stuff we need, right? Yes... sort of. For any sense roms we want to use. This is why we don't have aosp. For aosp, one of three things needs to happen:
1) Manufacturers grow a soul and give us source in the form of a leak or they go mad and just release it. This is pretty much as likely as Verizon deciding that they are doing away with early termination fees.
2) Someone reverse engineers our RIL and makes their own RIL software. This is as likely as my wife developing new roms for her Incredible 2. The one she blames for her school's ****ty email server and wants to trade in for an iphone.
3) Someone develops an interim layer that translates aosp to sense and back again. This was done on the thunderbolt, but it was wonky. Certain individuals are confident that this will be easier done on ICS and are working on it. Some AOSP action would be pretty damn awesome, but don't expect it, demand it, or hold your breath for it. It's hard, and is going to require a very intense combination of skill, knowledge, and tenacity.
Now i know what you're thinking - the Nexus is a CDMA 4g phone and they can do whatever the hell they want. Do they have an open RIL? The answer is no. They have an aosp (Android Open Source Project) RIL though, which amounts to basically the same thing. If it is any consolation they can't have sense roms as a result. Those poor bastards, right? This is why many are torn between the Nexus and the Rezound. The Nexus is open and a dev's paradise - CM9, AOKP, MIUI, ****ty roms that some kid slapped a godawful theme on - it's all there. The Rezound has better radios, better screen, and better build quality (subjective) but no aosp. If you're reading this you've already chosen or had the choice made for you by verizon's $50 sale.
Fast Boot
But Derek, you say, you already talked about fastboot in the bootloader section. We get it. Nay nay. This is fast boot. Note the space. Basically, HTC roms include a tech that puts the phone into a hibernation state rather than powering off. You'll find it in the power menu. When this box is checked, your phone will go from powered off to your home screen in a very short period of time - 15 seconds on my phone, vs the normal 45 second boot time. If you pull the battery, you will have a normal boot time. Personally, I could take or leave this feature. I almost never shut my phone off, and when I do, I want it to actually shut off because i'm shutting it down because I need a cold boot. It's up to you how useful this feature is to you.
Perflock, CPU Frequency, and Governers
Many people have had poor experiences running the ICS leaks due to the CPU maxing out. The stock HTC kernel uses perflock, which constantly resets the frequency and scaling of your CPU. This means that the use of programs like setcpu or system tuner to change the min/max frequencies or governer of your CPU will cause it to essentially run in a state where it is either using the max frequency, or the minimum, without scaling up and down according to need. Some CPU monitoring apps will cause a similar reaction. The best way to avoid all this unpleasantness and get the best battery life out of your phone is to simply leave it be and let it do it's thing, because quite frankly you can't stop it anyway. If you absolutely must see what your CPU is doing, I have had good results with CPU Monitor by Coconuts. I still don't recommend keeping this active full time as I suspect it still impacts performance and battery life, but many do without any obvious adverse results. As a side note, the HTC kernel uses the On Demand governer, which steps up the CPU frequency quickly when needed and scales it back down slowly. Clearly, HTC's focus was on performance rather than battery life, here. Once kernel source for ICS is released, devs can build custom kernels which do not include perflock, and add other nice features as well like full power usb charging. Once this occurs, we will be free to use setcpu to scale our CPUs up or down to our hearts content and use whatever governer we like. Until then the best advice is simply to leave it alone.
I will be updating this and adding to it constantly. I'm not an expert, just an average user who is trying to put some useful info in the same place. Please shoot me a PM with suggestions/things I got wrong and I will update this post and credit you.
Contributors who have helped make this more accurate
scotty1223, esheesle

Section for General Education Type Things
Titanium Backup
Quite possibly the most useful software you will use on your rooted android device. Well worth buying. This software will allow you to backup pretty much everything on your phone to your sd-card, dropbox, box account, etc. It even lets you pull data from nandroid backups. This is the best way I know of to backup your apps and restore them when switching to a new rom. Not only do you not need to go digging through the my apps section of the play store to reinstall every damn app, you can restore with the data from the time of the backup. That means config for a lot of apps, game saves, etc. Note that most SMS apps and launchers will require you to use the backup included in their software, as Ti Backup doesn't grab these things. Forgot to backup your apps and data but made a nandroid backup? No problem. It can read your nandroid backup and pull those things right out of it.
It can also screw up your rom install to the point where you might as well factory reset, if you use it wrong. Basically, you never ever want to use it for anything other than apps you've installed from the app store and their data. Restoring system apps, unless you know what you're doing, is a bad idea. Restoring system data, no matter how tempting, is an even worse idea. It's very likely to screw you up. There are circumstances in which it may not do so, but if you are reading this and this is new info, you don't know them. Stay away. Most devs will outright tell you not to use it with their rom since people will inevitably ignore the warnings and do it anyway. It makes switching roms an absolute breeze though - I can switch roms and have my software setup exactly how it was before in less time than it takes to download a rom from Android Police. Granted, that's a good hour, but you get what I'm saying. It's a huge time saver. Backup your user apps and data, but touch system apps or data at your own peril.
What to do if you think you're bricked
Step 1: Chill out and slow down. Seriously. Unless your phone isn't doing anything at all when powered up, it's probably recoverable. Double check your MD5 sums before pushing things like hboots and radios, and you should be OK. If you've screwed up the s-off process, make a post describing exactly what you've done and how, then wait for responses. Do not demand them. You can also join #juopunutbear on freenode, where the devs hang out. They're not always right there, but I've seen them help dozens of people out of some sticky places, and they'll help you if they can. They really know their stuff.
For general Rezound problems, you can join #rezound on andirc.net. There's usually some knowledgable guys hanging out there, willing to help. Remember, the very best thing you can do is take the time to gather enough knowledge to be confident that the steps you are going to take to fix the phone are the right ones, and why. Flipping out about your "bricked" phone and throwing anything you can at it is much more likely to make things worse, and annoy the people trying to help you. For example, if you are s-on and in a state where you need to reinstall a stock RUU package, you only have as many chances to get it right as there are newer RUUs than what is on your phone already. If you don't know enough about things to know what is wrong and why, you're not terribly likely to know the best way to fix it. Keep calm and carry on.
What will installing this ______ do to my phone? What do I need to do to install them?
Now that we have s-off and all these new ICS leaks, we've all gotten a bit flash happy. This has led many to ask what they can install, how, and what needs to be done. I'll try and address as much of this as I can by talking about the different states your phone might be in.
Totally stock - You have only one choice. You can install the full RUU, or not. That means you're getting whatever radio, hboot, kernel, and rom come with that RUU. Once you've installed that RUU, you can't install anything but a newer RUU after that. Remember that with RUUs, you need to reboot twice - there are two installation steps in hboot that require a reboot in between. Note that some RUUs will wipe your SD card. Nice of them, isn't it?
HTCDev unlocked - You can install kernels via hboot, a custom recovery via fastboot or hboot if packaged, and custom roms. If you want to install new radio files or an hboot, then you'll want to make a nandroid backup in recovery, relock your phone, and install the RUU via hboot. You cannot install the RUU without relocking first. You can then unlock your phone via HTCdev again, flash recovery, and restore from your nandroid backup. Like a totally stock phone, you can only go forward with hboot and radios, never backward. You have more options than the stock guys, but are still limited. But you also can't brick your phone. Again, some RUUs will wipe your SD card.
S-off - You can do anything you want. Flash any radio or hboot you want. Flash any kernel you like. If a new RUU comes out and you want to try it, just install it. You'll need to reinstall recovery, but that's it. Want to use the new leak's radio and kernel but not the rom itself? Flash 'em. But for the love of god, check the MD5 checksum before you flash. Apps like root explorer will let you see the MD5 of a file right from your phone's SD card. Flashing a bad radio or hboot can brick your phone. With great power comes great responsibility. Flashing hboot, kernels, and radio files do not require you to factory reset your device, nor will they do so. It is advisable to clear your cache and dalvik cache in recovery after installing a new kernel, but that will not affect the data on your device.
So let's say you've got s-off, and you're running a rom you like, but you want that new radio, hboot, and kernel. First, don't touch the hboot unless you have a reason to. That's a risk that you don't need to take most of the time. To flash the radio, find someone who has extracted the radio and repackaged it into a PH98IMG.zip that contains just the radio. Copy it to your SD card, check the MD5, and flash via hboot. To install the kernel, either grab it from someone who has packaged it, or pull the boot.img from the RUU zip. Check your md5, boot your phone to fastboot, and run:
fastboot flash boot <path to boot.img file>
You need fastboot on your PC, of course. Also, bear in mind that with a new kernel on an older rom, you may need to apply patches to make everything work properly, like wifi. Devs will generally release these patches and post them. Simply copy them to your SD card and install in recovery.
Where are all these files?
The Dev section. Go in there, and poke around. It doesn't take long after a leak is released to see that leak taken apart, rooted, deodexed, stripped of its kernel and radio files, etc. Read what people are saying, and asking. Generally, the first post will be updated to have everything you need, but the thread may have what you're looking for as well. What you don't want to do is ask where things are when the same question has been asked several times over already, often three pages back. Sometimes things can be hard to find, but it's good to make the effort. The community will be better for it.
What's a rooted rom? Deodexed? Busybox? Zipalign?
Rooted is fairly self explanatory. It's the process of packaging a superuser app with a rom that will allow you to operate your phone with root access. You'll need this for the good stuff like removing bloat, installing most wireless tethering apps, ad blockers, titanium backup, etc. Verizon wishes you wouldn't do this, so you know it's awesome.
Deodexing basically removes an optimization, called odexing, that basically takes bits of an apk and puts them elsewhere for optimization purposes. Deodexing packages everything back into the apk so you can use different apks without fear of conflicting code, etc. This is what makes a lot of mods possible.
Busybox provides several stripped down versions of unix tools in a single package. A lot of things like titanium backup depend on this. Generally when someone roots a rom they also busybox it.
A zipaligned rom is a rom that has had its application packages optimized for quick access by aligning them on 4 byte boundaries. This allows android to access resources without having to explicitly read them. You don't necessarily need to understand this one - just think of it as being optimized.

Contributions are appreciated and will be credited in the main post. In the interest of keeping this thread clean without a million different versions of the OP, please edit your post down to a basic "suggestions added" or something similar once I've noted your additions. That way things stay readable and don't confuse the readers. Ideally, a PM would be best, leaving the comments free for questions and the like. My goal is to jam as much knowledge in this thread as I can, and I'll continue working on it as I see new questions that commonly pop up.

tspderek said:
I literally meant the phrase "suggestions sent." i would prefer PMs or cleaned up posts after suggestions are included in the original post for cleanliness' sake and to keep down redundant info.
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so,in other words,youd like your posts,followed by no posts,or "thanks" posts,with no real discussion.
my only issue with that,is simply any of us are capable of sending suggestions that are not correct,or that are correct but an opinion. are you filtering somehow what you add? or just adding everything everyone sends?
its your thread,ill accept your request,but i personally would like to see everyones personal contributions and how you incorporate them.
readers should be smart enuff to seperate the first 3 information posts from the rest of the discussions. my 2 cents

I literally meant the phrase "suggestions sent." i would prefer PMs or cleaned up posts after suggestions are included in the original post for cleanliness' sake and to keep down redundant info.

..

Khayos said:
Suggestion: Sticky! (then delete me)
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it's been sticky since about an hour after it was written last night...

Thank you for writing this. It should be a requirement to read this before someone can post again.

Thanks for this! I was just thinking that this is getting REALLY confusing...I appreciate the Primer!

tspderek said:
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what things are or how they work together so I'm gonna try and build a post to explain some things. ...
<snip>
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I had been contemplating a post to ask questions that this addresses; for myself, it is very timely as well as very helpful.
I've seen terms in the forum used interchangeably that really are not, and this helps clarify that. Consistent use of terminology could go a long way to help with the abundance of questions and misunderstandings that exist.
Again, many thanks.

Nice post. Thanks!
I was waiting for the OTA to go official before even thinking about s-off but now you got me thinkin' about it.
If the OTA is good but I just want it de-oxed and de-bloated should I bother with S-Off?
My Dinc was so easy with UnRevoked, wish this one was as easy as that!

my personal feeling is that i like my phone to have s-off, so i can use the radio that works best for me and have full control of my phone. if i've already voided the warranty with htcdev, then why not? it's not a difficult process if you research and prepare everything ahead of time. know the steps, have your tools ready, and you'll be fine. took me one try on my phone.
it's really up to you, though. it's your phone. there is a risk of bricking that isn't there with htcdev. it's low unless you make poor decisions or skip steps, but it does exist - that's what s-off does. it opens the door for you to help or hurt yourself.

Very Useful
This is very well written. I wish I had this when I started my journey with Android. This is my first post btw. Iv been doing this for about 6 months now and hate that i cant post in Developement section. But i appreciate the time it took to make this. Very nice!
Edit.. Second post. Fogot about the first one

Sweet, will be following this closely! Thanks for posting!

Thanks for posting this it helped clear a lot of things up for me. This is my first smartphone and so I'm still learning about this stuff. I think some people forget that not everyone understands all of the jargon. I'm learning more and more about what I can do everyday and this has certainly helped.

Installing RUU
tspderek said:
Installing an ruu can only be accomplished on a phone that is currently not in an htc dev unlocked state, or a phone that has s-off. when installing one of these that includes an hboot, you'll need to reinstall recovery as well - installing a new hboot via RUU will always require this as the custom recovery is overwritten with the stock recovery.
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tspderek said:
With your phone in a stock state, you can apply only factory signed RUUs. Roms and kernels are closed to you, and you can move only forward with your radio and hboot, never backward.
With your phone in an HTCdev unlocked state, you can apply unsigned RUUs that contain a boot, system, and recovery image - all components must be present.
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I'm confused. I am S-ON (scared of brick), bootloader unlocked, and running CleanROM Pro 4.3. I want to update to the newest firmware and then the newest version of CleanROM. Do I have to re-lock my bootloader in order to install ICS firmware? I'm looking at the 3.14.605.5 Ice Cream Sandwich ZIP RUU (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365654). How do I go about installing that?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

pumpkinsoftruth said:
I'm confused. I am S-ON (scared of brick), bootloader unlocked, and running CleanROM Pro 4.3. I want to update to the newest firmware and then the newest version of CleanROM. Do I have to re-lock my bootloader in order to install ICS firmware? I'm looking at the 3.14.605.5 Ice Cream Sandwich ZIP RUU (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365654). How do I go about installing that?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
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yes, you need to lock it back up then apply the ruu.
or, take the path of awesome, and s-off that bad boy. what i'd actually do is install the latest leak RUU, s-off from that platform, then install amon-ra and whatever rom you want. that way your bootloader will already be upgraded, and your radio files. as new leaks come out you'll be able to apply radio files and kernels independently.

tspderek said:
yes, you need to lock it back up then apply the ruu.
or, take the path of awesome, and s-off that bad boy. what i'd actually do is install the latest leak RUU, s-off from that platform, then install amon-ra and whatever rom you want. that way your bootloader will already be upgraded, and your radio files. as new leaks come out you'll be able to apply radio files and kernels independently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so...
1. Re-lock Bootloader
2. Install latest RUU
3. Unlock Bootloader and Root
4. S-OFF
5. Install Amon-RA
6. Install ROM
Sounds simple enough. Thanks.

Ok so I've taken your advice and removed setcpu and installed the one recommended in the post however is there any way to also monitor battery temp that won't interfere with things the same way setcpu does?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA

pumpkinsoftruth said:
Ok, so...
1. Re-lock Bootloader
2. Install latest RUU
3. Unlock Bootloader and Root
4. S-OFF
5. Install Amon-RA
6. Install ROM
Sounds simple enough. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 4.5, install the patched hboot they offer you!

Related

2.1 OTA Leak question

I tried searching for a how-to on this but apparently I'm searching inclined.
From what I can gather is it as simple as just dumping the zip onto the root of your SD card and doing:
3. Make sure phone is off then hold Power button and Call Button.
4. The menu opens quickly press the power key over the hboot option.
5. Follow onscreen instructions to install the update. the phone will reboot a few times.
you dont even need to search. go to the development section and then look at the top few, it will have very detailed instructions.
I guess I should have elaborated more and said I don't have my phone rooted and really don't want to go that route. I was just getting confused because everything i was finding on here was people running root but I came across a few things where people said the 2.1OTA Leak was just a straight upgrade, so that is my confusion.
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
rheally said:
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but if you have root you can do the downgrade back to 1.5
Android22 said:
but if you have root you can do the downgrade back to 1.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, I forgot about that, duh It just seems like root would be a better choice.
But to each his own.
rheally said:
Are you asking how to install the 2.1ota leak? Just flash it onto your phone?
Curious, why do you not want to root your phone?
Root is much more flexible, and there are roms that are based off that leak. If you're worried about your warranty, it's going to void it either way, lol.
Good luck !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that is my question, can 2.1OTA just be flashed or does your phone need to be rooted?
I just feel like with root I'll be more likely to kill the phone but I'm going to check into it more again.
If you flash the 2.1 OTA leak onto your phone you CANNOT root your phone. It hasn't been figured out yet.
Root really isn't that hard to do. There are several threads over in the development forum.
rheally said:
If you flash the 2.1 OTA leak onto your phone you CANNOT root your phone. It hasn't been figured out yet.
Root really isn't that hard to do. There are several threads over in the development forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I was just reading the thread on going from stock 1.5 to rooted 2.1. Can you give me some of the major benefits of rooting? I'm trying to find really practical stuff, not just the "Well it's cool cause it's like being root in Linux".
And just to clarify you can just flash to 2.1OTA? I'm skeptical of doing that now because I was reading some people think 2.1OTA has a time sensitive date on it.
Future developments will likely be easier to impliment if you root. The ability to run different (and potentially more stable) ROMs. Support for future software not designed for the Eris. Post rooting you can also make Nandroid backups and as long as you don't somehow screw your bootloader you can actually fix your phone.
Also, and this is pure speculation, should Verison decide to discontinue support for the Eris entirely, non-rooters may have issue getting new Android versions since they're limited to signed code.
EDIT: there is also little reason NOT to root. It does everything that you can do unrooted and more. All this plus the fact that you may never be able to root again but could always unroot at your leisure.
Marisa said:
Future developments will likely be easier to impliment if you root. The ability to run different (and potentially more stable) ROMs. Support for future software not designed for the Eris. Post rooting you can also make Nandroid backups and as long as you don't somehow screw your bootloader you can actually fix your phone.
Also, and this is pure speculation, should Verison decide to discontinue support for the Eris entirely, non-rooters may have issue getting new Android versions since they're limited to signed code.
EDIT: there is also little reason NOT to root. It does everything that you can do unrooted and more. All this plus the fact that you may never be able to root again but could always unroot at your leisure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you point me to a good nandroid tutorial? tried searching for one but if you know of a good one I'd appreciate it.
I was trying to find a nandroid guide when I did it the first time, but once I discovered that Amon_RA's recovery has it built-in, I decided to wing it and see what happened. It was a lot easier than I expected to be honest.
Reboot your phone into recovery (VOL UP + Power), you should have a short list of options, one of which should be Backup/Restore. Trackball into it and select to make a backup. Let it do it's thing, should take a few minutes. Congratulations, you've made a backup of your phone. You can make as many as you like, they're given names based on the date and time they're created, but you can rename without harm (barring a few characters keep it A-Z a-z 0-9 and you should be good)
Restoring to that backup is as easy as entering the same menu but picking restore instead. You need to have made a backup first in order to restore something.
NOTE: I've written all this by memory, and while it should be fairly accurate, I can't turn my phone off currently to double check that the wording is all correct.
I'm a bit confused on the Amon thing. I found the the link here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=648025
Do I just dump that IMG file onto the root of my SD card and that's it? Will it know to always use his recovery or do I need to do more?
I have an application that I write to make going from 1.5 to root a lot easier with a gui application. It will be released very soon for everyone to use. Take a look at my thread for more info. Link is at the top of my signature.
Sent from my Eris using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
frankspin said:
I'm a bit confused on the Amon thing. I found the the link here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=648025
Do I just dump that IMG file onto the root of my SD card and that's it? Will it know to always use his recovery or do I need to do more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you followed Ivan's guide to the very end, you already flashed Amon_RA's recovery to your phone. To enter it, shutdown your phone and then hold volume up and the call end button (power), you should boot into the recovery.
Marisa said:
If you followed Ivan's guide to the very end, you already flashed Amon_RA's recovery to your phone. To enter it, shutdown your phone and then hold volume up and the call end button (power), you should boot into the recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AWESOME! Thank you I am doing it right now.
NM: got it
Well I got 2.1 on but I did something wrong and can't load rooted 2.1. I get "signature verification failed" message when I load the zip file.

[Q] Android Noobs

Hi.
I'm a bit of a noob to Android, and as such, I'm a bit lost with some of the terminology.
I know I can find most of the answers I'm looking for on the forum, but trawling posts can lead to confusion.
I thought it would be good to have a thread discussing the terminology for these devices for noobs such as myself to use as a quick reference guide.
I've been with HTC, and Winmob for a number of years, but I will soon be getting a Flyer, so time to learn.
Questions:
1 What is S-off/S-on, and what does it do?
2 What is Rooting/Perma-Rooting, the differences, and why are they needed?
3 What is Clockworkmod?
4 Any other terminology that needs an explanation for an Android noob.
If somebody would like to create a thread that can be stickied, and post a link here, I think that would be the best route to take.
Thanks.
Steve.
stabloid said:
Questions:
1 What is S-off/S-on, and what does it do?
2 What is Rooting/Perma-Rooting, the differences, and why are they needed?
3 What is Clockworkmod?
4 Any other terminology that needs an explanation for an Android noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. S-off/on are the terms used to tell if the security feature that prevents you from rooting is on or off. This is found under your bootloader, or hboot. To check and see if your device is s-off or s-on simply turn the device off, hold down the vol - button and turn the device back on while holding it. That will bring up your bootloader (hboot) and will show you what version it is as well as if your device has security on or off.
2. Rooting/Perma-Rooting are basically the same thing. Perma just stands for permanent. Rooting is gaining SuperUser (Admin) permissions for your device.
3. ClockWorkMod is a custom recovery tool that replaces the stock recovery tool in your bootloader. It allows you to flash(install) new roms.
4. A rom is basically your operating syatem. It is what you interact with when you power the device on.
If I missed anything or if I got something wrong someone feel free to add to it or correct me.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
I think you covered most of the stuff that trips up people coming from WinMo to Android.
Two other little things I have come across:
GoldCard = Special SD card that lets you flash ROMs to locked phones (not rooted / S-ON)
De-odex = Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
I was one step away from being a ROM cooker on WinMo and felt like a total idiot when I switched to Android. Had to learn everything all over again...but that's the fun, right?
StormMcCloud said:
1. S-off/on are the terms used to tell if the security feature that prevents you from rooting is on or off. This is found under your bootloader, or hboot. To check and see if your device is s-off or s-on simply turn the device off, hold down the vol - button and turn the device back on while holding it. That will bring up your bootloader (hboot) and will show you what version it is as well as if your device has security on or off.
2. Rooting/Perma-Rooting are basically the same thing. Perma just stands for permanent. Rooting is gaining SuperUser (Admin) permissions for your device.
3. ClockWorkMod is a custom recovery tool that replaces the stock recovery tool in your bootloader. It allows you to flash(install) new roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just expanding a bit, as I understand the terms:
1. With S-On, there is a security check on the signature of a ROM, before it is allowed to be flashed. It also protects the NAND flash memory, where the ROM is stored. Basically, with S-Off, you can flash just about any ROM meant for the device, including user-made "custom" ROMs. With S-Off, you can only flash "official" ROMs.
While related to root, they are not always co-dependent. On some devices, its possible to root, but still have S-On. You have SuperUser access (at least most things), but you can't flash custom ROMs. With root plus S-Off, you have access to just about everything.
HTC is constantly changing their security, so for the Flyer, it seems that S-Off was instrumental in achieving permanent root.
2) Rooting an Android device gives you "root" or "super user" access to system files, which are normally protected. There are a variety of things this allows you to do. You can change system fonts, and make other theme customizations. You may be able to overclock the CPU (depending on the device and kernal) or make other performance enhancements. You can remove system apps (like bloatware) that you don't need. Some apps require root to work, such as Titanium Backup and Clockworkmod for creating backups of app data or your entire ROM.
One thing to remember, is that the system files are normally protected for a reason. Don't modify or change anything, unless you have a good understanding what you are doing, otherwise you can really mess up your device.
The distinction between rooting (or perma-root) and temp rooting is made, due to the increased security HTC has applied to the NAND flash memory on their more recent devices. Basically the NAND protection means that a temp root will be wiped out when the device is rebooted. But some root functions can still be accessed during the temp root. But it also means you have to temp root every time you want super user access (if the phone was restarted since your last temp root).
Once the NAND protection on the Flyer was bypassed, it made a perm root possible. But on other devices, I know some users actually prefer temp root over perm root. You still have access to super user privileges while temp rooted. But if something goes wrong with your phone, its less risky, as a reboot will wipe any trace of the temp root (technically, rooting voids HTC's warranty . . . but its often possible to unroot for warranty purposes).
3. Clockworkmod will also make a full backup of your entire ROM (including user data) , so you can return to it any time. Handy if you have some catastrophic failure, or just want to switch back to the current ROM.
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
bdgdl08 said:
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flyer/View owners are nicer then most xda posters, lol. Especially when the person asking the question is smart enough to do it in the correct section.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
bdgdl08 said:
I really appreciate this thread. As a former webOS user, I was at a loss for all of the terminology when I got here. I've since figured it out, but hearing it in plain terms, as well as what they actually do for you, really is nice. Thanks for answering the questions rather than just saying search.
~Drew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all had to start somewhere, right? Be sure to click the "Thanks" button for the posts you found helpful!
redpoint73 said:
We all had to start somewhere, right? Be sure to click the "Thanks" button for the posts you found helpful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you definitely went more in depth then I did. I just jotted down quick basics of each while I was getting ready for work. Yours are definitely more helpful.
Sent from my HTC EVO View. 7" of s-off 4g Fury.
There's a pretty expansive dictionary at Android Central: http://www.androidcentral.com/dictionary
Hope it helps, and welcome!
Thank You!
HUGE thanks to all who posted.
I'm starting to understand a bit more now.
This area defo has more of the feel XDA Devs had when I first joined.
The HD2 section is just FLAME "SEARCH" FLAME "SEARCH" FLAME! lol.
I'll probably have loads more questions soon, as we're looking at getting Flyers for work, and I'm gonna need to customize them a fair bit.
At least now I know I can ask semi-stupid questions here, or not have to read every single post in the Flyer section, without getting flamed/shunned completely.
Keep up the good work guys.
It really is appreciated.

Does anyone know....

I'm just wondering, I purchased a phone on ebay (not knowing it was flashed/rooted). The boot animation says "clean rom" so after researching this site and the forums for this device, I see that it's probably a rom you guys are familiar with and it seems to be ICS based (from what I can see). With that being said, does this mean when they actually RELEASE the stock ICS that I probably won't get the update to my phone? Because I really would like to see what their stock version will be like. Can anyone answer that question or has it even been asked before?
you can't take the OTA rooted or while unlocked but you can flash the RUU once it gets posted after relocking your phone. hopefully by then we will have s-off.
mighty_markus12 said:
you can't take the OTA rooted or while unlocked but you can flash the RUU once it gets posted after relocking your phone. hopefully by then we will have s-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does this mean I will no longer be able to receive updates to my phone with this "s-off" or what ever? That sucks, and I can't seem to follow the steps that have been given to get it back to a stock rom or "ruu" what ever THAT means. lol ****that moment when you realize you might look dumb or "newbish" for posting what you just posted****
Your phone has been hacked a little bit, and it's always going to have tell-tale signs.
The worst case scenario is that you have to manually install the next official update and manually relock the phone, which will always say "Relocked" in the boot menu. But if you do everything by the book you should be able to get it back to stock in every other way, including taking subsequent updates over the air normally.
If they get s-off working and you're willing to experiment, it may be possible to completely revert the phone to stock. But that's quite a bit more hackage in order to get your phone "unhacked."
cpurick said:
Your phone has been hacked a little bit, and it's always going to have tell-tale signs.
The worst case scenario is that you have to manually install the next official update and manually relock the phone, which will always say "Relocked" in the boot menu. But if you do everything by the book you should be able to get it back to stock in every other way, including taking subsequent updates over the air normally.
If they get s-off working and you're willing to experiment, it may be possible to completely revert the phone to stock. But that's quite a bit more hackage in order to get your phone "unhacked."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, the only thing I really want is to be able to get it stock on the basis of the apps, getting system updates etc. I'm not concerned with it having evidence of being "tampered with" "hacked" or "rooted". lol It already says "re-locked" The problem is the instructions I've gotten on here seem to go over my head. I might have to be walked through it like a little 3 or 4 year old being taught to sound out little words for the first time. lol Hey, I'm just saying..... No seriously though, I have a MAC and all of the instructions here seem to be based on having a PC
This can be done. But you're going to need to have somebody who knows what they're doing relock and reset your phone from the official ICS RUU after it's released, probably from a PC. There's nothing can be done before then.
cpurick said:
This can be done. But you're going to need to have somebody who knows what they're doing relock and reset your phone from the official ICS RUU after it's released, probably from a PC. There's nothing can be done before then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So this means I'll need to basically need to take or send it to someone to get this done? I don't know why all of these instructions seem like their in spanish to me now, about 3 years ago I used to flash and unlock WM devices almost every other day. I guess I should've never stopped, but once the g1 came out and switched to android devices I stopped flashing and now I'm lost because I need to "tamper with" my phone again, but can't seem to get going at all. I mean SERIOUSLY, I used to flash WM devices so often that if a certain period of time went by without me finding a rom worth "flashing" I'd start having withdrawals. Now i'm feeling like an absolute IDIOT when it comes to getting into these android devices. I think part of that has to do with the fact that I only had PC's and now not only am I trying to tamper with android for my first time, but I only have mac computers as well.
Go to settings, about phone, software information, more, and write what your baseband version is.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1417839
This thread may help you getting osx and fastboot going so you can relock and run an ruu. As was stated above, what is your baseband? If the previous owner flashed the leaked ics you will not be able to go all the way back to stock until either an official ics is released or the s-off tool is released. Good luck!
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
Unless you have issues, I would leave it as is for the time being. Take time to learn how to do all the stuff you need to do.
The custom ROMs really do make the phone better, you may find you want to keep it in the end. Battery life is much better on a good ROM.
When the official update comes out, we will have a new ROM based on the update within a day or two at most of the release anyway.
The baseband (the radio firmware) is also important. And unfortunately we can not downgrade to older basebands due to not having S=off. So if you are on the newest leaked version then you can run the old stock software.
BTW S=off (or S=on) is a security flag located in the firmware. S=on limits what parts of the phone you can flash and change. S=off gives you full access, it will allow you to downgrade as well. S=off also makes it easier to brick your phone because it does let you change software that is bootstrap essential, the baseband and hboot (sort of like BIOS) for example.
I separate the idea of bootstrap from boot. Most people associate booting with the OS, but bricking effects the firmware initializing the hardware that allows the OS to load and boot. So you get to see the old school term used.
Kennnny1 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1417839
This thread may help you getting osx and fastboot going so you can relock and run an ruu. As was stated above, what is your baseband? If the previous owner flashed the leaked ics you will not be able to go all the way back to stock until either an official ics is released or the s-off tool is released. Good luck!
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The baseband is 1.22.10.0310r, 1.22.10.0308r It also says clean rom 4.1. I don't mind waiting until an offcial ics is released, but I will I be able to receive THAT instead having to have a "dev equivalent" version is what I'm wondering....
It's like I said. Those radios are new, and part of a firmware upgrade that can't be completely backed out. Your simplest bet is to wait for the official ICS release, and then you (or someone more technical) can apply it manually. After doing that and relocking your phone, it should start to take updates automatically again. You'll also have the full factory-installed "bloatware" suite of software.
It's possible to downgrade all the other parts of your software manually back to the latest stock release, but it's expected that your current upgraded firmware version will continue to prevent you from taking OTA releases. It would be good training, actually, though you'll get better results and more support from a PC than on a Mac. If you figured out how to do all this, then you could get your phone back on the HTC software track yourself.
Depending on your flexibility, maybe you can find someone here you could send your phone to who can put it back on the official release track. But even they won't be able to put a permanent fix on it until the official ICS release comes out and somebody uploads it as a manually-installable package.
---------- Post added at 10:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 AM ----------
EDIT:
So did the seller not mention on eBay that the phone had been customized?
Some of the responses lean toward telling you how to flash your phone for yourself. Is that something you'd have any interest in? Do you really want to go back to stock, or do you just want to see the difference?
Are you having any problems with the phone?
The custom ROMs are better, overall, but they usually have one or two bugs that you have to learn to live with. (Which is not to say that stock ROMS are bug-free, though the final versions of stock ROMs tend to be very, very stable.) But if you are on custom ROMs, then you're completely off the automatic update path, and everything will have to be done manually.
So unless you want to learn how to flash your own phone, the only way to get updates is to set it back to stock so HTC and Verizon can handle the updates for you. And therein lies the dilemma, because that in itself is something which must be flashed manually from where you're currently at.
(Oh, and you're probably going to end up losing any of your own customizations in the process, though the data on your SD card should be safe.)
cpurick said:
It's like I said. Those radios are new, and part of a firmware upgrade that can't be completely backed out. Your simplest bet is to wait for the official ICS release, and then you (or someone more technical) can apply it manually. After doing that and relocking your phone, it should start to take updates automatically again. You'll also have the full factory-installed "bloatware" suite of software.
It's possible to downgrade all the other parts of your software manually back to the latest stock release, but it's expected that your current upgraded firmware version will continue to prevent you from taking OTA releases. It would be good training, actually, though you'll get better results and more support from a PC than on a Mac. If you figured out how to do all this, then you could get your phone back on the HTC software track yourself.
Depending on your flexibility, maybe you can find someone here you could send your phone to who can put it back on the official release track. But even they won't be able to put a permanent fix on it until the official ICS release comes out and somebody uploads it as a manually-installable package.
---------- Post added at 10:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 AM ----------
EDIT:
So did the seller not mention on eBay that the phone had been customized?
Some of the responses lean toward telling you how to flash your phone for yourself. Is that something you'd have any interest in? Do you really want to go back to stock, or do you just want to see the difference?
Are you having any problems with the phone?
The custom ROMs are better, overall, but they usually have one or two bugs that you have to learn to live with. (Which is not to say that stock ROMS are bug-free, though the final versions of stock ROMs tend to be very, very stable.) But if you are on custom ROMs, then you're completely off the automatic update path, and everything will have to be done manually.
So unless you want to learn how to flash your own phone, the only way to get updates is to set it back to stock so HTC and Verizon can handle the updates for you. And therein lies the dilemma, because that in itself is something which must be flashed manually from where you're currently at.
(Oh, and you're probably going to end up losing any of your own customizations in the process, though the data on your SD card should be safe.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I've kind of decided to just keep what I have. I don't have any issues other and it seems to run smoothly. What I REALLY want to see is what the official update will be like as being "stock released" when it comes out and was concerned that I might not be able to get the update because of the "clean rom" I have now being ICS based (as far as I can see). Other than that, I'm fine until then.
You really should consider leaving negative feedback if they ebay seller did not state in the auction that the phone was rooted and running a custom rom. If I sell a phone and im too lazy to revert it to stock ill ALWAYS state its rooted and what its running in the auction etc
mdunn1066 said:
You really should consider leaving negative feedback if they ebay seller did not state in the auction that the phone was rooted and running a custom rom. If I sell a phone and im too lazy to revert it to stock ill ALWAYS state its rooted and what its running in the auction etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, I mentioned it in the feeback portion and rated him low on the "item described accurately" portion
I would just wait til offiical ics is released. I am sure there will be instructions here on xda on how to relock and flash the new official ics ruu. It will involve downloading some files and entering items into command prompt from PC.
sent from my Rezound
stelv said:
I would just wait til offiical ics is released. I am sure there will be instructions here on xda on how to relock and flash the new official ics ruu. It will involve downloading some files and entering items into command prompt from PC.
sent from my Rezound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is I don't HAVE a PC. It's already "re-locked" though. I just want to be able to receive the update without having to deal with any other flashing etc. But from what I was told, I should be able to since the current flashed rom is nearly stock (clean rom) and I'm already re-locked. But I guess we'll just see....
refuse2bstopped said:
The problem is I don't HAVE a PC. It's already "re-locked" though. I just want to be able to receive the update without having to deal with any other flashing etc. But from what I was told, I should be able to since the current flashed rom is nearly stock (clean rom) and I'm already re-locked. But I guess we'll just see....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems like people are giving you information that is kinda all over the place.
Lemme try and help clear this up, since you are in a odd scenario.
You are running cleanrom 4.1 on a re-locked phone. For starters, cleanrom 4.1 is based off the current ics LEAK and is not an official OTA update. Chances are high you won't be able to get the OTA if the rom is not a stock rom, and also because chances are you don't have a stock recovery even though it is relocked. Since you are currently on the latest leaked firmware, not an official firmware, you can run the RUU for the phone and go back to stock. In your case, your kinda lucky with this, as you don't technically need a computer to run it. You would need someone to extract the PH98IMG.zip file from the RUU.EXE file for you to run when the OTA comes out through Hboot.
Be for warned, doing it like this, will wipe all data.
I would say you should run the leaked RUU on the phone, as since it is a beta testing Leak, you should still get the OTA, and that way the phone will think it is completely stock and get the latest update.
If you wanna do this, ask and we can help you.
nosympathy said:
seems like people are giving you information that is kinda all over the place.
Lemme try and help clear this up, since you are in a odd scenario.
You are running cleanrom 4.1 on a re-locked phone. For starters, cleanrom 4.1 is based off the current ics LEAK and is not an official OTA update. Chances are high you won't be able to get the OTA if the rom is not a stock rom, and also because chances are you don't have a stock recovery even though it is relocked. Since you are currently on the latest leaked firmware, not an official firmware, you can run the RUU for the phone and go back to stock. In your case, your kinda lucky with this, as you don't technically need a computer to run it. You would need someone to extract the PH98IMG.zip file from the RUU.EXE file for you to run when the OTA comes out through Hboot.
Be for warned, doing it like this, will wipe all data.
I would say you should run the leaked RUU on the phone, as since it is a beta testing Leak, you should still get the OTA, and that way the phone will think it is completely stock and get the latest update.
If you wanna do this, ask and we can help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm VERY interested, I'm not worried much about the data wipe, between what's backed up to my google account and my SD card, I'll be fine with a data wipe. My battery life is also HORRIBLE for some reason with this rom, but since I've not had it stock yet, I guess I can't REALLY say it's good or bad. But my Droid Bionic's battery life was at least twice as good as this phone's seem to be and I don't use it any more than I did the Bionic.
I will tell you right now the battery life will most likely get worse if you go to stock.
Now if the person who sold it installed a custom kernel rather than the one Scott includes in his ROM (scott makes clean ROM) then battery life could be worse than it should be.
Second, this is a 4.3 inch HD screen... it eats battery like a starving animal.
Third, try cleanROM developers edition (a very striped out cleaned up stock based ROM) or cleanROM senseless. I am running cleanROM developers edition and I get double to triple the battery life over stock.
Unless I actually use the phone... When I use it a lot, I do not get that big of a jump. When using the phone the battery life will be similar due to the screen and CPU use remains similar to what stock would be. (which you would expect, the screen will always use the same power, same for CPU) Its when the phone is in standby mode that you see the real gains. Because all the extra junk that is in the stock software is pulled out and isn't constantly running in the background, waking the phone, starting the cell radio to phone home, etc.
Senseless and the Developers edition have their quirks caused by removing so much of the stock sense based apps and functions and replacing with AOSP versions. Thinks like the caller ID not showing up on the screen until you unlock the phone because the sense phone/dialer can not talk to the AOSP lockscreen. Nothing major just different.

[Q] Prompted daily for same OTA update?

I have a stock rom evo 4g LTE, rooted, with Android 4.0.3 on it.
I forget the root app I used, some one click thingy, I guess my bootloader is unlocked
because I get a boot menu every time I reboot, on that screen that says **TAMPERED**.
Anyway, I ignored the notification icon in my taskbar for OTA updates, for a very long time.
Since the day I bought it over a year ago.
Finally I decided "eh, screw it, why not." ...I'm sure I'll regret that.
I told it to do the OTA update, and it downloaded (I think??) and rebooted.
The icon went away. Seemed to be a done deal.
But once per day since then, my phone rings, and I see a prompt saying
there's an OTA update, and would I like to install it now?
I think it's the same OTA update being prompted repeatdly,
because the filesize is always the same (~42 megs).
What should I do? I can choose install, reboot, and be fine for the rest of the day,
or choose cancel, reboot, and be fine for the rest of the day.
Doesn't seem to matter. But would be nice to fix it for good.
Well, considering that you are about 4-5 OTAs behind the rest of the community, I would say that the notification is probably correct. HOWEVER, of you are not using the stock recovery, then the OTA did not flash. Yes, the phone rebooted, but that's because it is installed entirely through recovery, and the phone has to reboot to get into recovery mode in the first place.
Now, for the more important question at hand....why exactly are you still using ICS? Furthermore, if you are still using ICS, then why are you rooted? As far as I'm concerned, the OTAs are actually necessary updates for the phone. I'm sure that you will love Jelly Bean if you have never used it before.
And please, for the sake of us all who are cringing at the sight of the first sentence....PLEASE UPDATE your phone! If you have a good reason not to, please share.
Hi, thanks for the reply... Maybe they were all different updates after all.
I haven't been prompted to update again since my post.
Maybe I grabbed the 3 or 4 OTA updates that I needed to catch up on.
I do think I'd like Jelly Bean too, seeing some of the features is what prompted me to finally catch up.
Can you explain this part to me? I'm not familiar with this stuff.
HOWEVER, of you are not using the stock recovery, then the OTA did not flash.
Yes, the phone rebooted, but that's because it is installed entirely through recovery,
and the phone has to reboot to get into recovery mode in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, there's more than one recovery mode, the stock one, and ...whatever else you can install?
When I see the white screen that says **TAMPERED** (looks basically like this screen)...
should I have chosen Recovery instead of the usual reboot option?
If I no longer see the notification, does that mean the updates worked? My Android version still shows 4.0.3.
why exactly are you still using ICS? Furthermore, if you are still using ICS, then why are you rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I had no compelling reason to upgrade. I still don't really, the phone does what I want,
I just saw some of the features in the next version and thought "huh, that sounds pretty cool".
I'm rooted for all the usual reasons... I want to be able to browse, copy, move, rename files (including system files)
without incident... use nandroid for backups... wifi tether (still can't get that to work actually)... install unapproved apps...
tweak the OS, and so on.
Ok, my friend...let me educate you. Instead of giving you the simplest, fastest solution, I will actually try to answer all of your questions, since you did ask.
I do think I'd like Jelly Bean too, seeing some of the features is what prompted me to finally catch up.
Can you explain this part to me? I'm not familiar with this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To give a very superficial explanation of Jelly Bean, it is everything that ICS does, and more. It just does it smoother. It also brings Google Now, which was – and still is – the selling point of Jelly Bean. The Sense launcher got a few changes, too, but you will have to explore those changes on your own (mainly because I don’t remember them off hand, and this post is beginning to become lengthy).
Maybe I grabbed the 3 or 4 OTA updates that I needed to catch up on.
If I no longer see the notification, does that mean the updates worked? My Android version still shows 4.0.3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the first update didn’t update properly, then the phone is simply downloading and trying to install the same update over and over. When you boot back into Android after a successful update, you will be greeted by a welcome message congratulating you for installing the new version.
If you are rooted, odds are, you are using a custom recovery, such as TWRP or CWM. OTAs are only installed through the stock recovery & a locked bootloader. The stock recovery doesn’t make nandroids, or do anything of the sort. To install the stock recovery, go here:
http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/HTCEvo4GLTE/rooting/Evo4GLTERoot2.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock recovery is located somewhere within the zip file.
So, there's more than one recovery mode, the stock one, and ...whatever else you can install?
When I see the white screen that says **TAMPERED** (looks basically like this screen)...
should I have chosen Recovery instead of the usual reboot option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash install the stock recovery by using fastboot commands from the bootloader (which is the screen that shows the TAMPERED status on the top), or you can use Flash Image GUI. It is a paid app on the Play Store, or you can get it from XDA (the dev let XDA users download it for free…Google it).
Lastly, there are a few things that I suggest that you do. First, obtain S-Off (Google, Google, Google...very simple), so you can install the new firmwares directly, instead of using OTAs. Otherwise, if you accept the OTA, you will lose root, and you will have to root your phone again and again. Installing the firmware, then the new rom is the same as accepting the OTA, then rooting.
Another alternative is to get S-Off, then accept the OTA (after installing the stock recovery). Your bootloader does not need to be locked, and there are recovery zips floating around here that can be installed through the bootloader (therefore, you will not be stuck rooting the phone the hard way, just boot into recovery and flash SuperSU). I highly suggest achieving S-Off.
If you want to jump straight to the latest version (Android 4.3, Sense 5.0) by installing the RUU located somewhere in this forum. I actually suggest that you try Sense 4 with Jelly Bean first, but that is completely up to you. Keep in mind that using the RUU will wipe your internal memory, so back up what needs to be backed up. This doesn’t require you to be rooted, and the state of the bootloader does not matter. It will lock the bootloader, load the stock recovery, and you will lose root. You won’t be able to downgrade without S-Off.
Other Notes:
When using the 4.3 RUU, make sure that Android USB Debugging is enabled.
Bookmarking for later but I wanted to say thanks for the thorough reply!
I can confirm the update never worked, because I never got the confirmation message
and I got prompted again a few hours after I posted.
Are you willing to answer just a few more things?
Based on what I've read, it sounds like this is what I ought to do:
- Back up anything I need to. Just to confirm, updating firmware and flashing a new rom wipes out everything in the phone's internal memory, but not external SDcard? Or both?
Are apps considered "on the cloud" and I can reinstall by just redownloading, without paying again?
Except sideloaded apps? Or will I need to find all those APK files and save them somewhere else?
Is it safe to say they're all in \data\app and \system\app? Or would system\app be unwanted since it's what came with the old phone OS?
- Get my phone into S-OFF status.
- Update firmware (this is a separate process from updating the rom? Where do I get this firmware? Google google google?)
- Install a new ROM (stock or otherwise) which will have these updates built in, so I won't need to regain root.
- Not sure what my bootloader is, maybe TWRP, does it matter? Do the above steps affect it? Should I change it to stock anyway?
- You suggested trying Sense 4 rather than Sense 5 first... any special reason?
Are you willing to answer just a few more things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As always, I'm open for questions. Not to sound egotistic, but I enjoy sharing my opinion.
Based on what I've read, it sounds like this is what I ought to do:
- Back up anything I need to. Just to confirm, updating firmware and flashing a new rom wipes out everything in the phone's internal memory, but not external SDcard? Or both?
Updating to the 4.3 firmware wipes your internal memory, not your sd card (although, that may be a very unfortunate circumstance, so it should be backed up as well). The other firmware updates do not affect your memory.
Are apps considered "on the cloud" and I can reinstall by just redownloading, without paying again?
Technically, yes they are "on the cloud." The fact that you paid is saved somewhere within your main Google account that you downloaded the app with. It is possible to pay for apps with your secondary gmail account, which can be switched within the Play Store app.
Except sideloaded apps? Or will I need to find all those APK files and save them somewhere else?
Use Titanium Backup if you can't find the apks. I do save my apks that I download, and I also upload them to Google Drive, since I have multiple Android devices, and I also have a faulty micro sd card that I am yet to replace. I can lose my data at any given moment, but everything is backed up, so I'm not worried.
Is it safe to say they're all in \data\app and \system\app? Or would system\app be unwanted since it's what came with the old phone OS?
Everything within the /system folder is wiped when you flash new roms. That data is NOT backed up while flashing between roms. Also, since it is from an older Android version, it's best to leave them alone. You may back up the data if you like, but I would refrain from restoring the apks along with the data.
The /data directory may be wiped, depending on the dev who built the rom zip. If they added the superwipe script, then /data will be wiped as well. Most devs do not include this, since many people "dirty flash," which is flashing new roms or updates of the current rom without wiping /data first.
- Get my phone into S-OFF status.
You will save yourself a LOT of headaches in the future. It was my S-Off status that allowed me to reflash my firmware when I lost the function of my data/voice antennas while carelessly flashing a port of a phone on a different carrier. Also, if you feel curious to try AOSP roms, then you do not need to do any extra steps to flash them.
- Update firmware (this is a separate process from updating the rom? Where do I get this firmware? Google google google?)
Yes, the firmware handles manages how the hardware of the phone operates. Updating the rom changes how the software looks and behaves. The kernel is sort of a bridge between the firmware and the software, since it manages the firmware (like battery life, processor speed, antennas, etc.), but the kernel is dependent on the software version. The firmware is not dependent on the software version, just as the software version is not dependent on the firmware version.
The only exception of the firmware/software independence is the 4.3 update, which requires a complete update of the firmware, and the older software cannot run on the new firmware without being modded by a dev.
- Install a new ROM (stock or otherwise) which will have these updates built in, so I won't need to regain root.
- Not sure what my bootloader is, maybe TWRP, does it matter? Do the above steps affect it? Should I change it to stock anyway?
Your bootloader is the white screen that shows the TAMPERED status on the top, and little Androids on skateboards on the bottom. With the exception of the firmware information in the top left corner, this screen does not change...ever.
TWRP is your recovery image, which is accessible through the RECOVERY option in your bootloader, or you can boot directly into it through different apps in Android - Titanium Backup is one of them (yes, that's one of the options, even for the free version).
The only reason to return your recovery to stock is to accept OTAs, and also to bring your phone back to the complete factory settings, just as the day when it was first purchased (for the sake of selling the phone, or returning back to Sprint for service}. Otherwise, don't bother with it. You may want to update your version of TWRP, though. If you update to 4.3, you will have to update it. I'm not going to take the time to get into that right now. I've given you enough homework.
- You suggested trying Sense 4 rather than Sense 5 first... any special reason?
I am a very patient person. To me, exploring Android takes time. I enjoy reading before I test, and testing before I settle (which I'm yet to "settle"). All of that being said, I suggested Sense 4 before Sense 5 because I wanted you to experience the both of them. They are truly two different versions of Sense, which one might not realize, as their version numbers are differentiated by one integer (in other words, 4 to 5). Sense 3 was a small step above Sense 2, and Sense 4 was a bigger step from Sense 3. Sense 5 is a complete overhaul of the Sense UI, save the flip clock.
I just feel that skipping from 4.0 to 4.3 is missing out on a great experience, but that is mainly if you actually want to try out different roms. Until the Sense 5 RUU, I still visiting ICS on occassion, but I usually didn't last more than 3 hours before I jumped back to JB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whew...you're making me work. But I like it. Anymore questions? Feel free to ask.
OK I've been working on this all afternoon and I'm at an impasse.
You've been a huge help so far and I hope you can guide me through this part.
I want to S-OFF and am following a tutorial: http://www.thefortressofnerditude.com/s-off-your-sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte/
Step 3 says root and install recovery. So I decide I need TWRP.
Already have nandroid and titanium backups both completed.
And I copied the whole SDcard to my computer after.
Annoyingly, TWRP's install page suggests that I need to be in S-OFF.
TWRP says I need S-OFF. S-OFF guide seems to suggest I need TWRP working.
I installed "TWRP Manager". Realize that might not be the same thing as TWRP.
Googled and found it on the TeamWin page.
The page asks first to input my device. I choose Evo 4G LTE (Jewel).
That brings me to this page: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/98
They suggest I do the android app install method. I follow the first link (Market Link)
and install GooManager, and follow their steps.
Install the app and open it. Tap menu then hit Install OpenRecoveryScript. Tap Yes. Verify that the filename displays your device's code name and hit Yes. The file will download and your device will reboot and install the recovery automatically.
This all goes smoothly, but here's my issue.
It doesn't reboot automatically, or install anything automatically.
I see in the comments a recommendation to reboot into recovery mode.
I choose that in GooManager's menu, and after rebooting I get my bootloader screen with 4 menu options:
Bootloader
Reboot
Reboot Bootloader
Power Down
The only one that sounds sensible to me is bootloader so I pick that.
Now I get some new options:
Fastboot
Recovery
Factory Reset
Clear Storage
Simlock
Image CRC
Show Barcode
So, the only one that makes sense is Recovery. I choose it. The phone reboots.
Now I'm back at the first menu. So I'm in a loop.
Nothing I do in this loop seems to install anything.
So I just rebooted the phone normally and I'm back to my OS.
Where to go from here?
CreeDo said:
OK I've been working on this all afternoon and I'm at an impasse.
You've been a huge help so far and I hope you can guide me through this part.
I want to S-OFF and am following a tutorial: http://www.thefortressofnerditude.com/s-off-your-sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte/
Step 3 says root and install recovery. So I decide I need TWRP.
Already have nandroid and titanium backups both completed.
And I copied the whole SDcard to my computer after.
Annoyingly, TWRP's install page suggests that I need to be in S-OFF.
TWRP says I need S-OFF. S-OFF guide seems to suggest I need TWRP working.
I installed "TWRP Manager". Realize that might not be the same thing as TWRP.
Googled and found it on the TeamWin page.
The page asks first to input my device. I choose Evo 4G LTE (Jewel).
That brings me to this page: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/98
They suggest I do the android app install method. I follow the first link (Market Link)
and install GooManager, and follow their steps.
Install the app and open it. Tap menu then hit Install OpenRecoveryScript. Tap Yes. Verify that the filename displays your device's code name and hit Yes. The file will download and your device will reboot and install the recovery automatically.
This all goes smoothly, but here's my issue.
It doesn't reboot automatically, or install anything automatically.
I see in the comments a recommendation to reboot into recovery mode.
I choose that in GooManager's menu, and after rebooting I get my bootloader screen with 4 menu options:
Bootloader
Reboot
Reboot Bootloader
Power Down
The only one that sounds sensible to me is bootloader so I pick that.
Now I get some new options:
Fastboot
Recovery
Factory Reset
Clear Storage
Simlock
Image CRC
Show Barcode
So, the only one that makes sense is Recovery. I choose it. The phone reboots.
Now I'm back at the first menu. So I'm in a loop.
Nothing I do in this loop seems to install anything.
So I just rebooted the phone normally and I'm back to my OS.
Where to go from here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you unlock your boot loader first? You don't need to be S-off to install a custom recovery. Unlock your bootloader at htcdev.com then install twrp.
Read here for more info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2420916
Also, I suggest learning how to use fastboot commands. Install twrp using fastboot.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
OK, so I'm semi-bricked but not panicking yet.
Here's where I'm at.
• Unlocked boot loader successfully
• Installed TWRP using fastboot.
• Followed instructions as closely as I could on moonshine.io to get S-OFF working.
Several times during the process I got "installing device driver software" in my win7 system tray.
Not sure if that's normal. But the drivers seemed to install fine. At first.
But then, during this part of the process:
Moonshining .................(1)
Windows prompted me that it was installing some drivers again, But it failed to install the MTP driver.
After ten tries with the "Moonshining" step, I got "ERROR: don't drink and moonshine!" or something like that.
So, it seems like I need to get this MTP driver going. First I tried solutions on the computer:
• Uninstalled all HTC software, unplugged phone, rebooted,
installed HTC Sync Manager (setup name setup_3.0.52.0_htc.exe), then uninstalled it...
because a tutorial said this would keep the drivers but remove the software. Still no luck on the MTP driver though.
• Found "Mass Storage Device" (my phone) under device manager, removed it, unplugged, rebooted, replugged.
• Plugged cord into back of PC, so I'm using USB 2.0 rather than USB 3.0.
• One suggestion said a certain registry section might have an upperfilter key that shouldn't be there.
But I don't have that upperfilter key so that's not the issue.
Some fixes require getting into my phone (one guy suggests turning off USB debugging)...
but I no longer have a working OS. I can get into my bootloader, I tried Factory Reset.
But after choosing this I go into TWRP and I have no TWRP backups that I can restore.
So my next guess is, I need to get a recovery ZIP (is that basically a ROM?) that TWRP can install.
If that's correct, what ZIP should I get? I was on Android 4.0.3 Sense 4.0, can I download jellybean with Sense 5.0,
and install it via TWRP?
That was my goal all along, but I'm determined to get S-OFF working, so if doing that means my phone gets wiped again,
I guess I just want whatever ROM/recovery/whatever that allows me to change this USB debugging setting,
and try other phone-related fixes to the MTP driver issue.
First of all, flash an ICS rom. I'm assuming that you are still using the same ICS firmware, and you will want to have your phone operational (to enable USB debugging). The link for MeanRom ICS still works. http://old.androidfilehost.com/main/EVO_3D_Developers/mikeyxda/LTEvo/MeanROM-ICS-v65-jewel-ltevo.zip
Ok....since you are on the old HBoot, I think that you need to use the older S-Off methods (LazyPanda or DirtyRacun), if I'm not mistaken. You can not download and flash Sense 5.0 through TWRP as of yet, because you need to be using the new firmware to do so. You may want to pay http://unlimited.io/jewel.htm a visit. Also, to use LazyPanda or DirtyRacun, you need to be using Ubuntu. Another option that you have is to use the regular RUU and update directly to Sense 5.0. You will be stock, unrooted, but you can easily use the latest S-Off method.
Lastly, for your rooting/S-Off needs, you can also use a handy-dandy toolkit from @WindyCityRockr that can handle everything that you need to do. I usually encourage manual labor, but there are some exceptions. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2436217
Thanks again for jumping in.
I'm getting somewhere, but still so many difficulties.
Fix one thing, break two more.
I finally have a new working rom, but almost against my will it ended up
being CyanogenMod.
The short version:
- unlocked bootloader, got TWRP going, finally got ADB working (don't think it's the right driver,
but whatever, ADB commands work fine), wiped everything... factory reset, Dalvik, external storage.
- Didn't wipe Internal storage, I wiped only /data/ per some post's recommendation.
- I used ADB PUSH to get a few possible roms onto /sdcard/
PJ75IMG_1.13.651.1.zip (failed with "unable to open zip")
(ROM)_Stock_Rooted_OTA_(3.16.651.3)V2.zip (failed with "unable to execute updater binary in zip")
cm-10.2.0-jewel.zip (cyanogenmod) - success!
So, the phone works. It appears to be at least based on android 4.3... and I'm guessing CM, which updates
frequently, has all those OTA updates bundled into it. Any downsides to CyanogenMod?
I could just proceed from here to reinstall my old apps etc.
I'm still not "S-OFF" which annoys me, but I read a post suggesting it's not really that necessary.
The way they put it is, s-off allows you to access partitions so they can be modded,
but nobody is developing anything interesting for those partitions. Like nobody's doing custom radios and such.
Should I still pursue S-OFF anyway?
If so, is there a way to do it with CyanogenMod?
That awesome app (Windroid Universal Toolkit) doesn't recognize the phone.
Last question, how should I go about restoring everything?
I had titanium and nandroid backups copied to my computer.
Can it restore to such a wildly different version of the OS?
Can I get back not just apps, but stuff like my keyboard preferences, texting history, etc.?
Should I still pursue S-OFF anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! Being S-On is a complete pain in the BUTT when switching AOSP roms. Have you tried to flash the rom that I posted, MeanRom ICS? I'm really trying to get you to stay on Sense, because S-Off and other different tools work so much better while using Sense. AOSP is better after S-Off. But that's up to you.
If so, is there a way to do it with CyanogenMod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure. You can try if you have the time. I suggest making a nandroid of your CM rom, and try to flash a Sense ICS rom, not JB...yet.
That awesome app (Windroid Universal Toolkit) doesn't recognize the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM might be the issue here, as well as it might not.
Last question, how should I go about restoring everything?
I had titanium and nandroid backups copied to my computer.
Can it restore to such a wildly different version of the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, TB will still work. There are some apps that might cause the restoration process to freeze, so I suggest killing TB and skipping over the app that froze the process when you return.
Can I get back not just apps, but stuff like my keyboard preferences, texting history, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your keyboard preferences was not backed up, then no. If you were using the stock Sense keyboard, then that is a no as well. As long as your texting history was backed up, it can be restored. Texts are not like apps...their data is typically stored in XML files which are readable through any version of Android (2.3+).
I'm still soliciting my help if you need it.
I'm for sure going to need it, so thanks very much for the ongoing support!
I got discouraged after all the failures but I'll download Meanrom now.
The thing is... now that Cyanogen mod works, I hesitate to wipe it and try a new one.
Especially since several other roms I tried mysteriously failed to install.
I like that it's jellybean and don't wanna move backwards to ICS.
And I like their goal of cutting out the fluff.
I still want S-OFF, will I end up having to wipe everything again to get it?
Also, I really don't feel confident I have the right drivers for my windows machine.
I can transfer files in USB mode, go into USB debugging, and do the usual ADB commands.
But the phone shows up as a nexus in device manager, but it's definitely evo 4G lte.
I tried installing an executable RUU and it failed after a bit saying it can't detect the device.
And there's that issue where Windroid doesn't detect it.
So I have the feeling that without the right USB drivers, tools like Moonshine will still fail.
I specifically got errors every time when anything tried to install MTP usb drivers. Do I really need them?
You think LazyPanda or DirtyRacun's tools will work even if I never get the MTP thing installed?
CreeDo said:
I'm for sure going to need it, so thanks very much for the ongoing support!
I got discouraged after all the failures but I'll download Meanrom now.
The thing is... now that Cyanogen mod works, I hesitate to wipe it and try a new one.
Especially since several other roms I tried mysteriously failed to install.
I like that it's jellybean and don't wanna move backwards to ICS.
And I like their goal of cutting out the fluff.
I still want S-OFF, will I end up having to wipe everything again to get it?
Also, I really don't feel confident I have the right drivers for my windows machine.
I can transfer files in USB mode, go into USB debugging, and do the usual ADB commands.
But the phone shows up as a nexus in device manager, but it's definitely evo 4G lte.
I tried installing an executable RUU and it failed after a bit saying it can't detect the device.
And there's that issue where Windroid doesn't detect it.
So I have the feeling that without the right USB drivers, tools like Moonshine will still fail.
I specifically got errors every time when anything tried to install MTP usb drivers. Do I really need them?
You think LazyPanda or DirtyRacun's tools will work even if I never get the MTP thing installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to try the facepalm S-off method as well. Works on devices with older software and is super easy. Look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2163013
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Evolution_Freak said:
Feel free to try the facepalm S-off method as well. Works on devices with older software and is super easy. Look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2163013
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers, it does look pretty straightforward.
Of course that's what I thought hours ago when I tried moonshine haha.
I'll give it a go.
To be clear, does this method wipe anything?
They don't actually say.
CreeDo said:
Cheers, it does look pretty straightforward.
Of course that's what I thought hours ago when I tried moonshine haha.
I'll give it a go.
To be clear, does this method wipe anything?
They don't actually say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't remember if it wipes or not. Best thing to do is make a backup with TWRP and keep the backup on your external SD card. If it wipes you can always restore your backup.
Sent from my HTC device
Thanks for the help so far guys. I am currently really enjoying Cyanogenmod. I suspect it's eating battery more,
but then against I am on the phone for hours redoing everything that got changed/removed.
Does anyone know if there's a simple way (or even a difficult way) to restore my texts?
Because the app is totally different, and the old text app was the one that came
with the stock rom, I cannot restore it in titanium. But if I could extract even the raw text that'd be helpful.
Get back to Sense, or get someone with Sense to restore it for you, and save it using a different app. Or maybe try using SMS Backup & Restore from the Play Store. I'm not sure if it can read the backups saved through Sense, but it's worth a try. You just have to navigate to the location of the old backup.
It looks like I can import an XML in this messaging app so maybe if sense offers an export to XML option, I'll be set.
Sense is sort of an OS on top of the OS, right?
Can sense be loaded without flashing a new rom? or is it too integrated with the OS?

Problems understanding how to Root

Maybe the problem is that I don't know how to properly ask for what I want/need. First off, I am new, so let's pretend I know nothing about modding phones. Second, what I am trying to achieve is the following:
Marshmallow OS or newer (I have lollipop and I highly dislike it)
Complete removal of all AT&T software/bloatware from my M8
Ability to try out different ROMs (are those the same thing as operating systems?) like cyanogenmod.
Those are the highlights to my endgame.
I have found there are several steps to this, and it seems like each step has at least one prerequisite or sub-step and I get overwhelmed when reading up on how to achieve the above goals. Feels like I'm doing taxes for a poorly run business. Apparently I need TWRP on my phone. No clue why or what it does. In order to install it, I need to have root access or a previous version of TWRP already installed, or I need to install the SDK tools package, and from that, only install fastboot and adb. Then after that I need to already have some type of drivers on my PC for that to be useful. Like I said, it is overwhelming to someone who does not know all of the lingo. Especially when I know that if I mess up at certain intervals, I could very well turn my phone into a shiny paperweight or small cocaine tray. Anywhere I have read up on this, when it says download/install _______, I cannot determine whether that means download/install on my PC, or on my phone, bc it doesn't specifically say what goes where in every instance. To make matters more difficult, I do not have an internet connection other than on my phone. Anything that needs to go on my PC, I have to download it to my phone first, then transfer it over, then install it. I asked once for a step by step tutorial or a link to one, and I was given something that was just as confusing as what I have already found. These tutorials seem to be written for ppl who know a lot by ppl who know a lot. I am not one of those ppl. I am a green noob, still wet behind the ears. I apologize in advance for not knowing, but I am just not at the level where I can guess which things go where and If I temporarily render my phone unusable, I won't be able to easily go online to find the fix, nor will I be able to download anything else, if needed. Would greatly help me if I had a list of ingredients needed before I begin, and a sequence, much like a recipe for a cake. Again, I apologize for not knowing, and I'm sure all of you reading this were, at one point, uneducated on the matter. Thank you for any advice and/or reading my TL/DR post.
See my responses below, in red font:
Damagj said:
Apparently I need TWRP on my phone. No clue why or what it does. In order to install it,
TWRP is a custom recovery, and what that is, is explained in "that" thread I linked you to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2744194
Think of TWRP as a kind of small installer program and backup/recovery tool. You need it to flash custom ROMs, and you can also use it to backup the current ROM. It's not used within the Android OS, but rather you can boot into it separately. Which is obviously handy, if for whatever reason you can't boot to Android OS, and need to "recover" (restore the OS).
I need to have root access or a previous version of TWRP already installed, or I need to install the SDK tools package, and from that, only install fastboot and adb. Then after that I need to already have some type of drivers on my PC for that to be useful.
Don't go by the install instructions on the TWRP website, they are not device specific (to the M8) and may misguide you (every Android device has it's own nuances).
To install TWRP, you need to unlock the bootloader. The bootloader is "locked" by default, which by definition means you cannot install a custom recovery. The following is a good step-by-step guide to unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery. Note, that you do not need to root, in order to install TWRP, or flash a custom ROM. So stop before you get to the step of root (flash SuperSU). Also, the version of TWRP you install should be current (3.1) or alternately 2.8.7 (which is a known "old reliable) version).
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2799796
Like I said, it is overwhelming to someone who does not know all of the lingo. Especially when I know that if I mess up at certain intervals, I could very well turn my phone into a shiny paperweight or small cocaine tray.
No, you actually can't. Your fear of bricking the phone (permanent damage) is unfounded. As with s-on, this phone is nearly impossible to brick. The phone is fully recoverable even if you screw up; since for what you describe, you are only touching a limited number of partitions (system which is the OS, and recovery). As long as you don't mess with "critical" partitions like hboot and radio, you can't actually brick this phone. And those partitions are actually protected, and you can't modify them even if you wanted, unless you s-off. So all the more reason to stay s-on, as I described in the other thread you posted in here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74107487&postcount=100
To make matters more difficult, I do not have an internet connection other than on my phone. Anything that needs to go on my PC, I have to download it to my phone first, then transfer it over, then install it.
but I am just not at the level where I can guess which things go where and If I temporarily render my phone unusable, I won't be able to easily go online to find the fix, nor will I be able to download anything else, if needed.
That part is difficult. While possible, doing what you describe is somewhat risky with no other device for internet. At some point, it's almost inevitable for anyone tinkering these phones, that something will go wrong. Either you forget a step, or you can't boot for no mistake of your own, at all. Even having done this stuff for years, it still happens to be, once in a while. It just happens. So without a way to ask for help, or download files, you can get stuck in a bad jam. You'll need to have some backup plan, even if it's a friend or family, letting you use their computer as a last resort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stick with it. Keep reading up, and trying to learn the basic terms, concepts, tools, and methods. I know it seems overwhelming, but it will all start to make sense. You really can't (and shouldn't) try doing these things, until you have some basic understanding. You wouldn't ask someone to tell you how to tear the engine out of a car, without knowing how any tools work, or what any of the parts of the car are called.
I would also suggest you refer to my (AT&T M8) index thread. It has a lot of links and basic info, you may find useful: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2751432

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