Database Users

Best way to unlock HTC Hero? (Orange)

Hiya,
I've recently bought an Orange HTC hero off ebay
Searching around there seem to be several ways to get around the simlock:
i) Buy a RebelSim
ii) Flash to a Non Orange Rom and buy a unlockcode
iii) Unlock CID lock with bespoke serial cable and buy an unlock code
iv) ??
I'm not so keen on chopping my simcard or option 1 would be the way to go?
option 3 seems the least destructive but I've never been great with a soldering iron!!
is there another option (iv?) ive not yet found or your experiences on the above would be helpfull
Thanks

(ii) is probably the easiest, but before parting with your cash, check that you can definitely get the code for your device. As far as I'm aware http://www.htccode.com does not have problems with Orange phones anymore as long as you've flashed the ROM to something else.
Regards,
Dave

i tryed now to flash generic rom (update-hero-generic-1.76.405.6-signed.zip) i have nandroid, after i flashed rom with goldcard, i also bought the code, but when i enter the code it say sim unlock sucsesful, but is no service.
doas the rom have to be 2.73 generic? or 1.76 generic is also good.
tnx

i tryed now to flash generic rom (update-hero-generic-1.76.405.6-signed.zip) i have nandroid, after i flashed rom with goldcard, i also bought the code, but when i enter the code it say sim unlock sucsesful, but is no service.
doas the rom have to be 2.73 generic? or 1.76 generic is also good.
tnx

just a quick one, you did try an orange sim in it didnt you>? make sure its not blacklisted?

checked it
I used a checkmend report before purchase to verify it was legit
There just seem to be specific issues with the orange heros and unlocking

Have a look over that, something about the orange original software stopping the unlock from working,
http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/14833-how-unlock-your-htc-hero-orange-uk.html

biker200 said:
i tryed now to flash generic rom (update-hero-generic-1.76.405.6-signed.zip) i have nandroid, after i flashed rom with goldcard, i also bought the code, but when i enter the code it say sim unlock sucsesful, but is no service.
doas the rom have to be 2.73 generic? or 1.76 generic is also good.
tnx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the 2.73 generic Rom. I have also unlock my htc hero orange in this way.

Well my phone arrives today so its Rebel sim or new rom/unlock
choices choices

flashed rom yesterday, bought a code, unlocked it .
easy.
go for it.

how to unlock htc orange
Hi, ive just got hero simlocked to orange, i downloaded new rom from the htc site and put my 3 sim card in and entered the lock code, it just hangs!!! ive spent 3 days trying to sort this out and im well and truly stuck! can anyone assist me. (keystroker by keystroke would be good!:rol )

I went for Rebel sim in the end simply so the phone stays origonal if I dont get on with it and resell on ebay

robbiejmac said:
Hi, ive just got hero simlocked to orange, i downloaded new rom from the htc site and put my 3 sim card in and entered the lock code, it just hangs!!! ive spent 3 days trying to sort this out and im well and truly stuck! can anyone assist me. (keystroker by keystroke would be good!:rol )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok thats what u going to do.
1.make your sd card, gold card, see how to make it in the sticky page.
2.reboot you device
3.install recovery image with flash rec. dont forget to backup before.
4.reboot.
5.when the phone is off turn it by pressing home and short power press.
6.nandroid backup.
7.wipe device.
8.install modaco rom 2.9 thru this consule apply any zip.
8.after instalation finished, rebbot, and insert your 3 sim card.
9.enter the unlock code you bought.
10.come back here and say tnx.

go here mate, very easy
http://android.modaco.com/content/h...m-core-chinese-with-tck-featuring-wavesecure/

htc hero orange uk unlock code
biker200 said:
flashed rom yesterday, bought a code, unlocked it .
easy.
go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi where can you buy the code? and how much is it? can you provide link if possible?
thanks

Fame123 said:
Hi where can you buy the code? and how much is it? can you provide link if possible?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to read this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=708962&page=1which is more up to date then this and speaks of the current easy way to unlock a Hero on Orange includes a link to eBay where you can purchase an unlock code.

Unlocking HTC Hero on ORANGE Rom SUCCESS!

I can confirm that you can EASILY unlock a HTC Hero on ORANGE without having the go thru the tricky procedure of installing the Modaco Custom Rom also known as rooting.
I bought a brand new HTC Hero on eBay locked to Orange, when I recieved it I noted that it was not running the latest Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 so I updated it, this was fairly straightforward as I had an Orange PAYG sim to hand which I got for FREE also on eBay which allowed me to check the version.
The only problem I had was related to Windows 7 64bit (and possibly Vista 64bit) in that I kept getting error 170 when trying to install the new Orange ROM, I ended up doing it on my Windows 7 32bit netbook instead.
Once updated I purchased an unlock code for £ 6.50 on eBay which was to unlock Hero on T-Mobile but unlock codes are specific to the IMEI not the supplier so it worked with the Orange.
SUCCESS!

Rooting and unlocking are two very different things offering radically different functionality

cbailey said:
Rooting and unlocking are two very different things offering radically different functionality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but previously with an Orange locked phone you HAD to root in order to unlock it, which is quite an undertaking for the less technical amongst us.
Since February 2010 Orange ROM update 2.73.61.66 was released all you now had to do was update the ROM to the latest Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 which is much easier proposition. This fact is not mentioned on the HTC site or on Orange info about the update.
I am not saying rooting is still no beneficial its just there does not seem to be much regarding this new easy way to unlock the Orange out there.
My first google searches returned posts many of which dated back to 2009 and after a quick search I had come to the conclusion that unlocking an Orange Hero was not really feasable.
It was only because I won an auction for one on eBay which did not have the simlock mentioned in the listing which turned out to be an Orange that I started to look into it further and found a few references to the fact that the 2.73.61.66 ROM update solved the problem but info was still pretty scarce.
If you search this forum for HTC orange unlock there is very little information there, hopefully someone searching in future will find this and have the confidence to buy Orange locked Heros or be able to lock theirs should they already have one.

You never had to root it before you unlocked it! I unlocked my first hero the day i got it, i never rooted that one. I rooted this one and havent unlocked it

bonesy said:
You never had to root it before you unlocked it! I unlocked my first hero the day i got it, i never rooted that one. I rooted this one and havent unlocked it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly

Some Orange handsets never gave the option to input the network unlock code. Can't remember which ROM version it was now. But yeah, some had to downgrade or update to get that option. Same as mine.

I've unlocked 4 Heroes on Orange using different ROM versions..

Just to clarify - untill the release of the February Orange ROM Update 2.73.61.66 it was impossible to unlock the ORANGE variant of the HTC Hero without installing the Modaco Custom Rom first (aka rooting) which was a tricky proposition for those who did not want to get their hands too dirty.
Heros locked to other networks never had this problem and it was possible to unlock them with any ROM. The ORANGE variant needs the 2.73.61.66 ROM update to enable relatively simply unlocking.
Like I said I just updated my brand new ORANGE locked Hero from an older ORANGE ROM to the latest 2.73.61.66 ROM available on the HTC Hero UK Site and was able to unlock the phone after purchasing a £ 6.50 unlock code from eBay which was for a T-Mobile phone but the unlock is based on the IMEI not the brand so any properly generated unlock code will then work.
EDIT: I think some early HTC Heros from Orange had a ROM which did allow unlocking but that was replaced by a further set of updates which disabled unlocking untill the February 2.73.61.66 ROM update enabled unlocking once again, this may explain why some people say they had no problem unlocking their early Orange HTC Hero.

nlel said:
Just to clarify - untill the release of the February Orange ROM Update 2.73.61.66 it was impossible to unlock the ORANGE variant of the HTC Hero without installing the Modaco Custom Rom first (aka rooting)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thick your getting things a little mixed up here, for a start Installing a Custom ROM such as MC will not root your device, the fact is you need to have the device rooted (and have a recovery image installed) before you can install it.
In fact I had my device rooted for several months on the stock Orange UK ROM.
And there was never a problem whereby you could not unlock an Orange branded phone without flashing a custom ROM, I did it on the old Orange ROM (pre-feb update).

Believe me there was a problem with some Orange ROMS and unlocking, a method employed was to root the phone, installing a Modaco Custom Rom was part of the rooting process after which you could unlock.
What happened was that it would ask for the unlock code and when you entered it, it said unlock successfull but you would get a no service message when you tried a SIM other then Orange in the phone.
After rebooting the phone the unlock message would appear again and if you entered the code again the same thing would happen.
Apparently the phone would hang with a message saying unlocking so the unlock did not actually go through despite it saying it had completed successfully.
If you do a google search you will find multiple instances where people had this problem. You can also get the no service message on a phone that has been unlocked successfully (with the 2.73.61.66 ROM for example) but that is usually because the IMEI has been blocked on some (if not all) networks.

There were definitely Orange Heros that couldn't be unlocked without installing another ROM.. (you technically didnt need to root however)
I have one. I cant even remember which ROM it had when I bought it.. but the code I bought didn't work.. I changed to a custom ROM.. and it worked fine. (Quite a lot of unlocking sites tell you to do this)
Orange do seem to do it quite often as they apparently change the algorithm a bit.. they do it on nokias as well, as I tried to get orange to unlock one for me a few years back.. and Orange themselves couldnt unlock it as id flashed a non-orange ROM to it so the codes they generated (for a phone they supplied) didnt work any longer and it had to be reflashed by nokia first back to the orange rom.. so they could unlock it for me (i had to post it in to Oranges technical people in newcastle) and then i had to reflash it back to the ROM i wanted.

sambartle said:
There were definitely Orange Heros that couldn't be unlocked without installing another ROM.. (you technically didnt need to root however)
I have one. I cant even remember which ROM it had when I bought it.. but the code I bought didn't work.. I changed to a custom ROM.. and it worked fine. (Quite a lot of unlocking sites tell you to do this)
Orange do seem to do it quite often as they apparently change the algorithm a bit.. they do it on nokias as well, as I tried to get orange to unlock one for me a few years back.. and Orange themselves couldnt unlock it as id flashed a non-orange ROM to it so the codes they generated (for a phone they supplied) didnt work any longer and it had to be reflashed by nokia first back to the orange rom.. so they could unlock it for me (i had to post it in to Oranges technical people in newcastle) and then i had to reflash it back to the ROM i wanted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you quite rightly point out you did not need to flash a custom ROM, if you downgraded to one of the earliest Orange ROMs on which unlocking was possible then you could unlock successfully. The thing is the older Orange ROMs might not have been available or people just did not know which of the oldest Orange ROMs allowed unlocking so a fair few of them installed custom ROMs to get around the problem else they put the phone back on eBay. All you have to do now is install Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 as to whether future Orange ROM updates will still allow unlocking to work is another matter.
The problem was that the phone on certain Orange ROMs would hang at the "unlocking SIM" stage, it was regarded as a firmware bug and perhaps had something to do with the algorithm as you pointed out - even unlock codes provided by Orange themselves would not work.

nlel said:
I can confirm that you can EASILY unlock a HTC Hero on ORANGE without having the go thru the tricky procedure of installing the Modaco Custom Rom also known as rooting.
I bought a brand new HTC Hero on eBay locked to Orange, when I recieved it I noted that it was not running the latest Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 so I updated it, this was fairly straightforward as I had an Orange PAYG sim to hand which I got for FREE also on eBay which allowed me to check the version.
The only problem I had was related to Windows 7 64bit (and possibly Vista 64bit) in that I kept getting error 170 when trying to install the new Orange ROM, I ended up doing it on my Windows 7 32bit netbook instead.
Once updated I purchased an unlock code for £ 6.50 on eBay which was to unlock Hero on T-Mobile but unlock codes are specific to the IMEI not the supplier so it worked with the Orange.
SUCCESS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Nlel
I have a htc hero orange uk branded. I wanted to unlock it so i can use my o2simcard. How can i do this? and where did you buy the code for £6.50 on ebay?
Can you please provide a link if possbile?
Thanks in advance

Fame123 said:
Hi Nlel
I have a htc hero orange uk branded. I wanted to unlock it so i can use my o2simcard. How can i do this? and where did you buy the code for £6.50 on ebay?
Can you please provide a link if possbile?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its simple, first you must make sure you update to Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 which is available at http://www.htc.com/uk/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=283&act=sd&cat=all its the 2010/02/04 ROM update. This is needed to unlock the phone as many older ROM versions had a problem when it came to unlocking this particular brand of phone.
New phones from Orange may already have this update you can check which version you currently have in the Settings/About Phone/Status. At the moment there is no guarantee that future ROMs will still allow unlocking so its best to flash the latest (as of today) 2010/02/04 2.73.61.66 Orange ROM update to be sure.
After you have flashed the phone you can then buy an unlock code for £ 6.50 on eBay (from any seller) I used this eBay seller http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Unlock-HTC-Hero-Lock-T-Mobile-UK-/290421723982?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item439e7bd34e don`t worry that it says T-Mobile the code provided will unlock an Orange as well and in fact any brand of Hero just follow the instructions carefully. Simply insert your O2 sim and enter the unlock code provided when prompted - jobs a goodun!.
Once you have unlocked the phone it stays unlocked forever so you can flash future ROM updates without fear of it becoming locked again.

nlel said:
Its simple, first you must make sure you update to Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 which is available at http://www.htc.com/uk/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=283&act=sd&cat=all its the 2010/02/04 ROM update. This is needed to unlock the phone as many older ROM versions had a problem when it came to unlocking this particular brand of phone.
New phones from Orange may already have this update you can check which version you currently have in the Settings/About Phone/Status. At the moment there is no guarantee that future ROMs will still allow unlocking so its best to flash the latest (as of today) 2010/02/04 2.73.61.66 Orange ROM update to be sure.
After you have flashed the phone you can then buy an unlock code for £ 6.50 on eBay (from any seller) I used this eBay seller http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Unlock-HTC-Hero-Lock-T-Mobile-UK-/290421723982?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item439e7bd34e don`t worry that it says T-Mobile the code provided will unlock an Orange as well and in fact any brand of Hero just follow the instructions carefully. Simply insert your O2 sim and enter the unlock code provided when prompted - jobs a goodun!.
Once you have unlocked the phone it stays unlocked forever so you can flash future ROM updates without fear of it becoming locked again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi nlel
thanks for the prompt reply, really appreciated
But are you definately sure that it will work with orange uk bcz in the description it says:
***Warning: We DO NOT UNLOCK HTC HERO ON ORANGE and following Network Provider***
So does it still work?
Thanks.

Fame123 said:
Hi nlel
thanks for the prompt reply, really appreciated
But are you definately sure that it will work with orange uk bcz in the description it says:
***Warning: We DO NOT UNLOCK HTC HERO ON ORANGE and following Network Provider***
So does it still work?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it works, the reason why they say they do not unlock Orange is because of the problems I mentioned with some older ROMS and they do not want/need comebacks from uninformed people on Orange struggling to unlock.
When you buy the code you do not actually have to tell them which network its locked to but if you do just say its an Orange phone that has been rooted, thats what I told them although it hadn`t actually been rooted just flashed to the Orange ROM 2.73.61.66 2010/02/04.
You will notice they have exceptions to the NO Orange rule in that if you ROOT the phone then they will support an Orange unlock. Rooting is no longer necessary once you flash the Orange 2.73.61.66 ROM 2010/02/04 and they do not know this.
Hope this clears up any final hesitations.

what are you guys saying..i'am having a htc hero which is locked to orange.It is running on villain12.0 custom rom.is it possible to unlock the phone without buying the unlcok code from sites like unlock-now or unlock2go..?

rosemolr said:
what are you guys saying..i'am having a htc hero which is locked to orange.It is running on villain12.0 custom rom.is it possible to unlock the phone without buying the unlcok code from sites like unlock-now or unlock2go..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you need to buy a code but villain 12 should support unlocking as it's based on a plain unbranded rom

rosemolr said:
what are you guys saying..i'am having a htc hero which is locked to orange.It is running on villain12.0 custom rom.is it possible to unlock the phone without buying the unlcok code from sites like unlock-now or unlock2go..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No we are not saying this - it will never be possible to unlock a HTC Hero without an unlock code (which can be bought for only £ 6.50 on eBay).
If you could find some way of generating a valid unlock code for free perhaps by using some kind of generator then maybe it would be possible to do it for free.
But at the moment I know of no way to generate a free unlock code therefore had to pay £ 6.50 for one on eBay.
We were just talking specifically about how to go about unlocking a HTC Hero on Orange using an unlock code bought from eBay.

Hi
I have had the hero for a month now which is locked to orange
i have tried various things such as Turbo Sims, codes and etc
They didnt worked out for me. i have been looking for ages for a code.
Currently i bought a unlock code for £12, however it says "Incorrect pin"
I am currently on the Villian Rom 12.
Can any 1 help
Thanks in advance

Network unlock

Hello all,
I have a little bit of an issue. I have bought an unlock code for my Hero and when using it, despite the fact that he says "Unlock successful", I still can't join the network and when restarting the phone, he asks me again for the code.
I think it may be because I am running a custom ROM, Elelinux special edition that somewhat the unlock code doesn't take.
Anyone can confirm that it is indeed the case? What is the best ROM to run to unlock and where to find it otherwise?
Cheers,
L

Actually, I have just worked it out. Just needed to flash an old Modaco Rom, unlock and now it works with any rom..

I have a similar problem. I tried to unlock my HTC Hero with a code and it didn't work. The phone has all original firmware and has not been rooted at all. My carrier is Orange Romania and the phone was boght with a subscription so it's locked...
Someone told me that I need to unlock it with a special cable that I do not have...
Sorry for the n00b questions

[Q] Milestone 2 simlocked ?

Hi
I bought m2 on polsich ebay alternative the description says that is should be simlock free
Previous ovner says that he check the phone with few sims from my country ant wth few foreign ones and it works with him.
With my 3 sims from difrent networks it demands from me " SIM network unlock PIN"
At the begining phone has 2.2 English Vodaphone brand
I check it wit every cyanogenmod on this forum and ithat problem don't go away
now i'm traying sbf files but the chances are small.
I't is posible that when I put my sim card the simlock came back
Is there a way to get rid of this probelm without some simlock imei code calculator website? google says that it may or may not work.

I don't now why simlock came back but this site help me unlock my phone again
unlock.vodafone.com.au

[Q] sim network unlock PIN on N900

Hi, i own a N900 factory unlocked.
playing with some custom roms, i ended that some sims work ok but the other says "sim network unlock PIN"
i tried galaxsim unlock pro, and it says unlocked on every item.
also whatever sim i try (except from one company that works - Claro Argentina - ) got the same message
its like is some form of semi lock ?
i also called samsung, and they say its the vendor fault, they cannot help me
the vendor says its samsung problem .. and here i am
any idea ?
PD: i did not try another sim before flashing custom roms, but the vendor assures the cellphone its lock free
PD2: sorry for my poor english ! :crying:

fredit0 said:
Hi, i own a N900 factory unlocked.
playing with some custom roms, i ended that some sims work ok but the other says "sim network unlock PIN"
i tried galaxsim unlock pro, and it says unlocked on every item.
also whatever sim i try (except from one company that works - Claro Argentina - ) got the same message
its like is some form of semi lock ?
i also called samsung, and they say its the vendor fault, they cannot help me
the vendor says its samsung problem .. and here i am
any idea ?
PD: i did not try another sim before flashing custom roms, but the vendor assures the cellphone its lock free
PD2: sorry for my poor english ! :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- It is likely your phone is not completely unlocked. Is your phone rooted? If yes, install 'Shortcut Master' app or 'Phone INFO ★Samsung★' app, open 'Secret Codes' menu, scroll down to 7465625 (7465625 means SIMLOCK) and launch this secret code to check for the locking status.
2- Send an email to Samsung to request the unlock code (for more details check your inbox).

Thanks !
Ok, not response from samsung, also i called samsung in my country, and no help.
Called the store, no help.
Tried phone info Samsung (and galaxy unlocker, etc ..) any apps says my phone is full unlocked.
so i try with cellunlocker service (is a webpage) .. and about 4 hours latter i recieved 5 codes
last code was the one that worked, and by the way .. the code is eight zeros ! ("00000000")
So maybe that code could help someone !

fredit0 said:
so i try with cellunlocker service (is a webpage) .. and about 4 hours latter i recieved 5 codes
last code was the one that worked, and by the way .. the code is eight zeros ! ("00000000")
So maybe that code could help someone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
What cellunlocker service did you use to get 5 unlock codes?
Thanks