Database Users

[Q] Intro and a uple ??s

Hi people,
I am a noob as far as Android goes, but I am pretty good at PC stuff. I run a 3D CAD department and I've been the "unofficial" tech guy at every job I've had in the last 10 years.
That being said, I just got the HTC Hero from Sprint last weekend, Android 2.1, update 1. I have always wanted to play with Linux but have never really had the time. So, this is my first encounter with Android or Linux.
So ..... , as much as I'd love to root the phone, I'm afraid to brick it. Is there any way to get rid of all the bloatware without rooting my phone? Also, what are the chances of bricking the phone? I've read a couple "how to root" articles on the net and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but I LOVE this phone so far (other than battery life) and I honestly can't afford to go buy a new one at full price if I end up killing my phone.
Another question; I've seen a few people in other posts who have the HTC Hero and say they're running 2.2. How is this done? Is this something else that I would need to root the phone to accomplish?
Also, I just ordered an 8GB microSD card. My laptop has a card slot, so I'm figuring I can put the new card in the slot, connect my phone via USB, and copy everything on the phone to the new 8GB card, then just swapping the cards.
Am I correct thinking this should be as simple as it sounds, or is there more involved?
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to reading/posting here on a regular basis.
Thanks,
Eric Mortenson

Hey, welcome to XDA!
It is VERY HARD to brick this phone, so don't worry....about the only way we've seen that is by flashing a GSM radio to it, so just don't do that and you'll be fine trying anything else.
There are a couple rooting methods here, and there won't be any problems at all as long as you follow the instructions. It's not as daunting as it may first seem. You do have to root to get rid of bloatware, it can't be done without rooting. I recommend this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572 although there are 'one-click' and 'universal' methods out there too.
The ones running Android 2.2 are doing it through a custom ROM called Cyanogenmod. Check out the Development section to find it. It doesn't have the HTC Sense UI though, so it will look and feel different than your stock 2.1. But lots of people here are using it and loving it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755795
And yes, you should just be able to swap out the SD cards with no problems.

chromiumleaf
Thanks for the quick and helpful reply. It is greatly appreciated.
I think I am going to try to root my phone. Pre-installed "bloatware" on PCs is one of my biggest pet peeves. So, the biggest reason I have right now for rooting my phone is to get rid of the stuff I don't want/need/use.
I will probably leave the 2.1 on the phone because I love the phone so far and if as you say, it will look and feel different. Maybe I'll keep digging through the site and change my mind later. Thanks for the "heads up".
Please do me one favor, and I hate to sound ignorant (I did say earlier I was new at this), but what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Sorry, tried doing a search so I wouldn't have to bother you but I'm just not sure.
Thanks again.
Eric

Eric_1966_FXE said:
...what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To "flash" some code means to burn it into your phone's read-only memory. A number of things can be flashed to your phone's memory, including the radio operating code, high-level operating system code, and "kernel" (system "core") code.
What the poster meant by "flashing a GSM radio" is "downloading the code that operates the phone's radio". Our Sprint Hero phones have what is called CDMA radio hardware, while European Hero phones have GSM radio hardware. The two different radios are not compatible with each other's operating code. So if you ever download ("flash") the wrong radio code (GSM code) into your CDMA phone, that will render your radio inoperative, which will effectively brick your phone.
With that in mind, just read carefully any information relating to any system code you're considering flashing to your phone, and make SURE it's for a CDMA phone, and you'll be fine.

I loved sense and was all against even trying an aosp rom( vanilla/ stock android), but once I flashed CM6 and found beautiful widgets and launcher pro plus and dialer one I haven't looked back. The speed of my phone and the overall appearance is far better than Sense UI. Rooting the 2.1 is far easier than it was when I got mine. You had to download and type in a whole bunch of crap, now its as easy as installing an app and running it.

Thanks
Thank you to all three of you for your quick (and more importantly useful) answers.
You guys are awesome.

Go for it
I have 4 Hero's here at my home on a family plan,and mine is the only one running CM6-RC1 and they are all jealous. Every one that has a Hero at work or a different Android running 2.1 that has seen mine including a few Evo users loves the way mine looks and how fast it is. I thought in the beginning I wouldn't want to loose Sense and feared I would brick my phone as well,but these guys here are great and are a very supportive Hero community and walked me through the process. It is a lot easier now with the universal 1 click method than before,so that was what I did. The nice thing is if you do everything correctly,you can revert right back to you stock phone if you ever have to take it in for service.
Taking your time and researching all of this pretty good before deciding what to do is a good thing,but I can honestly say, there is so much more you can do once you unlock your phone than just downloading apps and bloat ware...you can actually make it work and do what you want it to do.
The chiefs here at XDA are working hard to bring us stable working Roms for everyday use,and I tip my hat to all of them and I certainly am loving how my Hero is now compared to what it was when it was stock.The RC-1 build I am running is awesome and (knock wood) haven't crashed 1x with it where I needed to do anything nor have I had any shutdowns or unexpected forced closed programs that were installed correctly.
So I say... Don't be afraid and just go for it.. you can still have it similar to what it is now,or you can see what aosp is all about like many here have and try it.That's the beauty of Rooting...YOU have the choice of what is on your phone..not someone else.
Good Luck
Mac

Thanks Mac
And Thank you to all who responded.
Like I said in my intro, I am a tech geek when it comes to PCs but this is my first venture into this kind of forum.
You have all been extremely helpful and have made me feel welcome.
I only hope that I can return the favor at some point to others on XDA.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Thanks again,
Eric

newbee question

what is rootin and what is the biggest reason for it?
also the ota update does that stop the rebootin problem i want to get this phone it will be my first smart phone n dont want to many problems
thanks in advance

clamman said:
what is rootin and what is the biggest reason for it?
also the ota update does that stop the rebootin problem i want to get this phone it will be my first smart phone n dont want to many problems
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting means getting full permissions to the Android system. If you don't know what Linux permissions are, don't worry about rooting; it won't have any effect on you. People generally do it to modify their phones like replacing certain software or enabling features that aren't officially supported.
No one really knows what all the OTA update covers. It's suspected it adds two features, but that's about all we know. Nonetheless, I can highly recommend the G2, even as your first smartphone. Keep in mind that most people on these forums are overstating problems, so don't listen to everything that's said here. I think short of the iPhone4, the G2 is the best phone you can buy right now. T-Mobile is definitely better than AT&T, so get the G2!

I had the same question, actually. Coming from a long line of WinMo phones myself (TP2 was my last phone, R.I.P) I get that Hard-SLP unlocking and shopping for custom roms is par the course since it's pretty much essential for the optimal WM experience, but coming over to Android and seeing how everyone is really bummed out that this phone can't Root..or at least, doesn't have one that stick, is really confusing, especially since the added "benefits" I've at least read about isn't all 'that' great...
Please excuse my ignorance on the matter, but coming from a mobile platform where modding/hacking is pretty much called for if you even plan to use the darn thing makes everything I'm experiencing from the stock Android a dream compared to its alternative.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

ryushe said:
I had the same question, actually. Coming from a long line of WinMo phones myself (TP2 was my last phone, R.I.P) I get that Hard-SLP unlocking and shopping for custom roms is par the course since it's pretty much essential for the optimal WM experience, but coming over to Android and seeing how everyone is really bummed out that this phone can't Root..or at least, doesn't have one that stick, is really confusing, especially since the added "benefits" I've at least read about isn't all 'that' great...
Please excuse my ignorance on the matter, but coming from a mobile platform where modding/hacking is pretty much called for if you even plan to use the darn thing makes everything I'm experiencing from the stock Android a dream compared to its alternative.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you have to remember is people will hack anything and everything, even if there's no real benefit to it. Back in the days, when G1 first came out, rooting was a big deal because it provided access to such things as apps on sd card, themes, auto-rotation, multi-touch, etc. At this point - you can get it all on stock android. Of course, there's overclocking (unnecessary on this phone), wi-fi tether (if you need it) and some further mods but it is not as critical as it used to be.
With that said... the moment permanent root is found - I'm going for it with the sole reason is because I can! Well... and because I want black notification bar

Temp root has a nice little perk.. you can restart it and it puts it back to factory if you need to have it fixed or replaced.

[Q] My phone is on the way and after reading this I am very worried!!!

Ok so I just ordered 2 T-Mobile HTC HD2 phones through T-Mobile and while waiting for them to come in the mail I decided to look deeply into this phone and I have to tell you that I am extremely worried about what I have seen. It almost seems as if I have purchased 2 phones that flat out wont work properly. Is this the case? I am not tech savy and there is a short buyers remorse period. I just want my very expensive phones to work. Is this phone going to work? Is it going to freeze all the time? If so can someone take me under their wing to teach me about ROM's and setting up the proper Android version? I am really looking to get with someone who can teach me the in's and out's of this phone and hopefully walk me through the process of making this phone everything that I know it can be. Please help me!!!!

Dont worry
I love this phone. I haven't always. I have spent a lot of time reading this forum and learning about this phone. First when you get the phone update to the latest ROM Its very easy to do threw the T-mobile website, just search latest HD2 software you will need the windows mobile software also, but you need that no matter what software comes on the phone. then set up the phone how ever you want. try it like that for a while. If you don't like it download some apps. To make it so you do like it. It is an amazing piece of hardware. windows is just ok. some of the things i like about the phone are how easy it syncs with outlook. I love the swype keyboard and i really like the phone book. Search the internet for apps, the market place is kind of limited. Look at the SD card that comes with the phone. If it is a 16gb card with a 2 on it call tmobile and they will give you the HTC # to get it exchanged. Since the new ROM and the new SD card i have no more trouble. I run Winmo 6.5 and Android by darkstone. good luck

Expect to have to put in a lot of time reading, learning, and finding solutions to bugs and problems if you want to run android on it. Its not that hard as long as you can follow instructions and search when you come across an issue... it can be very time consuming. Is there a reason that you didn't get a native android phone if you want to run android.... there are plenty of good android phones out there now.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

It's called buyer's remorse. That's why you have a return period. If you don't like the HD2, you may return it. I love mine, but if this is a first windows device, the learning curve is steep! One thing, battery life is considerably shorter with sense enabled.

With the latest windows rom which your phones should come with you don't need to root your phone or change roms to run android. I run mdj's clean froyo 2.3 with hastarin 8.2 kernel. This combo gives me such a stable version of android I never use windows.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

Cyanogen or froyo stock?

Hi, I just got my g2 from the free promotion thingy and im pretty much new to andriod. Should I stay on stock froyo or use cyanogen? And what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I would root it. There are tons of things that are advantages, such taking some of the crapware that comes bundled on the phone, ability to put themes on your phone, and you get added features with cyanogenmod and other roms out there. The features you can check out for yourself, which can be found on changelogs, YouTube videos, forum post, etc. Spend some time, read that roms' forum thread and learn a few things along the way.
Sent from my HTC Vision

It can be a tough decision.
First of all I am coming from a g1 that was running the latest stable cyanogenmod so the G2 has been an amazing phone stock. It is super fast and the display is seriously amazing. I did root it because I wanted to check out the cm7 nightlies and also the stable cm6.1.1.
First of all I actually like some of the apps that came pre-installed on the g2. Quickoffice is amazing and an excellent ppt, pdf, doc viewer. I did miss that on cyanogen and I also preferred the stock 2.2 scheme and app drawer. However these are the main differences. Everything else is very similar just with added functionality. You can manipulate every aspect of the UI including the power widget on the notification bar (my personal favorite). You can also overclock your cpu to squeeze some more performance out (up to 1.8ghz but I hear 1.4 is safer). You can also use your current data plan for tethering instead of having to pay extra.
But all in all if you don't require or need this functionality, just stay stock. The stock experience is excellent. I come from the G1 culture where we rooted just so we could stay relevant and get some decent speed on our long forgotten phones. That was the only reason I rooted before and quite possibly the only reason I'll root in the future.
I went back to stock to get my quick office back and I really don't mind the loss of functionality (for now) however I do miss the cool radio tuner.

Quickoffice is in CyanogenMod...
Anyway, root your phone and flash CyanogenMod. The stock experience is great and all but so many things just work better with CyanogenMod.
When you root, you obtain so many more capabilities. How would you like to remove every single advertisement you see? Well you can't do it unless you root.
There are so many more things but I just can't get into it. You'll sit here all day reading my post. Just take me word for it and root. You won't go wrong but READ READ READ all instructions and understand them before you do anything.
Yes, it is risky but only if you're stupid and/or rushing. Make sure you have the correct files and always make a backup. I keep them in a special place on me computer. I still have my stock backed up for if I ever have a problem.
It's a fun thing to get into. You learn a lot and will continue to learn. If you don't find out something new everyday with your G2, there's really no reason to have it, IMHO...
Sent from me CM7 Nightly HTC Vision using XDA App that needs a thanks button implemented

Cyanogen is stock 2.3.2 with tons of extra features and extremely stable. Stock is 2.2.1 with a ton of bloat and no extra features. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Root and flash cyanogen mod, awesome decision.

I am coming from a rooted G1 and I got my G2 from the free promotion and I rooted because I can't do without it. Once you have root, you won't ever want to go back. I rooted my G2 in the first 30 minutes that it was out of the box. Only down side that I can think of is that you can't have an inteligent conversation with a service rep. xD
You can get root and stay on the stock software/ROM but I don't recemend it, the whole Android experiance changes the moment you install a custom ROM.
The manufacturer and carrier has locked the phone down so much that they basically own the phone, they locked down the potential of the device so much that once you have root you'll be amazed about how much stuff you can now do on it.
YOU bought the phone, its YOURS, NOT the carrier's, NOT the manufacturer's but YOURS, why not make it so?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I would also recommend that you check out some of the Desire Z/Sense ports (I'm using Virtuous). They're quite clean in terms of bloatware, but you get alot of extras, such as a superior camera/music player app, plugins (Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc), and more. You can still use ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro for your homescreen/app drawer.

root. install cyanogen. Obtain FM Radio = win

btate0121 said:
root. install cyanogen. Obtain FM Radio = win
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine last Friday and I rooted just to get rid of the bloatware and for overclock.
The FM radio is a bonus... that's sweet.

Does rooting still void the warranty?
I waited until my warranty had run out with my G1 before I rooted it. Just afraid the phone'll break or so and I wont have any options.

metamet said:
Does rooting still void the warranty?
I waited until my warranty had run out with my G1 before I rooted it. Just afraid the phone'll break or so and I wont have any options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, yes. However, it's pretty easy to flash a stock ROM back on if you break something.

I preordered my G2 after a long, rooted 2 years on the G1. When I first got the G2, I said I wouldn't root because it didn't need it. My G2 did everything the G1 did but much, much faster. Then I got tired of not having full control of my phone. I had apps I would never use running in the background plus numerous other things that I just had no control over. Then, the brilliant developers found root and I haven't looked back.
I have a lot of people with unrooted android devices around me and they are always blown away by what I can do with my G2. For me, rooting turned my smartPHONE into tiny PC that does calls.
I have a guy I work with who just picked up the new nexus. He was showing it to me and commented on the GB light when you hit the bottom of a page. Well he griped that he wanted the overscroll bounce back. I then showed him that with root and cyan, you can have both. He wasn't ammused as he is afraid to root.
I say read up on everything that is involved with rooting and flashing custom bits. When you feel comfy with it. Unlock that bish and make that G2 your own.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

[Q] Basic questions about Android and its 31 flavors

Hello. I have been following XDA since my first HTC phone the HTC Touch Pro 2. I was impressed by an ex girlfriends HTC phone when I had to dismantle and replace its screen. My current gf now owns that phone. I have been flashing my phones for quite some time and especially love the energy roms. Recently I have been much more busy with my career and life and have left behind many of my former passions (like wow). I have an HD2 and have just flashed it to a "rafdroid" build since it had HTC sense and seemed somewhat familiar. I already have to say I love the Android build. But I do have some questions that are beyond what I have had time to read up on. First off it is slow, really slow. I know I am doing an "SD" build which means I am running the OS off of my storage card. I assume that has a lot to do with it. I am ready to give up my windows build completely but hope it lends a hand in speed. I used to flash all of the time but have really grown comfortable with the SBP shell interface. I realize Andoid could be a lot more but I really want a beautiful snappy build that my phone can stand up to. When I bought the HD2 it was the phone to have but that has been a while now. What I am really looking for is advice as to is it worth it to leave a dying OS behind with my current phone (now that I have a family I am stuck with the same toys for a while) and how can I optimize it to its maximum ability. Also I haven't really even looked into it but can I flash my girlfriend's TP2 to a fast stable Android build as well? I do Windows support for a living and have always been a Windows guy but have recently become frustrated with its inability to share information such as calendars and tasks without an Exchange server (which is a given at work). I have began using Gmail and its associated apps more and more and so far am colored impressed. Any advice is appreciated and I know I could eventually dig up all of the info given enough time (but I am sneaking on the PC right now as the kids sleep). It seems logical that a non "SD build" would be a lot faster but before I lose my Windows GUI can someone confirm? Thank you again.

Search ultimate Droid in the nand forum... this my friend is the rom for your every wish... clean crisp & stable.... oh oh.... and FAST! Ive flashed several roms on my HD2 and and about 50x that number on my vibrant
... this by far is an amazing one to have stumbled acrossed... hope this helped
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App

I have not tried he Ultimate Droid yet bit I have tried several Android ROMs and my favorite so far is Hyperdriid. But it is a nonsense Gingerbread ROM, and you said you like sense. Bit the main reason I posted in your thread is to tell you to check out my guide in my sig as it will help you out and I have two seperate guides on how to install Android on your HD2 at the top of my guide.
All the ROMs I have tried though have been very smooth and I find I am really liking the Clockwork Mod Recovery. I just got to switch from MAGLDR to cLK so I can charge my HD2 when it is off and so I can use ROM Manager.

Ultimate I believe is the same Creator I tried hyper and in defense think ultimate Droid is superior still should atleast try it lol later man
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App