Database Users

Custom Rom Advice

I've been lurking in this forum for a while now, and given HTC's "We're not updating the Hero until we've milked the market for every last Desire/Legend upgrade" stance, I've decided to take the plunge and put a custom ROM on my unbranded GSM Hero.
There's just a few questions I wanted to ask before I go ahead, and was hoping some of you would be kind enough to help:
1) If I install a custom ROM, is it possible to go back to factory state? I know some of the FAQ's say its possible to go back to the stock ROM, but does that mean EVERYTHING returns to stock? I know this is apples and oranges but when I flashed a couple of PSP's you have a recovery mode at startup, is anything like this left behind when returning to stock?
2) Is it possible to brick my phone? If so, is it recoverable?
3) Can anyone recommend a fast, stable ROM? I was interested in Damage Control but obviously thats for CDMA Hero's not GSM.
4) I see a lot of people with quite complex issues like radio frequencies and battery problems, what are the odds of having something like that happen? Is it quite rare? Also are radio flashes undone by returning to stock?
Thanks for your time guys, I'll be updating here with my progress/Issues later this evening

Arceon said:
There's just a few questions I wanted to ask before I go ahead, and was hoping some of you would be kind enough to help,.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) If I install a custom ROM, is it possible to go back to factory state? I know some of the FAQ's say its possible to go back to the stock ROM, but does that mean EVERYTHING returns to stock? I know this is apples and oranges but when I flashed a couple of PSP's you have a recovery mode at startup, is anything like this left behind when returning to stock?
- Yes, you can return back to stock state. You are correct, we do use a 'custom recovery console' to flash custom ROMs but this is easily removed by applying one of the official RUU .exe files found at Official HTC Hero RUU ROM Links. Connect phone to PC, run .exe, DONE!
2) Is it possible to brick my phone? If so, is it recoverable?
- I personally have only heard of people bricking handsets when, (1) Installing CDMA ROMs onto GSM handsets (you already know the difference so this shouldn't be a problem now), (2) Interrupting the radio update process (when applying update, phone may reboot a few times, do not touch untill you get the lockbar to pull down to unlock).
Iv had mine for about 3 months now and started as a complete noob but my phone is still living.
3) Can anyone recommend a fast, stable ROM? I was interested in Damage Control but obviously thats for CDMA Hero's not GSM.
- Im using MCR3.2 since day one, its fast and stable, what more could I ask for (apart from android 2.1).
4) I see a lot of people with quite complex issues like radio frequencies and battery problems, what are the odds of having something like that happen? Is it quite rare? Also are radio flashes undone by returning to stock?
- I assume its quite rare, again, Ive had no issues whatsoever. I dont know if running the RUU .exe will roll back to a previous radio or not but you can manually rollback, just use the radio update.zip first, then run the .exe if you need to.
One thing I would recomend,... Make sure you'v charged your battery 100% via the mains adapter (not usb through PC) when applying the custom ROM.

ruu contains a radio upgrade. or downgrade, depends on what you have installed and what ruu you are attempting to install.
you can brick your hero by flashing either a wrong radio or a wrong spl, or by flashing the correct ones of either and interrupt it during flashing.
if it was recoverable it wouldn't be bricked, the definition of "bricked" is that it serves the same purpose as a brick. however in most cases there is the possibility of reviving it via jtag, which is a highly complicated process that involves opening the phone and manipulating with the components directly (you could say "solder in a new processor" to express it in laymans' terms). so usually not worth the effort.

@ddotpatel
Thanks for clearing all that up for me
One thing though, with the official RUU files you linked, do you always just pick the latest one? Also do I need to worry about the "No Driver" description, or is it just run and done?
@kendong2
What would consitute a "wrong radio"? Are they not region-free? Or do you mean if I install a lower version than the one I already have? Also I guess seeing as I don't know what an SPL is I don't need to worry about it?
As for the Bricked term, yes your right. Its just coming from the PSP scene they use the term bricked to describe when the firmware will no longer boot, but the hacked in recovery console will. Bad habits and all that

I dont think the nodriver thing is anything to worry about.
Check the ROM your currently on through the settings menu so you know which one to go back to should you need to. I suppose it would look odd if you tried to return a handset for repair and it had an older ROM than the one it shipped with.
If you use this link HTC Hero Radio ROM Links you will be fine. They aren't region specific, I just used the latest one.
I think what Kendong meant was to make sure its for the GSM Hero not CDMA.
And SPL is the ROM I think, so again, as long as its GSM you're good to go!

Thanks ddotpatel
One last question, on the Recovery ROM thread linked to in the "Complete Newbie Guide" it says in rather large red writing "This recovery is NOT yet fully compatible with the new apps2sd method!".
Does this mean if I install A2SD as in the newb guide it will cause issues/break?

Arceon said:
Thanks ddotpatel
One last question, on the Recovery ROM thread linked to in the "Complete Newbie Guide" it says in rather large red writing "This recovery is NOT yet fully compatible with the new apps2sd method!".
Does this mean if I install A2SD as in the newb guide it will cause issues/break?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no,... If you follow the instructions in BTDAG's guide to setup apps2sd all will be ok.
The warning is referring to CM5.0.7 which I think is a HTC Dream / G1 ROM so that doesn't affect us guys.

Oh good, bid red text has a tendancy to put me off somewhat!
I've plumped for SLIDEVILLAIN 1.1.0 RC, and have a shiny new 8GB class 6 card on the way, should help with the craving to upgrade to a new phone for a while
Thanks for all your help, I'm sure you'll see more threads from me in the not to idstant future

Arceon said:
Oh good, bid red text has a tendancy to put me off somewhat!
I've plumped for SLIDEVILLAIN 1.1.0 RC, and have a shiny new 8GB class 6 card on the way, should help with the craving to upgrade to a new phone for a while
Thanks for all your help, I'm sure you'll see more threads from me in the not to idstant future
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't suppose you could send me a link of the memory card you'v ordered,... I think I'm gona start researching prices, speeds etc and get a new one myself.
Best I found so far was an 8gig Class 6 Transcend for £14 off Amazon but it doesn't state read/write speeds so am a bit reluctant.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transcend-m...USDHC6/dp/B001IAMME8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Yeah, Iv had mine 3 months, initially bought as a temp handset to replace my Nokia 5800. Was planning to sell it on again this month and get myself a Desire for my birthday. But you know what,... I'm still really really happy with it. I think I'll be keeping it for another 6 months or so, at least until we get something similar to the HTC Evo 4G or the HTC Incredible in the uk.

I ended up ordering the Samsung one:
Urgh I can't post links, search for "Samsung 8GB Micro SD PLUS memory card Class 6" on Amazon
The read write speeds are in the comments, but to be honest I didn't pay that much attention to them knowing that the class 4 was the recommended speed and that class 6 is 50% faster.
Pretty much the same here, I was happy with it until the boss ordered a Desire and I had to set it up for him. The screen size combined with 2.1 was seriously making me consider one, but I realised if I could just have 2.1 I could hold out another few months.
And yes the Evo is awesome, can't wait for something like that over here, If it doesn't come then I'll be holding out for Froyo instead

SPL is the secondary program loader. Think of it as the bootloader. You don't need to touch it unless you want to replace the initial static bootscreen image.

[Q] n00b needs help bad!

First off, I am not sure if this is the right spot for this and I am sorry if it isn't. I am very (brand new) to winmo phones but i wanted to get away from my crackberry so i switched. Now that i have been playing around with it I would like to see what android is like on my hd2. However, i have no idea where to begin. I am still running on the stock rom 3.14.531.1 with radio 2.15.50.14. (dont really want an aftermarket rom) I do not want to brick my phone nor void my warranty with tmobile. I am looking for a step by step (and i mean every little step if possible) on how to dual boot winmo and froyo 2.2 and not brink this beautiful phone. Any links or insight as to where i can find a guide either on this site or elsewhere would be greatly appreciated. Please dont flame me too hard i have just spent hours upon hours of reading and trying to decipher how to do it to the point where im more confused than i was when i started.
what i have gathered so far is that i have to flash HSPL3(?) then flash a new radio (no idea) then load a froyo 2.2 rom on my sd card. Run CLdsomething and then HaRet. like i said im confused and i dont want to screw anything up. please help and thank you in advance

your in luck! theres a bunch of stickies with exactly what your looking for.... theres even youtube vid how to's...

You don't have to flash anything with that rom and radio.... just pick an android build to use, copy the folder to the root of your sd card, then run clrcad.exe then haret.exe... it will take 10-15 minutes the first time you boot into it. No need to flash or void your warranty.

Used to be stock rom was always trouble for android use, has that changed? Just curious
Sent from my HTC HD 2 using XDA App

deckardbr09 said:
Used to be stock rom was always trouble for android use, has that changed? Just curious
Sent from my HTC HD 2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
His stock ROM will do just fine.

zarathustrax said:
You don't have to flash anything with that rom and radio.... just pick an android build to use, copy the folder to the root of your sd card, then run clrcad.exe then haret.exe... it will take 10-15 minutes the first time you boot into it. No need to flash or void your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amazing. thank you so much for the clear cut answer. i will see how it goes thank you again

Just so you understand... when you reboot the phone it will go back to winmo. You need to run Haret again (always clrced first to enable sound) everytime you reboot the phone to get back into android. You can install a android loader program that will automatically run Haret for you as soon as winmo boots up to make things easier if you want. There are several booting apps... just look around the forums.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

cool cool. before i get started, does anyone have an idea of what build works best for my set up? links and advice greatly appreciated

New system update for DHD!

Just get notification...hope tha camera lag is gone..

Just installed it also myself, would be nice to see somekind of changelog

luun said:
Just installed it also myself, would be nice to see somekind of changelog
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We will see...dowloading and starting to test camera

It's allready installing for 30 minutes, got a black screen with a phone image looking a bit like the DHD with a red triangle (with an exclamation mark) on it. Should I wait longer or do something?

Tsurany said:
It's allready installing for 30 minutes, got a black screen with a phone image looking a bit like the DHD with a red triangle (with an exclamation mark) on it. Should I wait longer or do something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't know, i just start update..hope that everything will be ok..

Not got any updates showing have got a uk unbranded unlocked version what version s have people got who can update ? Does the new update do.out speed wise etc ?
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

have been running this since sat or sun when the ruu was posted in the roms area. It is android 2.2.1 its quite nippy but. IT WILL STOP YOU rooting your phone the new radio it quite a lot better in both signal and battery useage.

Yes! Updating..

for those who like to maintain the root option, make sure you get Radio S-OFF before updating
this way you can always go back once a root a solution was found
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10040157&postcount=255
Originally Posted by afrcom15
ok i just had to re-read the whole thread to try and understand the situation
can someone please answer if i understood correctly
- If i have radio S-OFF, i can flash using the mentioned method and have root, but i can't have the new radio
If you have radio S-OFF you can flash but will lose root. Normal rooting method will not work, you can have the new radio, you still retain the ability to return to the previous rom though. You will remain S-OFF
- If i have ENG S-Off, i can flash it as well as the new radio but it will crash on SU and won't have wifi
If you have ENG S-OFF only then you will lose everything and still not have root, you will also lose the ability to return to the previous rom. You will become S-ON.
also i didn't understand will wifi still work using the radio s-off method?
Wifi works on either S-OFF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Tsurany said:
It's allready installing for 30 minutes, got a black screen with a phone image looking a bit like the DHD with a red triangle (with an exclamation mark) on it. Should I wait longer or do something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's now been almost an hour, anyone got any ideas what to do?

Tsurany said:
It's now been almost an hour, anyone got any ideas what to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
take out the battery, wait 10 seconds, put the battery back and pray it will boot after you turn on the phone.
from what i can notice is that i have more ram available, till now with a "kill all" had 350 mb now i have 440 mb free ram.

That sounds bad, any way to restore if it doesn't boot? Phone is not rooted or anything like that, so no clockwork recovery.

Tsurany said:
That sounds bad, any way to restore if it doesn't boot? Phone is not rooted or anything like that, so no clockwork recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the red triangle means something went bad, i remember that i got the same message when i tried to back`up my rom with clockwork recovery but after i got the battery out and turned on the phone it was OK, but after i installed an official RUU because the system was ****ed up.

Well it booted fine, that's a relief.

I am now doing the update. (running Core Rom).
I get the exclamation sign with the little android puppet. Will wait 10 minutes. If no reaction I will restart.

Tried again, same thing as before, phone icon with exclamation sign. Guess there is either something wrong with my phone or with the update. Guessing the latter.

you will run into problems if you attempt the OTA from a custom rom

Afaik it`s not recommended to install OTA`s if you are are running custom roms so be carrefull.
@tsurany i doubt it`s the update because i made it too and it`s ok but i have to admit that i installed an oficial rom before just to be CLEAN but dunno what to say, it`s a pain to remake everything.

Well tried it with a custom Rom. It didn't work as expected. After battery removal it doest restart and function normally.

Update installed fine here. I don't really notice a huge improvement in low light video recording..

Questions Re: Android and Win Mo?

Gday all im a bit lost in the android forums so im just going to do a noob thing and ask for some assistance, thanks.
I just installed the "[30 DEC][DFT]LEO "Stock Desire" NAND Android ROM" rom over top of my last rom from WINMO, which was the Energy jan 6 rom.
I also installed the latest Radio "Radio_Leo_2.15.50.14" and HSPL3 along with "MAGLDR112" everything went sweet upon install, so i have no real questions regarding that but im wondering how i can boot back into WINMO if its possible?
If i reboot the phone it just auto loads into Android.
Also i would like to know what the best Android rom is for reliability and secondly how would i update the roms as new version are released?
I think thats about it for now, the rom in currently using feels smooth and great the apps work fine but it feels a little locked down compared to the WINMO but it hasnt crashed on me in the past day which WINMO would have by now, lol.

To flash back winmo, simply go into bootloader/tri color screen. This is done by holding vol down, then powering up.
I'm not going to answer which is the "best" android rom, as that has been asked many times, where there are many answers for, so, search it up.
Updating differs. If it uses daf.exe/install.exe, it's that same as how you flashed android for the first time, however sometimes you can't retain your settings. Clockwork mod flashing however, is unbeknown to me, haven't tried it yet, sorry.

Thanks for that, so what would i need to do to backup my settings and info on the Android just incase i reinstall it just say?
Also if i back to the bootloader would that mean ill have to reinstall a winmo rom?
Then if so would it only boot into WINMO and not android?
Secondly how would i be able to reboot into android again?
I guess im asking is there a way to dual boot and whats the best way about doing it?

gamecore said:
Thanks for that, so what would i need to do to backup my settings and info on the Android just incase i reinstall it just say?
Also if i back to the bootloader would that mean ill have to reinstall a winmo rom?
Then if so would it only boot into WINMO and not android?
Secondly how would i be able to reboot into android again?
I guess im asking is there a way to dual boot and whats the best way about doing it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
r u being jackass?u have to flash stock wm rom first.ok then u can flash any custom rom.
ok use titenium backup to backup ur android settings abd appp..
ok and after winmo if u want dual boot u have to install sd android build to ur sd card

Why would i want to be a jackass?
Yeah i come on here to troll these forums to post noob questions for ****s and giggles, are you such a person who angers over someone who clearly doesnt know what he is doing and yet you think im being a jackass (god i hate that word, lol never used down here though).
I hope i clearly posted im the OP on how and what i installed but now im lost, i have android working fine but i dont know how to back any data up just incase i do an update or even flash back to stock rom and maybe come back to android later and hope to reuse the backed up data from the android rom.
It took me about a year to get used to WINMO and learning how to install a custom rom on it but now i thought i give android a go and i managed to follow the steps without any issues (yes there were a few more steps i needed to do than i did need to do for a custom rom for WINMO) but now that i have it running i just want to know what to do to get WINMO back on and preferably getting WINMO and android working side by side.
I know how to flash custom roms in WINMO but im just wondering if there was a way for me to be able to boot back into winmo while i have android installed, all i want is to be pointed into the right direction or shown a link to a walkthrough or just given a point form reply as to the process on what and what not ill be able to keep and the best way in doing so.
So from your reply i gather ill need to install android to my SDcard and not the phone memory in order to run WINMO and Android together am i correct?
If so then because i use the ENERGY ROMS i can boot to android from within the ENERGY ROM, am i correct? i think NRG did something with android in his roms.
I am really sorry if i have upset anyone (above) but i am really lost with this, yes i pretty much understood custom roms in WINMO but with this i just did it spontaneously VERY VERY late last night and i wasnt thinking straight i just gave it a shot, so i put myself in the deep end and now im very confused with getting it back to normal as such thats all.
Worst case would i just be able to reformat the SD and then boot to 4 colour screen and just do my custom WINMO install as per usual or would i have to install the stock rom back then install the custom rom?

First of all, ignore the "jackass" above. That was just plain rude and he made himself look like a total idiot.
Secondly, if you want to backup your current Android setup, get Titanium Backup from the market. There's a batch job (click menu, batch jobs) that backs up all your apps & data and system settings. It backs it up to your SD card though, so be aware of that if you're thinking of formatting it for any reason.
Next, get the WM6.5 ROM that you want to flash (doesn't have to be a stock one). Enter the bootloader (tri-colour screen) and flash your WM ROM as normal.
Finally, when you flash a ROM onto your phone, that becomes the only OS on there. You can't switch between Android NAND and WM without flashing. You can, however, run Android from your SD card. There's a forum dedicated to that here...
HD2 Android SD Development
There's lots of info in there on how to do it, but it's basically unzip a file, copy the contents to your SD card, run 2 apps. You'll probably want to go down the route of a bootloader (not really) that runs in Windows. It lets you select Windows or Android when you reboot. They too can be found in that same forum.
That's the only way you can switch between Windows and Android on a regular basis, without flashing a new ROM.
Hope this helps

Thank you very much it has cleared allot up for me, now i know that because i flashed android on the phone its the only OS i can use, i didnt know that TBH.
So yes thanks again and ill do it the SD way and try my luck with that.
One more small thing, how do i go with updating the current android rom im using (if it were to be updated), does it work in a similar process as WINMO custom roms and their updates?
Again i much appreciate the reply, it has helped already.

gamecore said:
Thank you very much it has cleared allot up for me, now i know that because i flashed android on the phone its the only OS i can use, i didnt know that TBH.
So yes thanks again and ill do it the SD way and try my luck with that.
One more small thing, how do i go with updating the current android rom im using (if it were to be updated), does it work in a similar process as WINMO custom roms and their updates?
Again i much appreciate the reply, it has helped already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, you flash an updated ROM the same way you flash the original ROM. There are backup options like Titanium Backup or ClockWork Mod (if the ROM supports it), so you can get everything back up and running again.

[Q] Need Help - Android snag

Hi all - I'm in a bit of trouble.
Tried changing the OS to Android and must have made a mistake somewhere along the line.
Was using ROM update utility MAGDLR V1.13 and got as far as updating the ROM Was told that the screen should go black and if it didn't, then I needed to perform a reset.
I did this and now the screen just shows the htc logo on white background.
Irish phone - got it august '10. recently upgraded ROM from HTC site to version 3.14.405.2 but not sure now whether I've wrecked it completely.
Was just sick of WinMo and wanted a change - can anyone help please?
ND

boot into bootloader and start again. do you have hspl? right radio?
get into bootloader. flash magldr. then flash nandroid.

you probably need to downgrade the rom to get to hspl 2.08

Thanks - I got the correct HSPL and installed it on the phone, that part was fine. The problem now is that the handset isn't even acknowledging when it's plugged in. And when I connect via USB, the computer isn't registering any connection to it.
I think it's toast! The only thing I can see is a white background with green htc lettering i.e. welcome screen
Thanks for getting back to me, any other ideas?
Will I be able to reload original windows back on by myself?

Try windows 7 XP sucks doing this kind of stuff
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

ndonovan said:
...The only thing I can see is a white background with green htc lettering i.e. welcome screen...
Thanks very much for the response. As above, the handset is completely unresponsive - it's not even showing a "charge" when plugged in.
Any help greatly appreciated
Many thanks
Signed,
Cracking up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Can you get to bootloader?
(power on while holding vol. down)........
If so, get to bootloader then connect via usb. The word serial at the bottom of the screen should change to USB. This sometimes takes a few minutes (for me anyway)
Once it reads "USB" flash a WM6.5 Rom in the usual way.......
If you cant get to bootloader then theres a good chance you've somehow borked your device......

Thanks everyone and in particular jsmmcabe and conantroutman
I got into bootloader and I'm trying to reinstall the windows os from there.
will let you know how I get on,
thanks again guys - lifesavers

I should have mentioned that flashing a stock 6.5 rom will wipe HSPL.
If you flash a stock rom then you will need to reinstall HSPL before attempting any MAGLDR/NAND shenanigans... (sheNANDigans?? see what I did there )
If you flash a custom ROM from XDA then your HSPL will be ok......
Also should have mentioned the age old "NO .51. radios on a tmous" advice.........
Good luck.......

Well after all of that I went to Pirate Bay, downloaded an Android 2.2 file, copied it onto my SD card and ran it.
Hey presto, I have an Android Phone!
I cannot begin to tell you how much better it is. It's fast, it doesn't freeze, the whole interface is much cleaner and easier to use.
SNAG ITEM:
Tried doing the same with a friends phone and when activating the copied files from the SD card, the thing just hangs and I have to reset the phone.
Any idea why it worked on mine and not his?
Same phone, bought in Ireland, a week apart. Different mobile operator networks though..... I'm Vodafone, he's O2 - weird, no?

ndonovan said:
Well after all of that I went to Pirate Bay, downloaded an Android 2.2 file, copied it onto my SD card and ran it.
Hey presto, I have an Android Phone!
I cannot begin to tell you how much better it is. It's fast, it doesn't freeze, the whole interface is much cleaner and easier to use.
SNAG ITEM:
Tried doing the same with a friends phone and when activating the copied files from the SD card, the thing just hangs and I have to reset the phone.
Any idea why it worked on mine and not his?
Same phone, bought in Ireland, a week apart. Different mobile operator networks though..... I'm Vodafone, he's O2 - weird, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be its not booting because of an incompatible radio....
must be above 2.08.50..... you can find this info in settings about phone...
Also, why download android from the piratebay???
Everything android related you could possibly need is here on XDA.
Personally Id be suspicious of anything from a site like that. Theres no way of knowing whats in that Rom. I would change to a well used and trusted build from XDA if I were you.
Theres no exact science to getting this running on different phones, what works for one may not work for another......