yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
Yes, you will lose root after flashing the PC36IMG.zip. That is to be expected. You're running a totally stock system partition at that point. The key is that you have a custom recovery installed at that point, meaning you can apply the su-2.1-e-unsecure-signed.zip, which installs su and Superuser.apk for you (i.e., gives you root access).
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
I'm on 1.47.651.1, and I can start at the beginning of these steps just fine. However, I have the engineering HBOOT already.

If you're on an unrooted 1.47.651.1 with the release HBOOT (0.79.0000), you're S.O.L. at the moment until someone finds a new attack vector.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
ok, you are winning me over Mr. Whitslack :)

it sure seems easier than anything else ive seen here. why would you use clockwork and how? i dont know anything about ADB shell or pushing or pulling or anything to the point that i cant even beging wrapping my head around it. i have downloaded the adb programs and attempted to do little things here and there (like changing my boot screen and splash scree) but have had no luck cuz i dont know adb...

i know the people at unrevoked are looking for a fix to 4g because i think the latest updated they released (which had the latest OTA cooked in their update) broke it. i dont understand how you are able to put something so nicely and neat and fast while with other process you have to go around the world and back to get root access...

ever heard "if its too good to be true is cuz it really is"? thats why im afraid might happen here. i cannot keep thinking that if i run your root process in the future it will completely anihalate my phone :) (sorta like i am legend where they fix one problem but in the end it cost them more)... but i will keep reading and making my decision. so far ur winning mr whitslack.
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
The problem the other folks are having is that they're trying to integrate the WiMAX update into their own update procedures, but they're missing some important step that is eluding them. (I don't know what the important step is either.) The reason my process works is that it's the same process the official OTA updates use. I just added a single line to the official update scripts so they don't blow away the setuid-root permissions on /system/xbin/su.
[EVO 4G Android Development] paulg1981:
Followed the instructions exactly coming from Fresh 0.5.3 and it worked just as described! Thanks whitslack! This is just what I wanted :-)
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
gotcha...well that makes sense in my book.

let me ask you tho, is this going to be the same process for all future OTA updates? will we need to go back to go forward as listed on post #1? i dotn mind this process as long as it works.

Also, im guessing if i use your process i wont be able to use custom roms (seeing as how yours is technically a customer rom right?) i saw that http://www.joeyconway.me/evo/custom/index.php is a way to get rid of unecessary stuff on your phone...will i be able to apply something like this after doing your process???
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
If HTC releases another incremental OTA update, the steps I will take to produce a root-safe version of it are as follows:

If the update includes an HBOOT image, remove it. We absolutely must keep our engineering HBOOT.

If the update script sets permissions recursively on /system/xbin, add a line to the update script to set permissions on /system/xbin/su to uid=0, gid=0, mode=06755. This is so we don't lose root access from inside the system.

(The second step isn't strictly necessary. Even if an OTA kills the setuid-root permissions on /system/xbin/su, as long as you have the engineering HBOOT, you could fastboot flash a custom recovery and then flash the su-2.1-e-unsecure-signed.zip, which would restore the proper permissions on /system/xbin/su.)

If you don't change anything on /system following this procedure, you won't need to start over when the next OTA update comes out.

You can flash a custom ROM after following this procedure. It might break WiMAX, though; I don't know for sure. If you do flash a custom ROM, you would have to start over from the beginning here when the next incremental OTA is released.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
Deal, ill do yours then.

The reason i was asking about custom roms was because i would realy love to eliminate some programs using that joeyconway system (i dont believe that it messes with any wimax other than adding wifi N support which is already installed in your process, right?).

Other than firmware and software updates (which we should not install because most likely it would break ROOT), it should be fine to update profiles and PRL's right?
[EVO 4G Android Development] m03sizlak:
So does anyone really the think that the Froyo update (expected in about 2 weeks) will be an *incremental* update???? I highly doubt it. I also hear that Android 3.0 aka Gingerbread will being getting pushed to the Evo as early as October!!

Quite Frankly I'm gona continue using my .6 stock rooted ROM until a rooted Sprint Froyo RUU hits the streets.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mpa4712:
So, has anyone who had a borked MAC tried this procedure?

or

Is there any expectation that this will work (restore 4g, that is) if you at one point had a bad MAC that has since been restored?
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
what is .6 stock rooted rom you have? it doesnt have any of the new updates right?
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
As far as I know, the 1.47.651.1 update enabled 802.11n, yes.

You can update profiles and PRLs to your heart's content.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
lol...to my hearts content hahahahaha, dont know why this just almost made me piss my pants lol...

so i was correct in that i dont want to update any firmware or software, right? and thanks for all the help you have been giving me...i will now try to install this. see u on the flip side.
[EVO 4G Android Development] itmustbejj:
Gingerbread source is rumored to be released in october and carrier uodates are rumored in december. If course if htc releases the evo kernel before then we will have gingerbread in octoberish assuming the october source release timeline
[EVO 4G Android Development] xtkxhom3r:
ok so i was rooted with fresh's rom before and now i did this and everything is working great but i want to go back to fresh's rom so can i recover from my nandroid or do flash the rom again?
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
Don't accept any OTA updates. (It probably won't be the end of the world if you do, since, to date, none of them included an HBOOT image, but you'd still have to use fastboot to put a custom recovery back on and then flash the superuser package, so it'd be easier for you if you waited for a root-safe OTA update to be posted here.)

There are two ways of restoring a Nandroid backup. You can flash the partition images yourself using fastboot, or you can flash a custom recovery and pick restore from its menu. Neither way requires you to install Fresh ROM before restoring your backup.
[EVO 4G Android Development] sjwaste:
Thanks for putting this post together. I'm going to go for it, since I really want the benefits of better wifi reception and the better locking on 4G signal that some reported.

This will hold me over until the RUU comes out and Fresh incorporates it. That's my favorite ROM.

Since you mentioned the new OTA doesn't touch HBOOT, does this mean you think this method can also help the folks that accidentally (or purposely) applied it? I didn't, but there's a thread where they're trying to figure out how to root it.
[EVO 4G Android Development] epphllps:
So as Shark mentioned earlier, do we still need to delete the Amon recovery from the zip? All I get is "fail-PU" when the img is trying to flash the recovery. The included recovery doesn't get flashed and I have no access to it, it just hangs like people have said. So what it the final verdict on this? If I have to go through the root and nand unlock again I'm going to be ill, even though it's not a problem.
[EVO 4G Android Development] xtkxhom3r:
im probably just doing something wrong but i tried flashing a custom recovery but all i get is permission denied in adb so i dont know whats going on lol...
[EVO 4G Android Development] Land Master:
mrjeancw,

I'm sure your read through the prior post's and saw that I was just as skeptical as you. Whitslack was accommodating and gracious enough to answer all my questions which definitely revolved around a "too good to be true" concept. I never received a response to my latest post whereby I wanted him to be assured that I was not "attacking" him and just picking his brain. If you didn't read that whitslack.... please know that its true and I do THANK you for your efforts on this.

Regarding custom recovery's I offer:

I like Clockwork (which can be installed from the Market by searching for "ROM Manager) because it allows you to flash a custom recovery directly from within the Android system. You have a choice of flashing not only a "clockwork" recovery but also an RA recovery if you like that one better. It is located near the bottom of the menu under the heading "Alternate Recovery". Some ROM's apparently will only install with one or the other. It has something to do with whether the ROM is "signed" or not. In either case using ROM Manager gives you the choice.

Regarding alternate ROM's I offer:

I asked the question in this thread back a few pages and was informed that you should only flash a ROM that is based upon the latest OTA System Code (1.47xxx). I don't know if this is an absolute must but it makes sense. The new radio and wimax updates were written to run on the new system files and therefore would offer you the best performance is you stick with a ROM based on them. This is NOT to say that you will be unable to run a ROM based upon the earlier system files but it makes sense to me that doing so would in the best case not offer you the best performance and in the worst case cause things to malfunction. I'm sure more posts will be made on this subject as different ROM's are experimented with. This in a nutshell is what makes this procedure so enticing. As long as the HBOOT (engineering version modified pursuant to this thread) remains on the phone, in the grand scheme of things you can't totally break anything. Granted recovery could be hindered to a point where it may not be as simple as "flashing" a new ROM, but through alternate recovery tools such as fastboot and adb, you should always be able to regain control of your phone and flash it back to stock.

Hope this helps.
[EVO 4G Android Development] xtkxhom3r:
yea that helped out a lot thanks bro.

so since i fresh's rom isnt compatible which rom is? lol
[EVO 4G Android Development] sjwaste:
Would I hurt anything by opening up the ZIP files included in the first post (before flashing anything) and removing the stock apps that I don't want?

Basically, I don't want FriendStream, Peep, Facebook, or any of the Sprint Apps except for TV. Yet they somehow load all the time. I figure I could save some battery if they weren't installed.

Thoughts?
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
The problem with the OTA happens when people are using the release version of HBOOT (0.79.0000). That version locks the NAND when fully booted, so it's impossible to reflash the nv (misc) partition with mtd-eng.img, which is necessary for convincing HBOOT to do a downgrade. So, in short, this method won't help anyone who is already on 1.47.651.1 with HBOOT 0.79.0000.

The engineering HBOOT doesn't reject the Amon RA recovery. If you're seeing "Fail-PU," it sounds like you're using the release HBOOT. In that case, you'll have to go through Toast's Part 2 to get the engineering HBOOT installed.

Sounds like you also are running the release HBOOT. You need to get the engineering HBOOT installed via Toast's Part 2. Then come back here and do the full process to get fully updated while keeping root access.
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
This is 100% correct.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mpa4712:
I'm on hboot 76.2000 and I also got locked out of recovery after flashing the first PCIM36.zip file. Going to recovery results in the phone getting locked in the 4G screen.
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
If you remove stuff from the initial install, then the incremental updates will fail.

You can remove apps from the final product after you've done this whole updating process.

For what it's worth, merely having stuff installed won't use any extra battery power, even if Android decides to pre-launch processes. If an application shows up as "EMPTY" in a task manager, no code in it is actually running; it's just been preloaded into RAM so it would start faster if you subsequently decide to launch it.
[EVO 4G Android Development] epphllps:
Thanks whit, so what is the eng HBOOT version #? Also, what it making this not work as it did for you? Is it the fact that I am coming from root/nand unlocked running the DC 3221 rom (or any other basically any other rooted rom)?
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
That's unexpected. Could you try flashing a recovery image (Amon RA or Clockwork) using fastboot?
[EVO 4G Android Development] mpa4712:
Sure, if you can tell me the syntax for the fastboot command
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
The engineering HBOOT's version number is 0.76.2000. That is the one that will let you flash any PC36IMG.zip you want, regardless of whether it has been signed. That is also the one that doesn't lock the NAND when booting into the main system.

I don't know why it's not working for you. You could try flashing the mtd-eng.img from Toast's Part 2 to reset your MainVer, and then try this update process from the top.
[EVO 4G Android Development] epphllps:
Same problem here, I guess I should have mentioned I was on 76.2000 also. Thanks for the quick responses, I guess I'll go back and do that stuff again. Oh well, can all work out perfectly for everyone haha.
[EVO 4G Android Development] Travyevo:
How does this update (from page 1) look to a tech at a sprint store? Does it look like a stock phone with the normal updates? Is there anything I need to remove in case I need to go to the repair shop?
[EVO 4G Android Development] frankenstein\:
If you want to make sure you can do incremental updates in the future but want to remove some of the sprint and htc bloatware once your done with the upgrade process this is fairly easy to accomplish.

Instead of deleting the apk and odex files from the /system/app directory, create a directory on the sdcard. Call it bloatware or something you'll easily recognize. Then move the apk and odex files from /system/app to the directory you created on the sdcard.

Then, when the next incremental comes out you just copy them back into /system/app and your ready to apply the incremental update. Once updated, move the updated files back to your bloatware directory.

On the clockwork recovery item... clockwork is a good recovery tool but if you switch roms, or use nandroid backups to switch between roms you've setup and want to run incrementally, you need to wipe data / cache & dalvik between each change.

I've seen a number of devs in various threads indicate that clockwork isn't wiping (formating) those partitions completely resulting in bootloops after doing rom flashes. For this reason I've stuck with Amon-Ra's recovery which has worked quite well for me.

I can't swear to this as I haven't experienced it but I don't use clockwork so I wouldn't. I can say I've never had a problem with a wipe or a nandroid backup/restore using Ra's.
[EVO 4G Android Development] epphllps:
Think I am going to have to root/unlock nand from scratch. Can't flash the mtd-eng, always getting permission denied in adb shell.
[EVO 4G Android Development] simzz:
Can anyone tell me if 4G can connect and reconnect using this method.

With the "fix" over in the DamageControl thread, 4G now connects, but if I move out of 4G range for a second, it will not reconnect. I then must turn off 4G, then turn it on again, then it will connect to 4G successfully.

I was wondering if this fix is 100%, or if it is like the Damage fix.

If this truly fixes 4G, you will have a lot of people willing to donate from that thread, lol!
[EVO 4G Android Development] Travyevo:
My 4G is still not working no matter what method I use. Broke from Unrevoked.
[EVO 4G Android Development] sjwaste:
Cool, I saw the OP's response that those apps aren't actually running any code so it may not be a huge deal. To move, them, though, would I need to launch an adb shell (I have no problem with command lines) or is there an app I can use? I use Astro on the phone itself, but that won't let you write to /system, will it?

I suppose I could open a shell in ConnectBot too.
[EVO 4G Android Development] Land Master:
Currently I believe the most recent versions Damage Control and Baked Snack but I'm NOT 100% sure.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mobilemaniac:
Doh! Yeah I should have realized that. It was late. This worked like a charm (BTW, I used 7zip). Thanks! Thanks to Whitslack as well.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mobilemaniac:
The problem I ran into was the custom recovery failed to flash and then I was stuck with an unrooted system that couldn't enter recovery (just hung on boot screen) and I didn't know how to flash a new recovery without root. This was all on the eng build of HBOOT (.76.2000).

I ended up redoing Toast's 1 and 2 and then removed the recovery image from your PCIMG36.zip and followed your directions from there. All appears well now. Thank you for this thread.
[EVO 4G Android Development] frankenstein\:
I use root explorer because it has integration with root functionality and has nice convenient buttons to remount read only filesystems as read write and the capability to select multiple files at once and an integrated text editor, etc... I'm quite fond of it.

I think you could do this with astro provided you shell into the phone, either with connectbot or via adb or some other terminal interface and remount /system as read write. Once it's mounted RW you should be able to navigate there and do what you need to do.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
i power down then power up with vol down pressed i get to the hboot screen

hboot 79.0000

it goes into

sd checking...

loading...[pc36diag.zip]

no image!

loading...[pc36diag.nbg]

no image or wrong image!

loading...[pc36img.zip]

blue loading bar

then the blue bar disappears and all im left after HBOOT is

checking...[pc36img.zip]

and then reverts back to the hboot screen with

Hboot

vol up

vol down

power

fastbook

recovery

clear storage

simlock

hboot usb
[EVO 4G Android Development] Land Master:
I have seen quite a lot of mention of this program. This is a "paid" only app correct?

I hope so cause' I just bought it....;)
[EVO 4G Android Development] frankenstein\:
I've never seen a demo version of it.

In my opinion it was worth the 2.5 bucks I spent on it.
[EVO 4G Android Development] epphllps:
Whoa whit...I don't know what happened but I am now stuck on software 1.32.651.1 with hboot 79.0000 and I can't do anything at all! The original root and eng PC36IMG fail and I can't even update from .1 with the .6 RUU or through the OTA update for .6....what in the world has happened here??? ANYONE please feel free to chime in. I'm lost as you can see and I'm not exactly "new" to this. Rooted mine and all of my friends' evos.
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
Aside from the very obvious "Superuser Permissions" app in your applications drawer and the not-so-obvious "HBOOT 0.76.2000" on the bootloader screen, it'll look identical. You might want to move Superuser.apk out of /system/app before you go to a store, as that's the deadest giveaway that your phone is rooted.
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
You have the release HBOOT, not the engineering HBOOT. Do Toast's rooting method to get the engineering HBOOT installed, and then start at the top with this method.

Have you tried running the .1 RUU EXE on a Windows machine? That would flash every partition and every firmware back to the original releases. If it complains of a version error, then probably your MainVer is set incorrectly. If you're on 1.32.651.1, unrEVOked should work to give you root access. From there, you can proceed with Toast's Part 2 to fix your MainVer and install the engineering HBOOT.
[EVO 4G Android Development] Travyevo:
Ironically, I don't have the superuser permissions app on my app drawer and I can't move (rename) superuser.apk. Looks like I lost that ability even tho I can adb in. Ideas?
[EVO 4G Android Development] PHXDEMON:
Just finished and I don't have root or the root.apks :confused:
[EVO 4G Android Development] whitslack:
How are you people screwing this up?

Did you install su-2.1-e-unsecure-signed.zip? That's where su and Superuser.apk come from. If you have neither of those, you didn't install it. The OTA updates, even the official updates from HTC, will not remove either of those files (though they will kill the setuid-root permissions on su). If you don't even have Superuser Permissions in your apps drawer, you didn't follow these instructions.
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
lol...what do you mean "you people", oh memories of tropid thunder lol
[EVO 4G Android Development] mpa4712:
Can you elaborate a bit more on this? The exact same thing happened to me, stuck on 1.32 and now mysteriously have the release HBOOT.
[EVO 4G Android Development] eldarerathis:
I've been following these forums since I got my EVO, and I just want to post a quick +1 to say that this did work for me. I followed the directions coming from OMJ's 1.5 ROM and everything updated correctly. I still have root, and I can still write to /system from within Android. I did also have to move the tree.xml file in /data/misc/wimax then reboot before I could get on 4G.

My 4G/WiMax actually seems more stable after the update, too. I only get about one bar at my apartment, but it's holding that one bar and I managed to get 2.5Mbps download speeds. I get better service at work but I won't be back to my office until Tuesday, so I'll try that too. For reference, I live in Chapel Hill and I work in Durham, North Carolina.

Software info from my phone:

Baseband: 2.05.00.06.10

Build: 1.47.651.1

WiMax: 4.6.2.2v25641

Question though: Has anyone tried flashing a custom .47 ROM on top of this yet? I'm pretty much fine with the stock system once I get rid of the Sprint bloatware, but I like to try out custom stuff, too. I might backup my NAND and try one tonight.
[EVO 4G Android Development] Travyevo:
I did follow directions and I didn't screw it up.

I just remembered that I removed files from my phone when I figured that I was going to go to the Sprint store.

Sheesh, I forgot, that's all. :eek:
[EVO 4G Android Development] mrjeancw:
ok so i went to his post here http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=690762 and it says to download a new pc36img.zip file, but do i need to the erecovery file as well or no?
[EVO 4G Android Development] redsolar:
If you are back to stock 0.79000 HBOOT, you need to re-run root part 1, and root part 2 to get back to engineering, before you can proceed with part 2 of the OP of this thread.

I'm afraid to disappoint you, this still does not fix 4G issue from the unrevoked flash, the /data/wimax/Boot.bin you have is likely is (and will remain) less than 80,000 bytes, and missing (what i believe are) encryption keys.
[EVO 4G Android Development] awesomeindeed:
Not sure how this is getting so convoluted.

Download all the files.... throw them all on the root of your SD card and then just go one by one. This is probably the most simple thing to do with these phones.

On a side note... system partition is acting funky. I can write some files to it without it being mounted. Some files I cannot. Boot animation files in particular. I can write the mp3 sound file with no mount required at all. If I mount and write the animation zip file it writes but doesn't take effect. However, on the next boot the sound file I copied plays and the stock boot animation is still there.

Something seems wonky with this after the 1.47 update.