How to root your hero and flash custom ROM/Recovery

[omokas]

To use this guide you should first update your HTC Hero with the original 2.73.405.5 Update and not to a newer one.
To proceed with updating your hero please download the Update Program from here.

Notice that if you do anything wrong you can brick your phone and its not our fault. Don't blame me.

Please check your Hero , if it is a GSM proceed, if it is a CDMA don't try because you will brick it (GSM= takes SIM card , CDMA= Doesn't take SIM card)

Windows Systems supported:

• Windows 7 (with hacked drivers , search on the net)
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP (Only SP2)

Part 1 "Installing a custom recovery image"

1.Download Flashrec (latest version) and Amon_RA 1.5.2 Recovery Image.

2.Boot up your HTC Hero and go to Menu>Settings>Applications and tick the "Unknown Sources" option.

3.On the same place go to "Development" and enable the "USB debugging" option.

4.Connect USB and enable Filetransfer. Copy the flashrec.apk and AmonRA152.img into the root of your memory card.

5.Download from Market (on your phone) the program called "Linda File Manager" and run it.

6.When you have Linda File Manager running , select "SD Card" and press the file called "flashrec.apk"

7.A pop-up will appear asking you to select between 2 options. Select Package Installer and let it install Flashrec.

8.Now open Flashrec and press "Backup Recovery Image" and wait for it to finish.

9.Once done write "sdcard/AmonRA152.img" and press "Flash Custom Recovery" and wait for it to finish.

10. Now you have a custom recovery image. Test it if you want by shutting down your phone and press "Home" & "Power" buttons, keep holding them until it boots into recovery
ROMs and Custom Recovery Images can be found here

Part 2 "Rooting your HTC Hero 2.73.405.5"

1.Download Android SDK and extract it to C:\.

2.Now download Superuser.zip (which includes Superuser.apk and the su binary) and extract it to C:\SDK\Tools.

3.Open CMD and go to C:\SDK\Tools. I assume you have connected your phone and the PC has installed the ADB drivers.

4.On CMD while your phone is connected in Normal Mode type the following line by line:

adb shell mount /system
adb push su /system/bin/
adb shell chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/
adb shell reboot

Note: Copy/Paste the lines into CMD, pressing enter after each line. CMD will not show any progress bar or text.

5. Your phone should reboot normally. Don't close CMD because we need to continue to test if we have root.

6. Write on CMD the following "adb shell" (a little dollar sign will appear) , then type "su" and on your phone a pop-up with Superuser Application will appear. Click allow always and if you see a # sign on CMD then you are rooted

7. Done now you have root on the generic HTC stock rom. Otherwise you can just flash a custom ROM (pre-rooted) with your custom recovery,


Part 3 "Flash a custom ROM"

1. Download a custom ROM of your choise. But first check if your Hero is a GSM or CDMA one. (GSM takes sim card, CDMA doesen't take any sim card).

2. MoDaCo's ROM 3.0 will be used in this case (MoDaCo's ROMs are the best for now).

3. When you download the ROM , rename it to update.zip and transfer it to the root of your memory card.

4. Reboot your phone into recovery (Hold Home & Power when booting) and you will see many options. Select "Flash zip from sdcard", press the "Home" button and let it finish flashing.

5. Once its done reboot your phone with the "Reboot system now" option in recovery and let it 5-15 minutes to boot. (1st boot can take up to 20 minutes to boot)

6. Now that your phone booted , setup your phone settings again and when you're done you will have a custom, prerooted ROM up and running

ROMs and Custom Recovery Images can be found here

Part 4 "Flashing a new Radio image"

Note : Upgrading / Flashing new radio image can brick your phone easily. Please do NOT interrupt the flashing and the reboot when its done.

1. Download a radio from here, rename it to update.zip and copy it to the root of your memory card.

2. Reboot your phone into Recovery (Home+Power) and press "Flash zip from sdcard", and press Home button to continue.

3. Once done your phone will reboot and this is when the radio installs so DO NOT INTERUPT THE REBOOT !!! (There is a chance that your phone might return to recovery menu after installing update.zip , so if it does press the reboot and let it finish)

4. If your phone booted normally then you have succesfully flashed a new radio

RADIO Images can be downloaded from here

Information about Radio :

Radio controlls every communication system in your HTC Hero, which includes Wi-Fi , Bluetooth , Calls&SMS (2G&3G). For example now If you are from EUROPE you shouldn't worry about radios that doesen't have the EU word, just flash them normally because they aren't made for a certain region. Reccomended Radio is 63.18.55.06JU_6.35.09.26. Your device can be bricked and it can't be recovered , only if you send your phone to HTC and they replace motherboard for you.
[B]


Part 5 "Flashing custom SPL(aka Bootloader)"

With the unlocked SPL that Paul (aka MoDaCo) posted in his forum and at xda-developers you can flash unsigned updates and custom splash images (the first image when you press the power button and phone boots up).

1. Download the custom SPL from here.

2. Do not extract it, BUT rename it to and transfer it to the root of your memory card.

3. Reboot into recovery and select "Flash update image" and then "Apply sdcard:update.zip". It will ask you to press the home button , just press it.

4. Your phone will reboot into recovert again. Go again and press "Reboot system now" and leave it boot without pulling out the battery because IT WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE.

5.Make sure your phone has rebooted 2 times in the whole SPL flash , if yes and you booted normally into your ROM then you are just fine and cogratz


CREDITS and COPYRIGHTS

This tutorial is made by me with lot of help from the xda-developers forum and I do not allow anyone to copy it except they link to MyGreatPhone.com and credit me for this of course

(c) omokas 2009-2010

[Daz]

Very thorough guide.

[omokas]

Thanks Daz. I will add some things later or tommorow from school

[aopchick21]

Thanks Much

[omokas]

Have you tried it or you just want to say thanks for the guide ?

[eoghan]

Very nice guide omokas keep up the great work for viewty and HTC lmao

[omokas]

Updated guide with Part 5 "Flashing custom SPL(aka Bootloader)

[Une Jom]

oke somebody please help me..
i get stuck at part 1 step 7. When i open the Rec. flasher..i only see the empty box to type..beneath this Download Recovery Image..but its faded...so i cant click on it like i should...right? And beneath this is Restore Backup Image. When i do that..it says Flash Complete...
And when i turn off my handset, and do the press&hold of the home and end button....i dont get to see the Green Texts...i get some blue lines...and here there isnt the Nandroid backup....(which i really need to do/have)
What im i doing wrong? I tried several times but no luck....

Thanks,
No Doubt

[omokas]

Hmm...weird, your phone must have the original 2.73.405.5 update. If you got a newer one then you can't root it.

On the box you need to write "/sdcard/AmonRA152.img" and you need to write it exactly like I write it, with slashes,dots and everything the same. Make sure you have put the AmonRA152.img inside your SD card, not inside a folder.

[Une Jom]

yeah i know right...i dont get it...

well i did that..ive put the 2 things in my sd-card like it says in the first post...and wrote excatly like you say...
heres some info from my phone:
Modelnumber: T-Mobile G2 Touch
Firmware-version: 1.5
Smalband version: 63.18.55.06U_6.35.04.25
Buildnumber: 1.76.110.6 146733
Software version: 1.0.0.A6288