Root your CS Hero
Some folks over at xda have figured out a way to root the non-Sprint HTC Hero. I went through the process yesterday, and it took about an hour (not including file downloads). Not sure if anyone on this forum is interested in rooting, but if so I thought this could be a good thread to talk about what works and what's broken.
I'll continue to edit this thread as I discover quirks and test ROMS.
I'm using the Fresh ROM, and so far the only issues I've had are:
Any of my previous free 'My Downloads' disappearing from the Market. My paid apps are still there.
**Make sure you backup your sd card and that your contacts are synced to your gmail account before rooting!**
Favorite 'root-only' app so far: Wireless Tether
http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/
It comes preloaded on the Fresh ROM. It allows you to tether off of your device's 3G connection through Wifi or Bluetooth.
THIS IS A WARNING TO EVERYONE WHO IS CONSIDERING ROOTING YOUR HERO.... IT WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY WITH CELLULAR SOUTH!!! DO AT YOUR OWN RISK
out of curiosity though, what warranty benefits am I losing by rooting? I know someone who walked into a CS store with a faulty phone and they swapped it for him on the spot without any further investigation.
highly doubt that my local CS salesperson even knows how to tell if a phone is rooted or not...
If a warranty claim is done your phone is sent in for testing; once they test it you'll be charged full price for a new one is my understanding
right, it voids the software warranty, but if you have insurance on the hardware and something were to happen...where the phone is physically damaged...
this is just hypothetical...i'm not suggesting that anyone do anything illegal
rooting should be done at the user's own risk. if you aren't tech-savvy enough to use shell commands and have basic understanding of flashing, etc...don't do it...but if you are...the benefits outweigh the risks IMHO
Thanks for sharing here, Steve. Did you decide if you are going to recompile a tutorial that is easier to follow? Maybe specific to CS Heros? I just acquired a PC yesterday that needs an OS wipe/reinstall. As soon as I get that done, I'll be giving this a shot. Is there any advantage to doing this process on a Linux machine?
I've read a lot about rooting android phones. I have seen tons of comments about people being worried about bricking phones, etc, but have never read about someone actually doing it... or having a problem that they couldn't fix with a little help. Anyone else?
Did you decide if you are going to recompile a tutorial that is easier to follow?
-asmith001
Probably not...at first I was confused but all I did was follow the directions on the first post in the xda thread exactly in order and it worked fine.
I've read a lot about rooting android phones. I have seen tons of comments about people being worried about bricking phones, etc, but have never read about someone actually doing it... or having a problem that they couldn't fix with a little help. Anyone else?
-asmith001
the only thing people should be concerned with is that you can't restore the Vanilla CS RUU ( like it came from the CS store ).
once you root, your phone gets a tool called nandroid which allows you to do complete backups of your phone before flashing to a new ROM. you should always do a nandroid backup before performing any major changes to the device.
once you have rooted, the first RUU on your phone is the Sprint ROM, which is basically the same as the CS one except its customized for Sprint. this will become your failsafe ROM, so make sure you do a nandroid before flashing to a 3rd party ROM.
no, I haven't seen one report of a bricked phone due to rooting.
