[APP - release] general Flashaholic Rom Update Utility - v1

warning: this tool is for flashaholics. The ones who know all risks of flashing roms and like to live in the fast lane
Note for HD2-users: Although this version can be also used for the HD2, you may like this version more (the HD2 version doesn't require that you provide a "preflash" .nbh file - see further).


- Description:
FlashaholicRUU (FRUU) is a customized version of the HTC Rom Update utility that will simplify the rom update proces by:
1. performing a task29 before updating a rom
2. allowing the user to navigate through the dialog windows without having to check checkboxes (s)he has seen a gazillion times before.
3. allowing the user to use only the keyboard to go through the dialog boxes (enter -> next window, esc -> quit fruu)

- Prerequisite
Task 29 is performed by flashing a .nbh file before the (custom) rom file. Because the tool is meant to be general applicable for all devices you need to provide this "pre flashable" .nbh file yourself. In principle you can use any .nbh file for this. To speed up this first step though it is recommended to use a radio for your own device or better yet, a .nbh file containing only the splashscreen for your device. Rename this file (radio, splashscreen ) preflash.nbh and put it in a directory together with your custom rom file (may have any name as long as it has an .nbh extension) and the general_FlashaholicRUU.exe. Make sure there aren't any other files in the directory.
For the rest follow the instructions described in the section Usage

- Usage:

This program will take you through the steps of performing a Task29 (formatting your roms storage memory) and then flashing a new rom. It is not advised to use this if you are totally new to flashing roms as if it is done incorrectly you will end up with no rom on your phone and a permanent look of terror on your face

This is not for noobs!!

1. Make sure your phone is booted up

2. Sync your pc and phone

3. (you may skip this step if you've read the prerequisite) Copy the general_FlashaholicRUU.exe file to a new folder with JUST the roms .nbh file present and a rom you want to flash before you flash your rom. Rename this last rom file, the one you want to flash first, preflash.nbh

4. Run the general_FlashaholicRUU.exe and follow the instructions in the program

5. Click on the "perform task29" button to format your roms memory

6. As soon as the percentage bar reaches 100% hold your "volume down" button and continue holding until the phone reboots and enters the bootloader screen
NOTE: If you get a white screen with "hTC" in the middle then you need to take out your battery and enter bootloader mode manually before continuing (take battery out and put it back in, then hold the volume down button and briefly press the power button. Keep holding the volume down button until the bootloader screen appears).

7. When the white box in the bottom of the bootloader screen says "USB" then click on "Flash Rom" in the Flashaholic program

8. Follow the onscreen instructions and lastly click on "Flash" to flash the rom to your phone

9. You will now have a percentage bar on your phone and your new rom is being flashed

10. Once your Rom has flashed your phone will reboot and you can go through the setup screens.

Run your new Rom for a few hours, search for another one and start again with step 1 (if you want to become a real senior flashaholic)

NOTE: There is no need to perform a Hard Reset after flashing the Rom using this program as the Task29 performs a much more thorough job.

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When you want to flash a rom without performing task 29 (for example when you want to flash a new radio) just hit <ESC> on the first screen of step 1. This will take you right to step 2 in which you can flash your rom

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

(Thanks to mskip for writing this brief but comprehensive manual)

- Video:
Video of the app on a computer of a fellow flashaholic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3pGbW-vag. Thank you claub. Keep on flashin'

- Note to chefs:
You can pack FRUU with your Roms. You can even customize FRUU for your Rom series. For example you can use your own images, text, info etc. I have written some general instructions about customizing the RUU here. (Notice that in FRUU ModelID.fig is used for the first task29 step and RUU.fig is used for the second step. The dialogs for the first step are part of RUUResource.dll. Dialogs for the second step you will find in CustomizedRomResource.dll. Instead of the setup.bat and setup.vbs I mentioned in the aforementioned post I used the files run.bat and run.vbs. For exra information you can PM me)


- Donations:


Thank you!


Thanks to: doloop (for his non-mtty task 29 tool)


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Note: this tool should work for any (newer) htc device. Nevertheless make sure that your bootloader will support task 29 and that experiments with mtty task 29 has positive results for your device (look at the development section for your device forum)

Devices on which this tool is reported to work:

* Leo (HD2)
* Rhodium (Touch Pro 2, Tilt 2)
* Topaz (Diamond 2, Pure)
* Raphael (Touch Pro, Fuze)
* Diamond
(please pm me or report your device in this thread if the tool worked also for your device and that device is not in this list yet)

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Happy flashing

Petulinek said:

Not Radio.nbh? Isnt it typo?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Yes, it is a typo. Should be radio.nbh

core7x said:

sure need to test.
what diff between task 32, task 29 and task 28
im on blackstone, so that using only task 29

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

task 28 hard resets the device. It is the default task executed by the shipped romupdateutiliy (RUU). Custom RUU's one find here on xda have replaced task 28 with a task 32 (security level check). That way you can use the custom ruu to flash a radio or a bootscreen. You don't want a hard reset after that

Task 29 formats the device.

It should work on the blackstone. From what I've read the bootloader supports those commands. As far as I know those commands are also supported by the bootloader of other newer HTC devices as well.
Make sure you have HSPL installed. (or how it is called for your platform)

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(BTW for anyone who like to experiment with the above util, you can extract the exe and examine run.bat ...

If the RUU's in this package don't work use the RUU for your device. Open it with a hexeditor. search for "task" and change the digits "28" behind it to "29" and save it as "Task29.exe". Do the same again, but now change "28" to "32" and save it as RomUpdateUtil.exe. )

core7x said:

clear, will do that

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

You naughty boy... naughty naughty naughty

core7x said:

joke only, by the way. im flasholic rom person.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I kinda hoped that you noticed the ironic undertone of my reply

gguruusa said:

OK, this sounds like a bad idea taken even further.

Hard reset reloads nvram and ram from flash. Radio and bootscreen are in flash, so a hard reset will do nothing to them.

Unless HD2 is different from all other HTC devices (I seriously doubt it, but do not know), stock ruu should flash radio and bootscreens found in custom roms just fine. This makes sense, of course, because carriers don't release different ruu's just because radio update or bootsplash are included in .nbh.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Not when you just want to update your radio without updating or resetting the os

As to erasing flash before flashing....what a waste of time. I can imagine almost no case where this would be beneficial, and it certainly is wasteful in 99.99% of cases. Why would you want to degrade memory 2x as fast (or more) on a routine basis? Flashing RARELY (like never) fails to overwrite, and when it does, it won't help you to have 0's where it fails.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

If i don't do a format before flashing a new rom - time has shown me this again and again - i get some serious battery drain problems. Of couse I like to pass this step... but..

and with respect to your other advice, this is a tool for flashaholics you know. I don't think flashaholics worry very much about the memory of a device they use for 1-2 years max.

resqman said:

Tested this morning on a Raphael (ATT Fuze). Worked well. Task 29, radio flashed and ROM flashed. No problems at all.

Also tested with a Rhodium(ATT Tilt2). Same results.

Makes ROM flashing much faster. Now if there was just someway of not having to press the down volume button at the end of task 29 it would be perfect.

Good work Appelflap!!!

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for testing! I think you helped a whole lot of flashaholics

BTW: If you have a original nbh file of the first bootscreen of your device(-s) you can use that instead of a radio ... For now, (till I uploaded a new version) just rename the bootscreen to radio.nbh and put it in the folder from where FlashaholicsRUU is run. Flashing a bootscreen in the first task 29 step is so much faster.

EDIT: about putting the device back in bootloader after the first task 29 step: if I only knew the bootloader command for it I could make it work without any problems. So if anybody has any idea, please let me know, I can hexedit the RUU to execute this command right after task 29 is performed.

resqman said:

Might it be possible to have it check for the existence of a radio.nbh file and if it doesn't exist skip that? I know it is handled by a batch file so there must be a way around it.
I flash a lot of ROMs but I rarely flash radio or bootscreen

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

The bootscreen or radio is needed in step 1. Task 29 is performed after flashing one of these. I will look for another solution when my HD2 is repaired.

resqman said:

I have performed task29 on both Fuze and TP2 without having to flash a radio.

From the task29 section of the Rhodium forum:



Obviously I am missing something here

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for your feedback! This was exactly the feedback that I was looking for.
The task29 tool from the rhodium forum flashes a ruu_signed.nbh that is specifically brewed for the rhodium. Indeed flashing this file doesn't touch anything.

Problem is I can't use such device specific files for a universal flashing tool. That's why I use radio nbh. So that I'm sure that the tool runs task 29 with a nbh file that is accepted by the device that is flashed.

The ruu_signed.nbh that task29 uses for the rhodium is 8.5 mb large. This will take more time to flash than a bootscreen (which is 0.7mb) but less than a radio (which is > 10 mb). May I suggest to use this tool with a bootscreen nbh it is soooo much faster.

Anyway when I get my device back I will look if I can brew a small nbh file that doesn't change the bootscreen or radio. I will target it to different devices and wrap it up for each specific device.

Again, thanks for your input.


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Edit: I've attached the nbh file that is used by the rhodium task29 tool. Use this one instead of a radio. It doesn't alter you radio nor your bootscreen. Although the file is named radio.nbh it isn't a radio (the current test tool need that filename). You can try this for your rhodium.