[GUIDE][DZ] EASY Rooting, Flashing, Debranding and Basic FAQs for dummies

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The HTC DESIRE Z
ROOT / S-OFF / FLASHING / DEBRANDING
EASY TUTORIAL and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS



INTRODUCTION

- Before anything, please scroll down to post 2 to read the ROOT | FLASHING | BASICS | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You will graduate with an Android flashing degree in 9 minutes guaranteed
Then you can come back here and proceed reading the rooting / debranding / flashing guides.

- This guide/tutorial is a LEARNING and RESOURCES centre written in plain english for the average user.
- Don't be shy: please feel free to ask any questions, but don't be dumb: READ first before asking !!

HOW TO ROOT and S-OFF

- For rooting questions, please refer to the proper thread (rooting methods).

- Rooting an HTC Vision is a pain in the arse because there are many variants/versions, and not all rooting methods can be used on all of them.

- There are many ways to get root access: "rage" (ADB command line type) "visionary" (an APK installable app by paulobrien from Modaco) "gfree", etc. Using "Rage" is safer, "visionary" is simpler but many problemshave been reported, and "gfree" safer and most up to date.

- After using any of these, you can go further and turn S-OFF, CID-unlock and SIM-unlock the phone with "gfree", a safe and neat script written by scotty2 et al @ #G2root IRC. Sounds confusing ?? Just follow the instructions on the Wiki.

- TO ROOT, FOLLOW THE STEPS IN THE WIKI
VISION WIKI: ROOTING

- To check if your phone can be rooted you can check this neat thread:
[GUIDE] Root AND Downgrade ANY Desire Z or G2
Thanks to Aegishua

- Before "gfree" was available, transitory ("fake") S-OFF was achieved by flashing an engineering hBoot, but it is not safe and not recommended for newbies.

- As for reference, qpop made a neat a simple guide to get root S-OFF and CID unlock with visionary and gfree. It works a treat with Bell-NAM phones, but visionary sometimes doesn't work for some Asia/Voda versions.
The thread is located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857390, download the "UberRoot" package from the post footer, and follow qpop's guide.
(thanks scotty2 for your hard work and qpop for the guide !!)

- fattire has another neat and clear guide/tutorial for using gfree version 2, the thread is located here: [Guide] Subsidy Unlock, SuperCID, and Radio S-OFF

- UPDATE July 2011:
The MOST RECENT rooting guide/method dated 30 JUN 2011 from aegishua here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1055581

- More instructions and several methods to root in the WIKI:
WIKI - Rooting the HTC Vision,
and HTC Vision Permanent Root,

- NOTE: You will need an ADB shell to run gfree and for other stuff. Please read the FAQ if you don't know what this is. If you don't have an ADB shell already set up and running, download the ADB drivers and the Mini ADB from this post's footer or download the full Android SDK (which includes ADB) and the HTC Sync software (to install the USB drivers on your PC).

- The older rooting guide and the older (and not so safe) "hBoot" way to ("fake") S-OFF have been moved to post 3 for reference purposes only. Plese scroll down to post 3 should you want to read the older guides.

HOW TO DEBRAND

"Debranding" means replacing an original operator-customized frimware (Bell, Vodafone, etc) for the generic, stock HTC Sense firmware.

METHOD 1: Unlocking CID security

You can use this method if you don't have a Goldcard.

- Make sure your phone's battery is charged at least 50%.
- Make sure your PC has the phone's USB drivers installed.
If not, download the HTC USB Driver (for Windows) from this post footer or you can also get them installed by downloading the "HTC Sync" software. After installing the drivers, connect your phone to the PC with the USB cable at least once and the USB drivers will be installed to your PC.
- Your phone must be fully S-OFF and CID-unlocked with scotty2's "gfree" script.
- Download the World Generic HTC shipped official ROM (firmware) with its flashing utility (RUU) from this thread:
[ROM] RUU_Vision_HTC_WWE_1.34.405.5_Radio_12.28b.60.140e _26.03.02.26_M
(thanks football for sharing !!).
- From your PC, run the RUU, follow the on-screen instructions, and let it finish the process.

METHOD 2: Using a Goldcard

You can use this method if you don't want to S-OFF/CID unlock your phone.

- Make sure your phone's battery is charged at least 50%.
- Make sure your PC has the phone's USB drivers installed.
If not, download the HTC USB Driver (for Windows) from this post footer or you can also get them installed by downloading the "HTC Sync" software. After installing the drivers, connect your phone to the PC with the USB cable at least once and the USB drivers will be installed to your PC.
- You need to put a Goldcard SD card inside your phone during the flashing process, otherwise you'll get an "Incorrect Version" Error when flashing. Scroll down to "Resources Centre" to find out how to easily create a Goldcard in a couple of minutes.
- Download the World Generic HTC shipped official ROM (firmware) with its flashing utility (RUU) from this thread:
[ROM] RUU_Vision_HTC_WWE_1.34.405.5_Radio_12.28b.60.140e _26.03.02.26_M
(thanks football for sharing !!).
- From your PC, run the RUU, follow the on-screen instructions, and let it finish the process.

RESOURCES CENTRE

HOW TO CREATE A GOLDCARD

- To easily create a Goldcard in a couple of minutes without ADB skills or commands, check this thread.
TIP: After reading post 1 and downloading the automated software, be sure to read post 5 there for a neat guide.

- To manually create a Goldcard (requres ADB skills) check this thread.
(thanks Apache14 !!)
TIP: Put the SD card you want to convert to "Goldcard" into your phone, connect your phone to the PC, select "Disk Drive" in your phone, and follow only the step 2 of that post. The other steps mentioned there are not required to create a Goldcard to debrand/downgrade.

EXTRACTED OFFICIAL ROMS AND OTHER UTILITIES

- Here's the World/Euro generic 1.34.405.5 rom.zip (aka "PC10IMG.zip"), extracted from the official RUU [megaupload].
BEWARE: This is a signed officila image, it should be flashed only to a phone originaly shipped with this firmware, or to a CID unlocked phone.

WHAT TO DO IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG

- If something goes wrong, eg. you erroneously flashed a T-Mobile official image and now your phone is looping at boot or seems "bricked", you can check fastludeh22's thread: How to recover my semi-brick
or his other thread about flashing a wrong image
(thanks fastludeh22 !!)

HTC ADB DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS VISTA/7, 32/64 bits

- Attached to post footer is a package with the ADB HTC USB drivers for Windows Vista / Windows 7 PCs
- These drivers are required for ADB
- Just in case you don't want to download and install the full "HTC Sync" software

ADB MINI PACKAGE

- Attached to post footer is a package with a basic, mini ADB SHELL for Windows Vista / Windows 7 PCs
- Just in case you don't want to download the full "Android SDK" software
- The ADB USB phone drivers are required
- There's a good ADB learning guide here: ADB for noobs
(thanks steviewevie !!)

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- Also, and for reference only, the older Visionary R12 app is attached to this post footer

ROOT - ROOTING the HTC DESIRE Z:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.- What is "root" ??
"Root" is the user account in Linux with all priviledges: The "root user" can edit anything on the system. For safety reasons, users do not have all those priviledges out of the box.
Remember: Android is Linux based. When you "root" your phone you gain write/read-access to areas of the phone you couldn't previously access.
Rooting the phone is optional of course.

2.- Why should I "root" my phone ??
Mostly, rooting is useful only for developers, unless you want to run a root-requiring app/mod or you want to flash your phone.
When you root your phone you are allowed to:
a) Run more linux (Android ADB) commands and use Superuser priviledges.
b) Use many apps that require root priviledges (Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, etc).
c) Change important system settings. In our case, rooting lets us turn off the ROM security in order to flash other firmwares and run some interesting tweaks like overclocking and installing hardcore recovery apps.

3.- Is "rooting" safe ??
Yes, if you read carefuly and follow the instructions nothing will happen.

4.- Will "rooting" erase all my info ??
No, it's just a change on system permissions.

5.- Will "rooting" void my warranty ??
Hmmm... good question, anyway you can always go back and un-root to pretend nothing ever happened

6.- After I have rooted my phone, can I uninstall the VISIONary tool ??
Yes.
Be aware that removing the VISIONary tool will NOT remove root ("un-root" your phone), it will only remove the rooting tool, obviously.

7.- Will I loose "root" if I uninstall (remove) the VISIONary app ??
No.
Paul's VISIONary app is just a rooing tool, root changes will stay.

8.- Is the process reversible ??
Yes it is.

9.- How do I "un-root" my phone (remove root) ??
Should you need to do so, just open VISIONary again, and tap "Unroot Now!"

10.- Can I flash a different ROM after I "root" my phone ??
No. To flash a non-official ROM (custom or unsigned) you need S-OFF. To flash an official (but not your orginal) firmware you need CID unlock.

Piece of cake, ain't ??

FLASHING the HTC DESIRE Z:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.- What is a "ROM" ??
"ROM" is "Read Only Memory". It refers to the phone's non-accessible, read-only internal memory. It contains the Android Operating System and all the original software that runs your phone.
Usually a FULL ROM (aka "firmware") consist of: a Recovery image, a Boot image (which contains the Kernel and the ramdisk), a System image (the operating system or "OS"), and a Radio image.
Frequently, we use the term "ROM" losely: we refer to a "ROM" or "firmware" as an image that can be flashed to that inetrnal memory.
There are "official" ROMs from HTC, and "custom" ROMs modified by users.

2.- What is "flashing" ??
Flashing is writing a new full firmware image ("ROM") or a portion of the firmware into your phone's internal memory.
You can flash a Recovery (like ClockworkMod), a Kernel (or boot image), a System (the OS), a Radio, or a full firmware which contains all of them.

3.- Why should I ever want to "flash" my phone ??
If you ever want to:
- Update your phone to a newer official firmware (since it's "official", this doesn't require root or S-OFF, and won't void your waranty).
- Debrand or downgrade your phone to another official firmware.
- Replace your stock ROM for a custom ROM, eg. with or without HTC Sense, other Android builds, etc..
- Install a better Recovery utility (like ClockworkMod or Amon_Ra).
- Change your Radio ROM.
- Replace the Kernel for an overclocked or modified one.
- Etc...

4.- What is "S-OFF" and why do I need it ??
Every phone has Security ON (S-ON) by default.
In order to get full write access (eg. to flash a firmware or install a custom Recovery tool) you need to turn S-OFF.
S-OFF is different from "root": S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images using the Fastboot option on the Bootloader or through a custom Recovery (ClockworkMod Recovery is the most used).
You need to run gfree (full S-OFF) or flash an Engineering hBoot (partial S-OFF) to switch S-ON to S-OFF. You only have to do this once, not every time you want to flash.
A flashed Engeneering hBoot S-OFF will be lost if an original ROM is flashed with an RUU, but getting S-OFF with gfree will stay even if an original ROM is flashed again, because gfree modifies partition 7 of your phone to disable the emmc's write protection, and removes the brq filter from the kernel: full S-OFF.

5.- How do I return to "S-ON" ??
If for some reason (sending phone for warranty or repair, etc) you want to go back to S-ON:
- If you got S-OFF by flashing an Engineering hBoot, download the official HTC RUU for your phone version and flash the stock firmware back again. S-ON will be restored. This forum contains many threads with official RUUs.
- If you got S-OFF with gfree, it saved a backup copy to your SD card called "part7backup-xxxxxxxxxx.bin". It can be flashed back from a terminal emulator or from an ADB shell:
"dd if=/wherever/your/part7backup-xxxxxxx.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7"

6.- What is CID unlock and why do I need it ??
HTC uses CID lock to secure their phones.
The CID, or "Carrier ID", is a string that identifies carrier and language of your device; it is also contained on RUUs and is used to check that you only flash your device with the right, original ROM from your carrier/region.
CID unlock (aka "SuperCID", similar to Windows Mobile's "HardSPL") allows to flash any official RUU and install any ROM you like: from other regions, debranding, downgrading, etc.
gfree easily does both S-OFF and CID unlock.

7.- What is an "RUU" ??
RUU means "ROM Update Utility". It is a flashing tool.
RUUs are "official" shipped from HTC, they contain the flashing tool and a full firmware in a single package. RUUs are executed from a PC.

8.- What is "Radio" and what is the deal with different "radios" ??
They improve your phone signal, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS reception, and perhaps battery life.
(Thanks Lennyuk !! you are da stig's radio cousin )
The official radios thread is located here

9.- Will "flashing" erase all my info an installed apps ??
- If you are flashing a Kernel, a Radio or a Custom Recovery, NO.
- But if you flash a system or a full firmware ROM, then YES: everything will be wiped off, so be sure to backup your stuff.
There's plenty of backup apps available for download from the Market.
(I use and recommend Titanium Backup, but it needs root )
You can also do a NANDroid backup.

10.- Will "flashing" void my warranty ??
Aha !! Good question again...
Anyway if your current stock firmware RUU is already available for download you can always flash it back, or you can backup your current ROM image, save it in your SD card or PC, and restore it later to go back to stock.

Enjoy your Desire Z the EZ-DZ way !!

BASIC SKILLS and FLASHING TERMINOLOGY:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.- What is "Bootloader" ??
The Bootloader is a firmware management tool included on every stock ROM, it lets you reset to factory default, use "Fastboot" to flash official images, or launch the Recovery utility.
From the Bootloader you can also check your S-ON or S-OFF state, your firmware and Radio version, etc.
You don't need root or S-OFF to enter the Bootloader because every HTC phone has it.

2.- How do I enter the Bootloader ??
Power off your phone, then, hold the volume down key and the power key.
(You need to disable "Fast boot" from Settings -> Applications, or remove the battery to really power off the Desire Z. Otherwise, power off will just hybernate the phone, and when restarting you will not be able to enter the Bootloader).
To exit Bootloader you have to remove the battery.
If you have a custom Recovery installed, you can select "Recovery" to go there and rebot the phone from the Recovery menu.

3.- How can I backup my current ROM (firmware) ??
With a NANDroid backup from a custom Recovery.

4.- What is a "custom Recovery" and how to do it ??
A custom Recovery (eg. ClockworkMod, aka CWM or just CM) replaces the original Recovery from your firmware with an enhanced version.
A custom Recovery is better than the stock Recovery because it lets you safely flash unsigned or unofficial ("custom") ROMs, and lets you make full backups of your current whole firmware (memory) image (a NANDroid backup).

5.- How do I install ClockworkMod (CWM) Recovery ??
You need root and S-OFF.
Download ROM Manager from the market, install and open it.
Tap "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery", it will ask "Confirm phone model: HTC G2", tap yes (thanks for the tip stridger !!). When finished, it says "Successfully Flashed ClockworkMod Recovery!"
I recommend rebooting the phone after flashing the Recovery.
Now let's test it:
From ROM Manager, tap "Reboot into Recovery", it will ask "Are you sure you want to reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery?", tap OK.
Inside ClockworkMod Recovery, use the trackpad to navigate and select an item, or the volume buttons to scroll, and power button to go back.
Select "Reboot system now" to exit ClockworkMod.
If ClockworkMod Recovery doesn't start and you see a red triangle with an exclamation mark, flash it again. Sometimes it requires a second flash to work properly.

6.- What is a NANDroid backup ??
A complete system image that can be restored at a later date. It is more than a backup because it includes everything you currently have on your phone's internal memory: Boot, Recovery, System, Data, Cache, etc. It's a snapshot of your whole ROM.
To make a NANDroid backup, go to the "Backup and Restore" option in Clockwork and proceed. A NANDroid backup will be saved to the SD card's ClockworkMod folder.
TIP: Save a copy of your NANDroid backups to your PC. It will be useful if the SD card fails, your phone is stolen, or gets bricked.

7.- How can I restore a NANDroid backup ??
If you can access ClockworkMod Recovery it will be very easy to restore from its menu:
Enter the Bootloader (Vol down + Power), select "Recovery" and you will be redirected to ClockworkMod, from where you can restore your NANDroid backup
If you phone is bricked and you can't access the Bootloader, there's still a last chance:
You can try to flash ClockworkMod Recovery to your phone from your PC using an ADB shell and the "Fastboot" command. Tricky, but life saving.
Download the PC-flashable ClockworkMod Recovery image from here and copy it to your Andoird SDK/tools folder.
Then, open an MS-DOS command prompt, connect your phone to the PC, and flash it with this ADB command: fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-2.5.1.2-vision.img

8.- What is ADB ??
ADB is the Android Debug Bridge. It uses linux commands to send instructions to the phone.
You can use ADB commands straight from an MS-DOS prompt or open an ADB shell to type linux commmands.
With ADB you can install apps, remove apps, flash images to your phone, and make many changes, all from your PC.
If you are not familiar with MS-DOS / LINUX commands this can be a bit complicated, so this is for slightly advanced users.
To get an ADB shell setup and running you need to download the Android SDK, add your SKD's path to the environmental variables, and then open an MS-DOS command line box on your Windows PC.
There's a good ADB learning guide here: ADB for noobs
(thanks steviewevie !!)

9.- What is a "Goldcard" ??
A Goldcard is a modified SD card which bypasses HTC's RUU SPL/CID check.
When inserted into your phone, it will let you override HTC's firmware flashing protection.
You can take an old spare SD card you may have laying around and convert it to a Goldcard. Size of the card doesn't matter.
When a Goldcard is inserted into the phone you can flash any official HTC firmware, even if it doesn't match your region (aka "debranding") or is older.
Of course the Goldcard is required inserted into the phone only during the flashing process. You can remove it afterwards.

10.- What is an "MD5 checksum" ??
It is a unique algorithm generated from any file, very useful to confirm a file's integrity after downloading/uploading/copying. It looks like a large alphanumeric number.
Many cookers and developers often offer the MD5 checksum number of their files, so the ROM, Radio or Kernel can be checked after download and before flashing, using any MD5 checksum app/program from a PC or the phone.
I use a free Windows app called winMD5sum to check the integrity of my downloads.

Enjoy your Desire Z the EZ-DZ way !!

Original, obsolete ROOT / S-OFF method from November 2010
(for reference purposes only)

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO PERMANENTLY ROOT the HTC VISION
(aka "HTC Desire Z", european or american version, not valida for UK Vodafone, Asia Desire Z and newer serial numbers)

1.- On your PC, download paulobrien's VISIONary+ R14 rooting tool app installer from his thread [click here], and copy it to your phone's SD card.
(Thanks to the authors of the rage exploit and to paulobrien for the rooting tool)

2.- On your phone, download any File Explorer from the Android Market and install it.

TIP: I use and recommend EStrongs File Explorer, but Astro or any other is OK.

3.- From the "All apps" menu, go to Settings -> Applications
There, check "Unknown sources", and turn off (uncheck) "Fast Boot".
Now tap "Development" and check "USB debugging".
Press back, and back again.

TIP: After you have finished this tutorial and rooted your phone, you can come back to Settings to re-enable Fast Boot and disable the USB debugging, if you wish.

TIP: Make sure your USB cable is unplugged form the phone during the rooting process (thanks for reporting, Thedeadcpu)

4.- Open your File Explorer, scroll and search for the VISIONary app you just copied to your SD card, and tap to install.
Now press back, back, and exit the File Explorer.

5.- From the "All apps" menu, tap VISIONary+
Check the "Set system r/w after root" option, leave the others unchecked.
Tap "TempRoot Now!" and wait... let it finish...
Tap "Attempt PermRoot Now!" It will ask for SuperUser permissions: allow.
Phone will reboot by itself.

NOTE: Remember you disabled "Fast Boot" ?? Be patient and let it boot, takes time, its normal, that's a real boot.

TEST: To test if you successfuly achieved permanent root: turn phone off, remove the battery for aprox. 30 seconds, reinsert the battery and power on.
Now you can test if your "root" is still there:
Go to "All apps", search for an app called "Superuser" and open it. If it's there and opens, well, CONGRATS: you have permanent root.
Also, you can try downloading some root-requiring apps from the market (like Titanium Backup, Root Explorer or Bernacle WiFi); if they run is because you still have root after the full reboot, which means your root is permanent.

TIP: Hey, paul spent many hours making this shizz happen, please consider following this link and saying "thanks!"

EZ-DZ GUIDE to INSTALL the ENGINEERING BOOTLOADER (hBoot) and TURN S-OFF
WITHOUT "ADB" or "SDK" SKILLS

- Again: please scroll down to posts 2 and 3 to read the FAQ to learn what's this !!
- After rooting, and if you want to flash unsigned images or make a full NANDroid backup, you need an Engineering Bootloader to switch "S-ON" to "S-OFF".
- S-OFF is different from root: S-OFF lets you flash unsigned images using the Fastboot option on the Bootloader, or through Clockwork Recovery.
- This guide will install an Engineering hBoot to get full write access to your Desire Z.
(Thanks MrPavel for the Engineering hBoot for the Desire Z !! Also, many thanks to scotty2, tmzt, adwinp, unforgiven512, vro25, schriss, and especially stridger for their efforts, testing, sharing, writing instructions; I modified it to avoid ADB shells and USB PC connection bugs)



1.- You only need to get two files: wpthis-Z.ko and hboot_7230_0.84.2000_100908.nb0. You can find them on stridger's guide thread. Download both files and come back.

Get any MD5 checksum software and check both downloaded files to see if they match the MD5 checksums listed on stridegrs post (I use WinMD5sum on my Windows PC, which is free).
It is VERY IMPORTANT to check the MD5 checksums of the downloaded files because flashing a corrupted hboot will brick your phone !!

Now, do yourself a favor and rename hboot_7230_0.84.2000_100908.nb0 to hbooteng.img (you'll thank me for this on step 5 ).

Copy both files to your phone's SD card, make sure you have a good SD card without errors, and make sure the SD card is inside your phone.

2.- Just as you did when rooting, first you need to temporarily disable "Fast boot" and enable "USB debugging" from your phone's Settings -> Applications

3.- On your phone, download "Android Terminal Emulator" from the market and install it.
Open your Terminal Emulator, and using the hardware keyboard type "su" and press Enter to gain Superuser priviledges; if you are asked for Superuser permissions, tap "Allow".
The $ prompt should have changed to #, confirming you are now typing commands as a Superuser.

4.- Now, to temporarily diasble the write protection, type this and press Enter:

insmod /sdcard/wpthis-Z.ko

It will say "insmod blah blah failed (Function not implemented) blah blah" but that's OK: your phone is complaining because you just pulled down his pants This temporary change will be gone next time you reboot, but for now, it will let you flash the engineering hBoot in the next step.

NOTE: The "wpthis-Z.ko" file you downloaded is specific for the stock Desire Z kernel, if it says something different ("exec format") is because you have a different kernel (cyanogenmod or a newer build).

5.- Now let's apply the Engineering hBoot, but PLEASE BEWARE, make sure to type the memory address mmcblk0p18 (zero p one eight) EXACTLY as you see it here, if you type something different you could brick your phone forever, so be careful and double-check you didn't mistype anything before hitting Enter !!
(don't worry, nothing bad should happen if you checked the MD5 checksum to confirm the file downloaded correctly, and you type this right)

dd if=/sdcard/hbooteng.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18

6.- Now type sync and press Enter to make sure your changes are loaded to memory, type exit and press Enter, close the Terminal Emulator and breathe.

7.- Reboot the phone: Power off, then power on. Let it boot completely.

TEST: Let's check if you got S-OFF.
After the reboot, Boot to Bootloader and in the first line you will notice if you are "S-ON" or "s-OFF".
To enter Bootloader, power off the phone, then hold the volume down key and the power button, and you are there. To exit Bootloader, remove and reinsert the battery and power on.

Congrats !! Now you can install Clockwork Recovery (read the FFAQ !!) and use it to flash images or make a full NANDroid backup.

Kudos.

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Nice. Was waiting for someone to post a thorough, step-by-step pretty much foolproof method. who knows how many people borked their D-Z's already b/c of a lack of solid information out there.

Nicely done sir.

Yeah a lot of people are calling their T-Mo G2 a Desire Z, and it is getting sketchy to know which phone is being talked about...

Tried flashing the world RUU to my Bell Desire Z and it didn't work. Even with perm root.

It says

Error 130: MODEL ID ERROR

Originally Posted by aerok

Tried flashing the world RUU to my Bell Desire Z and it didn't work. Even with perm root.

It says

Error 130: MODEL ID ERROR

let me finish the guide please

If you've been messing around with other methods previously, better reset to stock first and the proceed.

I flashed the WWE euro firmware on my NAM "Bell" hardware using the official HTC RUU and EVERYTHING is working OK (full HTC apps, 3G over 850/1900MHz, Market, etc: easily "debranded")

So I am sure it's easy and works

Gimme a couple of hours to finish it pls

.

Allright, I'll be patiently waiting. =D

Successfully rooted my Bell Desire Z using the instructions posted; thank you gtrab! I look forward to reading your finished guide.

After permanent root, here's an interesting test (and a way to restore to factory settings

Power you phone off, now, hold the volume down button and the Power button simultaneously. Keep them pressed untill you go into a white menu saying:

VISION PVT SHIP S-ON
H-BOOT-0.85.005
MICROP-0425
RADIO-26.03.02.26_M --> this is your radio version
eMMC-boot
Oct 11 2010,20:10:38 ---> this is the date of your current firmware (ROM)

You will also see menu with these optins:
FASTBOOT
RECOVERY
FACTORY RESET ---> you can use this option to "clean" your firmware to a pristine MINT state (everything will be erased)
SIMLOCK
IMAGE CRC


PS: to get out of this screen without restoring your firmware, just remove the battery and power on