HTC sync, do I really need it?

Ok, here's the deal:

I don't like installing software on my computer that I don't need, and as far as I can tell, HTC sync is primarily aimed at synchronizing contacts and calendar to your computer, none of which I want or need. It also offers installation of apps to the phone, but for that I would prefer using either the adb tool from the sdk or just putting the apk files on the memory card and installing via a file manager on the phone.

First question:
I realize that I need the adb driver for my phone, and this driver is installed alongside/by HTC sync, so it is clearly packaged inside the HTC sync setup file. Does anyone know if it is possible to extract just the driver from the setup file? I know there is a zip floating around with the adb driver (I've downloaded that), but if it can be extracted from the setup file that's even better, since it would be an easy way to obtain the latest version.

Second question:
At some point in the future I expect there will be ROM updates to the phone. These are self contained exe-files, but according to the HTC support pages you need to have HTC sync installed to install them. Is this really true, or is it sufficient to have the adb driver installed?

Third question:
If I want to use the phone for USB tethering to give the computer internet access, which driver is needed for that? The ADB driver? Or must I have the full HTC sync installed for that to work?

Any answers appreciated!

Best regards
-Øyvind

Thanks. Regarding #1, as I mentioned in the OP, a reportedly working ADB driver can be found in this post, but if it can be extracted from the HTC sync setup that would be even better. I've looked at it, but none of the files inside the setup file looked very promising (no inf-file to be found).

I know about OTA updates, but for older HTC phones (the Hero, for instance) there are downloadable rom updates. Are the exact same updates usually also sent out as OTAs?

As for #3, I know a driver is required, I just wanted to know which driver it was, and if it can be found separately.

Your tip on installing HTC sync to get the driver and then unistalling has been noted. Thanks.

This was really helpful!

I tried installing HTC sync in a virtual machine to avoid cluttering my real machine, and during the install I chose "Custom". There I deselected the option for "Sync Manager" and installed only the "Application Installer" item.

I also monitored the install with a utility uninstaller, and it turns out that there is actually a "HTC Driver Installer" lurking inside the setup file. This file is temporarily extracted during the install, and I was able to manually make a copy of it before it was removed. The file name is HTCDriver.msi, and it contains all the driver files (both 32 and 64 bit). It can be used for a standalone install of just the drivers.

Thanks again! I think I'm fully sorted now!

s4vva said:

Hi any chance of uploading the msi?

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The file is ~14 MB, so it is too big to attach here. Any preferred site where I could upload it? The msi has been extracted from HTC sync version 2.0.33, btw.

Edit: I found out that 7zip actually could compress the file a lot more, so I have attached it. Please be aware that even though it has a .zip extension, it is really a 7z-file. Had to rename it to zip to get it to upload. The mods could perhaps allow 7z-files in addition to .zip?

EddyOS said:

MegaUpload or SendSpace personally

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I've edited my post. I found a way to attach it after my initial posting.