How to DOWNGRADE Desire S with S-ON

newrad67 · May 14, 2011

Warning! I don't recommend this to users who are new to Android since there is a possibility of bricking your device. I will not be responsible if this happens.

It will downgrade everything even the HBoot using a HTC signed ROM. I've downgraded RUU_Saga_Telstra_WWE_1.36.841.3 with HBoot 0.98.0002 to Hboot 0.98.0000 of RUU_Saga_HTC_Thailand_1.35.1113.2.

First you need below tools and applications. I will not explain everything since I'm assuming you already know how to use it and make it.

1. ADB tool to access you device thru shell.
2. ADB driver - you may install HTC Sync since it has ADB driver in it.
3. HEX Editor - I used HxD.
4. Spare micro SD with Goldcard.
5. Card reader to make your life easier.
6. Update.zip ROM you will use to downgrade(rename it to PG88IMG.zip).
6. GingerBreak-v1.20.apk to temp root our device.

Step 1: Copy GingerBreak-v1.20.apk to your spare micro SD and insert it into your phone.

Step 2: Enable USB debugging in your device and connect it to your PC(Charge only). Make sure the drivers are installed properly. If not, install HTC Sync.

Step 3: Install and run GingerBreak-v1.20.apk. It will force close other apps(this is normal just close it). The gingerbreak application will promp that something goes wrong with the rooting(can't remember the actual spiel) but actually we already have our temp root.

Step 4: Run you ADB tool and issue command su to have root access. You can now see in your device that Superuser app is prompting you to allow the ADB root access. Accept it.

Step 5: On the # prompt, issue command dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p17 of=/mnt/sdcard/mmcblk0p17.img (to copy mmcblk0p17 to your SDcard). Power off your device and copy mmcblk0p17.img to your PC.(You can also use the command shell to copy it into your PC if you know how to do it).

Step 6: Open mmcblk0p17.img using your Hex editor. On the 11th line(I think), modify the current version to 1.28.401.1(since this is the lowest version I know). Save it and copy back to SDcard. Insert the sdcard and turn your phone on.

Step 7: Run GingerBreak-v1.20.apk again and follow step 3 to 4.

Step 8: On the # prompt, issue command dd if=/mnt/sdcard/mmcblk0p17.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p17 (to copy back mmcblk0p17.img to your phone). Do this as quickly as possible since the temp root access sometimes loose its effect.

Step 9: Power off your device and remove your SDcard. Using your card reader, delete everything(not format) in your microSD(with Goldcard) and paste your PG88IMG.zip.

Step 10: Hold volume down + power to boot to recovery and the phone will do the installation itself. Wait until you have your downgraded ROM.

This is how I do it. Hope you won't encounter any problem with this procedure. Good luck!

I want to give thanks to all the XDA members for the knowledge I acquired for this procedure and to the developer of Gingerbreak.

You may also check sonikz procedure on post #4. I think his procedure is faster. You may use which one is easier for you to follow.

panosfx · May 14, 2011

Downgrade to what?To Froyo?
And for what reason?
Sorry for that noob question...

Lacuna666 · May 14, 2011

panosfx said:
Downgrade to what?To Froyo?
And for what reason?
Sorry for that noob question...

Good question i think, if i remember well, on the desire (or HD?) sometimes downgrading was a way of getting to a version of software where you then could get root again !From that point on you could get a recovery installed and install some nice roms. I dont know if thats whats going on here, i wouldn't dare to hope that ...?

sonikz · May 14, 2011

Me n00b me downgrade

Newrad67, I have compiled a n00b way to achieve very similar results:

First off you need to create a Gold Card
Use the memory card that came with the phone, may as well hey!

Install Goldcard helper from market, run it and copy the CID for MMC2

This number has already been reversed so go to here, fill out the required fields.

That will then email you an image file. You can then using Gold Card Tool flash your image file to your phones SD card via the phones USB cable.

Next for the actual downgrade
You'll need this unzipped

in a command prompt, goto the directory you unzipped to
connect the phone via USB

then:

adb push misc_version /data/local/tmp
adb push GingerBreak /data/local/tmp
adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/tmp/misc_version
adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/tmp/GingerBreak

This copies the files to the phone and changes the permissions so they will function

adb shell

This will enter the terminal for the phone

./data/local/tmp/GingerBreak

This will then temp root the phone you should now have # at the terminal prompt instead of $, which means you have higher privileges

From this point you can then run misc_version (Thanks to Blezz for the version number) This changes the version reported by the phone to 1.27.405.6, you cannot check this on the phone tho, as it will still report the other number.

cd /data/local/tmp
./misc_version -s 1.27.405.6

From here you can then install the update/downgrade from the exe, no need to dump zip files or anything. As with anything here, results may vary and I won't be buying new hardware if it breaks yours! But it works a treat on mine.

brokenworm · May 14, 2011

This can be used with paulobriens test signed RUU HTC update to get root/boot/recovery installed on s-on .
If it just were public

Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App

newrad67 · May 14, 2011

panosfx said:
Downgrade to what?To Froyo?
And for what reason?
Sorry for that noob question...

This is why I recommend this only to advance users.

Our Desire S with S-On was released with Gingerbread ROM and Hboot that still not possible(as of now) to have custom boot recovery. Since we are on S-On, it is still not possible to be rooted and use custom ROM.

As far as I know, we don't have any official ROM except for Gingerbread. Correct me if I'm wrong. The list can be seen in this post. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1002506

I'm just sharing this to people who wants to change their ROM if they want to change to a different one. Like me who installed the latest ROM from TELSTRA and find the bloatware annoying. I've done this to get back to the ROM I'm more comfortable using.

sonikz · May 14, 2011

Yeah I'm pretty much with you mate, no way to do anything more practical than flash a clean European Rom currently..... Not really a vast amount of progress either. Anything we should be doing to help get permanent root? Anyone?

Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App

abo.saud · May 15, 2011

Thankkssssss
It works on my s-on DS
Thanks a lot

Blezz · May 15, 2011

i really like it how sonikz is doing now like it was his idea how to downgrade it using adb gingerbreak and misc_version lol
i'm gonna stop my rooting tries + supporting here for the desire s, hating such people like him

sonikz · May 15, 2011

I never said it was my idea and I have in a posted my thanks to the relevant people in other threads, I didn't mean to rub anyone the wrong way... I hadn't seen a adb version of gingerbreak until Friday and I'm sure you know the apk is very unpredictable or at least it is on my phone so I couldn't use misc_version, it just kept kicking errors.... Hey I just threw it out there, my bad

Blezz · May 15, 2011

okay
no it isnt the apks fault, maybe u forgot to use "su" in adb shell after using the apk, which u dont need for the command line version
anyway, maybe there is a way to get past the s-offf
in titanium backup there's a recovery exploit to remove files from s-on phones
we just need to know how the exploit is working and if it still working with 2.3

2nd option is i am getting a 2nd desire s soon.. it's a bugged on, radio destroyed and he don't get it repalced so he gives it me
maybe i can get the desire hd bootloader running somehow.. even if i am sure it will be a lot of work to get in

brokenworm · May 15, 2011

Plz guys... Get a grip.. we share.. whocares about credit.. come on..
Keep sharing.

Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App

Rexton270 · May 16, 2011

Worked

Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App

pastynko · May 16, 2011

@Rexton270: what worked?

@brokenworm: what you meant by the paulobriens test RUU?

Blezz · May 16, 2011

@brokenworm:
it's not paul's ruu, the files he published been released 1 day before at 911snipers blog
sadly without ruu too

smarti13 · May 17, 2011

what ROM to get root

after doing that, what ROM is it better to download in order to become root ?

thanks

newrad67 · May 17, 2011

pdaGeek13 said:
after doing that, what ROM is it better to download in order to become root ?

thanks

If you are on S-ON, none as of now.

Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App

smarti13 · May 17, 2011

> 2 hours

running for more than 2 hours now, normal ?

sonikz said:
Newrad67, I have compiled a n00b way to achieve very similar results:

First off you need to create a Gold Card
Use the memory card that came with the phone, may as well hey!

Install Goldcard helper from market, run it and copy the CID for MMC2

This number has already been reversed so go to here, fill out the required fields.

That will then email you an image file. You can then using Gold Card Tool flash your image file to your phones SD card via the phones USB cable.

Next for the actual downgrade
You'll need this unzipped

in a command prompt, goto the directory you unzipped to
connect the phone via USB

then:

This copies the files to the phone and changes the permissions so they will function

This will enter the terminal for the phone

This will then temp root the phone you should now have # at the terminal prompt instead of $, which means you have higher privileges

From this point you can then run misc_version (Thanks to Blezz for the version number) This changes the version reported by the phone to 1.27.405.6, you cannot check this on the phone tho, as it will still report the other number.

From here you can then install the update/downgrade from the exe, no need to dump zip files or anything. As with anything here, results may vary and I won't be buying new hardware if it breaks yours! But it works a treat on mine.

Blezz · May 17, 2011

no not normal, restart your phone and try again
cause it's s-on nothing can happen to your system so don't worry and just restart

smarti13 · May 17, 2011

Blezz said:
no not normal, restart your phone and try again
cause it's s-on nothing can happen to your system so don't worry and just restart

same thing with this log:

$ ./GingerBreak
./GingerBreak

[**] Gingerbreak/Honeybomb -- android 2.[2,3], 3.0 s
[**] (C) 2010-2011 The Android Exploid Crew. All rig
[**] Kudos to jenzi, the #brownpants-party, the Open
[**] Zynamics for ARM skills and Onkel Budi

[**] donate to 7-4-3-C@web.de if you like
[**] Exploit may take a while!

[+] Plain Gingerbread mode!
[+] Found system: 0xafd17fd5 strcmp: 0xafd38065
[+] Found PT_DYNAMIC of size 232 (29 entries)
[+] Found GOT: 0x00014360
[+] Using device /devices/platform/goldfish_mmc.0
[*] vold: 25104 GOT start: 0x00014360 GOT end: 0x000
[*] vold: 25104 idx: -1024 fault addr: 0xfffb2284
[*] vold: 25162 idx: -2048 fault addr: 0xfff4e284
[*] vold: 25212 idx: -3072 fault addr: 0xffeea284
[*] vold: 25262 idx: -4096 fault addr: 0xffe86284
[*] vold: 25312 idx: -5120 fault addr: 0xffe22284
[*] vold: 25363 idx: -6144 fault addr: 0xffdbe284
[*] vold: 25414 idx: -7168 fault addr: 0xffd5a284
[*] vold: 25466 idx: -8192 fault addr: 0xffcf6284
etc ....

and sometimes:

[+] fault address in range (0x000132b4,idx=-3072)
[+] Calculated idx: -2005
[-] sendmsg() failed?
[-] sendmsg() failed?
[-] sendmsg() failed?

:-(

How to DOWNGRADE Desire S with S-ON

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