Database Develop

can't format or install rc29 - help plz!

i have android 1.5 installed, and im trying to follow the directions in this thread (for hero)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=533731
when i mount the g1 and right click to format, windows tells me
"there is no disk in f insert a disk and try again" and the g1 "unmounts" itself. i tried it on another vista pc and it did the same thing. i do the format option in the g1 (cupcake option) and then i transfer the rc29 to the root of the sd. i power off, and i power on using the POWER & CAMERA button, but but the screen keep bringing me to a RGB screen that says:
DREA100 PVT 32B
HBOOT-0.95.0000
CPLD-4
RADIO-2.22.19.261
what am i doing wrong?

please can soemone help me? lol. i really wanna get hero going on my g1.

bigdookie said:
i have android 1.5 installed, and im trying to follow the directions in this thread (for hero)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=533731
when i mount the g1 and right click to format, windows tells me
"there is no disk in f insert a disk and try again" and the g1 "unmounts" itself. i tried it on another vista pc and it did the same thing. i do the format option in the g1 (cupcake option) and then i transfer the rc29 to the root of the sd. i power off, and i power on using the POWER & CAMERA button, but but the screen keep bringing me to a RGB screen that says:
DREA100 PVT 32B
HBOOT-0.95.0000
CPLD-4
RADIO-2.22.19.261
what am i doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The RGB screen is normal for that bootloader. Is the file named DREAIMG.nbh on the root of your sdcard? If it is, and all goes well, it should flash the RGB screen, then another gray screen will come up with instructions with how to flash the DREAIMG.nbh to your phone. I think the instructions say something like press Volume Up to flash the img, and some other stuff... if the DREAIMG.nbh doesn't work, try renaming it to DREAMIMG.nbh and seeing if the bootloader recognizes it then.

it was named as u said, but i get a quick grey screen then it goes to the RGB. i tried renaming it as stated, and got the same result.

Not quite certain why the bootloader isn't seeing the nbh file. I'll go look around, but maybe someone will post the answer here before me.
Btw, do you have the US phone or the UK version? The UK version requires RC7 not RC29, that might be why, but ehhh, sounds unlikely if you've been following the instructions...
EDIT: KK! Found a likely solution. After formatting it (your sdcard) from your phone, you still need to format it one more time in Windows. Make sure you format it to FAT32, not FAT16, not FAT, but FAT32.
Once that is done, I would re-download the file (some people said that re-naming the file made it not visible in bootloader and re-downloading it solved it). Make sure it is named DREAIMG.NBH (ALL CAPS, but also make sure you can see file extensions in Windows so that you don't rename it to DREAMIMG.nbh.nbh). Do that and let me know how that goes.

format ur sd card too fat32 thats probably y

DREAIMG.nbh not allow

Hello,
I've got a BIG problem...
I was unable to flash anything anymore, it aborted every installation of update.zip, so I decided to start from scratch.
Downloaded DREAIMG.nbh(RC7, I've got a dutch phone...) formated my sdcard, fdisk type b and mkdosfs -F 32, then copied DREAIMG.nbh to the sdcard but then I get Loading..., Checking..., not allow
I tried all capitals, because it says so on different forums so I tried all combinations of capitals and small letters, tried different DREAIMG.nbh files, from different sites. I've formated the disk after every attempt and checked the files using md5sum. Than also DREADIAG.NBH, which results in not allow just the same...
It says in the bootloader screen:
DREA110 PVT 32B
HBOOT-0.95.0000
CLPD-4
RADIO-2.22.19.26I
Sep 2 2008
I don know if it matters but...
The system partition is completely broken..
It doesn't boot and adb shell complains about the absence of /system/bin/sh
I hope somebody has a suggestion for what to try...
Thanks!
Greetings,
Geert

Hey read up on spl's here and read the difference sbaout them this will tell you your problme http://code.google.com/p/android-roms/wiki/SPL
XD I may be completely of track but I believe it is that - if I am off track sry and I answered you on the development section as well XD
HardSPL also allows NBH files to be used without matching the CID (carrier ID) check

Thanks for replying!
But I don't want to install a american nbh on a european phone...
Or do you expect for the SPL to be broken?
Then there is a other problem... I don have a modified recovery image... So how am I going to install JesusFreak recovery?
Thanks!
Greetings,
geert

Need Help...can't Downgrade To Rc29

So I've had my G1 for a while now on the stock non-rooted OS and I decided to try to get a 2.1 rom installed on it. After looking around and reading quite a bit, I primarily went off of this blog post to get it done. hxxp://www .myhangoutonline.com/component/content/article/342-tutorials/7-root-and-upgrade-your-g1
I got it downgraded to RC29 successfully and went through the rooting process. Once I tried to reboot it into recovery mode, my phone just sat at the G1 screen indefinitely. Waited up to an hour and restarted the entire process about 3 times with the same result. Then I started looking around thinking maybe the DREAIMG.nbh file that was provided was no good and I got one linked off of this site hxxp:// androidandme.com/2009/08/news/how-to-root-a-t-mobile-g1-and-mytouch-3g-android-phone/
So the next time I tried to start over by restoring to the RC29 image it gets all the way through and fails at the end. It says "Update Terminate UPDATE FAIL". I tried going back to the image that worked a few minutes prior to that and I'm getting the same thing.
Any ideas on what I need to do? I'm stuck without a phone until I get this resolved...

Your post is difficult to understand.
The first question:
WHY did you install an NBH file?
The second question:
WHAT *exactly* did you do to the thing?
The third question:
WHY are you trying again to install an NBH file?
The fourth question:
What is it doing now?
The fifth and final question:
HOW can you possibly justify following a bunch of steps that some retard spewed out on a "blog"?
Note: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER write an NBH file to your phone!!! Especially once you have root! NEVER.
Note2: you say its stock tmoble-branded htc dream? That means android 1.6 and I believe susceptible to the 1-click-root bug... why didn't you run the 1-click root?
What happens if you try to boot the phone ***NORMALLY*** (instead of recovery)?
What happens if you plug in the USB and run "adb logcat"?

lbcoder said:
Your post is difficult to understand.
The first question:
WHY did you install an NBH file?
The second question:
WHAT *exactly* did you do to the thing?
The third question:
WHY are you trying again to install an NBH file?
The fourth question:
What is it doing now?
The fifth and final question:
HOW can you possibly justify following a bunch of steps that some retard spewed out on a "blog"?
Note: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER write an NBH file to your phone!!! Especially once you have root! NEVER.
Note2: you say its stock tmoble-branded htc dream? That means android 1.6 and I believe susceptible to the 1-click-root bug... why didn't you run the 1-click root?
What happens if you try to boot the phone ***NORMALLY*** (instead of recovery)?
What happens if you plug in the USB and run "adb logcat"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I installed the nbh file because that's what was in every single set of instructions I've found said to do. Step 1 is to downgrade your phone to RC29 for US phones, and the DREAIMG.nbh file is the way to do that from everywhere that I've seen, mostly here and the cyanogenmod forums. If there is a better guide to follow, please link me.
2. I've already explained this. I followed the following instructions:
1. Format your phone's SD card to FAT32 mode:
o Hook your phone up to your computer using a USB cable and then wait for the
notification to show up in your title bar of your phone.
o Click the notification, and then click "Mount".
o A new removable disk should show up on your computer. Right click it and select
Format, and select FAT32 as the file system type.
2. Download and unzip the RC29 or RC7 image file. Copy the DREAIMG.nbh file to the SD card.
(RC29 for US, RC7 is for UK)
3. Turn the device power off.
4. Hold Camera button, and press Power button to entry boot loader mode. You should see a
gray/white screen with instructions to flash your phone with the update on your SD card. If you
don't see that, make sure you followed the instructions properly.
5. As per the on-screen instructions, press the Power button to start upgrade procedure. DO NOT
DO ANYTHING TO INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS.
6. After it is finished, perform the restart your phone.
Rooting your RC29 or lower phone:
On RC29 phones and lower, anything you type into your keyboard is also being run in a hidden console
with root permissions. More information regarding that at the bottom of this post. But, to get root access,
do the following:
Instructions:
1. Download recovery.img or the new version by Amon recovery-RA-dream-v1.5.2.img and copy
it to your SD card (see the previous instructions on how to copy from your computer to your
Phone's SD card).
2. Download the Hard SPL and copy the zip file to the SD card.
3. All files must be on the root of your SD card.
4. Restart your phone. Wait for your phone to start up fully and show the home screen.
5. After your phone starts up, hit the enter key twice, type "telnetd" and press enter. (Yes, it
will start up a contact search, don't worry. Just type it.)
6. Download an Android "Telnet" application from the Market and connect to localhost.
7. If you connect successfully, you will have a root prompt "#".
8. Type the following into Telnet (these commands will give you root access easier in the future):
o mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
o cd sdcard
o flash_image recovery recovery.img
o cat recovery.img > /system/recovery.img
Now you have root!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Already explained in #1. Again if there is a better, easier guide to follow by all means show me. I am new to this, and from what I've seen if noobs ask "how do I do this" around here, they get flamed for not figuring it out for themselves. Something I'm also sensing from your post.
4. I've gotten past my initial problem. This morning I was shown another DREAIMG.nbh file from another source, and I was able to get it on the phone and get it to boot. I've since gone through the root process (using the guide posted above), but I still can't get it into recovery mode. So that's where I'm now stuck.
5. As opposed to a bunch of steps some retard spewed on a "message board"? All of the guides I've gone through were either on or linked to from this forum or the cyanogenmod forum. Both I assume reputable sources for this type of thing.
Note: I think you need to show me another guide because what you're saying contradicts everything I've seen.
Note2: Don't know. Everything I've seen says I have to go back to 1.4 to be able to root it because the security holes were closed in 1.6.
The phone is again back to the 1.4 image from the nbh file. I've tried to root it and get it to recovery mode without any luck, so I could use some guidance on what to do from here. I'm not really sure what adb logcat is or why I'd want to do it.

TalioGladius said:
1. I installed the nbh file because that's what was in every single set of instructions I've found said to do. Step 1 is to downgrade your phone to RC29 for US phones, and the DREAIMG.nbh file is the way to do that from everywhere that I've seen, mostly here and the cyanogenmod forums. If there is a better guide to follow, please link me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because it was written does NOT make it right.
The process of rooting does NOT require an NBH file.
The process of REPAIDING NEVER needs an NBH file.
You should NEVER TOUCH an NBH file. The ONLY thing an NBH file does is it increases the risk that you will brick your phone by a bad flash.
Don't do it!
2. I've already explained this. I followed the following instructions:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reposting that crap doesn't help.
WHAT DID YOU DO? WHERE DID YOU GET TO? WHAT DID YOU SKIP? WHAT BUTTONS DID YOU PRESS?
3. Already explained in #1. Again if there is a better, easier guide to follow by all means show me. I am new to this, and from what I've seen if noobs ask "how do I do this" around here, they get flamed for not figuring it out for themselves. Something I'm also sensing from your post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1: NEVER do anything without ***UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS FIRST***. If you don't understand, then how can you possibly adapt to inaccuracies/errors/failures? The answer is that you CAN'T.
4. I've gotten past my initial problem. This morning I was shown another DREAIMG.nbh file from another source, and I was able to get it on the phone and get it to boot. I've since gone through the root process (using the guide posted above), but I still can't get it into recovery mode. So that's where I'm now stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Define "can't get it into recovery". WHAT recovery do you have installed? The stock one that came with the NBH? Or some OTHER recovery that you installed? You say that it boots into the OS now? Congratulations. DO NOT INSTALL ANOTHER NBH FILE EVER!
What you need to do is install an engineering SPL, and NOT 1.33.2005! Try 1.33.2003.
You can then flash anything you like using FASTBOOT.
5. As opposed to a bunch of steps some retard spewed on a "message board"? All of the guides I've gone through were either on or linked to from this forum or the cyanogenmod forum. Both I assume reputable sources for this type of thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A forum filters out the retard posts because 100 different people CALL the retard out! A *BLOG* is TRASH unless you absolutely know that the author REALLY KNOWS what he's doing. And in this case, YOU DON'T.
Note: I think you need to show me another guide because what you're saying contradicts everything I've seen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't write guides. I INFORM.
Note2: Don't know. Everything I've seen says I have to go back to 1.4 to be able to root it because the security holes were closed in 1.6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TELNET-ROOT bug was fixed. That's all!
And FYI: There was never a 1.4. 1.0->1.1->1.5->1.6->2.0->2.0.1->2.1->[future]2.2
The phone is again back to the 1.4 image from the nbh file. I've tried to root it and get it to recovery mode without any luck, so I could use some guidance on what to do from here. I'm not really sure what adb logcat is or why I'd want to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, what did you do to get there?

I can see that this can quickly escalate into an unnecessary back and forth argument. So to avoid that how about I tell you what I've done and where I'm at currently, and you can inform me on what to do to get to my goal?
From what I've seen I had to essentially do the following things:
1. downgrade to RC29
2. root
3. upgrade radio and SPL
4. Install ROM to get to 2.1
What I've done:
1. Formatted my sdcard to fat32, and put the DREAIMG.nbh file on the root of the sdcard.
2. Shutdown. Start up the phone holding the camera button. Got to the gray screen to update, pressed the power button to update.
3. Update successful. Rebooted by pressing call, menu, and power buttons.
4. Went through the setup wizard to set up the phone with my google account.
5. Installed telnet application from the market.
6. Downloaded recovery.img and spl-signed.zip (Danger SPL) and put them on the root of the sdcard.
7. From home screen, pressed enter twice. Typed telnetd.
8. Opened telnet application. Typed the following commands:
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd sdcard
flash_image recovery recovery.img
cat recovery.img > /system/recovery.img/CODE]
9. Shut down phone. Held down the home button while powering phone on in attempt to get to recovery mode.
10. Phone did not go into recovery mode, but went to this image on the screen: (can't post links, so fix the url)
hxxp:// www .modmygphone.com/wiki/images/1/1b/Howtofirm1.png
Currently, the phone is showing the following:
Firmware version 1.0
Baseband version 62.33.20.08H_1.22.12.29
kernel version 2.6.25-01843-gfea26b0 [email protected] #6
Build number kkila-user 1.0 TC4-RC29 115247 ota-rel-keys,release-keys
What exactly do I need to do from here to get a 2.1 rom installed?

TalioGladius said:
I can see that this can quickly escalate into an unnecessary back and forth argument. So to avoid that how about I tell you what I've done and where I'm at currently, and you can inform me on what to do to get to my goal?
From what I've seen I had to essentially do the following things:
1. downgrade to RC29
2. root
3. upgrade radio and SPL
4. Install ROM to get to 2.1
What I've done:
1. Formatted my sdcard to fat32, and put the DREAIMG.nbh file on the root of the sdcard.
2. Shutdown. Start up the phone holding the camera button. Got to the gray screen to update, pressed the power button to update.
3. Update successful. Rebooted by pressing call, menu, and power buttons.
4. Went through the setup wizard to set up the phone with my google account.
5. Installed telnet application from the market.
6. Downloaded recovery.img and spl-signed.zip (Danger SPL) and put them on the root of the sdcard.
7. From home screen, pressed enter twice. Typed telnetd.
8. Opened telnet application. Typed the following commands:
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd sdcard
flash_image recovery recovery.img
cat recovery.img > /system/recovery.img/CODE]
9. Shut down phone. Held down the home button while powering phone on in attempt to get to recovery mode.
10. Phone did not go into recovery mode, but went to this image on the screen: (can't post links, so fix the url)
hxxp:// www .modmygphone.com/wiki/images/1/1b/Howtofirm1.png
Currently, the phone is showing the following:
Firmware version 1.0
Baseband version 62.33.20.08H_1.22.12.29
kernel version 2.6.25-01843-gfea26b0 [email protected] #6
Build number kkila-user 1.0 TC4-RC29 115247 ota-rel-keys,release-keys
What exactly do I need to do from here to get a 2.1 rom installed?[/QUOTE]
First you need to be really carefull with the danger spl (make sure you have the right radio installed before installing that spl or bye bye to your phone). You need to install Amon Ra's new recovery. Put 2.1 on sd card. Wipe and flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

supremeteam256 said:
First you need to be really carefull with the danger spl (make sure you have the right radio installed before installing that spl or bye bye to your phone). You need to install Amon Ra's new recovery. Put 2.1 on sd card. Wipe and flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the radio upgraded to 2.22.29.26I.
Turns out I have to hit alt-l to get past the ! screen in recovery mode. So now I should be able to install the danger spl, and then the rom, right?
The one I'm seeing with the guide is Cyanogenmod 4.2.15.1.

TalioGladius said:
I got the radio upgraded to 2.22.29.26I.
Turns out I have to hit alt-l to get past the ! screen in recovery mode. So now I should be able to install the danger spl, and then the rom, right?
The one I'm seeing with the guide is Cyanogenmod 4.2.15.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I would flash Amon Ra's new recovery first so you can flash the danger spl and then the rom without a reboot in between. And if you want to install that version of cyanogen you really don't need the danger spl, but if you want to jump up to his 5.0.7 Test5 you'll need to (thats the 2.1 version).

If you want to avoid bricks, you really should NEVER go straight from 0.95.x000 SPL --> 1.33.2005 SPL. The reason for this is that there is no way to make that jump without using recovery, and since those SPLs are so different from each other, it has to use the cache-->update-hboot-->recovery-wipe-cache approach, which is where bricks come from.
If you have a 0.95.x000 SPL and want to go to 1.33.2005, you FIRST go to 1.33.2003 (that's a THREE) using recovery (since 0.95.x000 and 1.33.2003 have equal compatibility) -- this opens up the door for using FASTBOOT to flash your SPL. The move between ANY pair of engineering SPLs using fastboot is guaranteed safe since it can never get stuck in a failed boot-recovery (brick).

[HOWTO] Rooting your Legend! Guide from MoDaCo!

Read this whole topic - it contains a ton of useful information as well as the instructions and downloads!
Remember that if you use this guide, you do so entirely at your own risk!!
Welcome Paulobrien's guide on how to root the HTC Legend!
Compatibility
This guide will allow you to root your HTC Legend, provided it has a bootloader version of 0.43.xxxx or below and a ROM version of 1.31.xxx.x or below. To check this, turn off your device, then turn it back on with the 'back' key held. On the second line in green text you will see HBOOT- and then a number. Provided this is 0.43 or below, this guide should work for you.
If the number is above 0.43 use this guide to Downgrade!
Legend rooting protection
Back in the early days of Android, rooting was easy. You had several options - you could flash stuff via the bootloader, you could flash an engineering bootloader, you could use kernel exploits - there were many ways of getting the low level access to your device that - in fairness - I think we as paying customers are entitled to. As time has progressed however, the manufacturers have made things harder and harder. The Legend is not a straightforward phone to root, for many reasons, including...
a 'perfected bootloader' that doesn't allow flashing or booting of any images (even HTC signed ones)
a RUU flash process that does not allow downgrading of the bootloader to earlier versions
a kernel (that as yet does not have publicly available source) that as yet has no known exploits
a new protection method previously seen on the HTC Tattoo that protects key partitions from having write access. Even with SU access, it is not possible to write to the boot, recovery or system partitions.
In reality, the options for rooting a device this secure are limited. Even if a kernel exploit were found, the key partitions would still be unwritable, rendering su access useless. This was circumvented on the Tattoo very cleverly, using a specific memory address from a confidential Qualcomm datasheet, however this information is not yet available for the MSM7227 chipset used in the Legend (and indeed may never enter the public domain).
And so the root process becomes a process of methodically probing every possible point of exposure on the device, looking for the slightest chink in the armour. I found one and we're putting it to good use! The downside is that it's not as easy or as pretty as rooting a device that is actually DESIGNED to be accessible at the lowest level, such as the Nexus One.
Shame on you HTC for going to such unnecessary lengths (but that's another story for another day).
What this root process provides and does not provide
The root process will...
flash your device with a new, generic 1.31 series based ROM that has Superuser access
show you how to enter the recovery image in future, allowing you to flash update zips
The root process will NOT...
enable you to flash your device with a custom recovery image that can be launched easily by just holding down the volume down button when powering on
enable you to have write access to the /system partition in normal use of the device
Both of these limitations are being worked on of course.
Pre-requisites
In order to complete this guide, you need the following...
a HTC Legend
a computer running Windows (32 bit recommended, some users have reported issues with x64), OSX or Linux
a microUSB cable
a microSD card (to be made into a 'goldcard')
the download below
balls of steel (actually, I just made that up)
Download
To be ready for the guide, download the following items...
the required files - DOWNLOAD (MediaFire Pro) / MIRROR (ROMraid / CoBlitz) MD5: rm6154a24e21df9fb6f542834f76e0d8f9
Once you have this on your machine, you're ready to start!
Note: If you require the previous 'TinyCoreLinux' r3 build, you can download it here (MediaFire), http://coblitz.codeen.org/www.romraid.com/paul/legend/r1-tinycore_2.10-legendroot.iso (ROMraid / CoBlitz).
The guide
Follow through these steps, one by one and at the end of it you'll have a rooted Legend with the latest ROM.
Note: This process will wipe your device and there is currently no option to backup your device ROM before you start.
Make your microSD card into a goldcard by following these instructions (it's a good idea to back up the contents of your card first!).
Unzip the file you downloaded to a directory, then open a command prompt / terminal window at that directory.
Turn off your HTC Legend, then turn it back on with the 'back' button held down. You'll see 'FASTBOOT' written on the screen in a red box. Connect the phone to the computer.
In the terminal window, enter either 'step1-windows.bat', './step1-mac.sh' or './step1-linux.sh' as appropriate.
When this step has completed, REMOVE THE GOLDCARD and either format it and replace, or replace with a different (non goldcard) microSD.
Navigate to the 'BOOTLOADER' and then 'RECOVERY' option on the menu, using the volume buttons to move and the power button to select.
In the terminal window, enter either 'step2-windows.bat', './step2-mac.sh' or './step2-linux.sh' as appropriate.
When this has completed, your device should be at the 'recovery' screen. Select the 'wipe' option, then select the option to apply an update zip from sdcard, and select 'rootedupdate.zip'. This will take a little while, so go make a nice cup of tea. When the flash has finished, reboot, and you are DONE!
Troubleshooting
If you have any issues with the root process, post below, and we'll do our best to help!
Recovery mode for future updates
Once you are rooted, you can enter recovery mode by turning your device on with the volume button held down and selecting 'RECOVERY', then running either 'recovery-windows.bat', './recovery-mac.sh' or './recovery-linux.sh' as appropriate from the root zip directory.
And finally!
Enjoy!
P
Thanks to nilezon for his patched windows ADB binary and Amon_RA for the recovery image I butchered here.
Thanks to Paul O'Brien for the guide!
Here is the original guide over on MoDaCo.

So, everyone must downgrade to 1.31 in order to root....
2 questions:
1] A Goldcard is required for the downgrade to 1.31. Is it possible to use the SD supplied with the Legend as a Goldcard?
i.e.
- Copy contents of SD card to PC
- Format SD Card
- Use as Goldcard
<Install 1.31>
<Root the Legend>
- Delete contents of SD Card
- Copy original contents from PC back to SD card
2] Is a Goldcard required when you apply new ROMS? I have a unbranded and unlocked Legend, when exactly is a Goldcard required?
Thanks in advance guys!

c_man said:
So, everyone must downgrade to 1.31 in order to root....
2 questions:
1] A Goldcard is required for the downgrade to 1.31. Is it possible to use the SD supplied with the Legend as a Goldcard?
i.e.
- Copy contents of SD card to PC
- Format SD Card
- Use as Goldcard
<Install 1.31>
<Root the Legend>
- Delete contents of SD Card
- Copy original contents from PC back to SD card
2] Is a Goldcard required when you apply new ROMS? I have a unbranded and unlocked Legend, when exactly is a Goldcard required?
Thanks in advance guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes
2. No, only for rooting first time. Or if you decide to unroot with RUU
its no big cost buy 1 extra for quick future use.

Thanks for the reply.
I understand its not a big cost to buy a SD card.
Its also minimal hassle to copy SD contents to PC, use as SD as Goldcard, then copy contents back .
As for the second question/answer, you responded with a "No" to : "I have a unbranded and unlocked Legend, when exactly is a Goldcard required?" ...I'm still not sure! You say Goldcard is required when you root for the first time. My Legend is unbranded and unlocked - do I still need a Goldcard?

If I understand correctly, a gold card is requiered when flashing from a non-rooted firmware to any other firmwares

Kwen said:
If I understand correctly, a gold card is requiered when flashing from a non-rooted firmware to any other firmwares
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you have a branded Legend.

Kwen said:
If I understand correctly, a gold card is requiered when flashing from a non-rooted firmware to any other firmwares
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, so it doesn't matter if your Legend is unbranded/unlocked. If you want to move from a non-rooted firmware (i.e. Stock ROM) to ANY other ROM (i.e. from this forum) then a Goldcard is required.
Hope somebody can confirm this?

any other means official firmware, right ?
the roms available in the forum are customised.

c_man said:
I see, so it doesn't matter if your Legend is unbranded/unlocked. If you want to move from a non-rooted firmware (i.e. Stock ROM) to ANY other ROM (i.e. from this forum) then a Goldcard is required.
Hope somebody can confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gold card should only be needed for a locked device.
Paulobrien said:
A GoldCard is a special SD card which, when inserted into your device, allows you to flash RUU files with a different CID to your own device. For example, if you own a T-Mobile branded device, this will allow you to flash a generic ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Learners Lisence said:
any other means official firmware, right ?
the roms available in the forum are customised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, by 'any other', I meant any other non-stock or non-official ROM, i.e. customised ones as found here on the forum.
TheDeadCpu said:
Gold card should only be needed for a locked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as I bought my Legend unlocked/unbranded, I just follow Pauls guide in the OP and ignore the bits in RED?
TheDeadCpu said:
The guide
Follow through these steps, one by one and at the end of it you'll have a rooted Legend with the latest ROM.
Note: This process will wipe your device and there is currently no option to backup your device ROM before you start.
Make your microSD card into a goldcard by following these instructions (it's a good idea to back up the contents of your card first!).
Unzip the file you downloaded to a directory, then open a command prompt / terminal window at that directory.
Turn off your HTC Legend, then turn it back on with the 'back' button held down. You'll see 'FASTBOOT' written on the screen in a red box. Connect the phone to the computer.
In the terminal window, enter either 'step1-windows.bat', './step1-mac.sh' or './step1-linux.sh' as appropriate.
When this step has completed, REMOVE THE GOLDCARD and either format it and replace, or replace with a different (non goldcard) microSD.
Navigate to the 'BOOTLOADER' and then 'RECOVERY' option on the menu, using the volume buttons to move and the power button to select.
In the terminal window, enter either 'step2-windows.bat', './step2-mac.sh' or './step2-linux.sh' as appropriate.
When this has completed, your device should be at the 'recovery' screen. Select the 'wipe' option, then select the option to apply an update zip from sdcard, and select 'rootedupdate.zip'. This will take a little while, so go make a nice cup of tea. When the flash has finished, reboot, and you are DONE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...and as we can only root in 1.31, I guess I still don't need a Goldcard for that a it's an official ROM.
I hope someone can confirm all of this post as correct as I'm sure it will be helpful to many others reading (sorry if they are basic questions!).

c_man said:
So as I bought my Legend unlocked/unbranded, I just follow Pauls guide in the OP and ignore the bits in RED?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
/10char

TheDeadCpu said:
Correct.
/10char
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent thanks for the clarification.
In which case, my understanding suggets that a Goldcard is not required in order to downgrade to 1.31 ([TESTED WORKING]DOWNGRADE to 1.31 which you can then root for Legend 2.1) in order to root either, because I would be moving from an official ROM (right now) to another official ROM (1.31)....yes?
EDIT:
Hmm.... not so sure now due to:
wag3slav3 said:
Big thanks to Joeball88 for putting in the testing time with me to get the bumps all smoothed out, and for caska who had the epiphany that we should goldcard it before RUUing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You will not need the goldcard unless your phone is locked. No matter what you do related to ROMs.
But of course. You could just make a goldcard to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the help again, TheDeadCpu !
Now it is clear:
A Goldcard is not required if your phone is unbranded/unlocked.... regardless of whether you want to root or apply another ROM.
Hope this helps some others out there too.

Thanks cman and deadcpu,
This completely changes our perspective.
So we just need HTC sync going to hop, skip and jump from one rom to another, offical or otherwise.

Learners Lisence said:
Thanks cman and deadcpu,
This completely changes our perspective.
So we just need HTC sync going to hop, skip and jump from one rom to another, offical or otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean...?

well, what i meant was that if our legends are not locked or branded we dont need a goldcard for rooting or changing our firmwares ?
But only HTc sync is a prerequisite for going from one official rom to another ? whether its downgrading or upgrading ?
i was kinda extending the concepts derived in prior posts...correct me if im wrong.

According to the info provided by DeadCPU, you're correct.
I've yet to test the theory though...

HTC Sync has nothing to do with your ROM.
Though it only works on ROMs with HTC Sense.

do i HAVE to have a goldcard to root my phone?
Because i just heard some say that theire sd cards were broken trying to make a goldcard, and i don't have an ekstra goldcard at my hands, neither do i have a card adapter

Goldcard fail, please help

Hi,
I wanted to flash official froyo ruu
and downloaded it ( http://www.filefactory.com/file/b4b...5.55.24H_3.35.20.10_release_160191_signed.exe )
i couldnt do it with htc sync it gave me 131 customer id error. people told to go with goldcard.
i read here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8105075&postcount=42
and got my cid, as below:
Executing adb shell cat /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc1/mmc1:*/cid
Reading adb output
------------------------
1b534d3030303030101ae4b6cd00a840
------------------------
CID: 1B534D3030303030101AE4B6CD00A840
Reversing CID
CID: 00A800CDB6E41A1030303030304D531B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i created goldcard.img with 1b534d3030303030101ae4b6cd00a840 (by using goldcardtool.exe from - klutsh's gold card tool)
i also got the rom.zip file and copied to the sd card.
NOW; what should i do???? i am going to recovery menu when turning on the phone but cant install it like i do before (like cyanogenmod rom..etc by selecting install from sd card - it is giving error).
also, which cid i should go with 1b534d3030303030101ae4b6cd00a840 or 00A800CDB6E41A1030303030304D531B
goldcard.img is 1kb only, is it ok?
Please help, i need to unroot this phone because i am going to sell it...

found the solution:
you need to change rom.zip's name,
in recovery boot, the system is looking for file names, mine was pc49img.zip
so, i changed the name and it worked
froyo working great, couldnt find any bug