Database Develop

Help The Noobs

Will someone be kind enough for all the noobs out there and post a complete video of how to get from a completely stock firmware to (well in this case) this hero build, or the newest, latest, or best working hero build. While showing the order to flash radios, spls, and such using the ADB. It will help out a lot of people trust me. And from the looks of all the noobs right now youll have so many views, subscribers, followers or whatever your motive is. Please help noobs out.
If you need it you can find some free desktop recorders to enhance your video here: http://download.cnet.com/windows/vid...ftware/?tag=bc
Completey safe downloads from cnet.
Remember stock to hero!
I would do this myself but i myself do not know how and am on my second g1.
Thank you!

i will have a go at making that over the weekend.

milestone.it said:
i will have a go at making that over the weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a billion. You dont know how much this will help people. Post a link here when your finished please

Since this thread is for the "noobs", I have a couple of questions to ask.
Excuse my not using the search fully. There are just so many threads and so many responses and none of them are completely clear.
If I were to root my phone with the latest Hero ROM that has flash playet 10, will I still need to upgrade the firmware to 1.5 or is this particular ROM built on 1.5 or what??
Also, does this latest Hero ROM have the famed HTC virtual keyboard or no??

OutstandingO said:
Since this thread is for the "noobs", I have a couple of questions to ask.
Excuse my not using the search fully. There are just so many threads and so many responses and none of them are completely clear.
If I were to root my phone with the latest Hero ROM that has flash playet 10, will I still need to upgrade the firmware to 1.5 or is this particular ROM built on 1.5 or what??
Also, does this latest Hero ROM have the famed HTC virtual keyboard or no??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly idk but maybe someone will see this thread and answer that for you or you can start a new thread

There are quite a few videos out there already that show you how its done. Maybe not directly toHero but the whole process is the same - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDPFhJ9noLA
So instead of using JF 1.31, simply use the Hero ROM of your choice, rename it as "update.zip" and put it on the root of your SD card. Turn off your G1, hold the HOME button and press POWER to get into the Recovery image. Press ALT+W (to wipe) then ALT+S (to flash the ROM).
EDIT: I forgot some very crucial information >_< IF you are going to Hero from Stock you do require a few other things. Namely the new Radio and the new SPL (depending on which Hero ROM you pick). Make sure though that whatever you do, you upgrade the radio first to avoid bricking your G1. Look at my signature for links to what you need, like the Radio, SPL etc.
Wait patiently and all should be well...
@OutstandingO
Hero is basically Cupcake (1.5) but with a different interface created by HTC using custom code. So you just flash the Hero ROM of choice and that's it.

root video
OutstandingO said:
Since this thread is for the "noobs", I have a couple of questions to ask.
Excuse my not using the search fully. There are just so many threads and so many responses and none of them are completely clear.
If I were to root my phone with the latest Hero ROM that has flash playet 10, will I still need to upgrade the firmware to 1.5 or is this particular ROM built on 1.5 or what??
Also, does this latest Hero ROM have the famed HTC virtual keyboard or no??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YouTube has plenty of view on rooting that's where I learned how to do it, they also have the files u need to root it right there for u to download. Just search it and u will find it. The guy who's vid I followed is tony moreno look for his bids. I don't recommend jumping from 1.1 to hero. Go from 1.0 to 1.1 then jump to 1.5. Also hero is built from 1.5. I myself have tried it but even with all the optimizing its not fast enough for me. It also has the famed HTC IME keyboard. I myself use JF 1.5 APD. With the Hero theme in the themes section with the HTC keyboard. Flash would be nice but it still has issues with speed and force closings. Like I said YouTube the rooting process and search around the thread for other stuff like and and how to use fastboot.

I forgot some crucial information, namely to upgrade the Radio first and that you might need to upgrade the SPL. Have edited my post.

That is in part something that threw me for a loop.
I've seen multiple vids for rooting but none of them seem to address this whole "Radio" issue that you brought up and the steps surrounding that. From what I have been reading this is the most important part.
I love this site but the type of people that post here are guys that already know what their doing in most cases and they speak and post as such.
So have I ever developed an app for the G1, no, but I'm not Danny Dunderhead either. I can read a set of instructions if laid out for me.
So I ask you more experienced gentlemen, can someone either post a link or give me step by step help in checking my "radio", upgrading my "radio" and then installing the ROM??
I would greatly appreciate it.

I did it! I bricked my G1!
Yeah, well...what can you do. I read over the posts here, watched youtube videos, and searched the web as well. Read and viewed everything I could until I couldn't take it anymore. Then...I tried. Tried and failed? No, tried and died.
MAN, I WANT HERO! I am more jealous with every video I see. I don't care if it's a little slow. It is pure Android beauty. But...
There is so much information out there, not just at this forum, but all over the net. And although there are many similarities between the instructions (I use that term loosely for some), many have different steps so it's hard to tell which to follow. Apparently taking what you feel are the best from each is not the way to go. Really, I'm not stupid about these things...well...
So, here is where I started; a T-Mobile G1 running the latest OTA 1.5 update and the 2.22.19.26I radio software. Used Parted Magic to create a 5GB FAT32 and a 1GB EXT2 partition on the SD card. I downloaded everything I though I would need or could find. The original boot and recovery img's along with RC29, RC30, and Cupcake zips. Then I got HardSPL and a bunch of files from Hayruko. I got JeseusFreke, CyanogenMod, and JACHero stuff. Hell, someone said to download the Telnet.apk and put it on the SD card as well. Did that. I found a great thread for installing the JACHero, but it did not go into rooting your phone first. Did that need to be done? I guessed it did. So I started there. Downgraded nicely to RC29. That was easy. Then even went through the telnet and terminal emulator steps. Then trouble. Which recovery.img to use? Some instructions reference the testkeys and some don't when rooting. Figured I would do it that way. So I went through those steps. Loaded CyanogenMods 1.3.1 and 1.33.2005 SPL on the SD card. Flashed (I thought) the recovery.img. Rebooted to get ready to install the SPL. Stuck at t-Mobile G1 now! They really do call it a brick for a reason.
So now that I got that off my chest, a few questions. First, I want to run HERO. I want it! However, I would like to make a request this time. Could someone please post step by step instructions for taking a stock G1 to the JACHero 2.3.4 release. Not just "flash the recovery and SPL" files. I would like more detailed directions. If you know of a good link to send me, please tell me. I thank you in advance for your time. I know it's a real pain in the ---, but I promise I will pass your knowledge along to another such as I!
A few questions first. I believe the steps are something like this:
1. Downgrade to RC29.
2. Copy recovery_teskeys.img and some recovery.img along with some SPL update.zip file to the SD card and "load" them properly. Which files should you use (does it matter), which order should you do it and how?
3. How do I do a Nandroid backup at this point? Do I need/want to?
4. Do I wipe now? Need to ever? Doesn't the image overwrite everything anyway?
4. Copy update.zip (the renamed JACHero 2.3.4 zip file) to the SD card and load it. Do you need to load any other image first other than JACHero 2.3.4.?
5. Enjoy HTC Hero goodness!
I know I am asking a lot, but I need the steps so I can replicate this easily. I am going to want to do this a lot based on what I see out there. Always something new to try and a lot of great developers out there. Thank you in advance for all of your time and effort. I promise to pass it along.

Trouble in rooting process or getting back to latest unrooted version.

Im new here. Sorry if this is a newb topic but i have no clue what to do now. I'd even be fine with just going back to the latest unrooted version right now because im stuck on rc29.
I originally had CRC1. I'm having trouble on one of the last steps of getting root. I used this guide http://androidandme.com/2009/05/guid...stall-cupcake/ . I am on i think step 3 and everything else has went well. I'm back to RC29, but when i go to upgrade radio image it says either cant find file or bad file after i have copied it to sd card and renamed it update.zip. Can someone please give specific steps on how to get this working? If for some reason I can't get root can i get back to the original OS CRC1 that i had easily? Please help. Thanks.

There is no reason to start a new thread dude. There is a whole thread on all these questions.

brad3024 said:
Im new here. Sorry if this is a newb topic but i have no clue what to do now. I'd even be fine with just going back to the latest unrooted version right now because im stuck on rc29.
I originally had CRC1. I'm having trouble on one of the last steps of getting root. I used this guide http://androidandme.com/2009/05/guid...stall-cupcake/ . I am on i think step 3 and everything else has went well. I'm back to RC29, but when i go to upgrade radio image it says either cant find file or bad file after i have copied it to sd card and renamed it update.zip. Can someone please give specific steps on how to get this working? If for some reason I can't get root can i get back to the original OS CRC1 that i had easily? Please help. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer: yes if you're not rooted you should receive the OTAs and get back to CRC1 soon
Please search next time and post in correct forum (Q&A)

sorry about that. I've tried searching and trying different things. Will I still get OTA update to RC33 even If its not letting me manually look for an update in settings/about phone? sorry for the noob questions. Thanks.

It will automaticlly upgrade over night, redownload the radio image and try with a new one
If you are using windows, it hides the file ext so you only need to. Rename it update not update.zip

This can't be happening... [SOLVED]

So today i finally get the gusto mod my phone Android Dev 1. After downloading all the files and following the instructions here i can't get past the black g1 screen (#8). note i can also get the the rgb screen. thats it, but with so many different posts with similar issues, my brain is pounding. At this point if i can get beack to factory, ill live. what i'll hate is the fact that bricked my phone. i'll most likely get screamed on for not searching, but i think i may be searched out. any help would be appreciated.
thanks.
docfu.

first of all dont freak out lol. Download the dreaming.nbh or w/e file from the rooting instructions and place it at the root of the sdcard. Then get into the rgb screen (Camera + Power) and flash it. That should get you back to factory settings. If not, download the update.zip for w/e region you are in place it on your sd card. Enter recovery (Home + Power) and flash the update.

ok...so i tried the DREAMING file and it kept turning up no image found, alternatively i'm not sure what you mean by w/e region update. i ihavent come across that in my searches.

ok dreaming file did infact work. i feel better knowing that the phone isnt bricked. however after running the update when it prompts for action, i hit the trackball and i'm right back at the rgb screen..AGGGHHHH! sorry. i've been at this since 3pm this afternoon.

Chill. Don't freak. You can't just jump in and do something as soon as your read it. Read the whole thing and if you don't have the patients for this work on that before you work on this. bbreath.

I must say start by saying thanks guys. i stepped back, and actually took my [email protected]@ to bed. Rest does wonders. That said. I've accomplished the factory reset. so i back to a stock g1, and boy does it suck. As stated my phone WAS a dev 1. i've already started the upgrade process, my question at this point is where do you recommend i go from here. back to dev 1 or try one of the other roms. i've already installed the spl, and right now im stuck at the telnetd part of the root process. and this too may have me screaming by the end of the day...
any thoughts would be appreciated.

After the recovery image is installed you need to update the radio if you want to install a cupcake 1.5 ROM. You can get it here, rename 'update.zip', place on the SD card and boot in to recovery and flash. Then flash a ROM of your choice. You should be able to do that on RC 30, but I'm not sure if you need to install a rooted image first, so I'd wait for someone else's input before trying that.

I played it extra safe and used the rc29. as far as i know the proper radio is installed. i'll wait around before i do something stupid. thanks for the input tho. i'm trying to learn everything.

ok...so i went back to the original method for obtaining root. i was so frustrated last nite that i ended up trying to combine 2 slightly diff methods. at this point i call them the telnetd method and root.apk method. correct me if im wrong but niether one mentions the other. so i make it to the bootloader running the root.apk it runs thru the list and the fails at radio_v2. now im on the white screen wuth the skateboarders, the radio #says 1.22.12.29. so i run it again i
now im on the rgb screen at proceeds to attept the update again. this time the dreaimg.nbh fails. i'm not freaking out. im good. because i know im almost there. feedback appreciated. thanks in advance.
y'know i never thought about this..but if i reverted a dev phone to factory settings...did i relock everything? and for the record, i only have a mac. if that matters at all.

Future reference ^-^
In case you encounter this problem in the future, cause it can happen with flashing new roms if you skip a step:
You're only bricked if you are stuck at the G1 boot screen but can't get into recovery or fastboot, adb or anything. In cases where you can still get to other phone options to start over, rest assured your phone does still work, just need to step back and figure it out, which you did in this case with a little help ^-^ First few times doing anything to my phone, I went into panic mode a couple of times thinking I bricked until I read around and found out otherwise.
Just in case you didn't know these things, if you did, well, hope it was a nice read? ^-^

doctorfugazi said:
ok...so i went back to the original method for obtaining root. i was so frustrated last nite that i ended up trying to combine 2 slightly diff methods. at this point i call them the telnetd method and root.apk method. correct me if im wrong but niether one mentions the other. so i make it to the bootloader running the root.apk it runs thru the list and the fails at radio_v2. now im on the white screen wuth the skateboarders, the radio #says 1.22.12.29. so i run it again i
now im on the rgb screen at proceeds to attept the update again. this time the dreaimg.nbh fails. i'm not freaking out. im good. because i know im almost there. feedback appreciated. thanks in advance.
y'know i never thought about this..but if i reverted a dev phone to factory settings...did i relock everything? and for the record, i only have a mac. if that matters at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... if you actually purchased a dev phone it should not be sim locked.
Technically... after the rooting process, we all have dev phones with the exception of the sim lock.
So... what SPL are you using?
What ROM are you trying to install? Some roms you should consider partitioning your sdcard.
What radio do you have?
First thing is first.
Get the 1.4 recovery if you haven't done so already. 1.4 Recovery
Because this allows you to select any .zip file without having to rename it to update.zip. This saves on confusion so you don't try flashing a spl (like danger spl )before a radio (could brick your phone).
Second
You need the 1.5 radio to use cupcake. 2.22.19.26I
Third
Consider an spl. You have 4 choices. HARDSPL (Recommended), Eng SPL (what the dev phone defaults with.. skateboarding androids), the standard spl (nondev) and Danger SPL (risk bricking but worth it because you have more memory for your ROMs and can try HERO builds).
Fouth
Find your rom. NOTE: Read each post carefully! If it says you need a specific spl then get it! Otherwise it won't work. Some require the Danger SPL. If you chose a JF rom then you should be alright and don't even need to partition your card and it will work just like the OTA release. Some (such as Cyanogens 3.9.7) are experiemental and are not recommended for noobs.
Fifth (and probably the most important)
ALWAYS BACKUP WITH NANDROID!!!
In the event that you think that you've bricked your phone. I would say that there is a 90% chance that you didn't. As long as you have a nandroid backup and can get to the bootloader then you still have a phone. Just make sure the fastboot.exe file is in your sytem32 directory of your computer. Open CMD and cd to your fastboot backups saved on your computer. Simply
fastboot flash boot boot.img <enter>,
fastboot flash system system.img <enter>,
fastboot flash userdata data.img <enter>
fastboot reboot <enter>
and you should be back to where you were immediately after the point you backed up. Think of it as a system restore for Windows. It couldn't hurt to have a few backups stored.
If you have any questions or problems include information for us to read in a single post and edit as necessary.
Example:
AT&T
Cyanogen 3.9.7 Rom
Recovery 1.4
HARD SPL
Radio 2.22.19.26l
8GB class 4 sd card (7gb fat32/900mb ext3/100mb swap)
Theme version if any.
That way we know what we are working with.
Happy flashing.

rest assured i was in panic mode yesterday. but honestly the only thing i could really do was just step back for a while, meaning get some rest tackle it with a clean head. its frustrating for sure. this one guy tho who posted in the brick think tank thread...just cuz he couldnt figure things out in an hour he got pissed and started screaming waste of time this that and the other. total BI$CH! I was like whoa. I was at that point too. but Im not tryna be that guy.
Now, if could just figure out if i have to start from scratch, i just might be able to get my phone working again in time fro me to go to work tmrw morning.

So... what SPL are you using?
the hard SPL found here
What ROM are you trying to install?
Well i was trying to follow suggestion on something simple, like one of the early jesusfreke's. if i can step it up sure why not. but i'll pass on the partitioned sdcard setup for now.
actually I'll run with JesusFreke JFv1.51 US CRB43
What radio do you have?
radio number listed in my previous post.
Hey thanks by the way for taking the time out of your day to respond to this. i know u guys get your fair share of spazmiesters, so i appreciate it totally.

after doing research it seems that all the current roms require partitioning. or is that optional just for running apps to sd?

partitioning is optional of apps2sd for preformance. some like myself have three partitions, the third being for a linux swap

Ok ive final decided on the dudes cupcake 101. the ? i have now is do i start from scratch. im kind of in limbo as i'm stuck on the bootloader. if remember correctly i got half way thru the root process and it went down hill from there.
TMobile
RC29 / previously Dev 1
Recovery 1.4
HARD SPL
Radio currently 1.22.12.29 / trying to get to 2.22.19.26l
4gb card
(hope i did that right)

doctorfugazi said:
Ok ive final decided on the dudes cupcake 101. the ? i have now is do i start from scratch. im kind of in limbo as i'm stuck on the bootloader. if remember correctly i got half way thru the root process and it went down hill from there.
TMobile
RC29 / previously Dev 1
Recovery 1.4
HARD SPL
Radio currently 1.22.12.29 / trying to get to 2.22.19.26l
4gb card
(hope i did that right)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay... you have the recommended recovery and spl.
So all you need to do is get your rom and radio and store the zip files to the root of your sdcard. You don't need to rename them.
Just boot in recovery (power+home) and scroll down to:
[Alt+A] apply any zip from sd
And then you should see the zip files.
Upgrade your radio first.
Then your rom.
Another note... make sure you have a data plan once you've installed your rom. Depending on your rom version, you may not be able to sign in without one. If you can't sign in, you can't use your phone which is why most would recommend a custom rom or an adp rom.
Now... if I'm not mistaken... you do NOT have to partition your sdcard to install a rom (unless it's a HERO rom).
You may want to consider doing so however.
The advantages are that you can have virtually unlimited storage for apps and it's much easier to restore them after a wipe because they are still on your sdcard. Some apps will recognize the partitioned sdcard and automatically do all the apps2sd work for you by default. It is also recommended that you use at least a 2gb class4 card at MINIMUM. Any slower then a class 4 may result in system crashes and errors. Any less then a 2gb card is almost not worth all the effort since you'll likely be using at least a quarter of it for the apps2sd. I would suggest buying at least a 8gb class 6 card for less then $50 online. It's both fast and plenty of storage. With apps to sd, if you do need to wipe you still have all of your apps installed. A great advantage of having apps2sd.
Also... try different roms! There are DOZENS out there! Some have the htc music installed, some have myfaves, some have special cameras, etc. Don't be afraid to experiment. As long as you have a backup and can get to the bootloader (skateboarding androids) and a pc, you can't go wrong! If fact... with the 1.4 recovery you can store several different roms on your sdcard, backup your current rom, wipe, flash a new rom to try it, wipe, flash a different rom to try that one, etc. If you decide that you didn't like any of those... just restore back to your previous backup. Simple as that. No pc needed. However having a pc is handy to get logcat information if it's not booting for some reason.
Speaking of roms not booting... while your experimenting with various roms... you MUST have patience. Sometimes (based on my personal experience with about 10+ different roms) they can take up to 15 minutes to boot up. You can literally be staring at the ANDROID or HTC logo this entire time. Unless you are using ddms.bat or adb shell logcat, you will be clueless of whats going on. DO NOT do anything unless you get the infamous "boot loop". This will be obvious. It will stick at the ANDROID or HTC screen for a while and then blink and go back to the logo. If you see it blink and go back to the logo then try pressing power + talk + menu to restart it and then immediately press the home button to bo back to recovery. Wipe... try again. This time it should work. If it doesn't then restore your backup while you research on that partitcular rom. You may have skipped a step or not have the proper requirements (partitioned card, spl, etc).
With all of that said... good luck and you'll be posting help to other users like yourself before you know it.

Hey Doc, if I'm not mistaken (other guys correct me if I'm wrong), if all, and I mean ALL you have is a boot loader (AKA SPL. ie// skating androids or colored bars) you need to reflash dreaimg.nbh to get a system back.
This ALSO flashes your SPL and RADIO back to default so reflash your radio and SPL afterward. (IN THAT ORDER I HOPE)

Binary100100 is a gentleman and a scholar
nicely written response binary.
I can't stress enough how helpful it is to have the sdk working on a computer when flashing new roms. Get ADB working, it'll save you a ton of headaches.

innerspace said:
nicely written response binary.
I can't stress enough how helpful it is to have the sdk working on a computer when flashing new roms. Get ADB working, it'll save you a ton of headaches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I do what I can.

Unroot help, yes I have used search

Hello everyone, my HTC DREAM touch screen just died on me today meaning it doesn't detect me. I tried battery pull and soft/hard reset and even wipe. I plan on bringing it back to rogers for a replacement or repair but I gotta revert this back to stock. My Phone is rooted and is rogers its also running cyanogen. How I unroot and install the factory firmware, i have looked through google and here and i may missed some or didn't see any results that reflected what I was looking for.

You obviously did not search Google correctly.
Al you'll really need is to find the DREAIMG.nbh file for RC29, and use fastboot to flash it over. That should take you to 1.0, I believe. You may need to find an official OTA update for Cupcake to flash as well, you may not.

[email protected] said:
You obviously did not search Google correctly.
Al you'll really need is to find the DREAIMG.nbh file for RC29, and use fastboot to flash it over. That should take you to 1.0, I believe. You may need to find an official OTA update for Cupcake to flash as well, you may not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just getting it back to 1.0 is fine. All the OP would have to say is he never wanted to get the updates.
Here is the factory cupcake build you can use. http://androidoverdrive.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=85

So if I unrooted using the DREAIMG.nbh procedure 48 hours ago, how long do I have to wait for the OTA upgrade to bring me current? Is there anything I can do to hurry it along? For example, will it not come through if certain apps are being used, etc? Or do I just ... wait longer?

ummm, Rogers doesn't have OTA updates. Just get the e911 update thing from rogers and run that. It will unroot you and put you to the latest rom.
FYI you can now say good bye to root as the new phone that you get from rogers will not allow root.
I feel for you as I am in the same stupid F'N sinking boat. F Rogers.

ravencore17:
I will not scold you for not reading enough or reading correctly. I have been reading this site, others, and searching for 3 months to get to the point where I am now. There are thousands of posts and it is often difficult to piece it all together and sort the wheat from the chaff.
I can offer what I have found.
1.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534464
I thought this post might be helpful since it offers a stock rogers rom, but it says 32A, so I don't konw if that will work with the Dream.
2.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5486789
This thread has a link to:
"
http://haykuro.polygonize.com/ROGERSDREAM.nbh.zip
"
This seems cool, but i can't find an md5sum for it, so there seems to be no way to verify the download. It would be a shame to brick the phone with a bad download.
I wonder if anyone has used it successfully and has a checksum?
Maybe [email protected] could help us?
3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=544654
has this:
"
Regardless, heres the original radio (3.22.20.17) and the original recovery (WARNING: UNROOTED) from rogers dream:
http://www.stevebirstok.com/android/losemyroot.zip
"
but again, I cannot find and md5sum for the file, so I am a bit hesitant to use it if a brick could result.
I think suggestion #2 would be great if there was a checksum for the file.
I would keep a copy of it handy as well if I could verify it.
David

Andriod Newbie, how to load a ROM?

I'm as green as it gets when it comes to Andriod and all of these custom roms for it and the phones. I am extremely technical, senior dev for 10 years. I know a bit of *nix as well, so command shells aren't new to me and the concept of mounting. I've loaded lots of ROMs (and donated!) on my Windows Mobile device (Touch Pro), so that I have licked fine. Just, now I have an andriod device...
But for the like of me, I am having a hard time finding simple basic instructions on how to load a ROM. All I see are things like "boot to RA". Yes, I've searched and searched with VBulletin's limited forum search (used google to crawl the site too, nada).
What does "RA" mean, and how to do I get to it? LOL See my delima! Does it mean "Root Access", and does that mean I have to root my phone (I am assuming that?). Just don't want to brick my brand new phone!
I just picked up a Sprint Hero and want to load Fresh ROM on it. I have not even activated it!
OS is: 2.27.651.5 I assume this is the "2.1" that people are talking about?
So, if this is the 2.1... Does that mean I cannot root it? And therefore, I cannot load any custom ROM on it?
For example, here are the instructions to load Fresh ROM (and my questions):
•Download and copy the zip to the root of your sdcard
Ok, no problem. The zip is on my flash card. But, do I need to expand it?
•Reboot to RA and do a data wipe / factory reset (REQUIRED)
Again, Reboot to... "RA" what? Root Access?
Also, in the rooting instructions, I don't see anything about "data wipe / factory reset" from whatever this "RA" is.
•You may also need to wipe sd:ext if you are having troubles booting.
How do I do that?
•If you are running Fresh Toast and ext4 then you’ll need to partition back to ext3 if you want to use apps2sd
Say what? How do partition, ext3? ext4? What are those? apps2sd?
Yeah, very new...
The rest of the instructions seem easy enough.
Thanks in advance guys!

You need to root your phone first.
After that the RA everyone is talking about is rebooting into recovery. If you have the android sdk loaded you can send a command like adb reboot recovery or you could also turn on the phone while holding the home button. Then you can do all the wiping and loading of ROMS(just make sure they are for a CDMA hero)
You will need to go into settings -> About phone -> Software Information and look at your firmware version. If it is 2.1 then you can't do anything until an exploit is found. If you are 1.5 then you can root your phone. The easiest way is with fresh kitchen. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=655225

Thank you centran! Fresh Kitchen looks super clean. I'll give that a shot (when I can...).
Humm. The phone came with 2.1-update1 as the firmware.
So I guess that means I am SOL?

yep. sorry

Is there a way to use the normal HTC Utility and flash the ROM to an older version? Sprint has pulled the older versions of the ROM from the site. But, I am sure there's one floating around here somewhere.
Thanks again!

Nope, HBOOT fails to flash, and even though we maanged to bypass HBOOT, main version check still fails.

Looking forward to the hack when it's accomplished! Thanks!

Hahahaha... And as soon as I give up hope, handed it to the wife and said, "Sorry, we can't hack it at this time", I see on xda's homepage that the Hero 2.1-update1 has been rooted!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572
Now, does this mean I can snag any of the custom ROMs here and slap it on it? Or, do I need to/should wait for an RUU-hacked version?

Yep, just Root it and then flash away. No need to wait for anything.

Thanks again for the reply!