So, we all know that everyone should always have the latest and greatest mobile phone don’t we.
OK, wait… why?
Well it’s the only way to get the latest and greatest functionality and software upgrades for it isn’t it!
OK, erm… no.
In the same way that you can upgrade your computer from Windows XP to Windows 7 you can upgrade your Android phone from say “Froyo” (2.2) to “Jelly Bean” (4.1).
Now, when I say “in the same way”, it’s actually a little tougher than that, but by no means impossible.
Before we continue however I want to clarify that should you choose to follow the guide I’m about to present you are taking a considerable risk with your mobile phone. It is possible, for numerous reasons, to “brick” your phone permanently if you make even a small error, or indeed if you are simply unlucky during this process. You have been warned. Only consider following this guide if you are prepared to render your phone totally inoperable if something goes wrong!
Having said all that I would add that I now “re-flash” my phone more regularly than I reinstall Windows on my computer, so fairly often, and I have yet to experience a serious problem with the process.
This guide is specifically for the original HTC Desire, one of the most popular phones ever sold featuring Android.
OK, so let’s break this down;
A. First Reflash Only (per device):
1. Install HTC Drivers (See section “D.”, below)
2. Access Revolutionary Site (http://revolutionary.io), generate a Beta Key and download client.
3. Enable “Debug” on Desire; Settings -> Applications
4. Connect your phone to your PC
5. Run Revolutionary.exe -> Defaults
6. Boot into HBOOT. (Power phone off, then hold down Power + Volume Down)
7. RECOVERY -> Advanced -> Manage SD Partitions.
8. RECOVERY -> Backup (Allow 5 mins)
9. Turn Phone Off
B. First & All Subsequent Reflashes:
10. Startup Phone Normally
11. Copy ROM Image Zip + “A2SDKiller” & “Data2SD” to SD Card & Backup SD Card content to computer. (Via USB tether to device)
12. Reboot into HBOOT. (Power + Volume Down)
13. Wipe “Dalvik Cache, “Battery Stats”, and “/data” and “/cache” partitions.
14. Install ROM ZIP followed by “A2SDKiller” & “Data2SD” from within HBOOT.
15. Partition SD Card (See below)
15. Reboot & Install “ROM Manager” from Marketplace / Play
16. Backup NEW ROM (Allow 5 mins)
17. Setup additional ext3 install space for apps (Default).
18. Access Phone via USB Storage Mode and move OLD Backups off Phone.
C. Partitions;
(For a 16GB Card)
1. HBOOT (Revoluntionary) -> Advanced
2. sd-ext (apps) = 4GB (That’s 4048MB up from 150MB on Standard HTC Desire ROM!)
3. swap = 256MB
4. sdcard (remainder) = 11GB
D. HTC Drivers
1. Visit “htc.com” (The site will automatically divert you to your regional subsite).
2. Click “Support”.
3. Select your phone from the drop-down list under “Choose Your product”.
4. Click on the “News & download” tab.
5. Click on “Download” below the “HTC Sync” area.
6. Save the file to your computer and then install it.
Additional Instructions:
1. http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/HTC_Desire_%28GSM%29:_Full_Update_Guide
Favoured ROMs:
MildWiLD: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1453287 (Fixes lack of Desire storage!)
Cyanogen: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/ (Doesn’t really fix lack of Desire storage, but is awesome otherwise.)