Accidentally bought rooted phone...

[Karynne]

Okay, a few days ago I bought an HTC Evo V off Amazon (from a private seller) and it arrived this morning. Low and behold there was a note in the box mentioning that this phone is rooted (this wasn't mentioned in the listing), and trying to activate it via the Virgin Mobile website just gives me this message:

Are you sure you want to swap phones?
Data Packs and Downloads (VirginXL) are not available on the phone you want to switch to. So if you make the switch, you'll lose any remaining MB of data and you won't be able to sign up for a new Data Pack. Also, you won't be able to use Downloads (Virgin XL) or purchase ringtones, games, or graphics.

Basically, I want a phone that works. I don't care if it's rooted or not, I just want to activate it. Where should I go from here? I don't know what all has been done to this phone, much less how to undo it and return it to stock. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

PS: I guess I should mention that I'm already a Virgin customer and I'm trying to switch my number and service over to this new phone from my old one.

 

[adamhos]

What is your current payment (phone)

Is the EVO v running the stock Rom or something else....also you'll want to know if you're s off or on, and which hboot you are currently on.

With the phone off, pull battery, reinsert battery and hold vol down while pressing power, that will bring up you bootloader, it should tell you what hboot is loaded and if you are s off...
there is a way to.get you back stock but if the wrong hboot is installed you will brick



Sent from my HTC EVO V using Android Central Forums

 

[Karynne]

Thanks for the quick reply! I followed your instructions and this is what came up:


*****UNLOCKED*****
SHOOTER XC SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-1.57.0000
RADIO-1.06.00.0426
OpenADSP- v02.6.0.2226.00.0217
eMMC-boot
Apr 20 2012, 17:39:22


HBOOT

VOL UP to previous item
VOL DOWN to next item
POWER to select item

FASTBOOT
RECOVERY
FACTORY RESET
SIMLOCK
IMAGE CRC

 

[Karynne]

Sorry, I forgot to answer your other questions...
My current phone is a LG Optimus V and I'm on the $45 a month beyond talk plan. As for what ROM this HTC is running, I have no idea, nor do I know how to check that. The Optimus was my first smartphone and it's been bone stock since day one so all of this is uncharted territory for me.

 

[Karynne]

Oh yeah, umm how do I exit bootloader mode safely? I've just left it as it was because I didn't want to mess anything up, now I just want the phone off so I can fully charge it. Do I just hold down the power button to turn it off?

 

[adamhos]

Just a guess but you are probably stock, just rooted...go back to the boot loader and go to recovery...if a custom recovery was installed (either 4ext or twrp), you will see a menu with options like install from sd, wipe, recovery or backup, etc

If its still factory I think it looks like a disk drive with an exclamation point or something ( you may need to pull battery to get out of factory recovery don't be alarmed). See what you have and we'll go from there

To navigate bootloader use vol keys to move to selections and power to select, some recoveries are like that too, others (4ext) are touchscreen)

Also goto about phone, what version do you have

There is a process to use with windows that will get you bone stock, (search android forums for ruu for our phones), but if you are bone stock and just rooted, then I'm pretty sure you can activate no problem. I wouldn't tell Vm you're rooted, but it should work fine.

As for the message, I got that too. I had the optimus v for 25 a month, the message is cause you are starting a new service, due to the 4g its a different network. I know network is probably not the correct term, but you get the idea


Sent from my HTC EVO V using Android Central Forums

 

[adamhos]

Point is I would Keep root, and you can make the phone "yours".

Sent from my HTC EVO V using Android Central Forums

 

[Karynne]

Okay, I went back to Bootloader and pressed Recovery, this is what came up:
Bootloader then Recovery Mode:

Team Win Recovery Project (twrp) v1.1.1
Based on Android System Recovery <2e>
Main Menu:
Install Zip
Nandroid Menu
Wipe Menu
Advanced Menu
Mount Menu
USB Storage Toggle
Reboot System Now
Power Down System


E:Bad Boot message
"TIME"
E: failed to mount /sdcard (no such file or directory)
E: failed to mount /sdcard (no such file or directory)
E:Unable to mount SD card

I should also probably add that the phone didn't come with a micro SD card. I swapped the one from my Optimus but it wasn't in the HTC when I ran bootloader.

I went to the HTC's About Phone and this is what it says:
Android Version: 4.0.3
HTC Sense Version: 3.6
Software Number: 1.13.652.2 710RD
Kernel Version: 3.0.16-g4211684, htc-kernel@u18000-build-144 #1, SMP PREEMPT
Baseband Version: 1.06.00.0426
Build Number: 1.13.652.2_R2 CL372137 release-keys
Browser Version: Webkit/534.30
PRI Version: 1.53_144
PRL Version: 61009

Thanks for all your help by the way. I wouldn't mind being rooted, I just want to be able to activate the damn thing. I had tried swapping phones via the Virgin website but I pressed the cancel button when that warning popped up, so I didn't think it had gone through. But then my Optimus wasn't working (couldn't browse internet or make calls) so I called customer service and they said I had switched phones (even though I pressed Cancel it apparently went through anyway?) and had to switch my service back to the Optimus if I wanted to use that phone. So, long story short, my Optimus is working fine now but I have to wait 24 hours before I can reattempt switching service to the HTC. Now I just want to figure out what all the guy did to the HTC so I know what I'm working with here. Do all those specs sound pretty stock?

 

[adamhos]

You are stock with a custom recovery

The custom recovery is nice for flashing new roms, and backing up and restoring your phone, very handy if you're rooted

The downside is you can't factory update with a custom recovery. If you were s off (you are on) you could manually push these updates, as well as flash cm10 and other jb and gb roms.

There is an update out that fixes a few messaging and signal issues, which you want to get.

You probably want to just run the ruu on windows and go back to stock. That way you can update your software and radio.
Again, you should have no problem activating but you probably want to get back to unroot stock, that way you can update with no issues

Go to android forums (phandroid) and look in the all things root for HTC EVO v, in the first couple pages there is a post for RUU return to stock unroot.

You may want to read how to root first, so you understand what you're doing to unroot.


Sent from my HTC EVO V using Android Central Forums

 

[adamhos]

When you go to activate, call vm and get them to switch your account, they are usually very friendly and helpful

Sent from my HTC EVO V using Android Central Forums

 

[Brian706]

You can also unroot fairly easily and return to stock. You would have to lock the bootloader and then run the Ruu for your phone.

This is if you don't want a rooted device. You have that option. After doing the aforementioned, you would be able to take OTA updates from Verizon if there are any.

Sent from my Evo 3D CDMA using Tapatalk 2

 

[Karynne]

Thanks guys, it sounds like unrooting and going back to stock is my best option at this point. I've been researching for hours and I'm having a hell of a time trying to find an unrooting guide for Mac users. My computer is running 10.5.8 (very outdated, I know), and the few unrooting guides I've found that work with Macs are for the current Mac software. Either that or they're for the Sprint Evo which I imagine uses a different RUU than my VM Evo. Any ideas?

 

[Brian706]

Thanks guys, it sounds like unrooting and going back to stock is my best option at this point. I've been researching for hours and I'm having a hell of a time trying to find an unrooting guide for Mac users. My computer is running 10.5.8 (very outdated, I know), and the few unrooting guides I've found that work with Macs are for the current Mac software. Either that or they're for the Sprint Evo which I imagine uses a different RUU than my VM Evo. Any ideas?

I would suggest if at all possible to just use a friends pc if at all possible. I think it would be a lot simpler for you. I have no experience with a mac in this department. I know that the ruu is an exe. Not sure if that can be used with mac or not?

Sent from my Evo 3D CDMA using Tapatalk 2

 

[Karynne]

Okay, thanks! I'll see if one of my PC friends is free today, and let you all know how it goes. Thanks again for all your help, I don't know what I would have done without this forum!

 

[Who?]

Make sure to leave negative feedback for the seller. This seems like such a headache that I would have just returned the phone.

 

[Karynne]

Well, long story short I didn't end up unrooting it. I went ahead and just tried activating it. Virgin Mobile's website gave me an error message and instructed me to call customer service. It was late and their call center was already closed, so I just went to bed and figured I'd call them in the morning. I wake up and low and behold my LG is no longer in service, so I turn on the HTC and after a few tweaks (updating the PRL and Profile) it works beautifully. Thanks for all your help, I guess it turns out I was worried over nothing

 

[Brian706]

Well, long story short I didn't end up unrooting it. I went ahead and just tried activating it. Virgin Mobile's website gave me an error message and instructed me to call customer service. It was late and their call center was already closed, so I just went to bed and figured I'd call them in the morning. I wake up and low and behold my LG is no longer in service, so I turn on the HTC and after a few tweaks (updating the PRL and Profile) it works beautifully. Thanks for all your help, I guess it turns out I was worried over nothing

Cool congrats! Now you can read up on rooting and you'll be a flashaholic in no time!

Sent from my Evo 3D CDMA using Tapatalk 2