Noob start

[Mad]

As far as I have read all news, I can see that not only I has so many problems with voice, calls, photos, echo, and all delays on Hero.
All I understand is that I should "root" my phone but I don't know how to start. How to check what version I got and... can someone direct me in some way.
Here's my story
http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/46677?tstart=0

 

[Mad]

19 views, and not even one post or comment to get out of here...
Why do You people watch? just help.

 

[srkmagnus]

First and foremost, welcome to the community

Here is a great resource to root your Sprint Hero if you have the 2.1 update: [GUIDE] How to Root Sprint 2.1 Release for CDMA Hero - xda-developers

Read the instructions in the first post thoroughly, it's informative and breaks the rooting process down in great detail. Once rooted you'll have access to many ROMs that will improve the phones performance.

If you have any questions feel free to post them here as you go and we'll try and help.

 

[Mad]

1)I have just before this post read all stickies. I'm a forum maniac but had to write a noob question to be heard.
Thanks for response.
2)I saw that link but I have no idea what version I have and what there are....
3)I understand how rooting works but have couple questions:
-Can all stock apps be removed or uninstalled from my phone?
-Do Roms help in removing these stupid delayes I got when "call" is pressed?
-Have anyone of You read my post at Sprint forum? any help? beside hacking, rooting, roming?
4) Is there any sticky/guides about saving battery? I mean all good tricks to have my battery live longer. I don't use email, twitter etc....
Although I use FaceBook but I don't need any sync-ing while I'm not actually using my phone.

 

[Mad]

Settings > About Phone > Software information

If it says 2.27.651.6 under "Build Number" (notice the bolded, underlined, italic 6), you need to run the RUU in the second post of this thread to revert to .5 first. Doing this WILL erase all of your data on your phone, so be sure to back up anything if you need to first.

My build number is: 2.31.651.7
So I wait for any response before doing anything

 

[srkmagnus]

You need to download and run the RUU posted in the thread. You have the newest sprint update that was released after that thread was started. I should have assumed that you could have updated to it. Sorry about that.

Once you run the RUU to put you back at ".5" then continue with the rest of the steps. In response to your other questions:

3a. Yes, you can remove all stock apps from the phone. Here is a list of apps that you can remove without causing harm to the phones operation: http://forum.androidcentral.com/149355-post3.html

To list all the apps installed on the phone, you will need to enter the following command once you have gained root access and have the SDK installed to enable shell access:

adb shell
su
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/app
ls
rm nameofapp.apk (used for reference)

3b. Most ROMs have been improved to eliminate phone bugginess, including that commonly found with the dialer.

4. You can get longer battery life by reducing the sync times of various apps and widgets. With Facebook, set up the update cycle so that it's not as frequent. Turning off roaming and data when not in coverage zones is another way to prolong battery life (if you'll be in an areas with poor coverage). Most custom ROMs have been optimized to increase battery life. Once you root you can save the current state of your phone and flash all the ROMs you like (for the Sprint Hero) and always return back if you so choose.

Another good perk to rooting is that most newer ROMs have overclocking enabled and can be controlled with an overclock app (or setcpu). If you don't like any of the perks rooting has to offer, remember that you can always run the RUU to return the phone back to factory settings and lose root access.

I briefly read through your Sprint post and don't have any ideas/reasoning as to why you were experiencing those issues with the phone. Root, download a custom ROM and see if that fixes the problem. I'd suggest Beezy's ROM here in the Hero Forum to get you started

 

[Mad]

ok, thanks
I have to start reading that thread because I have no idea what is that RUU anyway...

 

[Mad]

okj, I have no idea what is RUU and where is it.

 

[Mad]

ok I think by RUU You mean something that needs to be downloaded under this "nfinitefx45"

 

[srkmagnus]

The second post of the how to root thread has the RUU (xda-developers - View Single Post - [GUIDE] How to Root Sprint 2.1 Release for CDMA Hero). RUU = Rom Utility Update. It's used by manufactures to restore a phone back to the factory ROM.

The reason why you will need to downlaod and run it is because Sprint/HTC patched the ability to gain root access in the last two updates released for the Hero (".6" and ".7"). Also, the RUU is a program that can only be run on a windows machine, forgot to mention that.

 

[Mad]

I'm on win7 so I'm good.
So before those last 2 updates, You could have a root access anytime or what? I don't quite understand that part.
I already have Sync 2.0.40. Do I have to uninstall it and install 0.33 version as in the guide?

 

[Mad]

ok I've read the guide.
I think I understood it.
What about backup? do I need to do something beside instructions from that thread?
Do I have to backup my contacts? apps? sd?

 

[srkmagnus]

Yes, backup everything you can with google (contacts, calender). Titanium Backup (paid) and Appbrain can be used to backup your apps and restore the download links to show in the market as downloads. SMS backup & restore app by Ritesh Sahu is good for texts. I think he has another for MMS, not sure.

Although not necessary, backup your SD Card just in case.

 

[bsmith1051]

@srkmagnus, you are a saint for ignoring this person's entitled attitude!

@mad, the delays you (and the rest of us!) experience with the Hero are the result of memory usage, i.e., if there's not enough unused memory available the phone has to pause and re-organize things. Since you are now running the latest official ".7" ROM from Sprint I would have hoped that your lag would have gone away?

If you go into Settings > Applications > Running Services you will get a quick summary of the available memory (bottom-left corner). Less than 20 MB is where you start to get lag, and less than about 12 MB causes serious lag.

In order to root, you need to manually downgrade your phone using the "RUU" utility from Sprint -- and make sure you use the older ".5" version! There are lots of examples on how to root the .5 version but not the newer .6 or .7

 

[Mad]

ok, I think, I'll try to root it today. I don't have any specific on Hero, only few photos.

 

[Mad]

I thought that if I use that Advanced Killer(free) after every time I use my Hero, then my memory will be in its highs always...
For now, after half day:
Avail:32mb+64mb in 14 other:48mb in 4

What does it mean? Is it good? very good? bad? normal?

 

[Mad]

@bsmith1051
tell me, what I did wrong?

 

[bb_batman_dcx]

Less than 20 MB is where you start to get lag, and less than about 12 MB causes serious lag.

@bsmith1051, i did not know that! wow learn something new everyday huh?

@mad, dude be patient! bsmith1051 probably hasnt been free to check the forums to answer your question!

by the looks of it you should be fine but i would definitely get rid of Advanced Killer. Task killers do more harm than good. use the built-in task killer to stop any services (same way you found you're available memory [Settings>Applications>Running Services])

once rooted you can use different programs that will actually heighten your battery life and make your phone run smoother

hopefully everything works out for ya with either the phone or Sprint!

 

[Mad]

@mad, dude be patient! bsmith1051 probably hasnt been free to check the forums to answer your question!

I'm patient. I just want to know why he picked my attitude? Do I sound/write like as-k-hole? I didn't mean it.

By the way, can someone explain me what "these" services mean and do?

 

[bsmith1051]

@ Mad, look at your original 2 posts. Your second post was just 30 minutes after the first and expressed surprise that no one had helped you yet. I think that was unreasonable and showed a sense of 'entitlement' on your part. I don't think you've been rude, though! Else I wouldn't have bothered to answer your question, at all.

re task killers, the Android OS has its own built-in task killer so the add-on products tend to do more harm than good. There is, however, still a legitimate need for better memory mgmt. I thought the latest ".7" ROM from Sprint had better default settings but once you're rooted you can install Autokiller which -- despite it's name -- is not a task killer, instead it allows you to adjust the threshold settings on the built-in Android memory mgr.