Manual: Maintaining and modding the HTC Incredible S

This manual lists all the steps, in logical order, to go from a physically broken phone to a great working, free and open source phone. It links to several other articles on this blog for detailing individual aspects.

Hardware

(1) Getting your hardware repair tools ready

I recommend these tools:

(2) Identifying hardware defects

 

(3) Repairing hardware defects

 

Software

(4) Getting your software tools ready

Installing WIndows drivers for the phone: For the HTC Incredible, that means installing HTC Sync (see right column there for download!). You can uninstall this again after installing.

(5) Freeing the phone: Rooting and S-OFF

  1. Follow the All in One Noob Guide For Downgrade and S Off for HTC Incredible S. Here are my own notes: [TODO]
    • To decide if you need to do the HBOOT downgrading process at all you have to determine your HBOOT verion number at first. Basicall: boot into the bootloader, it’s written there [instructions].
    • For the HBOOT downgrading and rooting process, I used these instructions because I could not find the (more comfortable, less manual) Downgradekit from the above “All in One Noob Buide”. However, one step is missing in these instructions between 6. and 7.: you have to relock the bootloader [source and instructions].
    • After HBOOT downgrading and rooting, I proceeded with the All in One Noob Guide For Downgrade and S Off already linked above.
    • I had a problem to get the “Revolutionary” tool do its job under Windows XP, probably caused by some part of the HTC Sync software that I should have deinstalled before but could not find [source]. The error message was “rawadb_open remote closed the connection looking for target”.  Using Revolutionary on Linux was immediately successful – but remember to run it as root or add appropriate udev rules to get your device detected [source].
    • I did not install Clockwork Recovery, but the 4EXT one as I like it more. Means I chose “no” when Revolutionary asked if it should flash Clockwork to the phone, and did an ” fastboot flash recovery recovery.img” with the 4EXT recovery image.
  2. Install the unofficial CyanogeMod 10 ROM. It performed very well on my device, except that it needs the workaround for video recording as mentioned by the developer. Do not forget to install Google Apps at the same time, the link is also in that post.

(6) Installing a Custom ROM

This is well explained in the HTC Incredible S installation instructions for CyanogenMod. They use Clockword Recovery there, but it works just the same with 4EXT Recovery. It’s really simple!

(7) Installing great applications

See the article How to do unattended bulk installs of Android apps? on this site.

(8) Creating backups and a backup solution

 

Knowledge Resources


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