Recover rooted Incredible after mistakenly installing Android 2.2 (Froyo)

[scauley]

Scenario:

HTC Incredible running Android 2.1 from the factory, rooted with Unrevoked 3. Because I am impatient, I decided to manually load the 2.2 (Froyo) update using a link that failed to warn me not to try this on a rooted phone. Since then, I have located numerous reputable sites that warn the user up front that the manual update is for factory image, non-rooted, phones only. So shame on me for going with the first link I found, duh. So I updated my rooted Incredible with the Froyo update.zip and had undesirable results. While the update ultimately completed, it left the phone in an unusable state and was stuck in a boot loop. Here is how I recovered. Thankfully I had the sense to make a Titanium Backup before I started. That was the one smart thing I did.

1. Download factory image zipfile from MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
2. Backup contents of SD card (my phone would not mount the SD card as a disk drive given its weird state so I had to place the micro SD card in an SD adapter and place it in my computer to copy files to/from it throughout this process)
3. IMPORTANT! Format SD card with FAT32 filesystem or the HBoot step below will not be able to read the zipfile referenced in the next step. Clearly this is destructive so make sure you have a backup of your SD card.
4. Locate PB31IMG.zip in the downloaded zipfile and copy it to the root of the SD Card
5. Power down phone by pressing and holding power button
6. While holding the Volume Down button, press the Power Button until the HBoot screen appears
7. Hboot will automatically read the image zipfile and will prompt you to update, press the Up Volume Button to accept as instructed
8. Once the update completes, it will prompt you to reboot; press the Volume Up Button to select yes
9. Upon reboot, your HTC Incredible will be in its factory state. After the reboot, you will have to follow the prompts to setup and re-register your phone as you did when it was brand new.
10. Root phone: unrevoked3 recovery reflash tool, v3.14 ##I needed to root the phone to restore using Titanium.
11. Install Titanium Backup and restore all applications and data
12. Reboot phone

After reboot, my phone was 100% back, contacts, including Touchdown Exchange client, scenes, etc. Everything came back!

Here is a video of the process, excluding the unrevoked3 rooting and restore procedures.

[video=youtube;irOD_Kho-Ks]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irOD_Kho-Ks[/video]

If you have an un-rooted phone and wish to manually install the Froyo 2.2 update, this link has the proper disclaimers and should work. I opted to stay with my rooted phone and wait for a rooted version of 2.2 from the folks at Unrevoked.

If I had read this link first, I wouldn't have ever tried the update.

HTC Droid Incredible Android 2.2 manual update guide|Free PC Guides

 

[g3p]

Actually, I did try this. It always worked in the past until this "official" version came out. Couple of days more and I'll simply get the phone replaced under warranty.

BTW, the problem is I never get the prompt to do the upgrade. I just installs, reboots back to 2.1, and I'm stuck with the new radio.

 

[scauley]

So even if you format your SD card FAT32, it doesn't read the image zip file and prompt you to update like in the video? Until I formatted the SD card, it didn't work for me either. That step is key.

 

[g3p]

Yup, though I used a Mac. I'm at work now, so I'm going to try it on a PC

 

[g3p]

No luck. Same thing, I never get prompted for the upgrade.

 

[rmreid]

Although my Dinc is not ''rooted" I did update the radio so I am unable to get the OTA to 2.2 will the process by the OP above put my Dinc back to its original state (un rooted) so I can get the 2.2 OTA?

TIA

 

[scauley]

My best guess is yes, but it is a guess at best. I'm not sure about the radio update. I'm no expert. My phone was unusable and I cobbled together various procedures together to get it back going. I'm not sure if this will work for you.

 

[rmreid]

Ok thanks my search continues on how to wipe the radio update on my unrooted Dinc so I can get the OTA 2.2

 

[g3p]

It looks like if you're rooted before the 2.2, you might have the same problem I'm having. I saw a post somewhere else (can't find it at the moment), that until unrevoked figures out how to put us back to S-ON, we're probably hosed.

 

[BewareOfButtlice]

didnt work at all.... wow ive been trying to fix this **** for 2 hours now and still the phone is bricked.... i feel like an idiot for installing the damn update before unrooting

*EDIT*
Well i didnt read it all completely right then... The default SD card format is FAT not FAT32. It has to be FAT32 or it will skip over the IMG. So now its back to programing and installing 2.2 after everything is setup!!!!