If you are currently using HTC Hero and from Singapore, this guide would actually show you how to upgrade to Android 2.1 without waiting for the Over-The-Air update.
Disclaimer: There’s some risks involved in doing this upgrade like you will lose the settings to your HTC Sense layout (which I have experienced) or Datas (it’s over the internet but I did not experience that).
So if you feel that you are not able to go through such risks, then I would suggest that you go through the proper update. If this is fine with you (and agree that I should not be blamed), then you should continue reading on…
How To Upgrade To Android 2.1 For Your HTC Hero
First Step: Back Up Your Data And SMS
1. You would need to download this application from the MarketPlace – “SMS Backup & Restore” by Ritesh Sahu. Installing this application would help you to back up all your SMSes to your SD Card. (Credit – Ritesh Sahu)
2. Backing up all your Applications would require two steps.
a) A Normal sync to your PC using the HTC Sync Program. Do make sure that you have the latest Sync Version – 2.0.33
If not, please kindly download the latest version from HTC website.
This will sync all your contacts/calender to your PC.
b) Backing Up Your SD Card.
By default, when you activate the USB connection on your HTC Hero, your PC will link up your phone like a USB disk drive – allowing you access to the SD Card directly. But to play safe, I would suggest that you unmount your SD Card by going to Settings >> SD & Phone Storage >> Unmount SD card. Then proceed on to remove your SD Card and insert into the adapter that came along with it.
Then insert this adapter into your PC. And copy the whole chunk of information (this will include your SMSes back-up as well) from the SD Card into one of your Folder.
3. Download These Two ZIP files
Now’s the exciting part. Head over to this site >> Android @ MoDaCo and download the two zip files provided by Zane Lee.
Choose the files with the URL http://liveimage….
Once you are done with the downloading, it’s time to get dirty! For the first update file (file size is around 4MB), change the file name to “update.zip”. The second file can be left as per it is. Do check that these two files are not corrupted by clicking open the ZIP files. If they can be be opened and your PC did not prompt any error messages – you are good to go!
Remember your SD Card with the Adapter on your PC? Okay, copy these two files into it. Not inside any folders. Just as per it is.
Finished? Put the SD Card back into your phone. It’s time!
4. Getting The Firmware Upgrade
If you want to play safe. Connect your phone with the PC and activate the USB connection. And within the screen you will be able to see the two ZIP files there. You can click open these files to make sure that they are not corrupted.
Remember to turn on your WIFI, make sure that you have enough battery juice and then proceed on to OFF your phone.
Then turn on your phone by pressing the “Home button” and the “Power On” button together. And you will be brought to the Recovery Mode. If the screen hangs a bit, just press the two buttons again.
And you will be shown a screen with 3 options:
- Reboot the System
- Apply sdcard:update.zip
- Wipe out the system and return to Factory default mode
Choose option 2 with the TrackBall!
This will bring up the Firmware Upgrade Mode and the system will get to work to process the first file. Be patient with this process as it may seemed that the screen hanged but everything is still going well.
5. Getting The Android 2.1 Upgrade
After enduring through this process, your phone will be powered up. And you will be prompted to upgrade your phone to the Android 2.1 platform. Just agree and let the phone download a file and it will proceed to verify the file after it’s downloaded.
Your phone will then proceed to do the upgrade and you will be shown a screen with an orange status bar. I must let you know that this will be quite a wait and a test of your patience as at one juncture, the status bar stopped moving till like 10-15 mins later.
6. Your HTC Hero with Android 2.1
The system will power up and down. Blanked and On a few times. And you will be shown a new startup screen -the HTC Logo with the words Quietly Brillant… Your phone may even prompt there’s a need to do a Force-Close when it’s up and running (just agree).
Your phone is officially upgraded to Android 2.1 when you are able to do a screen pitch – a new function for your phone.
And it will be time for you to re-do up your HTC Sense layout. Play around with some of the new features and have fun!
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for the post….. i have upgraded my hero successfully without any problem…. you’re the man…
No problem! Glad that this post has helped you! Enjoy your newly upgraded HTC Hero!
hey guys ……you dont need to do all these stuff…just change your calender date to year 2013 and a request for update will come to your phone instantly….it worked for me ….let me know …if it works for you too ….
cheers ! !
Hey Ash, I did try this method a day before I posted this but did not worked for me. That’s why I decided to go ahead to do up the upgrade. Luckily it worked for me!
Hi, may i know what you mean by just changing the date? What are the steps involved? If we were to the upgrade ourselves, it would void the warranty right? Who do we approach to ask about the over the air broadcast? Telco or HTC? thanks all!!
Hi Irene, if I am not wrong, changing the date is to go to your Settings and change the year to maybe like 2014 instead of 2010. And turn on your WIFI and you should be prompted to download 2 files. Once done so it will turn up the Update Process.
This process will not void your Warranty because you are downloading what HTC is providing. If there’s a need to ask, HTC Support is the way to go! Hope this helps! And remember to back up!
thank you ASH and Dexter for providing the HTC upgrade information. Appreciated your hard work. Thanks! I am doing my upgrading now. Hope everything is all right.