Root Your HTC Wildfire S

If you're a serious Android user, unlocking and rooting your phone gives you a whole lot more control over what it does and what goes on it. Unlocking and rooting are advanced tasks, but it's not incredibly complicated. Once your phone is unlocked and rooted, you can install custom ROMs and powerful tweaks that will make your phone feel entirely different.

Steps

Unlocking the Bootloader

1. Backup anything you need to save. Unlocking your bootloader will factory reset your phone, meaning all of the data on it will be wiped out. Make sure that anything you need to save has been backed up so that you can restore it later.
   • Back Up Your Contacts with an Android Phone Gmail or Moborobo.
2. Install HTC Sync. This program isn't going to be used, but it will install all of the necessary drivers that your computer needs to connect with your HTC Wildfire S. You can download it here, and you can uninstall it as soon as your finished with these steps. The drivers will stay installed even after uninstalling.
3. Enable USB debugging on your phone. Before you can root the phone and install a custom OS, you'll need to unlock the bootloader. HTC has an official method for doing this using your computer and the Android SDK. First, you'll need to enable USB debugging on your HTC Wildfire S.
   • Open the Settings app.
   • Scroll to the bottom and tap "Developer options".
   • Tap "USB debugging" to enable it.
4. Download the Android SDK on your computer. This the is free Android development kit, and includes the tools you'll need to access your phone. You can download the Android SDK here.
   • Run the installer to start the Android SDK Manager.
   • You will need the Java Development Kit installed in order to run the Android SDK. Install-the-Java-Software-Development-Kit.
5. Navigate to the folder that the SDK was installed to. You'll be copying a few of the files to a new location to make the process a little easier.
   • Open the folder that the SDK was installed to.
   • Open the platform-tools folder.
   • Select adb.exe, AdbWinApi.dll, AdbWinUsbApi.dll, and fastboot.exe. Copy these by pressing Ctrl+C.
   • Return to the C: drive and create a folder called fastboot. Paste the copied files into this folder.
6. Visit .htcdev.com and create an account. This is the official HTC developer website, and an account is required in order to unlock your phone. You can create an account for free by clicking the "Register" link.
7. Open the HTC Developer Center page and click the "Get Started" button in the "Unlock Bootloader" section. This will start the unlock process for your phone.
8. Select "HTC Wildfire S" from the drop-down menu. Click "Begin Unlock Bootloader" to proceed. Confirm that you want to accept the terms.
9. Remove the battery from your HTC Wildfire S and then reinsert it. This will power down the phone completely.
10. Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons. This will start the HTC Wildfire in Bootloader mode.
11. Select the "FASTBOOT" option using the Volume keys. Press the Power button to select it. This will open the FASTBOOT menu.
12. Connect the HTC Wildfire S to your computer via USB. You can leave the phone alone for the moment.
13. Open the Command Prompt on your computer. You can do this quickly by pressing ⊞ Win+R, typing cmd, and pressing ↵ Enter. You can also start the Command Prompt from the Start menu.
14. Type .cd C:\fastboot and press ↵ Enter. This will open the fastboot folder that you created.
15. Type .fastboot oem get_identifier_token and press ↵ Enter. This will display a large block of characters, which is the identifier number for your device's bootloader.
16. Right-click on the Command Prompt window and select "Mark". Click and drag to select the entire block, including <<<<< Identifier Token Start >>>>> and <<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>>.
17. Right-click on the selected area. This will automatically copy the selection to your clipboard.
18. Proceed through to Step 10 of the HTCDev website and paste the code into the box. Make sure that the entire thing si pasted, including the beginning and end.
19. Open the inbox for the email address that you registered with. You'll be sent an email containing your unlock key.
    • Download the Unlock_code.bin file that is attached to the email.
    • Click the link in the email to continue the unlock process.
20. Copy the .Unlock_code.bin file to your C:\fastboot folder. You can usually find the file in your Downloads folder.
21. Return to the Command Prompt. Type fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin and press ↵ Enter. This will send the unlock code to your HTC Wildfire S.
22. Use your phone to confirm that you want to unlock the bootloader. A message will appear on your phone as soon as you send the code asking if you want to proceed. Use the volume buttons to select "Yes" and press the Power button to confirm.
    • Unlocking the bootloader will delete all of your data, so make sure everything is backed up.

Rooting the Phone

1. Download ClockworkMod Recovery. This software will allow you to install custom operating system ROMs on your device. You can download ClockworkMod Recovery from here. Make sure to download the version for the HTC Wildfire S (5.0.2.8).
2. Copy the downloaded ClockworkMod Recovery file into the .C:\fastboot folder you created earlier. Rename it to recovery.img
3. Connect your phone to your computer via USB (if it isn't already). Power it down and then boot it up by holding the Volume Down and Power buttons.
4. Open the FASTBOOT menu on the phone by pressing the Power button.
5. Open the Command Prompt (if it isn't already). Navigate back to C:\fastboot.
6. Type .fastboot flash recovery recovery.img and press ↵ Enter. The flashing process will only take a few moments.
7. Select "REBOOT" from the phone's FASTBOOT menu.
8. Download the .root.zip file. This will be required to gain root access to your phone. You can download it from the XDA forums here.
9. Copy the .root.zip file onto your device's root folder. This is the lowest level folder on the phone. You can easily copy it to the right place by opening the phone in the Windows File Explorer.
10. Power down your phone again and then turn it on with the Volume Down and Power buttons. This will open the HBOOT menu.
11. Select "RECOVERY" and press the Power button. Use the Volume Down key to select it.
12. Select "install zip from sdcard" from the CWM Recovery menu. Use the Volume Down key to select it and then press the Power button.
    • Select "choose zip from sdcard" and then scroll down to select root.zip. Press the Power button to select it.
    • Scroll down and select "Yes - Install root.zip".
    • After the flashing process is complete, select "Go Back" and then select "reboot".
13. Check that you have root. After the device reboots, you should now have root access. The fastest way to check for root access is to look for the Superuser app in your app drawer. This app is installed automatically during the root process.

Creating a Backup

1. Understand why you should create a backup now. When working with custom ROMs, there's always a chance that something won't work correctly. Creating a backup now, before you install any custom ROMs, will allow you to easily revert your phone in case something goes wrong.
2. Power off your phone and then boot to the HBOOT menu by holding Volume Down and Power.
3. Use the Volume Down key to select "RECOVERY" and press the Power button to select it. Select "backup and restore" in the menu that appears
4. Select "backup" to begin the backup process. The backup process will likely take a while to complete.
5. Connect your phone to your computer after the backup finishes. You'll want to copy the backup image to your computer to keep it safe.
   • You'll find the backup image in the clockworkmod\backup\Template:Var folder. Copy this entire folder to your computer. For extra security, upload it to an online storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive.

Installing a Custom ROM

1. Download a custom ROM that's compatible with your HTC Wildfire S. There are lots of different custom ROMs available on the internet. These are operating system replacements that can unlock extra features and change the way you interact with your phone.
   • One of the best places to start looking for custom ROMs is the XDA forums.
   • Custom ROMs are downloaded as .zip files.
2. Place the .zip file for the ROM onto the root directory of your phone's SD card. You can connect the phone to your computer via USB and then copy it to your phone's root directory. Make sure to place it on the SD card so that it doesn't get erased during the wipe.
3. Turn your phone off and then boot it up by holding the Power and Volume Down buttons. This will load the HBOOT menu.
4. Press the Volume Down button to highlight "RECOVERY" and press Power to select it. This will open the RECOVERY menu.
5. Select "factory reset/wipe data" and press Power. Confirm that you want to erase all of the data on the phone. This will ensure that nothing gets in the way of the new ROM.
6. Select "install zip from sdcard". Select "choose zip from sdcard" in the next menu.
7. Highlight the .zip file for the custom ROM you want to install. Confirm that you want to install the ROM.
8. Wait for the ROM to be installed. This will likely take a few minutes, and you can monitor the progress on your phone's screen.
   • After the installation is complete, reboot the phone by selecting "reboot system now".
9. Wait for the interface to start. When you boot your custom ROM for the first time, you'll likely have to wait a while for the interface to load and initialize. It will often play an animation on a loop while it works in the background. Just be patient and you'll be using your new ROM before you know it.

Troubleshooting

1. Use your recovery image if the ROM doesn't load. If your phone won't boot, you'll probably need to use your backup to restore the device.
2. Copy the backup back to your SD card, using a card reader if your phone won't start.
3. Insert the SD card into the phone and then boot it using the Power and Volume Down buttons.
4. Select "RECOVERY" and then "backup and restore".
5. Select "Restore" and then select the backup image. The phone will load the backup and you'll be able to boot as normal. Your phone should still be rooted, but if it isn't you can repeat these steps to unlock and root it again.

Warnings

• This will void your HTC Wildfire S' warranty

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Sources and Citations

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