How To: Root Your HTC Hero in One Click! (Updated 03.07.10!)
August 27, 2009 in Featured
PLEASE TRY OUR NEW, EASIER PROCEDURE AND SEE IF IT WORKS FOR YOU, IF NOT THEN COME BACK TO THIS PROCEDURE AND CONTINUE.
HOW TO ROOT THE HTC HERO (ANDROOT METHOD)
I. Read Before You Begin
1. Try the procedure as is first, then if you get a backup failed response from flash rec come back to this section for what you need to do BEFORE using the rest of the procedure.
Orange UK Users - Please downgrade your ROM version to 2.73.61.5 using this HTC Program. Then you can follow the rest of this procedure as it is written. Good luck!
Orange Spain Users – Just continue with the procedure as written, should work fine for you 
Unbranded European Users - Please downgrade your ROM version to 1.76.405.1 using this HTC Program. Then you can follow the rest of this procedure as it is written. Good luck!
Sprint Users – Please downgrade your ROM version to 1.29.651.1 using this HTC Program. Then you can follow the rest of this procedure as it is written. Good luck!
T-Mobile UK Users – Please downgrade your ROM version to 1.76.110.6 using this HTC Program (link is gone, if anyone knows where to find the 1.76.110.6 RUU please post a link). Then you can follow the rest of this procedure as it is written. Good luck!
If None of The Above Worked For You – You may need to do things the hard way (goldcard method), do this procedure and then come back and follow the rest of this procedure.
II. Let’s Get Started
1. On your phone, goto Settings, Applications, and make sure Unknown source is checked ON.
2. On your phone, goto Settings, SD card and phone storage, and click Unmount SD card.
3. Then click Format SD card (it should automatically remount after this).
4. Plug the phone into the compuer via USB, then pull down the notification bar and click on the SD card notification. Then click mount.
5. Download this APK and recovery image and save it to your computer:
FlashRec.apk (Updated 01/10/2010)
Amon Ra’s Hero Recovery Image (Updated 01.10.10)
6. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Do NOT follow the video instructions from this point on (use them as a visual aid only!) We have replaced the Cyanogen Recovery Image with the Amon Ra one so when it says anything about the Cyanogen Recovery Image, just ignore that and put the Amon Ra one in it’s place. This is VERY IMPORTANT when typing into the FlashRec program. You will NOT be typing what is written in the video, type what is written here in this procedure instead!
7. Save both the recovery-RA-heroc-v1.5.2 and the FlashRec.apk to your computer, then copy them both to your SD card (do NOT put them inside any folders on the SD card, just put them on the SD card itself).
8. Unplug the phone from the computer once they are downloaded to the SD card.
9. Goto the Market and download Linda File Manager or any file manager program if you do not already have one.
10. Open the file manager and goto SDCard and then find the FlashRec apk file and click it. If asked tell it to use Package Installer to open it. It should automatically install the apk.
11. Open the FlashRec program and click on Backup Recovery Image and wait for it to finish.
12. Once done, click on the empty text box in the FlashRec program and type (again remember we have replaced the recovery image from the one in the video so type what is written here, NOT what is written in the video!):
/sdcard/recovery-RA-hero-v1.5.2.img
Then click on the Flash Custom Recovery Image button (this button might say something else in different versions of Flashrec, but similar to this) and wait for it to finish.
13. Turn off the phone and turn it on into Recovery mode by holding down Home and Power to turn it on (keep holding until the recovery screen comes up has a bunch of text on a black background). So long as that screen comes up, you have done it correctly and can now go on to the How to Load a ROM video for your appropriate device!
14. To get Root access you MUST go to the next video mentioned above and load a custom ROM.
Reported Issues
Issue: It says Backup Failed/Flash Failed when trying to use the FlashRec program to flash the custom recovery image.
Solution: Try the older version of FlashRec (version 1.1.2).
Issue: When I download the FlashRec.apk it shows up as a .zip not an apk.
Solution: No problem. Do NOT extract it, just simply replace the .zip with .apk and then proceed with the procedure.
Issue: I don’t see the Flash Custom Recovery Image button (or anything similar).
Solution: This means you either are typing in the file name incorrectly or the file is not in the right place on the memory card. This button only shows up when you have the correct path in the text box and everything is spelled correctly.
Nwachukwu said on August 16, 2010
I have an unlocked HTC hero uk which I can now use with any Sim card here in Ghana.
It has the following
Firmware 1.5
Build number 1.76.61.3
I did flash it with the recovery and it worked very well.
I want to know which Rom is best to use,and also I would like to know if it will not lock back to the Orange Network..
Thanks
I also want to thank You for your support in our phones..
Ben said on August 21, 2010
I am having issues. For one, when I tried to run the program to downgrade your ROM version to 1.29.651.1, it just keeps saying it cannot connect to the phone, even though I can mount it and play songs, I can sync it using the HTC sync softwrare, everything. The other issue I am having is when I open the linda file manager, it is just blank, no files, no folders, no nothing. Any suggestions?
Klawtrax said on September 5, 2010
Hello
Yes I am a noob but I think I understand the procedure but am still having problems. I formatted the sd card each time I tried this. I am using Astro file manager. I put the flashrec 113 and recovery heroc on the card. I then via the Astro navigate to the flashrec, install it and run it. It never will do the back-up. I even tried skipping that and flashing the recover heroc but always get the dead unclickable button. I have checked and double checked the typing, I have even downloaded the flashrec 112 and had all the same problems. What could it be? Thanks for any help.
anvendarnamn said on September 12, 2010
Hey Unlockr..
I have been trying to root my phone this weekend..
I think I have tried most of the methods you have here without success..
I would like to try this method again now but when I try to install 1.76.405.1 unbranded EU. I cant install it because of that customer ID error.. error 131 if I remember right.
Im on 2.1-update1 with build 3.32.405.1
I cant use unrevoked either.
Any suggestions?
Logan said on October 16, 2010
hi, okay now i am looking seriously into rooting my phone but first i need you to answer a couple questions… PLEASE. I am on a carrier widely known as alltel. however my portion of the country was not bought out by verizon for monoply reasons. So down here we were bough out by a foreign country and none of this matters but i just thought i should make myself clear. Question 1– Im on alltel using a CDMA HTC hero and in the video it is a GSM version or the first video i should say… Do i just follow the same instructions as someone on Sprint does?,, and question 2— CDMA will it work on CDMA?
Logan said on October 16, 2010
my e-mail is lkndy81@gmail.com please get back to my ASAP
MarketQ said on October 25, 2010
I tried going to the market to get the file manager but it will not le me do anything in market because an error occurs… what do I do now?
Juan Tomas Alvarez said on October 27, 2010
Hi I tried using the new method for rooting but I’m not sure if it worked. The app did say woot you’re rooted but I’m trying to install recflash with Linda and it gives me an error saying application not installed. I have tried reformatting the card and I read about doing a factory reset but still nothing. Any ideas?
jw013013 said on November 5, 2010
flashrec.apk link isn’t doing anything for me
Raulgomez2211 said on November 16, 2010
Aw, this was a really great post. In theory I’d like to write like this also – taking time and real effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done
Chris said on November 26, 2010
Damn! That’s hardly one-freaking-click!
John said on December 24, 2010
cant flash the recovery image (icon is unclickable) and cant back it up (Backup FAILED: Could not run command.) Im typing in everything as it should be and the file is in the correct place on the card. any help?
John said on December 24, 2010
cant flash the recovery image (icon is unclickable) and cant back it up (Backup FAILED: Could not run command.) Im typing in everything as it should be and the file is in the correct place on the card. any help?
Judas2708 said on December 28, 2010
same thing happnd to mine too. how do you fix it?
Kiddrosiee said on July 30, 2011
same thing happened to me.
John said on December 24, 2010
cant flash the recovery image (icon is unclickable) and cant back it up (Backup FAILED: Could not run command.) Im typing in everything as it should be and the file is in the correct place on the card. any help?
John said on December 24, 2010
cant flash the recovery image (icon is unclickable) and cant back it up (Backup FAILED: Could not run command.) Im typing in everything as it should be and the file is in the correct place on the card. any help?
Brett Burns said on December 24, 2010
your hero looks completely different than mine
Brett Burns said on December 24, 2010
your hero looks completely different than mine
Anonymous said on January 24, 2011
Is this better than my android 2.1? in what way?
Mikepr111 said on February 10, 2011
This is an awsume site. I have a sprint htc hero and I am trying to unlock it to use with another provider. Then I want to root it. Can I unlock this phone. I’m lost helpppppppp e-mail mkepr111@yahoo.com thank you
scarecrow said on February 12, 2011
well this didnt work for my hero….
Protusmose said on March 23, 2011
Video doesn’t exist anymore.
Hackben said on May 20, 2011
I just rooted my Hero with this method now I keep getting “Message sent using invalid number of digits. Please resend using 10 digit number or valid short code.” Msg 2114. This comes up where ever I txt someone now
Hackben said on May 20, 2011
NVM I did the Androot method..
Hackben said on May 20, 2011
NVM I did the Androot method..
Kiddrosiee said on July 30, 2011
Keeps saying backup FAILED. I did everything in the instructions. HELPPPP!