How To: Unroot the HTC Desire

I. Before You Begin

1. The only reason to unroot a phone is if you have to send it back in for warranty purposes. Otherwise just try loading a different ROM instead…

II. Get Back to Out of Box State

1. Download HTC Sync (if you don’t already have it) and the Original RUU and save it to your computer.

HTC Sync

Original Desire RUUs (Choose the best one that suites your specific device) Thanks Jesterz @ XDA!

2. Double click the HTC Sync program and install it.

3. Plug your phone into the computer via USB cable and select HTC Sync when prompted on the phone on how it should connect.

4. Double click the RUU exe you just downloaded and follow the prompt to restore the phone back to factory settings.

Reported Issue:

Issue: After the RUU tries to reboot my phone into bootloader, it sits at Waiting for Bootloader and eventually gives me an error.

Solution: Simply unplug the phone and plug it back in (leaving it on the HTC logo screen), and run the RUU again with it in that mode already.

Issue: After the RUU says sending and updating signature, it brings up an error saying use the correct RUU for this device.

Solution: Either find a different RUU for your phone, or just put your Goldcard back into the phone and start over.

86 thoughts on “How To: Unroot the HTC Desire”

  1. Getting the error with incorrect RUU as stated above. I can only find one fom for HTC Desire on Vodafone in UK – any ideas?

  2. Is there a way to just go from o2 branded Htc desire with 0.80 bootloader i want to go to a generic stock and then cheak for updates in settings and download the official froyo update is this posible

  3. Hi i am thinking about rooting my htc desire but i couldn’t find a RUU file if i wanted to unroot it or send it for warrenty. Is there a Ruu file out for an Orange provider HTC.

    P.s. Thank u for the gr8 step by step guide and video tutorials for rooting much appriciated
    keep up the gr8 work

  4. Hi,

    I have preformed the unroot with the RUU installation successfully, but I’m still not getting the 2.2 OTA even though it is ready for my phone… please help…

  5. Hi i really want to root my Orange branded htc desire but am not doing it because i could not find an Orange RUU anywer online. the reason why i am looking for an Orange RUU is if i have to send it to Orange i dont think they will fix it for me. I dont mind creating an Orange RUU from my phone if it was possible but i dont know how to, so if i do want it in original state i could just flash that rom. Can you please assist me or tell me if it is ok if i just use a default rom ones that can be found online or would i have to have the original rom init?

    Thank you in advance

  6. I followed everything on this guide, after completing the unrooting process, my phone is unable to produce a display, i.e. I can hear sounds but no display whatsoever! HELP!

  7. My desire is an unbranded one with clockwork 2.5.0.1 recovery.
    I experience Issue1 where the RUU reboots the phone but then waits for bootloader and gets error 171-phone not connected via usb. I tried unplugging the phone at that point and the screen changes to the white background with skating droids and says RUU but does nothing. The only way to get past that is to remove the battery and then restart the phone as normal. Once i plug the phone back in it goes to the black background & htc logo again but running the RUU again gives error 170-phone not connected early on in the process because the RUU package cant detect the phone to determine what version it has. I’ve tried restarting the phone and using “adb reboot bootloader” while the RUU package is waiting for bootloader but that doesnt work either.

    Alternatively, I’d like a std htc froyo rom with sense but only have the exe’s and not the update.zip file. Is there a way to extract the rom from the exe so that I can simply update it via the clockwork mod?

  8. hi mayur, I have the same problem as you. Error 171: USB connection…
    I have this problem trying to run RUU’s for both my Desire and my partners Hero (on different PC’s).
    I have successfully installed the stock RUU on this handset with this same laptop using the exact same RUU (still on my desktop from last time), but now i have no joy. Not sure what has changed… I assume something must have. It is the stock T-mob UK 1.21/1.15…. ive tried both with same results.
    If you or anyone else knows a work around for this, please post.

    Thanks

  9. Hi!
    When i unroot my desire will it delete my currently rom on device and put normal android 2.1 or 2.2 with htc sense?

    I didn’t root my phone yet, but I want to do in order to try cyanogenmod.
    However, I want to be sure that it can restore the current settings (rom)

    1. dude just get rom manager and make a backup even though you aren’t rooted. When you root you can always just go back to that back up.

  10. hi when i try to start the ruu file the computer shows an error 5001 “please make sure you have finished any previous setup and closed other applications

  11. I am having problems downgrading the Rom. I followed the instructions above, but when I double click on the RUU I just downloaded an error message pops up saying”………exe..is not a valid windows 32 application.”

    The RUU is obviously in .exe format, any ideas how I can downgrade the Rom for this type of file, or should I be looking for a zip file. Total newbie here.

  12. i rooted using my desire with unrevoked and so i dont have a gold card, is it nessasary for me to make a goldcard so that i can unroot my desire??

  13. i rooted using my desire with unrevoked and so i dont have a gold card, is it nessasary for me to make a goldcard so that i can unroot my desire??

  14. i rooted using my desire with unrevoked and so i dont have a gold card, is it nessasary for me to make a goldcard so that i can unroot my desire??

  15. My desire debranded but for warranty purpose I had to take U-turn. Loaded the original RUU, the phone is working fine, bt it is not syncing the calenders and the contacts from the MS Outlook…Pls help….

  16. My desire debranded but for warranty purpose I had to take U-turn. Loaded the original RUU, the phone is working fine, bt it is not syncing the calenders and the contacts from the MS Outlook…Pls help….

  17. My phone completes the RUU installation, reboots and sits at the HTC logo screen..
    When I unplug and plug it back again as the solution says, my phone is not recognised by the htc sync and cannot proceed to running the RUU again…
    Help please?

    btw I didn’t use a goldcard as I dont have one since I rooted my phone with the unrevoked method and could see anywhere if I needed it or not.

  18. Hi
    I just Installed RUU for 3G Uk hutchison on my htc desire everything goes well and software on pc stated mobile software updated , buut then my phone screen goes blank. I think I can phone turns on but screen does not work.

    any idea, please help me as I can not go to customer service as well not sure if it is under warranty as do not know which software is installed on the phone.

    please help

    thanks
    Raj

  19. I have a CDMA HTC Desire from Ntelos. I rooted the phone with unrevoked. Can I still use one of the listed RUUs to unroot my phone to receive an OTA even if it wasn’t specifically for an Ntelos phone

  20. HopeThisHelpsFolks

    For those of you on a carrier-ROM (like Orange/O2/T-Mobile UK) that are getting the 140: BOOTLOADER VERSION ERROR, you’ve probably got a bootloader that is too new (like me – I had 0.93) and so it’s not letting you flash the ROM above as it’s an older ROM.

    So to be able to sucessfully ‘unroot’, you’ll first need to downgrade (or whatever it’s called) your HBOOT to an earlier version BEFORE you can complete the steps above (it won’t work until you do).

    I’ve sucessfully waded through how this on my T-Mobile UK Desire, so I hope these steps help anyone else that’s needing to get back to a state where they can send their phone back under warranty (props go out to all the people that put these together!);

    1) HOW TO CREATE A GOLDCARD (which we need to do to downgrade your HBOOT as we are using carrier-ROMs): http://www.roothtchero.co.uk/goldcard-2
    2) TURN YOUR VIRUS CHECKER OFF BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO DOWNGRADE ( otherwise it will find a virus in the ‘rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin’ file of the downgrade ROM and then delete the file, but the virus won’t hurt your puter, see here; http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=853704 … it is required to complete the downgrade… it is only a ‘virus’ to trick your phone into letting you downgrade the HBOOT )
    3) HOW TO DO DOWNGRADE YOUR HBOOT: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=768256

    Rock on

    1. the guys from alpharev are havin an “Downgrade” Table now online … so you dont have to use that downgrade prog + goldcard .. just flash the table from their site http://alpharev.nl/

      tried it myseld, worked like a charm

  21. hello i hAVE A HTC DESIRE cdma. with hawaii based carrier MobiPcs and i really need to un-root my phn but i cant find a RUU for it Please help me someone!!

  22. would I use a branded rom even though my phone just boots up using the HTC logo but in the settings it says “Vodaphone” (Got it off eBay unlocked)

  23. Arafat Haider

    Hi, I have unrooted my desire due to a rom problem but wanna go back to root it and use roms from diff developers but cant root the phone as every time I try to root using reflash, it goes on the screen and cant go to the recovery, have to reboot the phone and it goes to the custom rom and loads that….can anyone pls help, I need to root the phone again, how to do that??????????????

  24. BRAVO PVT3 SHIP S-ON
    HBOOT-0.93.001
    MICROP-051d
    TOUCH PANEL-SYNW0101
    RADIO-5.11.05.14
    Aug 10 2010, 17:52:18

    This is my current rom details…

  25. I’m Indonesian HTC Desire, I have Just download 2 RUU but not Suitable for me. can you help me, what is RUU will be suitable for my desire ?? many thank’s 

  26. Htcsync will not find my rooted HTC desire. I have tried using the TRU installer but it says it can’t Connect to the phone. Any help?

  27. I need to send my Aria back for warranty work and have got s of and root I know how to unroot but not how to get s on? Any Idea?

  28. It seems that shipped-roms.com is shut down. Is there an alternative site to get these from? I’m looking for Orange UK Bravo. Or close to it.

  29. Im unsure which RUU to use for my HTC desire? please help i need to take in into the shop tomorrow and need to unroot it

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