This guest tutorial was written by MildlyDisturbed.

6a00d83451c9ec69e2014e86a1c30a970d 800wi How to unroot your HTC EVO 4G Even though you're aware of all the awesomeness that comes from rooting your HTC EVO 4G, you might still be on the fence about doing it because you're worried about what might happen if something breaks and you have to pack it up and send it away for warranty work. You've probably seen that other users have been able to successfully return rooted EVOs with manufacturer defects (microUSB port loose, touch glass falling off) with no problems, but you don't want to risk being that person who gets denied. Or maybe you just don't want to be in the rooting game because it's just not for you.

Whatever the case may be, don't worry. Unrooting your HTC EVO is very simple.

And it can be done in 2 easy steps:

  1. Flash this "S-ON" patch if you used unrevoked to root your EVO. Warning: Once flashed, there's a chance that you could lose root permanently if you install an official update in the future. [Source]
  2. Flash a stock signed ROM; you can find a link to one in this excellent unrooting guide at XDA.

Even if you have no plans to unroot right now, it's a good idea to download both files and keep them in a folder on your SD card (total is ~180MB ) just for safekeeping. You never know when your USB, radios, or something else that's covered under warranty will die on you (probably when you're out in the field and can't get online) or when the links will stop working (probably on the day you need them).

You already know how to flash a .zip (tutorial here) and have obviously already rooted and presumably flashed a custom ROM (tutorial here), so we can just breeze through the spelled-out version of the two-step process below.

In short:

  • Boot into recovery mode (power off the phone, press and hold volume down and power button, release when the phone vibrates).
  • If you're asked to flash anything at HBOOT, select no and don't reboot. Just start recovery. Note: A faster way to boot into recovery is by using an app like Quick Boot (one of G&E's top root app picks) or a custom ROM that includes various boot options.
  • In recovery, install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard > select the "S-ON" patch (unrevoked-forever-son.zip) > yes.
  • Power off and boot back into recovery to confirm that your bootloader security should be turned back on (S-ON at the top).

But wait. You're not unrooted yet, as your EVO still has a bunch of root programs, a modified kernel, and custom ROM on it.

  • Move the stock signed ROM (PC36IMG.zip) to the root/top-level directory of your SD card.
  • Boot into recovery mode to get to the HBOOT (or straight into the bootloader using Quick Boot or a custom ROM with that boot option).
  • The system will detect the PC36IMG.zip and ask if you want to install/flash it. Select yes, let your EVO do its thing, and it will be unrooted and back to stock when it's done. Note: If the software is older than the current version and you're okay with the possibility of losing root permanently (as noted earlier), then you can go ahead and install any official updates.

The only thing left to do now to erase all traces of root will be to clean up your SD card. Connect the EVO to your computer, mount it as a disk drive so you view the contents of the card, and delete the evidence! Titanium Backup and MyBackup Root folders are a dead giveaway; get that PC36IMG.zip off your card too.

Total time spent unrooting your HTC EVO should be about 8 minutes.

This guest tutorial was written by MildlyDisturbed.