The Gingerbread upgrade for the HTC Desire was released in late August 2011. Though the program has some limitations due to the limited memory on the Desire, most users are reporting reasonable success with the upgrade. If are willing to upgrade to the latest version, the software can be downloaded via a Windows computer from the relevant website. This is a ROM upgrade and is not available over the air. Be aware that, while the upgrade works well, many users will notice little difference in the phone’s performance and feel. It will boot a little faster, but as the 2.3 operating system is 20MB larger than the 2.2 version, there will be 20MB less memory for apps. None of the more recent HTC Sense innovations will be present. So the advantages of doing the upgrade, unless you are really into cutting edge technology, are negligible.
Backup All Data and Apps
The upgrade will wipe out all the messages, pictures, apps, and other customizations on the phone, so it is critical that such data be backed up before the upgrade process is started. Anything on the phone’s SD card will not be affected, so you may be able to move the data there. Otherwise, it should be backed up to another device. Your contacts should be synced to your Gmail account. The files can also be simply transferred to your PC or laptop through a micro USB cable.
Download the Software
Go to the developer site and download the necessary software on your computer. This is a 161MB zipped file. Unzip it, and then unzip the included file HTC Desire Android 2.3 upgrade. Make sure you are logged into the PC as an administrator. If you are not, the upgrade process will fail without warning, and without offering an opportunity to log in.
Run the Installer
Make sure the phone is connected to the PC, and not just charging or acting as a storage device. In the Settings menu select “connect to PC”, “default connection type”, then “HTC sync” and then “done”. Because the upgrade process must not be interrupted by phone calls or texts, you may also wish to put the phone in “airplane mode” from the settings menu before starting the actual process.
After connecting the phone to a USB port and ensuring that the computer recognizes it, double click on the file: RUU_HTC Desire Android 2.3 Upgrade (Gingerbread).exe”. Follow the prompts to complete the upgrade. Do not touch the phone during the data transfer. This procedure can take several minutes.
Restore the Phone
After the up gradation process has been done with, the HTC desire will automatically reboot. After that you can restore your apps and other data back to their location. Keep in mind that there will be less storage space for apps, as noted above.
Speak Your Mind