[Guide] De-branding AT&T Nokia Lumia 635/**820**

[vjleon11]

Does the ffu file exist at the specified location, and is it for your device?

My phone is a Lumia 635 Gophone ATT RM-975_1005. As per the debranding tutorial, changed the operator and the manufacturer model name. After that; I flashed an unbranded rom country variant of a RM-975_1030 that was the only one I was able to find.
The rom is already flashed to the phone and working properly. I do not know the location of the rom in the phone more than the route you gave to input in the comand line.

Thanks in advance.

 

[PepperdotNet]

That file you flashed, you downloaded it somewhere? Look there.

 

[vjleon11]

That file you flashed, you downloaded it somewhere? Look there.

Yes I did. In a folder I?ve created to store that file beside other files in one of my drives in my PC. After I downloaded the file, flashed the phone using Windows Phone Image designer

 

[PepperdotNet]

Then you need to specify the full path to that file in the thor2 command.

 

[vjleon11]

Then you need to specify the full path to that file in the thor2 command.

Thanks, Ok. Please as per the tutorial, I was usuing this:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Care Suite\Windows Device Recovery Tool
thor2 -mode uefiflash -ffufile "RM975_02040.00021.15053.36002_RETAIL_prod_signed_1030_01ED99_000-22_MV.ffu" -productcodeupdate 059W1Z6
-skip_flash
The path to where the .ffu file is, is as:
D:\Mega\Lumia 635 flash
Do I have to move the .ffu file where Thor2 is in my drive C? or where in the comand line do I have to insert the file path beside the path where thor2 program is?
Thanks for all your help.

 

[vjleon11]

Then you need to specify the full path to that file in the thor2 command.

I?ve added the path of the .ffu file right before RM-975 and after the " and it worked, The product code was changed and the Windows Recovery tool recognized the phone as a new phone.
Thanks a lot!!!!!

 

[Nazar Pelenjo]

I?ve added the path of the .ffu file right before RM-975 and after the " and it worked, The product code was changed and the Windows Recovery tool recognized the phone as a new phone.
Thanks a lot!!!!!

Hello,

Has anybody got success in changing the product number of Lumia 820 AT&T rm-824 from 059M0F3 to 059R4Q6?
I'm not familiar in flashing and I'm afraid to get a brick.

Thanks

 

[Mark F24]

I think I am missing something here but neither of the files used in the original procedure were .ffu files but .xap.

I used "CustomPFD_0003" and "CustomWPSystem_0500" Is one of these the firmware file? I suspect so but would like confirmation please.

Thanks.

 

[pankaj981]

Those two are hacks to interop unlock your device so you could edit your registry.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

Perhaps a stupid question, but if I de-brand my AT&T GoPhone Lumia 635, will I FINALLY be able to use Visual Voicemail on CricKet Wireless, or will I need to de-brand and then cross-flash to the CricKet ROM?

I'm currently on W10M, so it looks like this will be a bit of a project, but my 635 doesn't have the most up to date firmware (STILL!) so, no Graphic Equalizer and it runs a bit fussy under Windows 10 Mobile. I just want to be sure that the feature I want will be there after a few hours of work, haha.

 

[pankaj981]

Perhaps a stupid question, but if I de-brand my AT&T GoPhone Lumia 635, will I FINALLY be able to use Visual Voicemail on CricKet Wireless, or will I need to de-brand and then cross-flash to the CricKet ROM?

You will have to debrand and then flash to the Cricket firmware for VVM to work. Cricket VVM currently works on Cricket branded devices only.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

Ugh, that is what I had feared... I really wanted to use the NA un-branded ROM so that I could get Firmwares directly from MS and not through ATT/CricKet, but like you said, CricKet VVM only works on the CricKet ROM, so that is my path forward, it would seem.

Now, to get this device ready... I wish this process could be done from W10M, as it would save me an absolute ton of time.

Do you happen to know if the CricKet firmware is as recent as the ATT post-paid firmware? What ROM has the most recent firmware? I should flash to that first, then to the CricKet ROM, or would the CricKet flash over-write it all?

 

[pankaj981]

As far as I know, the Cricket firmware hasn't been updated to WP8.1 Update 2, meaning you still won't get the equalizer and all the performance benefits. Also the Cricket firmware would overwrite all firmware versions so it doesn't matter what you flash first.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

I'm beginning to hate this phone :grincry:

 

[pankaj981]

I'm beginning to hate this phone :grincry:

I'm on cricket wireless as well and i haven't been on any cricket branded phones until now. That means no VVM. You could try a third party VVM provider called YouMail.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

I'm on cricket wireless as well and i haven't been on any cricket branded phones until now. That means no VVM. You could try a third party VVM provider called YouMail.

Do you have any insight into why CricKet VVM is "special" when compared to the other carriers? From what I understand, most other carriers are natively supported by WP/W10M. Is it an issue on Microsoft's side or on ATT/CricKet's side? I'd really like to see VVM support, but not at the cost of being on grossly outdated firmware.

I think I'm just going to de-brand my Lumia 635 to the NA Variant, get the firmware, go back to W10M Fast Ring, and be "happy" as I can on this device. I think a Lumia 735 or 640 are in my future...

Edit:
I've nearly completed the de-brand to the NA variant, but I can't get the thor2 command to execute properly as it says that -skipflash is not a supported command. It looks like perhaps the syntax has been changed and it is now -skip_flash. Is that correct?

I can't believe the NA variant doesn't have GDR2 still. Wow. Is there a single ROM that is actually fully up to date for this device?

I've attached a screenshot of the console output if that would be helpful.

Edit 2:
After updating the product code with thor2, the Windows Device Recovery Tool saw that the server had updated firmware and OS version compared to what was on the phone, despite the fact that I had checked multiple times for updates after I had changed the registry values and had found no updates. Really odd. Glad I performed that last step!

 

[pankaj981]

Glad to know it worked for you. I usually do not use the thor2 cmd line for flashing. It's either through the Product Support Tool or a combination of WDRT and Fiddler.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Yes, the original -skipflash was a typo, I corrected my post but not until after pankaj981 copied it into the OP. Pankaj981, can you fix that please? It is -skip_flash with an underscore.

 

[Saijin_Naib]

Glad to know it worked for you. I usually do not use the thor2 cmd line for flashing. It's either through the Product Support Tool or a combination of WDRT and Fiddler.

It was quite a project, but it seems to have been worthwhile. I still can't Hotspot or get Visual Voice Mail, but I've noticed very significant improvements in call quality, multitasking, battery life, SMS lag, system stability, and general speed of the device. Absolutely worth it, and thank you so much for your help in this!

Now we just need to figure out how to get VVM and Hotspot for CricKet on the NA ROM

Yes, the original -skipflash was a typo, I corrected my post but not until after pankaj981 copied it into the OP. Pankaj981, can you fix that please? It is -skip_flash with an underscore.

Ahh, gotcha. I thought that perhaps they had changed the syntax during the course of the various WDRT/thor2 updates since I came to the party fairly late, haha.

I've attached a picture of the current status of my device.

Am I fully up to date? Did I miss any firmware or anything? If I'm going to keep this thing (which it seems I will until something like the 735 comes out in the USA), I want it to work right.

 

[pankaj981]

Now we just need to figure out how to get VVM and Hotspot for CricKet on the NA ROM

Enabling Cricket VVM on a non-Cricket branded WP would be a feat in itself..lol. BTW hotspot only works if you have that in your plan.

Yes, the original -skipflash was a typo, I corrected my post but not until after pankaj981 copied it into the OP. Pankaj981, can you fix that please? It is -skip_flash with an underscore.

Done