Take a look at our video and step-by-step instructions showing you how to Unlock your HTC Desire absolutely free. More and more, these phones are available from sites such as eBay and are already unlocked. However if you have an HTC Desire locked to another network, and you'd like to unlock it, follow the instructions below - make sure to follow each step carefully, or you may run into problems.
HTC Desire basics
You can get a second hand HTC Desire from anywhere between £74 and £120 dependent on the condition of the phone and whether it includes the original box etc.
The HTC Desire is a much older model, the newer models include the HTC Desire HD and Desire S, however these phones will cost you anything between £163 – £256.
More often now, a quick glance at eBay can deliver an already unlocked phone, however if you’re not so lucky, follow the instructions and video below and unlock your HTC Desire.
Unlock HTC Desire
For this video, you will need to download the following software and a PC (this process isn't compatible with Mac OS):
To begin, you will need to turn on USB debugging on your phone. The can be done by: 1. Going into settings 2. Selecting applications 3. Selecting developer options 4. Checking the box titled "USB Debugging".
Now, turn your phone off and reboot in HBOOT. This can be done by holding both the volume down, then power button together.
The screen will boot up to a white simple text display with three android characters at the bottom.
Step 2: Prepare your computer
Now it's time to download and install some software. If you haven't already downloaded all the files above, do so now to a location you can remember, we're going to call this folder "Desire Rooting Folder".
Once downloaded, unzip the contents of the "android-usb-driver.zip" file to the "Desire Rooting Folder"
Next, install "winrar-xxx-xxx.exe" and the "HTCDriver3.0.0.0.7.exe".
Plug in your phone to your PC. Now on your computer, click start in the bottom left, right click My Computer, select manage.
A window will pop up titled computer management. Now select device manager in the left hand panel. You should see a section titled "Other devices". Expand this to reveal a device "Android 1.0". **If you don't see this, unplug and replug your USB connector into your computer. If you still don't see it, you may already have these files installed and can therefore skip to section 3**
Right click "Android 1.0", select update software driver and locate the file Android USB Drivers when prompted. This will install the appropriate drivers for HBOOT.
Step 3: Unlocking your phone
In order to unlock your phone you need to extract the unlock tool ("HTC_Desire_Unlock_v0.9.5.rar") to your "Desire Rooting Folder".
Now open the folder titled "HTC_Desire_Unlock_v0.9.5". Inside should be a file titled adb.exe. Double click this to make a window pop up and close. Next double click HTC_Desire_Unlock_v0.9.5.exe.
The unlock tool should run and will unlock your phone. The window will inform you when the process is complete, after which you have an unlocked HTC Desire ready for the giffgaff revolution.
If the unlocker hasn't worked for any reason, try using an older version of the tool,(v.0.9.4 - link above).
Nickw900. My suggestion is, you should delete all the software that u download into the phone. Because I'm sure the software u put into the phone is what causing the problem
I'm trying to unlock my HTC Desire 310 on windows 8.1 64 bit. First i was having issues with getting the drivers installed so i setup a VM with windows XP 32 bit on it.
On that VM i got the drivers to install (finally) but only when the device is turned on normally.
Whenever is go into this hboot menu (volume down + power button) i do not see 3 android icons but i get into some sort of menu called Factory Mode with the options: Item Test / Clear Test Report / Version / Shutdown.
Whenever i get into this menu the drivers are not reconized...
Hi terry_o, thanks for your help. Any idea how to find the software i installed onto it (it would be the software told in this video). I dont want to plug it in and poke around and make it worse. Cheers
You are all a bunch of skinflints. I already left word here earlier of the folly filled hours I wasted pursuing this method and how you can do it with a code off eBay for a measly quid and it's easy. But no. For some people, it's still all "HBOOT 6.93.1002... this" and "Device Manager Win7 zing zang... that"! 'Wibble wibble', people! Wibble. Wibble. Do you think it sounds clever? Because you're banging your heads against a brick wall for nothing. Sorry, no, not necessarily for nothing. Maybe you are masochists who love chasing your tails for the countless evaporating hours that dissappear in that miserable twighlight zone of 'drivers', 'scans', 'installs' USB leads' and 'progress bars' I like to call 'Tech Hell', where time has no meaning, so you can save yourself one pound. I don't sell codes unlock codes or anything, by the way. I'm not a geek. Just sensible, practical, articulate and helpful. You maniacs.
I have quite an old HTC Desire. In order to put it into HBOOT, you need to hold down the "back" button and the "power" button, not the volume down button.
Just to second the advice inside rod_68's post above, can I just say that a 99p unlock code from ebay sorted out my HTC Desire. I eventually found that this blog post's instructions were foiled by adb.exe being nobbled by AVG anti-virus.
Thanks Huwlew - I didn't need to follow everything - for me, the hanging on reboot into HBOOT mode was where I was getting stuck - opening Device Manager and installing the driver AGAIN at this point then allowed the unlock program to continue.
when i run the unlock 0.9.5 or the 0.9.4 they both come with a message saying they have stopped working and ive tried running in admin but still the same plz help
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