How to go back to Eclair (v1.47.651.1) from OTA Froyo (v3.26.651.6) update on HTC EVO 4G

While many of us are enjoying Android 2.2 (Froyo) on our HTC EVOs, there are some people who regret accepting the OTA update and just want to go back to the last version of Android 2.1 (Eclair).

G&E reader Chris was part of the second group. After the Froyo update, battery life and 4G signal strength were both reduced on his EVO and he was miserable from the poor audio quality of music streaming apps like Pandora, SiriusXM, and Rhapsody (a result of Android's media framework switch from OpenCore to Stagefright). Chris likened the quality of Froyo streaming audio to "an AM radio with a blown, crackly speaker."

So he decided to toss 2.2 in the trash and go back to 2.1. If you want to join him in the cream-filled world of stock Eclair, you can find out how he got there below.

1. Perform a factory reset to wipe the EVO clean by tapping Menu -> Settings -> SD & phone storage -> Factory data reset. Chris says this step may not have been necessary, but he wanted to start with a fresh system.
2. Enable USB debugging: Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging.
3. Root the EVO. Like me, Chris used unrevoked 3.21RC.
4. Reboot for good measure and enable USB debugging again.
5. Download version 1.47.651.1 of the Eclair RUU from Shipped ROMs (third link).
6. Run the RUU installer file on your computer. Chris used a Windows 7 machine with HTC Sync and the correct drivers already installed.
7. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

After that, Chris's EVO was back to its pre-Froyo state with all radio basebands and firmware completely reverted.

Thanks, Chris!

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