Tutorials

How to install a file with a .cab extension.

1. Connect phone to computer via micro usb cable that came with the phone. (The one used to charge your phone)
2. When asked on phone what to do, select Disk Drive and press ok.
3. Go into my computer for windows or click on icon for mac.
4. Simply drag and drop .cab file into your drive (*note: you do not need to extract the .cab file).
5. Eject phone.
6. Go into File Explorer.
7. Click on .cab file to install (either to main memory or on your storage card)
8. Finish! And enjoy your new app.     

How to install Custom Roms

Before we get into the guide with how to install custom roms, I'm going to give a brief explanation of what it is because when I first heard about loading a custom rom, I had no idea what to do or what they were talking about. I knew what rom meant, which is Read Only Memory but it has a different whole different meaning.  Here I'll answer some questions that I had when I first started loading custom roms.

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Q: What is a Stock Rom?

• A stock rom is the version of the phone's operating system that comes with it when you buy it.

Q: What is a Custom Rom?

• A custom rom is a standalone operating system w/ the kernel (the thing that makes everything run from your apps to services, etc). It has everything it needs to run your device in addition to some sort of "customization".

Q: What is customization?

• Customization can be anything. It can be from how your phone looks to having certain apps installed that's not on the stock rom.

Q: Why should I upgrade to a custom rom?

Pros:

• Better performance and efficiency
• More eye candy to brag to your friends
• Does not consist of the bloated apps that are preloaded by the manufacturers. (Blockbuster, Barnes and Nobles, etc.)
• Improves overall "awesomeness" of the phone

Cons:

• Depending on the Rom you put on your phone, battery life could be an issue.
• You could possibly "brick" your phone if you flash a wrong rom (meaning it will turn your phone literally into a paperweight...brick) *Note: This option depends on the person. Most of the time, the developer specifies whether it is meant for a T-mobile HD2 or a Euro HD2 and so on and so forth. So to avoid this, please do not skip the warning and always read before applying anything to your phone.

Please notice: A ROM can ONLY be flashed to a device it is made for.
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Now that some questions have been answered, onto the guide!


Below are the steps to correctly flashing a custom rom to your phone. Enjoy!


1. Install HSPL to your phone first and foremost to avoid "bricking" your phone AND so you have the ability to flash any custom roms over and over again to your hearts content.

• HSPL stands for Hard SPL. Everything you need to know can be explained here.
• If you have a 1024 MB ROM HD2 click here.
• If you have a 512 MB ROM HD2 click here.

2. Download a custom rom to your computer and unzip/unrar it to your computer. (If you do not know what unzip/unrar means you can download winrar)

• For a list of current custom roms that work for the T-mobile HD2 click here.

3. Remove SIM and microSD Cards. (Just to be safe)

4a. If your ROM is a .exe (custommRUU.exe is already included in the Rom file) then run your file.

4b. If you ROM is a .nbh file, then run the CustomRUU.exe from the Roms folder (if one isn't included then download it here.)

5. Follow on screen instructions to set up your New Rom.

6. Once phone has gone through the customization procedure then replace Sim and microSD Cards
7. Perform a Hard Reset to clear any leftover data from your previous Rom (see intructions at bottom).8. Set up phone as required and you are finish! Enjoy your new Rom!

There is a way to Flash via MicroSD card, but the guide I listed above was easier for me. Congratulations on installing your new custom rom!

Soon to come: What are Radio's and how to install them.

If you have any questions and/or have any suggestions for tutorials you want to learn about, please feel free to leave a comment.