[HD2 Windows Phone 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting an] azon21:
My Guide to Installing Windows Phone 7 on HTC HD2 TMOUS(T-Mobile US) edition

I’m sure there are lots of guides out there and I am noting other threads and give ALL CREDITS to where credit is do. I CLAIM NOTHING BUT UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES AND THE PAINS OTHERS HAVE ALREADY ENDURED TO GET THIS WORKING.

Most of the directions were pretty straight forward but just felt that they didn’t highlight things that you needed to know. I found that this knowledge and method of doing things made it easy and the best chance for you to get it working the first time around.

I USED THE INSTALL GUIDE FOR XBmod-Yuki located http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1246040 to actually walk through the install. Below is simply the consolidated knowledge I learned from countless hours of research in the forums and the REAL work done by others. I am hoping this post helps to eliminate the constant posting of the same issues where the answers are often buried within pages of postings. This is not from an expert but from someone who spent days trying to get WP7 on the HD2 because I wanted to use it.

MicroSD TIPS

First off: REMOVE MicroSD MEMORY CARD. Simply put you don’t need it till you update to MANGO (build 7720 of WP7 software) using Zune. All it does is cause hundreds of forum postings about why people can’t get it working.

Secondly, NOT ALL MicroSD MEMORY CARDS ARE EQUAL. After much research in the forums and all the problems I had with trying to get this working, I can honestly say that I still do not know that there is a single source of the problem. What I can say is that MicroSD MEMORY CARDS that work get easier to find as you update. We could go on for hours about this topic and people will say all sorts of things but this is what I found to work for me. FOLLOW RULE #1 from above then stick with quality brands with at least a Class 4 rating (the number in the small circle on the card). People recommend SanDisk above all else, other cards do work.

Third, the use of a MicroSD card with WP7 OS will lock the card and encrypt it. You CANNOT use this card with anything else until it is unlocked. TONS of guides on this but there are three methods to it.

•	Using some form of disk destruction or partitioning software such as KillDisk to remove the lock

•	Using your phone to unlock by side loading an app on your phone and booting into WP7 after Hard Reset and unlocking. I USED this method after many hours trying other things and not understanding how this worked, therefore I will elaborate on this more in just a bit.

•	Using a special Nokia phone/camera that does low-level formatting of any media inserted. There’s a list of devices that are known to work in the forum.

Expansion notes of using phone to unlock:

You can put WP7 on your phone without a memory card in it at all. DO THIS FIRST

. Once you get WP7 up and running you can use Zune to update your phone to where it tells you have the latest release (NOT MANGO YET), the build is 7392 (NODO) update. Google this to find build number or I will edit it in eventually. Side load the unlock app as outlined in the install guide. Once you have this you must understand the way the process works. WP7 encrypts and preps any MicroSD card at time of first boot. With that said you MUST USE the same WP7 ROM to get this to work. So if you locked your card using the XBmod-Yuki ROM then you have to use it to unlock it. I tried HD2O ROM and then went back and realized the card was not only locked to WP7, it was locked to that build. I was successful at flashing the XBmod-Yuki release back into place after flashing the HD2O and was able to use the MicroSD and unlock if I needed to. Which I did since I used like 10 cards before figuring out Rules #1 and #2 of MicroSDs.

THE TRICK TO SUCCESS:

After having the same WP7 ROM you locked your MicroSD with installed and updated to NODO, the unlock app installed, you can simply do a HARD RESET.

What is a “HARD RESET”: Simply put either use WP7 – Settings -> About -> Reset or using the Vol up and down where you it counting in MAGldr, 1,2,3,4,5,6. When you hold the Volume Up and Down it will present you with a white screen and you simply press Volume Down twice to do the same thing that using the menu item in WP7 does. The great thing is that first time you boot into WP7 it doesn’t seem to care about the memory card much. You can run the unlock app and then do a battery pull and remove the card. At this point Windows on your PC will see the card and you will be able to format it. If you have more than one card simply insert the next card and use the Volume button reset method. It will make you go through the initial WP7 setup screens each time but heck you unlock the card without much effort. I found this method to be the most useful and easy method.

Remember you will need to HARD RESET after each memory card change including once you are done unlocking all the cards you locked trying to get this working and have the card you will be using.

Remember your MicroSD card must be inserted before WP7 boots. Easiest way I know of was to simply pull the battery out when done unlocking or before HARD RESETTING.

INSTALLATION NOTES/OUTLINE FROM FORUM POST REFENCED ABOVE WITH CHANGES THAT I SAW SINCE THEIR WRITINGS

1.	READ READ READ the Install Guide and follow the guidelines above

2.	HARD SPL v2.08, when using the install tool simply select the one with .HSPL at the end NOT .0000, the HSPL means HARDened. This simply allows you to be sure you can get the tricolor boot screen (get to by holding Volume Down) no matter what you do to the phone. The Tricolor screen allows you to fix most damage that I saw.

3.	Radio – Just simply use LEO_RADIO_2.15.50.14, it supports all HD2 versions so it doesn’t matter if you have TMOUS or EU edition of the phone. The rest of the radios listed are older and for the general user are not useful for this process.

4.	MAGldr 1.13 is the NEWEST VERSION for the boot loader. Install this. Why, because it allows your phone to actually load WP7. You can use it for Android too if you wish to dual boot but I don’t cover that as you won’t be using these notes if you are that advanced with things.

5.	Windows Mobile 6.5 Stock ROM, I honestly have no idea why you use this but I can follow directions and so should you. Install it and move on.

6.	Zune, just simply install it, you will need it to update. MAKE SURE IT IS CLOSED AT ALL TIMES OTHERWISE. If not it will interfere with installing using other methods.

7.	WP7 Update CAB Sender. You will need this. It is a very simple program to use. Whatever CAB files you stick the folder with the .bat file it will install on the phone. Be sure you pay close attention to adding and removing CABs from the folder as they are needed.

8.	To Get to MANGO you must do the HD2-7720fix and the DeviceProvisioning.CAB steps (#11 and 12 from post #4 of the install guide), Zune will take you directly to MANGO 7720 instead of 7712 which I am assuming changed since the guide was made. No need to complete the #14 step from what I can see since Zune seems to be able to install RTM version of 7720 automatically. This may change at some point where as long as you got 7392 update and a working MicroSD you don’t need the fix part or the device provisioning cab but I could be wrong. I just did steps #11 and #12 and got MANGO to shop up as the update.

9.	HARD RESET IS YOUR FRIEND, it cures most issues with MicroSD issues, including lockups, freezing and crashing.

I hope this helps you get your WP7 loaded the first time. READ READ READ the install guide fully and before each step be sure you know what you are to do and you will be successful.

If can sticky this or reuse it eslewhere to aid in the install guides please do so. PLEASE "THANKS" ME SO I MIGHT GROW IN RECOGNITION AND HELP FURTHER!