Hi people,
I am a noob as far as Android goes, but I am pretty good at PC stuff. I run a 3D CAD department and I've been the "unofficial" tech guy at every job I've had in the last 10 years.
That being said, I just got the HTC Hero from Sprint last weekend, Android 2.1, update 1. I have always wanted to play with Linux but have never really had the time. So, this is my first encounter with Android or Linux.
So ..... , as much as I'd love to root the phone, I'm afraid to brick it. Is there any way to get rid of all the bloatware without rooting my phone? Also, what are the chances of bricking the phone? I've read a couple "how to root" articles on the net and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but I LOVE this phone so far (other than battery life) and I honestly can't afford to go buy a new one at full price if I end up killing my phone.
Another question; I've seen a few people in other posts who have the HTC Hero and say they're running 2.2. How is this done? Is this something else that I would need to root the phone to accomplish?
Also, I just ordered an 8GB microSD card. My laptop has a card slot, so I'm figuring I can put the new card in the slot, connect my phone via USB, and copy everything on the phone to the new 8GB card, then just swapping the cards.
Am I correct thinking this should be as simple as it sounds, or is there more involved?
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to reading/posting here on a regular basis.
Thanks,
Eric Mortenson
Hey, welcome to XDA!
It is VERY HARD to brick this phone, so don't worry....about the only way we've seen that is by flashing a GSM radio to it, so just don't do that and you'll be fine trying anything else.
There are a couple rooting methods here, and there won't be any problems at all as long as you follow the instructions. It's not as daunting as it may first seem. You do have to root to get rid of bloatware, it can't be done without rooting. I recommend this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572 although there are 'one-click' and 'universal' methods out there too.
The ones running Android 2.2 are doing it through a custom ROM called Cyanogenmod. Check out the Development section to find it. It doesn't have the HTC Sense UI though, so it will look and feel different than your stock 2.1. But lots of people here are using it and loving it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755795
And yes, you should just be able to swap out the SD cards with no problems.
chromiumleaf
Thanks for the quick and helpful reply. It is greatly appreciated.
I think I am going to try to root my phone. Pre-installed "bloatware" on PCs is one of my biggest pet peeves. So, the biggest reason I have right now for rooting my phone is to get rid of the stuff I don't want/need/use.
I will probably leave the 2.1 on the phone because I love the phone so far and if as you say, it will look and feel different. Maybe I'll keep digging through the site and change my mind later. Thanks for the "heads up".
Please do me one favor, and I hate to sound ignorant (I did say earlier I was new at this), but what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Sorry, tried doing a search so I wouldn't have to bother you but I'm just not sure.
Thanks again.
Eric
Eric_1966_FXE said:
...what does "flashing a GSM radio to it" mean, and is it something I could do my mistake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To "flash" some code means to burn it into your phone's read-only memory. A number of things can be flashed to your phone's memory, including the radio operating code, high-level operating system code, and "kernel" (system "core") code.
What the poster meant by "flashing a GSM radio" is "downloading the code that operates the phone's radio". Our Sprint Hero phones have what is called CDMA radio hardware, while European Hero phones have GSM radio hardware. The two different radios are not compatible with each other's operating code. So if you ever download ("flash") the wrong radio code (GSM code) into your CDMA phone, that will render your radio inoperative, which will effectively brick your phone.
With that in mind, just read carefully any information relating to any system code you're considering flashing to your phone, and make SURE it's for a CDMA phone, and you'll be fine.
I loved sense and was all against even trying an aosp rom( vanilla/ stock android), but once I flashed CM6 and found beautiful widgets and launcher pro plus and dialer one I haven't looked back. The speed of my phone and the overall appearance is far better than Sense UI. Rooting the 2.1 is far easier than it was when I got mine. You had to download and type in a whole bunch of crap, now its as easy as installing an app and running it.
Thanks
Thank you to all three of you for your quick (and more importantly useful) answers.
You guys are awesome.
Go for it
I have 4 Hero's here at my home on a family plan,and mine is the only one running CM6-RC1 and they are all jealous. Every one that has a Hero at work or a different Android running 2.1 that has seen mine including a few Evo users loves the way mine looks and how fast it is. I thought in the beginning I wouldn't want to loose Sense and feared I would brick my phone as well,but these guys here are great and are a very supportive Hero community and walked me through the process. It is a lot easier now with the universal 1 click method than before,so that was what I did. The nice thing is if you do everything correctly,you can revert right back to you stock phone if you ever have to take it in for service.
Taking your time and researching all of this pretty good before deciding what to do is a good thing,but I can honestly say, there is so much more you can do once you unlock your phone than just downloading apps and bloat ware...you can actually make it work and do what you want it to do.
The chiefs here at XDA are working hard to bring us stable working Roms for everyday use,and I tip my hat to all of them and I certainly am loving how my Hero is now compared to what it was when it was stock.The RC-1 build I am running is awesome and (knock wood) haven't crashed 1x with it where I needed to do anything nor have I had any shutdowns or unexpected forced closed programs that were installed correctly.
So I say... Don't be afraid and just go for it.. you can still have it similar to what it is now,or you can see what aosp is all about like many here have and try it.That's the beauty of Rooting...YOU have the choice of what is on your phone..not someone else.
Good Luck
Mac
Thanks Mac
And Thank you to all who responded.
Like I said in my intro, I am a tech geek when it comes to PCs but this is my first venture into this kind of forum.
You have all been extremely helpful and have made me feel welcome.
I only hope that I can return the favor at some point to others on XDA.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Thanks again,
Eric
Hi. So i've been thinking about buying and HTC HD2 for a while, and finally decided that i will buy one.
I'm looking on Amazon at the moment and after looking at the reviews, the only problem seems to be that they are shipping T-Mobile USA versions of the phone instead of International. Which i'm completely fine with since i live in the USA and T-Mobile USA is my carrier.
The price is $299.99. I"m wondering if this device is worth that price considering that it came out like 1-2 years ago.
Would this be a good purchase? or would it be better to just look around more on ebay or something like that.
Thanks for the help .
i love this phone. i live and breathe it (for good or bad) but paying 300 bucks just might be worth it. i mean it is great. but you are paying for a WM phone to put wm7 or android (assuming you don't want WM). seems like you could get a lot of phone for that kind of cash. now the fun factor is worth it, but i see a lot of android native phones and happy people. personally, i would look around, check out native devices and the tweaks available here and go from there. now, it isn't a bad choice for a phone, but it ain't no spring chicken.
I already have an Android device. I was gonna get the HD2 back when i upgrade in November. I don't know why i didn't lol.
I figured $300 might be worth it. I've never used a Windows Mobile device before. I know it isn't exactly an amazing operating system. But if i don't like it i could stick Android or Windows Phone 7 on it. Which is another reason I kinda want to get this because I was thinking my next device would be a Windows Phone 7 device anyway. And it's not like i'm wasting an upgrade with T-Mobile anyway so I could still upgrade to a newer device later down the road.
I might just do it. According to Amazon i can return cell phones within the first 30 days of purchase. So i could probably just get a refund if I have problems with it or something.
I bought one for 380 about 3 or 4 months ago, and I definitely thought it was worth it.
There's so much you can do with this phone. Take off wm6.5 and put android on there. And at least 6 different really good versions of android. And it's so easy to switch from one android rom to another.
And after you've found the one you really like, then you can customize the hell out of it.
I'm a student in graduate school and this phone is the primary way I study. I installed studydroid, and this is 90% of what I do to study for an exam. If I had known how helpful this phone would be in my day to day activities, I would have bought it a year early for twice as much.
It has a calender, note taking, syncing contacts with google, very decent camera, mp3 player, and you can make the phone look very pretty.
If my HD2 broke right now, I would probably buy another for 300 usd immediately.
zackdroid said:
Hi. So i've been thinking about buying and HTC HD2 for a while, and finally decided that i will buy one.
I'm looking on Amazon at the moment and after looking at the reviews, the only problem seems to be that they are shipping T-Mobile USA versions of the phone instead of International. Which i'm completely fine with since i live in the USA and T-Mobile USA is my carrier.
The price is $299.99. I"m wondering if this device is worth that price considering that it came out like 1-2 years ago.
Would this be a good purchase? or would it be better to just look around more on ebay or something like that.
Thanks for the help .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to be really Honest..once you start using Windows Mobile after using Android there is a 99% chance you wont like it. Its just lack of support thats all. I however still use WM cos it fulfills my basic needs.
1) SMS
2) Internet(Opera Mini)
3) Watching Movies
4) Making Calls
5) Battery Life (its amazing...I have 3G off and use automatic brightness and at the end of the day after nominal use my battery meter is around 70%)
So I am sure you will feel like putting Android/WP7 on it but since you already have an android phone you would go for Wp7
if thats the case
i would advice you to rather go buy the HD7 cos no matter how much of tweaking they do to the WP7 on HD2 it wont be as good as native Wp7 on HD7 ( is what I feel...battery issues...driver issues...magldr issues)
so yeah...go for a HD7..its an amazing phone...sleek and better display than HD2 (more colors) !! and i think an Android port will be soon there for the HD7 tooo !!!
Thanks everyone for the input. I just ordered it, it will be here friday .
Zackdroid,
Congratulations on your purchase! Just my 2 cents: while it's fashionable around these parts to knock the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and for (well-meaning) people to advise you: "just take that off and install Android", let me just say that:
If we're talking about stock WinMo + stock Sense as the phone comes out of the box, then yes-- it's crappy. Considering that Microsoft is very good at building things with potential, but ultimately releasing them half-assed and half-brained, it's no wonder. But thanks to the incredibly smart, dedicated, creative, and inventive folks here on XDA, you can skin, stabilize, and mod WinMo into an entirely different beast (or install a custom ROM that does it for you). I started off like most people, whining about Windows on the HD2 and wanting to do something about it. However, unlike many others, I had to keep WinMo because I have need for several apps that have no Android equivalent (including a few that I wrote myself). So for me it started as necessity. But now, I'll say to anyone who'll listen, that a custom WinMo6.5 running the new Cookie's Home Tab Suite (with Editor, GUI, and Loco) is an entirely different experience. It's like the OS that Microsoft should have built, but didn't. In reality, it's not really even a mod but a bona fide re-write of the operating system (and it certainly blows the newer Windows Phone 7 out of the water). Truthfully, I love WinMo + CHT so much that when I'm in Android I can sometimes feel guilty that I'm not using CHT (and btw, I LOVE Android). So before you dismiss WinMo out of hand, give that some thought.
I cant say I really understand a lot of the advice here like "when you get your phone wipe Windows and install Android". This is NOT because of my previous statement defending WinMo, but rather because:
if its strictly Android you're after, there are newer (and cheaper) phones that have Android already installed, or that you can root and install your own custom flavor, but most importantly...
one of the most beautiful things about the HD2 is its unique status as a powerful, versatile, multi-OS phone. This thing is just not meant to run one OS!
NOTHING beats somebody asking me,
"Hey, what kind of phone is that?"
It's an HD2, I say.
"Oh, what is that, Android?"
Well...yes...I run Android. And a custom version of Windows Mobile. Oh, and Ubuntu as well. Yep. 'Matter of fact, if I wanted to I could run MeeGo, Win 95, and a few others I can't think of.
And then I can watch their jaw drop. I have had hardcore geeks practically foaming at the mouth in envy after I give them a quick multi-boot custom ROM demo and tally off all the relentless hacking I've done to this phone. It's awesome.
The bottom line is most of us here installed other stuff on our phone because we weren't satisfied with the stock phone, and could do something about it, because of the people and tools present here on XDA. But we already owned an HD2. I'm not sure I would go out and buy an HD2 if I was just going to turn it into a run of the mill phone like all the rest... get me?
RDionysus said:
Zackdroid,
Congratulations on your purchase! Just my 2 cents: while it's fashionable around these parts to knock the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and for (well-meaning) people to advise you: "just take that off and install Android", let me just say that:
If we're talking about stock WinMo + stock Sense as the phone comes out of the box, then yes-- it's crappy. Considering that Microsoft is very good at building things with potential, but ultimately releasing them half-assed and half-brained, it's no wonder. But thanks to the incredibly smart, dedicated, creative, and inventive folks here on XDA, you can skin, stabilize, and mod WinMo into an entirely different beast (or install a custom ROM that does it for you). I started off like most people, whining about Windows on the HD2 and wanting to do something about it. However, unlike many others, I had to keep WinMo because I have need for several apps that have no Android equivalent (including a few that I wrote myself). So for me it started as necessity. But now, I'll say to anyone who'll listen, that a custom WinMo6.5 running the new Cookie's Home Tab Suite (with Editor, GUI, and Loco) is an entirely different experience. It's like the OS that Microsoft should have built, but didn't. In reality, it's not really even a mod but a bona fide re-write of the operating system (and it certainly blows the newer Windows Phone 7 out of the water). Truthfully, I love WinMo + CHT so much that when I'm in Android I can sometimes feel guilty that I'm not using CHT (and btw, I LOVE Android). So before you dismiss WinMo out of hand, give that some thought.
I cant say I really understand a lot of the advice here like "when you get your phone wipe Windows and install Android". This is NOT because of my previous statement defending WinMo, but rather because:
if its strictly Android you're after, there are newer (and cheaper) phones that have Android already installed, or that you can root and install your own custom flavor, but most importantly...
one of the most beautiful things about the HD2 is its unique status as a powerful, versatile, multi-OS phone. This thing is just not meant to run one OS!
NOTHING beats somebody asking me,
"Hey, what kind of phone is that?"
It's an HD2, I say.
"Oh, what is that, Android?"
Well...yes...I run Android. And a custom version of Windows Mobile. Oh, and Ubuntu as well. Yep. 'Matter of fact, if I wanted to I could run MeeGo, Win 95, and a few others I can't think of.
And then I can watch their jaw drop. I have had hardcore geeks practically foaming at the mouth in envy after I give them a quick multi-boot custom ROM demo and tally off all the relentless hacking I've done to this phone. It's awesome.
The bottom line is most of us here installed other stuff on our phone because we weren't satisfied with the stock phone, and could do something about it, because of the people and tools present here on XDA. But we already owned an HD2. I'm not sure I would go out and buy an HD2 if I was just going to turn it into a run of the mill phone like all the rest... get me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much the main reason I wanted to buy this phone is because of all of the OS's. I've heard people say that Windows Mobile is a horrible OS but honestly it doesn't look as bad as people say. I'm deffinantly not just buying this just to put Android on it considering I already have a rooted Android phone lol. I've always wanted to mess around and use Windows Mobile. And it's a device that could probably last me a while. I really can't wait until it gets here . lol.
EDIT: I also forgot to put on here that I think some of the Windows Mobile ROMs are pretty cool and nice looking.
I had my share of WM devices over the years and find HD2 simply amazing. When presented with a choice, I went for HD2 due to various OS ports available and options/customisations presented. In fact, I am in the process of parting with every other phone in my collection, bar HTC Universal, but I am keeping that one for sentimental reasons.
So yeah, i'd part with $300 if I had to replace mine. I am looking for a main board to stick into another HD2 I have, just so that I can have 1 set up and operational for daily use and another for flashing and playing around. Anyone wants to part with their broken, yet still alive HD2 - give me a PM.
As a matter of fact, I might have to shell out for a new HD2 myself. After a year and a half my phone has developed some reception/antenna problems, which if I cant figure out how to resolve it (like, by cracking open the phone and seeing if there's something "obvious" I can fix) I will have to retire the phone.
At that point, it will be tempting to grab something from the new crop of sweet Android-only phones, but I know for sure I'd be jonesin' for some multi-platform action and my HD2.
I'm starting to look now; I just hope I can find one for the right price.
RDionysus said:
As a matter of fact, I might have to shell out for a new HD2 myself. After a year and a half my phone has developed some reception/antenna problems, which if I cant figure out how to resolve it (like, by cracking open the phone and seeing if there's something "obvious" I can fix) I will have to retire the phone.
At that point, it will be tempting to grab something from the new crop of sweet Android-only phones, but I know for sure I'd be jonesin' for some multi-platform action and my HD2.
I'm starting to look now; I just hope I can find one for the right price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks :/. When I was looking around ebay i saw some for cheap prices. I figured i should play it safe by buying off of amazon though so that's what i did. I paid $299US for it.
Meanwhile, if you are looking at newer Android devices, and you're on T-Mobile USA, and don't mind keyboards, I would wait untill the myTouch 4G Slide is released. And HTC is supposed to be unlocking the bootloader on the Sensation 4G so that's another choice .
enigma1nz said:
I had my share of WM devices over the years and find HD2 simply amazing. When presented with a choice, I went for HD2 due to various OS ports available and options/customisations presented. In fact, I am in the process of parting with every other phone in my collection, bar HTC Universal, but I am keeping that one for sentimental reasons.
So yeah, i'd part with $300 if I had to replace mine. I am looking for a main board to stick into another HD2 I have, just so that I can have 1 set up and operational for daily use and another for flashing and playing around. Anyone wants to part with their broken, yet still alive HD2 - give me a PM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I went for the HD2. My other choice was gonna be the Touch Pro2 since it was cheaper and you can put Android on it. But i think the extra money will be worth it.
zackdroid said:
That sucks :/. When I was looking around ebay i saw some for cheap prices. I figured i should play it safe by buying off of amazon though so that's what i did. I paid $299US for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Meanwhile, if you are looking at newer Android devices, and you're on T-Mobile USA, and don't mind keyboards, I would wait untill the myTouch 4G Slide is released. And HTC is supposed to be unlocking the bootloader on the Sensation 4G so that's another choice .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
RDionysus said:
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you sir, are a fountain of wisdom
Thanks DPMAce, I have my moments
But really, any wisdom comes from listening to and learning from all the folks around here who are smarter than me
RDionysus said:
Yeah, there's a lot of phones on Ebay, but many are of questionable quality. You'll pay more on Amazon, but I'm assuming you got a warranty, so that's piece of mind.
Thanks, I hadn't given any thought to the myTouch. And obviously the Sensation is the new "it" phone, but honestly, apart from the excitement factor, it's served me well not to jump on the latest stuff, preferring to let the real early-adopters see what kinds of flaws and bugs are present and whether they can be fixed. I've avoided quite a few lemons this way (although you can't always avoid them all ) There are some grumblings RE the Sensation which I'm keeping my eye on: possible "deathgrip" flaw (which may turn out to be a red herring), wide swings in reception-quality on the TMOUS network (which the HD2 also suffered from!), so we'll see....
In the meantime, a few of my friends are taking any opportunity to rave (which can get a bit annoying) about their T-Mo G2X's, so that's a prospect if I go the non-HD2 route....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. It's not always the best to jump in to new devices. I'm trying to force my self to wait to get the Galaxy S2 whenever it gets launched in the US. lol. I got really lucky getting the myTouch 4G almost right after it launched. A lot of devices were shipped with bad screens and bad emmc chips. The G2X looks nice although i've heard it has rebooting problems and stuff like that. But considering it's currently out of stock on T-Mobile's website, they're probably working on fixing it.
UPDATE
UPDATE: It came in the mail today . Everything seems to be fine. It's the T-Mobile USA version. The only odd thing was that it came in a myTouch 4G box...lol. But I got the device and that's all that really matters.
zackdroid said:
UPDATE: It came in the mail today . Everything seems to be fine. It's the T-Mobile USA version. The only odd thing was that it came in a myTouch 4G box...lol. But I got the device and that's all that really matters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol that's funny.
First thing is flash HSPL2.08 and get Android/WP7 on that bad boy!!!
orangekid said:
lol that's funny.
First thing is flash HSPL2.08 and get Android/WP7 on that bad boy!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna do some reading first. I want to try the Android on SD Card thing first. It only came with a 512MB SD Card though and my other SD card is being used for my other phone. So i'll have to go out and buy one.
zackdroid said:
I'm gonna do some reading first. I want to try the Android on SD Card thing first. It only came with a 512MB SD Card though and my other SD card is being used for my other phone. So i'll have to go out and buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty weak.
This is hands down the best ROM you can use on your SD card.
once you get your card just download the ROM, extract it, move it to your SD card (the Android subfolder).
then you just click CLRCD and then Haret and you're running Android!
http://www.multiupload.com/M92WB5L9V3
Hello HD2 forum
I am planning on purchasing a HD2 second hand, to ultimately dual boot windows phone 7 and ICS.
I am buying it from a local trade in store for good prices and warranty, ideally i would like to power it on in store before the purchase to check its clean and ready for me to follow the tutorials available.
Other than identifying that the phone is still running windows mobile, is there any other way for me to check that the phone has not previously been messed with? Something in the settings? Maybe i should check for a secondary mode with certain key combination on boot?
Thanks a lot!
You kinda need to define what you mean by "clean"...I assume you mean stock (and never been modded, but these are 2 different things totally unrelated to each other, more to that in a minute).
IMO the best thing you could do would be to read up on the flashing process. This will tell you what to look for, if you're looking for a stock never-been-modded phone.
But back to your question...the first major sign I'd look for would be HSPL. I'm not going to go into detail about how to find out if it's installed. You'll have to do your own homework. Read every 'how to' and 'newb' (or noob) guide on xda. XDA is an awesome site and the dev's here write awesome documentation. Do them the favor of reading it. I mean, I don't know what you're an expert on but it might get on your nerves if I ask you simple questions about that topic cause I'm too lazy to do the research myself. The research is easy, the reference material is all contained here in various forums, depending on what you want to do. I show my appreciation for that by taking advantage of it, and don't forget to thank the dev's if something is especially helpful...they like that.
As far as checking to ensure that it's still running WinMo...that's gonna be about as effective and informative (about the phone being virgin-stock) as whether or not it's raining that day or not. What's that got to do with anything? Exactly. Nothing. My HD2 is running (at the moment) a WinMo 6.5 build. But it's been flashed more than a hundred times. My daily software is an SD Android build. Before I flashed my HD2 for the first time, I probably spent about 30 hours just reading about the process and trying to understand the process of what I was going to be doing (while reading, I usually had video tutorials playing on my 2nd monitor...I'd give up the reading when it got interesting). So that's it, really...read read read. It's not fail safe. I can't tell you how many times I waited on pins and needles to find out if I had ****-canned my new €400 phone. If you have a heart condition, you just shouldn't ride this ride. ;-)
I just got a SGS2, cause I prefer Android to WinMo. WinMo's a full time job, as is flashing. Something was always not performing the way I wanted it to (efficiency or performance etc), which was why I started flashing, but it gets to be like a drug. Nothing's ever good enough, cause you wind up wanting the best. I'd flash a ROM and install all my **** (manually, one cad file at a time) and then flash a different one and have to reinstall everything again. It was even worse if I had set up my homescreens, and folders the way I wanted them...to that end, I'd highly recommend that you also research mass-installer programs. I can't think of the name of it right now, but you pack all of your cad's in one folder and this program installs all of them (which means like 65% typically, cause invariably about 1/3 will fail for one reason or another).
Even still, looking for HSPL (which is required to flash anything on the HD2) is not very indicative as to whether or not it's been previously modded. When I got my phone it was virgin/stock, of that I'm sure. I bought it from a person, and the person was not capable of performing such tasks (he wasn't so technically inclined). But in your case, you're going to have no idea. It is not only possible but also very easy to return the phone to stock by removing HSPL leaving virtually no trace of it having ever been modded (I say virtually, cause I don't THINK that it can be traced when HSPL has been removed, but I'm not a dev and not a guru). So even the absence of HSPL doesn't even really tell you that it's never been modded, it only says that if it was- then the modder was smart enough to cover his tracks.
Basically, I don't think there's an answer to your question. There are clues that say YES THIS PHONE HAS BEEN MODDED. But there's no definitive sign to look for that say THIS PHONE HAS NEVER BEEN MODDED, and you dunno if someone's gonna lie to you. But I am inviting you to prove me wrong, read the documentation and get back to me.
Good luck flashing, don't **** it up though. You'll be pissed if you brick your ****, which is easy to do. Hell, it's probably a thousand times safer to buy a phone with HSPL installed, then you can flash all you want with no risk. The main risk, is ****ing something up in the HSPL installation process, but there are ways to minimize the risk...which all amount to: read, read, read.
And if you decide you'd be interested in previously modded HD2 (with HSPL already installed), let me know, make me an offer. Mine's just a wifi media device at the moment and I'll probably be marketing it in the near future regardless. It currently has HSPL, and I haven't decided to remove it before sale or not. I saw one on Amazon last week that was at a premium price, cause the seller had Android running on it. It's a great phone if you like WinMo, but I find Android to be much less 'high maintenance' and I used to be a huge WinMo fan (I'm a 10 year WinMo user, if you can believe that!).
Regardless, this is getting long. Those are my 2pence. Be easy.
[EDIT] Hell, if you were closer I'd let you borrow mine for a few weeks to see if you like the phone. I'm a nice guy like that.
There is no way of knowning to be honest, unless you go into bootloader and you see the firmare on it has been tinkered, ( i.e. Hspl, radio, rom ) and depending if it is a eu or tmous version. good luck tho!
So, i'm really new to flashing roms. and i never knew how its possible to brick your device, in till this process. I always wanted to no what not to do to brick. So here's what i learned, what not to do, so you don't brick your new transformer tf300t
READ, READ, AND READ AGAIN! - you have to read everything before you start anything. At first i would read step one, then actually do it. Read step two then, do it. DONT DO THAT! Read everything twice at least. even the comments. don't try anything if no one else has tried with positive results. Only people who know what there doing, are ballsy enough to be first, second or third.
DONT OVER WHELM YOURSELF - Make sure you no all the material first, so don't regret it later. If you want this new rom everyone is talking about. You can't just read everything about the rom, and think your ready. Do you need to unlock your bootloader, Do you need to be rooted, are you rooted, What about the Recovery, Nandroid Backup, how to recover back up if you didn't read this first and bricked your tf300 lol Make sure you know all the material before started anything. and somehow manage not to overwhelm yourself in the process,If your overwhelmed, your not ready. If you don't know something, just simply ask ( but if you expect an answer, follow step one READ, READ AND READ AGAIN.) Don't ask a question when all you have to do is scroll up to find your answer lol or Read the post right below yours
Start Off With Something Easy - After Rooted of course and read all of the material. Start off with the build.prop tweak by seanzscreams (i believe) Be careful Though many pple have still bricked trying this, including me lol
So if you change your build,prop make sure you backed up original to build.prop.bak and name tweaked one back to build.prop
Don't forget about permissions rwrr
IF YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, I DONT NO IF I SHOULD ROOT, I DONT NO IF I SHOULD UNLOCK BOOTLOADER, BUT... BUT... MY WARENTY - If you've thought this, then chances are your probably going to brick you device, you most likely haven't read anything, and don't know all the pros and cons
ONLY FLASH THINGS MEANT FOR YOUR TF300T OR OTHER SPECIFIC DEVICE - Only flash things that specifically says tf300 rom, tf300 mod, tf300 recovery. DO NOT, I MEAN DO NOT flash anything under transformer prime or 101. Seriously DO NOT. In less the OP (Original Poster) said its ok and people who know what there doing, confirmed it works in the comments (and not just one person, like a whole conversation full of people) Just be in the habit to not flash anything that's not meant for the device your holding
Common Mistake - I've read of people trying to do a bunch of things with more than one device at a time. (Even people who are experienced with all this) and they go to fast or just not thinking. and start doing a process for one device on the other one, and next thing they no, there bricked.
Stick to one device at a time. especially if your new at all this.
I'm new to all of this myself, So i'm sure there is alot more ways to brick your device. If anyone cares to add to any of this, please do, I want to know myself too.
I could be wrong, it just seems like whenever someone is bricked, it because of something called OPERATOR ERROR, So please read every single post if you have too, inless your the kind of person who love massive head aches or like to use a $400 paper weight as there knew door stopper lol
Undoubtingly the best way to make sure you don't brick your device is not to mess with it, but yes, familiarizing yourself with the instructions first, making notes of what makes sense and what does not so you can further read to educate yourself before taking the leap to modify anything on your tablet.
The first time I messed with my GTab I thought I bricked it. It would not load or even get into recovery, but then I found a way with many steps via command line to re-install the original image. I was sweating bullets for a few days as it was past the 30 days I could take it back to Sears.
Other than that, some device manufacturers (samsung for example) make it almost impossible to brick their devices with the worst case scenario using a JTAG plug to get into download mode.
Be careful with build props. Its one of the easiest, and hardest to fix ways to brick.
Don't be cheap
I'd also recommend to those who have the option BUY THE REPLACEMENT PLAN! I paid $90 when I bought my first transformer. I bricked it, took it back and got a new one, paid $90 and got the replacement plan. I then heard they weren't selling the transformer anymore (if you try to replace your device and they no longer sell it, they give you a comparable model or an upgrade). I "dropped" it and I took it back the day the Transformer PAD came out, one day earlier I would have been given the prime (the salesman chuckled at me as he swapped it out).
If you're planning on tinkering with your device and don't know what you're doing, it could be the best $90 you ever spent. I know have an upgraded tab after replacing two devices (granted I could have put the money towards a prime from the door but in case one, I may have bricked that, and been screwed).