In February, HTC released a ROM update for T-Mobile (UK) HTC HD2 mobiles.  I happen to have one and was waiting for an update, due to some reliability issues with my mobile.  It was running ROM version 1.72.110.4.  Main issues were the requirement to reboot the phone every now and then, occasional locking up and quick drainage of battery.

Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to update my phone with this new release.  The process to update is simple and as usual.  It goes something like this:

  1. Download the update from here(No longer valid.  See updates below) You’ll have to submit the serial number for your device at the bottom of the screen (you’ll probably have to take the battery out for this).
  2. Connect your device to ActiveSync or Mobile Center (whichever you normally use) and confirm connectivity.  Please note: You’ll need at least 50% battery power to start the update process so if it’s not charged then charge at least that much.
  3. Make sure that you make backups of any data/contacts on the device as it will be wiped as part of the process.  Also, don’t forget to note down any device-wide settings that you may have e.g. Sound & Display, Data, Mail, People Settings etc.
  4. Once you’re happy with the backups, run the update file on the desktop and it should take you through a few pretty self-explanatory screens.
  5. On the last screen, there is a button to finally update the device.  Click it, sit back and let the device update.  The process takes about 10 minutes and status is updated both on the device and on the desktop.  The device reboots at the start of the update – don’t worry as that’s normal.
  6. After the update, disconnect the device and power on.  Your device should now be running ROM version 3.14.110.1.
  7. Check everything and re-enter all device-wide settings.  You might also want to turn off “Microsoft Error Reporting” as it is on by default.

I’ve found that the device is pretty stable after the update.  It’s also much more responsive and feels faster for almost every application.  Battery consumption has also improved and it’s lasting longer.  The latter could be because of improvements in code as previously, the phone seemed to run hot all the time as if it was constantly trying to do something whereas now it runs at normal temperature.

Now, a couple of issues that you are likely to see.  If you are a fan of social networking, you might be using the Twitter client called “HTC Peep”.  After the upgrade, most of it works but it can’t download tweets.  Instead it returns the message “The account was forbidden to access the Twitter server”.  Don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with your account and there is now a fix for it which is in my next post here.

You encounter the other issue if you hide the SSID for your wireless network for security.  Your device will stop connecting to your wireless network unless the SSID is made visible.  I haven’t been able to find a workaround for this.  I am hoping that HTC will fix this issue at some point but I wouldn’t hold my breath!

Apart from the two issues mentioned above (one of which is now solved and the other has a workaround), I am quite happy with the update and would highly recommend anyone running the older ROM to update their device as it’s really worth it!

Update (30/09/2011): It seems that HTC have not only remodelled their site but have also removed support downloads for older models, which unfortunately, includes HD2 and Touch Pro 2 etc.  So, the link mentioned in the post doesn’t work anymore.  I’ve tried to find the updates on their site but failed.  I’ll keep looking and if I find them, I’ll post the link here.

Update (19/12/2011): The Links are back!  Find this and all the other updates on this page.