htc HD2 : Task 29 before flashing new rom

1. What is Task 29 ?
2. How does it help me with my new rom installation ?


Here I attempt to answer above 2 questions and summarize it in one page in layman’s language .

Reading the 20+ pages on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=644781 could be difficult for many users as many of the posts are either being repeated or answers given incomplete

If you are a frequent flasher of cooked roms, you will notice after several flashing there could be a retarded performance – common issues reported are slight freezing during calls, smoothness of scrolling lost, unexplained freezing during applications, weird bugs etc. Many users has attributed this to the cooked rom installed. This is not entirely true. To discount the possibility that the problematic issues are due to the new rom, it is best to perform a Task 29 before flashing a new rom.

In geek terms :

Task 28 formats FATFS (storage memory) : comparable to hard reset
Task 29 formats BINFS (where our XIP is and the files we cooked in to a rom)

Task 29 performs a format of the BINFS (Binary File System). A normal Hard Reset (task 28) removes all the user data from your phone (anything stored in the phone memory). Task 29 formats a greater area, fixing problems that some badly created ROMs can cause. It removed your OS as well, so a task 29 on it's own will leave you with a phone that cannot boot. You need to put it in bootloader mode and flash a ROM then.

Below are the steps I practiced ( I modify it slightly from the recommended ) ; it works perfectly 100 % - you need not worry about your phone being bricked.

1. Take battery out to switch off the phone.

Put battery back – DO NOT switch on phone

2. Go to bootloader mode : Press vol down button and power button simultaneously. You will see a tricolor splash screen with “Serial “ indicated

3. Connect phone to PC using ISB cable – you will see “Serial” change to “USB”

4. Run the Task29.exe file

5. Follow the prompts and accept all until the phone reboots ( whole process takes less than 5 minutes)

6. You will see a white screen and the phone cannot boot further as there is now no rom present

7. Disconnect phone, take out battery

8. Put battery back on , perform bootloader as in step3 above

9. Connect phone to PC by USB.

10. Run the customRUU.exe file of your new rom

11. Accept all prompts – flashing takes less than 10 minutes

12. Hard reset phone after flash complete

It'd be great if this Task29 process can be built in to the customRUU.exe - for this to happen we await the solution from the XDA rom cooks


I’d highly recommend that this Task 29 be performed before flashing any new rom. It is simpler , faster compared to the MTTY procedures (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=623356 )

All discussions on Task 29 and software download are at : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=644781