Flash KitKat 4.4 taktiK Custom ROM on HTC Desire HD

We now have a great tool to help you update your HTC Desire HD to Android 4.4: KitKat taktiK custom ROM is what we want you to try out via today’s guide. If that’s OK with you, let’s get it on!

The new custom ROM has already been used by many owners of Desire HD. We also experimented with it and found it highly enjoyable. To flash it on your own smartphone, you can be as much of a newbie as you want. We will explain the update steps in an easy way to follow, so what you should do is just concentrate on our instructions.

The KitKat taktiK custom ROM will do a world of good after it is sported by your handset. Like, for instance, new apps and loads of new features, many tweaking options, improved battery life and so on. You will, though, encounter some features that either have bugs or refuse to function properly: mobile data, search menus for gapps, the latter have to be flashed, back menus, screenshots, Recents menu, stock browser. What works well is detailed here: OK Google, audio, Wi-Fi, wallpapers, SD card, phone calls, Apollo, sensors, gallery, the cam used from the lockscreen (but there’s no possibility of video recording).

Requirements

After jotting down all of the advantages that come out of an update, you should now look at the next list made of pre-requisites:

1. root the phone;
2. flash either TWRP or CWM on it;
3. turn USB Debugging on;
4. use the bootloader and factory unlocked HTC Desire HD;
5. charge your device’s battery unit;
6. create a backup, using this guide;
7. flash USB drivers for the smartphone, from here on your laptop;
8. configure Fastboot and ADB on the latter.

Instructions

The next thing to do is represented by the update steps we talked about.

1. The one that begins it all: download the new (file name: taktiK_ace_trainwreck2.zip) and Gapps package from on your laptop. The files inside these two packages must afterwards be unzipped on the laptop; now be sure to unzip boot.img separately.
2. Here is what you have to do next: plug the phone to the laptop and move the two packages from there to the handset’s SD card root.
3. Then also transfer the boot.img file, but to a different place altogether: a folder called android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools. When the file is sent over there, you should power the Desire HD off.
4. Your next move should be this one: boot the smartphone in Bootloader /Fastboot Mode by powering the device on while pressing + holding Volume Down and Power.
5. Then do the following: when you’re back in the android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools folder, you need to launch a Command Line Window by pressing “Shift” and right-clicking on “Open Command Prompt”. When that window has been launched, we prompt you to enter “fastboot flash boot boot.img” and then press “Enter”.
6. Enter, afterwards, “fastboot reboot” and press “Enter” once more. Some very important guidelines will then pop up, so follow them.
7. Then opt for “Bootloader”. Go to “Recovery” next and then make sure to choose Factory Reset/Wipe Data; your device’s data will then be erased. Proceed, next, to this option and choose it: Wipe Cache Partition.
8. Go to “Advanced” after and do this: opt for “Wipe Dalvik Cache“. Now perform these tasks: return to your phone’s Recovery screen, choose Install zip from SD card and then opt for Choose zip from SD card.
9. [sc name=”banner-jos”]Select, when you are done with the previous step, the update file with “Power” and then confirm its flashing. Now for the flashing of the Google Apps package.
10. To install this file, you need to just redo the installation steps required for the other file. Then select +++Go Back+++; after this is done, you should, from the phone’s Recovery Menu, initiate the system restarting. Your HTC Desire HD will soon reboot.

After the smartphone reboots, it will have the Android 4.4 KitKat taktiK custom ROM to display. And you shall be fully able to play with the upgrade offerings.