Hi,
I purchased a new HTC One X from France (I have a friend there), and it came in french and with some apps of SFR (a french cellular company).
I want an official ROM of HTC but without all those apps, and with Hebrew support.
I saw this page with stock ROMs, but how do I know which one is suitable for me?
And can I install a stock ROM that did not come originally with my phone?
I am new to Android and smartphones in general, so please be patient with me (I'm a quick learner though).
Thank you.
Download cidgetter from the play store, that app will let you know your cid. My hox is unbranded with cid 401.
When you know your cid go to the page with the ruus and look for one with your cid in the version number.
Remember though you can only use a ruu with same or higher version number
You can't change region or carrier unless you have an s-off hox
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
OK, my CID is VODAP203. What does it mean?
And what is s-off hox, and how do I get that?
(Simply, all I want to do is to reset my phone to factory's settings but like a not-branded one and with Hebrew support, as if I bought the phone from my country).
Thanks in advance.
ps: is there any detailed guide which explain all those terms and how to install a new ROM and all this stuff...?
Go to this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23542734
Tell them your cid and some 1 should be able to guide you to the relevent ruu for your cid, that will get you back to stock factory settings.
You can't change cid unless you are lucky enough to have a s-off hox (s-off = security-off) so your best bet if your not bothered about warranty is flashing a custom Rom with all the bloat removed.
Go to this thread for all you need to know about flashing a custom rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30471180
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
You can only use RUUs from Vodafone France - you can't use a stock ROM unless you go custom
bogfather said:
Tell them your cid and some 1 should be able to guide you to the relevent ruu for your cid, that will get you back to stock factory settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will get me back to factory settings but it will be exactly like I have it now (mine is brand new), right?
I don't want it like I got it, I want it as if it wasn't branded (like another region).
EddyOS said:
You can only use RUUs from Vodafone France - you can't use a stock ROM unless you go custom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand something, I can't use a stock RUU but a custom one I can??
What do I need to do to get an official ROM (General, not branded, like pure HTC official ROM)?
Thanks...
You can't until we gain s-off, that's why if you want rid of all the bloat ware on your phone you will have to go custom rom or root and uninstall the bloatware yourself
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
LionGod8 said:
That will get me back to factory settings but it will be exactly like I have it now (mine is brand new), right?
I don't want it like I got it, I want it as if it wasn't branded (like another region).
I don't understand something, I can't use a stock RUU but a custom one I can??
What do I need to do to get an official ROM (General, not branded, like pure HTC official ROM)?
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to assume the lest complicated situation, you have a regular HTC One X that is S-ON, but that you've managed to unlock your bootloader and root your phone. From browsing around it seems like the most standard starting point.
I think you are right; it's a little weird that you can only use the RUU (what HTC provides as a stock / factory ROM) from where the phone was intended to be used. I guess this makes some sense: you can manufacture custom configurations of the phone per clients markets (i.e. US Telcos may want two types, a delux version and a stripped down cheaper version) so HTC makes sure to configure the phones differently. If you have different phones, then you need to ensure each works as it should out of the box, so two different ROMs might be required where each stock ROM is optimized for use with the phone configuration as dictated by the CID (does CID - configuration identifier??). So for most of us, the RUU that's available to us is strictly determined by the phone CID.
So why not create a super RUU that is so awesome that it could determine what the physical and software configuration of the phone is and permit only the compatible features? Are HTC developers too lazy?? Maybe, I don't know, I'm not a developer. So enter the custom ROM. A kind of super RUU IMHO that allows for more customization based on the talents of the developer(s) who often design these things for free, on their own time, and although not obligated one bit to support or update them, do so anyway.
So there you have it, you are stuck with the RUU that is compatible only with your CID, or you can research the various custom ROMs that exist and try them out.
Good luck and have fun with it.
Related
Apologies if this is a simple question - but there are so many conflicting posts here it's not entirely clear.
I have a Vodafone UK branded One X and I'd like to debrand it to run completely standard stock firmware from HTC, with OTA updates if at all possible (but RUU wouldn't be the end of the world).
From what I've read - you need to change the CID to a generic HTC_xxx code in order to receive the OTA updates. All good this far.
What I'm a little confused about is which action allows you to change the CID. Most posts point to S-OFF being set on the boot loader as a requirement - but I'm not clear on if unlocking via HTCdev.com will allow you to change the CID? There are some posts saying the HTCdev method is the official method of getting S-OFF, implying it will give you S-OFF (albeit with the warranty concerns). Other posts say that S-OFF is not possible until someone finds a vulnerability in the current bootloader.
If anyone could clarify I'd be very grateful (might even help a few duplicate threads being posted). Thanks.
The HTC Dev website does *not* allow S-Off (Security) because it allows access to radio and more risky things that increase likelihood of a bricked phone. There is no current S-Off method out, people are looking at it and trying to find a way to do it but nothing yet. To change CID, unlock your phone for free etc you need S-Off.
Hope that helps.
spot on, thanks very much.
I too have a One X branded by Vodafone UK.
I do want to root my phone which from what i can tell is still doable with s-on.
From what i am reading in this thread, it is currently NOT possible to replace the Vodafone branded ROM with the generic HTC Stock ROM for the One X?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=24678690
Has all the answers. Going back to stock ruu is discussed throughout but mostly near end of thread. :thumbup:
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Demented-Idiot said:
I too have a One X branded by Vodafone UK.
I do want to root my phone which from what i can tell is still doable with s-on.
From what i am reading in this thread, it is currently NOT possible to replace the Vodafone branded ROM with the generic HTC Stock ROM for the One X?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you can replace it with a generic ROM but it has to be the same base-version as what your phone has
ie right now us vodafone users are on 1.26 so we can only use 1.26 ROM's
We can't use any 1.28 until vodafone updates that.
I have flashed the 1.26 RUU (no more branding \o/ and tbf it actually behaves better )
will mull over it - thanks
Stupid vodafone branding
---------- Post added at 10:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 AM ----------
eeyrjmr said:
Well, you can replace it with a generic ROM but it has to be the same base-version as what your phone has
ie right now us vodafone users are on 1.26 so we can only use 1.26 ROM's
We can't use any 1.28 until vodafone updates that.
I have flashed the 1.26 RUU (no more branding \o/ and tbf it actually behaves better )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have managed to flash the standard HTC ROM for the One X as 1.26 then you should be able to apply the 1.28 patch that is available elsewhere on the forum (the official one, not the translated chinese one!)
OK. I'm a little bit lost in the HTC world!
I've had a Samsung Galaxy Note II for the last year and have just replaced it with the HTC ONE (M8). I found the whole rooting and ROM procedure relatively straight forward with the Note II. In a nutshell you:
1) Rooted with a Windows based application
2) Installed / Flashed a recovery system
3) Flashed a custom ROM using a Windows based application called ODIN
And that was that. Pretty straightforward. Having had a nose around the HTC forum it's awash with clever folk using abbreviations and acronyms like CID, RUU and S-OFF...!
My M8 is on EE network in the UK which I know is CID ORANG001. What I would like though is to convert my M8 to a generic European M8 so I can receive the latest HTC updates rather then await EE to push out their version. This therefore prompts me to ask the following questions:
1) Is this something we will be able to achieve?
2) What is the (potential) process to achieve this (assuming something similar for the M7 already exists)?
2) Will over the air updates work?
I've read numerous posts which seem contradicting. Some talk about a simple change of the CID others mention S-OFF as the GOD of everything related to the subject. If I were to guess, changing the CID seems too simple, but I'm guessing once changed to a generic EU CID it's possible to receive HTC's OTA updates? Or am I wrong there? Or having another guess I would assume I'd need to go down the lines similar to Samsung process of rooting or S-OFF (security off?) and flashing a generic stock EU ROM?
So what CAN currently be achieved and what CAN'T currently be achieved?
I guess I could do with a little background on these processes and the terminology used.
Any help, greatly appreciated.
Can :
Unlock the bootloader and flash a custom recovery to install a custom rom based on the latest firmware. You are depending on rom updates from the dev if he updates it to the latest software/firmware
Can't :
S-off
Change cid
Get ota via another rom
Run a ruu because they are simply not available
So to receive ota you need your original stock rom. And before you start messing around please make a stock nandroid backup and store it !
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
Chris_c81 said:
OK. I'm a little bit lost in the HTC world!
I've had a Samsung Galaxy Note II for the last year and have just replaced it with the HTC ONE (M8). I found the whole rooting and ROM procedure relatively straight forward with the Note II. In a nutshell you:
1) Rooted with a Windows based application
2) Installed / Flashed a recovery system
3) Flashed a custom ROM using a Windows based application called ODIN
And that was that. Pretty straightforward. Having had a nose around the HTC forum it's awash with clever folk using abbreviations and acronyms like CID, RUU and S-OFF...!
My M8 is on EE network in the UK which I know is CID ORANG001. What I would like though is to convert my M8 to a generic European M8 so I can receive the latest HTC updates rather then await EE to push out their version. This therefore prompts me to ask the following questions:
1) Is this something we will be able to achieve?
2) What is the (potential) process to achieve this (assuming something similar for the M7 already exists)?
2) Will over the air updates work?
I've read numerous posts which seem contradicting. Some talk about a simple change of the CID others mention S-OFF as the GOD of everything related to the subject. If I were to guess, changing the CID seems too simple, but I'm guessing once changed to a generic EU CID it's possible to receive HTC's OTA updates? Or am I wrong there? Or having another guess I would assume I'd need to go down the lines similar to Samsung process of rooting or S-OFF (security off?) and flashing a generic stock EU ROM?
So what CAN currently be achieved and what CAN'T currently be achieved?
I guess I could do with a little background on these processes and the terminology used.
Any help, greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also not familiar anymore with HTC. After reading and reading and still not finding the exact answers to my questions, so I simply (after unlocking and flash TWRP recovery and backing up) tried to flash Virtuous ROM (1.54.401.5) over my German o2 device (1.12.206.17, CID O2___001). Everything worked except WiFi, so I tried a last call with mikes ARHD Rom 3.1, before going back to stock. And this ROM works brilliantly!
But I would also be happy if the OP questions could be answered...
@Mr Hofs
1. the WiFi problem discribed above could be firmware related?
2. When my Provider o2 brings out an update with firmware, can I simply relock bootloader and push the (perhaps) available firmware.zip it to the device via fastboot like mike explains in his firmware thread?
Edit :
Well that would be weird as both roms the OP flashed are based on 1.54.401 so i would say no.....
Mr Hofs said:
Can :
Unlock the bootloader and flash a custom recovery to install a custom rom based on the latest firmware. You are depending on rom updates from the dev if he updates it to the latest software/firmware
Can't :
S-off
Change cid
Get ota via another rom
Run a ruu because they are simply not available
So to receive ota you need your original stock rom. And before you start messing around please make a stock nandroid backup and store it !
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK thanks. Few more questions if I may.
So from the "can't" list, IF we can get the ability to change CID and have S-OFF in the future, would it provide the ability to receive OTA updates when HTC push them out, or are OTA updates simply out of the game entirely?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Yes that should be possible , all you need then is
Changed cid
Stock rom
Stock kernel
Stock recovery
Or the ruu (if available)
Then the phone is ready for ota updates.
Mr Hofs said:
Yes that should be possible , all you need then is
Changed cid
Stock rom
Stock kernel
Stock recovery
Or the ruu (if available)
Then the phone is ready for ota updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great thanks. Last question then, what is RUU?
I'll keep your thread bookmarked and attempt to get a backup in there.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
A ruu is a Rom Update Utility and it contains the rom, kernel, firmware, recovery (and some more stuff). When a ruu is installed its like the phone is factory stock.
Mr Hofs said:
A ruu is a Rom Update Utility and it contains the rom, kernel, firmware, recovery (and some more stuff). When a ruu is installed its like the phone is factory stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK brilliant thanks. Really appreciate your help.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Hi, I bought an unlocked htc one m8 but i recieved the indian version (m8q) and I'm not from india, Everything works fine and I called htc and they told me that I shouldn't have a problem since the indian verison comes with international warrenty.
The only thing I'm worried about here is compatibility with the stuff here on xda, will i be able to flash roms without probelms and will i be able to convert it to a gpe device if i wanted to.
The Cid is HTC__038, the model id is 0P6B65000 the software version i have currently is 1.56.720.6 and the product name (from the getvar all command) is m8_ul. Is the hardware incompatible with roms made for the international gsm version (with the sku 401) or can i just change the cid/mid or make it supercid to use it with any of the guides hosted here.
I havent been able to find anything so i would really appreciate any help.
I own the same device and to be true, the Indian Variant lacks support for all Sense based ROMs as they are based on different model with different CID and MID number. Custom ROMs work fine.
If you are very proficient with flashing stuff in HTC devices then you can use firewater to S-OFF on 4.4.2 . Ver. 4.4.3 has patched some vulnerabilities that do not allow firewater S-OFF to work nor the sunshine one.
I had already updated to 4.4.3 due to which now it's currently impossible for me to obtain S-OFF.
Also Indian Variants have yet not received the latest updates i.e. 4.4.4
Mayank7795 said:
I own the same device and to be true, the Indian Variant lacks support for all Sense based ROMs as they are based on different model with different CID and MID number. Custom ROMs work fine.
If you are very proficient with flashing stuff in HTC devices then you can use firewater to S-OFF on 4.4.2 . Ver. 4.4.3 has patched some vulnerabilities that do not allow firewater S-OFF to work nor the sunshine one.
I had already updated to 4.4.3 due to which now it's currently impossible for me to obtain S-OFF.
Also Indian Variants have yet not received the latest updates i.e. 4.4.4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, but are you saying that If i can acheive s-off and change the cid and mid will that make the device compatible with the roms or will flashing them brick my device? Also, do you have any idea about compatibilty with gpe based roms?
tinclan said:
Thanks for the reply, but are you saying that If i can acheive s-off and change the cid and mid will that make the device compatible with the roms or will flashing them brick my device? Also, do you have any idea about compatibilty with gpe based roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my first HTC device and the first expensive one that I bought so I am being really cautious about tampering my phone.
Yes, if you achieve S-OFF, then you can change your CID. Don't know about MID (I have yet to know more about it). Then flashing other Sense-based ROMs should be fairly easy.
But after you achieve S-OFF, you need to be more cautious while flashing anything as the security would have been totally put off and whichever file you flash will be flashed without any error and may result in your device getting bricked if a wrong file is flashed.
It will be really great to backup the important partitions like recovery, boot, system etc. if you are still stock (not bootloader unlocked and not rooted)
To backup important partitions, visit this thread for instructions. (Be sure to backup your stock recovery as it will be needed to receive OTA updates) - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
IMPORTANT: Read the Question "How do i backup the stock HTC recovery ?" and the procedure below that in the provided thread properly to successfully backup your device's partition.
~~Other Helpful threads which needs a reading~~
♦ HTC One M8 F.A.Q's
♦ HTC ONE M8 Repository
Mayank7795 said:
This is my first HTC device and the first expensive one that I bought so I am being really cautious about tampering my phone.
Yes, if you achieve S-OFF, then you can change your CID. Don't know about MID (I have yet to know more about it). Then flashing other Sense-based ROMs should be fairly easy.
But after you achieve S-OFF, you need to be more cautious while flashing anything as the security would have been totally put off and whichever file you flash will be flashed without any error and may result in your device getting bricked if a wrong file is flashed.
It will be really great to backup the important partitions like recovery, boot, system etc. if you are still stock (not bootloader unlocked and not rooted)
To backup important partitions, visit this thread for instructions. (Be sure to backup your stock recovery as it will be needed to receive OTA updates) - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
IMPORTANT: Read the Question "How do i backup the stock HTC recovery ?" and the procedure below that in the provided thread properly to successfully backup your device's partition.
~~Other Helpful threads which needs a reading~~
♦ HTC One M8 F.A.Q's
♦ HTC ONE M8 Repository
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my first htc phone too, actually this is my first high end android phone. I am just as paranoid about doing anything as you, i just wanted to make sure i'm not stuck forever, because i it was impossible to change the software of this phone i would've just sold it from now, purely because imo new software adds the most value to smartphone these days. I am a bit confused, but for now i decided to not install any updates until i figure out whats possible to do without screwing up myself
tinclan said:
This is my first htc phone too, actually this is my first high end android phone. I am just as paranoid about doing anything as you, i just wanted to make sure i'm not stuck forever, because i it was impossible to change the software of this phone i would've just sold it from now, purely because imo new software adds the most value to smartphone these days. I am a bit confused, but for now i decided to not install any updates until i figure out whats possible to do without screwing up myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good decision for now..
I did the mistake of not backing up recovery partition after I updated and instantly unlocked and rooted my phone but luckily I got the stock recovery from another thread.
tinclan said:
This is my first htc phone too, actually this is my first high end android phone. I am just as paranoid about doing anything as you, i just wanted to make sure i'm not stuck forever, because i it was impossible to change the software of this phone i would've just sold it from now, purely because imo new software adds the most value to smartphone these days. I am a bit confused, but for now i decided to not install any updates until i figure out whats possible to do without screwing up myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mayank7795 said:
That's a good decision for now..
I did the mistake of not backing up recovery partition after I updated and instantly unlocked and rooted my phone but luckily I got the stock recovery from another thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the help. I have one last question if you wouldnt mind answering, are all the gpe based rooms compatible with our version of the device, and can i flash the gpe ruu without bricking the thing if i got s-off.
tinclan said:
Thanks for all the help. I have one last question if you wouldnt mind answering, are all the gpe based rooms compatible with our version of the device, and can i flash the gpe ruu without bricking the thing if i got s-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I seriously don't know because I never took an interest in converting my device to GPE.
I like the stock look.
Morning guys,
I have had many Android phones and loved that I was able to flash custom ROMs and tweak bits. I got rid of my LG G2 some time ago for the HTC One M8 and I feel a little lost. I can't flash a custom ROM because it has S-OFF and there's no way I'm paying a third party to remove this.
Is there any way around this so I can keep playing? Otherwise, I might as well have got a darn iPhone.
Kind regards,
Chris
There is no need to S-Off to flash custom ROMs.
What you need :
Bootloader unlocked using HTCDev unlock_code.bin
latest firmware of your M8 region that read 4.xx.xxx.x
latest TWRP
That's all then you're good to install custom ROMs.
Ahh I have done all of that. But I was under the impression that I need to be S-OFF'ed?
You need S-Off if you want to change firmware of other M8 region to your device (which is not necessary) or to update yours without going HTC way i.e doing OTA.
Another important note, your device is not a China M8 like M8_TL but a M8_UL or M8_UL_CA to flash the Intl GSM Custom ROMs that you can find here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/development
Good luck ... it's not comfortable to use this forum format ..
No. Mine is the standard UK HTC One M8. I would just like to try out CyanogenMod and clear out some of the pre-installed HTC apps that I don't use.
Your firmware must be on 4.16.401.10 or 4.16.401.13 then you're good.
To remove some pre-installed HTC apps you need root which comes pre-installed with custom ROMs and custom kernel which usually has write protection disabled.
Gotta go now ... give any custom ROM a try .. you'll understand better
Nope, my firmware is on 4.20.771.2. Does that matter sorry?
That's H3G and that's good enough.
Thank you for all your help!!!
Hello fellow xda people!
I know,I know, the title isn't very accurate. Give me suggestions if you have something more accurate.
I'd like to buy that phone, but after reading some threads here, I still have some questions :
-If I want to send my phone back to htc, let's say for a battery problem, should I go back to full stock? Because apparently to go back to stock we need to use a RUU, which needs S-OFF. But S-Off is a hint for them to understand we rooted, installed custom roms no? So if I need to send them back, am I screwed?
-Then, speaking about the customer service, how did you find it if you had to deal with it? And especially in Europe and France...
-If I don't want to go back to stock, should I go S-Off? Saw somewhere we had to pay for it :/, so is it worth it? What are the advantages?
-if I order it now, will I receive a quickcharge 2.0 charger or will I have to order it apart?
-How do you think will be the development for this phone in a few years? I'm new to HTC, so will they push updates for android N or was MM the last official update pushed?
-Are there different versions of the phone, making it incompatible with some ROMs? And if yes, which one should I choose? What is the name of the international version?
-I think that's all, If I need something else, I'll post back here
Thank you everyone!
My responses below, in red font:
WoBble12 said:
I know,I know, the title isn't very accurate. Give me suggestions if you have something more accurate.
I think the title is great. It describes what you are trying to do, and what you are asking.
-If I want to send my phone back to htc, let's say for a battery problem, should I go back to full stock? Because apparently to go back to stock we need to use a RUU, which needs S-OFF. But S-Off is a hint for them to understand we rooted, installed custom roms no? So if I need to send them back, am I screwed? If returning to HTC for warranty, going back to full stock is recommended (stock software, LOCKED bootloader, and possibly s-on). You do not need s-off to RUU (as long as its the proper RUU for your M8 version and proper RUU number - no downgrading with s-on). But you do need s-off to make the bootloader say LOCKED (which after UNLOCKED, only RELOCKED is possible with s-on). If you have s-off, you can change it back to say s-on. Although it is possible (although uncommon) for devices to come from the factory with s-off, so requirement to make it s-on (for warranty) is debatable.
-Then, speaking about the customer service, how did you find it if you had to deal with it? And especially in Europe and France... I don't live in Europe, nor have I dealt with HTC very much. Honestly, I've owned 6 HTC devices, and almost zero problems with any of them.
-If I don't want to go back to stock, should I go S-Off? Saw somewhere we had to pay for it :/, so is it worth it? What are the advantages? You don't need s-off to root of flash custom ROMs. s-off is needed to flash modified hboots, manually flash radios, and a few other things. S-off is useful, but not mandatory for many people.
-if I order it now, will I receive a quickcharge 2.0 charger or will I have to order it apart? You will get a standard charger. If you want QC 2.0, you'll need to put it separately, but there are 3rd party versions that are good quality, and inexpensive.
-How do you think will be the development for this phone in a few years? I'm new to HTC, so will they push updates for android N or was MM the last official update pushed? I don't think HTC has stated it officially, but most of us are suspecting that MM is the last major update. So you may be relying to ports (from newer HTC devices), AOSP ROMs, etc. if you want Android N. ROM development is still decent; although certainly slowing. But I expect and hope some devs will keep supporting the M8 for some time to come.
-Are there different versions of the phone, making it incompatible with some ROMs? And if yes, which one should I choose? What is the name of the international version? CDMA version (Sprint and Verizon), the dual SIM M8, and M8 Eye all need specific ROMs (or at least specific kernels, in the case of the CDMA versions). Otherwise, the other M8 version are all virtually the same, and share ROMs. So for the purpose of custom ROMs, I would definitely recommend the "international" otherwise known as the "GSM" M8 (so any version except CDMA, dual SIM, or Eye).
You should also be careful where you buy from, and what version you are buying. I've seen some folks on here that thought they were buying a international/GSM M8, but it was a Sprint or Verizon that was debranded (software modified, back plate changed) to make it seem like a it was the international version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, Thank you very much @redpoint73 for this precise answer! So I was still browsing around for more info about that phone, and a guy said we have to extract the kernel of every ROM (except for stock based Roms) and flash it separately if we are s-on. It was a HTC forum, but the topic was very global, so is this specific phone part of them, or can I flash complete ROM packages directly without extracting the kernel?
And, another one, how can I be sure my phone is a GSM version? They have a different name under "about phone" section of the settings, but this can be faked I think. And I could also verify the MID in the boot loader?
WoBble12 said:
! So I was still browsing around for more info about that phone, and a guy said we have to extract the kernel of every ROM (except for stock based Roms) and flash it separately if we are s-on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is totally false. This was true on some older HTC devices (maybe they mean the One M7?) but was never the case on the M8. You just wipe and flash the desired ROM. Kernel flashes with the ROM automatically.
WoBble12 said:
And, another one, how can I be sure my phone is a GSM version? They have a different name under "about phone" section of the settings, but this can be faked I think. And I could also verify the MID in the boot loader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to look at not only the CID and MID in bootloader (getvar all) but also the product name (such as m8_ul, etc.). CID and MID can be easily hacked with s-off, but as far as I've seen, the product name is never modified.
Good list of MIDs and product names (column labelled "Variant" on the table) here: http://droider.eu/2014/09/20/htc-one-m8-models/
Until you have the phone in hard, I'm not sure how much of this you can tell for sure. So buy from a reputable source, with a guaranteed method of refund of exchange, in case the device is not as advertised (and we're seeing more and more of that lately).