I have settled on the button unlock...
I really only wanted TCPMP (media player) on the device. So after an unlock, I installed GAPI and TCPMP via cab files. I moved the TCPMP files to the Windows directory and renamed the exectable to mp3player.exe. Then a soft reset will run the mainshell.exe and the S2 UI looks stock. The Audio Player icon of the mainshell will start TCPMP (which I use for mp3s and Divx videos).
For maps, I copied my state, 5 surrounding states and the base and water maps to \My Flash Disk\GS2MAP\GS2Map\Maps. The other continental state and Canada maps to \Maps