Database Info

fastboot questions

I come from the world of Windows Mobile and have just recetly delved into hacking my G1. While I've had no problems installing jesusfreke's images or themes...I'm struggling with how to get fastboot to work.
Perhaps someone can give me some guidance. Anyone willing to give me some simple step by step instructions. I've searched for this and i think I have everything i need, but I'm unable to get to a point where I can type in commands. when i try to run adb, it open very briefly and closes.
What am i doing wrong?
Thanks,
Jason

Go to start -> run -> type in CMD
Navigate to the folder where adb is located.
Then type in adb devices to see if it finds ur device.
If not then make sure you have it plugged in and USB debugging is turned on in the phones settings under Development.
Also download the usb drivers/or the whole SDK if you havent yet.

nosaj13 said:
when i try to run adb, it open very briefly and closes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you try to execute a text mode executable in windows, it will close the terminal window as soon as the program finishes. If you run adb without any arguments, it will print the arguments out terminate. I could say the solution is to open run as and type cmd, but the true answer is to install Linux

nosaj13 said:
I come from the world of Windows Mobile and have just recetly delved into hacking my G1. While I've had no problems installing jesusfreke's images or themes...I'm struggling with how to get fastboot to work.
Perhaps someone can give me some guidance. Anyone willing to give me some simple step by step instructions. I've searched for this and i think I have everything i need, but I'm unable to get to a point where I can type in commands. when i try to run adb, it open very briefly and closes.
What am i doing wrong?
Thanks,
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Download this
2. Extract the contents of the fastboot directory to the root of your C drive.
3. Go Start -> Run -> type 'cmd' (no quotes) and hit enter
4. Type 'c:' (no quotes) and hit enter
5. With your phone plugged in, you should be able to type 'adb devices' and it should return your phones serial number, which is usually in HTXXXXXXXX format. If it does not, make sure debugging is enabled on your phone and you have the adb drivers installed.
6. type 'adb shell reboot bootloader' and hit enter. The screen on your phone will go blank for a second and then you should be in the SPL with the skating androids. Make sure you see "FASTBOOT" at the bottom of the screen.
7. type 'fastboot devices' and hit enter. If you see your phone's serial number again, you have successfully established a fastboot connection with the phone and can run commands such as:
fastboot erase <partition> (erases the given partition)
fastboot flash <partition> <file.img> (overwrites and flashes given partition with given file. This is how one would restore from a nandroid backup)
fastboot reboot (reboots the device into user mode)
Hope that helps. Have fun

when i type adp devices i get an error that says "adp is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file"
what am i doing wrong?

nosaj13 said:
when i type adp devices i get an error that says "adp is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file"
what am i doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, the command is adb devices not adp. Second, make sure you copied the contents of the fastboot directory to the C drive. Third, make sure you that when you type 'c:' into the command line, the command prompt actually changes to "C:\>"

Datruesurfer said:
1. Download this
2. Extract the contents of the fastboot directory to the root of your C drive.
3. Go Start -> Run -> type 'cmd' (no quotes) and hit enter
4. Type 'c:' (no quotes) and hit enter
5. With your phone plugged in, you should be able to type 'adb devices' and it should return your phones serial number, which is usually in HTXXXXXXXX format. If it does not, make sure debugging is enabled on your phone and you have the adb drivers installed.
6. type 'adb shell reboot bootloader' and hit enter. The screen on your phone will go blank for a second and then you should be in the SPL with the skating androids. Make sure you see "FASTBOOT" at the bottom of the screen.
7. type 'fastboot devices' and hit enter. If you see your phone's serial number again, you have successfully established a fastboot connection with the phone and can run commands such as:
fastboot erase <partition> (erases the given partition)
fastboot flash <partition> <file.img> (overwrites and flashes given partition with given file. This is how one would restore from a nandroid backup)
fastboot reboot (reboots the device into user mode)
Hope that helps. Have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i did all the above steps with no problem at all till i got to number 7. when i typed in fastboot devices it just goes to the next prompt without my phone showing up.
If i plug in my g1 in normal mode i see it at the top under adb and in the usb section as a mass storage device.
In bootloader mode with fastboot on the screen it doesnt show up anywhere in the device manager.
Also when i follow the above quoted steps and type in the "adb shell reboot bootloader" and hit enter i hear the ding you hear when you unplug a usb device, and all instances of the phone then leave the device manager.
i have also uninstalled and reinstalled all drivers for the phone and all drivers that have to do with the usb ports on my win xp machine.
Anyone have any ideas i could try?

I think you need this program. I put it on my desktop, then just ran cmd, directed to it, and type in fastboot.

I7oobie said:
I think you need this program. I put it on my desktop, then just ran cmd, directed to it, and type in fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats not it. i have that in the sys 32 folder and also on desktop

Fastboot mode not recognized
I'm having the same problem. I've installed all the correct drivers and in normal mode, I see the Android Composite Device (or something similar) in Device Manager.
As soon as I go into SPL mode (the 3 skateboarding androids screen), the device does not show up.
Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Datruesurfer said:
First, the command is adb devices not adp. Second, make sure you copied the contents of the fastboot directory to the C drive. Third, make sure you that when you type 'c:' into the command line, the command prompt actually changes to "C:\>"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I'm in the Command Prompt and I type C:, the directory still reads C:\Documents and Setting\Reids. It won't change to only C:

Hi,
You have to do this to get back to c:
cd\
press enter
That should do it.

bestwebs said:
Hi,
You have to do this to get back to c:
cd\
press enter
That should do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks a lot. Got it working now.

I need help trying to flash my cupcake images that I have stored in my fastboot folder. I attached the pictures below. I will accept any help I can get.

EDIT: Doh, I thought I was in another topic.
My bad.

Are adb & adb's dll files located inside the same folder as fastboot??? They are suppose too be.
Is your usb cord directly plugged into your system or thru a hub??
Your phone, i bet is under usb mass....to check, expand your device manager window.
Expand your USB-Mass storage list.
With your phone in fastboot mode, click on the camera key and the back key. With enough time inbetween for your system to recognize that there might be a device hooked up.
Notice any change in the list??

Anyone wanting good instructions
http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f28/nandroid-v2-0-full-nand-backup-and-restore-tool-9336/
Read post 2 and go!

this seems like the most easiest thing to do but i still cant get it to work
i have downloaded everything needed and see ADB Interface on my device manager with a yellow mark on it when i try to update the dirver it fails and i got the drivers and point them to it but seems not to work
my phone is on the fastboot screen with the android skateboards guys
i dont know whats going on if someone know what am also doing wrong can tell me please...
This is what i get

adb help for noob

I posted this in another thread but got no response, this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=502010&page=35)
maybe a new thread will help.
So this is my first venture into the whole ABD thing. I am trying to install the framework mod from Tazz for the HTC music player (as listed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...5594&page=1277 post 12768).
Tazz mentions to “push this http://www.multiupload.com/1WWHXAUN6W
to system/ect/permissions then download and install htc music”
So, running my trusty Win7 machine I downloaded the SDK from the android development site, inserted the correct line in the path and viola, I can enter the CMD prompt and run the adb command successfully. Adb and adb shell both seem to work.
I followed the instructions from here: http://androidforums.com/developer-1...-commands.html and here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=502010 for the install.
My problem comes in when I try to push the file to the phone.
Fisrt dumb question is: what phone mode should I be in when running the adb? Standard running mode or booted to recovery? (I thought I read something about being in recovery but at that point it was all a blur).
I have the USB Debugging turned on so I think I am ok there.
I installed the SDK to my C:\Android directory.
I saved Tazz’s file to my C:\Android\Tools directory.
Here is my cmd text (maybe this is where I went wrong):
In the cmd window I CD’d to the C:\Android\Tools directory
adb push com.framework.htc.xml system/ect/permissions
After making sure that I was in the correct dir and all files were also located in the correct dir I am still getting an error, file or directory not found, or something like that.
Sorry for the long post. I figured this would be a good first step (my first adb experience) as it seems pretty benign in terms of me bricking anything but offering a good learning opportunity.
I am running a rooted Eris (KaosFroyo v36).
In looking things thru maybe I need a USB driver for the Eris?
any help is appreciated,
oh, my cmd prompt looks like sh-2# (or something like that)
Thanks

While it may be that you still need to download the appropriate drivers, it seems you are able to get root access so, this is likely not the case.
There are two things which stand out as potential issues in the steps you described. Fortunately, both are super easy.
First and foremost, make sure you have mounted the phone as "read-write."After you have cd'd to the tools folder type "adb remount" (without the quotes) and press enter. If successful, it should respond with "remount succeeded." Congrats, you have now mounted the phone as read-write.
Next, I see errors with your command. There should be a "/" before "system" and it should be "etc" not "ect." Specifically, your command should be:
adb push com.framework.htc.xml /system/etc/permissions/
[The above command of course, assumes that the name of the file you are pushing is indeed named "com.framework.htc.xml" and is in your tools folder.] You'll know it worked if the response in your command prompt indicates the speed and time it took for the push to take. For example, "1234kbps in 3.4 seconds". If you see something resembling that you should be all set. At this point you can reboot your phone and your changes should be in effect. Either unplug and reboot manually or just type "adb reboot" (without the quotes) and press enter.
In regard to your question about whether the phone can be in standard running mode or recovery... It depends on the level of root of the phone but, fully rooted and nand unlocked phones can be adb'd while in standard running mode. My EVO can and it is very likely your Eris can too.

I see
thanks OK.
typo's aside in the thread, my command was missing the / as you have described it. I also did not know about the remount thing. In my reading I thought that was just for the sd card. I will try and put all the pieces together when I get home tonight.
You are correct in that is the name of the file and I do have it in the /tools directory.
Thanks for the help, baby steps (I am learning)

No problem. We are/were all noobs at one point in our lives.
The term "mounting" has slightly different contextual meanings which can be confusing. First off, the /system/ folder is already "mounted" while using adb, however, it is mounted as read-only. So, if you are ever trying to push something to the phone and get an error back that says "mounted as read-only" you'll now know what went wrong. Simply type "adb remount"
and it puts the /system/ folder into read-write mode.
Bear in mind that upon phone reboot the /system/ folder automatically remounts into read-only mode so if you reboot and try to push another file you'll need to remember to "adb remount" again.
With regard to the sdcard "mounting" refers to whether the phone (sdcard) is mounted as a disk drive on your computer. You'll find that if this is the case many adb commands won't work because the sdcard can't be accessed by the phone while mounted on the computer. Therefore, always remember to connect your phone as "Charge Only" when adb'ing.

got it
That did the trick, worked like a charm. Thanks for the help and pointers. I have now pushed my first file...yeah for me!!
Thanks for your help and time.

glad your push worked
I am still trying to get SDK/ADB to connect to my Milestone XT720 phone. Have no idea of why they won't. Have tried all the usual suspects but nothing as of yet. NEED HELP!

[TOOL] ADB Data Recovery (recover data from a phone with broken screen)

**UPDATE**
NEW VERSION
THIS RELIES ON ADB COMMANDS, SO IF YOU DO NOT HAVE USB DEBUGGING TURNED ON, OR A CUSTOM RECOVERY TO BOOT TO, THEN IT WILL NOT BE AS SIMPLE AS JUST RUNING THE PROGRAM.
Another user was having issues because he had an emulator installed, so I updated the file to give you the choice between an emulator, or device. I intend to update further to allow you to check for and select an individual device, that will come soon..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recently my Galaxy s2's screen smashed, and, after replacing it with a GS4, i realized that many of my pictures were stuck on the internal sd card of the GS2. Being unable to turn on mass storage mode, I made a very simple tool that makes using adb pull a simple, painless process, even for the most computer illiterate of android users. Hope this helps if anyone needs it.
For anyone having issues...
If you had not previously activated USB Debugging, there are several steps you need to follow in order to enable ADB
SCREEN WORKING TOUCH BROKEN NO CUSTOM RECOVERY​first, if you can see your screen, and have access to an otg cable, plug a mouse in to the otg cable, and the otg cable into the phone. Use the mouse to enable USB debugging, or to transfer files.
HOW TO ENABLE USB DEBUGGING
SCREEN WORKING TOUCH BROKEN WITH CUSTOM RECOVERY​boot to your custom recovery ADB commands will work here. (usually hold vol- + pwr)
HOW TO BOOT TO RECOVERY
Once in custom recovery, connect the device to the PC.
open CMD and enter the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
adb devices
The result should be something like
List of devices attached
051a4dd5 recovery
^^this number will be different for you
if you get a result on ADB devices, then you can use the program
SCREEN BROKEN TOUCH BROKEN WITH CUSTOM RECOVERY​boot to your custom recovery ADB commands will work here. (usually hold vol- + pwr)
HOW TO BOOT TO RECOVERY
Once in custom recovery, connect the device to the PC.
open CMD and enter the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
adb devices
The result should be something like
List of devices attached
051a4dd5 recovery
^^this number will be different for you
if you get a result on ADB devices, then you can use the program
SCREEN BROKEN TOUCH BROKEN NO CUSTOM RECOVERY​now things get complicated...
*The following is paraphrased from this site
1. download the custom recovery image for your device. Copy the recovery image to a convenient location on your computer, preferably with a short path. We will be placing it on the C Drive directly (not in any folder) and using that in the next steps.
Note: The recovery image should have .img extension. If it is in a zip file, extract the .img file from it.
I recommend clockwork mod non touch from this page
2. Power your device off and reboot your device to FASTBOOT or DOWNLOAD MODE depending on which type of device you have.
(most devices are fastboot, SAMSUNG typically uses DOWNLOAD MODE)
how to boot to fastboot or download mode
[FASTBOOT]​3. Connect your device to your computer via USB and wait till you see the PC recognize the device
to check if your device is in fastboot and connected use CMD and enter the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
fastboot devices
you will see a list of connected devices. if not, something went wrong.
4. Launch Command Prompt and type the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
fastboot flash recovery c:\recovery.img
5. Wait for the process to finish.
6. Turn device off then boot to your custom recovery ADB commands will work here. (usually hold vol- + pwr)
HOW TO BOOT TO RECOVERY
Once in custom recovery, connect the device to the PC.
open CMD and enter the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
adb devices
The result should be something like
List of devices attached
051a4dd5 recovery
^^this number will be different for you
if you get a result on ADB devices, then you can use the program
[RECOVERY MODE (SAMSUNG)]​USE THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE
Once in custom recovery, connect the device to the PC.
open CMD and enter the following commands;
cd c:\android (this is your ADB path, c:\android is default)
adb devices
The result should be something like
List of devices attached
051a4dd5 recovery
^^this number will be different for you
if you get a result on ADB devices, then you can use the program
HOPEFULLY THIS HELPS. REMEMBER TO CHECK THE FORUM PAGE FOR YOUR DEVICE IF YOU RUN INTO ISSUES. THIS ISN'T ANYTHING THE MEMBERS OF XDA HAVEN'T DONE THOUSANDS OF TIMES OVER.
Don't forget to hit "Thanks"

i'll bump this thread for those who didn't see this amazing tool, this tool is really useful, thank you very much

Hi,
Sturggling to find the .adb file as my phone shows up as a "Portable Device" any ideas?
Cheers

Thank you!
I joined just to say thank you to FuzzyMeep Two. Thanks for an awesome tool! It worked better than advertised!
:good:
Thanks again!
-th3r3isnospoon

Question
Hi! Can I use that to restore data not from sdcard but from internal memory of the device? I was storing photos on device memory on my Asus TF300T and now its bricked. I need to restore these photos, my girlfriend has something like 1000 of them from her trip to Caracas. Its very important for her. I already managed to connect the device through fastboot and I launched anb in cmd. What should I do next? Please help me guys

koperkowy said:
Hi! Can I use that to restore data not from sdcard but from internal memory of the device? I was storing photos on device memory on my Asus TF300T and now its bricked. I need to restore these photos, my girlfriend has something like 1000 of them from her trip to Caracas. Its very important for her. I already managed to connect the device through fastboot and I launched anb in cmd. What should I do next? Please help me guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, when it references SD Card it means the internal "SD" storage built in to the phone, not the removable one. It should work as long as ADB can connect.
Sorry for taking so long to reply, i really hope you got your pictures back.

FuzzyMeep Two said:
Recently my Galaxy s2's screen smashed, and, after replacing it with a GS4, i realized that many of my pictures were stuck on the internal sd card of the GS2. Being unable to turn on mass storage mode, I made a very simple tool that makes using adb pull a simple, painless process, even for the most computer illiterate of android users. Hope this helps if anyone needs it.
P.S. I apologize if i have posted this in the wrong place, if so please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really great stuff - so simple but so effective. Cheers and thanks.

Error msg
zobes said:
Really great stuff - so simple but so effective. Cheers and thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When i run that tool, i get the error mesg: more than one device and emulator,
I dont want to uninstall the emulator coz it was a headache getting it running
How i procede to select the device to be used

alisdairjk said:
When i run that tool, i get the error mesg: more than one device and emulator,
I dont want to uninstall the emulator coz it was a headache getting it running
How i procede to select the device to be used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NEW VERSION
Try this, i haven't gotten to test it, so please let me know if it worked for you, I added the option of selecting an emulator or USB device, because of your post. Hopefully it helps.

When I try to run this I also get an error message saying that the adb.exe file cannot be found.
Please can anyone help?

Joeb29 said:
When I try to run this I also get an error message saying that the adb.exe file cannot be found.
Please can anyone help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you also installed ADB, as well as this software?
I'm also having an issue - I have installed java, java SDK and ADB, so I can now run the data recovery tool. But when I do I'm getting "error:device not found" - am I missing drivers or something? I couldn't get all the way on the ADB configuration, because part of it required me to do something on the device... anyway, looks like the computer isn't recognising the the phone at the moment.
Any help very gratefully received (phone is Samsung Galaxy S2).

joffmeister said:
Have you also installed ADB, as well as this software?
I'm also having an issue - I have installed java, java SDK and ADB, so I can now run the data recovery tool. But when I do I'm getting "error:device not found" - am I missing drivers or something? I couldn't get all the way on the ADB configuration, because part of it required me to do something on the device... anyway, looks like the computer isn't recognising the the phone at the moment.
Any help very gratefully received (phone is Samsung Galaxy S2).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same situation right now. Managed to make your program work then I get the "error:device not found". My phone does show up in the computer folder(albeit not in mass storage mode), but isn't that what this program was made to work around?
My phone is a LG Optimus G with a smashed glass... The LCD still displays fine, but I'm stuck at my swipe lock because the digitizer is dead.
Thank you for your help and your wonderful program.

Thanks for this app. My girlfriend broke her screen and digitizer on her Galaxy S4. She never turned USB Debugging mode and has a lock on her screen. When using your app I get the same error when I use adb by itself which is "error: closed". ADB detects my phone but any command I use in ADB or with your app I get that same error.
Do you know how to fix this? Thanks in advance.

Thanks a lot man.
dude this tool is just amazing and does exactly what it promised. I was spending sleepless nights thinking about how to recover my data from my broken galaxy nexus and now that I have it I can rest easy. Seriously can't thank you enough for this. Just joined xda to thank you buddy.:laugh::fingers-crossed:

Getting an error "The system cannot find the path specified."
I start the recovery tool, set eh adb path successfully, and then I get this error. If I try running the recovery to pull the DCIM library I get this:
"error: device not found"
What can I do?
Thanks!
Either way this is an amazing tool, seeing how it helped some people already. :good:

Hi, Seem to have the same problem as many others, Device not found. I cant change to MTP mode on my LG G2.
I hope someone can find a solution to this problem.
Program seems amazing doh.

Hello,
This is really a great tool ! I was wondering if you could add the possibility to recover the external sd card aswell.

Device not found
Tried to recover a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini with a broken screen
I installed adb and RecoverData, run it and then get a "device not found error"
What can I do?

Amazing app. thank you so much :good:

FuzzyMeep Two said:
**UPDATE**
NEW VERSION
Another user was having issues because he had an emulator installed, so I updated the file to give you the choice between an emulator, or device. I intend to update further to allow you to check for and select an individual device, that will come soon..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recently my Galaxy s2's screen smashed, and, after replacing it with a GS4, i realized that many of my pictures were stuck on the internal sd card of the GS2. Being unable to turn on mass storage mode, I made a very simple tool that makes using adb pull a simple, painless process, even for the most computer illiterate of android users. Hope this helps if anyone needs it.
Don't forget to hit "Thanks"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Thank you very musch, It's so usefull for me.. :angel:

Root Nvidia Shield clarification

Hi after reading through the post on GitHub on how to simply root your shield I have a few questions that the tutorial doesn't make clear:
1)There are a ton of files at the top and not sure what to do with them...
2) There is a bit where it explains "On your computer, navigate into the directory containing this file and enter the following command:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz"
But it doesn't say that after you open the directory what you do with it?
Do you keep the window open and that's fine?
Do you type in it's location into command prompt before you type in: fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz?
Just a bit confused as to what all the files are and where I put them and how they have to be utilised etc
Just need clarification for peace of mind
wanted to post the link but forum won't let me yet

Root explanation
Hi here is the main walkthrough from github but as I said there are a few plot holes for people who are new.
If your SHIELD is already unlocked, you can skip this section.
SHIELD ships with an unlockable bootloader. The bootloader is locked by default, which prevents anyone (including yourself) from booting custom OSes and changing system partitions to potentially obtain extra privileges. This is a significant security feature: in the event that your device gets stolen, an attacker will not be able to retrieve your personal data or use your device if your lock screen has a password set.
By unlocking the bootloader, you allow anyone with physical access to your SHIELD to boot custom images and flash system partitions. This opens the way for an attacker to access your personal information or physically damage your device. For this reason, unlocking the bootloader will erase all your personal data like a factory reset does (so a potential thief cannot get it) and will also void your warranty.
If you know you really, really want to take these risks, here is how you unlock SHIELD's bootloader.
Switch your SHIELD off (long press the NVIDIA logo button and select Power off).
Power your SHIELD on while maintaining the back and home buttons pressed (these are the two buttons that lie under the big NVIDIA-logo button, on its left and right). Release them once you see the bootloader screen.
Connect your SHIELD to your computer using a USB cable.
On your computer, enter the following command:
fastboot oem unlock
This will display the unlock menu. Read the disclaimer and think one last time about what you are doing. This is your last chance to stop.
Use the back and home buttons to select your option. If you decide to continue, select Unlock and press the NVIDIA-logo button to validate. Your personal data will be erased and your device marked as warranty-void permanently.
Regardless of your choice, you will be back to the bootloader screen. Using the same buttons, navigate to Poweroff and select this to power your SHIELD off.
Rooting SHIELD
Now your bootloader is unlocked, but you still don't have root access. For this, we need to install SuperSU, and we will do so by booting a custom Linux image that will do this for us.
Power your SHIELD on while maintaining the back and home buttons pressed (these are the two buttons that lie under the big NVIDIA-logo button, on its left and right). Release them once you see the bootloader screen.
Connect your SHIELD to your computer using a USB cable
On your computer, navigate into the directory containing this file and enter the following command:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
The kernel and ramdisk will be downloaded and started. You will see 4 penguins on your screen, and the message ROOTING SHIELD will appear. Shortly after, your device will reboot. Congratulations, you are rooted!
For some unknown reason USB debugging in Developer options might become unchecked after rooting. You will need to re-check it if you want to use ADB.
It is safe to perform the rooting operation as many times as you want (e.g. after an OTA). Your user data will not be erased by rooting itself, it is the act of unlocking the bootloader that does.
Is there anyone who can add a little to this to make it more simple for a noob like me?
I understand there is a file set that is at the top of the page and I downloaded the files which include zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
but don't know how to utilise them etc
There are no videos on youtube of how to do it and if anyone can add just a few more steps so that I know where I'm going with this (don't want to brick my system).
I just want controller support installed like Tincore or gamekeyboard so I can unlock the potential of the games library on GooglePlay.
Thanks for reading.

you copy those two files "zImage_dtb" & "ramfs.img.gz" to the same directory your adb and fastboot executeables are (same directory you issued the oem unlock command from)
then navigate to the same directory you did the oem unlock from via command line then issue the command "fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz"
it's pretty simple but I can run you through a simple example of what I did
1)download android sdk
2)copy platform tools folder to a directory on c drive (exp c:\tools\ )
3)copy the 2 files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery(optional)
4)boot shield into fastboot mode (home+back+power)
5)navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it.
Code:
cd c:\tools
6)detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection
7)issue oem unlock command and follow the onscreen prompts
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
8)restart device, after a full boot cycle(wipes data), power back into fastboot
9)issue the "rooting image" command, device with automatically reboot
Code:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
*10) optionally reboot back into fastboot and install cwm recovery
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
pretty simple

thanks for fast reply.
Ok so I have Two different versions of Android SDK (32 bit and 64 bit) which one do I use?
"copy platform tools to a directory on C drive (exp C:\TOOLS\)"
What are platform tools?
"copy the two files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery"
What two files? do you mean the zImage_dtb and ramfs.img.gz? Do they go into the C:\TOOLS\ folder?
"navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it"
What do you mean by navigate? Do you simply mean open the folder or do I use a program to do this?
"Detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection"
What's fastboot devices? What does result and no result mean? What does Check driver and check connection mean? how dod I do that?
I'm confused by all the lingo, what applications I should be using and when exactly do I start using command lines etc
Thanks for help so far been great but I need step by step instructions eg
open folder, copy and paste file1 and file 2 to this folder
open application X
click import file 1 and file 2
type XXXXXX\root\cdrive into command
press enter
see?
I do not know what some of the words mean and how to do some of the stuff the tutorial says. It's jargon and I have all these files, in all these folders with no idea how to do this from start to finish.
Appreciate the help so far but you are dealing with a novice. I know the work won't take long but I need all the relevant info, in one list, with consistent language to ensure I do everything as it should be done.
Bless you sir and...
Good luck

If your confused by my instructions you need to wait for a "one click" installer, sorry.

gogul1 said:
Ok so I have Two different versions of Android SDK (32 bit and 64 bit) which one do I use?
"copy platform tools to a directory on C drive (exp C:\TOOLS\)"
What are platform tools?
"copy the two files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery"
What two files? do you mean the zImage_dtb and ramfs.img.gz? Do they go into the C:\TOOLS\ folder?
"navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it"
What do you mean by navigate? Do you simply mean open the folder or do I use a program to do this?
"Detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection"
What's fastboot devices? What does result and no result mean? What does Check driver and check connection mean? how dod I do that?
I'm confused by all the lingo, what applications I should be using and when exactly do I start using command lines etc
Thanks for help so far been great but I need step by step instructions eg
open folder, copy and paste file1 and file 2 to this folder
open application X
click import file 1 and file 2
type XXXXXX\root\cdrive into command
press enter
see?
I do not know what some of the words mean and how to do some of the stuff the tutorial says. It's jargon and I have all these files, in all these folders with no idea how to do this from start to finish.
Appreciate the help so far but you are dealing with a novice. I know the work won't take long but I need all the relevant info, in one list, with consistent language to ensure I do everything as it should be done.
Bless you sir and...
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step by step instructions like that would take quite a long time to write. Its basically assumed that navigate is a straight forward instruction, namely, open My Computer, click C:\, click something else, etc etc. 32 bit vs 64 bit, again, you should know what your computer is running and use the correct one respectively.
The reason they dont issue novice instructions is for 1 reason only. People who such as yourself claim to not understand the "jargon" are also those who are more likely to make a mistake when rooting. This can lead to a completely bricked device, ie one that will no longer turn on and load up android, totally dead device. As far as the manufacturer is concerned, a bricked device unless bricked by one of their own updates on a non rooted shield installed correctly, is not covered by warranty. This leads said novice to accuse the tutorial writer of having something wrong in the tutorial when in reality they have clicked the wrong thing etc.
Either way, end result: dead device.
Rooting is not aimed at the novice. It is aimed at the advanced user.

Thank you
I understand that and appreciate the explanation. I can work my laptop and I know that my laptop is 32bit or 64bit but it did not say at any point that it was referring to my computer. It just said download the 32 or 64 bit version. Well I have to make sure what they are talking about before I go and try to root my device as I like clarification on everything I do so that I get it right (and don't brick it). At the moment the explanations are all over the place, some info here, another bit there and was hoping somebody could link it all for me and make sense of the order in which I would do things. I have installed graphic cards in my laptop, put custom firmware on to ipods, psp's, computer etc but this is my first foray into android territory and would like to get it right. I am trying to follow a video tutorial but my computer's reaction to driver updates for the ADB/Fastboot drivers is telling me my drivers are up to date and I'm not getting the error message his is. This means I'm not sure where to go as the situation is diffferent s He is trying to get motochopper working for shield so it will root the device and hoped it would do the same for me.
Hopefully some clarification will come sooner rather than later but won't venture fourth until I'm absolutely sure of what needs to be done.
Again, thanks for the help it is appreciated.:laugh:

Sorry for being so abrupt, it wasn't my intension, you are trying to learn. I will not give a step by step which I feel would be the best, yet potentially more dangerous option for you though.
The parts written in the "code" blocks are what you copy and paste into the command line. When I say navigate I mean by changing directory via command line. You can copy files with a graphical file manager as it's quicker but navigate could also mean graphically.
Google search how to tell if you are running 32 or 64 bit windows, there are better guides and videos than I would be able to describe in a few lines. I was assuming you had already unlocked your bootloader as it is required before root, I covered it as point of reference only.
Platform tools is a folder in the SDK, if you install the SDK you will see that folder where you install it.
Fastboot is the utility also in the SDK that you run from command line that's in the code blocks I posted. If you run the command it will either give a result saying a device is detected or it won't show anything (no result) and you have an issue. If you have a driver issue then that's a whole other problem with a specific forum topic for, but I also assumed you unlocked your bootloader which would require you have fastboot and driver issue resolved.
Main cause of my snappiness is it says the requirement (first line of what you quoted) is unlocked bootloader and you are asking questions about rooting (step two after unlocking bootloader) didn't realize you were stuck in step 0, trying to figure out where to start.

gogul1 said:
I understand that and appreciate the explanation. I can work my laptop and I know that my laptop is 32bit or 64bit but it did not say at any point that it was referring to my computer. It just said download the 32 or 64 bit version. Well I have to make sure what they are talking about before I go and try to root my device as I like clarification on everything I do so that I get it right (and don't brick it). At the moment the explanations are all over the place, some info here, another bit there and was hoping somebody could link it all for me and make sense of the order in which I would do things. I have installed graphic cards in my laptop, put custom firmware on to ipods, psp's, computer etc but this is my first foray into android territory and would like to get it right. I am trying to follow a video tutorial but my computer's reaction to driver updates for the ADB/Fastboot drivers is telling me my drivers are up to date and I'm not getting the error message his is. This means I'm not sure where to go as the situation is diffferent s He is trying to get motochopper working for shield so it will root the device and hoped it would do the same for me.
Hopefully some clarification will come sooner rather than later but won't venture fourth until I'm absolutely sure of what needs to be done.
Again, thanks for the help it is appreciated.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download 64 bit software for 64 bit windows and 32 bit on 32 bit windows. Only notable exceptions are where a guide explicitly says to get 32 bit for some particular reason (in my case the only time I have come across this is MSI afterburners screen recording facilities only functioning on a 32 bit program for some reason, no 64 bit version) or if you are running 32 bit windows and physically cannot run 64 bit software even though a guide says "use 64 bit java etc etc".
rather interested in installing a graphics card in a laptop seeming as laptops use graphics cards that are soldered down to the motherboard not on a seperate removable card in all with very few (but existant) exceptions.... I think asus, dell and someone else did offer them at one point, its actually what the MXM connector was invented for (but its used for a few other things now instead).
Anyway. Its always good to have clarification. I think the post above me gives a few starting points and as always: google is your friend (so are bing and yahoo, but they are those friends where once you leave your job or school or whatever you probably wont ever see again).

boot achieved
I boot loaded the Shield through dab and boot loader.
Shield restarted once I chose to unlock the shield. I lost all my stuff (as expected) and it restarted. The drivers then reinstalled on my laptop.
I restarted my laptop and the shield again and tried to reinstall the drivers that were made for the ADB but sadly I get this message now...
"Windows has determined that your driver software is up to date MTP USB DEVICE"
So I restarted everything and the device is now showing up in the Andriod Device driver list.
I am using minimal adb and Fastboot application. It opens the command menu
I type in
adb reboot bootloader and I get the reply "error:device not found"
any ideas?
Sigh!

gogul1 said:
I boot loaded the Shield through dab and boot loader.
Shield restarted once I chose to unlock the shield. I lost all my stuff (as expected) and it restarted. The drivers then reinstalled on my laptop.
I restarted my laptop and the shield again and tried to reinstall the drivers that were made for the ADB but sadly I get this message now...
"Windows has determined that your driver software is up to date MTP USB DEVICE"
So the shield is now showing up in my computer manager under Portable Devices and not under the Android Devices like it did when I installed the custom drivers the first time.
Will this be an issue when I come to root?
Sigh!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the MTP driver is for plugging the shield in and viewing the file system. If the device isn't under android devices in device manager then you may need to reinstall the ADB drivers or just double check that the ADB can see the device (it may).
Open a command prompt. type "cd [path to the android sdk]\platform-tools"
Then type "adb devices".
It should list all the android devices it can make a debug connection to. If the Shield is in that list your good, otherwise don't proceed any further until you can rectify that.
The other solution is that you dont need ADB drivers on a linux system for some reason. Don't ask why. I havent a clue. But that would necessitate installing linux.
And something that is useful for finding the adb on the command line again in future for windows. You don't want to "cd" into the correct folder every time (the command line equivalent of opening folders). Sometimes you just want to be able to open the command prompt, type "adb devices" and it to just work. That's doable by altering your system PATH variable.
Open my computer. Right click > Properties, should open the System window.
Left side there should be a button saying "Advanced system settings".
It will open the "System Properties" window to the "Advanced" tab (if it isnt on that tab just switch).
Bottom of the window should be a button saying "Environment Variables...". Click it.
Now the window that appears will be split in 2. User variables and System variables. There is a PATH entry in both, it is best that you only change 1. If you are the only user or you only want your user to be able to access the adb, you can change the User variable. Otherwise you can change the system variable for the adb to work on all users. For me I had to add python to my path once but I wanted to do this for all users so I changed the system one, the PSP SDK I installed however altered the User variable by default. Make your choice and find the variable "PATH" in either one.
Click Edit. A window will appear with Variable name and Variable Value. At this point what I recommend doing is copying the entire contents of value into a notepad file and saving them as a backup. Then cancel and go back into it.
Code:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\iCLS Client\;C:\Program Files\Intel\iCLS Client\;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\2.0\bin\x86;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\2.0\bin\x64;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\Lua\5.1;C:\Program Files (x86)\Lua\5.1\clibs;C:\Python27;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\DTS\Binn\
That is my Path variable.If you look the path variable is mostly a series of filepaths (or other variables too) which are seperated with ";". When you type a command such as "adb" into a command prompt what windows does is searches the current command prompt directory for a file it can execute which is called "adb" (it ignores extensions unless explicitly given one), if it doesnt find it in the current directory it searches each folder in the system path variable for the same executable (it ignores sub directories, it will only search the folders above on my system). So if we want to be able to type adb from any folder, we need the folder the adb is in to be added to the system path variable.
Simply add this to the end of it
Code:
;[whatever the path to the adb folder on your system is]
It will be whatever you had to add after "cd" to get to the adb earlier (must not leave out the C:\Users etc etc if its stored in your documents, cd will let you get away with ignoring that, the variable requires the FULL filepath).
Save the variable. Open a command prompt. Type adb, should work. If not, QUICKLY RESTORE THE BACKUP BEFORE WORKING OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. Should be safe with the broken variable to be fair, but you don't want to risk anything. If you dont think your going to use the adb often then simply dont bother updating the path variable rather than taking the (minimal) risk.
Wow my path variable is beginning to get a bit long now I only manually added python and lua to it. The rest will be the default entries and the SQL server stuff appears to be from installing visual studio. Yours probably wont match.

hehe you're going to hit me in a minute...
message deleted as I was being a moron....

ok I should be entirely clear as you guys are trying to help
ok I should be entirely clear as you guys are trying to help me so it's best i let you know what I have done up until this point.
Ok so I boot loader my shield.
I downloaded minimal ADB and Fastboot. I also downloaded the drivers you recommended in the forum.
I installed the drivers:
My shield showed up in the computer Manage list as a Portable device.
I chose to install the new drivers, it asked if I still wanted to go ahead as the drivers could not be verified and I said yes.
The drivers installed and the Shield changed from being in the portable list to showing up as an Android device.
Success I believe.
I then opened ADB BOOTLOADER and booted my Shield Manually.
I then typed in the relevant prompts in the command and a list of options showed up on the shield.
It showed my device number in the command prompt which was the one on my shield screen.
I then command the unlock function and the shield offered me the option to lock or unlock.
I chose Unlock and it then rebooted.
When it restarted, my computer reinstalled the device drivers and my shield had reset to factory settings (as it should).
I then looked in the Computer Manage list and my Shield had reverted back to being in the Portable Devices list.
I restarted both again and the Shield then showed up under Android Devices like it did when I installed the custom drivers the first time.
But the name of the device is Nvidia Shield - not Nvidia Shield ADB like in the tutorial video... not sure it that helps.
I enabled USB Debugging,
put the Superuser.apk and Su bin file into the minimal AADB and Bootloader folder.
I then put the Thor-insecure-boot.img in the Minimal ADB and Bootloader folder too.
I started up the command prompt from the minimal ADB and Bootloader.
I then saw this
C:\Program files <X86>\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>
I then typed in adb reboot boot loader and pressed enter
I got
error: device not found
So I decided to take the above advice and opened a command prompt
I typed in cd C:\tools\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130729\sdk\platform-tools
and pressed enter:
It repeated what I typed and I then put in adb devices.
It then came back with:
List of Devices attached
but nothing was listed....
doh!

Progress!
Ok so I uninstalled my drivers to start again, plugged in the shield and it reinstalled my drivers and now under Android Devices it shows NVIDIA SHIELD ADB
Result!
Now I opened the dab cmd prompt
typed in
adb reboot fastboot
and it booted my shield! jolly good
But then I typed in
fastboot boot thor-insecure-boot.img
I then had
<waiting for device>
show up in the command window.
This is where it stayed.
On the screen of my shield I have options:
continue
restart bootloader
recovery mode
poweroff
Do I have to choose one of these in order for it to begin the thor img command?

C:\tools\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130729\sdk\platform-tools Just incase you didnt get it earlier. That would be the path required for the variable change above. Just whack a ; on the end of the existing variable and throw that new path on the end and done.
But yes, adb devices not listing shield is not a good thing. Try reinstalling the ADB driver for the shield manually (you cant do it via device manager etc).

cool
I'm past that and now <waiting for device> problem to rectify. Am looking online now but there isn't much on there so far...
looking under device manager it shows up under Android Device as Nvidia Shield ADB but it also shows up under portable devices as SHIELD.
Whilst in boot mode the device only shows up in portable devices with a exclamation mark next to the device.
*UPDATE*
I uninstalled the portable device driver because I think it may have been causing confusion.
I then typed adb devices into CMD and a list of devices showed the serial number of the nvidia Shield.
I then typed in adb reboot bootloader in and it booted.
I then tried adb devices again and nothing showed up.
When I go into bootloader The Android Device: Nvidia Shield ADB driver disappears in manager once I go into bootloader mode. Is this normal?
Hmmmmmmm
definetly something to do with the drivers.
I'm on windows 7 64bit by the way.
Going back into device manager I noticed that there is another device under Other devices, upon looking at it it is Fastboot and has an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle next to it (Minimal dab and fast boot is open though).
Such a bummer as I'm so close yet so far

picture
ok so here is a pic of my devices list fastboot is there

before boot
This is the devices it can see before I put the shield in boot mode

devices seen after shielf in boot mode
the are the devices seen after I put the Shield in boot mode. It can't see any devices

waiting for devices
This is the screen on the shield in boot mode. The CMD screen says "Waiting for Devices"

[SOLVED] HELP Mi A3 stuck in bootloop

Hi,
My girlfriend's Mi A3 is stuck in bootloop. I know this problem has been often addressed here but first thing: she did not flash ROM or rooted, I'm not even sure what it entirely means and implies. Anyway she found her phone stuck on the screen with 2 choices: try again or factory data reset. See attached files.
The problem here is that she would like to have access to the pictures and do a back up. Sure, she should have done it before but she didn't so here we are...
I've tried the combinations, power button volume down, volume +... Etc. It lead me to the different screens in the attached files...
I want to know, is there any way she can access her pictures, files etc.?
For information, she probably didn't enable the developer options debogging usb or something like that, she has no SD card. I guess we could reset the phone but is there anyway to recover files after that?
Can you guys help us?
Edit: sorry I thought I posted it in the mi A3 thread I don't know if it's best here or there...?

As long as phone is accessible by means of ADB - what's the door to phone's Android , it should be possible to pull out the data you're interested in, otherwise you've no chance.

Oh ok so that's my only chance here?! And how do I process? Doesn't ADB have something to do with the developper option and usb debogging?
I guess if it wasn't already enabled we're screwed?

I fixed it! Someone on reddit gave me some instructions and it worked. For others that might have the same problem...
Download https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools_r30.0.5-windows.zip and extract them anywhere
Download the ota file https://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.3.0...AGlobal_V12.0.3.0.RFQEUXM_a3af6e0308_11.0.ziphttps://bigota.d.miui.com/V12.0.3.0...AGlobal_V12.0.3.0.RFQEUXM_a3af6e0308_11.0.zip and put it in the same folder where adb.exe is. Rename it to "ota.zip".
Launch cmd in the folder where adb.exe is and enter the command "adb start-server"
Choose "apply update from adb" on recovery mode on your device and connect it to your pc
Enter the command "adb devices" to check if adb recognizes your phone and then enter "adb sideload ota.zip"
wait till it finishes