Related
Lots of people are having problems with the Android 4.2 update. They lose root or they can't get back into recovery. So BEFORE you flash 4.2 or if you already did and are having issues. Download this utility I whipped up. It will flash (or reflash) the 4.2 update (Including system, kernel and bootloader). It'll flash the latest 4.2 compatible ClockworkMod Touch Recovery. And then it'll get you all set up to re-root your N7 within the latest CWM. Instructions are included in the README file. PLEASE READ IT!
You DO NOT need to be on a stock rom to run this and it will NOT erase your data. But it is recommended when you get into CWM recovery for obvious reasons.
If anyone is having any issues and you get caught at the Google splash screen. You can use Power, Vol - to hard shut down the tablet, then Power, Vol +, Vol - to get into the bootloader. From here you can install the factory images from google. Once you're back up and running, you can run this tool to gain root and CWM back.
Updated 11/14/2012: Replaced SuperSu.apk with the latest version designed for 4.2
Updated 11/14/2012 14:41EST: This package will now contain 3 different runme files. One of them will not erase your data, one will erase your cache only and the last one will erase your data and cache. It seems people coming from some roms are having bootloops or hangs because of a lack of data wipe. You can attempt to run the one with no data wipe, but if you run into trouble, try one of the others. Some have made it through with only a cache wipe. See what works for you.
Updated 11/14/2012 16:53EST: Removed full data erase option as I forgot it will erase your SD card and therefor erase the root zip before it gets a chance to flash. There is only 1 runme file now and it will erase your cache, but leave your data alone. If you're having problems, or you want to avoid problems. Erase your data in CWM before you flash the supersu zip included in the package.
For Now - Windows ONLY, Sorry.
Linux version, on the way
Anyway:
Download and PLEASE READ the Read Me!
Saweet
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Just trying to make it easy
im on 4.2 already ,can i use this to root?
Thanks for putting this together tucstwo, it was super helpful and easy for a lot of us here
Ok, I tried this and got stuck on the boot screen. Guess Ill try it again. I was on AOKP before.Can I just run this from there? I should I have wiped before?
edit
Ok it worked once I wiped it when it booted in CWR.
Great job. Now just have to test if it is still rooted
Im not getting something. After I press runme.bat my Nexus goes to clockwork recovery, its not touch, I have to choose from options like Start, Recovery Mode, etc. It doesnt match the instructions. Im super confused, any help?
Ugh. now my device is stuck at the google start screen, and not going anywhere. Android is too complicated sometimes for dumb people like me...
Solange82200 said:
Im not getting something. After I press runme.bat my Nexus goes to clockwork recovery, its not touch, I have to choose from options like Start, Recovery Mode, etc. It doesnt match the instructions. Im super confused, any help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its booting you in fastboot. just follow the instructions in the window that comes up when you run the runme.bat.
When it boots in fastboot just hit the space bar. It will take a couple times of hitting the spacebar before you reach the CWR stage where you flash the PlaceMeOnYourSDCardSuperSu.zip
When I click runme, it opens up the cmd window, starts the daemon, and then just sits there with a blinking cursor. Tried this few times already, nothing is happening.
EDIT: My nexus 7 is connected and has usb debugging turned on.
Hasan10 said:
When I click runme, it opens up the cmd window, starts the daemon, and then just sits there with a blinking cursor. Tried this few times already, nothing is happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have ADB set up on you computer?
Did you make sure you have USB debugging selected on your nexus 7 in developer options?
trusteelfan said:
Do you have ADB set up on you computer?
Did you make sure you have USB debugging selected on your nexus 7 in developer options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Figured it out. My computer recognizes the Nexus 7 as a portable device, but not recognizing it in the usb debugging mode (shows "Nexus" under Other Devices with a yellow triangle). Tried to update the driver, but it failed.
Thanks, it wasn't clear to me for some reason when I was doing it. It just kept saying after the black screen press continue, but something stopped along the way. I cant do it again because my device wont get past the Google startup screen, so I guess Im just going to flash from stock or something. Thank you for the quick help though, much appreciated!
Solange82200 said:
Thanks, it wasn't clear to me for some reason when I was doing it. It just kept saying after the black screen press continue, but something stopped along the way. I cant do it again because my device wont get past the Google startup screen, so I guess Im just going to flash from stock or something. Thank you for the quick help though, much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can run it again if it got stuck. I had to run it twice
---------- Post added at 10:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 PM ----------
Hasan10 said:
Figured it out. My computer recognizes the Nexus 7 as a portable device, but not recognizing it in the usb debugging mode (shows "Nexus" under Other Devices with a yellow triangle). Tried to update the driver, but it failed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus 7 toolkit will put the right drivers in place if you need them.
OK, I will try that.
By the way, I am currently on Android 4.1 with unlocked BL and CWM Recovery running Franco Kernel. Is this utility safe to use with this setup?
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------
OK So I have finally got the drivers, and then ran the runme. It booted me into fastboot mode and now it says sending 'bootloader' <2096 KB>... and seems to be stuck on it. I havent touched anything on my nexus 7, didn't press any buttons yet.
Unplugged it and then plugged it back in. It failed to flash the bootloader and went straight to boot and system flashing. It has now booted into Android 4.2, but I am assuming it still got the older bootloader. I think I will have to re-run the whole process to ensure new bootloader gets flashed eh? Or is there a 4.2 bootloader floating around that I can just flash using CWM and save myself the trouble?
Hasan10 said:
OK, I will try that.
By the way, I am currently on Android 4.1 with unlocked BL and CWM Recovery running Franco Kernel. Is this utility safe to use with this setup?
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------
OK So I have finally got the drivers, and then ran the runme. It booted me into fastboot mode and now it says sending 'bootloader' <2096 KB>... and seems to be stuck on it. I havent touched anything on my nexus 7, didn't press any buttons yet.
Unplugged it and then plugged it back in. It failed to flash the bootloader and went straight to boot and system flashing. It has now booted into Android 4.2, but I am assuming it still got the older bootloader. I think I will have to re-run the whole process to ensure new bootloader gets flashed eh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It takes it a few minutes to run the process. You should have just waited
trusteelfan said:
It takes it a few minutes to run the process. You should have just waited
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I realized it didn't install the fastboot drivers before the process began. So it was actually not able to send the bootloader. Anyways, can you please read my edited post above and advise me with that to do?
EDIT: I went ahead and re-ran the process. Since all drivers were in place, the total process took less than 5 mins, arguably faster than an OTA. Still have all of my data and the goodness of 4.2.
Thanks a lot OP for this great utility.
trusteelfan said:
Ok, I tried this and got stuck on the boot screen. Guess Ill try it again. I was on AOKP before.Can I just run this from there? I should I have wiped before?
edit
Ok it worked once I wiped it when it booted in CWR.
Great job. Now just have to test if it is still rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What was it that you wiped? Just to make sure I do exactly what you did. I'm stuck on the glowing nexus logo.
essay708 said:
What was it that you wiped? Just to make sure I do exactly what you did. I'm stuck on the glowing nexus logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to wipe my data. It didnt like coming from AOKP
Nevermind, I wiped cache and dalvik cache and it worked for me too.
Everything is good over here. Rooted with twrp instead tho. Anyway something weird is going on with my battery, and yo seem pretty knowledgeable so I thought I'd run it by ya and see if you couldn't shed some light on the issue. Anyway my battery stats are showing that the device isn't awake.. When clearly it is and in the stats it says the screen is even on.. But not awake. Also the screen seems to brighten and dim at odd times idk if that has anything to do with it. But I flashed an ota update.. Bootloader and all. Kept root with supersu. You think something might have been corrupt or something? Here's a screenshot of the issue.. Hmm another issue, whenever I try to take a screenshot.. With more than one app, it takes a pic of an earlier point when I was on twrp getting ready for the 4.2 update. Some really strange things are going on..
Guys, wondering if someone could give me some direction to restoring my TF101 to working conditions.
I have a rooted TF101 that was running 9.1.2.27.
This setup has been running great since .27 (not done OTA, Found here) came out, so I haven't bothered upgrading recently.
Fast forward to this week and it seems the Tablet started locking up at some point in the last couple days I hadn't used it. This would cause a battery drain until the device turned off. Upon rebooting I could get into the OS for maybe a minute before it would freeze again.
I decided to wipe the device, I went into CWM Recovery and wiped all caches and then tried to wipe all data/factory reset. It is at this time I get the following error:
Error removing /data/data/com.android.browser/databases/webview.db-wal!Error formatting /data!
Try starting back up and get a boot loop.
Upon reflashing the ROM, I find the TF101 in constant boot loop not making it 8 seconds into the bootup before rebooting.
I can still get into recovery so I try various kernels and roms with no success. Through searching I find CWM 6.0.1.4 and load it. Everything loads normally and I can now wipe data/factory reset, wipe all Cache even format all parts. I try to flash every ROM I can get my hands on from stock to older roms that I have ran succesfully to EOS Nighties, Every rom goes into Boot Loop after about 10 seconds.
Any Idea on where to go from here? I have been reading threads for hours now with no solution.
MODS: Putting in DEV since this is a Rooted TF, but if this should go to Q&A please move
This question should be in the QA section...
But your stock ROM was ICS and the newest EOS nightlies are based on JB which have different partitions. If you flash back and forth with ICS and JB you could be running into problems there.
Have you tried the option in CWM called "Fix Permissions"? This is supposed to reset the permissions correctly for the system apps area I believe which helped a lot of people with force close issues. It's worth a shot.
Are you installing ROM's from external SD card or the Internal SD card? That shouldn't matter but I have always stuck with the External SD card.
One thing you could also try is to wipe the big 3 several times a piece before installing the ROM. I found it had made some ROM's load better when I encountered a few issues. Also, stick with one ROM either ICS or JB. Going back and forth will cause problems.
Also, I remember that from ICS to JB, some ROM's required the ROM to be installed twice literally after it installs install it again or some ROM's may reboot themselves back into recovery to complete the install.
Try that with the ROM you pick to get things back on track.
There is also some "Super Wipe" scripts floating around but I believe they were for a specific ROM and I think it was ICS based. You should be able to search XDA for that here in the Dev section.
TomTcom said:
This question should be in the QA section...
But your stock ROM was ICS and the newest EOS nightlies are based on JB which have different partitions. If you flash back and forth with ICS and JB you could be running into problems there.
Have you tried the option in CWM called "Fix Permissions"? This is supposed to reset the permissions correctly for the system apps area I believe which helped a lot of people with force close issues. It's worth a shot.
Are you installing ROM's from external SD card or the Internal SD card? That shouldn't matter but I have always stuck with the External SD card.
One thing you could also try is to wipe the big 3 several times a piece before installing the ROM. I found it had made some ROM's load better when I encountered a few issues. Also, stick with one ROM either ICS or JB. Going back and forth will cause problems.
Also, I remember that from ICS to JB, some ROM's required the ROM to be installed twice literally after it installs install it again or some ROM's may reboot themselves back into recovery to complete the install.
Try that with the ROM you pick to get things back on track.
There is also some "Super Wipe" scripts floating around but I believe they were for a specific ROM and I think it was ICS based. You should be able to search XDA for that here in the Dev section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ICS to JB isn't the issue as the issue started happening randomly with a ICS Rom that has been working for 4+ months when it has never had anything put ICS (well HC when I got it last year). Trying the JB rom was a near last ditch effort
I tried Revolutions superwipe several times, didn't help.
I probably completely screwed it up now in frustration. Tried to load the stock rom and now Recovery is screwed and it is boot loop so I don't think I can connect it to the computer now.
Hosed you think?
So now the question is, with a Tab that won't stay on longer then 8 seconds and no longer has a recovery, is there any other hope? I'm guessing bricked.
Firehawkns said:
So now the question is, with a Tab that won't stay on longer then 8 seconds and no longer has a recovery, is there any other hope? I'm guessing bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You held down pwr + volume down when turning on and no text appears at the top left?
If not follow this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688012&highlight=nvflash
or http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688447&highlight=bootloop
Firehawkns said:
Guys, wondering if someone could give me some direction to restoring my TF101 to working conditions.
I have a rooted TF101 that was running 9.1.2.27.
This setup has been running great since .27 (not done OTA, Found here) came out, so I haven't bothered upgrading recently.
Fast forward to this week and it seems the Tablet started locking up at some point in the last couple days I hadn't used it. This would cause a battery drain until the device turned off. Upon rebooting I could get into the OS for maybe a minute before it would freeze again.
I decided to wipe the device, I went into CWM Recovery and wiped all caches and then tried to wipe all data/factory reset. It is at this time I get the following error:
Error removing /data/data/com.android.browser/databases/webview.db-wal!Error formatting /data!
Try starting back up and get a boot loop.
Upon reflashing the ROM, I find the TF101 in constant boot loop not making it 8 seconds into the bootup before rebooting.
I can still get into recovery so I try various kernels and roms with no success. Through searching I find CWM 6.0.1.4 and load it. Everything loads normally and I can now wipe data/factory reset, wipe all Cache even format all parts. I try to flash every ROM I can get my hands on from stock to older roms that I have ran succesfully to EOS Nighties, Every rom goes into Boot Loop after about 10 seconds.
Any Idea on where to go from here? I have been reading threads for hours now with no solution.
MODS: Putting in DEV since this is a Rooted TF, but if this should go to Q&A please move
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using NV flash to go back to stock if you can get into APX mode.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
morphuex said:
You held down pwr + volume down when turning on and no text appears at the top left?
If not follow this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688012&highlight=nvflash
or http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688447&highlight=bootloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I can do the power + vol down and then up and get the recovery android guy, then he goes on his back and a red exclamation comes up (which I believe means no recovery mode installed
I can also do the pwr + vol down and then wait 5 seconds and get the wipe device or android options, but it won't let me choose anything, 10 seconds later it reboots.
clouse2013 said:
Try using NV flash to go back to stock if you can get into APX mode.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will try tonight, but I believe all of those involve the computer having time to recognize the device, which it doesn't stay on long enough for the computer to recognize is and it won't seem to connect USB when the android guy is up.
nice rom! going to check this out tonight, thanks!
So I got into APX mode, windows shows no drivers, but it does show in devices. Trying NVFLash it says it is doing something, but nothing on the TF changes. Is there another step I am missing?
Firehawkns said:
So I got into APX mode, windows shows no drivers, but it does show in devices. Trying NVFLash it says it is doing something, but nothing on the TF changes. Is there another step I am missing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a search for universal naked driver in the dev section, that should sort the drivers out I believe then you should be good to go.
---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514942&highlight=naked+driver
There you go
pops106 said:
Have a search for universal naked driver in the dev section, that should sort the drivers out I believe then you should be good to go.
---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514942&highlight=naked+driver
There you go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, truly! I had searched for Drivers, but not naked.
That worked and it allowed me to use Easyflasher to get CWM back on.
Now I am back where I started, I have tried loading several Roms. Everyone hangs up about 15 seconds into first boot while the setup splash screen is on (for example the dotted circle on stock Asus rom or the simon says color circle like the JB rom or what ever it was in the ICS rom I was using. Something in the tab is stopping it from booting on up.
But I can now format everything and wipe data. I can connect APX mode. Anything else I can try from there. Starting to seem like something Hardware is busted.
Firehawkns said:
Something in the tab is stopping it from booting on up.
But I can now format everything and wipe data. I can connect APX mode. Anything else I can try from there. Starting to seem like something Hardware is busted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you fix permissions while you were in recovery? It's a long shot but that may help. You may have a folder that's chmod'ed incorrectly. If so that'll prevent the system from being able to write or read to that folder making it impossible to install to, or run from it. Fix permissions, re-flash and reboot.
I know TomTcom mentioned it already. I don't see if you tried it in your replies though.
grgmre said:
Did you fix permissions while you were in recovery? It's a long shot but that may help. You may have a folder that's chmod'ed incorrectly. If so that'll prevent the system from being able to write or read to that folder making it impossible to install to, or run from it. Fix permissions, re-flash and reboot.
I know TomTcom mentioned it already. I don't see if you tried it in your replies though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I tried that first. Sorry forgot to mention.
Are you able to flash the stock firmware using Easyflasher?
cabraswell said:
Are you able to flash the stock firmware using Easyflasher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I am able to flash to stock rom I got from Asus and the one I took for Rooted with stock on the forum. The flash, and it gives you the initial progress bar on first boot, then reboots at the end of the progress bar and goes to the Asus with the moving circles for about 5 seconds then keeps rebooting from there.
In a PC world I would wonder Ram issues, Over heating, or insuffecent power supply at this point. Not sure what to think here.
Is there a way to use TWOP and delete everything you see on the system and then reflash?
Firehawkns said:
yes, I am able to flash to stock rom I got from Asus and the one I took for Rooted with stock on the forum. The flash, and it gives you the initial progress bar on first boot, then reboots at the end of the progress bar and goes to the Asus with the moving circles for about 5 seconds then keeps rebooting from there.
In a PC world I would wonder Ram issues, Over heating, or insuffecent power supply at this point. Not sure what to think here.
Is there a way to use TWRP and delete everything you see on the system and then reflash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Addition, I have tried several times using TWRP to format Data and it fails. Could this be a clue?
Firehawkns said:
In Addition, I have tried several times using TWRP to format Data and it fails. Could this be a clue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using nvflash that blasts everything, takes you back to as clean as clean can be.
I am starting to think hardware though but if you can sit in recovery of adb / apx mode without issue then maybe it is a software thing.
No probs wiith the drivers by the way, its not really the right website for searching for the word naked.... dam don't can't won't imagine what you could of found with the members in here...
SUCCESS!!
I am not totally sure what finally worked as I just kept trying to reset/wipe/format/ and reflash, but this last time finally worked it seems. I have the stock Asus rom back on and going through setup.
I do find that if I try to put EOS on it just sits at the color things that show loading and never moves forward, so I just put the stock rom back on for now. Try to get Root back on for Titanium backup and enjoy the tablet again and worry about JB later maybe.
Firehawkns said:
SUCCESS!!
I am not totally sure what finally worked as I just kept trying to reset/wipe/format/ and reflash, but this last time finally worked it seems. I have the stock Asus rom back on and going through setup.
I do find that if I try to put EOS on it just sits at the color things that show loading and never moves forward, so I just put the stock rom back on for now. Try to get Root back on for Titanium backup and enjoy the tablet again and worry about JB later maybe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you finally got it fixed. I had some issues a while back (two weeks after I bought it) and I panicked and caused more trouble. Finally after stepping away from it for a day or two and a wife encouraging me I was able to get it going again...but my gut was in knots for that day or two.
Tablet after redoing the original root does not go over the system.
Not have access to ADB DEVICE or by Windows or the Linux Ubuntu, no longer accepts update totally blocked.
Ask help for those who have been through this problem.
People that can't get the roms beyond stock to work, are your phones activated?
Is it possible to use the Pac Man Rom or CM10 on an unactivated phone?
I'm having similar issues to others trying to flash Pac Man and CM10.2. The first boot was fine and I can access everything on the phone fine, including settings. I rebooted and the activation screen (which I skipped as this phone doesn't have service) always pops up but I would like to use it without putting it on a cell network. I can skip the screen fine (until I decide to disable it) but then have issues like the keyboard (physical and touch), systemUI or NAV Bar crashing with a constant message pop up telling me it has crashed. I have returned to stock using RSD and reflashed Pac Man and CM10.2 MANY (15+?) times, doing a clean install 99% of the time but also trying a couple dirty installs to cover my bases. I should also note that I flashed the phone to Cricket but have no plans to activate it anytime soon.
Another thing to note is that I had issues getting the custom roms to boot at all as the initial setup would take hours. One time I though it was a boot loop but I left it on all night and it had booted in the morning. I believe it has something to do with the file check at boot (with my 32GB low speed class SD card) but that seems to be resolved and I can get the custom roms to boot fine (on the first boot) even with my 32GB (witch is fine and has no errors nor is generic, before you ask.) I also have tried 2 4GB cards and a 2GB card, all different brands, with no change in behavior.
I have done everything below multiple times and in different orders.(If needed I can give a direct breakdown step by step but if you could do it with the files below, I have probably tried it)
Wipe the phone (including all storage internal and external SDs included)
Using RDS v6.15
RDS asanti_c_sprint-user-4.1.2-9.8.2Q-122_XT897_FFW-5-6-release-keys-cid9.xml.zip (Works 100% of the time and never has issues. I keep reverting back to this if I actually need to use the phone)
RDS ClockworkMod, TWRP, and Open Recovery without TWRP (Tried different versions when available)
Then used each recovery to install Pac Man or CM10.2 (tried 10.1 once but had the same issues and I didn't see the need to troubleshoot a rom people seemed to not want to develop for. So 10.1 was only tried once but has the same issues)
Installed GApps at this point but I also tried alternate versions of GApps and not installing it at all. All have the same effect and don't seem to be contributing to the problems at all.
A few installed I tried wiping the phone again or installing each zip multiple times. I also verified the zips were good when on the device to make sure there was no corruption at transfer.
I also tried multiple (confirmed working) SD cards and installing from the internal storage.
I have tried installing arrrghhh's Kernel too.
The issue ether seems to be boot loop (if it's doing a file check) or more often it works until I get one of the said crashes after a reboot.(blame Tyler message is getting SO old...) The time I see the errors seems to be accelerated if I mess with the settings a lot but I don't believe it is directly related to the settings.
My next recourse is to try and flash it back to Sprint (maybe check my Cricket settings) and see if that helps, without it being activated.
On a separate note.
If people need help I can help get you back to stock easily. The instructions/guides on here are all but useless if you don't know what you are doing already. I have seen down to "USE RDS" or "DELETE LINE MD5" like people would just know what that means. I understand RDS Lite is a standard tool for flashing phones but it's nigh impossible to find real explanations on what stuff does in context. I understand the basics though, so if anyone has any questions I can walk you through it.
To start with if you are stuck in a loop at the start of a new rom and it loops between the 'Welcome' Screen (Select your Language) and Activation screen just skip the initial setup by tapping the corners on your screen in a clockwise manor when on the 'Welcome' screen to skip the setup there is a video to explain it here
pocketnow(can't post links )com/how-to/android-quick-tip-how-to-bypass-touch-the-android-to-begin-video
Without doing this or activating the phone it seems to loop between those 2 screens forever (might indicate part of the problem with customs roms....)
I hope this is enough info to go off of I can give you a play by play with the actual files if you need. Maybe a video if needed and I'm feeling extra fancy.
Thanks for your time.
Hey buddy,
If you're trying to make a guide, make sure you call it what it is properly - RSD Lite.
Also, maybe clean up your post a bit so it's a proper guide (as you point out, it's needed) and make a separate thread for your question.
To answer your question, the unactivated phone shouldn't be an issue in of itself - you'll just get the nag screen like you were talking about.
I know there is an issue some are having with rebooting the 4.3 ROM's. Have you tried any 4.2.2 versions of anything? Carbon, CM10.1?
I wonder if your "flash" to Cricket is causing issue, I'm not sure. Let me know about 4.2.
Edit - I missed this part on my first read of your PM. Taking hours to boot is NOT normal. Perhaps remove the SD card entirely, flash using the internal SD... I've never heard of that. Anything over say 20 minutes is probably cause for concern.
Thanks for taking time to answer me.
In no way was I trying to make a guide yet but I guess I could. I just hate posting stuff without useful content so I figured throwing that in was better than nothing. I'll clean it up and set up some links later today. It's frustrating to try and make a full guide before I can post links that would be needed for it. You are totally right though! (complain about crappy guides and kind of make one... )
Part of my point there was that I can't post out of Q and A and this wasn't really a question so I made a question out of it and that's how my post ended up.
I have flashed many phones before but like I said I'll try and put it back on Sprint later today (probably will be a few hours) as I backed up the settings the phone came with. I know it was a wall of text and not the easiest to read so you probably missed it but I also said in my first post that I tried the internal SD card many times and the taking hours to boot isn't the standard and doesn't seem to happen at 99% of the time. It seems to be related to the recovery software I use as it happened a lot more when I was testing TWRP and none when I use clockwork.
What Recovery do you recommend? I swear they aren't made equal...
I tested CM10.1 once and it had the exact same issues as CM10.2 and Pac Man so I didn't test it further but if you want me to test it I can. I just didn't want the Rom.
I don't want Carbon either but I'll test that and AOKP next. It's just annoying that the stock rom works perfect but I can't get these to function at all. I almost wish I didn't get Pac Man to work at all. I'm very particular about my settings and NEED these features after I tried them Pac Man is AMAZING.
Thank you for the help and I hope I can get this worked out.
PS I saw that you were frustrated about working on a rom you don't have a device for. I hope you don't let a little thing like that stop you as, for the little time I have used it, it's all I want. Thanks again.
Blasz said:
What Recovery do you recommend? I swear they aren't made equal...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, OpenRecovery has probably the most work done for this device specifically. I liked TWRP, but it seems lately it has been unstable - you're not the first who has reported issues lately. I don't think CWM has been updated, unfortunately - but perhaps that's a good thing, it's stable that's for sure.
Blasz- I was just about to start a thread when I found yours, and it very accurately describes the issues I've been having. Here's my progress so far.
I got my Photon Q with Sprint and used it for a few months before Sprint started finding creative ways to take my "$79.99" bill and make it more like $140 a month. Naturally, I refused to pay. So I had a Photon Q with no cell service. This is fine, as I only need it to work on WiFi, not 2G/3G and there is no 4G in the area. Anyway.
At the time, I had Ice Cream Sandwich on it, using the (latest?) ICS firmware from Motorola. This worked very well, but I later tried to use a newer firmware, and all the custom ROMs had shown up while I hadn't been looking. All of these seemed to be based on JellyBean. First off, I tried CyanogenMod 10.2. Worked amazing well! I had literally no problems at all. However, while I was experimenting with different software for the phone, and wanted to see if "Arrrgghh"(sp?)'s kernels would give me some decent overclocking capability. Turns out, the kernel I picked wasn't compatible with the JB firmwares (I probably picked an older one by mistake.) Needless to say, it now wouldn't boot. It'd go to the "Unlocked bootloader" screen and stay there all night (literally, I tried that.)
So, I went back into CWM, which is the recovery I have installed. I erased /data, /cache and /system, and also the dalvik cache and battery stats for good measure. I also formatted /pds and /modem, I believe, which was probably dumb of me since I'm not sure what those do. Then I tried re-installing CM 10.2 from CWM. The installation went fine, and it works gorgeously. However, there's two weird issues:
1) WiFi and Bluetooth don't even BEGIN to work! Neither does Cell, as far as I can tell, because where CM used to be unable to make calls or access the internet (of course, I've not been paying my bill), it now shows an empty signal bar or "No Signal" (the little red X) in the notification bar ... When I try to turn on WiFi using the slider in Settings, it moves to "ON" (stays gray) and pauses for a few secs, then goes back to OFF. Same thing for BT. If I open the WiFi menu where you select an AP, it tells me to turn on WiFi. I do, using the slider up top, and the same thing happens. WiFi and BT simply won't turn on. Tried fiddling with every setting I can find.
Before this misadventure with the kernel/reinstall, WiFi worked great. I connected to a local AP and was surfing the net and downloading apps.
2) The system takes a VERY long time to boot up. It sits at the "Unlocked Bootloader" screen for up to a whole minute. Then it goes to the Cyanogen screen for about 30 seconds. Then it gets to the homescreen. It's fine so long as you let it boot up, but this doesn't seem normal.
Next I tried other ROMs thinking that might help. I installed AOKP, PacMan, CM1.0, Carbon, SlimBean, and I think a few others without results-- they all work but WiFi and BlueTooth are dead. PacMan is the only exception-- it boots up and then endlessly gives me "Blame Tyler" errors until I force the machine to shut off.
I also tried an older ROM, since these are all JellyBean ROMs and I wanted to get back to ICS (I'm not that fond of JB's interface) anyway. I was unable to find any ZIPs I could install through CWM of the stock firmware. I found some IMGs that it looks like I could install via Fastboot, but I don't currently have a PC with admin priveleges (it's not mine) so I can't install the drivers to use Fastboot or any part of the SDK. (I can, however, put files on my SD card, that doesn't require privleges.) The closest ROM I found to stock was "TwistedAsanti" beta-1 or whatever it's called. That installs fine, but again, it takes about 2 straight minutes to boot and it's useless after that:
It gets stuck at "Starting Services..." and will sit there forever, even left there all night. Behind this, a dialog pops up saying no cell networks were found and asking if I want to switch to GSM. (i've been trying GSM and CDMA ROMs all this time, I don't need cell access so I doubt it matters which I use. I'm in the USA.) You can pull down the notification bar and get into the Settings, and even launch a couple programs, but I can't find ANY way to get to a homescreen. Task manager shows Circles is running, which is a widget on the homescreen, so where the heck is that screen? .. I try, again, to turn on WiFi or BT without success. The friggin thing just won't turn on.
Did I eff it up by erasing the "PDS" or "modem" partition? Am I missing something obvious or is my phone just possessed?
In a few days I should have access to a computer where I can hopefully use Fastboot and see about installing a stock firmware (wish me luck). Until then, does anyone have a ZIP file I can flash from CWM to get back to an ICS firmware? I managed to find a copy of the stock firmware, in the form of a dump done from TWRP (in .win files). But as far as I know the only way to install TWRP is using Fastboot, and I've explained why I can't do that. I don't know a way to install TWRP from CWM. Maybe I can do it from CM10.2, if I can put APKs or something on my SD card. I can't get it on the network, so I have to copy all the files manually. Needless to say, it's a pain.
After my frenzy of ROM installing, I got frustrated and decided to see if TwistedAsanti would do SOMETHING if I let it sit at "Starting Services" overnight. To my mistake, I left it under my pillow and the system was quite toasty, and the battery had run dead. Plugging it back into the charger, it made a few worrying clicking noises from the speaker, then the green LED came on. This LED seems to mean "I'm charging, but the battery is too dead to turn on for a while." After it sits there a while, the green LED turns off and it just goes black. Or it goes to BOOTLOADER UNLOCKED and bootloops, or goes to black untilyou fiddle with the power button some more. I can once in a blue moon get to CWM. Sometimes it gets to the homescreen. It will charge up to about 4-7% and no further (battery got damaged by the heat?) It doesn't reliably work when plugged in, it likes to shut off at random anyway.
So now I'm stuck with a phone I can't seem to charge, or turn on reliably, and if I *do* get it to boot up, there's no way to connect it to a network.
Needless to say I'm pretty darn frustrated..
Thanks for any advice.
Epicenter714 said:
So now I'm stuck with a phone I can't seem to charge, or turn on reliably, and if I *do* get it to boot up, there's no way to connect it to a network.
Needless to say I'm pretty darn frustrated..
Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try to use RSD Lite and flash the device back to stock?
arrrghhh said:
Did you try to use RSD Lite and flash the device back to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently, I have no PC to use that has Admin priveleges, so I can't install the USB drivers or RSDLite. I also can't use fastboot to install TWRP to use the TWRP .win backups I found.
I did get a roommate to let me use his laptop for 10 minutes to try RSD Lite, but I had this result: Loaded the ".xml.zip" file for the 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 firmwares (after removing the 'getvar' line that causes problems) and it says the phone reported "FAIL". No further details. MiniRSD gives no info from the phone other than the model (it all stays blank), is that supposed to happen? I have the phone in "AP Fastboot" mode so I don't see the problem.
The guy who let me use his PC momentarily is computer-illiterate and thinks anything will break it, so he only let me use it momentarily, and won't let me touch it because I accidentally left an icon on his desktop. I'll have to ask someone else, I think I may know somone..
If I do, how do I get around this error in RSD Lite? Will keep doing research on my own .. thanks!
Epicenter714 said:
Currently, I have no PC to use that has Admin priveleges, so I can't install the USB drivers or RSDLite. I also can't use fastboot to install TWRP to use the TWRP .win backups I found.
I did get a roommate to let me use his laptop for 10 minutes to try RSD Lite, but I had this result: Loaded the ".xml.zip" file for the 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 firmwares (after removing the 'getvar' line that causes problems) and it says the phone reported "FAIL". No further details. MiniRSD gives no info from the phone other than the model (it all stays blank), is that supposed to happen? I have the phone in "AP Fastboot" mode so I don't see the problem.
The guy who let me use his PC momentarily is computer-illiterate and thinks anything will break it, so he only let me use it momentarily, and won't let me touch it because I accidentally left an icon on his desktop. I'll have to ask someone else, I think I may know somone..
If I do, how do I get around this error in RSD Lite? Will keep doing research on my own .. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well remember - if you are on JB and you are downgrading to ICS, there are additional lines to remove.
Other than that, not sure why it would fail. Make sure 'fastboot devices' works in the command line before doing RSD perhaps.
arrrghhh said:
Well remember - if you are on JB and you are downgrading to ICS, there are additional lines to remove.
Other than that, not sure why it would fail. Make sure 'fastboot devices' works in the command line before doing RSD perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to wipe the device clean and install ICS. Are there any other lines I need to remove? ..
As for Fastboot.. I did 'Fastboot Devices' and got no devices listed. How come it shows up in MiniRSD? .. I have the drivers installed, Windows says it installed an ADB device successfully. What are some reasons that might not work? Is there any sort of guide for this? Thank you
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------
Oh, as far as the weird booting problem, it seems the battery is fine and the charger died coincidentally at the same time as the overheating did. So my only problem is software now.. thanks.
Epicenter714 said:
I'm trying to wipe the device clean and install ICS. Are there any other lines I need to remove? ..
As for Fastboot.. I did 'Fastboot Devices' and got no devices listed. How come it shows up in MiniRSD? .. I have the drivers installed, Windows says it installed an ADB device successfully. What are some reasons that might not work? Is there any sort of guide for this? Thank you
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------
Oh, as far as the weird booting problem, it seems the battery is fine and the charger died coincidentally at the same time as the overheating did. So my only problem is software now.. thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no clue what MiniRSD is - you mean RSD Lite?
If it doesn't show up in fastboot devices, sort that out before trying to use RSD.
As I stated previously, if you were on JB and going down to ICS you have additional lines which are needed to remove.
Yes, RSD Lite. I don't know where I got MiniRSD from.
I got it to show up in fastboot devices, but adb devices doesn't show it. Weird. Is that OK?
I was able to flash TWRP to the phone with Fastboot. RSD Lite was unable to find the phone. However, I opened the XML file and was able to figure out the flash commands to enter from a command prompt, so I did that:
I got these results... all of the files flashed successfully to stock, except for two. I forget the first, haven't got it in front of me, but here's the big one: SYSTEM! (Important, no?) Here's the error from fastboot:
>> fastboot flash system system.img.ext4
fastboot said:
target reports max download size 31457280 bytes
Invalid sparse file format at header magi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(then, Fastboot crashes.)
Does anyone know how to fix that? Also, the system image is way bigger than 31.4 MB. What is it talking about?
Thanks!
Epicenter714 said:
Yes, RSD Lite. I don't know where I got MiniRSD from.
I got it to show up in fastboot devices, but adb devices doesn't show it. Weird. Is that OK?
I was able to flash TWRP to the phone with Fastboot. RSD Lite was unable to find the phone. However, I opened the XML file and was able to figure out the flash commands to enter from a command prompt, so I did that:
I got these results... all of the files flashed successfully to stock, except for two. I forget the first, haven't got it in front of me, but here's the big one: SYSTEM! (Important, no?) Here's the error from fastboot:
>> fastboot flash system system.img.ext4
(then, Fastboot crashes.)
Does anyone know how to fix that? Also, the system image is way bigger than 31.4 MB. What is it talking about?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would NOT recommend entering those fastboot commands in the XML file manually unless you KNOW what you are doing.
Sort out why RSD isn't working. adb and fastboot are two different things. If fastboot devices shows the device, RSD Lite should work fine. Try again.
Hey folks...I'm running into a problem I was hoping someone might be able to help with.
Earlier today I pulled my phone out of my pocket at work and saw that it was off...I thought that the battery must have died sooner than I thought. I started charging it in the car on the way home and it wouldn't boot up like normal. It would get to the google or "dots" screen and then reboot. I again thought that the battery might just be really low. After getting home and charging the phone all the way I still can't get it to boot up. As of now, one of 3 things will happen...
1-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and bootloop (usually when plugged in).
2-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and freeze.
3-Get to the "dots" screen and either swirl forever or eventually reboot and do one of the above again.
I've read some threads where people suggest this is a faulty power button, that doesn't seem to be the case for me though because I can get into fastboot and it won't select anything or turn off without me doing it.
I've used WugFresh NRT and wiped/reflashed android. I'm running out of ideas. Do you have any others?
I was running the stock 5.0.1, unlocked, not currently rooted.
Thanks!
kyle313 said:
Hey folks...I'm running into a problem I was hoping someone might be able to help with.
Earlier today I pulled my phone out of my pocket at work and saw that it was off...I thought that the battery must have died sooner than I thought. I started charging it in the car on the way home and it wouldn't boot up like normal. It would get to the google or "dots" screen and then reboot. I again thought that the battery might just be really low. After getting home and charging the phone all the way I still can't get it to boot up. As of now, one of 3 things will happen...
1-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and bootloop (usually when plugged in).
2-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and freeze.
3-Get to the "dots" screen and either swirl forever or eventually reboot and do one of the above again.
I've read some threads where people suggest this is a faulty power button, that doesn't seem to be the case for me though because I can get into fastboot and it won't select anything or turn off without me doing it.
I've used WugFresh NRT and wiped/reflashed android. I'm running out of ideas. Do you have any others?
I was running the stock 5.0.1, unlocked, not currently rooted.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try flashing factory images?
ryukiri said:
Did you try flashing factory images?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that was what I flashed :/
If you can get into fastboot you "should" be able to flash stock images... Obviously this will revert any root and you will need to flash TWRP/CWM recovery after.
I assume you have a Windows PC with fastboot/adb setup and all drivers etc..
- Download latest "stock" hammerhead images (I cannot post links due to XDA rules... so: "developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#hammerhead"
- Extract the .tgz archive contents on your PC into a folder
- Boot the N5 into fastboot and plug USB cable from phone into your PC
- Go to the folder with the extracted files and run the "flash-all.bat" script on Windows
**Hopefully at this point your device will start to respond.. I.e, on fastboot screen, at the bottom you will see "writing" or something, as the script runs on the command window on your PC.**
If this works, you should be able to reboot once complete and then wait to see if you can get back into your phone.. then you can fastboot again and flash custom recovery, and then whatever rom.
If however you have a hardware issue (i.e, even after the above process it fails) then I am not sure what you could do... I guess ensure it has a complete charge. If you can get into fastboot and the buttons are responsive then it should not be a faulty power button.
Hope this helps :good:
Have you tried a simple factory reset? Reason I ask is it was working fine so sounds like something needs "flushing out" clear cache etc.
kyle313 said:
Hey folks...I'm running into a problem I was hoping someone might be able to help with.
Earlier today I pulled my phone out of my pocket at work and saw that it was off...I thought that the battery must have died sooner than I thought. I started charging it in the car on the way home and it wouldn't boot up like normal. It would get to the google or "dots" screen and then reboot. I again thought that the battery might just be really low. After getting home and charging the phone all the way I still can't get it to boot up. As of now, one of 3 things will happen...
1-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and bootloop (usually when plugged in).
2-The phone will turn on, get to the google screen and freeze.
3-Get to the "dots" screen and either swirl forever or eventually reboot and do one of the above again.
I've read some threads where people suggest this is a faulty power button, that doesn't seem to be the case for me though because I can get into fastboot and it won't select anything or turn off without me doing it.
I've used WugFresh NRT and wiped/reflashed android. I'm running out of ideas. Do you have any others?
I was running the stock 5.0.1, unlocked, not currently rooted.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you choose the right model and firmware before you flash in WugFresh NRT?
The above could be right, however when I've used it, it's pointed out if I made that mistake. Having used his software dozens of times I've found it will bring any Nexus 5 back to life.
howard bamber said:
The above could be right, however when I've used it, it's pointed out if I made that mistake. Having used his software dozens of times I've found it will bring any Nexus 5 back to life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! I am apologize for that I didn't read the OP carefully. This happened to me once in that particulary way, but it was immediately after flashing. OP says that it happened suddenly, without reason. So now I am the one, who doesn't read, right? Sorry for that.
Regards, Zagor
Thanks for the responses, but I'm still having trouble.
I have been able to successfully write the newest stock android 3 times (1 without full wipe, 2 with) and the phone still can't boot up and goes through one of the three issues above.
I've also been able to get to the system recovery from the bootloader and I've tried wiping the cache and doing a factory reset from there and the problem remains.
I'd contact google, but I bought it at launch so I don't think they'll do anything for me since it's been 1+ years.
kyle313 said:
Thanks for the responses, but I'm still having trouble.
I have been able to successfully write the newest stock android 3 times (1 without full wipe, 2 with) and the phone still can't boot up and goes through one of the three issues above.
I've also been able to get to the system recovery from the bootloader and I've tried wiping the cache and doing a factory reset from there and the problem remains.
I'd contact google, but I bought it at launch so I don't think they'll do anything for me since it's been 1+ years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a bad nand sector. From fastboot try:
Code:
fastboot oem lock
Then reboot into fastboot and check if it's locked or not. If the device isn't locked your emmc is corrupt and there is nothing you can do. If that is the case call Google and they will most likely help you out with a RMA.
theesotericone said:
Sounds like you have a bad nand sector. From fastboot try:
Code:
fastboot oem lock
Then reboot into fastboot and check if it's locked or not. If the device isn't locked your emmc is corrupt and there is nothing you can do. If that is the case call Google and they will most likely help you out with a RMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually able to relock the phone.
Luckily I called google and they're going to send me a replacement.
If anyone else has any other ideas, I'll still take them...I'd rather not be without a phone for the next week!
You won't be without a phone - they are sending a refurbish unit to you , putting a block on your credit card and waiting for you phone to arive at them. Once that happens they will release the funds.
OK...so have had my phone for about a week and wanted to flash my system back to stock due to a few force closes I couldn't get rid of...
After fastboot flashing everything where it needed to be I fastboot boot'd twrp and wiped data and sdcard...clicked reboot and chose slot b to boot from (thought slot b was where I flashed system but it turns out that where I flashed system_other). Now my phone is stock on a black screen and nothing I do will change that! My computer makes a sound when its plugged and unplugged but I can't get the screen to do anything but stay black (no backlight)! Do I have to RMA this thing or is there something in haven't found in searching that I can do to fix this?
I have tried holding the power button till it hard reboots and when its plugged in to my computer, you can't hear the it reboots but back to the black screen when the computer makes the sound that its plugged in. (Just trying to make sure I have all info here so we can hopefully find a solution fast)
Has anyone had this issue and recovered from it?
I had a similar issue back when the HTC One first came out. I had TWRP installed but for some reason it wouldn't flash any ROMs or stock images. It especially sucked because there was no removable storage to ad any other files, ROMs, stock images, etc and I had inadvertently wiped the phone.
For one reason or another, TWRP itself was the issue, so I installed CWM recovery and was able to reflash everything without a problem. If possible, try and change your recovery and reflash
---------- Post added at 04:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:08 PM ----------
magnumtripod said:
I had a similar issue back when the HTC One first came out. I had TWRP installed but for some reason it wouldn't flash any ROMs or stock images. It especially sucked because there was no removable storage to ad any other files, ROMs, stock images, etc and I had inadvertently wiped the phone.
For one reason or another, TWRP itself was the issue, so I installed CWM recovery and was able to reflash everything without a problem. If possible, try and change your recovery and reflash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I just re-read your post and my issue was not similar, but regardless, at the time, TWRP was giving me all kinds of problems. I'm not sure if theres another recovery out there yet, but try one if there is and see what happens
My pixel is on stock recovery and I can't even boot fastboot to get to recovery....screen just stays black...now that the battery finally died, I get a red led when I plug it in but when it tries to power up the led stops blinking red and it just stays at a black screen