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[Q] "Installation aborted" with 4.4.4 OTA and CWM

I have a rooted Moto G with CWM Recovery and by stupidity installed the 4.4.4 OTA.
CWM aborts the installation, the phone reboots and unfortunately after the ROM is booted it automatically reboots to once more try and install the OTA.
So what are my options now? When a similar thing happened on my Nexus 7, I just flashed the factory image and all was fine. But I'm not sure what image to use for the Moto G. Is there even an official flashable image? If not, which is closest to stock?
Or is it possible to prevent the phone from automatically rebooting? I can access it with adb and have 10-20 seconds after the boot where I could open some apps.

bur2000 said:
I have a rooted Moto G with CWM Recovery and by stupidity installed the 4.4.4 OTA.
CWM aborts the installation, the phone reboots and unfortunately after the ROM is booted it automatically reboots to once more try and install the OTA.
So what are my options now? When a similar thing happened on my Nexus 7, I just flashed the factory image and all was fine. But I'm not sure what image to use for the Moto G. Is there even an official flashable image? If not, which is closest to stock?
Or is it possible to prevent the phone from automatically rebooting? I can access it with adb and have 10-20 seconds after the boot where I could open some apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find all the stock firmware images here:
http://sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=14
Flash either with RDS (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2637338) or fastboot (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542219)

Thanks, there's no 4.4.4 for O2 Germany though. Do I need the right carrier/country? Otherwise I'll just go with 4.4.2
I also found this ROM (it's 4.4.4 despire thread titel). Is there any harm in trying it? I did a backup of the current half-broken system.

bur2000 said:
Thanks, there's no 4.4.4 for O2 Germany though. Do I need the right carrier/country? Otherwise I'll just go with 4.4.2
I also found this ROM (it's 4.4.4 despire thread titel). Is there any harm in trying it? I did a backup of the current half-broken system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash any firmware you want, except the ones for dual sim version (but if you want to be totally safe flash the retail de image). 4.4.4 images aren't available currently, you have simply to restore the stock 4.4.2, flash the stock recovery and take the OTA update.
The ROM you linked is for Moto G dual sim variant (XT1033), flashing it will probably cause a soft brick.

I have the exact same problem.
1. Is there any way to get the phone out of this loop and get it usable again without a computer?
2. How can I flash the rom if the phone keeps doing this?
Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

fertchen said:
I have the exact same problem.
1. Is there any way to get the phone out of this loop and get it usable again without a computer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say no. Theoretically it might be possible to quickly do something before the phone reboots.
2. How can I flash the rom if the phone keeps doing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just follow the fastboot link in the post by Azarielz. WARNING: If you don't want to loose you user data don't do the mfastboot erase userdata step. For me that still removed the reboot loop while retaining my data and apps. I had some problems with the mobile connection though, only after I manually searched for available carriers and pressed "select automatically" it connected. After that no problems.

bur2000 said:
After that no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much. I will try that when I get home next week. Will be a nice exercise in living without a phone for some time...

bur2000 said:
I would say no. Theoretically it might be possible to quickly do something before the phone reboots.
Just follow the fastboot link in the post by Azarielz. WARNING: If you don't want to loose you user data don't do the mfastboot erase userdata step. For me that still removed the reboot loop while retaining my data and apps. I had some problems with the mobile connection though, only after I manually searched for available carriers and pressed "select automatically" it connected. After that no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just did the same mistake with unlocked & rooted XT1032. I use TWRP and ended up there after every reboot. What I did is use the File Manager under "Advanced" to delete the .zip under /cache. Alternatively you could just wipe cache/ dalvik cache and the update zip should be gone, phone should reboot normally and after app optimization (if you wiped dalvik cache) everything should be back to normal. The first few seconds I got an error when checking for an update, but it went away after a minute.
Not sure if I should go through the trouble of updating to 4.4.4 or wait for Android L that's supposedly coming to the Moto G and X...

I was in the same situation, with bootloader active from cmd:
mfastboot erase cache
or whatever you use

Any improvement?
Hello everyone,
I had the same problem and had to restore a backup.
But can anyone tell us why this happens? Is Google aware of this and is a fix on the way?
I've seen that the update would fix the annoying incompatibility problem with the class 10 SDCards so I'd like to install this update.
I have seen that some of the improvements would also be :
- coloured tiles in the phone dialer
- ability to pause when you record a video
But I can already do that with my phone right now (I'm in 4.4.3 on a Moto G 4G), is this normal ?
Thank you.

suiller said:
I was in the same situation, with bootloader active from cmd:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much, suiller. This:
fastboot erase cache
did it for me.
gnayug said:
Not sure if I should go through the trouble of updating to 4.4.4 or wait for Android L that's supposedly coming to the Moto G and X...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would be the easiest/most foolproof way to apply an OTA update when the Moto G is rooted?

fertchen said:
What would be the easiest/most foolproof way to apply an OTA update when the Moto G is rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I want to know as well. XDA has all these devs and freaks and advanced tutorials but nothing at all for the most simple and popular issues for the average user such as applying an OTA with a rooted device. Apparently it's supposed to work with Phil's Flash Recovery, well it didn't, it gave me the same error message that CWM gave me. Or you're supposed to use "stock recovery", but nobody tells you how to get that in the first place.
...Help?

gnayug said:
That's what I want to know as well. XDA has all these devs and freaks and advanced tutorials but nothing at all for the most simple and popular issues for the average user such as applying an OTA with a rooted device. Apparently it's supposed to work with Phil's Flash Recovery, well it didn't, it gave me the same error message that CWM gave me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess is that there are just too many versions of phones out there and too many different prerequisites (differences in how the phone was rooted, which apps might have been de-installed, which rom/recovery installed etc) that it is extremely hard and laborious to provide a truly foolproof way. That might be different if there was one standardized manual/tutorial on "Hot to root foolproof and OTA proof for the future" and everyone would follow that precisely.
gnayug said:
Or you're supposed to use "stock recovery", but nobody tells you how to get that in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a page that lists all the available stock Moto G Roms in different versions. It would be great if there was such a page for the recovery as well.
If there was a person that decided to take care of all these issues for the Moto G on this forum, he or she could maintain a page with direct links to all the tools, roms and recoveries as well as one general (foolproof) and possibly a handful of alternate ways and fixes.
That is a lot of work, particularly dealing with people who are not willing to read more than one sentence in order to get what they want. And certainly it must be frustrating for a "freak" or dev to encounter us newbies on a daily basis. A 101/primer on what boot/recovery/rom etc is would be helpful - and it does even exist in the wiki. It's that many of us don't find it. That could be changed by a very well thought-out and structured sticky post that provides all the necessary links and knowledge but not too much so that a beginner is frightened by 10 pages of instructions.
But I am certain that a person would be willing to do that if this forum allows it (which I assume is the case). Maybe this person has not been identified yet. Or maybe we have just missed it. I know I will not be this person simply because it would take me a lot of time to gather the necessary knowledge for such a position and right now I have other priorities and I usually use my phone once every 10 days or so.
I am aware that as a user I am not entitled to anyone providing this service. At the same time I am pretty sure that there is someone, maybe even within this great community, who would be willing to do it.
By the way, here is how I ultimately fixed the rooted-Moto G-OTA-update-problem: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g/help/how-to-update-rooted-moto-g-t2828857/post54528345

Thank you for the link and everything you wrote! I was actually thinking the same the last few days... If only I was qualified enough or had the time to gather and polish all the information. I realize I shouldn't have written "Freaks". They're hard-working, skilled individuals that provide us with all this amazing software for us to use free of charge. I just wish they'd put some effort into explaining and laying out the basics etc. for all the "newbs" they encounter each day, because what good do their stuff do when nobody knows how to use it? All those devs that put out kernels and ROMs and then make a thread with changelogs and download links WITHOUT actually saying what they contain and why anyone should use them - I'm looking at you.
I'll go try to get my Moto G to 4.4.4 without losing my stuff using your link now, thanks again!:good:

Need help with screen lock or removing data from screen locked i535

I'm sure it's been beaten like a dead horse... Yes I have searched all over XDA and other resources. It seems every time I think I find something... I'm one setting short or one model away from what would work.
Been working on this way too long and now I ask for your help.
I have a client who lost her daughter. (She drown). She has her phone (S3 I535 verizon) but no idea what the lock pin would be and has tried a couple but none work. Unfortunately she's on attempt 8/10 so two more tries and the phone factory resets and all is lost.
She really wants to recover her daughter's pictures and if possible remove the screen lock without losing data (either works for her if it can be done).
I've tried everything I can find.
While she has her gmail and password, when we logged in device manager listed no active devices. (was able to recover some pictures from a backup, but it appears gmail didn't back up more than a couple from a couple years ago.)
Logged into samsung to remote unlock it, but again, no devices on account.
ADB is a no-go because USB debugging is OFF
Tried to put TWRP on it but odin failed
(Found a thread here that seems to be quality but can't load the program in stock recovery and cant get CWM or TWRP on it without debugging.)
Any ideas?
I do not know the android version, but I suspect it is the newest. I used my old S3 to replicate it so I could try these things without damaging her phone and losing the data, and it's running 4.4.2

If you couldn't flash a recovery using Odin then you're probably right about it being on one of the newer versions(your phone), the boot loader got locked up tight and the only recovery we have available is Safestrap. This is a tough one. I'm no expert by far, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt and do your own researching before taking any action after reading this! I see two ways of recovering some or all data if the bootloader is locked(and the device storage isn't encrypted)
1. If you don't have equipment to directly read/write to the internal storage then point her somewhere that specializes in data recovery on smart phones.
2. Factory reset the device, try to recover "deleted" data.
If the bootloader wasn't/isn't locked down then you could probably flash a rom that didn't have the lock screen pin/pattern ect implemented. I don't have the i535 but I know that the prepaid version checks the system partition when flashing via Odin so this probably wouldn't work if it's locked but I can't confirm wether or not this is checked on the i535
Can you enter the stock recovery on the daughters phone just to verify if its updated or not. Should be a string near the top. If it ends with ne1 its on 4.4.2 and I don't recall the one for 4.3. If you're unable to enter the recovery because you have to enter the pin before there's an actual lock screen(with the clock, status bar, wallpaper ect) then it's likely encrypted and there's nothing that you can do about that.

OpenSourcererSweg said:
If you couldn't flash a recovery using Odin then you're probably right about it being on one of the newer versions(your phone), the boot loader got locked up tight and the only recovery we have available is Safestrap. This is a tough one. I'm no expert by far, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt and do your own researching before taking any action after reading this! I see two ways of recovering some or all data if the bootloader is locked(and the device storage isn't encrypted)
1. If you don't have equipment to directly read/write to the internal storage then point her somewhere that specializes in data recovery on smart phones.
2. Factory reset the device, try to recover "deleted" data.
If the bootloader wasn't/isn't locked down then you could probably flash a rom that didn't have the lock screen pin/pattern ect implemented. I don't have the i535 but I know that the prepaid version checks the system partition when flashing via Odin so this probably wouldn't work if it's locked but I can't confirm wether or not this is checked on the i535
Can you enter the stock recovery on the daughters phone just to verify if its updated or not. Should be a string near the top. If it ends with ne1 its on 4.4.2 and I don't recall the one for 4.3. If you're unable to enter the recovery because you have to enter the pin before there's an actual lock screen(with the clock, status bar, wallpaper ect) then it's likely encrypted and there's nothing that you can do about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can enter recovery mode and I do believe it is 4.4.2.
because of the delicate nature of her phone (being her passed on daughter's and she used 9 of 10 attempts to guess her pin) I pulled my S3 out of the drawer (coincidentally I stopped using it about 2 weeks after she passed) and everything is identical down to the recovery string at the top. I know it's running the same software and I have all kinds of old pictures and texts on it like she would have and I am logged into gmail on it like she is. I locked the screen on MINE and I know the PIN on MINE. I also saved a backup of my stuff so I'm using my phone as the tester since I was able to put in in the identical situation
I have room to play because of that. Once I have success on mine, I'll try what worked on mine on hers.
So far I've tried...
play.google unlock... While I have now been able to get her device to appear on device manager on google's site, they changed it so that when I remote lock it the screen lock pin does NOT change.
I called Google, Samsung, and VERIZON. None have the ability to change or remove lock screen pin.
I tried ADB, but it doesn't detect any devices when I ADB shell or ADB device.
USB DEBUGGING IS OFF (or we wouldn't be having this convo)
It has stock recovery and not CWM or TWRP (again if I could get one of those on there, we wouldn't be having this convo) (tried ODIN flashing TWRP on, but fails)
---------------------------
Every direction I head I hit a brick wall.
I've never heard of being able to recover data from internal SDcard after reset. Didn't think that was possible.

FYI. recovery mode string is...
ANDROID system recovery <3e>
KOT49H.I535VRUDNE1

Wking46 said:
I can enter recovery mode and I do believe it is 4.4.2.
because of the delicate nature of her phone (being her passed on daughter's and she used 9 of 10 attempts to guess her pin) I pulled my S3 out of the drawer (coincidentally I stopped using it about 2 weeks after she passed) and everything is identical down to the recovery string at the top. I know it's running the same software and I have all kinds of old pictures and texts on it like she would have and I am logged into gmail on it like she is. I locked the screen on MINE and I know the PIN on MINE. I also saved a backup of my stuff so I'm using my phone as the tester since I was able to put in in the identical situation
I have room to play because of that. Once I have success on mine, I'll try what worked on mine on hers.
So far I've tried...
play.google unlock... While I have now been able to get her device to appear on device manager on google's site, they changed it so that when I remote lock it the screen lock pin does NOT change.
I called Google, Samsung, and VERIZON. None have the ability to change or remove lock screen pin.
I tried ADB, but it doesn't detect any devices when I ADB shell or ADB device.
USB DEBUGGING IS OFF (or we wouldn't be having this convo)
It has stock recovery and not CWM or TWRP (again if I could get one of those on there, we wouldn't be having this convo) (tried ODIN flashing TWRP on, but fails)
---------------------------
Every direction I head I hit a brick wall.
I've never heard of being able to recover data from internal SDcard after reset. Didn't think that was possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With HDDs I know it's possible as I have done it before. The only issue is not overwriting the data when reinstalling a operating system ect. Flash is abit dififfrent but still doesnt overwrite deleted data as soon as its deleted. If you're willing to try it on your gs3 first then go for it. Since the data is very important, I would have her take it to someone who specializes in data recovery instead of trying to wipe it and get the data off it just in case.
Are you able to remotely install applications though the Google Play site or by other means? Might be able to get a shell from one of the ssh server apps if they run the server on startup. If you can get a shell you should be able to work from there.

OpenSourcererSweg said:
With HDDs I know it's possible as I have done it before. The only issue is not overwriting the data when reinstalling a operating system ect. Flash is abit dififfrent but still doesnt overwrite deleted data as soon as its deleted. If you're willing to try it on your gs3 first then go for it. Since the data is very important, I would have her take it to someone who specializes in data recovery instead of trying to wipe it and get the data off it just in case.
Are you able to remotely install applications though the Google Play site or by other means? Might be able to get a shell from one of the ssh server apps if they run the server on startup. If you can get a shell you should be able to work from there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can remotely install apps via google play site. If I could find a shell that works on startup... please let me know what that does for me?

Wking46 said:
I can remotely install apps via google play site. If I could find a shell that works on startup... please let me know what that does for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SSH access may let you transfer some files on the device to another machine. (Assuming that it will connect to known wifi networks while locked)

OpenSourcererSweg said:
SSH access may let you transfer some files on the device to another machine. (Assuming that it will connect to known wifi networks while locked)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No such luck. Looks like all of them would need me to log in to set them up, which defeats the purpose.
I may have to wait and see if tech changes over time and keep trying until it does.

Wking46 said:
No such luck. Looks like all of them would need me to log in to set them up, which defeats the purpose.
I may have to wait and see if tech changes over time and keep trying until it does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at this, https://www.nowsecure.com/blog/2015/06/16/remote-code-execution-as-system-user-on-samsung-phones/ may be able to remove the pin. Sorry if discussion about this isn't allowed or frowned upon. Seems like a pain and it may not work for the s3

OpenSourcererSweg said:
Take a look at this, https://www.nowsecure.com/blog/2015/06/16/remote-code-execution-as-system-user-on-samsung-phones/ may be able to remove the pin. Sorry if discussion about this isn't allowed or frowned upon. Seems like a pain and it may not work for the s3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't effect S3 vzw. only S4 and up

Wking46 said:
Doesn't effect S3 vzw. only S4 and up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I read "swift" as Swype and my Prepaid Verizon GS3 came with Swype preinstalled.
I have an idea, perhaps try the Verizon repair software "repair" the device to back up data while in Odin mode? I don't recall if it will require a password or anything.I don't believe it required USB debugging to be enabled, don't know if it works while in Odin mode. I don't know if the backups are encrypted or not. You can try using sandboxie to see where it keeps the backed up data. I don't know if it will backup data while you're in Odin mode though. Worth trying I suppose. Don't have time try my The self or I would. Sorry for the rushed message, I'll be home in about an hour though.

Bootloop 2013 Moto G Boost Mobile XT1031 8GB

Hey guys!
To start, I want to say what an amazing place XDA is and how much information and knowledge you can get from here and how awesome the moderators are. I don't think I could ever find another amazing and/or helpful community such as those found here! Thanks to all who have helped me out with my Android issues!
Now to my issue and I apologize ahead of time if there is another thread (or related thread) found in the forum.
As the title states, I have a 2013 Motorola Moto G XT1031 Boost Mobile device. I had upgraded it to Lollipop 5.0.2 or 5.1 when it came out (I can't remember which one it was) and I had then decided to root it. I can say that I believe I was successful in rooting the device because I was able to install Supersu and use RootChecker to verify the install. Everything was going okay until i decided to research and eventually install a custom recovery and attempt to install a custom ROM. Well, let's just say that the recovery install was a bust...
In doing my research for a custom recovery, I found that TWRP had a custom recovery for my phone and apparently for my firmware via TWRP's app on the Play Store. So, I searched for my device in their in-app search for a custom recovery, downloaded it and installed it from the app. Now, my gut told me that this probably wouldn't work and that I should probably be installing a custom recovery via CLI. Nope. I didn't do this. Instead, like I said, I installed a custom recovery from the app itself. That screwed things up for me. I have no idea if it was the install, but my phone began to act incredibly strange. When in the TWRP recovery, my screen had this line that would continuously scroll from top to bottom. It wasn't a completely solid line, but it was transparent, almost like an empty thermometer glass stick was going down the screen. It was weird and not normal. I figured the phone's software was partially broken. It only did this in the TWRP recovery. Nowhere else did this happen. It was slightly annoying.
Later on I decided to install a custom ROM. Again, I did the necessary research to find out if there were any ROMs available for my phone (using XDA of course and others) and found that there were a few out there. So, I downloaded one (wish I could remember which one) and attempted to install it...keyword there. After attempting the install, my phone would not boot. Like at all. Dead. So back to the drawing board I went to try and reverse the damage. Using XDA (ironically) and a plethora of other sites, I tried to resurrect my phone and bring it back to life. After countless hours of trying and trying and trying and more and more research, I just gave up. The phone is dead. Great. $170 spent on a phone to break it a year later.
It's been roughly 4-5 months since I have attempted to redo the process and after another minor attempt, somehow I was able to remove the root completely, including the custom recovery and ROM. I don't know what the heck I did, but it worked....sort of. The phone is now stuck in a bootloop on the logo and sometimes the "bootloader has been unlocked" screen when try and factory reset the phone from the default recovery. When trying to reinstall the stock firmware, I read everywhere that I need the phone to have USB-debugging set and to have this and that. I have this and that installed on my PC, but obviously cannot enable USB-debugging which is needed for ADB and fastboot to recognize my device.
So, my question for anyone who would like to help me out is this: what are my options? Is the phone recoverable? Is there any way I can get ADB/fastboot to see my device and finally install the stock firmware on the phone? I have the proper drivers installed and ADB/fastboot are on my PC. Any help would be amazing, even if you have to tell me to junk it.

blckdragn22 said:
When trying to reinstall the stock firmware, I read everywhere that I need the phone to have USB-debugging set
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is incorrect, where did you read that? To reinstall the stock firmware using fastboot, you must be able to boot to the bootloader menu only.

I heard this from a few websites actually, although I could never find a situational fix for my phone. I am trying to restore back to Lollipop without a custom recovery, because within the past hour I found out TWRP was never fully removed when I tried booting into recovery from the AP Fastboot menu when doing to power+vol down option. The TWRP logo shows for about 10 seconds and then the phone tries booting normally, showing the unlocked bootloader warning.
So, yes I can boot into the bootloader menu all day long with no problems. It's just an selection I make doesn't get me anywhere. My question I guess now is: how do I go about reinstalling stock firmware via the bootloader menu. I have Minimal ADB and Fastboot installed on my PC. If I need the full ADB, I can download that. And of course I'd need the firmware, too.

You can find stock firmware images in this thread, there's also a link to an installation guide there:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g/general/index-moto-g-falcon-factory-firmware-t3110795

_that said:
You can find stock firmware images in this thread, there's also a link to an installation guide there:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g/general/index-moto-g-falcon-factory-firmware-t3110795
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread had the firmware I was looking for thank you. I believe I have the flashing stock firmware process down, I hope. I'l refer to the guide if I need help. Thank you so much!

_that said:
You can find stock firmware images in this thread, there's also a link to an installation guide there:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g/general/index-moto-g-falcon-factory-firmware-t3110795
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to follow the steps listed here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542219&page=35 and for some reason I cannot run any of the commands pertaining to the sparsechunks. This is what I get:
Is there anything you could tell me about that?
Edit: I was able to figure what the issue was when trying to write the sparsechunks. I had to insert a "." after 'sparsechunk' because that is how the file is named in the folder. However, now I am getting a new error, but it takes place on the phone screen. Every time I attempt to write a sparsechunk, it will initiate the process of doing so, but on the phone I'll get what appears to be an error saying, "Image is too large" in pink lettering. Why does this happen? Each sparsechunk file is at least 4MB less than the max-sparse-size according to the ADB and my phone, which is set to 256MB. Is there any way to change that?

blckdragn22 said:
However, now I am getting a new error, but it takes place on the phone screen. Every time I attempt to write a sparsechunk, it will initiate the process of doing so, but on the phone I'll get what appears to be an error saying, "Image is too large" in pink lettering. Why does this happen? Each sparsechunk file is at least 4MB less than the max-sparse-size according to the ADB and my phone, which is set to 256MB. Is there any way to change that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check which sparsechunk files you have and make sure you flash all of them in ascending order. If it still fails, copy/paste the contents of your command prompt window (no screenshots please).

_that said:
Check which sparsechunk files you have and make sure you flash all of them in ascending order. If it still fails, copy/paste the contents of your command prompt window (no screenshots please).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try that. There was a ...sparsechunks.0 as well apart from sparsechunks.1, sparsechunks.2 and sparsechunks.3. Shall I include that, too?
And adding the screenshot was an amateur mistake. My bad.

@_that this worked like a charm. Phone is 100% working ans usable now. Incredibly helpful. Thank you so much!

No operating system found.

Totally new to xda forum, and pretty much a noob. Nexus 5 (US model). I was trying to unroot my Nexus 5. I bought it from a friend who had rooted it using TWRP, and it was running CM. Anyway, I managed to completely wipe the operating system ... completely. It will boot using the power/volume down configuration, but when I try to start the phone, it says, "No operating system found." All the threads I have been reading (yes, I have done a lot of reading), assume a couple of things: 1) that the phone can get into Settings/Developer Mode; and, 2) that my PC finds my phone when I plug it in. I have tried the adb and fastboot driver downloads, and wound up with some weird app that was almost impossible to uninstall off my PC. Ten-something or other. I tried doing the flash-all thing, but got a message that there was no such command. Can anyone help me, either directly, or by links to what I need? Once again, I have no operating system on this phone. Thanks.

There's a cool tool kit called wugs nexus toolkit that will help some http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766475
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
Also, here's mostly all the roms stock & custom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/goo...dex-google-nexus-5-roms-kernels-mods-t2475401
Did you say you can still get into recovery? Because there's an unroot rom thats flashable somewhere... Itd take you to stock everything.....
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I second that recommendation. With a caveat. Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit is a superb piece of programming which should enable you to set up your PC with all the necessary drivers and also let you specify the ROM you want to install, download it for you, and install it. You should obviously take the latest MMB29V.
But...
I see that you've done a lot of reading, and I understand that Android is initlally hard to grasp, but please don't (a) think you'll never understand it and (b) think that NRT is the answer to all your problems - it isn't. There are lots of reports of people saying "NRT has broken my phone" either because the've used it incorrectly or because they've used it before Wug has had a chance to update it to cater for all the latest tweaks that Google have introduced (particularly on Marshmallow root). If you're careful, set up your drivers properly, and install the correct version for your phone (Hammerhead MMB29V), NRT should give you back a working phone. But after that, read more, and investigate manual update methods, which are particularly useful for installing the monthly security updates without losing your data or waiting for the OTA (over-the-air) rollout from Google.

In fastboot, but can't flash operating system
dahawthorne said:
I second that recommendation. With a caveat. Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit is a superb piece of programming which should enable you to set up your PC with all the necessary drivers and also let you specify the ROM you want to install, download it for you, and install it. You should obviously take the latest MMB29V.
But...
I see that you've done a lot of reading, and I understand that Android is initlally hard to grasp, but please don't (a) think you'll never understand it and (b) think that NRT is the answer to all your problems - it isn't. There are lots of reports of people saying "NRT has broken my phone" either because the've used it incorrectly or because they've used it before Wug has had a chance to update it to cater for all the latest tweaks that Google have introduced (particularly on Marshmallow root). If you're careful, set up your drivers properly, and install the correct version for your phone (Hammerhead MMB29V), NRT should give you back a working phone. But after that, read more, and investigate manual update methods, which are particularly useful for installing the monthly security updates without losing your data or waiting for the OTA (over-the-air) rollout from Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the fastboot mode, and I can get into TWRP, but I can't get my PC to recognize the phone. I've followed every rabbit trail I can find, but the phone doesn't show up. The USB ports are fine, and all the USB drivers are up to date. This is what is on my phone screen:
FASTBOOT MODE
PRODUCT NAME - hammerhead
VARIANT - hammerhead D820(E) 32GB
HW VERSION - rev. 11
BOOTLOADER VERSION - HHZ12k
The rest is serial number and so forth. I can get into TWRP, but can't ADB Sideload because the phone is not showing up. Giving me an error 43.

" I've followed every rabbit trail"
Have you followed this one?
"Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit"

kakid56 said:
Totally new to xda forum, and pretty much a noob. Nexus 5 (US model). I was trying to unroot my Nexus 5. I bought it from a friend who had rooted it using TWRP, and it was running CM. Anyway, I managed to completely wipe the operating system ... completely. It will boot using the power/volume down configuration, but when I try to start the phone, it says, "No operating system found." All the threads I have been reading (yes, I have done a lot of reading), assume a couple of things: 1) that the phone can get into Settings/Developer Mode; and, 2) that my PC finds my phone when I plug it in. I have tried the adb and fastboot driver downloads, and wound up with some weird app that was almost impossible to uninstall off my PC. Ten-something or other. I tried doing the flash-all thing, but got a message that there was no such command. Can anyone help me, either directly, or by links to what I need? Once again, I have no operating system on this phone. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup use wugfresh toolkit ... download the factory image https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#hammerhead
and boot into bootloader.. then u knw what to do

kakid56 said:
I'm in the fastboot mode, and I can get into TWRP, but I can't get my PC to recognize the phone. I've followed every rabbit trail I can find, but the phone doesn't show up. The USB ports are fine, and all the USB drivers are up to date. This is what is on my phone screen:
FASTBOOT MODE
PRODUCT NAME - hammerhead
VARIANT - hammerhead D820(E) 32GB
HW VERSION - rev. 11
BOOTLOADER VERSION - HHZ12k
The rest is serial number and so forth. I can get into TWRP, but can't ADB Sideload because the phone is not showing up. Giving me an error 43.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't disagree with the NRT suggestion but am confused. Sorry if I'm missing something obvious. When you are in the bootloader, do you get a cmd response from "fastboot devices" (no quotes in the command)? ADB doesn't work from the bootloader as you probably know, but since you identify as a noob, thought I'd throw it out there. You can flash the system using fastboot commands if your PC recognizes (part of the confusion) the device in fastboot. If not, then you do need to get the drivers set up. If you just need adb/fastboot drivers, I recommend this which I used recently when NRT didn't seem to have the SDK version I needed for my N9 to sideload the latest OTA. Since it installs at the system level, you can place flashable files at the root of C rather than in a specific platform-tools folder. I'm on Windows 10; don't know if that makes any difference for this minimal install. As far as the flash-all. bat not working, that's not uncommon; the files can be extracted and flashed separately.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

I bought a Pixel 2 directly from Google, is it possible Verizon locked my phone?

I bought the original Pixel from Verizon and that was a complete waste. Then the Pixel2 was released, and I bought it online (directly from Google). I've had it for a long while.
The first thing I did was oem unlock and flash twrp, Magisk, and Elemental X. I was running the stock rom and just let all of the updates slip past (updating the kernel of course) and had a few issues so I thought I'd factory reset and update the phone.
But I didn't take the sim card out...
When the phone rebooted it behaved *exactly* like the original Pixel if you had the sim card in. It specifically sets up according to what Verizon wants on the phone.
Now, when I go into the developer settings, the oem unlock is greyed out!!!
Does Verizon lock Pixel phones regardless of its origin?
I'm not completely stupid, this just doesn't make sense... Anyone else have this issue?
Honestly, I didn't think something like that was possible. Can anyone here confirm the hardware is the exact same? Is it possible Verizon signing keys can overwrite default/official Google keys?
Or will the phone behave as normal if I reset without the sim in?
Gonna try it and report back after work (gotta wait another 8 hours or so as of writing this).

Exactly how did you update it, and I mean every step you took?

The steps, specifically as possible:
downloaded the original image from Google (https://developers.google.com/android/images)
I grabbed [8.1.0 (OPM1.171019.013, Jan 2018] as that was the version I was running
Extracted zip, extracted the zip inside the zip (to get boot.img)
flashed stock recovery to boot_a and boot_b (using instructions found at https://www.androidexplained.com/pixel-2-restore-stock-recovery/
Reboot
Checked phone to see if it worked fine
Rebooted to [stock] recovery to see if it would load
This is where things get a little sketchy, as I could only confirm the stock recovery was in place. I only saw dead Andy with "No Command"
Reboot to system- everything looks okay so far...
Let phone automagically download and install any/all updates through the System Settings.
Make sure I want to- and then actually, factory reset phone (I did *not* remove the sim card)
Went through the initial setup
wait for it...
At this point, all Verizon default apps were installed on phone during the initial setup (not at user request/Google Play Store):
MyVerizon, Messages+, etc.
Raised an eyebrow, went to settings, enabled Developer Options, checked OEM unlock...
As of this point I have not been able to check if I can [fastboot oem unlock]
Another thing is that the flash-all.sh script refused to work properly, even with a root shell. I made sure to double check usb debug was enabled, udev rules in place, and checked, double checked cables and ports.
I can, however, confirm that I am on OPM2.171026.006.C1
I haven't memorized the list at the Google Images (*.img type) link above, but I'm pretty sure this one is listed as the generic Pixel 2 and not the Verizon variant. I will still attempt to unlock using the fastboot method... let's hope it still works...
Anywho, I work nights so, I won't be able to test anything out until after work, waffle house, and a nap. But I will indeed be back to keep this updated.

allcaps33 said:
The steps, specifically as possible:
downloaded the original image from Google (https://developers.google.com/android/images)
I grabbed [8.1.0 (OPM1.171019.013, Jan 2018] as that was the version I was running
Extracted zip, extracted the zip inside the zip (to get boot.img)
flashed stock recovery to boot_a and boot_b (using instructions found at https://www.androidexplained.com/pixel-2-restore-stock-recovery/
Reboot
Checked phone to see if it worked fine
Rebooted to [stock] recovery to see if it would load
This is where things get a little sketchy, as I could only confirm the stock recovery was in place. I only saw dead Andy with "No Command"
Reboot to system- everything looks okay so far...
Let phone automagically download and install any/all updates through the System Settings.
Make sure I want to- and then actually, factory reset phone (I did *not* remove the sim card)
Went through the initial setup
wait for it...
At this point, all Verizon default apps were installed on phone during the initial setup (not at user request/Google Play Store):
MyVerizon, Messages+, etc.
Raised an eyebrow, went to settings, enabled Developer Options, checked OEM unlock...
As of this point I have not been able to check if I can [fastboot oem unlock]
Another thing is that the flash-all.sh script refused to work properly, even with a root shell. I made sure to double check usb debug was enabled, udev rules in place, and checked, double checked cables and ports.
I can, however, confirm that I am on OPM2.171026.006.C1
I haven't memorized the list at the Google Images (*.img type) link above, but I'm pretty sure this one is listed as the generic Pixel 2 and not the Verizon variant. I will still attempt to unlock using the fastboot method... let's hope it still works...
Anywho, I work nights so, I won't be able to test anything out until after work, waffle house, and a nap. But I will indeed be back to keep this updated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB debugging is only for ADB, and has nothing to do with fastboot commands. When you attempted to run the flash-all script, were you in ADB or bootloader? In ADB it will fail, because it doesn't recognize fastboot commands. However, in the bootloader, if it's not recognizing fastboot commands, that's a whole different animal. OTAs, when it comes to VZW are dangerous, so it's always best to just sideload them via stock recovery. They should come straight from Google, but I'm afraid that something that you did in the entire process broke that.
In all honesty, all you really needed to do was unzip the latest factory image, run the flash-all script while you were still unlocked, and be done with it. The -w in the script would have taken care of the factory reset for you, as it's a full wipe.
Let us know if what you tried worked, and best of luck ?

I was in the bootloader, I realize adb and fastboot are 2 different entities.... thus far, I'm still locked out... working it now...

An update to this mess:
Still working with known exploits to try and get back to where I was. Looks like I'm gonna have to pull from CVE or ExDB.
Any suggestions from the pros?

allcaps33 said:
I was in the bootloader, I realize adb and fastboot are 2 different entities.... thus far, I'm still locked out... working it now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do apologize for underestimating your knowledge. That being said, an OTA can't re-lock the bootloader without permission, as that would completely wipe userdata. And, neither can the presence of a SIM card. I fear that, with everything that you did, as far as getting your phone as clean as possible, you may have put the device in limbo, so to speak, and the OTAs, combined with vzw's penchant for locking bootloaders, may have made it susceptible to becoming a Verizon device. Just a thought.

I totally agree with you.
I'm just completely confused how this happened...
As you said, with an unlocked bootloader, it *might* have been possible that through some kind of bug it may have taken something VZW specific... But... The OTA packages don't actually contain the entire ROM do they?
From what I noticed, they're almost all under 80 MB, while the actual ROM packages are (on average) 1.5 GB.
At what point could this crossover happen?
(The reason I bring up package sizes is that would be the most likely reason for an overwrite... I think...)
Can I probe you for more theories? Out of the box solutions never work, perhaps you might trigger ideas within the community.
Thank you very much @DuckRuckus for your help!
Still to this point attempting anything within fastboot seems to just not work...
I can get "fastboot devices" and "fastboot reboot bootloader" to work. But that's about it. No other commands issued get so as a response.