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[Q] Stuck in bootloop, no root, totally stock. What happened?

I was in a bootloop on my Nexus S. The phone was completely stock. It was never rooted and never ran any custom roms. I charged the battery, then turned on the phone and it went into a bootloop. I tried a battery pull, and nothing. So I finally decided to follow this tutorial and rooted the phone. Now the phone boots up and all is good again. Can anyone tell me what most likely would have caused this to begin with, and why rooting would have fixed it?

Corrupted file somewhere, likely in /data, otherwise maybe .android_secure. Unless its a battery related issue I'd put it down to this.
No idea what exactly it could've been and never heard of someone with the issue though. One of technologies mysteries in the end.

Harbb said:
Corrupted file somewhere, likely in /data, otherwise maybe .android_secure. Unless its a battery related issue I'd put it down to this.
No idea what exactly it could've been and never heard of someone with the issue though. One of technologies mysteries in the end.
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Click to collapse
Well I looks like it's mystery solved. I think it was a hardware problem, as it went back into bootloop at first, but now it's stuck on the Google logo. I can't even unlock the bootloader anymore. Each time I try fastboot oem unlock, it comes back as: Failed <remote: Erase Fail>. Everywhere I've searched for a solution, comes back as a hardware failure. The phone is only over a year old.
I've flashed my 2 galaxy s 4gs countless times and always kept this thing completely stock until I had to unlock and root this thing just to get it working. And now it seems it's totally bricked without even flashing a single rom with no more warranty left. Go figure.

More and more people getting that erase fail error. Speak to Samsung and let them know it seems to be a common problem with the nand chip they used. Plenty of others with the same issues, most lucky enough to get it fixed under warranty. Just maybe there is someone nice enough to help.

ASUS Infinity corrupted bootloader

My Infinity's bootloader is unlocked and I was rooted. It was running a little slowly so I decided to do a factory reset. It rebooted and just froze on the ASUS booting screen.
Tried rebooting it and it just froze on ASUS screen again.
So I tried starting while holding power + vol down and the recovery options were there. I went over to Wipe data and it said "wiping data" then it just froze on "initiating bootloader" so I had to force a reboot.
Now it just stays stuck on the ASUS boot screen. When I attempt to hold power and vol down the recovery options never even come up now. It just stays stuck on the ASUS screen.
When I hold down the power button the device never stays off. The screen will turn off, it'll vibrate, and then just try to boot up again.
I tried putting a paper clip in the hard reset hole to press the button and it will reset the device but my issues are still the same.
Is there some way to recover the device either with a computer or by putting files on the MicroSD card or something? I heard something about that but can't find any solid info on what to do. Any help is appreciated.

wushdishmeen said:
My Infinity's bootloader is unlocked and I was rooted. It was running a little slowly so I decided to do a factory reset. It rebooted and just froze on the ASUS booting screen.
Tried rebooting it and it just froze on ASUS screen again.
So I tried starting while holding power + vol down and the recovery options were there. I went over to Wipe data and it said "wiping data" then it just froze on "initiating bootloader" so I had to force a reboot.
Now it just stays stuck on the ASUS boot screen. When I attempt to hold power and vol down the recovery options never even come up now. It just stays stuck on the ASUS screen.
When I hold down the power button the device never stays off. The screen will turn off, it'll vibrate, and then just try to boot up again.
I tried putting a paper clip in the hard reset hole to press the button and it will reset the device but my issues are still the same.
Is there some way to recover the device either with a computer or by putting files on the MicroSD card or something? I heard something about that but can't find any solid info on what to do. Any help is appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Not looking too good, possible bricked and need to send in. Give it another try, as soon as the device turn off, hold volum down and power button, see if some how magically boot back into recovery?
Edit: is your pc detecting your device?? just plug in the usb and let it boot up.

buhohitr said:
Not looking too good, possible bricked and need to send in. Give it another try, as soon as the device turn off, hold volum down and power button, see if some how magically boot back into recovery?
Edit: is your pc detecting your device?? just plug in the usb and let it boot up.
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Click to collapse
If that's true then this thing is pretty crappy. I've only had it for a few months and I never flashed any custom ROMs to it and all I did was the factory reset which is a stock feature. I unlocked the bootloader with ASUS's official tool.
My Galaxy S3 is nearly impossible to brick... there's always a way to boot into either stock or custom recovery. Then you always have the option to flash it back to stock using Odin.
It's not showing up in My Computer either. Isn't there some way to force a flash by loading some files onto the MicroSD card? There has to be some last resort option other than sending it back.

wushdishmeen said:
If that's true then this thing is pretty crappy. I've only had it for a few months and I never flashed any custom ROMs to it and all I did was the factory reset which is a stock feature. I unlocked the bootloader with ASUS's official tool.
My Galaxy S3 is nearly impossible to brick... there's always a way to boot into either stock or custom recovery. Then you always have the option to flash it back to stock using Odin.
It's not showing up in My Computer either. Isn't there some way to force a flash by loading some files onto the MicroSD card? There has to be some last resort option other than sending it back.
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Click to collapse
There are but I don't think any one of these options apply:
1. Do you have nvflash backup? --nope
2. Do you have recovery ?--nope (probably corrupted bootloader due to factory wipe)
3. Can you pc see your device through ADB or fastboot ?-- I don't think so either.
So without the 3 mentioned above, your device is bricked. Just curious, what kind and what version of your recovery?? also what bootloader version you're using before the crash?

buhohitr said:
There are but I don't think any one of these options apply:
1. Do you have nvflash backup? --nope
2. Do you have recovery ?--nope (probably corrupted bootloader due to factory wipe)
3. Can you pc see your device through ADB or fastboot ?-- I don't think so either.
So without the 3 mentioned above, your device is bricked. Just curious, what kind and what version of your recovery?? also what bootloader version you're using before the crash?
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Click to collapse
I had the latest jellybean firmware and my device was up to date. I don't know what version my bootloader is... I'm guessing the latest version since I updated to jellybean? My recovery WAS working... I went into the settings and chose "Wipe data" and it said it was wiping data... but then froze on initializing boot or something.
I can get my computer to recognize it in APX mode if I start with Power button and Vol Up. But my computer doesn't have the drivers so it says "installing device" and APX driver is missing. Plus the screen on my tablet is just pitch black when I boot it in APX mode. Can I do anything with APX mode? Maybe use somebody else's NVflash backup? There has to be a way if ASUS is able to "repair" it when they get it. If someone here can figure it out for me I'll pay them $50 via PayPal or something.
This is such bullcrap. I'm always able to recover from a brick with any other android device. Why is this thing basically programmed to force a repair? I contacted ASUS and somehow the customer service rep knew my device's bootloader was unlocked. I'm guessing when you use the ASUS Bootloader tool it sends ASUS your serial number so they know you unlocked the device.
So the guy is claiming I am going to be charged $200 for the repair/replacement because my device is unlocked??? Are you kidding me? I rather just throw this thing out the window for fun.
ASUS entices you with an official bootloader unlock tool then clearly makes it so the device will brick if you basically try any sort of factory wipe. Plus the bootloader tool doesn't offer the option to re-lock the bootloader like every other device and third party unlock app does. Clearly making it so once you take the plunge you're screwed if you ever run into issues.

wushdishmeen said:
I had the latest jellybean firmware and my device was up to date. I don't know what version my bootloader is... I'm guessing the latest version since I updated to jellybean? My recovery WAS working... I went into the settings and chose "Wipe data" and it said it was wiping data... but then froze on initializing boot or something.
I can get my computer to recognize it in APX mode if I start with Power button and Vol Up. But my computer doesn't have the drivers so it says "installing device" and APX driver is missing. Plus the screen on my tablet is just pitch black when I boot it in APX mode. Can I do anything with APX mode? Maybe use somebody else's NVflash backup? There has to be a way if ASUS is able to "repair" it when they get it. If someone here can figure it out for me I'll pay them $50 via PayPal or something.
This is such bullcrap. I'm always able to recover from a brick with any other android device. Why is this thing basically programmed to force a repair? I contacted ASUS and somehow the customer service rep knew my device's bootloader was unlocked. I'm guessing when you use the ASUS Bootloader tool it sends ASUS your serial number so they know you unlocked the device.
So the guy is claiming I am going to be charged $200 for the repair/replacement because my device is unlocked??? Are you kidding me? I rather just throw this thing out the window for fun.
ASUS entices you with an official bootloader unlock tool then clearly makes it so the device will brick if you basically try any sort of factory wipe. Plus the bootloader tool doesn't offer the option to re-lock the bootloader like every other device and third party unlock app does. Clearly making it so once you take the plunge you're screwed if you ever run into issues.
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Click to collapse
Yes, I feel you man, did you had CWM custom recovery? When you did the factory reset, did you do it in the system settings or you did it through recovery (wipe data icon)? APX mode is for nvflash backup recovery and nvflash is specific per device, so you can't use someone else nvflash. I know you're mad, but it's still cheaper to get it repair than to buy another device with the same amount of money for the same meat.

ASUS Infinity Won't Boot Into Recovery BRICK ($50 IF YOU CAN HELP FIX IT)
buhohitr said:
Yes, I feel you man, did you had CWM custom recovery? When you did the factory reset, did you do it in the system settings or you did it through recovery (wipe data icon)? APX mode is for nvflash backup recovery and nvflash is specific per device, so you can't use someone else nvflash. I know you're mad, but it's still cheaper to get it repair than to buy another device with the same amount of money for the same meat.
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Click to collapse
Yea I am seriously baffled by this. ASUS just lost another customer. I was doing the reset so I could sell the device and put the money towards something else. It figures this happens...It's almost like the ASUS gods are trying to screw me over so I am stuck with their crap device. This is shady business considering all my other android devices are so easily recoverable and they don't even offer a tool to unlock the bootloader. You have to do it via a third party method and somehow even that is recoverable easily. You don't find it strange that ASUS offers the tool themselves and it's the only tablet that is unbrickable?
Again... $50 to the first person who can help me unbrick this thing. I will send it via PayPal for sure. The money is not the issue it's the principle of giving ASUS $200 more of my money when I know for a fact they programmed this thing to brick so they could pick my pockets. I'm getting really angry just thinking about it and I am close to smashing this thing with a hammer and filming it for YouTube.
Here is the exact chain of events.
1) I went into Android settings, backup/restore, and then choose Factory Reset. It restarted the tablet and just froze on the ASUS screen where it says "the device is unlocked" in the top left corner.
2) I waited 15 minutes and nothing happened. So I was forced to hard reset. After resetting the same crap happened and it just stayed on the ASUS logo screen.
3) I tried booting it with Power + Vol Down and got the recovery options. (i seriously wish I stopped here and checked the forum because I could of possibly fixed it). Figuring it would help, I went over to the WIPE DATA option in the recovery menu.
4) It said "wiping data.." and then said it was initializing bootloader or something and it just froze at that point.
5) Waited another 15 minutes and nothing happened. At this point I wasn't worried because every other device I have I would have ODIN as the last resort and it ALWAYS works.
6) Reboot the device again and that's where I'm at now. It stays on the ASUS boot screen and goes nowhere. I've tried getting back into recovery with Power + Vol Down but the options never appear again. Just goes to the normal boot screen no matter what I do and hangs there. It's clearly setup to brick itself which is incredibly ridiculous.
Do you think a method to fix it will come out eventually or is it impossible to unbrick this thing? Would replacing the motherboard from another tablet that was never unlocked fix the issue? I see the motherboard for this tablet selling for $175 and the iFixit teardown shows how to take it apart. It doesn't look too difficult.
I just cannot believe that an hour ago I had a $500 tablet and now the thing is worthless unless I want to shell out another $200. I seriously wish I didn't buy this thing. Maybe I can take it apart and sell the parts separately as is and hope to salvage my money back.

buhohitr said:
Yes, I feel you man, did you had CWM custom recovery? When you did the factory reset, did you do it in the system settings or you did it through recovery (wipe data icon)? APX mode is for nvflash backup recovery and nvflash is specific per device, so you can't use someone else nvflash. I know you're mad, but it's still cheaper to get it repair than to buy another device with the same amount of money for the same meat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also I did have CWM because I remember going through a tutorial and it being different than all my other devices. I had the RCK icon as the first option when I booted with Power + Vol Down.
The options were an RCK icon, a USB icon, something else I don't remember, and then Wipe Data/reset icon. I chose the wipe data icon and that's when my device was bricked. But FIRST I used the factory reset in the android settings under Backup/restore and it froze during that which is what caused me to try the factory wipe in the recovery options.
Would not having CWM improve my options to unbrick it? Or is having CWM a good thing?

It's bricked in my opinion.
You possibly had an old version of cwm that was incompatible with the JB bootloader. You asked the bootloader to wipe which asked the incompatible recovery to do it and it has corrupted the bootloader partition.
Without nvflash backups which you don't have you have no other choice other than to pay Asus to fix it (they will probably switch the motherboard) or sell it for scrap.
I don't think anyone on here can get you unbricked. There is always a risk something can go wrong when unlocked with custom recoveries which is why Asus make you agree to a waiver.
Sorry.

I've decided the best course of action is to part out the tablet. The digitizer alone goes for $130 on eBay and I could make $200 if I just sell the front panel, LCD, and digitizer as one assembly. It would actually be super useful to someone with a cracked screen since mine is flawless and you can remove a screen by simply popping a few clips inside the hinge holes for the keyboard dock and then a few around the device. Then they would just have to take mine, connect a ribbon cable, and then snap it into place.
Then I can probably sell the rest of the parts here or there for at least $100 and that's 80% of my money back already. The only other option is to just hold onto the thing and hope that someone here figures out a fix for this issue in the future. But I rather have the money now and just be done with this crappy product. Never buying ASUS again and I'm steering everyone else I know away from them as well.
If I paid ASUS the $200 to replace the motherboard and then sold the fully functional repaired tablet I would only get about $390 if I'm lucky. Newegg sells them brand new for $450 now already and I paid $490 for it not even 6 months ago. So I'd actually LOSE money if I sold it brand new even if I didn't need the repair. Fact is people need parts for their tablet more than they need the tablet itself.
sbdags said:
It's bricked in my opinion.
You possibly had an old version of cwm that was incompatible with the JB bootloader. You asked the bootloader to wipe which asked the incompatible recovery to do it and it has corrupted the bootloader partition.
Without nvflash backups which you don't have you have no other choice other than to pay Asus to fix it (they will probably switch the motherboard) or sell it for scrap.
I don't think anyone on here can get you unbricked. There is always a risk something can go wrong when unlocked with custom recoveries which is why Asus make you agree to a waiver.
Sorry.
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Click to collapse
Don't be sorry it's not your fault. It's ASUS' fault for releasing a bootloader tool that voids your warranty and then sets your device up to brick by removing your recovery options after a normal factory wipe. Why else would they release a tool that they are fully aware could brick your device with no chances of recovery? Especially since it doesn't let you re-lock the bootloader. Your serial number is sent to them the minute you unlock your device so it's not like someone would try to re-lock it to hide the fact that they locked it. So the only reason could be to make money off repairs.
Thanks for the attempted help guys it is very much appreciated. ASUS left a bad taste for sure. I own a lot of their products and I'm just really disappointed.

wushdishmeen said:
I've decided the best course of action is to part out the tablet. The digitizer alone goes for $130 on eBay and I could make $200 if I just sell the front panel, LCD, and digitizer as one assembly. It would actually be super useful to someone with a cracked screen since mine is flawless and you can remove a screen by simply popping a few clips inside the hinge holes for the keyboard dock and then a few around the device. Then they would just have to take mine, connect a ribbon cable, and then snap it into place.
Then I can probably sell the rest of the parts here or there for at least $100 and that's 80% of my money back already. The only other option is to just hold onto the thing and hope that someone here figures out a fix for this issue in the future. But I rather have the money now and just be done with this crappy product. Never buying ASUS again and I'm steering everyone else I know away from them as well.
If I paid ASUS the $200 to replace the motherboard and then sold the fully functional repaired tablet I would only get about $390 if I'm lucky. Newegg sells them brand new for $450 now already and I paid $490 for it not even 6 months ago. So I'd actually LOSE money if I sold it brand new even if I didn't need the repair. Fact is people need parts for their tablet more than they need the tablet itself.
Don't be sorry it's not your fault. It's ASUS' fault for releasing a bootloader tool that voids your warranty and then sets your device up to brick by removing your recovery options after a normal factory wipe. Why else would they release a tool that they are fully aware could brick your device with no chances of recovery? Especially since it doesn't let you re-lock the bootloader. Your serial number is sent to them the minute you unlock your device so it's not like someone would try to re-lock it to hide the fact that they locked it. So the only reason could be to make money off repairs.
Thanks for the attempted help guys it is very much appreciated. ASUS left a bad taste for sure. I own a lot of their products and I'm just really disappointed.
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately it's not Asus, unlocking or the bootloader that is the problem - it's the older incompatible version of CWM that has caused the issue. It didn't understand what you asked it to do as it is not compatible with Jelly Bean. You need to get this part clear. Many people wipe successfully from Android or the bootloader from ICS and JB regularly. Asus don't write code into their bootloader to deliberately brick your device when wiped. They also don't support custom recoveries that are not compatible with their bootloaders.
It is a documented issue that has caused others like yourself to brick your device when wiping JB when still essentially on an ICS recovery. Unfortunately there is no way you would know this without some research and Asus can't be held responsible for it as you waived your warranty when you unlocked for this very reason. Why should they pay for something you did that they don't support?
I know that doesn't help solve your problem but in this case it is not Asus who is at fault.

Re: ASUS Infinity won't boot into recovery or startup ($50 to person who helps fix it
sbdags said:
Asus can't be held responsible for it as you waived your warranty when you unlocked for this very reason. Why should they pay for something you did that they don't support?
I know that doesn't help solve your problem but in this case it is not Asus who is at fault.
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Asus should really give us our SBK when we unlock our devices - the we could fix this ourselves using nvflash.

_that said:
Asus should really give us our SBK when we unlock our devices - the we could fix this ourselves using nvflash.
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Click to collapse
Yes but I can totally understand why they don't as it would be a nightmare to support. It's a shame it cannot be reverse engineered.

sbdags said:
Yes but I can totally understand why they don't as it would be a nightmare to support. It's a shame it cannot be reverse engineered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't support an unlocked device anyway. It would be as easy as returning the SBK from the server together with the unlock token.

As I said I understand the idea of the warranty being voided by using the unlock tool. But ASUS certainly has programmed the device to brick when using custom recoveries which is something you just said yourself. They are being irresponsible by offering this tool and not telling customers that a custom recovery would brick the device for good. You honestly think they don't know this will happen?
My Galaxy S3 has an unlocked bootloader (through a third party method nonetheless), is rooted, has CWM recovery, is on Jellybean, and the recovery options never disappear with a factory wipe. So clearly it's possible. Even if the device won't boot into android it will still be recognized by Odin because it has download mode built in as a start up option. Holding power + vol up will allow me to enter download mode and I can flash the stock ROM again.
Unlike APX mode I don't need some encrypted nvflash backup just to recover my device. I can simply use the stock ROM to recover my device back to stock no matter what ROM or recovery I'm running. I maybe gave you the impression that I didn't know what I was doing. This issue is something that anyone could fall into and frankly ASUS should be telling people not to use factory wipe if they install a custom recovery. Why would they offer a bootloader unlock for any other reason than to cater to people who want to install custom recoveries and flash ROMs? There's no other use for it to a typical consumer.
The ASUS Infinity loses it's ability to communicate with your computer when this happens. That's the problem here. They need to either need to make it impossible to flash a custom recovery altogether or put a warning on their website near the download that says "Custom recoveries could brick your device when doing a factory wipe". Seeing as it's a well documented issue like you claim.
We are all entitled to our opinion. I'm not buying ASUS products anymore. It's not like I did something wrong and screwed it up. I did something that's possible on every other modern android device and was kicked in the nuts for it.

_that said:
Asus should really give us our SBK when we unlock our devices - the we could fix this ourselves using nvflash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're saying that it is actually possible to fix it if you had access to something that ASUS is voluntarily withholding from TF700T owners? So here is my question then. Why is it that ASUS is charging customers for motherboard replacements in order to fix this issue rather than simply reprogramming the existing motherboard?
I have never in my 18 years of working with computers seen a software issue corrupt or destroy a piece of hardware, whether directly or indirectly related to it. Whether we as consumers have the tools available to recover from the software issue is not the point. Nor am I saying that ASUS should fix it for free, since they clearly state that using the tool will void your warranty. My point is that ASUS should certainly have the ability to simply reprogram our motherboards for a reasonable fee, rather than forcing a motherboard replacement and charging 50% of the tablet's price to fix it.
To claim that the motherboard needs to be replaced is the same as me saying your computer's motherboard needs to be replaced because your Windows installation was corrupted. It just doesn't happen and Windows certainly also has it's share of bootloader errors. There is always a way to recover from software issues and salvage the hardware, unless it's some incredibly rare series of failures that lead to an electrical problem that fries the hardware. Which is certainly not the case here or anything remotely close to it.

MOD EDIT: DELETED
What I said was they should not be charging $200 for a replacement motherboard for a software related issue. They should be charging a reasonable fee to reprogram the existing component. From what I hear they also permanently lock the boot loader on the replacement motherboard. This is not helpful at all considering you lose the ability to customize your device now that you've learned what not to do.
Also warning people that a custom recovery can brick your device is not that crazy even though you seem to think it is. It's a well documented issue and the only thing that bricks the device. Not to mention the only purpose of unlocking the boot loader is so you can flash custom recoveries. So it's not like they have to run through a long list of possible problems like your over exaggeration implies.
Anyway... I managed to disassemble the tablet without breaking anything.
Question: Does anyone know if there is any way to reprogram the motherboard? Even with some sort of software or tool to connect it to a computer? Does swapping the motherboard with one that was never unlocked give the device a new serial status or will ASUS still think it's an unlocked device?
I'm assuming not obviously but I might as well ask. I guess my choices are to either spend $160 on a new motherboard and swap it out and sell it, or further disassemble and sell the parts. If anyone needs a flawless brand new digitizer and LCD panel let me know.
Thought I'd share some photos so others in the same situation feel more comfortable taking it apart. It was actually really easy. The motherboard is the long dark green component running along the top.
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wushdishmeen said:
So you're saying that it is actually possible to fix it if you had access to something that ASUS is voluntarily withholding from TF700T owners?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my understanding of the situation, after all that I read about the Tegra 3, APX mode, NVFlash etc.: yes, it would be possible if you knew the unique 128 bit AES "secure boot key" that is burnt into the fuses of your Tegra 3 chip. This key together with NVFlash enables you to write arbitrary partitions or blocks to the eMMC.
wushdishmeen said:
So here is my question then. Why is it that ASUS is charging customers for motherboard replacements in order to fix this issue rather than simply reprogramming the existing motherboard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only guess that their service centers do not have access to the database that stores the mapping from serial numbers to SBKs, and that they are generally unorganized - which shows because so many people have problems unlocking their tablets.
wushdishmeen said:
I have never in my 18 years of working with computers seen a software issue corrupt or destroy a piece of hardware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happens... https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-cdimage/+bug/1040557
wushdishmeen said:
To claim that the motherboard needs to be replaced is the same as me saying your computer's motherboard needs to be replaced because your Windows installation was corrupted.
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I agree - it's ridiculous and only the consequence of trying to lock users out of their own devices. I think the whole crap is due to DRM, to make media companies happy.
wushdishmeen said:
Also warning people that a custom recovery can brick your device is not that crazy even though you seem to think it is. It's a well documented issue and the only thing that bricks the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For Asus, there are no "well documented issues". They don't even document the issues they fix with firmware updates. Their customer service is a joke. And they don't need it - they are a big company. Big companies do not succeed by providing good customer service, they succeed by sucking slightly less than other big companies.
wushdishmeen said:
Question: Does anyone know if there is any way to reprogram the motherboard? Even with some sort of software or tool to connect it to a computer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "official" way is simply via USB in APX mode, but that's impossible without the SBK due to the encryption. The low-level way would be JTAG, but I have read that it is disabled on encrypted devices, and I don't even know where the connector is.
If you didn't know yet, here are more pictures of the internals:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Asus+Transformer+Infinity+TF+700+Teardown/10306/1
wushdishmeen said:
Does swapping the motherboard with one that was never unlocked give the device a new serial status or will ASUS still think it's an unlocked device?
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Click to collapse
Every Tegra 3 has a unique chip serial number. And the Asus serial number is stored on the eMMC.

Thanks for actually reading my post and providing all that useful info. I appreciate that you took the time and also understood where I was coming from. My first few posts were a reaction to the realization that it was bricked and I might have to pay $200 to fix it. But everything after that was a legitimate concern for the way ASUS is choosing to handle this issue. Hopefully anyone else who ends up in this situation will see this thread and it'll help them. I went through the motions for them and will hopefully end up with a good result either by swapping the motherboard myself or selling the parts for a good profit. I'll let everyone know the outcome either way.
_that said:
It happens... https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-cdimage/+bug/1040557
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't read what the entire issue was. But I can make a guess that this is an issue that can be resolved and the problem is just that the common consumer doesn't have the tools to fix it themselves. My actual point was not that we should be able to fix the ASUS tablet ourselves, but that ASUS should be able to fix it without needing to replace the motherboard.
_that said:
The "official" way is simply via USB in APX mode, but that's impossible without the SBK due to the encryption. The low-level way would be JTAG, but I have read that it is disabled on encrypted devices, and I don't even know where the connector is.
If you didn't know yet, here are more pictures of the internals:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Asus+...ardown/10306/1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you said JTAG I was thinking of the tools I have for my XBOX to JTAG and flash the NAND. That's unfortunate that it's not possible.
I'm aware of the iFixit article. I looked at it before taking the tablet apart and it helped me avoid breaking the side clips like he did. The reason I took the pictures wasn't because I thought there were none. It was basically just visual proof to instill confidence and encourage people to take theirs apart as well. I figure if they see a regular person like me take it apart with no hesitation they might opt to replace their own motherboard rather than pay ASUS $200.
_that said:
Every Tegra 3 has a unique chip serial number. And the Asus serial number is stored on the eMMC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the eMMC part of the motherboard or separate? I'm just curious if I could continue the warranty of whatever motherboard I install in the tablet. If I could even figure out the serial number to it.

wushdishmeen said:
I'm aware of the iFixit article.
...
Is the eMMC part of the motherboard or separate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the whole article, there are pictures of the motherboard with the chips explained - one of them is the eMMC.
wushdishmeen said:
I'm just curious if I could continue the warranty of whatever motherboard I install in the tablet. If I could even figure out the serial number to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you have any warranty on a "naked" motherboard at all except if it was installed by an authorized service center.

[Q] I Update my gf N5 to 4.4.3 and now everything is gone even the flash drive, help!

We updated the phone to 4.4.3 her phone is a plain vainilla N5, locked and unrooted. when it finished, the phone restarted and it was like we turn on the phone for the first time. the welcome and initial setup screen appeared. Since I sideloaded mine(mine is working fine). I didnt know if this was normal or not.
After the phone started. Two little notification icons appeared on the top left of the screen which I have never seen before. I tried to take a screenshot, but there was an error telling me I couldnt take a screenshot
http://imgur.com/3psmPCi [1]
One of the icons says there's no much space left. So I look at the storage screen and now the phone only has 128Mb of total space available
http://imgur.com/ewJDeOA [2]
everything is missing, photos, apps, contacts, everything. I tried to do a factory reset, but the final button is not working. it doenst do anything.
I tried to start the recovery through the bootloader and I get the sick android screen.
http://i.imgur.com/AwEo5tk [3]
I dont know what to do. I dont know if should flash a stock image or something. But I dont know what's the deal with the flash drive total space.
Any else has run into this? Any ideas?
EDIT:
I tried unlocking the bootloader and installing a custom recovery. No luck. After rebooting to into the custom recovery. The phone locks the bootloader again and there's no custom recovery anymore.
Also, everytime I turn off and on the phone. The initial setup screen comes up every time.

The device locks the bootloader again after unlocking it? Sounds like the eMMC chip is busted.

Try to flash a factory image, if that doesn't work you are screwed

vin4yak said:
The device locks the bootloader again after unlocking it? Sounds like the eMMC chip is busted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that replaceable? How did that happen?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

elgranchuy said:
Is that replaceable? How did that happen?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try unlocking the bootloader again and see if it unlocks?? If not, the motherboard needs to be swapped. No idea how it happened, it's a random hardware failure very common with the Nexus 5. I've seen lots of devices with a busted eMMC chip. It's strange that you can still boot into your OS. May be the chip is partly damaged. Anyways, it needs to be replaced.

vin4yak said:
You could try unlocking the bootloader again and see if it unlocks?? If not, the motherboard needs to be swapped. No idea how it happened, it's a random hardware failure very common with the Nexus 5. I've seen lots of devices with a busted eMMC chip. It's strange that you can still boot into your OS. May be the chip is partly damaged. Anyways, it needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are my options then? A couple of months ago we had to replace the screen through a third-party. Should I do an RMA with Google/LG. How do I explain this situation to them? Would they notice that I replace the screen?

elgranchuy said:
What are my options then? A couple of months ago we had to replace the screen through a third-party. Should I do an RMA with Google/LG. How do I explain this situation to them? Would they notice that I replace the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've bought the device from google play store, then contact google and explain them your situation. I'm not sure whether they will notice it or not. If they open up the device, they might notice it.
If you've bought it elsewhere then visit a LG Service center and let them take a look at the device.
As per warranty guidelines, any 3rd Party repairs performed on the device voids the warranty. So, there's a strong possibility that you/your gf might need to pay up.

Warranty return question (cannot flash stock ROM/recovery, or lock)

Hi.
I awoke to find my N5 sitting on the initial Google/unlocked padlock screen. I force turned it off and turned it back on - sat on the same screen for over a minute before getting the Google colours animation. Eventually boots into what looks like a factory reset. However, it hasn't picked up the SIM, the camera (and loads of other stuff) doesn't work. There is a warning at the top that storage space is running out - going into that is says Total space 128Mb (available 6.92Mb) - the 32Gb has disappeared! Factory reset doesn't work, clicking the erase button does nothing.
Using WUG's toolkit (yes I know people recommend using adb commands but I more or less know what's going and it's basically just a quicker way of doing the same thing) it will not flash a fresh stock ROM, will not flash the stock recovery and will not relock the device. It takes several minutes to go into TWRP.
Basically, something is very wrong! I've put in for a warranty replacement but am concerned that I cannot get it back to its locked status. Any advice on this, or for dealing with Google if they give me hassle over that? Their warranty return claims they can charge up to the full amount for the replacement if they deem it's damaged outwith warranty conditions.
I only really unlocked to use Droidwall/Adfree and Titanium Backup so have not been tinkering with anything deeper than that.
Thanks in advance if anyone can offer advice.

Use the fastboot command to lock rather than a toolkit so we can know what is going on. Lock it then reboot and let us know if it is still locked or not.
If it is unlocked again after reboot, usually means your NAND is fried and there is nothing you can do.
Only Google will not care if it is unlocked. LG and carriers typically do, so if you didn't buy from play, your warranty is probably lost

rootSU said:
Use the fastboot command to lock rather than a toolkit so we can know what is going on. Lock it then reboot and let us know if it is still locked or not.
If it is unlocked again after reboot, usually means your NAND is fried and there is nothing you can do.
Only Google will not care if it is unlocked. LG and carriers typically do, so if you didn't buy from play, your warranty is probably lost
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, and thanks for the quick response.
When I issue the command the state on the phone display changes to locked, but on reboot it's unlocked again... so I guess the NAND is fried. I did but it from Play though so should be okay, from what you say? I have a replacement on the way from them, I was just concerned about the state I was sending mine back in.
On the same (perhaps) topic, could this be anything to do with a Qi charger? I bought one - this one - for the girlfriend's N4 for xmas and she's been using it quite happily. I've used my N5 on it just a few times and it was on it when it "died". I'm just unsure as to whether to advise her to stop using it with the N4 or not, given that has happened and I've no idea if it's related!
Thanks again.

Yeah return to Google is fine, non issue.
Qi? Nah... Just bad luck.

rootSU said:
Yeah return to Google is fine, non issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a weight off my mind, cheers!

"your device is corrupted and cannot be trusted"

Hi all. I have a 2016 Sony Xperia XZ running on Android 8.0 Oreo. My battery got swollen and I try to replace it with newer battery.
The process went normally, but when I try to boot the device, the phone just shutdown and after its reboot, I got a message said "your device is corrupted and cannot be trusted".
It's weird, it never happened before. And when I shut off the phone, it didn't even charge. My question is;
1.Did I messed up the battery connector, I try using my old battery(swollen, but still has good health), but it got the same issue, and it wouldn't charge.
2.If I messed up the battery connector, for sure it wouldn't boot up, but the phone boots, but after 1 second it shut off.
3.Does sub-par BMS chip can cause the motherboard goes haywire? Or it just a firmware/software issues?
4.I use a Japan secondhand set(SOV34 KDDI AU), the bootloader is can't be unlock, but I already enable USB debugging on developer option, can I use any firmware flasher on Windows?

Try a factory reset.
You may have damaged the display and/or mobo assuming it has power.
The brick alone doesn't supply enough current to boot.

blackhawk said:
Try a factory reset.
You may have damaged the display and/or mobo assuming it has power.
The brick alone doesn't supply enough current to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply, I will try it. My phone is a Japan secondhand set with bootloader status unlock: no, but I still can use Flashtool or Sony Companion right?

faizikari said:
Thanks for your reply, I will try it. My phone is a Japan secondhand set with bootloader status unlock: no, but I still can use Flashtool or Sony Companion right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The firmware shouldn't be corrupted. It rarely happens. If you flash go with a stock rom although with an unlocked bootloader you have more flexibility. Try to rule out a hardware issue first.
A factory reset wouldn't be the first option I would until I was confident it wasn't a hardware caused failure. Flashing be my last resort. I never had to flash any of my Androids in over a decade due to corruption. Usually it's the user partition that gets corrupted or more likely a 3rd party app screws it up. A factory reset would set back to its default settings*.
The bootloader being unlocked plus running on Android 8 make it much more susceptible to rootkits and malware... bare that in mind. Android 9 is a more secure OS. 10 is sort of a pain and uses more resources.
*Android 8 and lower are suspectable to partition worming rootkits like Xhelper. If infected with that it can be purged without a reflash now, I believe. If present it would need to be addressed though...

blackhawk said:
The firmware shouldn't be corrupted. It rarely happens. If you flash go with a stock rom although with an unlocked bootloader you have more flexibility. Try to rule out a hardware issue first.
A factory reset wouldn't be the first option I would until I was confident it wasn't a hardware caused failure. Flashing be my last resort. I never had to flash any of my Androids in over a decade due to corruption. Usually it's the user partition that gets corrupted or more likely a 3rd party app screws it up. A factory reset would set back to its default settings*.
The bootloader being unlocked plus running on Android 8 make it much more susceptible to rootkits and malware... bare that in mind. Android 9 is a more secure OS. 10 is sort of a pain and uses more resources.
*Android 8 and lower are suspectable to partition worming rootkits like Xhelper. If infected with that it can be purged without a reflash now, I believe. If present it would need to be addressed though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw lots of Pixel and few Sony, LG and Moto also had that issue. In terms of Sony, I did saw Xperia XZ2 did had that issues.
But my phone can turn on, it went to the lockscreen and less than second it shut off. I'm quite scared if its a hardware issue, it couldn't charge, but the battery connection looks okay to me. Does low quality BMS chip can cause some haywire to the motherboard?
My bootloader unlock status is no, because it's rare to found a Japan import set that can unlock its bootloader.

faizikari said:
I saw lots of Pixel and few Sony, LG and Moto also had that issue. In terms of Sony, I did saw Xperia XZ2 did had that issues.
But my phone can turn on, it went to the lockscreen and less than second it shut off. I'm quite scared if its a hardware issue, it couldn't charge, but the battery connection looks okay to me. Does low quality BMS chip can cause some haywire to the motherboard?
My bootloader unlock status is no, because it's rare to found a Japan import set that can unlock its bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the battery known to be good? What voltage is it showing? That's not a load test though.
I know it's new, but...
A new battery should have somewhere between a 30-70% charge on it when recieved. So if good it should have enough to boot it even if not charged. If not charging and especially if the power state is unknown flashing firmware is unwise.
If there's no indication of charging it could be anything from the outlet, brick, cable, port, connector(s), battery or mobo. The SOC is a BGA chipset and can be damaged by excessive board flexing as can other chipsets.
Can you get into the recovery menu?

blackhawk said:
Is the battery known to be good? What voltage is it showing? That's not a load test though.
I know it's new, but...
A new battery should have somewhere between a 30-70% charge on it when recieved. So if good it should have enough to boot it even if not charged. If not charging and especially if the power state is unknown flashing firmware is unwise.
If there's no indication of charging it could be anything from the outlet, brick, cable, port, connector(s), battery or mobo. The SOC is a BGA chipset and can be damaged by excessive board flexing as can other chipsets.
Can you get into the recovery menu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read review of the seller of that battery, mostly positive, and I bought my past battery from the same seller and it didn't had any issues other than swollen after 1 year of usage. The battery arrived I think at 40%.
I've read on some thread that when Android phones got corrupted like mine, it can't be charge at its off state, unless if it's enter flashmode, then it can be charge. But I couldn't remember what thread that was, it might be XZ2 thread. On Pixel and OnePlus thread that I found also said the same thing.
Can I know how to enter recovery mode for Sony Xperia XZ? For the time being I unable to access to any Windows PC, so I can't try charging my phone via flashmode.

faizikari said:
I've read review of the seller of that battery, mostly positive, and I bought my past battery from the same seller and it didn't had any issues other than swollen after 1 year of usage. The battery arrived I think at 40%.
I've read on some thread that when Android phones got corrupted like mine, it can't be charge at its off state, unless if it's enter flashmode, then it can be charge. But I couldn't remember what thread that was, it might be XZ2 thread. On Pixel and OnePlus thread that I found also said the same thing.
Can I know how to enter recovery mode for Sony Xperia XZ? For the time being I unable to access to any Windows PC, so I can't try charging my phone via flashmode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if that's true or not. Try some Goggle searches. It's a handful.
It shouldn't have gone corrupted unless there was physical damage as flash memory retains its data for many years without power.
ESD damage is also a possibility. If you can't bring up recovery it's essentially bricked... I think.
The battery seems isolated from the mobo. Check the C port pcb for damage. The display is in harm's way. I had a battery fail on my N10+, because of the case I didn't notice the bulging rear cover. I was very lucky the display wasn't damaged.
Maybe someone else here has a better plan.

blackhawk said:
I don't know if that's true or not. Try some Goggle searches. It's a handful.
It shouldn't have gone corrupted unless there was physical damage as flash memory retains its data for many years without power.
ESD damage is also a possibility. If you can't bring up recovery it's essentially bricked... I think.
The battery seems isolated from the mobo. Check the C port pcb for damage. The display is in harm's way. I had a battery fail on my N10+, because of the case I didn't notice the bulging rear cover. I was very lucky the display wasn't damaged.
Maybe someone else here has a better plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that my older sister phone, Sony Xperia X Performance, also use Snapdragon 820 and Android 8.0 Oreo also had that same issue as mine once when I swap a new battery, but it happened once and now that phone just run normally without any issues.
It's totally weird why I saw lots of Pixel device got the same issue as mine, and most of it said they never open their phone and never even disturb its bootloader or some sort.
I think the last resort is for me to use Sony PC Companion to repair my phone, or flash the whole firmware using Flashtool. If it still had that issue, it must be I messed up the board or something.
Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it a lot.

faizikari said:
Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that my older sister phone, Sony Xperia X Performance, also use Snapdragon 820 and Android 8.0 Oreo also had that same issue as mine once when I swap a new battery, but it happened once and now that phone just run normally without any issues.
It's totally weird why I saw lots of Pixel device got the same issue as mine, and most of it said they never open their phone and never even disturb its bootloader or some sort.
I think the last resort is for me to use Sony PC Companion to repair my phone, or flash the whole firmware using Flashtool. If it still had that issue, it must be I messed up the board or something.
Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome.
If it's a known issue than it maybe exactly that.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you.

blackhawk said:
You're welcome.
If it's a known issue than it maybe exactly that.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh not at all, I'm totally glad that someone reply my post. I'd just found the thread that I mentioned, it's from Sony Xperia 1 II thread. This person had the similiar issue as mine. Hopefully it's a software issue consider their phone did successful to boots up.
1. Phone got corrupt.
2. Battery is low and can't charge when it's off.
3. Only charge if it's in flashmode.
Bootloop - Your Device is Corrupt
Yesterday I flash SEA firmwear to Xperia 1 ii via Flasher which result to constant boot loop with error message "Your device is corrupt. It can't be trusted and will not boot" I have attempted to repair the phone via Xperia Companion, however...
forum.xda-developers.com

Sometimes it takes a while to get replies especially with older phones.
Yeah I found this. Hope that gets it for you.
Try Google searches like: "Sony Xperia XZ, your device is corrupted and cannot be trusted"
Google searches are the easiest and probably the best way to search the XDA forum
The Google web crawlers never sleep... they don't find everything though even with precise key words. You may dig up some more useful information as it is out there by now.
Cross platforming works many times; it doesn't need to be that exact Sony model. Many issues are long standing and are found on to several models even years apart. Use whatever comes in handy...

Woah, thanks a bunch for posting link for that thread, I keep Googling it but never found that thread on Sony's forum yet.
I did found some Xperia XZ2 that had the same issue as mine. I totally curious what cause the software to be corrupt like that, bad apps maybe? I did uses a few cracked apps that I sideload the APK, maybe that one of the reason.

faizikari said:
Woah, thanks a bunch for posting link for that thread, I keep Googling it but never found that thread on Sony's forum yet.
I did found some Xperia XZ2 that had the same issue as mine. I totally curious what cause the software to be corrupt like that, bad apps maybe? I did uses a few cracked apps that I sideload the APK, maybe that one of the reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad apps can screw up the user partition data and sometimes cause a boot loop. They normally can't corrupt the system partition though... they shouldn't be able to.
There's the little monster xhelper. Android 8 and lower are vulnerable to it. Always scan any side loaded apps first with Virustotal. A seemingly good app could also latter download its payload.
If any doubt exists do not install it.