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[Q] Nexus 5 fully wiped (system, data...), bootloader Locked

Dear all,
I am new on Android, the Nexus 5 is my first android device. I freshly come from a 5 years old iPhone 3G.
2 Weeks ago I unlocked the bootloader of my device and rooted it following the tutorials provided by the XDA community without any problem.
Today, I saw that the OTA to upgrade from the Android version 4.4 to the version 4.4.2 was available directly from the device.
Since I did not want this update to be a problem with my rooted device, I downloaded the following apps: BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices and OTA RootKeeper (I do realize using RootKeeper was stupid since anyway the last update was released on July 25, 3 months before KitKat...). But anyway, this is what I did. I used those apps to Lock my Bootloader and unRoot my phone, thinking that this will reduce the chances of potential conflict with the OTA update.
Afterward, I downloaded and tried to instal the OTA directly from the Nexus 5. It ends up that I got stuck on the recovery menu. It was then impossible to get back on android and I did not know what to do.
This is where I did something totally crazy. Usually I spend time reading tutorials and finding information before doing anything that I do not fully understand. But at this stage I simply thought that the update could not properly instal due to the root. So I went on Advanced Wipe, I ticked all the options (data, system, Cash, Dalvik... all of them), and wiped the device.
As a result, my Nexus 5 has currently a Locked Bootloader and no OS installed. This means that I cannot activate the developer menu (no OS) to tick the option USB debugging. Thus, I cannot unlock my bootloader and in consequence I cannot instal the factory image and get back to stock.
Please, If you can give me some advice, explain me how can I unlock the bootloader in these conditions. Let me know... I really don't know what to do now.
PS: sorry my english is not perfect but I do hope you clearly understand my problem.

Yoyo-san said:
Dear all,
I am new on Android, the Nexus 5 is my first android device. I freshly come from a 5 years old iPhone 3G.
2 Weeks ago I unlocked the bootloader of my device and rooted it following the tutorials provided by the XDA community without any problem.
Today, I saw that the OTA to upgrade from the Android version 4.4 to the version 4.4.2 was available directly from the device.
Since I did not want this update to be a problem with my rooted device, I downloaded the following apps: BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices and OTA RootKeeper (I do realize using RootKeeper was stupid since anyway the last update was released on July 25, 3 months before KitKat...). But anyway, this is what I did. I used those apps to Lock my Bootloader and unRoot my phone, thinking that this will reduce the chances of potential conflict with the OTA update.
Afterward, I downloaded and tried to instal the OTA directly from the Nexus 5. It ends up that I got stuck on the recovery menu. It was then impossible to get back on android and I did not know what to do.
This is where I did something totally crazy. Usually I spend time reading tutorials and finding information before doing anything that I do not fully understand. But at this stage I simply thought that the update could not properly instal due to the root. So I went on Advanced Wipe, I ticked all the options (data, system, Cash, Dalvik... all of them), and wiped the device.
As a result, my Nexus 5 has currently a Locked Bootloader and no OS installed. This means that I cannot activate the developer menu (no OS) to tick the option USB debugging. Thus, I cannot unlock my bootloader and in consequence I cannot instal the factory image and get back to stock.
Please, If you can give me some advice, explain me how can I unlock the bootloader in these conditions. Let me know... I really don't know what to do now.
PS: sorry my english is not perfect but I do hope you clearly understand my problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got it all wrong. You do not need USB debugging to unlock bootloader. to unlock bootloader you must use FASTBOOT commands, which means you MUST be in the bootloader itself. USB debugging ONLY works in android.

rootSU said:
You've got it all wrong. You do not need USB debugging to unlock bootloader. to unlock bootloader you must use FASTBOOT commands, which means you MUST be in the bootloader itself. USB debugging ONLY works in android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear RootSU,
So this means that I am not stuck at all and that I am simply limited by my current knowledge about android?
If this is the case, then "alleluia"! I will document myself to be able to fix this thing.

Yoyo-san said:
So this means that I am not stuck at all and that I am simply limited by my current knowledge about android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much
You should be able to unlock the bootloader as you did before.

Boot phone to fastboot mode, download fastboot and adb kit to you computer... it can be found here on forums easy, and in comand line to unlock bootloader you need type "fastboot oem unlock".
More complete guide you can find here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507905 =)

rootSU said:
Pretty much
You should be able to unlock the bootloader as you did before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's ok now!
As you said, I could unlock the Bootloader the same way I did before. Then I install the factory image 4.4.2, which I rooted directly.
Thanks a lot RootSu, you've shown me my mistakes and put me on the way to fix my problem.
Thanks also for your concern Biggreen. =)
Problem solved!

rootSU said:
You've got it all wrong. You do not need USB debugging to unlock bootloader. to unlock bootloader you must use FASTBOOT commands, which means you MUST be in the bootloader itself. USB debugging ONLY works in android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear RootSU,
One more question, could you explain me why I got stuck into the recovery menu when I first tried to update via the OTA? Will I get the same kind of problem when I'll update with the v4.4.3 in the future?
Thanks

Yoyo-san said:
Dear RootSU,
One more question, could you explain me why I got stuck into the recovery menu when I first tried to update via the OTA? Will I get the same kind of problem when I'll update with the v4.4.3 in the future?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure on the extact reason. OTA itself will not install with a custom recovery. You have to download the OTA and boot to recovery then manually flash.
There is a good "OTA Helpdesk" sticky thread in general you should read as theres lots of advice there

hi there...i've got the same problem... i wiped everythink and now i'm not able to switch on my phone....i just want to get out of this somehow...i'm very much new to this and i just want to get my stock android back that's it...somebody please help....

Do you see the battery icon when you connect the phone to a charger? Does the LED turn red when you connect the phone to a charger? Maybe leave the phone connected for a couple of hours and then try to power on?

abnormal phone behaviour with 5.0.2 need help

first of all, i have searched a lot about the issue i am having, i have not found a single one as mine.
XT1033 with locked bootloader
It started with 5.0.2 ota update, the update file was downloaded and flashing was smoothly done, after the final restart it stuck in a boot loop (on the moto logo white coloured). i straight away went to service center and they told me that my motherboard was the issue, needs to be changed for almost the cost of the phone itself.
then i thought of trying somethings from here (xda), found [5.0.2][Restore to Stock][XT1033] Asia Retail [Dual Sim][4.4.2/4.4.2][LockBootloader] i tried flashing stock firmware from this thread not flashing the "mfastboot.exe oem lock begin" and "mfastboot.exe oem lock" part. And the phone started!!!! i was laughing about the motherboard thing
Used it for about 15 days with no bug, no issues, no random reboots, the again one day it simply went into bootloop again, i was sure that there was a hardware issue, but then again i went through the same procedure and it was again working, this same process has happened for about 4-5 times on the last month.
i would like to know:
1. Is it a hardware issue? (service center people will surely make me buy a new motherboard)
2. Is it some kind of issue with the lollipop, downgrading to kitkat will help?
3. any permanent solution (or will i have to format the phone every 10 days?)
any help is very much appreciated.

kaliyaakakallu1 said:
first of all, i have searched a lot about the issue i am having, i have not found a single one as mine.
XT1033 with locked bootloader
It started with 5.0.2 ota update, the update file was downloaded and flashing was smoothly done, after the final restart it stuck in a boot loop (on the moto logo white coloured). i straight away went to service center and they told me that my motherboard was the issue, needs to be changed for almost the cost of the phone itself.
then i thought of trying somethings from here (xda), found [5.0.2][Restore to Stock][XT1033] Asia Retail [Dual Sim][4.4.2/4.4.2][LockBootloader] i tried flashing stock firmware from this thread not flashing the "mfastboot.exe oem lock begin" and "mfastboot.exe oem lock" part. And the phone started!!!! i was laughing about the motherboard thing
Used it for about 15 days with no bug, no issues, no random reboots, the again one day it simply went into bootloop again, i was sure that there was a hardware issue, but then again i went through the same procedure and it was again working, this same process has happened for about 4-5 times on the last month.
i would like to know:
1. Is it a hardware issue? (service center people will surely make me buy a new motherboard)
2. Is it some kind of issue with the lollipop, downgrading to kitkat will help?
3. any permanent solution (or will i have to format the phone every 10 days?)
any help is very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replacing the motherboard is a very bad idea as you can buy a new phone from that money
You can try unlocking the bootloader and flashing a custom ROM
PS- After unlocking BL You can take a backup is your data partition with a custom recovery and then no worries of data loss

So this is not a hardware issue??

kaliyaakakallu1 said:
So this is not a hardware issue??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't tell you that now because it may be after all a hardware issue
Now
Is your phone in warranty?
Do you have any problem in unlocking the bootloader?

sjandroiddeveloper said:
I can't tell you that now because it may be after all a hardware issue
Now
Is your phone in warranty?
Do you have any problem in unlocking the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, the phone is not in warranty.
And about unlocking the boot loader, one option for me was to get a new moto g 2014 with exchange offer on flipkart (i am from india and flipkart is reducing about Rs 3000 for this phone). So i am not sure that if i unlock the boot loader will they accept it??
is there a way to relock it and make it stock?

kaliyaakakallu1 said:
no, the phone is not in warranty.
And about unlocking the boot loader, one option for me was to get a new moto g 2014 with exchange offer on flipkart (i am from india and flipkart is reducing about Rs 3000 for this phone). So i am not sure that if i unlock the boot loader will they accept it??
is there a way to relock it and make it stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can lock the bootloader again but that's I think not gonna help because when you unlock your device you need to get the unlock code from Motorola only, so they after all know that you unlocked it once
And buying a second gen moto g is not a good deal at current time as the internals are almost same on both devices and besides you are getting only Rs 3000 off that's not a big amount on money considering that you may still be able to save your device

sjandroiddeveloper said:
Yes you can lock the bootloader again but that's I think not gonna help because when you unlock your device you need to get the unlock code from Motorola only, so they after all know that you unlocked it once
And buying a second gen moto g is not a good deal at current time as the internals are almost same on both devices and besides you are getting only Rs 3000 off that's not a big amount on money considering that you may still be able to save your device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the suggestion.
as soon as i get home, i will look into unlocking bootloader and installing some custom rom, can you recommend any particular rom that you are using, need it as a daily driver (stable one) .

kaliyaakakallu1 said:
thanks for the suggestion.
as soon as i get home, i will look into unlocking bootloader and installing some custom rom, can you recommend any particular rom that you are using, need it as a daily driver (stable one) .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And please think before talking any step
I said "you may be able to save your device" and not "you will surely be able to save your device"
Don't blame me if custom ROMs are not able to solve your problem
These things don't always have a desired output
Now if you are ready for some customs things my suggestions to you
* Use either philz touch latest or TWRP from xda ( and not from TWRP's official site)
* For ROMs , if you still want to stick with Motorola's stock ROM you can try custom recovery flashable zip made by @lost101
He made both normal variants and optimised ones
*Or if you wanna use custom ROMs try CM 12.1 latest nightly
*Read properly how to flash everything
*If while flashing anything you see any error in logs report back ( it may be able to tell if there's a hardware fault)

Warranty with T-Mobile

So I have received a "Certified Pre-Owned" Nexus 5 from T-Mobile just a couple days ago. Within the first few hours, I rooted it. At this point I could no longer install (but still received) OTAs, and IIRC that is because the system partition has been altered. I eventually did unroot, but I still could not install OTAs. Now, there is a hardware issue with the phone: it will not vibrate properly anymore. And I have tried those solutions like pressing on the back. So will need to return this phone for a replacement or repair. I have read somewhere that T-Mobile runs a diagnostic tool to check the phone software. My phone is not rooted, and I have not unlocked it or altered the ROM in any way, but will T-Mobile know that my system partition is different? Am I still covered under warranty?

You could just flash the latest entire factory image and relock the bootloader - not sure how Tmobile would be able to tell anything different especially since the nexus 5 isn't a carrier locked device.

janjanrex said:
You could just flash the latest entire factory image and relock the bootloader - not sure how Tmobile would be able to tell anything different especially since the nexus 5 isn't a carrier locked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't plan to unlock my bootloader at all for a while. I unrooted with KingRoot, and now my phone is identical to stock except for a couple of files in the system partition that are traces of the root. I know this because OTA installations will result in an error. But that is the only thing that differs from a stock device. Will T-Mobile be able to access the system partition or somehow force an OTA upon it and find that it was once rooted? This is what I fear. What exactly does T-Mobile do when it receives the phone to make sure it had warranty?

Actually, what I would like to know for my peace of mind is...
Is there any way that T-Mobile can find out that I rooted?

janjanrex said:
You could just flash the latest entire factory image and relock the bootloader - not sure how Tmobile would be able to tell anything different especially since the nexus 5 isn't a carrier locked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the Nexus Root Toolkit to unlock, flash stock, unroot, lock, set tamper to false, etc. I can install OTAs now, and there is no way that I can think that my phone can be seen as altered. Just to confirm:
Is there any way now that T-Mobile will know that I did anything?

[SOS!!!] My Pixel doesn't boot!!!

Hi there:
I’ve got a second-hand Pixel 1 last week, I unlocked, installed TWRP and rooted yesterday, but I unrooted today because some reasons.
I did a wrong decision, I erased the phone by System Settings, and locked it.
After I locked it, when I boot it, it only have Google logo flash for about 0.1second then gone. I tried to flash the factory images from Google, but it requires unlock to flash it.
I even can’t unlock it now because I can’t get into the System to turn on “Allow unlock OEM loader”, so it got failed. I used fastboot OEM unlock and fast flashing unlock, they both doesn’t work.
I don’t really want to send the phone back to Google US because I doesn’t live in America, so it’s not really easy and really expensive to send it, and I also really need this phone because the battery of my old phone is almost dead. And the Google Support Team in my country/region says that I can’t send to the repair center locally because they only accept Pixel 3/3XL/3a/3aXL/4/4XL
Thanks the suggestions from you guys!

I have a similar issue.
I unlocked the bootloader via ADB but I couldn't even get a copy of TWRP to work at all. The phone also eventually stopped working on the stock install too but taking the option it presented of doing a full wipe and reset fixed at least THAT part.
Still can't get TWRP or Lineage up on it :/

Reboot to fastboot mode and flash stock recovery image (according to your os version).

[Help] Bricked phone stuck in bootloop

I have an old Asus Zenfone 4 that randomly got stuck in a boot loop while it was recharging, and now I don't know how to fix it, or even if it is possible to fix. The only thing that still works is fastboot mode (recovery mode doesn't work either, so SD cards are out of question).
I have tried a number of things to factory reset the phone and see if it changes anything, but it seems impossible to unlock its partitions for flashing: commands such as fastboot flashing unlock, fastboot oem asus-go or anything similar just throw errors saying that the command doesn't exist, or if it does, that I don't have permission to run them. For this same reason, I couldn't use things such as TWRP as I can't flash any of the partitions on my phone. Additionally, I have tried to enable adb through fastboot oem, but even though the command is successful, whenever I get the system info, it says that adb debugging is still off.
Does anyone know a way to either unlock this device or factory reset it without unlocking?

Another old-ish device killed by the silent OTA update of the OEM!
The deadly mistake of connecting an old-ish device to OEM servers for fresh install.

Check with unauthorized service centers who have <Miracle Box> if they can flash with fastboot. Or authorized service centers might charge but they could revive the device.

OldNoobOne said:
Check with unauthorized service centers who have <Miracle Box> if they can flash with fastboot. Or authorized service centers might charge but they could revive the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By what you are saying... Is it actually impossible for me to unlock the bootloader? I have no problem with service centers, but it would be much better and quicker if there was was a way for me to unlock it.

rafk12 said:
By what you are saying... Is it actually impossible for me to unlock the bootloader? I have no problem with service centers, but it would be much better and quicker if there was was a way for me to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I threw away two old chaina phones just because I made the mistake of reflashing the original OS and tried to update from OEM servers..BOOM! Dead Phone!
The moment OEM servers detect an old device connected to their servers for an update, they kill the device so that new devices can be sold in the market, why would this happen to a device which was working perfectly under a Custom ROM before? I dont update the device from OEM channelsbecause OEM might try to kill the device after warranty period, instead I update through the Custom ROM channel.

Maybe some chip got fried while charging the device, among the asian brands shamshung & WonPlus have durable components but other asian brands maximum 4 years before the components like display etc. or even the chipset components begin to fail. Or it could be the OEM update thing too