Related
So, this happened recently, and I fixed it. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1735119
Well, outta no where, same basic issue, but with a twist.
This afternoon while I was asleep my GTab rebooted. It came back to the "Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus" splash screen and is stuck. I *can* get into download mode, and I can almost get into recovery. When I try to go into recovery, it loads what looks like it will be recovery, then says:
# Manual Mode #
-- Updating Application
Then a minute or so later it reboots right back to the GT7+ splash screen and stays there...
Twist:
So, knowing what I did last time, I installed Odin and the Samsung drivers on my POS computer at home, booted into Download Mode, and did the "PDA" option with the correct FW (same as I used last time for the T869 from SamMobile, I saved all the files). It runs through just fine, gets to the end and the Tab reboots. It then goes into recovery and and does a few things (I believe it said it was deleting the cache and a few other processes). Then, lastly, it again says:
"# Manual Mode #
-- Updating Application
... followed by a reboot, and back to hanging on the boot logo.
Any ideas?!? Ironically, I put it on CL today to see if I can sell it for enough to cover a Nexus7. I woke up to an offer, and a bricked Tab. Figures.
Any thoughts/help are greatly appreciated. The sooner the better. lol
Is it possible that I need to flash a good recovery in Odin? If so, what's the procedure. and can someone link me to the one I would need for the US TMobile 4G version of the GT7+?
Also, since flashing the stock FW isn't fixing anything, and it seems like a possible Recovery issue, a friend at work is suggesting I choose the option in Odin to delete the partitions.
Thoughts??? (quickly)
Damn dude, again?
I think there is 3 or 4 threads about this on this forum and same amount on 7.7 forum. None come to a cause our solution, seems like people repeats some procedures and out of nothing it works again.
When it happened to me a let its battery drain fully to the point it won't turn on anymore let it this way for some time. Then fully charged, this is a little harmful to your bat, for the record. Then try to turn on, it will take some time but eventually it could enter on the system.
I think the data partition got corrupted.
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk 2
Yup.
So, I tried the option in Odin to re0make the partition, and every time I try it fails with an error of "Can't Open Package" (or something along those lines).
I have reinstalled the FW through Odin no less than 10 times, nogo. The first time I open recovery after flashing, It says it is installing a package, clearing cache, etc, and the last line always says "-- Updating Application". After 10-15 seconds, that goes away and it reboots only to hang on the GT7Plus splash screen again. Then, any time I go into recovery after that first post-Odin instance, if says:
"# Manual Mode #
-- Updating Application
Should I be trying to reinstall Recovery? If so, what do I use (link)? Also, how do I do that in Odin...
I believe that for use remake partition you have to provide the pit file if your stock does not have it.
Anyway I did that also about 3 times, providing the pit and the md5, they flashed ok, but the problem was the same. Did you tried the battery thing? Some guy give a tip to start with the usb plugged.
Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
leodfs said:
I believe that for use remake partition you have to provide the pit file if your stock does not have it.
Anyway I did that also about 3 times, providing the pit and the md5, they flashed ok, but the problem was the same. Did you tried the battery thing? Some guy give a tip to start with the usb plugged.
Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where was that tip? Link?
Also, any one have that .pit file I can try with?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28574760
Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
Hey buddy..
Which fw u using? T869 came shipped with 2 different, search for both of them and try each one...don't use repartition without the correct pit file...
Maybe not here but I google sgh-t869 factory and found a website with both tar
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
statuzz said:
Hey buddy..
Which fw u using? T869 came shipped with 2 different, search for both of them and try each one...don't use repartition without the correct pit file...
Maybe not here but I google sgh-t869 factory and found a website with both tar
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure which file it is that I'm using, I'll have to look at home in a couple of hours. This happened to me a few weeks ago (link in original post), and I flashed this FW with Odin and it recovered, and has been fine since (till now), so I know it's at least a usable FW. I'll try to find the other one today.
I just tried finding the stock pit file for the TMo SGH-T869, but I can't find it. Anyone have a link to it by chance? Also, once I get it, what do I do (options to choose) in Odin to flash it?... and do I do it at the same time as the FW?
Thanks for any help! I was really hoping to sell it in the next day or two to fund the Nexus7, so now I'm really frustrated.
ETA: Also, I let it completely die, to the point it wouldn't boot. Then charged it for a bit and booted. Same issue.
I think that if u find the pit file they should be flash at the same time...fw in pda and pit in phone...(this need to be check to confirm) after flashing.. reboot into factory recovery wipe everything and try to boot
Hopefully u fix that today
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
When it happened to me, i flashed the pit first and at the same with stock with re partition checked, didnt help. I did everything that I could find and I feel like it only worked again by itself
You can look every single thread of this exact problem, the ones that got it back working can't really say how, they flash everything many times and it suddenly works.
The good things are that flash the stock ones don't increase you flash count, and as long as you can enter download mode you are not really s#%
Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the help...
Anyone have a link to the .pit for this model (T869)?
Also, I had a thought. When I go into Recovery, I get the following and then it reboots again:
# Manual Mode #
-- Updating Application
1. Is it possible that recovery is hosed, and overwriting it with a fresh version will allow me to wipe the device, set to factory and then boot? Maybe this is the issue?
2. Is it even possible to just flash a fresh copy of the recovery over whatever is there (or replace it)?
2.a. If it is possible, what file should I use, and do I do it though Odin? Anyone have a link to what I should use?
Thanks :good:
VisualOddity said:
Thanks for the help...
Anyone have a link to the .pit for this model (T869)?
Also, I had a thought. When I go into Recovery, I get the following and then it reboots again:
# Manual Mode #
-- Updating Application
1. Is it possible that recovery is hosed, and overwriting it with a fresh version will allow me to wipe the device, set to factory and then boot? Maybe this is the issue?
2. Is it even possible to just flash a fresh copy of the recovery over whatever is there (or replace it)?
2.a. If it is possible, what file should I use, and do I do it though Odin? Anyone have a link to what I should use?
Thanks :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that there's is not development for t869 so there's not much to look for...just factory images and root method
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Can anyone link me to the proper pit file? Also, in the linked thread a few posts back, there are a couple of files, will those work for this?
Can someone post the proper pit file for me so I can repartition? I'm doing this on my wife's phone because my internet at home is down till tomorrow...
Lastly, recovery. Since when I go into recovery it says "manual mode" then reboots, can I replace recovery only? Then I can wipe and whatnot in it and maybe that will do the trick. If so, can someone link me to the proper recovery and tell me how to do it in Odin? What happens if I watch the FW flash, then right after it completes the recovery portion, I unplug it? Bad?
VisualOddity said:
Can anyone link me to the proper pit file? Also, in the linked thread a few posts back, there are a couple of files, will those work for this?
Can someone post the proper pit file for me so I can repartition? I'm doing this on my wife's phone because my internet at home is down till tomorrow...
Lastly, recovery. Since when I go into recovery it says "manual mode" then reboots, can I replace recovery only? Then I can wipe and whatnot in it and maybe that will do the trick. If so, can someone link me to the proper recovery and tell me how to do it in Odin? What happens if I watch the FW flash, then right after it completes the recovery portion, I unplug it? Bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think u should forget about the pit file, couz the firmware have the pit repackage with the tar, im gussing u will only need the pit file in case u want to change the phone partitions, try to get those 2 fw and try them :good:
That's why I'd like the pit file, so I can check the option in Odin to re-partition.
So, I have internet at home now. I have now tried again letting it completely die, then completely charge, same issue. I have also tried 2 different versions of the SGH-T869 firmware.
Any thoughts?
Also, given what I have done so far, I posted this yesterday, any thoughts?
"Lastly, recovery. Since when I go into recovery it says "manual mode" then reboots, can I replace recovery only? Then I can wipe and whatnot in it and maybe that will do the trick. If so, can someone link me to the proper recovery and tell me how to do it in Odin? What happens if I watch the FW flash, then right after it completes the recovery portion, I unplug it? Bad? "
Yes. Unplug is bad. Possibly fatal. you should be able to.find a stock recovery.img in a stock Odin.tar, flash it with heimdall. Recommend factory reset beforeand after doing so.
I dont know about tmobile tabs but international ones look to apply CSC files after displaying that manual mode message. Perhaps something has gone awry with a CSC,etc.
chrisrotolo said:
Yes. Unplug is bad. Possibly fatal. you should be able to.find a stock recovery.img in a stock Odin.tar, flash it with heimdall. Recommend factory reset beforeand after doing so.
I dont know about tmobile tabs but international ones look to apply CSC files after displaying that manual mode message. Perhaps something has gone awry with a CSC,etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You. A few questions:
Would that stock recovery.img have to be model specific. i.e. for the SGH-T869, or could it be from any GT 7 Plus (or is it generic on all devices with HoneyComb)? I *think* from experience it has to be T869 specific, but it's worth asking.
Also, about Heimdall, where do I get that, and how do I use it to flash? I've heard of it, but never used it.
Lastly, about the CSC files. That makes sense seeing as what it's doing, so that *could* be the whole issue. How can I overcome that? Can I download and flash those files somehow? Do you have a link to them?
Thanks for the help everyone. I'm hoping that in doing all this, maybe whatever ends up fixing this will be a guide for everyone else having the issue...
OK, I saw a couple of you guys mention the 7.7 people having this issue, so I went there to research. If I am reading right, it *sounds* like this could be a solid mix of a data system being corrupted, and the stock recovery (Samsung e3?) being bad.
Someone mentioned that you can pull the stock recovery.img from a the firmware, make a .tar with only that, then flash that. Once that's done you can do a full wipe in recovery, flash the full FW, and hopefully be back in business.
I want to try this, and if it works, maybe we will have a proven solution for the people getting this issue. However, not only have I never created a .tar, I have especially never created a flashable .tar, so...
What do I do? Other than pulling the recovery.img from the FW, how do I do this?
Hey I'm going to stock 5.0 of some kind my to my galaxy s5 sprint, smg900p. I wanted to know a few things before I did from more experienced people than I!
1. Should I pull my sim?
2. Should I pull my sd card?
3. My SD is 64g partitioned half and half for system and normal almost worthless SD storage, will I need to re partition it? Pt2. I want to go stock to ice some system apps and only install root programs I need instead of want to play with I copied my ne5, og1, and will copy ok4 to my SD into fat32 or ntfs memory...whatever my comp can access. This also has files like phh and magisk. If pulled sd, can I put it in my comp and flash the tar from the sd reader? Is this a good way to corrupt files or should it be fine that way? Then I can put it back in my phone when it's stock and use twrp to flash magisk/phh?
4. Just pda flash the TAR in odin, no setting changes: no reboot, no pit, no bs? Phone in dl mode...I have 3.07, 3.10.6, and 3.11.1. Should I use a certain version?
5. Stock are tar files only?
6. Does a stock version replace my bootloader to that android version I flashed?
7. Once stock, Instead of cf autoroot, can I Odin twrp: pda mode, don't change anything, use twrp 3.0.2 kltespr img or tar? and use twrp to flash magisk and phh like you do normally?
8. Will my Knox go up yet again for flashing twrp though odin.
Thanks xda
1. Should I pull my sim?
nah, isnt necessary
2. Should I pull my sd card?
nah
3. My SD is 64g partitioned half and half for system and normal almost worthless SD storage, will I need to re partition it?
no
Pt2. I want to go stock to ice some system apps and only install root programs I need instead of want to play with I copied my ne5, og1, and will copy ok4 to my SD into fat32 or ntfs memory...whatever my comp can access. This also has files like phh and magisk. If pulled sd, can I put it in my comp and flash the tar from the sd reader?
no
Is this a good way to corrupt files or should it be fine that way?
likely would corrupt
Then I can put it back in my phone when it's stock and use twrp to flash magisk/phh?
yes
4. Just pda flash the TAR in odin, no setting changes: no reboot, no pit, no bs?
ap slot
Phone in dl mode...I have 3.07, 3.10.6, and 3.11.1. Should I use a certain version?
not that im aware of
5. Stock are tar files only?
no, but tar files are stock
6. Does a stock version replace my bootloader to that android version I flashed?
yes
7. Once stock, Instead of cf autoroot, can I Odin twrp: pda mode, don't change anything, use twrp 3.0.2 kltespr img or tar?
ap, not pda. and yes
and use twrp to flash magisk and phh like you do normally?
yes
8. Will my Knox go up yet again for flashing twrp though odin.
probably so
1. Should I pull my sim?
nah, isnt necessary
2. Should I pull my sd card?
nah
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will flashing stock erase my sd? And no chance my SIM gets messed up?
I think an one of my versions uses pda instead of ap, just habit from an instruction.
Just worried to do it with my galaxy. I have an lgg2 I flash and mess up constantly and flash back to stock and start over; no network. But without having a backup phone I'm nervous to mess with my galaxy. Thanks, I checked your thumbs up!!
Also, when I'm finally brave enough, should I try every damn ROM for the smg900p I can find and flash stock if there's issues? I have unlimited unthrottled data, 5.0 os. Should I go back to a KK version to see if my native Hotspot will unlock? I haven't found a working method for sprint or universal app.
andrew2432 said:
Also, when I'm finally brave enough, should I try every damn ROM for the smg900p I can find and flash stock if there's issues? I have unlimited unthrottled data, 5.0 os. Should I go back to a KK version to see if my native Hotspot will unlock? I haven't found a working method for sprint or universal app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will flashing stock erase my sd? And no chance my SIM gets messed up?
Nope and nope
I think an one of my versions uses pda instead of ap, just habit from an instruction.
youre all good man
Just worried to do it with my galaxy. I have an lgg2 I flash and mess up constantly and flash back to stock and start over; no network. But without having a backup phone I'm nervous to mess with my galaxy. Thanks, I checked your thumbs up!!
Yeah, i understand your apprehension, especially if youre coming from a G2. LG has a decent "download mode" that allows you to recover even from the most disastrous mistakes and the G900P has something even more foolproof. Samsungs download mode has been the saving grace for its unlocked bootloader phones ever since the S3. Basically, what im telling you is that even if you screw it up, its not hard to recover from. Just get the OK4 tar.md5 stock rom, keep it safe on your computer, and use it when necessary. Otherwise, just make Nands of your current setup, keep a copy on your SD card and on your computer (just for backup) and you should be good. One thing to make sure of is to never flash a tar.md5 that was built for a different phone or a bootloader for a different phone, youll brick it if you do.
Unless you do something really stupid, these phones are REALLY hard to permanently brick. Feel free to ask any other questions, we all are here to help and learn!!
youdoofus said:
and the G900P has something even more foolproof...even if you screw it up, its not hard to recover from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is? Or are you just referring to volume down boot download mode being that useful?
youdoofus said:
Just get the OK4 tar.md5 stock rom, keep it safe on your computer, and use it when necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On top of being a nerd and a "baller on a budget" I'm a pack rat...got about 10 gbs free on my laptop lol but one at a time the tars will fit
youdoofus said:
One thing to make sure of is to never flash a tar.md5 that was built for a different phone or a bootloader for a different phone, youll brick it if you do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smg900p, doesnt match get out!! I have Sammobiles page bookmarked for reference to check my stock images. I can't find the OK4 build anywhere but sammobile, any thoughts? 1.5gb÷15kbs/sec...lots. It's what I'm using and seems to be the best choice for this.
When you mention a tar for a different bootloader, do you mean custom roms? And doesn't the ROM dev tell you over and over what Droid OS it's for?
youdoofus said:
Unless you do something really stupid, these phones are REALLY hard to permanently brick. Feel free to ask any other questions, we all are here to help and learn!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like? It sounds like as long as download mode works and Odin recognizes it...you're good...haha
Which is? Or are you just referring to volume down boot download mode being that useful?
yeah, the vol dn + home + pwr download mode. Of course youd have to hit vol up to continue into DL mode
On top of being a nerd and a "baller on a budget" I'm a pack rat...got about 10 gbs free on my laptop lol but one at a time the tars will fit
yup, sounds like youre good there
Smg900p, doesnt match get out!! I have Sammobiles page bookmarked for reference to check my stock images. I can't find the OK4 build anywhere but sammobile, any thoughts? 1.5gb÷15kbs/sec...lots. It's what I'm using and seems to be the best choice for this.
i get my tarballs from idoneapps.com. Here is an good link for the OK4 but you have to create a login for the page to view the link. Trust me, its worth the registration process. WAAAAAY faster dl's
When you mention a tar for a different bootloader, do you mean custom roms? And doesn't the ROM dev tell you over and over what Droid OS it's for?
No, the bootloader is flashed with the tarball. Its basically which baseband the phone uses. The best one right now for pretty much ANY custom ROM is OK4.
Like? It sounds like as long as download mode works and Odin recognizes it...you're good...haha
Yep, DL mode is only useful if Odin recognizes it, which it always does. I have 2 G900Ps and ive never had an issue with Odin recognizing either. I also have a vzw S4, a Sprint S3, Sprint S2 and an international S1 plus. Odin gives love for all of em
Hey all! My friend has an s3. He is in a different state so I can't experiment on it quite yet.
He has a lot of files he needs to recover from the internal storage. He already has the sd data.
The issue is that the phone will not fully boot. It gets a little past the verizon logo and crashes.
He has tried wiping cache, and booting without the sdcard in.
What can we do to get those files for him?
Verizon said they can't use their diag machine since the device needs to fully power on for them to service it in that fashion.
Is it possible to flash the stock system partition without overwriting data via Odin?
Bump
tr4nqui1i7y said:
Hey all! My friend has an s3. He is in a different state so I can't experiment on it quite yet.
He has a lot of files he needs to recover from the internal storage. He already has the sd data.
The issue is that the phone will not fully boot. It gets a little past the verizon logo and crashes.
He has tried wiping cache, and booting without the sdcard in.
What can we do to get those files for him?
Verizon said they can't use their diag machine since the device needs to fully power on for them to service it in that fashion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tr4nqui1i7y said:
Is it possible to flash the stock system partition without overwriting data via Odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really kind of a tough situation.
Can he get into recovery mode? If so maybe he can pull data from it that way. There's a few ways to do it. It's hard to tell unless I see what the phone does when it boots.
Sorry for the late reply, hardly ever check these forums anymore.
BadUsername said:
Really kind of a tough situation.
Can he get into recovery mode? If so maybe he can pull data from it that way. There's a few ways to do it. It's hard to tell unless I see what the phone does when it boots.
Sorry for the late reply, hardly ever check these forums anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know he can get to stock recovery, because he's wiped cache that way. I don't believe that he is rooted or anything. I won't know for sure until I'm in person. The issue is that he thinks Verizon wants him to send the phone to them. He used a free upgrade. They sent him the replacement phone with a return box, so he's still not sure at the moment. And I haven't used an upgrade in about 4 years so I don't remember ever having to give back a device.
tr4nqui1i7y said:
I know he can get to stock recovery, because he's wiped cache that way. I don't believe that he is rooted or anything. I won't know for sure until I'm in person. The issue is that he thinks Verizon wants him to send the phone to them. He used a free upgrade. They sent him the replacement phone with a return box, so he's still not sure at the moment. And I haven't used an upgrade in about 4 years so I don't remember ever having to give back a device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If he has USB debugging enabled be can use ADB to pull the SD card folder onto his computer in recovery mode.
Otherwise can't do much with stock recovery, if he's rooted you may be able to load TWRP from download mode and boot immediately into recovery mode.
BadUsername said:
If he has USB debugging enabled be can use ADB to pull the SD card folder onto his computer in recovery mode.
Otherwise can't do much with stock recovery, if he's rooted you may be able to load TWRP from download mode and boot immediately into recovery mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's got the SD data. We're working on the /data/ partition now. I think it's mainly notes and pics if I'm not mistaken. I'm really hoping that he's rooted and just forgot or something.
We can make it into odin mode.
You don't need root.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
---------- Post added at 06:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 AM ----------
I can probably help you out.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
whodisname said:
You don't need root.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
---------- Post added at 06:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 AM ----------
I can probably help you out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking of trying to flash stock via Odin to see if that will make it boot. Otherwise, it may have to go jtag route.
I am going to attempt to ODIN on it. Unfortunately I don't know what version of android he was on.
Which ODIN files would you recommend? Preferably one that won't need me to wipe the data partition. Also, please provide links if possible. I have found some stuff on my own, but a lot of links are dead.
tr4nqui1i7y said:
I am going to attempt to ODIN on it. Unfortunately I don't know what version of android he was on.
Which ODIN files would you recommend? Preferably one that won't need me to wipe the data partition. Also, please provide links if possible. I have found some stuff on my own, but a lot of links are dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odin will wipe everything. Every .tar file I've come across essentially just return the phone to a completely stock state.
Wish I had old stuff but I don't. What have you found?
BadUsername said:
Odin will wipe everything. Every .tar file I've come across essentially just return the phone to a completely stock state.
Wish I had old stuff but I don't. What have you found?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I had found one that said it wasn't going to wipe data. I'll try to find the link again today. They were saying it was like doing an ota update and it would leave data in place.
tr4nqui1i7y said:
Ah, I had found one that said it wasn't going to wipe data. I'll try to find the link again today. They were saying it was like doing an ota update and it would leave data in place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O wait I think I vaguely remember, but that we when the bootloader was unlocked, like 5 years ago.
Make sure you post the for here and I can try to help you, but if it's an older version it won't. You need to make sure the Odin file is the same or newer than your current bootloader.
@BadUsername I found this, which has the crappiest hosting servers I have ever seen. You can only download one file a day, so I need to keep changing my IP if I need more than one file from it. here
This is the no-wipe file i was referring to. I am just not sure if it is an android version that his device will accept. I am not sure if Odin allows you to go forward and backward. Here
tr4nqui1i7y said:
@BadUsername I found this, which has the crappiest hosting servers I have ever seen. You can only download one file a day, so I need to keep changing my IP if I need more than one file from it. here
This is the no-wipe file i was referring to. I am just not sure if it is an android version that his device will accept. I am not sure if Odin allows you to go forward and backward. Here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just open up download mode and post what it says in the top left corner.
Also that file you posted first is the newest one, assuming it's legit it would work. That would for sure wipe everything.
Bottom one is old, probably won't work. Odin should just fail and not let you flash it. If it did work, it would fail at the bootloader stage and brick your phone anyway.
BadUsername said:
O wait I think I vaguely remember, but that we when the bootloader was unlocked, like 5 years ago.
Make sure you post the for here and I can try to help you, but if it's an older version it won't. You need to make sure the Odin file is the same or newer than your current bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I was afraid of. I have no idea how updated he kept the device. And since I can only get into stock recovery and download mode I can't learn much about the device. I wish I could just adb in and grab the data partition off of it. Verizon is hounding him to send the device back or they will charge him $500 or something absurd. Which seems extra crazy since he has had that device since it was released. I thought for sure he would own it by now. Verizon has never asked me for a device back.
Have you found any helpful odin stuff out?
BadUsername said:
Just open up download mode and post what it says in the top left corner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I won't be able to see the device until tonight. I will try to see if he is around the device now so he can let me know. His house has terrible reception and no wifi so I am trying to gather everything before the next time I go there.
@BadUsername Do you know if there is a list of odin files anywhere? This sub seems so disorganized imo. I can't find a helpful sticky or anything.
tr4nqui1i7y said:
I won't be able to see the device until tonight. I will try to see if he is around the device now so he can let me know. His house has terrible reception and no wifi so I am trying to gather everything before the next time I go there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still pull nearly everything off the phone with adb from download mode if USB debugging was enabled, you can literally pull every partition and extract what you need.
You can load a very old version of cwm recovery through Odin and flash aroma file manager if you are rooted, if you can get into recovery. Then you can move whatever you want to an external SD card.
Other than that you're likely stuck.
I rooted last night using SamPwn and everything was working well until today... After one of the reboots I did today my phone stopped showing service, my sim card, network operators, and it wont hold an apn.
I have tried power cycling, removing the sim, resetting network settings, and wiping all cache.
Is there any way to only reflash the network portion? I have rooted and flashed quite a few things but havent bothered going into the intricacies and I feel as though this phone has less wiggle room for error. Hopefully you guys can get me a swift answer.
Thanks in advance!
BumpinPanda said:
I rooted last night using SamPwn and everything was working well until today... After one of the reboots I did today my phone stopped showing service, my sim card, network operators, and it wont hold an apn.
I have tried power cycling, removing the sim, resetting network settings, and wiping all cache.
Is there any way to only reflash the network portion? I have rooted and flashed quite a few things but havent bothered going into the intricacies and I feel as though this phone has less wiggle room for error. Hopefully you guys can get me a swift answer.
Thanks in advance!
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Click to collapse
Searching the SamPWND thread should net you a literal ton of solutions, but I'll try to sum it up for you.
Extract the stock firmware for whatever version you're running (QGL,QH3, ETC), and be sure to use 7zip for all of these extraction/archiving steps, then extract the modem.bin from the CP file and NON_HLOS.bin from the BL file. Now, highlight modem and non_hlos files and use 7zip to add to archive, you'll want to keep everything default, and the end result should be a tar file with whatever name you chose for the archive. Use Odin to flash this archive in the AP slot, it should work fine, but if not, you can try using the modified Odin (all default options for both). Once done, be sure to reboot to recovery and clear the cache and also a Network factory reset from settings if you're still unable to gain signal. If you're still not getting signal, you can try flashing the entire CP file and Home_CSC file (be sure to use the HOME_CSC, as regular CSC will overwrite root and start you over from scratch) using their respective slots in odin, though if modem and non_hlos doesn't get it up and running, that may be a redundant step.
Good luck!
instead you can flash combination file COMBINATION_FA70_G955USQU1AQD8 , just google for it. that will help to get Network Signal again
IJoxer said:
Searching the SamPWND thread should net you a literal ton of solutions, but I'll try to sum it up for you.
Extract the stock firmware for whatever version you're running (QGL,QH3, ETC), and be sure to use 7zip for all of these extraction/archiving steps, then extract the modem.bin from the CP file and NON_HLOS.bin from the BL file. Now, highlight modem and non_hlos files and use 7zip to add to archive, you'll want to keep everything default, and the end result should be a tar file with whatever name you chose for the archive. Use Odin to flash this archive in the AP slot, it should work fine, but if not, you can try using the modified Odin (all default options for both). Once done, be sure to reboot to recovery and clear the cache and also a Network factory reset from settings if you're still unable to gain signal. If you're still not getting signal, you can try flashing the entire CP file and Home_CSC file (be sure to use the HOME_CSC, as regular CSC will overwrite root and start you over from scratch) using their respective slots in odin, though if modem and non_hlos doesn't get it up and running, that may be a redundant step.
Good luck!
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Click to collapse
Thank you for this. I did a few queries in there and didn't come up with much but that could be due to my lack of optimized searching.
I ended up reflashing the csc and it wiped all my data but restored my data. I was at work when this happened and, being that I work in a Verizon, I need my phone quite a lot. I have since backed up my EFS and noted the suggestions in this thread so it will not happen again.
Once again I appreciate the help and I am sure it will save me in the near future!
012345678 said:
instead you can flash combination file COMBINATION_FA70_G955USQU1AQD8 , just google for it. that will help to get Network Signal again
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Click to collapse
I will try this next time this happens, thanks!
BumpinPanda said:
I will try this next time this happens, thanks!
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Click to collapse
Just note that the combination firmware he referenced is a universal firmware, and if you use a vzw firmware (ie QGL), it tends to cause issues with data/connectivity. Mixing carrier firmware and universal firmware has always cause me to start fresh, after 20+ roots using SamPWND, we finally came to that consensus.
Just something to keep in mind, 955U1 and 955U do not mix, regardless of version.
IJoxer said:
Just note that the combination firmware he referenced is a universal firmware, and if you use a vzw firmware (ie QGL), it tends to cause issues with data/connectivity. Mixing carrier firmware and universal firmware has always cause me to start fresh, after 20+ roots using SamPWND, we finally came to that consensus.
Just something to keep in mind, 955U1 and 955U do not mix, regardless of version.
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Click to collapse
Funnily enough, besides this issue, my service improved over stock with the root.
But even if that's the case doesn't the U1 simply signify an unlocked firmware version? Why does that cause an issue?
BumpinPanda said:
Funnily enough, besides this issue, my service improved over stock with the root.
But even if that's the case doesn't the U1 simply signify an unlocked firmware version? Why does that cause an issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, technically, it stands for a universal firmware, but I knew what you meant. 955U firmware is carrier specific, while U1 is Universal, as in it should apply to whichever carrier you have, so long as your sim card is in working order and tells the firmware which CSC to use correctly.
For whatever reason, when rooted and flashing the U1 firmware, the csc doesn't quite stick as it should, at least in my observations. Obviously flashing the modem and non_hlos is supposed to cure this issue (no data/connectivity/modem crashes), but I find it doesn't do much but change it in prop settings. My theory is that it's something to do with the efs partition superceding the csc flashed to system after using Ufirmware for root.
Regardless, I'm still trying to find a way to alleviate this issue, but it's a known bug that should be noted when rooting and using a mixture of U and U1 firmware.
IJoxer said:
Well, technically, it stands for a universal firmware, but I knew what you meant. 955U firmware is carrier specific, while U1 is Universal, as in it should apply to whichever carrier you have, so long as your sim card is in working order and tells the firmware which CSC to use correctly.
For whatever reason, when rooted and flashing the U1 firmware, the csc doesn't quite stick as it should, at least in my observations. Obviously flashing the modem and non_hlos is supposed to cure this issue (no data/connectivity/modem crashes), but I find it doesn't do much but change it in prop settings. My theory is that it's something to do with the efs partition superceding the csc flashed to system after using Ufirmware for root.
Regardless, I'm still trying to find a way to alleviate this issue, but it's a known bug that should be noted when rooting and using a mixture of U and U1 firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you staying on root or stock? The root has helped my data issue slightly over stock and apparently the update for the stock firmware to fix my issue is in the works (but not yet released).
If you do find a stable solution let me know, it's working for now but I still drop to 1x frequently (which happened before root as well).
Thanks again for your help
BumpinPanda said:
Are you staying on root or stock? The root has helped my data issue slightly over stock and apparently the update for the stock firmware to fix my issue is in the works (but not yet released).
If you do find a stable solution let me know, it's working for now but I still drop to 1x frequently (which happened before root as well).
Thanks again for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root does seem to help if, like I said, you don't mix and match firmwares, I'm on stock at the moment but will be rerooting tonight. There is a new carrier firmware for vzw and TMO, I'll be using vzw to accomplish the second part of the root method and updating to it (QI6). I'll update with how it goes later tonight or tomorrow, but here the link for the newest vzw firmware.
http://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model?record=E15BA006A8B211E7963AFA163EE8F90B
IJoxer said:
Root does seem to help if, like I said, you don't mix and match firmwares, I'm on stock at the moment but will be rerooting tonight. There is a new carrier firmware for vzw and TMO, I'll be using vzw to accomplish the second part of the root method and updating to it (QI6). I'll update with how it goes later tonight or tomorrow, but here the link for the newest vzw firmware.
http://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model?record=E15BA006A8B211E7963AFA163EE8F90B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see. Root helped even though I used the universal firmware in the SamPWND thread (that could just be an individual issue regarding my area/device).
I'd love to see the results of the new firmware so I am looking forward to your update! Was that the main reason you chose to remove root? That and the 80% situation are the only things bothering me so far. Appreciate the link, you saved me a search
I just had this thought... Since Samsung is basically on lockdown now.... I wonder what would happen if you install a custom ROM, in order to make the phone not care which android version or security version you currently have, and then tried to flash the downgraded stock rom that you wanted in the first place? Anyone ever tried this?
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Pawprints1986 said:
I just had this thought... Since Samsung is basically on lockdown now.... I wonder what would happen if you install a custom ROM, in order to make the phone not care which android version or security version you currently have, and then tried to flash the downgraded stock rom that you wanted in the first place? Anyone ever tried this?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Hi there,
Well I have tried downgrade from firmware 6.0 to 5.0.2 and it did work so it might work for you
You can try and use this website as I Prefer this website than Sam mobile
The website is www.updato.com
Pawprints1986 said:
I just had this thought... Since Samsung is basically on lockdown now.... I wonder what would happen if you install a custom ROM, in order to make the phone not care which android version or security version you currently have, and then tried to flash the downgraded stock rom that you wanted in the first place? Anyone ever tried this?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
First of all, if the bootloader is locked, you can't flash a custom ROM, so that shoots that idea in the head.
Second, a custom ROM is basically only a system.img and kernel. Even if you were able to flash a custom ROM, your stock bootloader is still there. Flashing a custom ROM will not change whether or not you can downgrade the bootloader, the part of your device where bootloader is located is unaffected by any custom ROM or system.img.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
KIBS2173 said:
Hi there,
Well I have tried downgrade from firmware 6.0 to 5.0.2 and it did work so it might work for you
You can try and use this website as I Prefer this website than Sam mobile
The website is www.updato.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What was your software versions before and after the downgrade? Im just curious if you were still on the first bootloader version and thats maybe why it worked?
Ive been doing a little reading on combination roms... but im not sure where a reliable source would be, or if i can make my own combining 2 different firmwares
Try This
Pawprints1986 said:
What was your software versions before and after the downgrade? Im just curious if you were still on the first bootloader version and thats maybe why it worked?
Ive been doing a little reading on combination roms... but im not sure where a reliable source would be, or if i can make my own combining 2 different firmwares
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
well I was using a Samsung A5000 which was the original version of the A5 series and it was the Chinese version of the phone, so therefore it had the HONGKONG VERSION on it in order to get Google PlayStore because playstore is banned in China. However, the HongKong Samsung service only updated the phone up to version 5.0.2 and China had the latest firmware update which was android 6.0
I was however able to update the phone from version 5.0.2 to 6.0 using ODIN
and the phone rebooted with new boot loader, recovery, and even it has a new downloader.
The phone was working alright but it didn't had any playstore.
I tried numerous ways to install playstore which resulted the phone to lag and heat up for some reason
So I had to downgrade it from 6.0 to 5.0.2 and I used ODIN again.
And it was flashed successfully.
And no when I flashed it from 5.0.2 to 6.0 it had the new boot loader and I didn't have to unlock the boot loader at all.
And I think by 2017 THE SAMSUNG KNOX service was discontinued so i don't see a reason why there would not to downgrade your phone.
Combining two roms with different coding can brick your phone. As most custom roms are built by building over the existing rom.
So by concluding you can try to downgrade the firmware or you can change the firmware to another region or you can wait till samsung to release another software update which might fix your problem or just re-install the whole OS with the same version as there might be a missing file when it was updated to that version
KIBS2173 said:
Hi there,
well I was using a Samsung A5000 which was the original version of the A5 series and it was the Chinese version of the phone, so therefore it had the HONGKONG VERSION on it in order to get Google PlayStore because playstore is banned in China. However, the HongKong Samsung service only updated the phone up to version 5.0.2 and China had the latest firmware update which was android 6.0
I was however able to update the phone from version 5.0.2 to 6.0 using ODIN
and the phone rebooted with new boot loader, recovery, and even it has a new downloader.
The phone was working alright but it didn't had any playstore.
I tried numerous ways to install playstore which resulted the phone to lag and heat up for some reason
So I had to downgrade it from 6.0 to 5.0.2 and I used ODIN again.
And it was flashed successfully.
And no when I flashed it from 5.0.2 to 6.0 it had the new boot loader and I didn't have to unlock the boot loader at all.
And I think by 2017 THE SAMSUNG KNOX service was discontinued so i don't see a reason why there would not to downgrade your phone.
Combining two roms with different coding can brick your phone. As most custom roms are built by building over the existing rom.
So by concluding you can try to downgrade the firmware or you can change the firmware to another region or you can wait till samsung to release another software update which might fix your problem or just re-install the whole OS with the same version as there might be a missing file when it was updated to that version
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Click to collapse
Combining 2 firmwares that were made for the exact same model number, does not cause a brick unless it wasn't done correctly. For example, a 5.0 firmware can be mixed and matched with a 6.0 firmware if they are for the same device.
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Droidriven said:
Combining 2 firmwares that were made for the exact same model number, does not cause a brick unless it wasn't done correctly. For example, a 5.0 firmware can be mixed and matched with a 6.0 firmware if they are for the same device.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Hi there,
Well I have tried to combine 2 firmwares together which ended up bricking one of my android devices. since it was a mediatek device I just gave up on the SPFLASH TOOL as it just gave out error codes. However if you have tried it and became successful well think i have done something wrong
BUT I THINK IT WILL BE ALRIGHT FOR YOU TO DOWNGRADE THE DEVICE
KIBS2173 said:
Hi there,
Well I have tried to combine 2 firmwares together which ended up bricking one of my android devices. since it was a mediatek device I just gave up on the SPFLASH TOOL as it just gave out error codes. However if you have tried it and became successful well think i have done something wrong
BUT I THINK IT WILL BE ALRIGHT FOR YOU TO DOWNGRADE THE DEVICE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were the two firmwares that you tried to combine for the exact same model number device? Or were they for a different device? That makes a difference.
What I described is basically the same as porting a Samsung firmware from a US variant of a device to work on an international model of the same device(i.e. port stock lollipop for a US variant of Samsung Galaxy S6 to work on an international variant of Samsung Galaxy S6). It's a common procedure.
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Droidriven said:
Were the two firmwares that you tried to combine for the exact same model number device? Or were they for a different device? That makes a difference.
What I described is basically the same as porting a Samsung firmware from a US variant of a device to work on an international model of the same device(i.e. port stock lollipop for a US variant of Samsung Galaxy S6 to work on an international variant of Samsung Galaxy S6). It's a common procedure.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Hi there,
Yeah they were for the exact phone and model. For some reason SpFlash Tool bricks Mediatek Devices. I think someone should create another version of spflash tool just like ODIN. Odin is actually a great software to flash all Samsung devices I Had no problems with it.
But Spflash tools are still in Beta mode. The software is not reliable.
I had to get a new motherboard for my device because of the hard brick however my pc is still able to detect the device but it won't install the firmware. Keeps on giving me error 4032 something like that.
Droidriven said:
Combining 2 firmwares that were made for the exact same model number, does not cause a brick unless it wasn't done correctly. For example, a 5.0 firmware can be mixed and matched with a 6.0 firmware if they are for the same device.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Can you lead me to anywhere explaining how to do this in detail?
I'm still researching. I saw somewhere that Oreo had a not as strict security downgrade and there was possibility that upgrading to Oreo and then downgrading to marshmallow might work.... But I tried to no avail. So there goes that theory...
I wasn't concerned about the upgrading as nougat and Oreo are basically the same, I'm not really losing or gaining by varying between those 2.
Still would love to have the best of both worlds though... Appearance of lollipop/marshmallow in all areas but with version either 7 or 8. The leaks of samsungs spin on 9 look a little promising.... A little.
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Pawprints1986 said:
Can you lead me to anywhere explaining how to do this in detail?
I'm still researching. I saw somewhere that Oreo had a not as strict security downgrade and there was possibility that upgrading to Oreo and then downgrading to marshmallow might work.... But I tried to no avail. So there goes that theory...
I wasn't concerned about the upgrading as nougat and Oreo are basically the same, I'm not really losing or gaining by varying between those 2.
Still would love to have the best of both worlds though... Appearance of lollipop/marshmallow in all areas but with version either 7 or 8. The leaks of samsungs spin on 9 look a little promising.... A little.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Here is a guide to extract the two firmware files.
Extract one firmware in a folder of its own and extract the other in its own folder.
https://www.rwilco12.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=74
You basically only need to switch the system.img from the older firmware, in other words, remove the system.img from the firmware that won't allow downgrading, then, extract the system.img from the older firmware that you want to downgrade to, then put the older system.img into the firmware that won't allow downgrading. Then repackage the file into an Odin flashable .tar.md5 following this guide.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2446269
Or this guide
https://www.rwilco12.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=92
***NOTE***
Some things may have changed since those guides were written. You might need to switch more than just the system.img files from the two firmware files. Do some researching and reading to find out and understand exactly which parts you need to swap around in order for the finished file to flash correctly.
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Droidriven said:
Here is a guide to extract the two firmware files.
Extract one firmware in a folder of its own and extract the other in its own folder.
https://www.rwilco12.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=74
You basically only need to switch the system.img from the older firmware, in other words, remove the system.img from the firmware that won't allow downgrading, then, extract the system.img from the older firmware that you want to downgrade to, then put the older system.img into the firmware that won't allow downgrading. Then repackage the file into an Odin flashable .tar.md5 following this guide.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2446269
Or this guide
https://www.rwilco12.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=92
***NOTE***
Some things may have changed since those guides were written. You might need to switch more than just the system.img files from the two firmware files. Do some researching and reading to find out and understand exactly which parts you need to swap around in order for the finished file to flash correctly.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Thanks! My brain is kinda pooped for tonight, but I will definitely dig into these tomorrow night
I had read a bit about removing the sboot.bin file from the firmware i want to use, but it feels risky to remove it entirely. I like the idea of using it but allowing that other system image to flash, much like youve described! it sounds safer than just leaving components out completely
Pawprints1986 said:
Thanks! My brain is kinda pooped for tonight, but I will definitely dig into these tomorrow night
I had read a bit about removing the sboot.bin file from the firmware i want to use, but it feels risky to remove it entirely. I like the idea of using it but allowing that other system image to flash, much like youve described! it sounds safer than just leaving components out completely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, do some Google searches for:
"How to port Samsung stock firmware"
Or similarly worded searches to understand what is involved when modifying Samsung stock firmware.
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Droidriven said:
Also, do some Google searches for:
"How to port Samsung stock firmware"
Or similarly worded searches to understand what is involved when modifying Samsung stock firmware.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
So, if I try this, and it doesn't work.... Is the worst case still that I may need to reflash twrp and the official firmware that does work? I had that happen when just regularly trying to flash the marshmallow official firmware, I think it's called "soft brick" cuz it wiped the nougat/oreo but couldn't install anything in its place, but I found my way out of it with no issues. And since I have no personal things on there yet I wasn't worried about wiping and losing anything. I have a twrp backup I also made of nougat after rooting but before messing with anything, so I've got that to fall back on too.
Still reading but just wanted to be sure, that the worst case is just needing to reflash proper working firmware/recovery if needed.
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Pawprints1986 said:
So, if I try this, and it doesn't work.... Is the worst case still that I may need to reflash twrp and the official firmware that does work? I had that happen when just regularly trying to flash the marshmallow official firmware, I think it's called "soft brick" cuz it wiped the nougat/oreo but couldn't install anything in its place, but I found my way out of it with no issues. And since I have no personal things on there yet I wasn't worried about wiping and losing anything. I have a twrp backup I also made of nougat after rooting but before messing with anything, so I've got that to fall back on too.
Still reading but just wanted to be sure, that the worst case is just needing to reflash proper working firmware/recovery if needed.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as the two firmware are for the same device and as long as you read carefully about what you're doing and you don't do something completely wrong, the worst you should expect is a soft brick or a bootloop, in which case, you'd flash the original stock firmware or you'd flash TWRP then restore the nandroid backup that you created from stock nougat.
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Droidriven said:
As long as the two firmware are for the same device and as long as you read carefully about what you're doing and you don't do something completely wrong, the worst you should expect is a soft brick or a bootloop, in which case, you'd flash the original stock firmware or you'd flash TWRP then restore the nandroid backup that you created from stock nougat.
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Click to collapse
New little snag. Oreo uses lz4 compression while Marshmallow uses regular .img disk image compression. I wonder if I'm better off converting the marshmallow one to lz4 or converting the other Oreo files I'll be using into regular img files. Hmm.
I did start to Google that and people have converted the Oreo files to img before Odin could read the lz4 ones. But I wonder if the other way around could work too. Or, do they even need to be the same? Hmm.... Will need to do a bit more reading than expected
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Pawprints1986 said:
New little snag. Oreo uses lz4 compression while Marshmallow uses regular .img disk image compression. I wonder if I'm better off converting the marshmallow one to lz4 or converting the other Oreo files I'll be using into regular img files. Hmm.
I did start to Google that and people have converted the Oreo files to img before Odin could read the lz4 ones. But I wonder if the other way around could work too. Or, do they even need to be the same? Hmm.... Will need to do a bit more reading than expected
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Exactly, this isn't the kind of thing that has a clear cut, everything you want to know guide. It's the kind of thing you'll have to figure out and piece together from different sources.
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Droidriven said:
Exactly, this isn't the kind of thing that has a clear cut, everything you want to know guide. It's the kind of thing you'll have to figure out and piece together from different sources.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Okay, so upon some more research, and finding a couple of tools here on xda, heres what ive been able to do.
Before I did anything I made copies of both roms in a separate new folder, so that I wasnt modifying my original downloads.
I decided that since I had read about people doing this successfully before Odin could read lz4 compression, here on xda I found a tool and removed that compression. Since marshmallow uses img but oreo uses bin files, I then found another thread that states that you can simply rename the file with extensions visible to convert them from .bin to a regular .img, like marshmallow uses. I did this for all the oreo files, replacing only the system.img with the marshmallow one, removing the oreo one to another folder for now. (The only thing im still debating is if i should have gone the other way, and renamed the marshmallow system.img into a .bin file instead. If I try and it fails, that may be my next attempt.) I was then able to use another tool I found here on xda to take the new tar files I made and replace the .md5 extension and recompressed my new editions. There were a few folders within these tar files originally (Meta data was one) that I simply left alone but included in the same tar file that they were in before.
The only thing ive yet to do is actually try to flash them. But, if Ive read everything properly, they are ready to flash. Im only nervous to find out if the absolute worst case if it doesnt work is it will give me some kind of error. the only one i didnt bother with was home_CSC since that 1 is only for restoring with your files present, and im looking to start from scratch, so ill keep those removed from the mix.
so basically the only thing i changed was bin files to img files, and removed the oreo system.img and put the marshmallow system.img in its place. Im wondering now if i should go back and change those files back to .bin extensions. Then that way nothing crutial can screw up? hmm.... but im *almost* there.
ETA: So I just decided to go through everything once more, and decided to keep certain files as bin files like original, and the other files as img, as they were originally within the oreo rom. I was mistakenly thinking that all files had to be either img or bin, but upon another check through i did notice that the file type within the same rom can vary. I feel better about that now Still just working on the courage to flash it. I didnt truly edit any of the files. I only either renamed the extension thereby converting types of files. otherwise i only decompressed and then recompressed things. I didnt do any true open notepad and edit type stuff. Just sticking with the basics here
Pawprints1986 said:
Okay, so upon some more research, and finding a couple of tools here on xda, heres what ive been able to do.
Before I did anything I made copies of both roms in a separate new folder, so that I wasnt modifying my original downloads.
I decided that since I had read about people doing this successfully before Odin could read lz4 compression, here on xda I found a tool and removed that compression. Since marshmallow uses img but oreo uses bin files, I then found another thread that states that you can simply rename the file with extensions visible to convert them from .bin to a regular .img, like marshmallow uses. I did this for all the oreo files, replacing only the system.img with the marshmallow one, removing the oreo one to another folder for now. (The only thing im still debating is if i should have gone the other way, and renamed the marshmallow system.img into a .bin file instead. If I try and it fails, that may be my next attempt.) I was then able to use another tool I found here on xda to take the new tar files I made and replace the .md5 extension and recompressed my new editions. There were a few folders within these tar files originally (Meta data was one) that I simply left alone but included in the same tar file that they were in before.
The only thing ive yet to do is actually try to flash them. But, if Ive read everything properly, they are ready to flash. Im only nervous to find out if the absolute worst case if it doesnt work is it will give me some kind of error. the only one i didnt bother with was home_CSC since that 1 is only for restoring with your files present, and im looking to start from scratch, so ill keep those removed from the mix.
so basically the only thing i changed was bin files to img files, and removed the oreo system.img and put the marshmallow system.img in its place. Im wondering now if i should go back and change those files back to .bin extensions. Then that way nothing crutial can screw up? hmm.... but im *almost* there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about changing back to bin files or not. You could always make a copy that is not converted and a copy that is converted.
I can't say that I'm 100% certain about this, but..
As long as you are working with stock files and followed instructions, you shouldn't cause any real permanent damage but you might get errors of some kind, those might be correctable. You might cause a soft brick or have to restore the device by some complex processes but it should be restorable, sometimes its tough to restore but can be done.
I would look for information about whether the question about bin vs img is a valid question and what potential problems it can cause.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
I'm not sure about changing back to bin files or not. You could always make a copy that is not converted and a copy that is converted.
I can't say that I'm 100% certain about this, but..
As long as you are working with stock files and followed instructions, you shouldn't cause any real permanent damage but you might get errors of some kind, those might be correctable. You might cause a soft brick or have to restore the device by some complex processes but it should be restorable, sometimes its tough to restore but can be done.
I would look for information about whether the question about bin vs img is a valid question and what potential problems it can cause.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
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This is becoming so beyond frustrating... I went though tonight, deleted my previously modified files... I wanted to go through and only undo the lz4, without all that renaming I had done. Did that just fine.
Gather up the guts to finally try it in odin though? Well, i dont even know what the error is. In odin 3.13, it gets to "file analysis" and just sits there. I unplugged and was still even able to restart the device back in to the oreo that was still on it, it did nothing at all. So i did a little bit of searching and it seems that an older version of odin fixes this. So i downloaded the recommended 3.09... Odin gets to the same point and then the program straight up shuts down! Ive even tried compatibility mode for windows 7 thinking maybe. I had ran it as administrator each time.
so the phone is fine.... but i cant get the program to even try it let alone give me any kind of error to work with....
ive given up for tonight!
The other idea i had was to check "phone bootloader update" in odin and just try to flash the straight up marshmallow rom, but googling that gets mixed results.