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Greetings! First of all, I would like to thank anyone who takes the time to help me diagnose and resolve this issues, let alone anyone who takes the time to read this thread.
I've been having issues with my Xoom (ICS 4.0.0) for about 3 weeks now.
A brief history of the issue's occurrence:
-I unrooted the device and returned it to stock.
-Everything was fine and dandy until one day it spontaneously said something along the lines of 'Android is upgrading..', and then performed a reset.
-Since resetting, it bootloops.
The device only turns on when plugged into a charger and hard reset.
The device only turns off when allowed to boot loop for minutes and then hard reset (it simply does not reset, and just turns off).
I'm not the most technically-savvy person with android devices but here are some things I've done/noted.
When trying to use adb commands, it does not recognize the device or properly issue commands.
I've tried wiping data/clearing cache to no avail.
EDIT: I've tried fastbooting, but the bootloader will not unlock. When trying to unlock, it simply resets and then acts as though it was never unlocked.
I have no idea how to return it to a stock image. All I know is that I have a micro-SD and some spare time.
Could anyone help me understand what exactly is going on with my Xoom?
If I can provide you with any more information, please let me know.
Thanks again. (=
If it was stock and spontaneously upgraded it sounds like a bad OTA upgrade. I've been rooted from the start so never have taken an OTA upgrade...don't you need to accept it or can it just upgrade on it's own?
Anyway, can you get it into fastboot mode?
Volume up and power, then at dual core screen, press volume down...if you see something like "entering fastboot mode" you're not bricked. You do not have to re lock your bootloader. Just make sure you have downloaded the correct stock files for your Xoom model to your PC and flash it.
If you haven't done so, just google 'recovering Xoom using fastboot' and you should get some good information.
Good luck!
Remember to grab the MZ604 files if you have the Wifi only version of the Xoom.
http://developer.motorola.com/products/software/ <------ Grab the files here. The files are for the US version of the Wifi Xoom only.
Instructions to return it to stock
1) First you need the Moto Drivers - Read this thread to START you - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=981578
Should have these drivers installed if you have rooted your Xoom before.
2) Make sure you have the latest SDK - adb and fastboot should be in /platform-tools -
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Should have the android SDK if you have rooted your Xoom before.
3) Place all the downloaded stock image files into the SDK Tools folder.
4) If you are booting up from scratch, you can get the Xoom in fastboot mode by doing the following. Use command prompt to perform the rest of the steps
Hold VolDown and Power button will boot unit for fastboot mode
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot oem lock
If you Xoom is booted up already follow the commands below using command prompt to perform the steps
adb reboot bootloader <---- reboots the Xoom into fastboot mode.
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot oem lock
As Always If This Was Helpful Hit the Thanks!
Yeah, what Mjamocha said...
okantomi said:
Yeah, what Mjamocha said...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL Thanks.
okantomi said:
Anyway, can you get it into fastboot mode?
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Click to collapse
Yes, I can. But so far nothing has been successful in terms of fastboot commands.
okantomi said:
You do not have to re lock your bootloader. Just make sure you have downloaded the correct stock files for your Xoom model to your PC and flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I try to execute fastboot commands such as 'fastboot flash boot boot.img'.. it says the following:
Device still locked. Device must be unlocked first. Failed to process command error(0x8)
Whenever I try to unlock the bootloader, it appears to be successful at first and then the device reboots. But it just reboots to a bootloop, and the bootloader still says its locked. Perhaps I made a mistake in communication. The bootloader is currently locked and will not unlock, as just described.
When I try to unlock it and it reboots, even if I access the fastboot menu right away, it still says the device is still locked.
Thoughts?
Can you get into recovery? With the Xoom off (to make sure it's really off, hold volume up + power for a few seconds), hit the power button and when you see the M logo, wait a very brief moment (like a fraction of a second) and hit the volume down button. When it says "recovery" on the top left, hit the volume up. If you can get in there, either restore a nandroid (if you have one) or do a factory reset.
slacka-vt said:
Can you get into recovery? With the Xoom off (to make sure it's really off, hold volume up + power for a few seconds), hit the power button and when you see the M logo, wait a very brief moment (like a fraction of a second) and hit the volume down button. When it says "recovery" on the top left, hit the volume up. If you can get in there, either restore a nandroid (if you have one) or do a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I can get into android recovery. However, within a second of switching into recovery mode, the robot falls down and there appears to be a red triangle caution sign containing an exclamation point.
When trying to do a factory reset, it says all data is wiped (as normal). Upon rebooting, it continues to bootloop. So essentially the factory reset and cache clear options in the Android Recovery menu do not produce the expected results.
Pretty odd. I didn't mess with the Xoom at all prior to this issue.
Try flashing just a recovery img to hopefully get your recovery working again. I think you can flash a custom recovery even if the bootloader is locked (i could be wrong but worth a shot) I attached the Rogue "recovery-rogue-1.3.0.img". Try a "fastboot flash recovery recovery-rogue-1.3.0.img"
EDIT: Sorry, I guess you can't flash a custom recovery with a locked bootloader.
slacka-vt said:
Try flashing just a recovery img to hopefully get your recovery working again. I think you can flash a custom recovery even if the bootloader is locked (i could be wrong but worth a shot) I attached the Rogue "recovery-rogue-1.3.0.img". Try a "fastboot flash recovery recovery-rogue-1.3.0.img"
EDIT: Sorry, I guess you can't flash a custom recovery with a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, just tried it to no avail. Thanks so much for your help anyway. (=
I'm not sure what to do now.
I would keep trying to unlock it using different USB cables and different USB ports on your computer. I've had unlocks fail a bunch of times and for some reason, it was because of a $hity USB cable and/or a bad port on my computer.
slacka-vt said:
I would keep trying to unlock it using different USB cables and different USB ports on your computer. I've had unlocks fail a bunch of times and for some reason, it was because of a $hity USB cable and/or a bad port on my computer.
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Click to collapse
I hear ya. I've tried 2 different cords and 3 different computers. I'm using a Mac (10.6.8) right now, but have used 2 PCs (Vista + 7).
Out of curiosity, when you tried to flash the custom recovery, did you get the same "device still locked" error or did it appear to flash but then recovery failed?
slacka-vt said:
Out of curiosity, when you tried to flash the custom recovery, did you get the same "device still locked" error or did it appear to flash but then recovery failed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the 'device still locked' error. Weird, huh?
How about trying to lock it again even though it says it's locked -maybe it's stuck in an "in-between state"? Try a "fastboot oem lock" and if it finishes then try a "fastboot oem unlock". I know, I'm grabbing at straws here. I thought I bricked my Xoom last week. All I did was an "adb reboot bootloader" and the device went to a black screen. Volume Up + Power did nothing. I ended up buying a T5 (Torx 5) bit at the store, removed the back cover and disconnected the battery for 30 seconds using a piece of paper to separate the contacts. The Xoom booted right up after that.
slacka-vt said:
How about trying to lock it again even though it says it's locked -maybe it's stuck in an "in-between state"? Try a "fastboot oem lock" and if it finishes then try a "fastboot oem unlock". I know, I'm grabbing at straws here. I thought I bricked my Xoom last week. All I did was an "adb reboot bootloader" and the device went to a black screen. Volume Up + Power did nothing. I ended up buying a T5 (Torx 5) bit at the store, removed the back cover and disconnected the battery for 30 seconds using a piece of paper to separate the contacts. The Xoom booted right up after that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I tried that. Won't lock or unlock successfully. Locking produces no difference, and unlocking produces the same 'device still locked' error. This is getting out of hand! Thanks so much for your advice. You think I should open it up?
I hate to be so persistently annoying about this, but could anyone possibly suggest a method of working around the locked bootloader?
Is there anything I can do with an SD card to remedy the device's stubborn foolery?
I think you should give it a try, I have bricked my xoom a few times and have always been able to flash the stock imagine to recover. You really have nothing to lose by pulling the battery pin just be careful.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
I don't know if I'm technically-equipped enough to do that. )=
Sounds easy, but I imagine it would be rather easy to screw something up? Essentially what I should do is unseat the battery, right?
cherlamperter said:
I don't know if I'm technically-equipped enough to do that. )=
Sounds easy, but I imagine it would be rather easy to screw something up? Essentially what I should do is unseat the battery, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have looking for a utube how to guide but no luck, I just might make one for you so you will know what to expect. Give me a few and I will get back to ya.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
I'm a noob and I wiped my phone before trying recovery! DERP. Not sure what to do next.
So... I need a little help. I've been looking around and havent been able to find a situation like mine. I've got a completely wiped/factory reset HTC Inspire 4g. SD card is good and reformatted to fat32. Heres the basics. When I press the power button I get 3 vibrate and orange light, when I press volume down and power I get 5 vibrates and green light. When I plug phone in with usb (to computer or charger) I get clockworkmod recovery v5.0.2.7. I am able to toggle through options, all works fine.
This is where I need help and I get easily confused. What do I do to get this phone back to stock settings? I've tried putting the stock pd98img.zip file onto the sd card, then installing via clockwork recovery. When I do this, I get failed installation EVERY time. I've also tried connecting through ace hack kit on my lap top and running the stock settings flash. Whenever it resets the phone it does the 3 vibrates/orange light and stops.
I would really appreciate someone with a little more experience to walk me through what I need to do to recover.
Update: When I try to download the zip from the sd card via clockworkmod I get the error E:Signature Verification Failed. I'm not sure what this means.
If someone can solve my problem I'll buy them lunch or coffee! Some kind of gift card to your favorite place? I'd really like my android back!
Drdandy said:
I'm a noob and I wiped my phone before trying recovery! DERP. Not sure what to do next.
So... I need a little help. I've been looking around and havent been able to find a situation like mine. I've got a completely wiped/factory reset HTC Inspire 4g. SD card is good and reformatted to fat32. Heres the basics. When I press the power button I get 3 vibrate and orange light, when I press volume down and power I get 5 vibrates and green light. When I plug phone in with usb (to computer or charger) I get clockworkmod recovery v5.0.2.7. I am able to toggle through options, all works fine.
This is where I need help and I get easily confused. What do I do to get this phone back to stock settings? I've tried putting the stock pd98img.zip file onto the sd card, then installing via clockwork recovery. When I do this, I get failed installation EVERY time. I've also tried connecting through ace hack kit on my lap top and running the stock settings flash. Whenever it resets the phone it does the 3 vibrates/orange light and stops.
I would really appreciate someone with a little more experience to walk me through what I need to do to recover.
Update: When I try to download the zip from the sd card via clockworkmod I get the error E:Signature Verification Failed. I'm not sure what this means.
If someone can solve my problem I'll buy them lunch or coffee! Some kind of gift card to your favorite place? I'd really like my android back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only flash pd98 files from fast boot not from CWM recovery. Boot in bootloader and it will find it
I am going to come off as the biggest noob here, but its got to be done. How do you boot in bootloader?
EDIT: Alright. So Bootloader is Volume down and power. My phone won't boot into bootloader. Phone vibrate 5 times and green led comes on. Screen stays black the whole time.
Drdandy said:
I am going to come off as the biggest noob here, but its got to be done. How do you boot in bootloader?
EDIT: Alright. So Bootloader is Volume down and power. My phone won't boot into bootloader. Phone vibrate 5 times and green led comes on. Screen stays black the whole time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok i dont use CWM but there maybe an option in there to reboot into bootloader. Try holding volume up and power. Could be confusing devices on that though
zelendel said:
Ok i dont use CWM but there maybe an option in there to reboot into bootloader. Try holding volume up and power. Could be confusing devices on that though
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Click to collapse
Nah, no other combo's work for getting into bootloader or rebooting it. From what I've read on other forums, if I can't get into bootloader, I'm bricked. Do you think since the phone is wiped back to factory settings that HTC would replace it under the warranty?
Since you can boot into recovery, adb should still work. Enter recovery then plug in your phone to PC and run adb reboot bootloader
Have you tried reflashing a rom in recovery aswell?
Drdandy said:
Nah, no other combo's work for getting into bootloader or rebooting it. From what I've read on other forums, if I can't get into bootloader, I'm bricked. Do you think since the phone is wiped back to factory settings that HTC would replace it under the warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are booting into CWM your not back to factory. As stated above you can use adb to boot into bootloader
Just making sure I'm doing this right as its the first time I've ever use adb commands to me phone. Do I need to downloand Android SDK to write commands to the phone?
Okay. I've learned how to use the adb commands. That was cool. haha. So I popped the battery out, then back in to get to CWM. With phone connected to computer I tried adb reboot bootloader. My phone rebooted itself, but it did the 3 vibrates with a flashing orange LED. Adb reboot recovery does the same thing.
For being in recovery. Are you guys talking about the volume down power combination, when I do this and connect the phone to the pc, the pc doesn't detect the phone. So there is no abd commands/flashing roms to it in recovery.
Drdandy said:
Okay. I've learned how to use the adb commands. That was cool. haha. So I popped the battery out, then back in to get to CWM. With phone connected to computer I tried adb reboot bootloader. My phone rebooted itself, but it did the 3 vibrates with a flashing orange LED. Adb reboot recovery does the same thing.
For being in recovery. Are you guys talking about the volume down power combination, when I do this and connect the phone to the pc, the pc doesn't detect the phone. So there is no abd commands/flashing roms to it in recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK looks like your bootloader is messed up. Go to the ace hack kit thread. There you will find a link foe the IRC chat room. Go there and tell them what you did. They maybe able to help you.
Hey yall. I had the phone for 6 days before I bricked it. I am wondering if there is any stock recovery mode or anything or what I shsould do? I think something went wrong due to using the root toolbox pro app. I have done some backups within the ap as well as Titanium Backup but now the phone will not boot up and I dont know if/how to put it in factory recovery mode. Soft reset does nothing. The Motorola logo will show on startup but then the screen just blacks out forever, not off, just colored black.
A few details, the phone was rooted with Motofail2go, with no recovery and bootloader still locked as far as I know.
Should I take it to Sprint for a factory reset? Is this even an option? What are my other options?
Next time I will probably use the Moto unlock key so I can open the bootloader all legit like and have a recovery mode...
Try holding power button and the down volume key to power off. Once you power off press and hold them again. This should boot you into fastboot, Motorola's adb shell basically. This can take a couple tries, make sure the phone is powered down completely before hitting volume down and power button to get into fastboot. If you can boot into fastboot you can unlock using this guide: http://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/20/how-to-unlock-the-motorola-photon-q-bootloader/
Once unlocked flash the custom recovery of your choice (I like twrp). You can boot into custom recovery by holding volume up and the power button from a powered down state. Here is the link for instructions on how to flash twrp:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1887070
Then you can download one of the stock backups for the Q posted in the development section and restore them using the custom recovery. Most of the ones I have seen have been compatible with twrp.
The only way to download the stock rom backups is to remove the sd card from your phone, plug your sd card into a PC or other device with a card reader, download the stock backups, and place the stock backup rom files on your sd card. Finally place the sd card with the stock backup downloads into your phone.
These backups and information on how to go through this process can be found in this thread on page 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001226
The key is to make a backup of your existing rom with twrp and then move the stock backups from your sd card to the twrp/backups/yourdeiceserial/ directory. That creates a backup directory which twrp knows to look for backups in.
Don't feel bad, I've been in that state several times since getting the Q, live and learn.
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
UnicronAlpha99 said:
Try holding power button and the down volume key to power off. Once you power off press and hold them again. This should boot you into fastboot, Motorola's adb shell basically. This can take a couple tries, make sure the phone is powered down completely before hitting volume down and power button to get into fastboot. If you can boot into fastboot you can unlock using this guide: http://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/20/how-to-unlock-the-motorola-photon-q-bootloader/
Once unlocked flash the custom recovery of your choice (I like twrp). You can boot into custom recovery by holding volume up and the power button from a powered down state. Here is the link for instructions on how to flash twrp:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1887070
Then you can download one of the stock backups for the Q posted in the development section and restore them using the custom recovery. Most of the ones I have seen have been compatible with twrp.
Don't feel bad, I've been in that state several times since getting the Q, live and learn.
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that does not work you could drop it in water or something. You have not officially unlocked boot loader so you still have warranty. Or you could just tell sprint it quit working and act completely clueless. At least its bricked with warranty still intact.
matt2k12 said:
Hey yall. I had the phone for 6 days before I bricked it. I am wondering if there is any stock recovery mode or anything or what I shsould do? I think something went wrong due to using the root toolbox pro app. I have done some backups within the ap as well as Titanium Backup but now the phone will not boot up and I dont know if/how to put it in factory recovery mode. Soft reset does nothing. The Motorola logo will show on startup but then the screen just blacks out forever, not off, just colored black.
A few details, the phone was rooted with Motofail2go, with no recovery and bootloader still locked as far as I know.
Should I take it to Sprint for a factory reset? Is this even an option? What are my other options?
Next time I will probably use the Moto unlock key so I can open the bootloader all legit like and have a recovery mode...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of the methods above are very effective. When I had the first photon I bricked it and just dropped it in water and did a claim. Depending on the insurance you have that way may cost you $100. The other method should work. When I first got this phone I did the exact same thing and to go back and unlock then flash twrp and in stall a stock backup someone had posted.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2
UnicronAlpha99 said:
Try holding power button and the down volume key to power off. Once you power off press and hold them again. This should boot you into fastboot, Motorola's adb shell basically. This can take a couple tries, make sure the phone is powered down completely before hitting volume down and power button to get into fastboot. If you can boot into fastboot you can unlock using this guide: http://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/20/how-to-unlock-the-motorola-photon-q-bootloader/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Is there anything extra extra special about getting into factory fastboot mode? I can't seem to get it done. Is there an official set of instructions anywhere? Does the phone need to be plugged into the PC? It was always my understanding (for the last week) that Power and Vol Down was the soft reset mode which reboots the phone. Therefore it always tries to reboot in normal mode. This is what keeps happening. It never powers completely down using this method.
Anyhow, once I follow your instructions, the Moto logo appears, no Sprint logo appears, the phone "powers on" but the screen is blacked out (not off). After waiting for a while at the blank/black screen, or holding down several buttons like vol or camera I get the first attachment: "Process system is not responding. Would you like to close it?" When I wait nothing happens. When I push OK nothing happens. By chance, I held down power during the notification and the power menu came up behind the ANR notice (second/third attachments). So obviously there are some things working but the main system isn't booting up. And either factory fastboot is nuked or I can't figure it out. When I power down from this accessible power menu and try to do the fastboot (Power / Vol Down) I still havent gotten it to work.
Any other ideas before I take drastic measures?
Since I bought it from Amazon would that be my best route for return or should I go thru a Sprint store?
Thanks in advance.
Hi again yall. You know once I got to thinking about it, I decided to check out the return policy on Amazon Wireless. They will accept any device under warranty for the first 30 days and it is up to Moto for the next 11 months of warranty coverage. They email me a packing label and it ships out 1 day and they ship out the new phone 1 day shipping. Hard to beat, just takes 2 days of shipping and some more fun times with my Epic, 10.1CM style, in the meantime.
Who's to say it wasnt some sort of hardware or software glitch that bricked the phone rather than my screwing around? Nobody knows and it isn't up to the consumer to prove his innocence. I bought everything legally, all the apps at the app store, and only ran the motofail2go root method. Wasn't running any custom Roms, Mods, or anything. I don't feel bad after they got me for another 2 grand for 24 months, and since I have been with Sprint for 10 years;l I have spent well over 10k or 15k with them lifetime.
If any other method pops up between now and when I ship it out I may give it a shot but if not, ah well, capitalism.
matt2k12 said:
Thanks for the response. Is there anything extra extra special about getting into factory fastboot mode? I can't seem to get it done. Is there an official set of instructions anywhere? Does the phone need to be plugged into the PC? It was always my understanding (for the last week) that Power and Vol Down was the soft reset mode which reboots the phone. Therefore it always tries to reboot in normal mode. This is what keeps happening. It never powers completely down using this method.
Anyhow, once I follow your instructions, the Moto logo appears, no Sprint logo appears, the phone "powers on" but the screen is blacked out (not off). After waiting for a while at the blank/black screen, or holding down several buttons like vol or camera I get the first attachment: "Process system is not responding. Would you like to close it?" When I wait nothing happens. When I push OK nothing happens. By chance, I held down power during the notification and the power menu came up behind the ANR notice (second/third attachments). So obviously there are some things working but the main system isn't booting up. And either factory fastboot is nuked or I can't figure it out. When I power down from this accessible power menu and try to do the fastboot (Power / Vol Down) I still havent gotten it to work.
Any other ideas before I take drastic measures?
Since I bought it from Amazon would that be my best route for return or should I go thru a Sprint store?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using adb. If your computer has drivers on it for phone you might able to get into fast boot. If that does not work I would try Sprint store first. Have locked my phone up several times while hacking wife off in progress and have used adb every time. Only time i have been truely scared is when i soft bricked my nexus 7. had to stay at work for two hours after i got off to get it to recover because i was scared of her lol.
---------- Post added at 02:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 PM ----------
If you get adb to recognize device you could take chance and officially unlock boot loader. Then flash twrp. There is a thread in general section about having trouble getting official update. It has a stock recovery in it. Trick would be moving files to recovery section of twrp
I have gotten the phone to soft power down and get into fast boot and custom recovery. It's a bit tricky with timing, I usually wait for the screen to go black after soft reset, let go, and immediately hold power and volume down. If you can not boot into fastboot I honestly don't know what you can do either than return the phone.
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
UnicronAlpha99 said:
I have gotten the phone to soft power down and get into fast boot and custom recovery. It's a bit tricky with timing, I usually wait for the screen to go black after soft reset, let go, and immediately hold power and volume down. If you can not boot into fastboot I honestly don't know what you can do either than return the phone.
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help Unicron. I think Brandons method might be my only alternative... but you know what? I already have the box packed up to ship back to Amazon! I am still a noob; I dunno if I could go the distance on this one. I have been updating my Android SDK files since I got the phone but I never got it to recognize boot up thru ADB fastboot. disclaimer* I havent tried it in a couple days since all teh SDK updates completed.
I dunno though I am a big time DIYer when possible. If it werent for the massive amount of tape I put on the box and packing label I would already be trying this method. I can't convince myself just yet. Amazon makes it too easy. I could have the *new* phone by Friday. Then I wouldn't be wasting my remaining work week trying to hack into my personal Christmas present in order to make it function...........................................
Edit - Yes I'm impatient. My job is too demanding and I am trying to set a good precedent for 2013. Wasting the first 3 work days on a phone is not how I intend to start off the year. There is probably a valuable lesson to be learned from this as far as hacking experience and to be honest with the responses here I think I could get it to boot up from PC in SDK/ADB mode and go from there. I just didnt know if that was possible until after I made the claim with Amazon. I still have an entire day today and tomorrow if I want to indulge myself. It doesnt matter if I mail the package today or Wednesday, I can still get it by Friday. I believe this thread is still valuable because we have patterns of repeating past failures and I may find use of it when I recieve my new phone and, darn it, it mysteriously bricks as well. in the same fashion.... the only thing I was really trying to do was get all my apps on my SD card... sad huh?
Edit 2 - Opened up the box, tried fastboot and adb, nothing. Off she goes.
I don't blame you, it sounds easier to exchange in your case any way. The main suggestion I have is if you are getting into any type of build.prop or operating system tweaks that have potential to lead to boot loops or cause the phone not to boot, then unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery.
The Moto-fail method seems limited to only be able to run apps that require root. For me this has no use as I want to be able to have complete control over all aspects of the Android OS. There is not a huge mod community for the Q as yet but I believe Cyanogen will be a reality as Interloper continues working on it. I came from an Epic with Cyanogen and soft-bricked it a minimum of 50 times. CWM was very forgiving on that phone, the Q is a lot more finicky and frustrating.
If you have insurance through the carrier then you are going to pay $150 for a refurb if something goes wrong and you hard brick the phone. If you unlock bootloader and install custom recovery then you have a fail-safe in the form of nandroid backups and restores. Then you can mod away with little fear.
Good luck on the new phone and I hope you don't give up after six days of modding with the Q!
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
matt2k12 said:
Thanks for the help Unicron. I think Brandons method might be my only alternative... but you know what? I already have the box packed up to ship back to Amazon! I am still a noob; I dunno if I could go the distance on this one. I have been updating my Android SDK files since I got the phone but I never got it to recognize boot up thru ADB fastboot. disclaimer* I havent tried it in a couple days since all teh SDK updates completed.
I dunno though I am a big time DIYer when possible. If it werent for the massive amount of tape I put on the box and packing label I would already be trying this method. I can't convince myself just yet. Amazon makes it too easy. I could have the *new* phone by Friday. Then I wouldn't be wasting my remaining work week trying to hack into my personal Christmas present in order to make it function...........................................
Edit - Yes I'm impatient. My job is too demanding and I am trying to set a good precedent for 2013. Wasting the first 3 work days on a phone is not how I intend to start off the year. There is probably a valuable lesson to be learned from this as far as hacking experience and to be honest with the responses here I think I could get it to boot up from PC in SDK/ADB mode and go from there. I just didnt know if that was possible until after I made the claim with Amazon. I still have an entire day today and tomorrow if I want to indulge myself. It doesnt matter if I mail the package today or Wednesday, I can still get it by Friday. I believe this thread is still valuable because we have patterns of repeating past failures and I may find use of it when I recieve my new phone and, darn it, it mysteriously bricks as well. in the same fashion.... the only thing I was really trying to do was get all my apps on my SD card... sad huh?
Edit 2 - Opened up the box, tried fastboot and adb, nothing. Off she goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW, pressing vol down + power til it resets then pressing the camera button + power once the screen is black gets you to the Boot Mode Selection Menu, where you can start recovery, fastboot, BP tools (still not sure what that is entirely) and some others. Seems to be a fairly reliable/easy method for getting to both recovery and fastboot from any point.
befrosty8612 said:
FWIW, pressing vol down + power til it resets then pressing the camera button + power once the screen is black gets you to the Boot Mode Selection Menu, where you can start recovery, fastboot, BP tools (still not sure what that is entirely) and some others. Seems to be a fairly reliable/easy method for getting to both recovery and fastboot from any point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure wish I would have known that ahead of time. Does this work without any recovery mode and with the bootloader still locked?
matt2k12 said:
Sure wish I would have known that ahead of time. Does this work without any recovery mode and with the bootloader still locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does work without any recovery mode and I believe it still works without the bootloader being unlocked, I didn't know about this myself until after I had already unlocked it. Sorry I couldn't help out sooner.
befrosty8612 said:
It does work without any recovery mode and I believe it still works without the bootloader being unlocked, I didn't know about this myself until after I had already unlocked it. Sorry I couldn't help out sooner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, I am wanting to do the backdoor root method again but, of course, may brick it. I dont think Amazon will keep sending me new ones.... but maybe!
befrosty8612 said:
FWIW, pressing vol down + power til it resets then pressing the camera button + power once the screen is black gets you to the Boot Mode Selection Menu, where you can start recovery, fastboot, BP tools (still not sure what that is entirely) and some others. Seems to be a fairly reliable/easy method for getting to both recovery and fastboot from any point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For anyone concerned, I knew it would only be a matter of time until bricking my new device. This damn Root Toolbox Pro did it to me again, and on a simple, menial task. I am going to be working thru the motions on getting this to work.
Using the instructions quoted I did get stock recovery to work or at least flash on the screen for a split second. Seems like there is a timer on the recovery screen. I am having trouble with the fastboot prompt though on the PC. Do I do it in the "platform-tools" folder which contains fastboot or in the "tools" folder of the main SDK directory? I am really a noob, can you give me the cliff notes of how to get into ADB, fastboot, etc on the Photon Q in order to do a factory reset? I already have Android SDK installed and completely up to date so that is done. And Fastboot is installed. I'm just having trouble crossing the finish line here... I can get the fastboot page opened in the stock recovery but from there I'm lost. I dont know what to type into the command prompt, in what directory, or what.... Also when I open the command prompt in the SDK folder on the PC with fastboot in the directory and type "adb reboot bootloader" it says "device not found". Maybe (surely) that is the wrong prompt?
FWIW my phone is showing the dead android guy. I didnt do anything besides try and clear up my Play Store download list which required a reboot. The phone never started back up. I dont know how much damage was done or info was lost or whatever, but seeing as how I was rooted but still locked, I had no custom recovery. So no back ups. Is there anything to restore or am I looking at a full wipe and restore?
matt2k12 said:
For anyone concerned, I knew it would only be a matter of time until bricking my new device. This damn Root Toolbox Pro did it to me again, and on a simple, menial task. I am going to be working thru the motions on getting this to work.
Using the instructions quoted I did get stock recovery to work or at least flash on the screen for a split second. Seems like there is a timer on the recovery screen. I am having trouble with the fastboot prompt though on the PC. Do I do it in the "platform-tools" folder which contains fastboot or in the "tools" folder of the main SDK directory? I am really a noob, can you give me the cliff notes of how to get into ADB, fastboot, etc on the Photon Q in order to do a factory reset? I already have Android SDK installed and completely up to date so that is done. And Fastboot is installed. I'm just having trouble crossing the finish line here... I can get the fastboot page opened in the stock recovery but from there I'm lost. I dont know what to type into the command prompt, in what directory, or what.... Also when I open the command prompt in the SDK folder on the PC with fastboot in the directory and type "adb reboot bootloader" it says "device not found". Maybe (surely) that is the wrong prompt?
FWIW my phone is showing the dead android guy. I didnt do anything besides try and clear up my Play Store download list which required a reboot. The phone never started back up. I dont know how much damage was done or info was lost or whatever, but seeing as how I was rooted but still locked, I had no custom recovery. So no back ups. Is there anything to restore or am I looking at a full wipe and restore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As abnormal as it seems, your situation seems pretty normal... at least from my shoes. I went through the same scenario... I didn't know what adb was, or fastboot, etc. So, here's what I know
the fastboot commands work even if adb doesnt see it in the list of devices attached. Somehow it just works (as long as the phone is in fastboot mode).
If you're able to get to the fastboot mode, things should be okay. Just open a windows explorer window to the Platform-Tools, hold the shift key and right click on a blank space within the window, then click open command window here.
you should be able to pass any adb (if the phone is on and recognized) or fastboot (if phone is in fastboot mode) commands from that command prompt.
Also, if you have a stock recovery, CMW, or TWRP image, this is the folder to copy those .img files to. Once you get your phone into fastboot mode and its plugged into the computer, just type into the command prompt:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
If you're just looking to reboot the phone into recovery
If you have a CWM or TWRP recovery just replace the recovery.img with whatever the .img file that you have. Also, as a tip instead of writing the entire file name, just press the first couple letters then press the tab key within the command prompt, it should fill in the rest. keep pressing tab until you get to the .img file name you want.
To avoid doing this again, maybe I can help... what were you trying to do to begin with? From the sound of it, you were trying to root the phone with the Root Toolbox Pro but it bricked, and then you tried to reboot into recovery and then got the red android... ?
befrosty8612 said:
As abnormal as it seems, your situation seems pretty normal... at least from my shoes. I went through the same scenario... I didn't know what adb was, or fastboot, etc. So, here's what I know
the fastboot commands work even if adb doesnt see it in the list of devices attached. Somehow it just works (as long as the phone is in fastboot mode).
If you're able to get to the fastboot mode, things should be okay. Just open a windows explorer window to the Platform-Tools, hold the shift key and right click on a blank space within the window, then click open command window here.
you should be able to pass any adb (if the phone is on and recognized) or fastboot (if phone is in fastboot mode) commands from that command prompt.
Also, if you have a stock recovery, CMW, or TWRP image, this is the folder to copy those .img files to. Once you get your phone into fastboot mode and its plugged into the computer, just type into the command prompt:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
If you're just looking to reboot the phone into recovery
If you have a CWM or TWRP recovery just replace the recovery.img with whatever the .img file that you have. Also, as a tip instead of writing the entire file name, just press the first couple letters then press the tab key within the command prompt, it should fill in the rest. keep pressing tab until you get to the .img file name you want.
To avoid doing this again, maybe I can help... what were you trying to do to begin with? From the sound of it, you were trying to root the phone with the Root Toolbox Pro but it bricked, and then you tried to reboot into recovery and then got the red android... ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. So, all I have to do is: go to fastboot and flash a stock recovery image file and it will automatically wipe the phone, cache, everything, and restore the operating system? Sounds awfully easy! I found some stock files in this post : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001226&page=2 Are these the ones you used before?
Last question: I can flash CWM or TWRP but wont be able to access them if my bootloader is locked, correct? So flashing a stock recovery will allow me to have my stock phone back again, locked and un-rooted? I guess if I cant get it to work with the stock recovery then I can unlock the bootloader and do a CWM or TWRP recovery and then flash the stock .img files?
Thanks again for your help. I already had root with the motofail2go method which I like using but seems like when I try and use some generic root feature from apps from the app store that it will crash/brick the phone cuz obviously those apps are generalized and likely to brick certain percentage of devices....
Ok what does this mean? Something with the bootlaoder obviously. Does it need to be unlocked?
Code:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools>fastboot flash recover
y qrecovery1.img
(bootloader) Variable not supported!
target reported max download size of 31457280 bytes
sending 'recovery' (5962 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.479s]
writing 'recovery'...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 0.755s
C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools>
And on the phone screen it says "invalid image size for partition recovery" twice for both times I tried this method.
You will need to flash the system image as well if you want those, as the recovery image will only flash the recovery. The files in that link are for twrp only... so you'll have to be able to get there first.
With the custom recoveries, I'm not 100% sure whether or not you will be able to use them without being unlocked. I would wait to see if anyone else can answer that question for you, but if you did try it without an unlocked bootloader, you at least have the stock recovery to fall back on if needed.
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
I'm thinking it could either be that your phone is full and the image you're flashing is too large to fit on the space available...
Or you're trying to flash custom software on a locked phone.
Hopefully someone is able to answer that a little better...
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
You can't alter the stock recovery (flash a custom recovery like twrp or cwm) in fastboot without having the bootloader unlocked. Your options are to unlock your bootloader, flash custom recovery, create a backup of your current setup, download one of the stock working backups, place it in the backups folder for twrp on your external sd card, and restore one of the known working backups in the development section (befrosty linked to one). Or you could use RSD lite to return to stock using a stock factory firmware flash. That involves connecting your phone to your PC and flashing the phone back to factory stock. Information on RSD Lite and links to the FXZ's can be found here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2095536
Sent from my XT897 using xda app-developers app
Hi, well it looks like i have probably hard bricked my phone. After updating to nougat i decided to do afresh clean install. I wanted my phone to as if i had just bought it and came with nougat/emui 5 installed. So i did a factory reset from within the settings menu. But then i thought i would completely erase everything and start from the latest build before nougat, so emui 4.1.2/ marshmallow. So after wiping all the partitions in twrp and then doing a volume up + power to do complete factory wipe followed by using the three button method to install the B130 UPDATE.APP in dload folder on my sdcard, all worked as expected. The update completed at 100% and then rebooted. So there i am waiting for my phone to boot to start the setup process as i have done dozens of times before...BUT...my phone will not boot to the initial setup wizard. It just stays stuck on the Honor logo pulsing animation for ever and ever and ever!!!!!!
So i do the volume up + power button to get to stock recovery and do factory wipe and cache wipe as well. It works as expected so i reboot and once again use the 3 button method to install the update.app on my sdcard. That works as expected and at 100% says its succeeded and reboots. Once again i wait for it to boot to the initial setup wizard but....ALAS...it stays on that DAMN pulsing Honor logo. Ive tried rebooting it several times, redoing the factory wipe and install several times, but nothing. Ive gone into fastboot mode (volume down + power) to try and flash the boot.img and system.img ive extracted from update.app but get the error message -- remote: command failed -- and the same if i try to unlock bootloader. Obviously its not going to work because my bootloader isnt unlocked and nor can i got in to developer settings to enable oem unlock and turn USB debugging on because my phone wont boot past that bloody honor logo.
The only thing i havent done yet is to use eRecovery but i dont have broadband and i doesnt seem to work over public wifi! So i will go to my friends tomorrow and use their broadband and hopefullly eRecovery will download/restore the latest firmware. The only other thing i can think of is to download the original nem-l51c432B102 that came with my phone when bought, extract the update.app file and replace the B130 i have on my sdcard dload folder at present.
Sorry for such a long post but i wanted to expalin evrything in detail to hopefully resolve my problem without going backwards and forwards with questions and answers and taking for ever.
So ANYONE and EVERYONE who managed to read the whole post, if you have even the slightest idea of how to get my phone working, please oh please share it with me. Also my phone is still under warranty so if i needed to send it to a huawei centre to get it fixed would they do it and do it for free??? because eseentialy all i did was a factory wipe/reset and install a frmware and it goes KAPUT!! thats not my fault right????!!???
Thank you to one and all for any wisdom you can share.
please....please.......help???
So sorry for my original long post people, i simply wanted to give as much detail and info as possible because being vague doesnt help anyone. It seems that might have worked against me.
Please,please any suggestions would be appreciated to the N'th degree! I have tried everything i can think of and i am truly desperate now. I dont understand why i cant get it to work...
I can go into stock recovery and wipe the cach and do factory reset and that works fine, no errors.
I can hold the 3 buttons down to install the firmware package(ive got update.app from B130 build) and that works fine, gets to 100% and says 'success' and then reboots, with no errors.
But either way the phone refuses to boot past the honor logo boot animation and ive left it for hours hoping,praying, it will work after the 32nd time...
I can access fastboot but that is useless because my bootloader is not unlocked and i cant get to developer options to enable 'usb debugging' and 'oem unlock'. So i just get error message 'remote: Command Failed' with any command i type.
But thats madness, i cant comprehend why it wont boot because everything seems to work!?!
There has to be a way to get my device functioning again.
I am pulling my hair out, i am at a complete loss, it doesn't make sense. PLEASE ANYONE ..... please help....
Thanks HONOR-able enthusiasts for any help, no matter how small!
Hi,
Apologies if this has been asked before, but I've done a relatively thorough search and I can't find a solution to this problem.
I have an S6 (SM-G920F), It was playing up for a few weeks before this, not charging well, and what not, thought it was a cable/hardware issue. Then it stopped working entirely. Initially when it was plugged into the wall it would say it was 91% charged, but if you tried to turn it on it would turn off, and reboot into the charging screen.
I've done quite alot of reading and I've ended up flashing it with Odin (I have a single .md5 file, which i've loaded onto the phone via AP) using the most recent FIrmware UK EE for the SM-G20F. This was successful, however now it only loads the Black screen with white text Samsung S6 powered by android screen and then goes blank and back to the white text screen.
I downloaded an alternative firmware (the one previous version), but this has had the same effect. I've tried to repartition with odin, but this fails.
1.) Is there anyway I can fix this?
2.) If not Is there anyway to remove files whilst in downlod mode?
3.) If I cannot fix it or recover my data, is there anyway to wipe the data securely from my phone so I can sell it for parts?
At present, I can't access recovery mode, only download mode. But whilst Odin communicates with the phone in download mode, I can't seem to access my files from explorer?
1. I would say you'd have to clear cache, immediately after flashing the firmware with Odin, but to do that, you'd have to get to Recovery Mode first...
Why can't you get to it? Does it just start trying to boot nornally? Because if so, it's just a matter of timing it. What I do is... hold power+home+voldown to get to the screen that asks me if I want to get into Download Mode, I press cancel, and immediately start holding power+home+volup until I see the bootsplash screen, and release the power button but keep holding home+volup, and it gets me to Recovery every time, even when I have difficulties such as this.
2. Not that I'm aware of. BUT you could flash TWRP with Odin, and if you then can manage to get to Recovery, you just need to plug your phone into a computer, and your phone will show up in the computer as a device/disk and you can freely remove stuff from it.
If... IF this were to work, I would suggest downloading a stock-based ROM and flashing it. It's far more likely to work properly and bootup without issue than the firmwares you can get, and it's far less much of a headache to do.
3. Nope. There are apps that can wipe data securely (such as Shreddit which does it according to military standards), but it can't be done from Download Mode. There may be some script that could do it in Recovery Mode, but I doubt it.
I mean... technically... you could flash TWRP, go to Recovery, move to your PC all the stuff you want to keep, select the wipe option in TWRP and then transfer randomly generated data from your PC to your phone until it's full - there are many apps that can generate such data. It's not something you could pass off as very very secure, but it should suffice.
I seem to always keep going to trying TWRP - so, you know, give it a shot.
King-V said:
1. I would say you'd have to clear cache, immediately after flashing the firmware with Odin, but to do that, you'd have to get to Recovery Mode first...
Why can't you get to it? Does it just start trying to boot nornally? Because if so, it's just a matter of timing it. What I do is... hold power+home+voldown to get to the screen that asks me if I want to get into Download Mode, I press cancel, and immediately start holding power+home+volup until I see the bootsplash screen, and release the power button but keep holding home+volup, and it gets me to Recovery every time, even when I have difficulties such as this.
2. Not that I'm aware of. BUT you could flash TWRP with Odin, and if you then can manage to get to Recovery, you just need to plug your phone into a computer, and your phone will show up in the computer as a device/disk and you can freely remove stuff from it.
If... IF this were to work, I would suggest downloading a stock-based ROM and flashing it. It's far more likely to work properly and bootup without issue than the firmwares you can get, and it's far less much of a headache to do.
3. Nope. There are apps that can wipe data securely (such as Shreddit which does it according to military standards), but it can't be done from Download Mode. There may be some script that could do it in Recovery Mode, but I doubt it.
I mean... technically... you could flash TWRP, go to Recovery, move to your PC all the stuff you want to keep, select the wipe option in TWRP and then transfer randomly generated data from your PC to your phone until it's full - there are many apps that can generate such data. It's not something you could pass off as very very secure, but it should suffice.
I seem to always keep going to trying TWRP - so, you know, give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply! So after flashing it goes straight back into the boot loop. Weirdly if its plugged into my laptop it spend about a second or two on the "Samsung Galaxy S6: Powered by Android" screen before plunging into darkness and shortly after repeating the same message. However if I plug it into the wall it spend over twice as long on that screen before repeating the cycle. It never goes any further.
I've tried your suggestion about perhaps its timing for recovery mode, but even if I go straight from cancelling download mode to trying the power, up and home key it doesn't go to recovery. I've tried a variety of timings both plugged into my laptop and plugged into the wall to no avail. If the phone isn't plugged in, it literally won't do anything whatsoever, won't even hint at turning on.
So Next I tried flashing it with TWRP via Odin and nothings changed, exactly the same bootloop and I still can't get into recovery mode.
I'm starting to think that sadly this phone my be beyond repair! Thanks for your help though, much appreciated.
Hi! I usually run out of my bootloops like this:
try this:
1: go to download mode, and press Power + home + volume —
2: As soon as the screen turns black, continue pressing Power and home, quickly release "volume —" and press "volume +". This will get you into recovery mode.
It always worked for me, so I wish the same for you. Good luck! (And sorry for my bad english)
vinicius_guerra said:
Hi! I usually run out of my bootloops like this:
try this:
1: go to download mode, and press Power + home + volume —
2: As soon as the screen turns black, continue pressing Power and home, quickly release "volume —" and press "volume +". This will get you into recovery mode.
It always worked for me, so I wish the same for you. Good luck! (And sorry for my bad english)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Vinicius,
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it didn't work, I even tried flashing it back to a standard ROM from TWRP, but it still didn't do anything, just back to the Samsung logo and the loop continues ever more!
Hi, I have this problem as well.
Originally I had TWRP and root flashed into my phone but for reasons I needed to remove root.
So I followed the Odin route stated here "Mobikin how to remove root from android" (I can't post links but this should be the top result when googling)
However I didn't know if the recovery/boot should have went into AP or BL on the Odin menu and googling didn't give me any answers so I may have tried both....
Right now I tried flashing TWRP and I can't seem to boot into TWRP as well.
I was able to get into recovery mode but clearing data/cache didn't fix it for me.
EDIT: I managed to flash in another stock rom and it boots into the SAMSUNG logo but gets stuck there. I already went into recovery mode to delete data and cache partition but it still doesn't boot.
Melioetta Zyguard said:
Hi, I have this problem as well.
Originally I had TWRP and root flashed into my phone but for reasons I needed to remove root.
So I followed the Odin route stated here "Mobikin how to remove root from android" (I can't post links but this should be the top result when googling)
However I didn't know if the recovery/boot should have went into AP or BL on the Odin menu and googling didn't give me any answers so I may have tried both....
Right now I tried flashing TWRP and I can't seem to boot into TWRP as well.
I was able to get into recovery mode but clearing data/cache didn't fix it for me.
EDIT: I managed to flash in another stock rom and it boots into the SAMSUNG logo but gets stuck there. I already went into recovery mode to delete data and cache partition but it still doesn't boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same experience. For all those 6 years that I used this device, the wifi was okay until now. It (wifi) is very buggy (turning on and off, and sometimes won't turn on at all) so I restarted the device, then bootloop happens. I flashed the stock rom via odin and clear data and cache. But it is still bootlooping. I think this is the sign that I need to replace my phone IF I couldn't find a fix to this.