[Q] How to fix a boot loop without a factory reset - Xperia Z3 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have googled this but all the solution I find are either to factory reset or re-flash your firmware. I'd really like to avoid that.
I have a Z3 compact, rooted and then flashed with the latest firmware I think its the .77 at the end.
Xposed framework with a few mods running beautifully on it.
The last 3 changes I did before the phone got stuck in the boot loop:
- updated minmin xposed module from 1.8.1 to 1.9
- updated another module but forgot its name
- fiddled with the settings of this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.namelessrom.devicecontrol
I'm pretty sure its the latter as it sets certain kernel parameters at reboot.
Can anyone give me instructions on how to disable this app from booting or how/where to find it and delete it?
Where can I find logs of this boot loop?
I really want to avoid re-flashing, re-rooting, re-flashing and restoring my backup again as that will take half a day.

I've just brought back mine from bootlooping after I've installed several extensions (just discovered that the culprit was DonkeyGuard) and I'm about to do it for the second time, by flashing a Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip file that's stored either in the root of your phone or at
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/files/Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip
But that would only work in case you messed it up with Xposed.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I encounter this problem again.
Still finding it hard to believe there's no other reply to a seemingly common problem / question, does everyone just pack up and factory reset when boot looping?

Well, it's as common as people repeating to make a nandroid backup, you know
Btw, before I will flash yesterday a black theme (modded system files), I made the backup, so when my Z3C got stuck in a bootloop for the third time, I had nandroid ready. Such a shame, I really liked that mod.
If the kernel is problem, how about just reflashing your kernel?

Believe it or not, I started looking into nandroid backups today already made my first tests.
Until now I relied on titanium backups but that still makes me do a factory restore before I can restore stuff from those backups.
But the issue is, I am not looking for better "protection" I'm trying to find out how I can fix something minor like this i.e. via adb and command line...
Talking about a custom kernel, is there one? I have a rooted xperia z3 compact and wouldn't mind checking out a different kernel but I held back unlocking my bootloader until there is a custom ROM available that can fully replace my rooted stock ROM.
If love to get PAC man ROM for my phone.

I had the same issue, but by using 3C toolbox (similar to the app you've mentioned).
In my case putting back the original build.prop into /system via ADB fixed the bootloop.
As for custom kernel, you can try AndroPlus kernel HERE

@ovizii as @davebugyi said, you could always put some files back via ADB, but you need to have a file that you want to put back, like in davebugyi's case an original file. In your case you don't have it, so unless you know what value you changed, there is nothing much that you could really do with ADB access.

-V-O-Y-A-G-E-R- said:
@ovizii as @davebugyi said, you could always put some files back via ADB, but you need to have a file that you want to put back, like in davebugyi's case an original file. In your case you don't have it, so unless you know what value you changed, there is nothing much that you could really do with ADB access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, I was thinking along the lines of accessing log files, like a system log file, check what went wrong, i.e. auto start of a certain app, or setting of kernel parameters at boot time, then remove the offending apps/entries?
Just not sure if that's possible, hence this question here
Checking out the suggested ap and the kernel! Thanks!

Related

[Q] Can't update without IM bloat

Please help. I rooted my Bionic and removed some of the bloatware via Titanium Backup. Not being totally stupid, I did a backup of the apps first. When I tried to load the new OTA, I got an error because it was apparently looking for the IM app (Which I never use). Of course, I had removed it as bloatware. When I tried to reinstall it via Titanium Backup, it just hangs.
I wasn't giving up so easily. So I extracted the apk file from the zip file and tried to reinstall it manually. Unfortunately I get "App not installed".
Any ideas?
I don't have my phone with me at the moment (gasp!) but near the bottom of the main preferences list in TB there is an option for failsafe mode. Make sure this is checked and put it on "indirect" app processing mode. Wording may vary slightly from that but if you set those two options it should work.
88Keys88 said:
Please help. I rooted my Bionic and removed some of the bloatware via Titanium Backup. Not being totally stupid, I did a backup of the apps first. When I tried to load the new OTA, I got an error because it was apparently looking for the IM app (Which I never use). Of course, I had removed it as bloatware. When I tried to reinstall it via Titanium Backup, it just hangs.
I wasn't giving up so easily. So I extracted the apk file from the zip file and tried to reinstall it manually. Unfortunately I get "App not installed".
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And for future reference, use the freeze option next time instead f removing them.
MillionManMosh said:
I don't have my phone with me at the moment (gasp!) but near the bottom of the main preferences list in TB there is an option for failsafe mode. Make sure this is checked and put it on "indirect" app processing mode. Wording may vary slightly from that but if you set those two options it should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you and your phone have been joyously reunited
I triedd your suggestions, but alas no go. Any other ideas?
If you already have everything backed up I'd just go ahead and use RSDLite to set the phone back to stock:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1262540
Just keep in mind you lose root through this, so to be safe you might want to reroot and apply the 'forever root' hack before you update. Although I understand newer root exploits like R3l3as3d work on the newer system as well.
And yes, the battery was joyously reunited with the charger...
It's a little more hard core than I've gone before, but I guess it's my only option. I've flashed ROM's before to my OG, but never had to go this route.
Thanks for your help and wish me luck!
And to johnlgalt - What can I say but I always learn from my mistakes. Monday morning is always the best time to be a quarterback ;-)
The OG DROID had an unlocked everything, so it was easy to do all of this. Because of eFuse and our locked bootloaders, it's most definitely more complicated. Our phones cannot even replace the recovery yet all we can do is use a bootstrap method to bypass the stock recovery and run an alternate recovery - and until we get a disabled eFuse and unlocked bootloader, this ain't gonna change.

[Trifecta] Jelly Bean Update

This one is pretty straight forward...Especially if you haven't done much modding to your
phone.
If you're stock or close to, you can probably just move the update to the phone sd and use stock recovery to apply update, and you're good to go. If you are already rooted try the OTA RootKeeper app, hopefully it'll work for you. being that it seems to be hit & miss, i'm guessing it didn't work for people that had issues updating, but will work for those whose update goes smooth.
I on the other hand had already rooted and did the GSM hack on mine so I ran into a few issues that I've others have been having too.
Probably the biggest and most common are "system 7" errors. I've realized you get these when the update checks and finds that ICS files have changed, are frozen, gone, etc. and it's a bit harder to diagnose because it keeps changing depending on what's wrong.
For example it had a code then something else and it referrenced my STK.apk file, then I realized when I did the GSM hack I renamed those to Stk.apk.bak & stk.odex.bak as recommended. So I fixed those & tried update again.
Failed this time at build.prop, yep another GSM mod, but I didn't back-up or save orig settings, so I had to find a bionic ICS build.prop and replace it. found it here (will update with link asap).
Tried again, IIRC, this is the time it worked, but only booted to animation loop. This sucked. Tried to use House of Bionic to fix, couldn't get it to work, but ended finding a fix using recovory "AP Fastboot" had to use pc CMD to reinstall preinstall.img & system.img from the HoB ICS FXZ file.
Look HERE. Thanks to ERIC for this, he gives you everything you need. He's also responsible for dead battery workaround I put below.
When you do this, you can't boot phone back up but you can go into stock recovery & re-apply update from sd on your phone. It wipes everything tho, so if you used OTA RootKeeper, it's gone. But you get phone back.
Bottom line...MAKE BACK-ups or save everything you've changed.
If you've heavily modded things on your phone it might be more worth it (easier) to back up & save what you can as far as apps & personal stuff then redo ICS stock, Maybe root & use OTA RootKeeper here, tho I've heard this doesn't always work either (the OTA part), then apply JB update. then re-install / apply what you were able to save / back-up.
So in hindsight I would guess modding anything within the system is what gives you the "system 7" error, and depending on what you did, or maybe someone you bought the phone from already rooted & modded, it can take you all day to fix / replace those files, just do the reflash of the (2) img files & call it a day. This way you can probably avoid the boot loop issue too.
One other thing about the boot loop one...if you wait & wait & wait like I did it KILLS your battery, and you won't be able to use Fastboot.
IF THIS HAPPENS...find an old phone charger or DC plug, like for your computer, clip off the end and line up the positive & negative connections on the battery then push it into the phone so the wires are touching the phone connections too. Be careful what it's putting out tho, I found I had one that the output was 6 (watts i believe) and 300 mah. It worked the trick just fine. you don't want anything to high as you don't want to burn up any circuits. most USB plug phone chargers go around 5 (watts) I believe. just FYI.
Hope this helps someone.
Cheers.

Can't access storage without root

So, today I upgraded to 6.0 and had a hell of a time (took me 7 hours) and the problem was that when I installed su from twrp it'd soft brick my phone, anyway, that's not the problem, the problem is everything is saving to /storage/emulated and I can't access it without root. I noticed this when I was on OGInsta and I wanted to download a picture, it gave me an error code about how it couldn't find the directory, so I went to my file manager, everything was fine but I accidentally hit up instead of home and it brought me to an empty page. I started messing with the settings of my file manager assuming something went wrong with it, new version etc, and I found it had a root option. I clicked it and gave it root access and went back and I could see the files where I was previously. To make sure I tried to save something on kik, didn't work. I tried accessing my storage from the rar app and it wouldn't. I don't know what's going on or how it even got this way.
How did you install 6.0, what version of su did you install, and how did you fix the soft brick?
Sounds like you have very little idea what your doing and running a ton of random stuff. Probably best to do a system restore, take a step back learn what your doing and do it again properly... but if you can recount the steps you have done it may be fixable.
I like to think I have decent knowledge on what I am doing, I've been rooting phone's and made xposed apps (for myself) since kitkat. I've never had so much trouble with something. And to answer your questions, I figured using nexus root toolkit would he fine, as it always has worked before but I couldn't get it to root my phone. It would soft Brick it for an unknown reason, I left it on for about an hour at one point to make sure it was bootlooping. So then I used adb, flashed boot.img and then recovery. Went into recover and flashed SU 2.52 beta. (this is also how I solved the soft Brick the nexus toolkit was giving me)
scryan said:
How did you install 6.0, what version of su did you install, and how did you fix the soft brick?
Sounds like you have very little idea what your doing and running a ton of random stuff. Probably best to do a system restore, take a step back learn what your doing and do it again properly... but if you can recount the steps you have done it may be fixable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, to clearly, I have 2 storage paths. One is "sdcard/" and the other is "storage/emulated/0" I'm not sure if the "storage" folder is new in 6.0, I know 4.+ and 5.+ used "sdcard/". Too see "storage/emulated/0" I need to grant root access to the file manager. And any app the does not have root, cannot access that directory.
YoureVexing said:
I like to think I have decent knowledge on what I am doing, I've been rooting phone's and made xposed apps (for myself) since kitkat. I've never had so much trouble with something. And to answer your questions, I figured using nexus root toolkit would he fine, as it always has worked before but I couldn't get it to root my phone. It would soft Brick it for an unknown reason, I left it on for about an hour at one point to make sure it was bootlooping. So then I used adb, flashed boot.img and then recovery. Went into recover and flashed SU 2.52 beta. (this is also how I solved the soft Brick the nexus toolkit was giving me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you might have knowledge in making apps, but you are missing lots of knowledge when modding your phone. you are going to have to use an app like root explorer, and find where your storage was placed, then move it to the right location. or you can reflash the factory image. ive always just moved my storage back when its happened to me. anyways, flash the factory image the right way, not through a toolkit. then flash any custom kernel(if flashing marshmallow), and supersu.
YoureVexing said:
I like to think I have decent knowledge on what I am doing, I've been rooting phone's and made xposed apps (for myself) since kitkat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are comments like this always made by people who take 7 hours to flash a factory image, and make statements like
YoureVexing said:
So then I used adb, flashed boot.img and then recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB cannot flash factory images.
I didn't need your resume... Just answers to the questions I asked....
Do as simms said and flash factory image with fastboot to fix whatever you did, then a kernel and the lastest supersu.
The emulated storage folder has been there at least since kit kat. My S4 and Moto X, neither of which saw LP both had it.
scryan said:
Why are comments like this always made by people who take 7 hours to flash a factory image, and make statements like
ADB cannot flash factory images.
I didn't need your resume... Just answers to the questions I asked....
Do as simms said and flash factory image with fastboot to fix whatever you did, then a kernel and the lastest supersu.
The emulated storage folder has been there at least since kit kat. My S4 and Moto X, neither of which saw LP both had it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took me 7 hours because I could figure out what was wrong with it and why twrp kept soft bricking my device. And I'm not worried about emulated. I know that has been there. I'm saying there is 2 folders, /sdcard and /storage. Every app is trying to use the path "/storage/emulated/0/*insert app folder here" and it cannot do that without root. I'm confused as too why all the apps are trying to do that for a default location instead of /sdcard. I've already tried to reflash everything. I even looked up like 5 tutorials to make sure I was doing it right and I was.
Can't really help you with your current situation (other than to advise you to flash a factory image and start over), but if it confirms your sanity the exact same thing happened to me using the rootkit to root my Nexus 6. I should've known better than to use rootkit, but I'm not really used to fastboot having been on Samsung devices and using Odin for everything. I corrected it by flashing a factory image, flashing the modified boot image, flashing TWRP, and then SuperSU. But the whole process was quite a fiasco from what I'm used to and for what I expected from a Nexus phone.
YoureVexing said:
It took me 7 hours because I could figure out what was wrong with it and why twrp kept soft bricking my device. And I'm not worried about emulated. I know that has been there. I'm saying there is 2 folders, /sdcard and /storage. Every app is trying to use the path "/storage/emulated/0/*insert app folder here" and it cannot do that without root. I'm confused as too why all the apps are trying to do that for a default location instead of /sdcard. I've already tried to reflash everything. I even looked up like 5 tutorials to make sure I was doing it right and I was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/sdcard is a simlink, its the same folder.
internetpilot said:
Can't really help you with your current situation (other than to advise you to flash a factory image and start over), but if it confirms your sanity the exact same thing happened to me using the rootkit to root my Nexus 6. I should've known better than to use rootkit, but I'm not really used to fastboot having been on Samsung devices and using Odin for everything. I corrected it by flashing a factory image, flashing the modified boot image, flashing TWRP, and then SuperSU. But the whole process was quite a fiasco from what I'm used to and for what I expected from a Nexus phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rootkit wasn't working for me, it's been a charm for my nexus 5 and from 4.+ and nexus 6 on 5.+, on 6.0 it wasn't working so I tried to flash it on fastboot and I still got the same thing. I'll try it once more I suppose, thank you.

No way to get my XZ3 into recovery mode--- because of some spyware?

Good evening and sorry if post a thread of which I see two similar oness
However, I could not find a solution in the other ones and have questions which go a little further and really hit my privacy.
I have two XZ3 and both could go into recovery node when I bought them and after a while could not.
I used the reset to factory seting fo wiping cache etc. quite regularly as I had/have reasons to belive that I was/am spied on.
Sice the recovery mode possibility is gone I feel totally unsafe with both phones.
I tried all possibilities I can find of this website or any other in internet, and all were without success.
As described by others, after pushing the power button, there is no led light and it boots suoer-quicklyto the blue stripe view in which we wait till the boot is complete.
Till two days ago I thought ok, the phone just needs a flash, wipe everything away once and all would be resolved.
Well, two days ago I flashed my phone the first time from lollipop to kitkat, which worked without problems and then rooted it with gifroot and then put back lollipop.
Everything ran smoothly and after the whole process I had a rooted lollipop version with a working recovery. I tried the apps which confirm if the root works abd everything was great.
Tthe morning after, however the recovery possibility was gone. The phone was still rooted for everything, but for recvery mode.
I tried several apps, which I gave superuser access with SuperSu, but even from the apps the boot goes always just the NORMAL way without recovery.
To give it another try today I flashed that xz3 again, then rooted it with Kingo root, which in Kitkat firmware worked lalso super easy, the checked with other apps whihchconfirmed that the root works, but still no recovery possibility, no matter with which app..
I really need a specialist who can explain that to me, as I am going mad to think that someone else has total control over my phones.
How realistic is that some spyware does not allow the recovery as of course it knows that it would be eliminated then.
Please give me your thuoghts or knowledge. Everything helps. And if you know a method with which I can be sure that nothing is keft on the phone, I would appreciate.
Thanks and Regards
iFran72 said:
Good evening and sorry if post a thread of which I see two similar oness
However, I could not find a solution in the other ones and have questions which go a little further and really hit my privacy.
I have two XZ3 and both could go into recovery node when I bought them and after a while could not.
I used the reset to factory seting fo wiping cache etc. quite regularly as I had/have reasons to belive that I was/am spied on.
Sice the recovery mode possibility is gone I feel totally unsafe with both phones.
I tried all possibilities I can find of this website or any other in internet, and all were without success.
As described by others, after pushing the power button, there is no led light and it boots suoer-quicklyto the blue stripe view in which we wait till the boot is complete.
Till two days ago I thought ok, the phone just needs a flash, wipe everything away once and all would be resolved.
Well, two days ago I flashed my phone the first time from lollipop to kitkat, which worked without problems and then rooted it with gifroot and then put back lollipop.
Everything ran smoothly and after the whole process I had a rooted lollipop version with a working recovery. I tried the apps which confirm if the root works abd everything was great.
Tthe morning after, however the recovery possibility was gone. The phone was still rooted for everything, but for recvery mode.
I tried several apps, which I gave superuser access with SuperSu, but even from the apps the boot goes always just the NORMAL way without recovery.
To give it another try today I flashed that xz3 again, then rooted it with Kingo root, which in Kitkat firmware worked lalso super easy, the checked with other apps whihchconfirmed that the root works, but still no recovery possibility, no matter with which app..
I really need a specialist who can explain that to me, as I am going mad to think that someone else has total control over my phones.
How realistic is that some spyware does not allow the recovery as of course it knows that it would be eliminated then.
Please give me your thuoghts or knowledge. Everything helps. And if you know a method with which I can be sure that nothing is keft on the phone, I would appreciate.
Thanks and Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spyware cannot affect Recovery unless it is granted root permissions and is embedded on system.
Also do not use KingoRoot, a thread in the SG note 3 forums reported Spyware installed after using it, source. For now steer clear of that application until all claims have been proven false
At any rate, ( assuming you have Unlocked Bootloader ) just flash another kernel with recovery, do a full wipe including formating the system partition and restore your system via flashing a rom
9
Revontheus said:
Spyware cannot affect Recovery unless it is granted root permissions and is embedded on system.
Also do not use KingoRoot, a thread in the SG note 3 forums reported Spyware installed after using it, source. For now steer clear of that application until all claims have been proven false
At any rate, ( assuming you have Unlocked Bootloader ) just flash another kernel with recovery, do a full wipe including formating the system partition and restore your system via flashing a rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got that problem i cant hard reset my phone i forgott my posswords and the key combo dosent work and i have never rooted before, can you give me a step by step for dummie (me)
petterssonjohan said:
9
i got that problem i cant hard reset my phone i forgott my posswords and the key combo dosent work and i have never rooted before, can you give me a step by step for dummie (me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can enter flash mode, flash the latest firmware and software for your device using flash tool.
What is flash mode? I can get the phone in a mode where the indicator lamp turns blue is it that?
get Flashtool @ https://xperiafirmware.com/flashtool/
it includes Xperiafirm so you can download a stock ROM for your device and build an .ftf file
when you have the ftf file, drag it into the main Flashtool window
follow prompts

LG Optimus L90 Root problems. HELP

Hello all. I Recently attempted rooting my phone, running on 5.0.2, and it seemed to have worked. But then after attempting to use SuperSU to add root permissions to an app, my screen went black, and the only thing visible was the top status bar, which had some animations still running (Like the battery icon filling up or the signal bars changing), but thats it. It wasn't responsive to any of my button presses, and then it shut off. It keeps doing this over and over, and i cant keep the phone on for more than 5 mins maybe 10. How would I fix this? I used this "tutorial". - andromods .com/news-root/lg-g3-g-flex-2-g2-lollipop-one-click.html - (Stupid thing wont let me post links)
I would like to solve this without factory resetting, as I have apps that have data on them that needs to be transferred from one phone to another, and i dont have a second phone to transfer to at the moment.
Thanks in advance.
As far as I know, flashing kdz with LG Flash Tool following the tutorial to "unroot" won't delete your data, but you will lose root, of course. If you don't have custom recovery nor root, there is little else you can do. Do you have adb root (shell)? If yes you can try re-flashing system partition...
lfom said:
As far as I know, flashing kdz with LG Flash Tool following the tutorial to "unroot" won't delete your data, but you will lose root, of course. If you don't have custom recovery nor root, there is little else you can do. Do you have adb root (shell)? If yes you can try re-flashing system partition...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm very new to this, and probably shouldnt have attempted this without knowing more, so I have no idea what you are asking me. What is ADB root (shell)? I probably dont have it. And I didnt do any sort of custom recovery. But it seems that me messing around with SuperSU (clicking the uninstall root/turning of superuser once or twice) seems to have stopped the crashing all together. Ive been using my phone since and it hasnt crashed. Whether or not that's fixed the real issue, I don't know. And I'm not sure I want to mess with it further. :crying:

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