Database Develop

Pic of Dead Droid with ! after firmware update attempt

I recently got my TF701T back from repairs and they of course factory reset it (they put a new battery in). We all know it needs factory reset for that right? Anyways. I do a check for updates and nothing. I know I was running 4.4 previously but updater says no updates and stuck on original. So I start reading and download the latest US 4.4 firmware directly from ASUS, unzip it and put in main directory (verified mine was US) and reboot. Says all is fine, would I like to update, yes, reboot and I get the Android gear guy for about 10 minutes then it reboots. He shows up again and dead android shows up.
Now it just loops forever to this. I spent about 5 hours reading forums here, attempted a restore, but 1. the recovery.img link is bad and 2. my tablet isn't rooted.
Any suggestions? I can access the fastboot screen that gives me "RCK, Android and "Wipe Data". I tried Wipe data 3 times, no good still getting dead guy. I tried copying the latestest zip file to an sd card with boot.img and blob and file and ran RCK and it says match then reboots then dead guy again...
the fastboot screen says "released by: "US_epad-10.14.1.45-20131014" which I believe is the original.

You did a good job on your research. What might have tripped you up could be just a bad download. Files do get corrupted during download once in a while.
The recovery seems to have initially recognized the digital signature of the update file and started to flash it. And then something went wrong....
Download the firmware again. Unzip it once (the result should be a ....user.zip) and place that file onto a microSD formatted fat32 and not into any folder on the card. Boot to recovery (RCK).
If that does not work, try to rename the ...user.zip on the microSD to T4_SDUPDATE.zip and boot to recovery and report back.
Good luck!

So, I had downloaded 3 different versions multiple times before with zero success. But, once I took one and renamed it to T4_SDUPDATE.zip bam!
You just so made my day!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Devan

I have a question along these lines. What is the difference between the software update and firmware update and when do you do each? I understand the difference between what they are I suppose just not sure if updating is the same. Should I update kernel too or is that updated in an SW or FW update?
Thanks

Anyone?

I have seen these terms used very differently on different device forums.
Here on the Asus tablet forums people mostly talk about firmware when they mean the whole stock package. The stock firmware always comes with everything: Bootloader, recovery, rom and kernel
On the HTC M8 forum for example, they make a clear distinction: Software is rom and kernel, firmware is bootloader, radios, baseband etc.
The recovery seems to fall somewhere in between
Your bootloader version determines everything else. You should only flash a recovery, kernel or rom compatible with that particular bootloader.
You can, or have to, update it if you want to run a rom that requires a later or newer bootloader. Asus encrypts their BLs, so bootloader updates can only come from them - so far only with the release of a new version of the OEM "firmware".
If you as an unlocked, custom rom'd user then want to install a rom based on that new firmware, you have to update the bootloader and possibly but not necessarily your recovery before flashing the new custom rom.
Custom recoveries get more frequent updates. CWM, TWRP or some enterprising dev release new versions every few months. Always make sure it is compatible with your bootloader and rom. In most cases you can easily skip a few versions. But if you update your rom, let's say, from JB to Lollipop you should also update your recovery.
The kernel is considered to be part of the rom. At least every rom I know of comes with a kernel, some even with several to choose from. And it is a popular sport to try the same rom with different kernels.
You update the rom whenever the developer releases a new, updated version - or not if you're happy with what you got.
The safest place to be is always up-to-date: The latest roms usually require the latest bootloader and it's best to run both with the latest recovery.
If you have a working combo you can stick with it for years if you like.
But if you've been away for a while, did not follow the latest development, and want to update, you always have to:
Check if your bootloader is still current. If not, update it
Update your recovery
Wipe data, cache and Dalvik
Flash the new rom.

Nice explanation, I knew all of this but there is no way I could have explained it.

berndblb said:
You did a good job on your research. What might have tripped you up could be just a bad download. Files do get corrupted during download once in a while.
The recovery seems to have initially recognized the digital signature of the update file and started to flash it. And then something went wrong....
Download the firmware again. Unzip it once (the result should be a ....user.zip) and place that file onto a microSD formatted fat32 and not into any folder on the card. Boot to recovery (RCK).
If that does not work, try to rename the ...user.zip on the microSD to T4_SDUPDATE.zip and boot to recovery and report back.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK YOU!!!! IT worked like a miracle... Thank you !!!! :good::good::good:

T817TUVU1AOG8 Stock ODIN?

Hey guys, I was wondering if anoyone could help me find the stock odin file for my tab S2 Tmobile? I rooted and I have twrp and everything. I wanna go back to having LTE while I wait for a custom kernel that can support it. I have had some problems locating said odin file. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

One of the most important reasons for having a custom recovery such as twrp is so you can make a full backup PRIOR to making any modifications.
I don't know how many times I have said this yet still people go ahead and flash regardless.
The firmware you are looking for is not available yet.
You're only hope is to ask someone who has the same model with unrooted firmware to make a backup of the system and boot partitions and upload them.
Or you may be able to unroot with supersu then flash just the boot.img.
If unrooting doesn't work then you may be able to flash the boot and system partition from the firmware below with Flashfire.
http://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-T817P/
Make that backup first.

ashyx said:
One of the most important reasons for having a custom recovery such as twrp is so you can make a full backup PRIOR to making any modifications.
I don't know how many times I have said this yet still people go ahead and flash regardless.
The firmware you are looking for is not available yet.
You're only hope is to ask someone who has the same model with unrooted firmware to make a backup of the system and boot partitions and upload them.
Or you may be able to unroot with supersu then flash just the boot.img.
If unrooting doesn't work then you may be able to flash the boot and system partition from the firmware below with Flashfire.
http://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-T817P/
Make that backup first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thank you for your assistance, but I must say that I am not a novice when it comes to rooting, flashing, odining etc. etc.
I was merely asking if anyone came across the stock odin file I listed above, if they could link it to me. I am having a hard time finding it and as you pointed out, is because it isn't there to be found. So I will continue to wait patiently and use wifi until it is released.
Thank you.

Help a newbie; LG Optimus L90; learning to flash

Current situation: pretty much complete newbie. I broke my factory OS after rooting it, I think I deleted something Settings needs, so anytime it needs to access settings I get "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped." I factory reset it hoping that would help, but now after loading it gets stuck on a cycling white screen reporting that error (I think it's trying to set up the phone.) The error message prevents me from doing the touch-four-screen-corners trick I've read about and bypass set up. So, stuck on phone setup errors as near as I can tell.
I do have my user apps backed up with TiBu, but couldn't get the recovery zip from TiBu to work. I downloaded CWM but didn't figure it out yet. Also unfortunately I can't get the USB drivers to work (the LGE Android MTP Device won't install), so I think my only way of getting files to my phone now is using the microSD cards.
I'd love some help! I think my factory OS is FUBAR, so I'm not trying to fix that, instead I'd rather just get a cool ROM loaded so I can continue learning with a working device with said cool ROM. I don't fully understand terms that I know I need to like "bootloader" or what CWM / TWRP actually does or how to use them (I need to make a custom recovery ROM?). Or where to get a cool ROM or which to pick, some step by step basics on from some experienced users would be fantastic! Thank you so much!

So you were on stock, rooted, backed up and then messed the ROM? Flash stock ROM again using LG Flash tool (there is a thread in the main section), it should not wipe your data but you'll lose root. Hard to fix if you're not sure about the problem and have no easy access to files. Just make sure you flash the correct version for your model (D405, D410hn, etc), preferably the same version you have now so you won't need a factory reset after flashing...

lfom said:
So you were on stock, rooted, backed up and then messed the ROM? Flash stock ROM again using LG Flash tool (there is a thread in the main section), it should not wipe your data but you'll lose root. Hard to fix if you're not sure about the problem and have no easy access to files. Just make sure you flash the correct version for your model (D405, D410hn, etc), preferably the same version you have now so you won't need a factory reset after flashing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, this put me in the right direction. I ended up discovering that even though the " LGE Android MTP Device won't install," the flashing process worked with this program via USB anyway. I'm going to lick my wounds a bit before trying to flash a custom ROM. Thank you!

For the rom installation, after unlocking your bootloader and rooting, download the app Flashify from Google Play, then install TWRP or CWM zip file as recovery image. Then, from there, you can install custom ROMs or make backups of your phone, etc. A cool custom ROM I recommend is CyanogenMod, it ports newer versions for older devices. So, you can have Android 6.0.1 in your phone

Good start ?

Hi all, glad to find this
I have ..., guess what ? a RAZR i (Ok, it's a friend's one) that I repaired changing the mad battery after factory resets didn't do anything. Then found OTA was available, applied and the RAZR i was 4.1.2 IIRC and the new battery went OK. My mistake, another OTA went soon, which I applied too, making the RAZR i a 4.4.2 kitkat piece of crap (no more write access to sdcard, this is well known ... by the ones aware , know I'm one).
Then I thought I could make the phone free and search the web for days to try to understand, found a french forum which said I can't do anything without unlocking the bootloader, what I did.
They directed me there to remove the boot-logo-warning but that's a razr hd thread and nothing worked for me. I can't remember where I read I should have CWM to do this, but as the french guy said he rather like twrp I didn't do anything at the moment, only failed to flash some logo from fastboot with various errors....
Well, I'm there, and it's cool because I hope this is the good place to have answers to questions that are still in my mind for years, and 2/3 new ones... fortunately they'll overlap and self-resolve once I get one. I'm not at all skilled in android, I only flashed a phone in 2010 and that's why I still have android SKD in my ubuntu (I also have a xp box, but I couldn't do anything for my old Acer LiquidMT). As you see, I'm a vintage things amateur (... okay, I'm vintage too).
Now the scene is built, please let me dare ask what still puzzles me :
1) For the Razr i 4.4.2 (french from sfr-vodafone kia20.74 now used with another carrier) do I have to search a specifically dedicated recovery ? Parsing this RAZR i Q&A, I found twrp seems to the preferred recovery, but I'd rather like to get confirmation from skilled ones, and also for version.
2) And please tell me if I'm wrong thinking the [RECOVERY] Unofficial TWRP 3.0.2-0 thread aim is to bring support to the RAZR i which is not supported by official teamw.in ? (BTW, @Hazou, the 1st link in the thread - DataMedia - is dead)
3) Assumed I have to go the TWRP way and I only have currently the stock recovery, do I guess right the only way is download img.zip and extract then do
Code:
./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
, then only after that the phone can be rooted ?
4) You see I'm puzzled here because I still don't have understood the logical path: is this one the good ? unlock boot loader -> fastboot flash reco -> is the device rooted at this point ? If not, install su from recovery option "install zip from sdcard", then it's done and I get a so called "rooted stock ROM" ? Then only I can figure installing a custom ROM if exists for the RAZR i ?
5) And I should always flash a custom ROM based on the same 4.4.2 android release as my current stock one AND disable OTA updates ?
I read so many threads with guys having issues with hard-bricked RAZR i and all are about ICS and JB, so I wander the only custom are for ICS or JB, and still don't understand why they want to revert back.
Thanks for advices.

1stStep said:
Hi all, glad to find this
I have ..., guess what ? a RAZR i (Ok, it's a friend's one) that I repaired changing the mad battery after factory resets didn't do anything. Then found OTA was available, applied and the RAZR i was 4.1.2 IIRC and the new battery went OK. My mistake, another OTA went soon, which I applied too, making the RAZR i a 4.4.2 kitkat piece of crap (no more write access to sdcard, this is well known ... by the ones aware , know I'm one).
Then I thought I could make the phone free and search the web for days to try to understand, found a french forum which said I can't do anything without unlocking the bootloader, what I did.
They directed me there to remove the boot-logo-warning but that's a razr hd thread and nothing worked for me. I can't remember where I read I should have CWM to do this, but as the french guy said he rather like twrp I didn't do anything at the moment, only failed to flash some logo from fastboot with various errors....
Well, I'm there, and it's cool because I hope this is the good place to have answers to questions that are still in my mind for years, and 2/3 new ones... fortunately they'll overlap and self-resolve once I get one. I'm not at all skilled in android, I only flashed a phone in 2010 and that's why I still have android SKD in my ubuntu (I also have a xp box, but I couldn't do anything for my old Acer LiquidMT). As you see, I'm a vintage things amateur (... okay, I'm vintage too).
Now the scene is built, please let me dare ask what still puzzles me :
1) For the Razr i 4.4.2 (french from sfr-vodafone kia20.74 now used with another carrier) do I have to search a specifically dedicated recovery ? Parsing this RAZR i Q&A, I found twrp seems to the preferred recovery, but I'd rather like to get confirmation from skilled ones, and also for version.
2) And please tell me if I'm wrong thinking the [RECOVERY] Unofficial TWRP 3.0.2-0 thread aim is to bring support to the RAZR i which is not supported by official teamw.in ? (BTW, @Hazou, the 1st link in the thread - DataMedia - is dead)
3) Assumed I have to go the TWRP way and I only have currently the stock recovery, do I guess right the only way is download img.zip and extract then do
Code:
./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
, then only after that the phone can be rooted ?
4) You see I'm puzzled here because I still don't have understood the logical path: is this one the good ? unlock boot loader -> fastboot flash reco -> is the device rooted at this point ? If not, install su from recovery option "install zip from sdcard", then it's done and I get a so called "rooted stock ROM" ? Then only I can figure installing a custom ROM if exists for the RAZR i ?
5) And I should always flash a custom ROM based on the same 4.4.2 android release as my current stock one AND disable OTA updates ?
I read so many threads with guys having issues with hard-bricked RAZR i and all are about ICS and JB, so I wander the only custom are for ICS or JB, and still don't understand why they want to revert back.
Thanks for advices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey 1stStep,
A lot off assumptions and questions. And most of them are right.
1. Afaik there are 2 recoveries for the RAZR I. Stock and my build TWRP 3.0.2-0 unofficial. (Thanks for the heads up about the link)
2. Answered in 1.
3. Yep. If your bootloader is unlocked it gives u the function to flash non-stock firmware to the phone. Stock firmware are signed to prevent normal users flashing wrong firmware. Firmware consist of a couple of images. Those images contain data for the partition, just like in your PC. Every image does something else. Most known are boot, data, system, recovery and cache. There are many more. Some needed, some unnecessary.
To answer your question: when u have flashed the TWRP recovery u override the stock one. The TWRP can flash zip files and images to the most known device partitions. From here on u can flash a superuser zip(gives root access on the current ROM/system). Make sure u have the right superuser zip. There are many.
4.
Path to root on stock:
Unlock bootloader->install custom recovery (TWRP)->install superuser zip->reboot and test root on device
Path to custom ROM:
Unlock bootloader->install custom recovery (TWRP)->install ROM zip and extra's if needed like (Gapps(needed for Google playstore and more))->reboot and play with your new ROM.
Off course if u already have the bootloader unlocked and installed a custom recovery, u can skip those.
In the recovery u can also make backups, called nandroid backup. Read up on them and everything u wanna do.
5. The only thing u never want/should do is flashing Android 4.0.4 stock firmware without prior modifications. This is because from 4.0.4 to 4.1.2 there was a change in bootloader (the thing u unlock). If u go back it corrupt a part of the firmware which is difficult to overcome or even impossible without some factory stuff. Everything above 4.1.2 is save. And can always be flashed. The latest stock is 4.4.2 (KIA 20.74) and latest available custom ROM is 4.4.4 (CM11 or soon Lineage 11).
Good luck!

Thanks so mush great dev to spend time and even surely repeat yourself (hope you're not under stress) for a newb.
In your answer for path to custom ROM you say "Unlock bootloader->install custom recovery (TWRP)->install ROM zip and extra's if needed like".
Do I have to understand custom ROMs are yet rooted (OOTB), or root yet made on stock will survive flashing the custom (I though flashing a custom was some kind of infant clear brain graft?
BTW, is it general good advice to test recovery before flashing? I found this in Moto Play unofficial recovery 3.0.2-r5 from Vache:
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
?
Thanks again

1stStep said:
Thanks so mush great dev to spend time and even surely repeat yourself (hope you're not under stress) for a newb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all , just replying if I have some time.
1stStep said:
In your answer for path to custom ROM you say "Unlock bootloader->install custom recovery (TWRP)->install ROM zip and extra's if needed like".
Do I have to understand custom ROMs are yet rooted (OOTB), or root yet made on stock will survive flashing the custom (I though flashing a custom was some kind of infant clear brain graft?
BTW, is it general good advice to test recovery before flashing? I found this in Moto Play unofficial recovery 3.0.2-r5 from Vache:
Code:
fastboot boot recovery.img
?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Most custom roms are prerooted.
- Cyanogenmod/LineageOS are prerooted
- Root installed by a zip will not survive any system flashing (rom flashing)
- Any modification to your system partition will not survive and system flashing (rom flashing), though 1 exception:
- installed gapps package (google apps/play store etc.) will survive system flashing on cyanogenmod based roms. But only when updating the rom to a newer version on the same android version. So:
CM11 version 1 to CM11 version 2. (because of a special script in the install zip)
Pre testing a boot or recovery image is blocked on our bootloader. So u can't do it. It's a shame they did it. Working on any boot or recovery changes is a pain in the spoken ass.
If u flash the recovery with:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
there is nothing to be afraid off. The TWRP 3.0.2-0 recovery is well tested on this device.

Thank you again man for all detailed answer.
You're right, it's a shame all these locked things in our phones. I'm sure the guys that agree (our security, blah blah) with these ways to do won't be so happy the day their computers will be locked the same way.
bye bye Hazou.
[Edit] .... hmmm, how long does it take to flash? Yet a 1/4h elapsed and razr still says "Flashing recovery..."
Please, what is the md5 of the image (not the zip, this you give us)? Thanks
[Edit] : Downloaded twice and get md5sum 60dff26f3ee5e9338ee4a6f8cf7df098
but still same forever Flashing recovery ...
[Edit] : I've been puzzled for days being stuck in endless "Flashing recovery ..."
In the ended I decided, after saying 1 hour waiting a hypothetical "success/congrats message", NOT QUITTING the current fastboot screen, to select the recovery option in this very fastboot menu (on a Razr i : Vol- to highlight recovery item, then Vol+ to select) and bang I was in TWRP menu. What to do next once in, it is another story.

Stock Roms

Hi,
I recently made the mistake of wiping my system partition trying to just do a factory reset. I was running a stock rooted 4.4.2 rom and TWRP recovery.
I've tried the latest RUU from HTC but it says it can't find my phone. Using the generic FUU and a 1.54.651.8 (the same version I was previously running) zip I found looks like it's starting to work - it finds the phone and everything but seems to be stuck forever on "Updating (0/7) Sending...."
I was able to get a custom rom installed, but some things weren't working quite right (couldn't send texts, kept making a weird sound, and a couple others) so I was hoping for a stock rom - rooted or not, I'm fine either way.
The bad news is that the old threads with the stock rom of that version seem to have broken links so I can't get them that way. I tried contacting a couple of people who posted them but they didn't hang on to them either.
Unfortunately, the SD reader on this phone has broken so I can't get to my old backup from before I originally rooted way back when. So what I had to do to install the custom rom was boot into TWRP Recovery, ADB push the .zip over to /tmp and flash it from there. Which seems to work fine as far as that goes, I just need a stock rom (or nandroid backup, I suppose) that is compatible with my firmware since the RUUs don't seem to want to cooperate.
As an alternative, is there a way of pulling just the rom out of that 1.54.651.8 RUU I have in some format that would be flashable under TWRP Recovery?
I know it's an older phone and I'm on an old firmware (once I was rooted I never wanted to do any updates for fear of breaking something), but any help would be greatly appreciated since all the links I can find seem to be outdated/dead.