Database Develop

[Q] [S.O.S.] A rare MILESTONE brick situation!

Fellow androiders,
I believe I am in a really rare brick situation that no matter how I try, it still does not show any turn around.
[Introduction]
I bought a Korean version Milestone(Moto Qrty, as they put], and I took it to China. Because the original phone did not support sending Chinese text message, plus, too much telco provided apps are making the phone sluggish, I decided to follow my friend advice, to switch to widely available open-sourced Froyo (I wanted the CM).
[Problem]
I thought that the flashing process would not be too difficult and I could handle it by myself. But, it turns out that I have become a victim of an overly simplified version of flashing guide. I don't know what exactly have done wrong, after successfully rooted the phone, I vaguely remember that I have used CM ROM for Droid, instead of CM ROM for Milestone.
And that made my phone a brick. My phone will turn on, but will restart again and again after M logo(So-called M boot loop).
[Background information of the Phone and my PC environment]
Phone Model: A853
Original Bootloader version: A0.20
Original Android System: Froyo
RSD lite version: 5.3.1. (later switched to 4.6 due to the suspicion of RSD bug)
Operating System: Windows 7 64 bit, English
[What I have tried so far]
I have tried to follow many tips on the internet. Tips from Korean websites, from Chinese websites, and from English websites. Basically, these tips will let you flash back to the original ROM by using RSD lite.
But, no matter what I try, it will not fix the boot loop problem.
I've tried to
1) Bring the phone to the original status [did not work.]
- flash the bootloader into A0.20 (the original bootloader) with RSD lite;
(bl_a020_umts_sholesumts_skt_consumer_replacer.sbf)
- flash with original Froyo sbf (following the advice from Korean websites, flashed Clair first, and then flashed Froyo) with RSD lite.
(A853_2.1(Eclair).SBF / A853_2.2.1(Proyo).SBF)
* According to what Koreans say, it would make your phone into the original status, will even remove signs of root.
2) Used many combination of following bootloader and ROMs
- flash the bootloader into 90.78ch
(BL_9078_umts_sholes_GC_HS_Consumer_replacer.sbf)
- flash the bootloader into 90.78
(BL_9078_umts_sholes_HS_Consumer_replacer.sbf)
- GOT221 ROM
(GOT_RTEU_2_2_1FULL.sbf)
- And some other un-name-able ROMs
SGC_U2_03.04.0_USASHLSGCB1B2B5008.0R_PDS06A_HWp2a_1FF.sbf
3) Used many different OpenRecovery Variations
OpenRecovery v1.46
OpenRecovery 3.3
OpenRecovery GOT mod v2.1
4) Restore Nandroid backup which I made right before I made my phone brick.
5) Cleaned data/cache/dalvic as I do every flash, and tried boot without SIM card and SDCard.
[Some discoveries and successes]
- With 90.78ch + GOT2.2.1, it will show "Android" screen, but it will reboot as soon as the phone OS interface show up.
- According to my friend, when he flashed back to the original bootloader A0.20 + original froyo Rom, it showed TelCo Symbol "T" once (which is the booting screen right after M).
[Final Comment]
What I really want to know is that is it the time I give up on it? or is there any value of pursuing other knowledge on bring this phone back?
I really need this phone, and it will take some times to save money to buy another smartphone, I would really really appreciate if you can help me bring this phone back to normal.
Thank you.

some users reported problems with sdcard. try to boot without sdcard, and wipe everything after or before the flash process.
and i don think it's hard bricked...

Sir, I have tried so, somehow, I did not have lucks other had.

roofghost said:
Sir, I have tried so, somehow, I did not have lucks other had.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you've tried flashing different bootloaders, with no success? I always thought flashing another bootloader version different from your own was risky.
If not, you can just try flashing the SBF from here: http://android.doshaska.net/rootable , then installing OpenRecovery, rooting the phone, flashing a custom ROM, etc.

..... my bad

I have the same issue,
in recovery there is message when wiping data/factory reset:
E:Error in CACHE:fota/log
(no space left on device)
I am wondering, if I move CACHE to SD would it help??
Yesterday I have installed original Rom (shols~) and phone booted once to android and when I have rebooted it, there is M bootloop again.
Please help me

skadude66 said:
So you've tried flashing different bootloaders, with no success? I always thought flashing another bootloader version different from your own was risky.
If not, you can just try flashing the SBF from here: android.doshaska.net/rootable , then installing OpenRecovery, rooting the phone, flashing a custom ROM, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, did not work.
I have a feeling that the "doshaska" will know how to solve this. Anyone know how to contact or PM him?
Thanks.

By the way,
in this case, is there anyway can fix the brick via "console" in the OpenRecovery?
Thanks.

So... you have open recovery and can get to the console...
What happens if you copy CM to the updates folder and flash CM?

zeppelinrox said:
So... you have open recovery and can get to the console...
What happens if you copy CM to the updates folder and flash CM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I can enter OpenRecovery and can get to the console.
And,
sorry about the CM, I think I will have to try that again and let you know then.
Is there any CM ROM you want me to try? (Hopefully with a reliable instruction. If you are busy, you can just leave this part, I will look for myself about the instruction.)
Truly thank you and glad to see new reply under this topic.

Well, use OR's mount as usb function and plug into your computer.
Copy the latest CM7 (I think that's what you want - or any ROM really) to the updates folder.
Wipe all caches
Then apply the update
It should "just work"
I mean, the hardest part is getting into OR lol
I'm surprised that your battery hasn't died yet

zeppelinrox said:
Well, use OR's mount as usb function and plug into your computer.
Copy the latest CM7 (I think that's what you want - or any ROM really) to the updates folder.
Wipe all caches
Then apply the update
It should "just work"
I mean, the hardest part is getting into OR lol
I'm surprised that your battery hasn't died yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I install CM7 on Froyo? I thought that was for the Android 2.3.
I have just flashed back to the original bootloader of A0.20 (it was 90.78 as I play around with it.), and flashed the original korean .sbf froyo. Just to follow your suggestion.
I will try to install vulnerable recovery. I think in this way, I can use OpenRecovery again.
About my batter, I purchased a separate battery charger.
I will keep my status updated as soon as I try this out.
Thanks.

same problem and flash so many rom My milestone can't acess sdcard on recovery mode and android os.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App

guys same problem here, help us

[Q] Bootloop, help, newbie

So, I have a nook color and I installed roms in it, rooted and other basic things. But recently my girlfriend got a dell streak from his brother and from two weeks of use, today it bootloops every single time. I have no experience on how to install the recovery or roms in it. My girlfriends brother never rooted it or changed the stock firmware. This is the device information I copied when I first took the device:
OS:
HC 3.2
Base band:
11.810.09.06.00
Core (kernel?) version:
2.6.36.3
OEM version:
GLUNB1A151130
Build:
19921
Service tag:
BH2L2P1
So, can I just factory reset (user data and internal tablet storage) the device and flash (software upgrade via update.pkg on sd card) the 21700 build on this page (http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Dell_Streak_7#Official), or I have to do something else first?
Thank you very much in advance.
Update:
The factory reset solved the bootloop, now I am reading the posts to see which costume rom to install. Do you recommend one for battery life, performance and/or stability? Stock Froyo, Costume Froyo, Stock HC (version 511), update to version 514 of Stock HC, Costume HC (HoneyStreak R8 or other), CM10 nightlies?
Also, I know that the tab haves a sim slot, but I don't know which tab version is (4g, 3g or other). The original owner threw the box away long time ago and doesn't remember anything about the tab specifications. Is there a way to know which version is the tab with an app or a terminal command?
Thanks.

Well, you're the 1st person that I've seen have 511 firsthand.
Would you be willing to make a dump of it before updating?
As you're the 1st, you'll likely be the last with it.
As far as boot loops are concerned, if you have not rooted and modified system files: a fac reset should fix it.
If you/someone did modify files, that's likely the reason.
It's possible it's the rom itself that's the issue (or the hardware, we'll assume it's not a hardware issue unless otherwise), but noone else can comment as it's not a common version.

TheManii said:
Well, you're the 1st person that I've seen have 511 firsthand.
Would you be willing to make a dump of it before updating?
As you're the 1st, you'll likely be the last with it.
As far as boot loops are concerned, if you have not rooted and modified system files: a fac reset should fix it.
If you/someone did modify files, that's likely the reason.
It's possible it's the rom itself that's the issue (or the hardware, we'll assume it's not a hardware issue unless otherwise), but noone else can comment as it's not a common version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not that tech savy, but I am guessing you want a "copy" of the rom for future references or development. Sure, no problem.
How do I do that? I have found this link (http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?401-Dumping-ROM-using-ADB-guide). Is it a complete guide or do you have a best guide/link to do it with this device?
Also, I updated the first post, managed to get out of the boot loops with the factory reset now that I am at my own home with this baby. XD
Wanted to update it tomorrow at first hour but first I would do the dump.
Thanks.

[Q] Dell S10 Pro - Need help in Updating
Read that and repeat the steps, it's essentially the same thing.
Requires that you understand the command line (just basic commands)
The major differences: (on the S7 instead of the S10)
APX mode is Vol up + vol down + power
Use this bootloader: bootloader.bin
Files of interest: P4, P5, P9, P10, P11
Any needed files are listed in stickies on the dev subforum, if you need more specific instructions, just ask.
(except for basic "how to use the command line", there are many tutorials on the web)
Beyond that, to update, just download the 514-30 version from the wiki, the one with a baseband version indicated.
As you seem to have a US4g model, that would be the one to use.
(assuming you wish to use a stock rom)

Since you have a DS10, Honeystreak nor CM10 will work on it.
As I don't have one, I haven't made a ROM for it.

He has a S7, I merely linked to that thread as I just helped someone do the exact same thing on a S10.
Steps are more or less identical as it uses APX mode, with the differences already mentioned.

Ah gotcha.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Are the partition image files available somewhere for download ?

TheManii, I've sent you the dropbox link in your inbox, please check if everything is alright.
Sorry for the extended delay... :s

Assuming that dump you gave me is a good image: I would recommend updating to 514 first regardless of what you're ultimately going to flash.
You'll have a good baseline to compare incase you wish to flash a custom rom afterwards.
As you have a stock recovery (assuming you didnt overwrite it with a custom one), just download the 514-30 us4g pkg and update.
I dont know if a manual update will wipe data, so you would be recommended to make a backup beforehand
Edit: the dump seems to be good (in that it doesnt look corrupt offhand) thanks

To backup I have to install the costume recovery of one of your threads ([Recovery]Clockwork Mod 6.0.1.2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1334487) or is it a better way to do it (NVflash or other recovery)?
I would normally only update, but since this 511 version is uncommon, who knows if somebody else needs it in the future for something in particular.

If you're backing up userdata, use a custom recovery.
You can use "fastboot boot <image name>" instead of "fastboot flash recovery <image name>" to only run it instead of permenently installing it.
511 is only important because I collect roms, beyond that it's not terribly interesting.

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:

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

Is "Copy partitions zip" still needed when prepping for roms with official firmware?

Is "Copy partitions zip" still needed when prepping for roms with official firmware?
In the following threads and others, I'm seeing the first step listed as crucial, and involving flashing this small zip file in order to populate the B slots of the phone:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x4/how-to/guide-install-android-9-0-pie-gsi-moto-t3833860
https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x4/development/rom-lineage-os-15-1-t3802265
However, in more recent tutorials as well as the (awesome) videos I've seem floating around from munchy, this step is not shown. In fact, the act of "populating the B slots" now seems tied to flashing a copy of the official firmware in order to prep for custom roms.
I'm a little bit confused about wether the official firmware is now a replacement for this original "copy-partitions-payton.zip" file. Aside from a couple of OP's, I don't see anybody mentioning this file anymore. Also, when instructions are given on "populating the B slots" it seems to now refer to the official firmware flashing process.
Am I getting all of this correct? Is flashing the official firmware a replacement for the step of flashing the copy-partitions-payton.zip file?
I've already unlocked my bootloader.
I really apologize if I'm asking obvious questions, but this is my first android phone in 5 years and I really, REALLY don't want to screw this up. I've had a lot of catching up to do and have been doing a ****-ton of reading in this forum. I think I have the rest of the flashing process figured out... I just want to do the first step right. Thank you so much XDA for being the resource for people like me!!

we still need it. which video doesn't have this step? pretty sure i did mention it in all the videos. if i did not , then my bad.

Hey man thanks so much for replying! I haven't actually seen it in any of the videos - unless I'm missing something incredibly obvious.
(for context - my ultimate goal is to flash LineageOS 15.1 and get root passing SafetyNet to the point where GPay works)
I started here to get the basics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkmczD9tvEQ
This video starts right with flashing the stock firmware:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Kcwjyk_Ls
This video I didn't understand at first, but eventually got that you're just explaining A/B slots, not necessarily giving a tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVwYxp30dps&t=119s
None of these have that specific zip being flashed.
So if I understand correctly the correct process after buying the phone would be...
1) Unlock bootloader
2) push needed zips to phone storage
3) fastboot into TWRP
4) flash copy-partitions-payton.zip
5) reboot into recovery
6) flash stock firmware (I'll be using PAYTON_FI_8.1.0_OPWS28.46-21-8_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC)
6) ...and basically follow the rest of your video to a T from there.

Hey I was wrong sorry - it's totally in the Android P video. So that was super helpful... and I just finished flashing everything successfully! I did not seem to have to flash the stock firmware at all - I simply flashed copy-partitions-payton.zip, did a factory reset, and moved right on to flashing LineageOS.
So does this mean that copy-partitions-payton.zip and flashing a copy of stock firmware accomplishes the same thing?
This is also missing from the official Lineage documentation, fyi:
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/payton/install
Thanks for your videos, they've been super helpful and so far no problems with my flash.

amirite said:
So does this mean that copy-partitions-payton.zip and flashing a copy of stock firmware accomplishes the same thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by flashing a copy of stock firmware? Where is it asking you to flash stock firmware, the guide assumes you are on stock firmware. Also, if you have LOS already running dont bother about it too much. The original instructions explaining all this were in the LOS thread I created, which was transferred to Erfan once LOS was official. Now, the original instructions are no longer there. So, just forget about them and enjoy your custom rom :highfive:

I surely am Everything is running perfectly, except for a couple of minor crashes of the settings app. No biggie. Thanks again for the reply, I'm sure I'm mis-reading a few things pretty badly, but this is helping.
When you use the flash_all.sh script in your videos (at 4:45 in the 2nd video), is that not flashing the stock firmware? Isn't that zip directly from Motorola and flash_all.sh flashes the entire phone back to stock?
I assumed that flashing the stock firmware was a way of putting the phone in a known-good state before continuing with you guide. But then you talk about how Motorola didn't populate the B slots. So I'm just not exactly clear on what the copy-partitions-payton.zip does. I did flash that, but I didn't have to use flash_all.sh at all.

amirite said:
I surely am Everything is running perfectly, except for a couple of minor crashes of the settings app. No biggie. Thanks again for the reply, I'm sure I'm mis-reading a few things pretty badly, but this is helping.
When you use the flash_all.sh script in your videos (at 4:45 in the 2nd video), is that not flashing the stock firmware? Isn't that zip directly from Motorola and flash_all.sh flashes the entire phone back to stock?
I assumed that flashing the stock firmware was a way of putting the phone in a known-good state before continuing with you guide. But then you talk about how Motorola didn't populate the B slots. So I'm just not exactly clear on what the copy-partitions-payton.zip does. I did flash that, but I didn't have to use flash_all.sh at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I understand is that Moto does not flash both slots by default, but flashing the flash-all does both slots with the stock firmware. If you are on the default stock setup, copy-partions will just copy your the Moto default to the other slot.

Got it. So basically the main goal with that first step is simply to populate the B slot which can be achieved by either method. Thanks guys, I just wanted to make sure I understood the full scope of what had to be done. Always an adventure catching up to the many months of hard work y'all do to get us here. Much appreciated and I'm enjoying my new setup a bunch!

amirite said:
In the following threads and others, I'm seeing the first step listed as crucial, and involving flashing this small zip file in order to populate the B slots of the phone:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x4/how-to/guide-install-android-9-0-pie-gsi-moto-t3833860
https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x4/development/rom-lineage-os-15-1-t3802265
However, in more recent tutorials as well as the (awesome) videos I've seem floating around from munchy, this step is not shown. In fact, the act of "populating the B slots" now seems tied to flashing a copy of the official firmware in order to prep for custom roms.
I'm a little bit confused about wether the official firmware is now a replacement for this original "copy-partitions-payton.zip" file. Aside from a couple of OP's, I don't see anybody mentioning this file anymore. Also, when instructions are given on "populating the B slots" it seems to now refer to the official firmware flashing process.
Am I getting all of this correct? Is flashing the official firmware a replacement for the step of flashing the copy-partitions-payton.zip file?
I've already unlocked my bootloader.
I really apologize if I'm asking obvious questions, but this is my first android phone in 5 years and I really, REALLY don't want to screw this up. I've had a lot of catching up to do and have been doing a ****-ton of reading in this forum. I think I have the rest of the flashing process figured out... I just want to do the first step right. Thank you so much XDA for being the resource for people like me!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I did not need it. I just went from stock android 9 to LineageOS 16.