Hi, I'm new to kernels but I just have one question before I think about going ahead with flashing one. I want to flash the Doomlord kernel on my Xperia Play R800i but I want to know if after I've flashed it I can go back to the original stock kernel if I want to and how I can do this? Can anyone shed some light into this? - Thanks
Yes, you can
---------- Post added at 12:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:36 AM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1176502
Doomkernel v14 for stock FW .42/.58/.62
DooMLoRD said:
[ how to get back to stock kernel OR older versions of my kernel (v06 and lower) ]
download the stock wifi modules update.zip
extract the kernel.sin (or boot.img if u want to flash my older kernels) file from the stock FTF u used to flash this fimware
save the kernel.sin (or boot.img if u want to flash my older kernels) in the folder with fastboot binaries (fastboot.exe files)
save the wifi modules update.zip to sdcard (on phone)
reboot phone and enter recovery
flash the stock wifi modules update.zip
power down device
start device in fastboot mode
use the following command to flash the kernel.sin (or boot.img if u want to flash my older kernels)
Code:
fastboot flash boot kernel.sin
reboot phone and thats it u should now be on stock kernel (or my older kernel)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FTF files can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1589399
fareeed said:
Hi, I'm new to kernels but I just have one question before I think about going ahead with flashing one. I want to flash the Doomlord kernel on my Xperia Play R800i but I want to know if after I've flashed it I can go back to the original stock kernel if I want to and how I can do this? Can anyone shed some light into this? - Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate, if you are a beginner in flashing kernals be sure you have Flashtool installe dand ready to go. The classic way is to download the fastboot files and flash kernals through CMD which may be a bit difficult as you have to learn the codes and shiz. but to make your life easier install this little handy tool called flashtool.
http://androxyde.github.com/Flashtool/
1) I know download speed may be dodgy but trust me, easiest tool to use! After installing head over to its directory files and inside the "drivers" folder Run the application "Flashtool-drivers.exe" and go on and install everything. (can take a long time). Then after run the program without your phone hooked up with USB debugging on click on the flash icon (the first option from left) chose fastboot mode. Click on Reboot into fastboot mode via ADB. Then press "Select Kernal to Flash" and chose the desired kernal you have downloaded and after a couple of seconds you are good to go. An alternative way is to switch off the phone, hold the search button and plug in the usb into the phone. If you have done this correctly the LED should turn blue on the phone.
2) If you didn't like what you have now with your phone, you can set everything back to the way it was before as if you have never touched the phone. kernal would go back to defult as well. It's a very simple process and can be done through "Flashtool" (Notice: you will lose everything however, not personal files like photos though if you chose to flash the whole FTF along with system files). Simply make sure the phone is switched off and set it into flash mode by holding down the "back" button and inserting the USB into the phone. The LED should turn green now. Again click on the flash icon in flashtool but this time select "flashmode".
Here you will be flashing a stock ftf file to put everything back to the way it was. Bootloader must be unlocked however. You can chose to only reflash the Kernal only or Kernal and everything else like the ROM and Baseband.
You can download the tft file here: https://rapidshare.com/files/698194045/R800i_4.0.2.A.0.62__1253-4437_.ftf
This is stock firmware baseband 64. Put the file into the folder named "firmwares" in the directory of flashtool program. Then carry on from my instructions and after selecting the "flashmode" you will be faced by a window showing the ftf file you are about to flash. On the right side you will see options and by leaving the "exclude kernal" option UNTICKED and all other options TICKED, you can have your Kernal set back to default. But you can do your own combination depending on what you'd like. Then press ok and the process will begin, I don't know how long it will take as I have never reverted back to ONLY the default kernal. I usually just flash the whole FTF file leaving all options unticked but the "Wipe use data" and "Wipe cache". If at this stage you didn't do the process of putting the phone into flash mode as I instructed earlier it's fine. A window would open showing you animated instructions on how to to do it now. then it should automatically carry on with the process.
Goodluck
arian009 said:
Hey mate, if you are a beginner in flashing kernals be sure you have Flashtool installe dand ready to go. The classic way is to download the fastboot files and flash kernals through CMD which may be a bit difficult as you have to learn the codes and shiz. but to make your life easier install this little handy tool called flashtool.
http://androxyde.github.com/Flashtool/
1) I know download speed may be dodgy but trust me, easiest tool to use! After installing head over to its directory files and inside the "drivers" folder Run the application "Flashtool-drivers.exe" and go on and install everything. (can take a long time). Then after run the program without your phone hooked up with USB debugging on click on the flash icon (the first option from left) chose fastboot mode. Click on Reboot into fastboot mode via ADB. Then press "Select Kernal to Flash" and chose the desired kernal you have downloaded and after a couple of seconds you are good to go. An alternative way is to switch off the phone, hold the search button and plug in the usb into the phone. If you have done this correctly the LED should turn blue on the phone.
2) If you didn't like what you have now with your phone, you can set everything back to the way it was before as if you have never touched the phone. kernal would go back to defult as well. It's a very simple process and can be done through "Flashtool" (Notice: you will lose everything however, not personal files like photos though if you chose to flash the whole FTF along with system files). Simply make sure the phone is switched off and set it into flash mode by holding down the "back" button and inserting the USB into the phone. The LED should turn green now. Again click on the flash icon in flashtool but this time select "flashmode".
Here you will be flashing a stock ftf file to put everything back to the way it was. Bootloader must be unlocked however. You can chose to only reflash the Kernal only or Kernal and everything else like the ROM and Baseband.
You can download the tft file here: https://rapidshare.com/files/698194045/R800i_4.0.2.A.0.62__1253-4437_.ftf
This is stock firmware baseband 64. Put the file into the folder named "firmwares" in the directory of flashtool program. Then carry on from my instructions and after selecting the "flashmode" you will be faced by a window showing the ftf file you are about to flash. On the right side you will see options and by leaving the "exclude kernal" option UNTICKED and all other options TICKED, you can have your Kernal set back to default. But you can do your own combination depending on what you'd like. Then press ok and the process will begin, I don't know how long it will take as I have never reverted back to ONLY the default kernal. I usually just flash the whole FTF file leaving all options unticked but the "Wipe use data" and "Wipe cache". If at this stage you didn't do the process of putting the phone into flash mode as I instructed earlier it's fine. A window would open showing you animated instructions on how to to do it now. then it should automatically carry on with the process.
Goodluck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks for the really detailed explanation! I've used flashtool but have never flashed a kernel before. Your instructions are really detailed and helpful, thanks. So to my understanding I can get my bootloader unlocked, flash a kernel, mess around, then just flash the stock .ftf and everything including the kernel would be back as if I'd never touched the phone and had just purchased it new? - Thanks
fareeed said:
Wow, thanks for the really detailed explanation! I've used flashtool but have never flashed a kernel before. Your instructions are really detailed and helpful, thanks. So to my understanding I can get my bootloader unlocked, flash a kernel, mess around, then just flash the stock .ftf and everything including the kernel would be back as if I'd never touched the phone and had just purchased it new? - Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that is correct! Everything will be changed back to the way it used to be, including Kernal, System files and so on. Although you can now even relock the bootloader using tools provided by blagus, the drm keys are not retrievable, just saying incase you care but those are complex stuff that doesn’t apply to you as it makes no difference to system performance. I don't even know why some people may want to be able to retrieve it. My phone's touch screen stopped working a few months ago and I simply flashed that tft and relocked the bootloader and seemed like my warranty was intact evidently, hence they fixed my phone
From my understanding you still haven't unlocked the bootloader. Although for me seemed difficult at first, I followed these instructions linked on this web link below and in no time you will be flashing kernals and Roms.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_Xperia_Play:_Full_Update_Guide
Only follow the guide to the point you have unlocked the bootloader. It continues showing you how to flash CM7 which is kinda outdated now. lol
arian009 said:
Yes that is correct! Everything will be changed back to the way it used to be, including Kernal, System files and so on. Although you can now even relock the bootloader using tools provided by blagus, the drm keys are not retrievable, just saying incase you care but those are complex stuff that doesn’t apply to you as it makes no difference to system performance. I don't even know why some people may want to be able to retrieve it. My phone's touch screen stopped working a few months ago and I simply flashed that tft and relocked the bootloader and seemed like my warranty was intact evidently, hence they fixed my phone
From my understanding you still haven't unlocked the bootloader. Although for me seemed difficult at first, I followed these instructions linked on this web link below and in no time you will be flashing kernals and Roms.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_Xperia_Play:_Full_Update_Guide
Only follow the guide to the point you have unlocked the bootloader. It continues showing you how to flash CM7 which is kinda outdated now. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right thanks for the instructions, greatly appreciated
Related
new method!! 30/5/11
download this
download
basically.....flash the nandroid from within recovery then straight into bootloader the flash .sbf via rds lite.
or not basically......
put the nandroid on ur sdcard in folders called "goapkrev" and inside that "backup"
ok you need to install clock work recovery from my ultimate defy package
then boot into clock work recovery
choose back up>then select the nandroid
wait for that to do its stuff
then pull battery out
then enter bootloader by holding volume up and power for 5 secs
then connect phone to pc
make sure you have moto drivers and rsd installed
then in rsd lite choose the "3.4.3_11-Fixed.BLUR.sbf" file and click
wait for that to finish and that should be it
if you get a boot loop enter recovery power and volume down for 5 secs you should get a black screen
then volume up and down at the same time
wipe all data
reboot!
that should be froyo!!
you can now install a custom rom ontop of that if you wish
thats from memory but i think that should work
any questions ill try to help
my old guide below
contains my ultimate defy package which has every thing you need to root, recovery and install froyo all zipped up in a nice package if you prefer to do it that way
Code:
[color="#0000FF"][size="6"][u][b]This guide will show you how to get foryo on your Motorola defy ahead of schedules!! [/b][/u][/size][/color]
use at own risk not fully tested
[color="#00FF00"][size="4"]as it stands every thing seems to be working in froyo now including wifi gps camera market led and sensors
however it is still a custom rom and i acept no responsibilty if u brick it which is very hard on this phone[/size]
[/color]
[color="#0000FF"][size="4"]First i reccomend you download my ultimate defy package it contains every thing you should need to get froyo working! (still needs testing but should work)[/size][/color]
[size="6"][url="http://www.filefactory.com/file/b577129/n/Ultimate_Defy_Package.zip"]Downlaod my ultimate defy package[/url][/size]
[color="#FF0000"][b][size="5"]Detaled method(scroll down for short method)[/size][/b][/color]
Just because you can drop it in the bath doest protect it from bricking make sure you read carefully to avoid this and if you do brick it it can usually be recovered. I accept no responsibility for what happens but i will try and help.
1. You should have already downloaded my ultimate defy package so navigate to the froyo section
2. First install moto drivers either 32 or 64 bit depending on your os version
3. Then install RSD lite
4. Then reboot pc
5. Then put either the T-Mobile US or GB update (the whole folder) on your phones sd card under goapkrev/backup
6. Power phone on into bootloader mode by holding power on and volume up for about 5 secconds
7. Then start RSD lite and in the file name section navigate to the (JDGC_U6_0.26.0_SIGNED......sbf) image inside the Chinese 2.2 folder
8. Select device from the box below and click start and give it about 5 mins until it says its done and let it reboot
9. Then use super one click to root phone (make sure usb debugging is enabled in applications>development>usb debugging (tick box))
10. Next turn usb debugging off and install the recovery apk
11. Then click on install system recovery and allow super user permissions
12. Then boot into recovery mode (navigate around using volume, power to select)
13. Clear data and cache
14. Then go to back up & restore > advanced restore and choose the GB or US update you put their earlier
15. Wait for that to finish and then pull battery out
16. When you put is back in you need to boot into bootloader mode again (volume up and power)
17. Then in the same way use RSD lite to flash the file inside the boot image folder
18. Reboot
That should be froyo!!!
[size="5"][color="#FF0000"][b]quick method[/b][/color][/size]
Prep work
*gain root acess and install recovery
*download and install [url="http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/USB_Drivers/Handset_USB_Driver/?pubid=987654"]motorola drivers[/url]
*download and install [url="http://www.uploadmb.com/dw.php?id=1285967465"]RDS lite[/url]
*Download [url="http://www.sorensiim.dk/higgsy/.sbf/2.2CN_SBF.zip"]2.2 image[/url]
*Download [url="http://www.sorensiim.dk/higgsy/TMOB_US_3.42_Files.rar"]T-mobile 2.2 *files[/url] (use extract now to extract)
*enter bootlader mode flash 2.2 image via rds lite
*root and install recovery - enter recovery and clear data + cache
*then restore TMOB_US_3.42_SYSTEM
*clear data and cache and reboot and take battery out
*enter bootlader mode flash TmobileUS_Boot_Devtree.sbf
*that should be froyo now you can use recovery to install any froyo rom you like
thats froyo!!
any questions ask below
great work
Thanks for the clear instructions, but how 'not fully tested' is it?
I thought u could just flash the gb 2.2 sbf? It's been faultless for me.
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App
I can attest to what pjcons says, I've been running froyo on my defy for a fortnight without any hiccups & loving it!
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App
scranno said:
I can attest to what pjcons says, I've been running froyo on my defy for a fortnight without any hiccups & loving it!
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry so can u flash the gb. Sfb straight off and I will work. This method does work but i made the guide b4 it became available and only just got round to posting it here. This way does work but I may update it if that way works it sounds simpler
Hi!
I live in Brazil. Then, what update should I use? T-Mob or UK? Any of them will work?
And, I saw a large number of defys that had unworking/dead flash and unworking Market. On this mod, both of them works fine?
Mobile info:
Sys version: Blur_Version.6.14.5.MB525.AmericaMovil.en.BR
Version Number: 01
Model: MB525
FW version: 2.1-Update1
Version Number: JORLA_U3_6.14.5
Thx.
Theles
pjcons said:
I thought u could just flash the gb 2.2 sbf? It's been faultless for me.
Sent from my MB525 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this the UK 3.4.2-117 froyo you are talking about?
or this:
2.2.1 Froyo, Build 3.4.3-3 en.GB with Blur
Thanks! I wish this is available before I flashed 2.2. It really scared me when things went wrong.
*enter bootlader mode flash TmobileUS_Boot_Devtree.sbf
i'm currently at this part. i flash it and was at 'please manually reboot your phone', but when i do it, i'm stuck in a boot loop. any idea?
i tried redoing the flash again, and even went to wipe the data again before starting the flash again, but still stuck in a boot loop.
nice how-to guide!
PLEASE HELP ME....i did everything , i followed instructions perfectly, but when it came to letting the phone reboot after flashing the sbf file it just did not reboot, now nothing is happening on my phone at all. i think it bricked please help me A.S.AP thanks
please help me, its not switching on or anything, the only sign of life is a white led when connected to computer via usb.
it is still being recognised by rsd, ive re flashed it 3 times and left to reboot but the phone just does not reboot, i realy am stuck on this one
well i have re flashed the original
JRDNEM_U3_2.51.1_BLUR_P3_SIGN_SIGNED_USAJRDNEMARAB1B8TMGB030.0R_USAJORDANTMGB_P039_A015_M003_HWp3_Service1FF.sbf
and it is back as it was before...that was a right panic attack i was having!...but any way does anyone know what could have gone wrong? because in rsd it goes up to executing 100% but it never reboots the phone.??
could it have been because my defy was rooted? or could it be because busybox wasnt installed properly? i do not know
hmmm sounds odd.
thats what happens when u have downgradability problems what version where u on b4?
i know what u mean panic attack when it wont turn on grrrrrr
but youll be happy to know as well as being hard on the outside its quite tough on the inside and very hard to brick!
yeah thank god for that hey!
i was / am running android 2.1 build U3_ 2.51.1 but it is rooted.
thats odd then. i have no idea why that happened rooting it shouldnt effect it ne way.
however this guide is outdated now and their are easyer ways to do it now
but personally i would reccomend to jump straight up to gingerbread with cm7 its totally the dogs dangalys
would it be possible for you to point me in the direction of that please? sorry i would look myself but id probly get the wrong version or something. also would it be possible instead just to download and use the nordic one in uk? would i still get internet and signal and stuff?
the nordic one from herehttp://and-developers.com/sbf:defy ? or would the orange 2.3 one work for a t-mob uk?
OK i've been trawling the forums but so far i've not found an answer.
i've got a T-mobile branded arc and its bootloader is unlocked. it is running .62 firmware.
i'm trying to flash the generic uk .42 firmware but i keep getting the following error:
ERR_SEVERITY="MAJOR";ERR_CLASS="SECURITY_CLASS";ERR_STATIC="SIN_HEAD_VER";ERR_DYNAMIC="Failed to verify sin header";
i've tried a couple of different firmwares, and i've definitely got my phone in the right mode with usb debugging enabled.
can anyone help?
Thanks
Me again... I remembered a similar thing with someone's x10 a while ago, it was caused by low battery while flashing. The resolution was to repair the boot, which for the x10 meant a service centre. But you can use fastboot to do it, just connect in fastboot and use the erase command, erase boot, erase userdata, erase system. I'd give that a try.
sinkster©
Thanks for the response. Following something I'd read on the X10 forums I did consider doing a repair via pc companion but I wasn't sure what implications it might have following having my boot loader unlocked.
I'll give this a go and let u know if it works.
Thanks again!
ok could really do with some help now. still has the same problem with the added fact that my phone is now bricked.
Please help!!!!!!
after 'erase boot' have you tried booting a new .img?
D/L a rom that's cwm flashable to your sd card, boot into doomkernel and try flashing the rom(if you haven't already)
thanks for the quick response.
i've tried flashing the cyanogen boot image but sadly that fails. sorry to sound like a noob but i went to the github site to download doomkernel but for the life of me i couldnt find the boot image.
in the latest flashtool need to install the drivers or not? inside drives folder one..
I'm really sorry but i don't understand. I don't have any driver issues if thats what your getting at.
Are you able to boot kernels with fastboot?
hey sinkster.
ok managed to install different boot images (tried a few just to check) and all that happens is that i get the splash screen and it stays there.
still can't install any roms using flashtool. and to be honest i'm not sure how to do it using fastboot
any ideas?
thanks
Once you have installed the kernel, disconnect the phone from the pc and turn it on. When you see the kernel image, press the back button. This should send you into CWM and from there you can install a rom like "update.zip". On my girlfriend's x8 after flashing nAa kernel I was also surprised that it did not boot again to stock rom, but afterwards I pressed the back button which led to CWM and flashed a rom. Try to wipe data, cache, dalvik and battery stats also. The rom should work. If you notice any problems, just reinstall the rom again wiping data, cache, dalvik and battery stats (first time I got wifi issue and battery drain issue - android was taking 46% ) ). All the best. I hope I helped.
For flashtool just d/l a rom file(ftf), put it in the firmware folder, power down phone, run flashtool, click flash, select firmware. When it says connect then connect usb while pressing back(led is green) and rom should flash with a log on screen. this will flash an entire rom and kernel, or a baseband. For fastboot, open fastboot folder, move kernel(s) to folder, shift&right-click and select 'open command window here', power down phone and connect usb while pressing menu(blue led). In cmd window you can type 'fastboot devices'to check the phone is connected, to boot a kernel then type 'fastboot flash boot boot.img', or whatever the kernel file is called(I have 4or5 so name them individually)
so first use flashtool and flash the file here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359303
that gives you stock rom/kernel; if you want a custom rom put it on your sd card to flash with cwm. if you want or need a custom kernel the fastboot doomlords kernel
These are the basics, you probably know all the above but just in case.
Gents thank you for your help. got somewhere finally. managed to flash BLENDMIUI onto phone andd got it working. for some reason SE Tweek does not want to work.
sinkster thank you for the summary.i originally mis-typed. when i said i didnt know how to flash a rom with flashtool i actually meant fastboot. but i'm now fully up to speed using cwm.
and thank you valy_cta, that got it working in the end.
its strange that i still get the same error when flashing any roms with flashtool though. tried about 6 or 7 different ones and i still get the initial error.
if i repair the phone with pc companion, would it lock the bootloader again?
other way round, you need to lock the bootloader before you update. Just unlock again, it'll be the same code.
sinkster©
ah the problem with that was that i had to get jinx13 to unlock it.
really what i want to do if flash a stock rom, which i still can't seem to do.
EDIT: since flashtool doesn't seem to work for me I found out from one of DooMLords threads that you can extract the ftf files and flash with fastboot. job sorted.
(Just expaining how i got to the screen...in a lot of detail) Okay so yesterday i unlocked my bootloader through sonys website and everything was fine. Then i decided to try to put CM9 on it from a tutorial i found, didnt work. I then flashed back to verizons 2.3.3 through flashtool and everything was fine...but then i decided i wanted to go back to ZeuscNXTLite rom, i was lazy and used the recoveryPLAY.img to go to CWM. I forgot to clear the cache, data, etc. and i thought it was in a hard-brick because i could hold the power button all it would do is vibrate and i could still put it into flash boot(or whatever the green light means) but the screen always stayed black. I left it on my charger all night hoping it would magically come back i guess...today i got home to find the green light on it flashing faintly and quickly. I decided maybe its working now if i flash the .ftf so i did. Nothing happened so i thought maybe it was the bootloader so i tried using a bootloader relocker .ftf file but that just made my computer inable to recognize my phone. It would flash red a few times now when i plugged it into flashboot then go to flash mode and i could use flashtool. I tried adding the 2.3.3 .ftf back to my phone but it failed halfway through. So about 4 mins after doing this i look at my phone and see the Sony Ericsson screen but after that screen i see a triangle with an exclamation point inside of it and a phone under it. It keeps booting to this screen then shutting off over and over again. Now my question...does anyone know how to fix this? I dont really think its still in a brick since it goes to this weird screen.
Sorry for the extensive explanation. Also sorry if this was a repeat i tried searching but honestly have no clue what to search or even call this.
If you can still use flashtool follow this great guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2054512 so you can fastboot a kernal and get into cwm then you can flash a new rom after wiping everything. :fingers-crossed:
The yellow triangle means you're in download mode, but I don't know what to do since I never had it on the Play.
Flashing the ftf will fail sometimes, you can keep re trying, its finicky so you have to make sure to use a good cable, preferably on a USB port that is not 3.0, and have few other USB devices connected at the sametime as possible.
The reason why CM9 didn't work because sometimes the kernel included does not boot. The boot.img from the FXP152's CM9 rom is one of the working one, you can separately flash it using fastboot.
I flashed a bootloader lock ftf file so wouldnt installing a kernel brick my phone again? Also could flashing the stock ftf file again while my phone is in download mode brick my phone? I'm just being extra careful now...dont want a hard bricked phone.
bandoncontortion said:
I flashed a bootloader lock ftf file so wouldnt installing a kernel brick my phone again? Also could flashing the stock ftf file again while my phone is in download mode brick my phone? I'm just being extra careful now...dont want a hard bricked phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did flashing the bootloader lock ftf file work? you need to find out if your bootloader is locked or unlocked.If you have phone off, and hold on to search and you plug in USB to computer and get blue light your bootloader is unlocked (flashboot mode)If its unlocked just flash a kernel wipe and install a custom rom
If it is locked and you can use flashtool you can flash a stock ftf. Kernal is included in stock rom which you can find on forum
Ok i just put the stock ftf on it through flashtool. I tried to turn it on and it shows the Sony Ericsson screen and then the Android screen the turns off. Any help? It's at least showing the charging screen right now...
Also bootloader is locked. Just checked with the fastboot.exe
bandoncontortion said:
Ok i just put the stock ftf on it through flashtool. I tried to turn it on and it shows the Sony Ericsson screen and then the Android screen the turns off. Any help? It's at least showing the charging screen right now...
Also bootloader is locked. Just checked with the fastboot.exe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That good :good: Not bricked did you wipe data & cache in flashtool when you flashed ftf?
Yes i wiped cache, app log, and data. Im also using an older version of flashtool...maybe upgrading will help? Gonna check
Everyday I see posts about people Bricking( Soft bricking/Hard Bricking) their Xperia S, Ion,AcroS or any other Xperia.Most of the times it is because people know that they have to flash or root or to unlock bootloader but do not have a clear information about what it actually means
I am creating this thread in order to tell you what the terminologies actually mean and how to avoid these bricks
First things you should know:
What is Android??
Android is basically a linux based kernel Operating System for your phones(We probably have heard it a gazillion times)
What it actually means?
Android is an operating system for phones built on a linux kernel. Linux is nothing but a clone of Unix Operating System which is another operating system like Windows. One main feature of Linux is that it is open source unlike windows.
Example of Linux kernel based OS for computer includes Ubuntu
What is kernel?
Kernel is nothing but a bridge between your hardware and Software
What it actually means?
Kernel controls your software according to your systems hardware.So on a computer if you press a key(eg:a) on keyboard. Kernel tells the OS that the key a has been pressed and to interpret it accordingly.So on a phone if you touch the home button,The kernel tells your OS that home button has been pressed and to take action accordingly.
So now comes the question.What if you flash an incompatible kernel?
Simple. Think of your computer having nothing but the monitor and without any working hardware.(I have a keyboard with a defective 'm' key,irritates the hell out of me)...Same happens to your phone. Even the booting process needs the kernel and hence you get the dreaded Soft-Brick...
What is bootloader?
Bootloader is a partition on your device that tells the phone with OS to load
What it actually means?
In Windows you see C:,D: etc..one of them contain your windows folder. In linux,it is different in name,not the concept. In linux based OS like Ubuntu, the partitions are /boot,/home,/root,/system,/recovery.....just like c:,d:,e: etc....
in android stock, you will have /boot,/system,/root.../boot is nothing but the bootloader...and in our sony phones this /boot aka bootloader is locked
What does bootloader contain?
bootloader as the name suggests tells your phone which os to boot..in our case it is the stock rom or custom or whatever os u have on the phone. Pretty self explanatory.
What is Flashmode and fastboot?
Flashmode as the name suggests is a mode which allows you to flash stuff(ROM's,kernel etc) on your phone
Fastboot mode: fastboot mode is another mode on your phone that allows you to flash stuff as well as debug it
What it actually means?
Flashmode: Pretty self explanatory
fastboot: It is used by both flashtool as well as ADB. fastboot allows you to test your kernel or whatever you are flashing..
command: fastboot boot boot.img
This command will boot boot.img(containing kernel/recovery or both and ramdisk) on your phone but wont flash it i.e. a test run. If boot.img doesnt boot,you can just disconnect and restart
command: fastboot flash boot boot.img
This command will flash the boot.img on your phone and then start it with the new boot.img.
Now fastboot wont work with a locked bootloader.So you cannot flash anything on your phone that requires a fastboot flash if your bootloader or /boot partition on your phone is locked
What is flashtool?
Flashtool is a tool developed and maintained by Androxyde, Bin4ry ,Doomlord. This tool lets you do a lot of things to your phone but its main usage is to flash stock Roms, kernels or anything that comes in an ftf package on your phone
What it means to you?
If anything goes wrong. The first thing you would need is this tool to revert back to Stock ROM. So keep this tool ready in case you are entering into the world of flashing custom firmware
What all can go wrong?
Frankly a lot of things(including power cuts,battery going dead)..
What you can avoid?
First thing,read read and read...A custom ROM would have a list of compatible devices..Go through the post and see if your device is listed. If your device
is listed and compatible then you can proceed. Flashing an incompatible ROM will result in a soft brick or hard,depending upon what you are flashing
>Next check if ROM requires a locked bootloader or unlocked(Important)
>Next if you are planning on unlocking bootloader, its better to flash CWM first on your phone and then flash ROM through CWM
What is CWM?
CWM aka Clockworkmod is a custom recovery that allows you to do a host of stuff including flashing of ROMs or zip packages
What it means to you?
Every phone has a recovery partition just like i told in the partition section. However, Latest Sony phones including Xperia S,ION,Acro S do not have one. Now most phones have a stock recovery system which allows users to reset their phones if something goes wrong. But, just like Custom ROMs, We have Custom Recoveries like CWM aka ClockworkMod developed by Koush that has many more options like flashing packages,taking a backup.
So basically CWM would be used by you to take a backup of your current system first and then flash the ROM. Now if anything goes wrong and you get a softbrick, you can just go to CWM and restore your backup and voila!!your phone will be back to normal again
Key Points:
1. CWM needs root
2. Recovery partition is not included in Sony.So, CWM is incorporated into the kernel itself by the kernel developer. What this means to us is that we would need an unlocked bootloader for installing CWM as we would have to flash the CWM included kernel to the boot partition
>Next, Always double check the requirements of the ROM you are going to install(Important)
Ohh before i forget...What is this ROOT everyone talks about?
ROOT is nothing but administrative access to sensitive parts of your OS
What it means to you?
It is nothing but getting admin rights to your system,in our case its our phones. you wont have root access on your phones by default. one major reason for this is safety. So that people don't delete a system file by mistake and what not
With root you can do everything with your phone. Thanks to our devs, we have loads of methods available to root your phone. Good place to search would be the search button
Why are we talking about root??
Because it might be a prerequisite for your custom ROM or a part of another prerequisite for installing your ROM.
>Now double check requirements again. And don't skip any step
>Once you have met all the requirements. Lets start flashing.
Ok now what can go wrong. First low battery..phone went dead while flashing..solution: Please charge it atleast while you finish the other requirements
Laptop crashes(Very Bad luck)..Solution: Always prefer to have the ROM installed through CWM and a backup ready. If you are lucky enough, you will be able to boot into CWM to restore backup and start again.
If you are flashing through any other method, then dont worry, have flashtool ready and your stock firmware..(Check firmware before installing if its for your phone:Very Important)
Check Exclude TA partition in flashtool unless absolutely necessary
Note: If your phone is bricked, it is always better to flash your kernel first(personal opinion), Once that is done, you can easily flash the full firmware
And please wipe cache and dalvik cache after flashing a ROM through CWM: Half the people wont perform this step and then try to find solutions for the bootloop. You can do this either through the CWM or ADB. For ADB method, just search the forum
One last thing and very very important. For Phones running stock firmware with unlocked bootloader or custom FW based on stock kernel with unlocked bootloader. Don't do an OTA update as this will hardbrick your device. Better download an stock FTF of that firmware version and flash it via flashtools
If still your phone bricks then there is a very nice thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1849170 by Toledo_JAB on bricked phone recovery
In the next post i will add some more information like TA partition backup, some more info about Android..etc.....
In case i have forgotten anything or have given the wrong info, please let me know so that i can add/edit the OP
Reserved
Last one
may i recomend mesaging a mod or admin to pin this thread or are you already on that
Sent From The ACP HQ
Envious_Data said:
may i recomend mesaging a mod or admin to pin this thread or are you already on that
Sent From The ACP HQ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No bro.this is my first thread so don't know how to get it stocked
Dark Wraith said:
No bro.this is my first thread so don't know how to get it stocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just PM a mod with a kind message (mod names can be found above the threads in a section)
( i dont realy know how but thats what people talk of so i assume asking a mod is the only way to pin a thread
not to hard to miss ;D
Sent From The ACP HQ
Envious_Data said:
just PM a mod with a kind message (mod names can be found above the threads in a section)
( i dont realy know how but thats what people talk of so i assume asking a mod is the only way to pin a thread
not to hard to miss ;D
Sent From The ACP HQ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha.. I'll ask if people read the thread mate and benefit from it..till now no such enthusiasm so we'll see
nice
nice
Add: -Don't clear emmc under clockworkmod. ;D
-SnowKatana ^_^~
Good
very easy to understand, Nicely explained...
I just want to know what is hard brick?
So I tried rooting my phone. I downloaded the 108 kernel and 157. I turned off my phone and flashed 108. It worked, from the log on flashtool except I lost my display. The buttons still work, I can hear my messages and everything else. It just seems like the display is gone, just a black, blank screen.
I tried flashing to 157 again but didn't work. I thought maybe I don't have the right kernel, so I downloaded a new one, except now I can't flash because my debugging turned off, and I can't turn it back on because i can't see anything. Is there a way to fix this?
Thank you
You dont need debuging to flash via flashtool. I know there is a sign with info that is needed but I always flash via flashtool roms and stock kernels and always I have debuging off in developer options. Try to flash whole rom without wipe data
Are you sure you flashed the right kernel to the phone, I followed this and did the fault to click on the link on that post to the guide before I downloaded the kernels. The guide is written for Z1 and the kernels there are for Z1, I did that and got the same as you, (probably) working phone without screen. You have to download the right kernels before you go to the guide. The kernels for Z1 compact shall begin with D550X........ , if you flashed the C690X..... kernel (as I first did) it's the wrong one. I manage to repair my fault by flashing the right kernel to the phone and YES............ the screen was back