S-off and Downgrading HBoot - myTouch 3G Slide Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm wanting to sell my old espresso. I'm thinking I can get more money if I flash the CM10 unofficial port first. I'm having trouble with writing to the recovery partition. I've tried the temporary (update.zip) method for CWM, but whenever I select something suck as "wipe data/factory reset" the screen turns black and then I have to take the battery out. My recovery is the stock 2e recovery. Now, I found a .IMG CWM on a thread from someone with a similar problem, so it might work and it will stick(which are very hard to find for this device), but it requires S-Off. My problem is, I'm scared to S-Off because I can't make a nandroid backup because I don't have a recovery! (One that works). So what I'm scared of, is me attempting to S-Off, messing up (like always, even with a year experience with this kind of stuff ) and then not being able to boot back into my ROM. Right now I have an unlocked bootloader (1.02.0002) with S-On. Now, I'm looking at options for S-Off, and all I can find is alpharev. Is there any other method..? What method did you guys use? Is there ANY way to boot back into my ROM if I were to mess up? One last thing, if I downgraded my HBoot will it still be unlocked? Can I re-upgrade my HBoot to 1.02 and keep my S-Off in the process? Please explain, I'm used to nexus and Samsung devices, not HTC, so I'm not familiar with the S-On S-Off thing. Thanks guys, I wouldn't know anything if I weren't for XDA, and as always, any responses or answers will be very much appreciated. Again, I'm looking for any method BUT alpharev, but I am willing to use it if no other options.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

It seems certain versions of the Clockworkmod Update.zip just turn off the screen when you press the power button. (press it again and it should come back on) You use the action button to select an option instead.

I found the problem. Apperently the power button doesnt work for selecting things. I used enter on the keypad instead and it worked just fine. You can still write to the recovery partition with root and s-on.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Related

[Q] need help installing gingerbread keyboard

i have installed the gingerbread keyboard file on my sd card and have rooted my phone using the visonary method but now i cant seem to get into recovery mode. I have rom manager installed and have flashed clockwork recovery mode. it said that it had sucsessfully installed.
I then flashed it again as i read somewhere that i might need to do it twice as sometimes it dosent work.
when i now click on the recovery option in rom manager all i get is the red triange with the ! in the middle.
any ideas what im doing wrong?
Have tried reading the threads but with 30 plus pages i am now completley confused
Sounds like you don't have S-OFF. What does it say in HBOOT (e.g. hold down volume down and the power button with the phone powered off) ?
steviewevie said:
Sounds like you don't have S-OFF. What does it say in HBOOT (e.g. hold down volume down and the power button with the phone powered off) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the quick reply, i think from what i have read that this s-off thing maybe the problem.
can you tell me how do this please
simple steps please as i am struggling with this
just done the hboot hing and at the top of screen it says
vision pvt ship s-on
hpsauce37 said:
thanks for the quick reply, i think from what i have read that this s-off thing maybe the problem.
can you tell me how do this please
simple steps please as i am struggling with this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a bit confusing because there is more than one way to do this. But by far the safest way is to follow the guide at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857390
Have a good read, then if you're not sure, ask questions in that thread on the process.
steviewevie said:
Sounds like you don't have S-OFF. What does it say in HBOOT (e.g. hold down volume down and the power button with the phone powered off) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S-OFF is a completely different animal. Don't get it confused with being able to boot into recovery.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro
rwcj63 said:
S-OFF is a completely different animal. Don't get it confused with being able to boot into recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think you could flash recovery without S-OFF though ? Surely ROM Manager doesn't have the ability to write to the NAND, since the write protection will be on if you're at S-ON ?
steviewevie said:
I didn't think you could flash recovery without S-OFF though ? Surely ROM Manager doesn't have the ability to write to the NAND, since the write protection will be on if you're at S-ON ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again. S-OFF is a different issue altogether. Being able to write to NAND is a part of the rooting process. Setting security off is not a part of the rooting process. It's a totally different process for a totally different purpose. The caveat would be if unrevoked has been revised to full root and set S-OFF during the same process. I haven't used it in awhile so on that point, I'm not certain.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro
rwcj63 said:
Again. S-OFF is a different issue altogether. Being able to write to NAND is a part of the rooting process. Setting security off is not a part of the rooting process. It's a totally different process for a totally different purpose. The caveat would be if unrevoked has been revised to full root and set S-OFF during the same process. I haven't used it in awhile so on that point, I'm not certain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but that's not right for the DZ/G2. I wonder if you're thinking of how it works on a different Android phone ? The security has been increased on the DZ/G2/DHD compared to, say, the original Desire.
Writing to the system and recovery partitions isn't possible until you get S-OFF. This has nothing to do with rooting, it it because of the increased security on these phones where the NAND is in a hardware write-protect mode for those partitions by default. You can appear to write to the partitions, but it's actually going to cache and is lost when you reboot, until you get S-OFF.
steviewevie said:
Sorry but that's not right for the DZ/G2. I wonder if you're thinking of how it works on a different Android phone ? The security has been increased on the DZ/G2/DHD compared to, say, the original Desire.
Writing to the system and recovery partitions isn't possible until you get S-OFF. This has nothing to do with rooting, it it because of the increased security on these phones where the NAND is in a hardware write-protect mode for those partitions by default. You can appear to write to the partitions, but it's actually going to cache and is lost when you reboot, until you get S-OFF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually yes. S-OFF on the EVO is to make sure no matter what, you're always rooted. It came about after the new stock flash would unroot the phone. With S-OFF active, you can flash any stock rom and not lose root. All you would need to do is reflash RA or Clockwork to get back to recovery and flash roms again. Unrevoked forever is the program we used to change the security setting.
So. That is only true for the EVO?
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro
rwcj63 said:
Actually yes. S-OFF on the EVO is to make sure no matter what, you're always rooted. It came about after the new stock flash would unroot the phone. With S-OFF active, you can flash any stock rom and not lose root. All you would need to do is reflash RA or Clockwork to get back to recovery and flash roms again. Unrevoked forever is the program we used to change the security setting.
So. That is only true for the EVO?
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I think so.
The new HTC Desire Z and HD had "better" security from htc, basically you can't write anything to nand (/system) until you perma rooted, even then some things such as recovery needed s-off before we could write to that partition.
im going to have to give up on this
i have tried to follow the guide to get s-off but i find it too complicated. I have my phone rooted with visionary but i think thats as far as im going to get.
tried to install the adb thing and get that working but it never recognises the phone. when i remove the drivers and plug it back in then windows automatically installs the drivers again so i never have the option to manually instll them.
this is just becoming a nightmare
someone make it simple for me please....the thread is pages and pages long and even then it seems there are problems
hpsauce37 said:
im going to have to give up on this
i have tried to follow the guide to get s-off but i find it too complicated. I have my phone rooted with visionary but i think thats as far as im going to get.
tried to install the adb thing and get that working but it never recognises the phone. when i remove the drivers and plug it back in then windows automatically installs the drivers again so i never have the option to manually instll them.
this is just becoming a nightmare
someone make it simple for me please....the thread is pages and pages long and even then it seems there are problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried my guide on adb ? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865685
OK, I can use some help too
I have a DZ with stock ROM, root and s-off and CWR.
In my enthusiasm that I knew how to flash rom updates with clockwork (I am running the Godspeed 1Ghz) I downloaded the Gingerbread keyboard rom update from the G2 forum. I think I jumped off a bit too fast...
And now I am stuck in an infinite boot loop. I can get into Clockwork recovery but it just loops the "HTC Quietly Brilliant" forever including the annoying boot sound...
I tried some suggestions to download and reflash a second time, no effect.
I tried to mount /system before flashing, no effect.
Am I forced to go back to factory now?
Also, I found 2 gingerbread keyboards, one in the G2 forum and one over here.
Anyone know what the difference is? They have a different filesize..
Any help is welcome...
*edit*
OK so now I read that it is only to be flashed on a non-stock ROM... so I am now flashing Cyanogen 6.1
try wiping all the caches...
Lennyuk said:
yeah I think so.
The new HTC Desire Z and HD had "better" security from htc, basically you can't write anything to nand (/system) until you perma rooted, even then some things such as recovery needed s-off before we could write to that partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. I'm really sorry guys. I never knew that's how non evo worked. That totally sucks.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro
rwcj63 said:
Wow. I'm really sorry guys. I never knew that's how non evo worked. That totally sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S'alright.
HTC really ramped up the security on these new phones, as Lenny said, with this hardware write-protection on certain partitions. But even given that, I was amazed by just how quickly the guys on the #G2ROOT IRC channel, especially Scotty2, managed to crack it !
It also looks like they've opened the phone even wider than many others before, with the "true" radio S-OFF that they achieved.
You can read up all about it in the Wiki - http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision

[Q] Stuck on HTC screen...

Hey guys. A while ago I was trying to use the gfree method to unlock my sim (I had S-OFF) but I realized I had to downgrade my radio. Stupidly, I tried to flash the official RUU (RADIO-26.03.02.18_M3).
Half way through, I got an error (forgot what cause I wasn't paying much attention -_- ) and had to abort. After that, the phone would not go past the HTC screen. I go into bootloader and the phone was now S-ON and had the radio version 26.03.02.18_M3.
No matter which rom I flash the same thing happens. On another note, I can get into Bootloader and clockwork recovery and ADB works as well.
Anyone know what to do from here? Sorry for being stupid but i`m not the brightest at this
Sounds like you may wiped your boot and system partitions doing this. Did you have a nandroid backup to restore? You can try flashing the PC10IMG again to see if it works this time (risk of losing recovery) or try flashing a custom kernel in addition to the rom.
Kind Regards,
Kevin

Droid Incredible 1 - No Recovery Mode

Ok I'm going to try to explain this as simply as I can. First let me start by stating that I have searched high and low through XDA and about a dozen other websites in two hours with NO luck.
First, I downloaded CM7 and installed ClockWorkMod Recovery.
Second, I had it reboot in to recovery only to find myself staring a black screen with white bars. Upon further research I come to find that this panel type (slcd) is incompatible with recovery console (RLY?!) and that I am looking at the recovery console, its just blocked by a huge black image.
Third, I take it upon myself and figure I can just use ADB/SDK to flash this friggin' thing through the CMD prompt. But Ha-Ha this is not possible as I have S-ON listed in the HBOOT Menu
Fourth, I found a way to switch to S-OFF but come to find two things. One, this requires use of the recovery console which is inaccessible to me. Secondly, under the "Compatibility" list for the Droid Inc1 on Unrevoked Forever's site, it does not have the most recent Radio listed (Mine is currently 2.15.10.10.07.07 and theres no way in hell I'm attempting this with that said)
Does anyone have any suggestions or should I just give up?
Since your s-on you will need to do an ruu.exe, the one with your pc. (http://pvillecomp.com/?page_id=22) This will get you back to stock recovery. If you then want to go s-off you will need to downgrade with scottys downgrade tutorial found in the general section i believe, and then use unrevoked to gain s-off and root.
Thank you sir
I already had root through Unrevoked 1-click, I'll try this and see if I can flash Cyanogen through the ADB Shell.
Thanks!
Nechen said:
Thank you sir
I already had root through Unrevoked 1-click, I'll try this and see if I can flash Cyanogen through the ADB Shell.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure what you mean by having root and CM7? You mention in the OP that you still have S-ON? Not sure how you rooted and flashed an alternate ROM with S-ON...
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using Tapatalk
WookieFan said:
I am not sure what you mean by having root and CM7? You mention in the OP that you still have S-ON? Not sure how you rooted and flashed an alternate ROM with S-ON...
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you might be confusing S-off with Root, the two are not synonymous.
I had s-on the entire time, I just realized it about a month ago, I still had recovery, custom roms, ect.

Never got S-OFF and now I can't get get into recovery!

Ok here it is, My son Never go s-off and we somehow got a ROM to install, Magnolia_2_0_Final, this one. Now he had revolutionary on it and unlocked. The fun part is, now he can't get into recovery, it just goes to a white HTC screen. We have tried to relock the phone and go back, and tried to do all the tricks of the forums, we are still stuck. I would like for some detailed instructions on how we can get this back if at all. If you could help that would great. Thanks.
It will help if we had more detail on what you exactly have done and how you are doing it.
First with the phone on go to your settings. Look under "POWER" setting and disable fastboot.
Then I recommend pulling battery and reinsert battery. Hold volume down and power button to access hboot. The go to recovery through that.
If you have root access the down load Rom manager from market place and make sure you have recovery installed. If not download and flash from Rom manager. From the Rom manager app you can reboot into recovery.
Sent from my ADR6350 using xda premium
Recovery
We we have got into recovery and all is ok. We have updated SU and Clockworks. We are running Magnolia 2.0 *Sense 3.5, Android 2.3.5, Tweaks*, S-ON. The weird part is I have no idea how we got the rom on without S-OFF, but here we are. Now we have tried to just install the PH32IMG file and have had no luck with that. No matter what we have tried, all we get to is a loop of the boot screen.
Wait, did you unlock via HTC Unlock first? Either way, unzip the ROM zip, pull the boot image from it and follow the instructions in guide 6 in my sig to flash it in fastboot.
HTC Unlock
Yes we have it unlocked though HTC Unlock and still S-ON with the ROM. Now we just need to either be able to go back and get S-OFF so we can move forward. The problem is if we try to flash the zip from CWM, it doesn't work.
So you're going to need to go to htcdev.com and relock your bootloader. Then, follow attn1's guide to downgrade to 2.3.3, then run revolutionary. You can find guides for all of this online.
Won't turn back on after I relock it
The phone stays at the HBOOT screen and wont reset so I can't use adb devices at all because it won't see that it is plugged in. what do I do?
Coming from 2.3.5
Oh and I'm also coming from 2.3.5 if that makes any difference
I think you're gonna have to go back to S-ON a diff way. There's a thread in the general section on how. Follow it and then revolutionary s-off.
All Ideas have FAILED so far
Ok here it is, My son Never go s-off and we somehow got a ROM to install, Magnolia_2_0_Final, this one. Now he had revolutionary on it and unlocked. The fun part is, now he can't get into recovery, it just goes to a white HTC screen. We have tried to relock the phone and go back, and tried to do all the tricks of the forums, we are still stuck. I would like for some detailed instructions on how we can get this back if at all.
This is what I said to begin with. Now I thank anyone who could help in this situation. We can get into recovery, we have a rom with 2.3.5 sence 3.5, s-on, CWM, and we have tried all of the ideas so far. We need to know is there a better solution getting this phone back to stock and s-off.

How to tell which root method you used?

I am in desperate need of unrooting my phone now, but due to it being almost 2 years that I've owned this phone I can't remember how I rooted it in the beginning. Any way to figure this out?
Need to know your Hboot version and radio, and also is the phone S-ON or S-OFF (power off, then volume down and power buttons simultaeously).
HBOOT-2.18.0001
RADIO-2.15.00.12.19
Phone is S-OFF
Thanks for your help.
On a side note, my phone is in an infinite boot loop that only loads to the white evo screen, I can't flash custom recoveries, roms, or RUU. I think the problem is the fact that it says LOCKED in the pink label at the top of my bootloader. I tried using the command fastboot oem lock and it says it's already locked and doesn't unlock it or anything of the sort. If you know any way to aid my problem I thank you for the help.
Most infinite bootloops are never fixed, however;
The best advice that I can give you right now is to download these two files.
http://downloads.unrevoked.com/HTCDriver3.0.0.007.exe
http://goo.im/stock/supersonic/ruu/...15.00.12.19_NV_2.33_release_234563_signed.exe
Connect your phone to your computer, then boot into your bootloader and click on FASTBOOT. The phone should be in FASTBOOT USB. Install the HTCDrivers exe file to your computer. Then try to run the RUU file with the phone still in FASTBOOT USB.
If that doesn't work, then the phone may already be permanently bricked. Interestingly, the phone was rooted nearly 2 years ago, but you have the latest everything. I hope you did not do that with OTA updates.
Thanks shortyydoggg, unfortunately I've tried that method with those exact files already and had no such luck. My last resort is that if I can change the LOCKED pink label to RELOCKED or UNLOCKED, I'll be able to flash through the bootloader again, and temporarily use my phone once more until i can get the EVO LTE. Also, there is basically no way to tell now which root method I used?
Yea, Unlocking the bootloader was going to be my other suggestion after trying the RUU. It's not much else you can do after that.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Ya the RUU unfortunately goes through successfully but then the phone restarts again. I can't help but feel this is all because my bootloader says LOCKED. The problem now is fastboot oem lock command doesn't work for me, and says the phone is locked and doesn't change the label to RELOCKED or anything else like it should? Do you know why this command isn't unlocking my bootloader or any other commands or ways to do this?
djs415 said:
Ya the RUU unfortunately goes through successfully but then the phone restarts again. I can't help but feel this is all because my bootloader says LOCKED. The problem now is fastboot oem lock command doesn't work for me, and says the phone is locked and doesn't change the label to RELOCKED or anything else like it should? Do you know why this command isn't unlocking my bootloader or any other commands or ways to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the wrong command. You need to go to the htcdev site (www.htcdev.com), register, and unlock the bootloader. Since you're already S-OFF, have you tried running a PC36IMG file for a custom RECOVERY. You might not need to be unlocked to do that.
I'm almost positive I tried to flash a custom recovery through the bootloader and it didn't work... however, you were right and my bootloader is now unlocked so THANK YOU! Will post back after flashing the recovery you attached.
To answer your previous question about which root method you used, unrevoked-forever was used at some point to S-OFF the phone, since you are on Hboot 2.18 and still S-OFF and not on the old Engineering S-OFF Hboot. Whether the phone was rooted with Unrevoked, Toast Method 2, Simple Root or AutoRoot, there is no exact way to tell right now, but it can be guesstimated that it might have been Unrevoked.
Now for the confusion if you dare to read:
AutoRoot is Toast Method 1, unrevoked-forever, and a custom ROM inside a program, and Simple Root is Toast Method 1 and a custom ROM inside a program along with the engineering S-OFF bootloader. Unrevoked is uh, Unrevoked and Unrevoked forever inside a program. Toast method 2 is just a custom ROM flashed along with the same S-OFF bootloader as SimpleRoot. If you used Toast Method 2, then you did everything AutoRoot did in order to S-OFF the phone. You just needed unrevoked-forever to keep it S-OFF for any other and your bootloader. Toast Method 1 alone does not S-OFF the phone. If you used SimpleRoot, which does not use unrevoked-forever, you needed unrevoked-forever at some point again to keep the phone S-OFF on any other Hboot (your 2.18). So again, you would have done everything AutoRoot did.
So that brings it down to AutoRoot and Unrevoked, since everything else you did is the same thing that AutoRoot does. Since you rooted nearly 2 years ago, and Unrevoked-forever is inside AutoRoot, AutoRoot has to be newer than unrevoked-forever to contain it inside its program. Also Unrevoked is newer than AutoRoot and already contained Unrevoked-forever. So the likely-hood that you used Unrevoked is very great, but not for sure. It is also the easier method and the one that nearly everyone else used at that time.
Somehow, still no luck. Flashed that file you linked and it goes through successfully, asks to reboot and then back to white screen boot loop. How can this be possible at this point, with the bootloader unlocked it goes through with the process but the actual writing of the data seems to fail. Trying the RUU one last time now that it is unlocked, but if this doesn't work I'm stumped.
I thought the whole beauty of the the bootloader, and more importantly being able to reach it, was that it meant your phone couldn't be bricked. Last try, will report back.
Bootloader unlocked, RUU flashed this time through PC. Nothing, and completely out of ideas here.
Shortydoggs been doing a lot of help around here for similar situations. There have been cases (maybe a dozen I've seen) where people get into a situation like yours where bootloader is accessible , but that is about it. And from what I've read, in those cases, when the phone tries to boot, it does 4 or 5 short vibrates before going back to bootloader.
Your situation is also strange in that, you rooted 2yrs ago, but don't have S-off, a locked bootloader. Hboot 2.18, which is the latest but is unlockable thru HTC dev, but no S-off available for it yet. And your radios are latest, too (mostly irrelevant).
First there was toasts root for baseband 1.37 (which downgraded you to 1.17 with eng hboot to get s-off before bringing you back up to 1.37). Then there was simple root by jiqqaman, which worked for people who took the baseband 1.47 OTA. Then when froyo came out, anyone who took that OTA (baseband 3.25, or 3.26, I forget) had to wait for unrevoked to be developed. I think hboot at that point was 2.08 and 2.10. Unrevoked forever worked on that, and gave you S-off.
I know none of that info helps you necessarily. It's just puzzling how you rooted 2yrs ago, bit have the latest hboot with S-on. Maybe you didn't finish toasts part 2 S-off guide, then sometime recently updated your radio and hboot? No. You need S-off to flash radio. Were you recently on a stock rooted ROM and took an OTA (is that even possible) when you were still S-on (from not finishing toasts guide)?
Sorry, I know it's not a lot of help. Just trying to figure out how things could not match up so much, and if that's how you ended up in this situation (that could be helpful info for others). I hope you don't have the bootloop of death and can get it sorted. Between shortydogg and captain throwback, I HAVE seen some phones saved.
sent from 2yr old Evo on ICS
Yea, I'm not going to waste your time any further. There's not much else to do.
Ya unfortunately I'm quite confused myself... however, if this information helps you at all... For starters, I have S-OFF and until recently (2 weeks or so since my phone started acting up like this) I was running a ROM perfectly fine until one day it restarted into this never ending boot loop. I'm not sure how my HBOOT is the most up to date, seeing as I was always very careful not to do something stupid like change my HBOOT for no reason. The interesting thing is that I had never seen that pink label before on my bootloader saying unlocked or locked OOW until the problem started occuring 2 weeks ago.
Also something I'm realizing... are you telling me that the HBOOT I have does not have S-OFF yet, and therefore you can't flash roms or custom recoveries... but my bootloader still says I am S-OFF. So the problem is I am S-OFF for the most recent HBOOT which can't be changed to S-OFF yet? Could downgrading hboots work?
He did not realize that you were S-OFF. Your phone is set to stay S-OFF regardless of what Hboot you have or how that Hboot usually comes.
Also, your phone appears to have a hardware, and not software issue, so, changing Hboots, might not hurt to try, but may not help much. In case I'm wrong, do not try anything below Hboot 2.10. Here is one for 2.16.
What rom were you running up until the time the bootloops started happening? This sounds alot like the cyanogen mod bootloop of death which no one has ever fixed I believe.
I believe I was using some version of SOS or a sense rom, but I'm leaning more towards SOS.
Just tried using that HBOOT thought it's still not working. Would going to the engineering hboot make any difference?
What could be the hardware problem causing this?
I see that shortydogg is in here taking good care of you .
The bottom line is, if you can't flash/get into recovery from HBOOT, you're probably in an unrecoverable situation.
It's unclear after my review of the thread, but you have tried flashing a recovery through HBOOT using a PC36IMG.zip file, right? And then after flashing, you choose not to reboot, but to boot into Recovery?
If you can get into recovery, then we can resolve your issue (if in fact it is software related).
If the problem is bad NAND blocks on your recovery or boot partitions, then there's nothing that can be done.
Also, the watermark on your bootloader (LOCKED, UNLOCKED, etc) has nothing to do with your issue. That's just connected to the version you were running. As long as you're S-OFF, that's irrelevant.

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