[Q] Re-stockify can of worms - One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Sorry, me again!
I needed to re-lock and ‘stockify’ my HTC M8 today for a few reasons. It ended up taking me 4 hours, and I still have no idea if it’s ‘back’ to the way it was before I rooted it. Before you carry on reading, please know I’m fully aware any lack of understanding is my fault, and perhaps I should have realised that compared to the N4s blissfully easy steps, the HTC was a massive can of worms. However, I’m going to ask the below anyway, so hopefully someone is friendly and helpful enough to aid me in my quest for enlightenment of android stuff without me having to spend more hours searching than actually reading useful stuff…
So coming from a Nexus 4, where the guide is super simple:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ne...3923-guide-nexus-4-factory-image-restore.html
It turned out to be SERIOUSLY complicated. I’ve put down a ‘typical’ guide below, and put my questions about each step in bold. Sorry if it seems like I’m just complaining and being trite, but I’d like to know if A) I’ve missed a far easier way of doing this and if not B) is it just me that seems to have a massive amount of issues?
1. Made sure your device is S-Off. If not, download firewater and S-Off your device.
Assume this is just a thing that some phones have and some don’t?
2. Restore a nandroid of the stock Sense ROM, or find a stock ROM to flash. You'll have to dig around; I used a nandroid.
WHY? Is there no such thing as downloadable factory images for HTC One M8s? Also, where’s the step that says ‘run the commands fast boot erase user data, fast boot erase cache’ etc.?
3. Flash SuperSU.zip in recovery on top of the stock Sense ROM. You can find the SuperSU.zip here: http://download.chainfire.eu/396/SuperSU
Fair enough… still an another extra step compared to N4.
4. Use fast boot to flash the stock firmware zip to your device based on CID (this includes the stock recovery)
-This took SO MUCH EFFORT. Turns out I had to Super CID so that one of the recovery zips worked, because I was getting “FAILED (remote: 42 custom id check fail)” - and I’m now paranoid because I have no idea how important it is to get the correct CID-numbered ‘stock firmware’ etc. The ‘stock firmware’ zips seem to contain boot, radios, recovery .imgs, and with about 4 billion versions of the M8 apparently existing, could I have flashed a wrong boot or radio or something? ARE they even different per CID? Then I changed the CID back to O2___001 in case I need to take it in for warranty repairs, but is that trackable? Would someone know that I’ve messed around with the CID? Could someone going to look at my Nexus and be like “Oh this radio seems to be the one we’d expect on a HTC_001, NOT an O2___001 CID device, they must have tampered with it”.
—OH, and I had to boot into RUU mode as well, which apparently no one felt like explaining what the hell that’s for. So I’ve got and HBoot, a Fastboot, and RUU mode, which no clear way of knowing what to flash where…??
—-ALSO there was a HELL of a lot of faffing by people throwing around CID, MID, Verizon, Sprint, and comments like this doesn’t work on this AT&T model but will only work on non branded eu models with a flag attached to the speaker with an SSID of “600TZL” and a it MUST have a holographic projector otherwise your CID must equal the square root of the MID so that the factory image will know which ID your phone carrier provides through an inter web”.
5. Boot back up into sense, and follow this guide to remove the tampered banner in recovery. http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2708565
-Is this just removing a banner? or is it ‘you’ve removed the banner from a visual point of view only, but if they actually look into it it will still appeared ‘tampered’.
6. Follow this guide to lock your boot loader and make it say **LOCKED** instead of **RELOCKED**. http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2708571
-So ‘fast boot OEM lock’ doesn’t work on HTCs then- is that an N4 thing? Why all that complicated cmd line stuff? And on a side note, why is it that when referring to re-locking a N4 people call it just that- locking. But with an HTC people on XDA seem to say ‘to make the banner say locked’ as if its not actually locking it, just changing a bit of writing on the boot loader.
7. Boot your device back up, and open SuperSU. Go into settings and find the "full unroot" option and run that. Reboot your device like it suggests.
Does running the unroot zip (can’t find the thread) work? So I can make it appear like the HTC is brand new out of the box? Rather than having to go through the ‘first setup’ screen?
Other question: people seem to keep yammering on about modded RUUs, is there one? is there a couple? (i.e. should I view it a bit like TWRP and CWM- there’s others but there’s one everyone really uses). And if I ‘flash’ a modded RUU, again, is there an easily accessible stock one?

It's really not that complicated! I think the problem is comparing it to a Nexus 4 which is designed to be easily unlocked and locked, due to being a more developer orientated device.
An RUU is a stock image (like the Nexus images) and a modded one would just have the CID/MID requirement removed or something so it can be used on more phones. It would still be the stock, untampered image.
Also, the whole CID/MID thing is only applicable to American devices which vary between GSM and CDMA radios. ANY international modem will work in Europe and you will never find the wrong one.
S-Off is like unlocking the bootloader on a Nexus device except that in this case, its an extra step after unlocking the bootloader in order to be able to modify every partition and flash unsupported firmware in OEM mode. Every consumer phone is initially shipped S-On.

Thanks very much Veryone's v. helpful around here. Just a few more questions based on what you've said:
Matt said:
Also, the whole CID/MID thing is only applicable to American devices which vary between GSM and CDMA radios. ANY international modem will work in Europe and you will never find the wrong one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did I have to Super-CID to install the stock recovery? And did I do the right thing by going back to my carrier CID afterwards?
Matt said:
S-Off is like unlocking the bootloader on a Nexus device except that in this case, its an extra step after unlocking the bootloader in order to be able to modify every partition and flash unsupported firmware in OEM mode. Every consumer phone is initially shipped S-On.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I've read in quite a few places I shouldn't have to S-On to take it in for a warranty repair, because some arrive to people S-off and they can't prove that you did it? Is that right?

Thank you for the step-by-step list. I am in the process of restoring my phone and all the guides say to look for "version-main", but that line is empty for me. What other information can I use to determine what recovery image to flash. Also the reason I want to go back to unrooted is so I can recieve OTA updates.

legolator said:
Thank you for the step-by-step list. I am in the process of restoring my phone and all the guides say to look for "version-main", but that line is empty for me. What other information can I use to determine what recovery image to flash. Also the reason I want to go back to unrooted is so I can recieve OTA updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this also happened to me- just another thing to confuse....
Can you not receive OTA updates if you're rooted? I thought it was just if you were running a different ROM?

tmorterlaing said:
this also happened to me- just another thing to confuse....
Can you not receive OTA updates if you're rooted? I thought it was just if you were running a different ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that flashing a custom recovery removes the ability for the phone to install OTA updates. But I could of course be wrong about that.

Related

Ex nexus user brain frazzled with amount of work involved

Hi there.
So In short I'm a Nexus 5 user and as you can imagine unlocking that phone is literally 2 minutes at most using fastboot.
I got myself a brand spanking new HTC One m8 on Vodafone UK, however I hate Sense UI and would love to "transform" my phone to GPE edition.
I have few questions hopefully easy to answer. reading through the forums gives me a headache.
1. Do I need a S-Off if I want to convert my GSM to GPE? Thought its just a matter of flashing a rom? (I do know the answer to this but just cant believe it)
2. My phone is network locked, should I unlock it first and than run sunshine or the other way around (I've heard people having problems when they try to unlock after sunshine)
3. Do I need to backup my stock Vodafone Image if I want to return to stock at some point? I had HTC Desire/HD and returning back to stock was matter of flashing RUU back in the days (these seem to be provided on HTCDev now). But it looks like a lot has changed since then.
4. What order of operations? Please correct me if I'm wrong: Unlock Bootloader (Any other way than HTC Dev?) --> TWRP-->Root-->Sunshine-->Backup Image-->Convert to GPE
I'm absolutely fine with using fastboot etc (no toolkits for the wicked ) although most guides involve Windows and im on Mac... Anyone had any issues ?
Appreciate any help
Thanks
Nexus phones are designed to be developer phones, so they make it as easy as possible. (Though, and this is an important note, they still keep secure boot enabled...) The HTC One, like most consumer oriented devices, isn't quite the same.
First off, yes, you will need to S-off your phone to do a complete version change. You will also need to change your CID/MID if you want OTA updates. None of this has anything to do with SIM locking, though there is a thread you might consult once you are S-off. It may or may not work with HBOOT 3.19, but once you are S-off, you can downgrade to an older HBOOT that does fully support SIM unlocking.
If you want to ever go back, you will also need to install TWRP or CWM like always and make a nandroid backup. You don't have to be S-off to do this, but Sunshine unlocks your bootloader in the process, which you WILL need to do.
If your device is supported (because some newer firmware versions aren't) I would suggest using Sunshine S-off to unlock your bootloader and S-off your phone. At that point, flash over a custom recovery and backup your current install. Then, use the instructions here to switch your CID/MID and install the appropriate GPE version. Note! You *CAN* use a GPE RUU, but that will change the partitioning on the device making it very hard to go back.. I would strongly recommending using using a GPE backup and leaving the partition tables alone, but that's just me.
jshamlet said:
Nexus phones are designed to be developer phones, so they make it as easy as possible. (Though, and this is an important note, they still keep secure boot enabled...) The HTC One, like most consumer oriented devices, isn't quite the same.
First off, yes, you will need to S-off your phone to do a complete version change. You will also need to change your CID/MID if you want OTA updates. None of this has anything to do with SIM locking, though there is a thread you might consult once you are S-off. It may or may not work with HBOOT 3.19, but once you are S-off, you can downgrade to an older HBOOT that does fully support SIM unlocking.
If you want to ever go back, you will also need to install TWRP or CWM like always and make a nandroid backup. You don't have to be S-off to do this, but Sunshine unlocks your bootloader in the process, which you WILL need to do.
If your device is supported (because some newer firmware versions aren't) I would suggest using Sunshine S-off to unlock your bootloader and S-off your phone. At that point, flash over a custom recovery and backup your current install. Then, use the instructions here to switch your CID/MID and install the appropriate GPE version. Note! You *CAN* use a GPE RUU, but that will change the partitioning on the device making it very hard to go back.. I would strongly recommending using using a GPE backup and leaving the partition tables alone, but that's just me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that.
Could your please clarify your last 2 sentences. This is first I hear about. If I use GPE backup will I be able to get OTA updates? Where can I find GPE backup rather than RUU. I think most here are RUU's.
Or do you mean GPE ROM vs GPE RUU?
MattSkeet said:
Thanks a lot for that.
Could your please clarify your last 2 sentences. This is first I hear about. If I use GPE backup will I be able to get OTA updates? Where can I find GPE backup rather than RUU. I think most here are RUU's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The partition sizes are different between GPE and Sense, with Sense having a much larger /system partition than GPE. If you convert from Sense to GPE fully (using an RUU), then you will have to use an RUU to go back to Sense or the /system partition won't be large enough. If you just restore a nandroid backup of GPE to a Sense partitioned device, it will still work fine and you can revert back without any special effort.
S-off yes carrier unlocking yes and I'm an ex nexus 5 user as well
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
MattSkeet said:
3. Do I need to backup my stock Vodafone Image if I want to return to stock at some point? I had HTC Desire/HD and returning back to stock was matter of flashing RUU back in the days (these seem to be provided on HTCDev now). But it looks like a lot has changed since then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe HTC posts RUUs to HTCDev.com any longer. There is a RUU floating around for the "generic" WWE version, but for Vodaphone or other carrier branded versions outside the US, you probably won't find any RUUs.
Therefore, its always good to at least make a nandroid before making any other changes. Or you can find the stock nandroid for your CID here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
MattSkeet said:
4. What order of operations? Please correct me if I'm wrong: Unlock Bootloader (Any other way than HTC Dev?) --> TWRP-->Root-->Sunshine-->Backup Image-->Convert to GPE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you can temp root, sunshine s-off and use sunshine to unlock the bootloader and bypass HTCDev.com. But I haven't done it that way personally, so I'm not 100% on that.
redpoint73 said:
I don't believe HTC posts RUUs to HTCDev.com any longer. There is a RUU floating around for the "generic" WWE version, but for Vodaphone or other carrier branded versions outside the US, you probably won't find any RUUs.
Therefore, its always good to at least make a nandroid before making any other changes. Or you can find the stock nandroid for your CID here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701376
I believe you can temp root, sunshine s-off and use sunshine to unlock the bootloader and bypass HTCDev.com. But I haven't done it that way personally, so I'm not 100% on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads/P00 there are RUU's here which is very strange and makes it confusing in regards to backing everything up if its there
MattSkeet said:
http://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads/P00 there are RUU's here which is very strange and makes it confusing in regards to backing everything up if its there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only RUU there is T-Mobile US. All the rest are kernel source (and a couple framework support) files. Keep in mind, the RUU is something like 1.6 GB.
Note that there are other RUUs, they just aren't posted there. The Developer Edition has an RUU, and there is an older one for AT&T floating around somewhere as well.
I really don't understand why HTC doesn't make these more available, as they are a great way to reset a phone short of warranty service. I would think they would want people to have these as an option.
jshamlet said:
Note that there are other RUUs, they just aren't posted there. The Developer Edition has an RUU, and there is an older one for AT&T floating around somewhere as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, in fact AT&T has RUUs for every major OTA build its released so far. Sprint and T-Mobile US also have RUUs. Of the major US carriers, only Verizon does not have RUUs.
I haven't seen any official RUU releases outside the US. I know there is a WWE 3.28.401 RUU think is being linked lately, but I don't know if that is a leak, or something more official. But otherwise, RUUs don't exist outside the US (or only as leaks). What makes the US so special, I don't know.
jshamlet said:
I really don't understand why HTC doesn't make these more available, as they are a great way to reset a phone short of warranty service. I would think they would want people to have these as an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get it either. On past devices, I've seen specific reports of HTC support directing folks to RUU when they have software issues (after the "usual" solutions like factory reset didn't help).

[Q] Could use help with S-OFF and Firmware

I got the bootloader unlocked with HTC Dev and rooted, installed TWRP. I installed Revolution (?) rom but had the restarting issue I presume because of the firmware being incompatible. Searching ways to achieve S-Off leaves me a bit confused though. Could someone hold my hand through the process or direct me to where I can update my Firmware and apply the newer Roms please? Thanks.
xgonzox said:
I got the bootloader unlocked with HTC Dev and rooted, installed TWRP. I installed Revolution (?) rom but had the restarting issue I presume because of the firmware being incompatible. Searching ways to achieve S-Off leaves me a bit confused though. Could someone hold my hand through the process or direct me to where I can update my Firmware and apply the newer Roms please? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG do I agree with that post! When you ask about how to do this, they point you to a thread with 300+ post and say its in there, go read... Ive been reading for 2 freaking days and Im more confused then ever!!! CID, SUPERCID, brick without them... NO explanation from there. REALLY!?
Now some people go OUT OF THEIR way to help you, where others seem to just say search the forums. With any of the searches, there is 4000+++ hits, it would be time to upgrade before I read them all. Ive read. Im still reading. Heck, I'm about to ADB back to stock to by pass s-off because of the lack of info, or its scattered across 5 or 6 threads. Sorry for the rant, but Im tired, sleepy, and cant find the info on the threads. Ive done my time reading, came out worse then I started...
Guys, I know your first few weeks at xda can be frustrating, but there are reasons why we do it this way and why requests for hand-holding don't go over well.
First, this is, as the name says, a developers' forum where a certain amount of technical knowledge is assumed. All of us were noobs once, but we got past that by reading and asking intelligent questions, not throwing up our hands and begging to be spoon-fed. If you get less-than-helpful responses, it's often because what seems baffling to you is a question that gets asked regularly to the point that people get tired of dealing with it. S-off and firmware updating are in that realm.
Second, and more importantly, once you go s-off and start mucking with firmware, there is a very real chance of bricking your phone if you're not careful. So having a solid understanding of what you're doing is critical. The people who brick are the ones who rush the process and miss or skip important steps because they don't realize why they exist.
Now, having said that, I can give you a little guidance.
S-off for the M9 is pretty idiot proof at the moment. It's only possible through a paid app, Sunshine. You download it, install it, and it will tell you if s-off is possible for your phone. If so, you buy a license for $25 and run it. Done.
Updating firmware is trickier, but this thread is the best place to start. Read the whole thing from the beginning (especially the first few posts), and if there's anything you don't understand, asking specific questions will usually get you helpful responses.
Good luck!
Good advice from iElvis to go slowly and try not to rush before gaining necessary knowledge .
Usually for example with firmware flashing thread all relevant info is contained in the first four posts written by original poster.
Basically if you are S on you may only flash firmware that matches your currently installed software.
When you have S off (as described above by iElvis) then you may flash any firmware, by changing cid if necessary.
Firmware flashing done in download mode via command
Fastboot flash zip nameofirmware.zip
Phone will flash part of firmware then reboot to download mode,
Then you enter same command again and remainder of file is flashed.
Then you're good to flash custom roms based on the firmware you flashed.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Free mobile app
paul_59 said:
Good advice from iElvis to go slowly and try not to rush before gaining necessary knowledge .
Usually for example with firmware flashing thread all relevant info is contained in the first four posts written by original poster.
Basically if you are S on you may only flash firmware that matches your currently installed software.
When you have S off (as described above by iElvis) then you may flash any firmware, by changing cid if necessary.
Firmware flashing done in download mode via command
Fastboot flash zip nameofirmware.zip
Phone will flash part of firmware then reboot to download mode,
Then you enter same command again and remainder of file is flashed.
Then you're good to flash custom roms based on the firmware you flashed.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not new to xda or flashing roms , but definitely new to htc device. The problem is Alot of threads don't seem to explain "Why" .
your quote here has explained something so simple, that unfortunately was made to sound so complex in some other threads. Also many threads give slightly differing or slightly incomplete instructions. thats why I notice many people asking for a "FULL guide" and even some people offering to "donate if you can help me step-by-step update firmware" .
So , can i ask, just to clarify, after S-off, then SuperCID, we can flash any firmware update from any region? eg If i am from 1.32.710 i can flash 1.40.401 firmware? And ONLY then i can flash a custom rom that MUST be 1.40.401?
simonbigwave said:
So , can i ask, just to clarify, after S-off, then SuperCID, we can flash any firmware update from any region? eg If i am from 1.32.710 i can flash 1.40.401 firmware? And ONLY then i can flash a custom rom that MUST be 1.40.401?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can flash any firmware for your model. You can't for example, flash cdma firmware on a gsm phone (nor should you try).
But you don't necessarily have to match rom to firmware. It's advisable for best performance, but not always necessary. in this case, however, there is a conflict between firmware and kernel across 1.32 and 1.40—they need to be the same. That means you can run a 1.40 rom over 1.32 firmware as long as you have a 1.32 kernel running (this is my current configuration). But if you have 1.40 firmware, you pretty much have to run a 1.40 rom.
I am missing somethihng some where.. Ive tried the steps above, although no "guide" said anything about supercid. However, Ive tried to flash the firmware, and i do get a cid mismatch error. So I'm stuck and lost. I dont know what to do... Cid is being reported differently depending on how I get it, Adb reports htc_001, the app and the scrip report CWE_001, and I cant seem to find anything to flash to it. Im literally pulling out my hair.
klloyd said:
I am missing somethihng some where.. Ive tried the steps above, although no "guide" said anything about supercid. However, Ive tried to flash the firmware, and i do get a cid mismatch error. So I'm stuck and lost. I dont know what to do... Cid is being reported differently depending on how I get it, Adb reports htc_001, the app and the scrip report CWE_001, and I cant seem to find anything to flash to it. Im literally pulling out my hair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, get S-off from Sunshine app. Easiest way. Then in adb set your sid to super cid..try here a full guide, after u have used sunshine app to get s-off http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317536 u need to get S-off first AFAIK....i agree its confusing.

I have M9u ROOTED, on RELOCKED and S-ON and I want to get Android 6, help (details)

HTC M9u .. CID 621 (Taiwan)
Software is currently 2.10.709.1
I recieved the OTA but I can't install it, it keeps coming back with an error
I just want to get rid of the root really and have the stock back so I can update to Android M smoothly. I have been searching all over XDA/Reddit and tried various methods but they all failed.
This post is my last call for help really before I give up.
I am not a developer but I am great at following steps and have been on these forums for quite a few years now. will appreciate any help I can get.
Get s-off?
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Is S-off required to flash 6.0 ROM.
There are so many different instructions out there. Very confusing even for me as someone who has flashed ROMs for years.
without OTA and official RUU, flashing firmware requires s-off
you can get it back to stock but trust me its not worth the hassle with s-on method... just fork out 25$ for sunshine and get s-off and problem solved... i know everyone wants the latest updates but trust me there is barely any difference in 5x and 6x it looks identical apart from a few new functions and incompatibility issues with some apps and xposed. if you dont want to go the s-off method than you need to find the ruu for your carrier.. unroot,, lock bootloader, and so on... its not worth the hassle...
AmAhmad said:
HTC M9u .. CID 621 (Taiwan)
Software is currently 2.10.709.1
I recieved the OTA but I can't install it, it keeps coming back with an error
I just want to get rid of the root really and have the stock back so I can update to Android M smoothly. I have been searching all over XDA/Reddit and tried various methods but they all failed.
This post is my last call for help really before I give up.
I am not a developer but I am great at following steps and have been on these forums for quite a few years now. will appreciate any help I can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start in this thread and read: http://forum.xda-developers.com/one-m9/general/stock-nand-backup-ota-update-collection-t3132698
You have to be 100% stock to take an OTA now. This is because of past bricks that resulted from people trying to do what you did, which was take an OTA while rooted. It's a safety feature HTC implemented.
I am not sure if there is a .709 RUU file you can flash, but if so, that will take you back to full stock. If there isn't, you have little choice but to get s-off and update your firmware manually.
Thanks all. The thing is I live in Sudan and have absolutely no access to online payment, so using that 25 dollars app is nearly impossible really. no other way of getting s-off ?
iElvis said:
Start in this thread and read: http://forum.xda-developers.com/one-m9/general/stock-nand-backup-ota-update-collection-t3132698
You have to be 100% stock to take an OTA now. This is because of past bricks that resulted from people trying to do what you did, which was take an OTA while rooted. It's a safety feature HTC implemented.
I am not sure if there is a .709 RUU file you can flash, but if so, that will take you back to full stock. If there isn't, you have little choice but to get s-off and update your firmware manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there is no RUU for my version sadly.
AmAhmad said:
Thanks all. The thing is I live in Sudan and have absolutely no access to online payment, so using that 25 dollars app is nearly impossible really. no other way of getting s-off ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a couple of other methods, but they require expensive hardware you would also have to order online.
The sunshine guys are pretty flexible about payment methods, though I'm not sure they would be able to do anything for you. Worst you can do is reach out and ask: http://theroot.ninja
Why don't you just use one of my backups? There is no need for a RUU or S-OFF. Both, the backup and some instructions can be found in the google sheet that is linked in the thread @iElvis linked earlier. (You could simply use the link in my signature, too.) Or did I miss the fact that you're unable to boot to TWRP anymore?
@GODSPD : That's not really a good advice. Only because you can't see any changes doesn't mean that there are none. Fixes for security flaws like stagefright (just a random example) aren't visable at all. Not to mention that the battery life is much better on android M. Besides there is no need to relock. Only RUU.exe files require a locked or relocked bootloader if you're a S-ON user but most of M9 RUUs (except those for US carriers) are RUU.zip files which don't check the status of your bootloader. OTAs don't check that status, either, because if they would owners of the developer edition wouldn't be able to apply them.
Flippy498 said:
Why don't you just use one of my backups? There is no need for a RUU or S-OFF. Both, the backup and some instructions can be found in the google sheet that is linked in the thread @iElvis linked earlier. (You could simply use the link in my signature, too.) Or did I miss the fact that you're unable to boot to TWRP anymore?
@GODSPD : That's not really a good advice. Only because you can't see any changes doesn't mean that there are none. Fixes for security flaws like stagefright (just a random example) aren't visable at all. Not to mention that the battery life is much better on android M. Besides there is no need to relock. Only RUU.exe files require a locked or relocked bootloader if you're a S-ON user but most of M9 RUUs (except those for US carriers) are RUU.zip files which don't check the status of your bootloader. OTAs don't check that status, either, because if they would owners of the developer edition wouldn't be able to apply them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
visually the UI and system looks identical to me, im sure the updates do actually fix security issues, battery drains and other bugs thats for sure, but going from 5 > 6 a basic user wont even know the difference.
Correct me if im wrong, but OTA does check if the system is modified? better question ---> what does OTA actually check for in order to allow the update to be downloaded and installed?
GODSPD said:
visually the UI and system looks identical to me, im sure the updates do actually fix security issues, battery drains and other bugs thats for sure, but going from 5 > 6 a basic user wont even know the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do look the same but that's no reason to recommend staying on android 5.
GODSPD said:
Correct me if im wrong, but OTA does check if the system is modified? better question ---> what does OTA actually check for in order to allow the update to be downloaded and installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they check whether the system is modified (e.g. mounted as read/write) but the state of the bootloader doesn't matter. Further information about block-based OTAs can be found here.

Some général questions about the one M8 before buying it

Hello fellow xda people!
I know,I know, the title isn't very accurate. Give me suggestions if you have something more accurate.
I'd like to buy that phone, but after reading some threads here, I still have some questions :
-If I want to send my phone back to htc, let's say for a battery problem, should I go back to full stock? Because apparently to go back to stock we need to use a RUU, which needs S-OFF. But S-Off is a hint for them to understand we rooted, installed custom roms no? So if I need to send them back, am I screwed?
-Then, speaking about the customer service, how did you find it if you had to deal with it? And especially in Europe and France...
-If I don't want to go back to stock, should I go S-Off? Saw somewhere we had to pay for it :/, so is it worth it? What are the advantages?
-if I order it now, will I receive a quickcharge 2.0 charger or will I have to order it apart?
-How do you think will be the development for this phone in a few years? I'm new to HTC, so will they push updates for android N or was MM the last official update pushed?
-Are there different versions of the phone, making it incompatible with some ROMs? And if yes, which one should I choose? What is the name of the international version?
-I think that's all, If I need something else, I'll post back here
Thank you everyone!
My responses below, in red font:
WoBble12 said:
I know,I know, the title isn't very accurate. Give me suggestions if you have something more accurate.
I think the title is great. It describes what you are trying to do, and what you are asking.
-If I want to send my phone back to htc, let's say for a battery problem, should I go back to full stock? Because apparently to go back to stock we need to use a RUU, which needs S-OFF. But S-Off is a hint for them to understand we rooted, installed custom roms no? So if I need to send them back, am I screwed? If returning to HTC for warranty, going back to full stock is recommended (stock software, LOCKED bootloader, and possibly s-on). You do not need s-off to RUU (as long as its the proper RUU for your M8 version and proper RUU number - no downgrading with s-on). But you do need s-off to make the bootloader say LOCKED (which after UNLOCKED, only RELOCKED is possible with s-on). If you have s-off, you can change it back to say s-on. Although it is possible (although uncommon) for devices to come from the factory with s-off, so requirement to make it s-on (for warranty) is debatable.
-Then, speaking about the customer service, how did you find it if you had to deal with it? And especially in Europe and France... I don't live in Europe, nor have I dealt with HTC very much. Honestly, I've owned 6 HTC devices, and almost zero problems with any of them.
-If I don't want to go back to stock, should I go S-Off? Saw somewhere we had to pay for it :/, so is it worth it? What are the advantages? You don't need s-off to root of flash custom ROMs. s-off is needed to flash modified hboots, manually flash radios, and a few other things. S-off is useful, but not mandatory for many people.
-if I order it now, will I receive a quickcharge 2.0 charger or will I have to order it apart? You will get a standard charger. If you want QC 2.0, you'll need to put it separately, but there are 3rd party versions that are good quality, and inexpensive.
-How do you think will be the development for this phone in a few years? I'm new to HTC, so will they push updates for android N or was MM the last official update pushed? I don't think HTC has stated it officially, but most of us are suspecting that MM is the last major update. So you may be relying to ports (from newer HTC devices), AOSP ROMs, etc. if you want Android N. ROM development is still decent; although certainly slowing. But I expect and hope some devs will keep supporting the M8 for some time to come.
-Are there different versions of the phone, making it incompatible with some ROMs? And if yes, which one should I choose? What is the name of the international version? CDMA version (Sprint and Verizon), the dual SIM M8, and M8 Eye all need specific ROMs (or at least specific kernels, in the case of the CDMA versions). Otherwise, the other M8 version are all virtually the same, and share ROMs. So for the purpose of custom ROMs, I would definitely recommend the "international" otherwise known as the "GSM" M8 (so any version except CDMA, dual SIM, or Eye).
You should also be careful where you buy from, and what version you are buying. I've seen some folks on here that thought they were buying a international/GSM M8, but it was a Sprint or Verizon that was debranded (software modified, back plate changed) to make it seem like a it was the international version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, Thank you very much @redpoint73 for this precise answer! So I was still browsing around for more info about that phone, and a guy said we have to extract the kernel of every ROM (except for stock based Roms) and flash it separately if we are s-on. It was a HTC forum, but the topic was very global, so is this specific phone part of them, or can I flash complete ROM packages directly without extracting the kernel?
And, another one, how can I be sure my phone is a GSM version? They have a different name under "about phone" section of the settings, but this can be faked I think. And I could also verify the MID in the boot loader?
WoBble12 said:
! So I was still browsing around for more info about that phone, and a guy said we have to extract the kernel of every ROM (except for stock based Roms) and flash it separately if we are s-on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is totally false. This was true on some older HTC devices (maybe they mean the One M7?) but was never the case on the M8. You just wipe and flash the desired ROM. Kernel flashes with the ROM automatically.
WoBble12 said:
And, another one, how can I be sure my phone is a GSM version? They have a different name under "about phone" section of the settings, but this can be faked I think. And I could also verify the MID in the boot loader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to look at not only the CID and MID in bootloader (getvar all) but also the product name (such as m8_ul, etc.). CID and MID can be easily hacked with s-off, but as far as I've seen, the product name is never modified.
Good list of MIDs and product names (column labelled "Variant" on the table) here: http://droider.eu/2014/09/20/htc-one-m8-models/
Until you have the phone in hard, I'm not sure how much of this you can tell for sure. So buy from a reputable source, with a guaranteed method of refund of exchange, in case the device is not as advertised (and we're seeing more and more of that lately).

After S-OFF can I go from 3.xx.yyy.xx to 4.xx.zzz.xx?

I've gone through the (extremely confusing) readme thread several times but would appreciate a concrete answer on dev edition conversion.
My phone is hima_ulatt / firmware v3.38.502.12 / OPJA11000 / CWS_001.
So my question is, once i:
unlock bootloader > s-off > write cid BS_US001,
can i install ruu 4.30.617.12 or would i have to stay within 3.xx.617.xx versions?
jbonetwo said:
I've gone through the (extremely confusing) readme thread several times but would appreciate a concrete answer on dev edition conversion.
My phone is hima_ulatt / firmware v3.38.502.12 / OPJA11000 / CWS_001.
So my question is, once i:
unlock bootloader > s-off > write cid BS_US001,
can i install ruu 4.30.617.12 or would i have to stay within 3.xx.617.xx versions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know you can't install a 4.x Ruu on 3.x firmware.
The encryption is different.
bubba1601 said:
As far as I know you can't install a 4.x Ruu on 3.x firmware.
The encryption is different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there no way to update to the 4.xx versions then? The AT&T software update won't let me upgrade at all (says no updates found).
jbonetwo said:
Is there no way to update to the 4.xx versions then? The AT&T software update won't let me upgrade at all (says no updates found).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download a 4.x based rom, there are several in the rom thread including the latest development rom.
They are stock ROMs that you can flash through twrp.
This one I've used and had no issues with.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/on...m9-4-14-617-6-stock-root-twrp-backup-t3518149
But if you are locked to ATT (unlike me because I'm in Europe and the European M9 is a GSM version.
You might want to try this version (ATT)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/one-m9/development/rom-stock-nougat-4-23-617-1-unlocked-t3553470
bubba1601 said:
Download a 4.x based rom, there are several in the rom thread including the latest development rom.
They are stock ROMs that you can flash through twrp.
This one I've used and had no issues with.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/on...m9-4-14-617-6-stock-root-twrp-backup-t3518149
But if you are locked to ATT (unlike me because I'm in Europe and the European M9 is a GSM version.
You might want to try this version (ATT)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/one-m9/development/rom-stock-nougat-4-23-617-1-unlocked-t3553470
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!!
Please elaborate a bit further which part of the ReadMe thread confuses you. It's meant to be a helpful resource and if it's confusing at some point then it might need to get overhauled.
Flashing a rom won't update the firmware. Therefore, the linked roms won't help you much. (C.f. the article that is linked as "the difference between rom and firmware" in the further reading section of the ReadMe thread.)
You need to update the phone with an unencrypted firmware pack (that means an OTA or one of Sneakyghost's firmware packs). As already explained in this thread, RUUs with firmware 4.x use new encryption keys and therefore can't be used for updating from firmware 3.x. In addition, AT&T won't let you install OTAs on their branded phones if you aren't using one of their sim cards.
Either you convert to the 3.x version of the dev firmware and install the available OTAs afterwards or you need to flash a 4.x AT&T firmware pack from Sneakyghost's thread before you convert if you want to directly use the latest dev edition RUU.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs
I got confused too. It's confusing because the paragraphs digress and don't just follow the basic procedures. Probably because the information is necessary but not formatted into idiot speak.. idiot speak is what i needed.
So i thought "fk it my phone is dying anyway so how bad can it get"?.
If you're changing the cid and mid via fastboot do it first and get the firmware.zip of the region you want, at the phones CURRENT firmware level.
Flash the zip version of the firmware from external sdcard. To do that you need to
S-OFF: DONT NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING.
S-ON: LOCK BOOTLOADER?? (CLARIFY)/CHANGE NOTHING?
rename the firmware.zip* file to whatever the filename asks for at the bottom of download mode (voldown+power), eg 0PJA***.ZIP.
copy it to the external Sdcard (not in a folder, just on its own), reboot phone to download mode, follow prompts.
THE PHONE WILL REBOOT MANY TIMES AND SHOULD TAKE AROUND 30 MINS TO 1 HOUR TO COMPLETE. DO NOT TOUCH THE PHONE. DO NOT TURN IT OFF. DO NOT UNPLUG IT FROM THE CHARGER. Leave it alone!!.
Once that completes you can take the ota.
Well, not everyone owns an SD card and there are other methods for flashing RUUs. That's why the RUU section describes all methods and the conversion guide only has a link to the RUU section. (The steps you describe are all mentioned in the guide for the SD card method.) This way users can choose which method they want to use. And describing all methods in both posts doesn't seem to make sense in my eyes, either.
The infos above the instructions of each post are actually needed for understanding why things are how they are if you've never owned an HTC device before. I can add a title "general info" for making clearer that the posts don't start with instructions, though.
The fact that you don't need to re-lock or lock the bootloader (neither for RUUs nor for OTAs) is e.g. explained in these additional infos. It's not mentioned in the instructions since that info itself is not an instruction.
Btw, a RUU reboots the phone only once and the flash shouldn't take longer than a couple of minutes. OTAs on the other hand can take up to am hour and reboot the phone several times.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs
Yes you are correct as always flippy. The reflash back to stock takes minutes while ota takes an age. Forgot that bit.
You also redefined what i said.. the posts digress to cover all eventualities but it is overwhelming to eejits like myself.
If it was laid out basic THEN cover the eventualities it'd be easier to follow. The english can be a tad broken too, which confuses the fk out of native English speakers like myself.
My post is just the basic. Nothing more, nothing less. If you bork your phone with my instruction it will be a hardware or user fault.
The only thing I'm not sure of, because my phone is s-off, is whether or not the bootloader must be locked or relocked with s-on. Otherwise with s-off they dont matter.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're feeding false info, I'm just saying that non native english speakers seem to have better results following your instructions better than native speakers, for some reason..
Flippy498 said:
Please elaborate a bit further which part of the ReadMe thread confuses you. It's meant to be a helpful resource and if it's confusing at some point then it might need to get overhauled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info @Flippy498. I'll be re-reading everything thoroughly before attempting anything as i don't want to end up with a brick.
The readme is indeed confusing. It captures the evolution of the m9 since fw 1.xx and the corresponding changes to modding procedures. While this makes for a great catalogue of all info, even a seasoned flash-o-phile would find it difficult to navigate the veritable minefield of do's and don't's.
I'd love to redo the logic of the thread myself but don't know enough about this device yet. but perhaps something that determines one's fw/mid/cid through fastboot first, followed by targeted instructions for achieving different goals based on those differences would be much more legible. (e.g. if fw v 3.xx, do this to unlock but warning about flashing 4.xx). As it stands, coming from v 3.xx, one has to read several disjointed notes peppered around the thread only some of which are relevant and this only adds to the confusion via information overload.
If you have s-off youre good to go in any circumstances. Just check the os that it is on and return it to stock of that version os OR
If you change the cid and mid just flash to stock of THAT version AND the region you change to. Like changing from 401 to 617 you flash the 617 because it matches the cid and mid you changed to. It must still match the os version the phone is on ie marshmallow 3.35.xxx.xx, making it the 3.35.617.xx firmware you'd be looking to flash to get stock marshmallow..
Then you just take the ota updates as far as you like.
I flashed 2 s-off phones back to stock in the last week in one sitting and it was easy, just as I explained.
It's just bootloader in s-on conditions that I personally don't know and that throws me a bit. I don't know if it's a requirement or not. I'd highly recommend buying s-off via sunshine in all cases but otherwise flippy would have to answer a simple yes or no to "bootloader locked for s-on flashing?" or you'd have to dredge it up on a search site. The other option is bite the bullet and flash anyway hoping it boots you out with an error.
shivadow said:
flippy would have to answer a simple yes or no to "bootloader locked for s-on flashing?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter whether the bootloader is locked, re-locked or unlocked.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA Labs
shivadow said:
If you have s-off youre good to go in any circumstances. Just check the os that it is on and return it to stock of that version os OR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your method worked great! changed cid & mid to dev edition, flashed dev edition and then used 'software update' to catch up to latest version. couldn't be easier, thanks!
Now for that obnoxious red text...
I take no credit for anything. All I did was make the process clearer. Glad you're sorted!.

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