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Good evening everyone -
I'm running into some issues with my LRA version of the M8. I am/was rooted and running TWRP fine until I decided to revert back to the stock recovery so I could install the latest OTA that was released to me. Like an idiot I never backed up my stock OTA before flashing TWRP so I extracted the firmware.zip from the OTA download, relocked my bootloader, then used fastboot to flash firmware.zip. All seemed to go well until I rebooted, I'm now stuck at the HTC splash screen and can get no further. Things I've done:
- tried booting into recovery, got red triangle w/red exclamation mark
- unlocked bootloader and installed TWRP, can get into recovery now at least
- tried factory reset
- wiped cache, no luck
Unfortunately the LRA M8 isn't very common it appears so I'm unable to find a stock ROM to try and reinstall. I'm hoping someone might be able to help me get started back up without the need for my stock RUU or nandroid backup. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, please let me know what other info I could provide to help out. Thanks in advance.
promsos said:
Good evening everyone -
I'm running into some issues with my LRA version of the M8. I am/was rooted and running TWRP fine until I decided to revert back to the stock recovery so I could install the latest OTA that was released to me. Like an idiot I never backed up my stock OTA before flashing TWRP so I extracted the firmware.zip from the OTA download, relocked my bootloader, then used fastboot to flash firmware.zip. All seemed to go well until I rebooted, I'm now stuck at the HTC splash screen and can get no further. Things I've done:
- tried booting into recovery, got red triangle w/red exclamation mark
- unlocked bootloader and installed TWRP, can get into recovery now at least
- tried factory reset
- wiped cache, no luck
Unfortunately the LRA M8 isn't very common it appears so I'm unable to find a stock ROM to try and reinstall. I'm hoping someone might be able to help me get started back up without the need for my stock RUU or nandroid backup. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, please let me know what other info I could provide to help out. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did your firmware.zip have a boot*.img in it? You probably need the old version of the boot.img to match the old software. You might want to find on of the old Verizon RUUs and extract the boot.img from there and try flashing that in fastboot. Message me if the Verizon boot doesn't work for you, I might have some other ideas. I'd say be careful, but you're already in trouble.
Edit: You could also do a nandroid backup and try a custom ROM to get it functional in the short term.
I did eventually grab a nandroid backup and loaded Viper Rom on it, although it's a bit quirky - probably because the LRA version of the phone is slightly different than the stock Verizon version. That being said, the firmware.zip that I loaded did have a boot.img file in it so I'm guessing that's the issue. Do you think the boot.img from a Verizon RUU would work considering my phone is not the same exact version as the Verizon one? Or another way to ask it I guess is if there's really any harm in me restoring my nandroid and loading a standard Verizon boot.img? I'd think it can't render my phone any more useless than it was previously, just wasn't sure how locked in the boot.img file was to the specific model\OS that's on the phone. The whole LRA phone thing is really a kick in the pants.
promsos said:
I did eventually grab a nandroid backup and loaded Viper Rom on it, although it's a bit quirky - probably because the LRA version of the phone is slightly different than the stock Verizon version. That being said, the firmware.zip that I loaded did have a boot.img file in it so I'm guessing that's the issue. Do you think the boot.img from a Verizon RUU would work considering my phone is not the same exact version as the Verizon one? Or another way to ask it I guess is if there's really any harm in me restoring my nandroid and loading a standard Verizon boot.img? I'd think it can't render my phone any more useless than it was previously, just wasn't sure how locked in the boot.img file was to the specific model\OS that's on the phone. The whole LRA phone thing is really a kick in the pants.
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Click to collapse
The boot.img from an older Verizon RUU would probably work, but you might have to try a couple to get the right one. The boot.img is directly tied to the ROM version that is installed, and is often called the kernel and tells the system how to boot the ROM.
Make sure you do a backup of your working Viper before restoring the stock one and trying to flash a boot.img.
I don't understand why you re locked the boot loader and flashed a firmware zip just to revert to stock recovery? All you had to do was pull the stock recovery from the firmware.zip in the OTA then flash it via fast boot. Then go ahead and flash the OTA.
You need to now find and flash a compatible boot.img. Just keep trying different ones until it boots.
I'm making a little progress here, thanks for the help. I downloaded a 4.4.3 Verizon kernel, loaded that (after restoring the old nandroid backup) and I'm able to boot, whew... I'm having two issues now, 1) my wireless won't turn on for some reason and 2) I tried installing the 4.4.4 OTA update my carrier released (downloaded via 4G) and it won't apply - I was hoping successfully applying this OTA would fix the wireless issue. Looking at my software version it looks like I'm actually running 4.4.2, could that cause both of these issues? I'm trying to locate a 4.4.2 kernel to load but figured I'd toss out the question in the meantime.
Ashyx - I wish I had a better answer to why I temporarily relocked the boot loader and flashed firmware.zip other than desperation (trying to get that darn OTA). It was a while ago I flashed the firmware.zip file but I thought that when I initially extracted the recovery from the zip file and flashed it I could no longer boot into a recovery, maybe I'm making that up though - I can hardly remember last week lol. I'm an IT guy, so I'm not completely clueless, but I'm far from proficient with mobile technologies, as I'm sure you gathered already.
Anyways, I'd appreciate any insight, in the mean time I'm going to keep hunting for a 4.4.2 kernel to try on this thing. Thanks again to all.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2723159
Try the zips from here, they should have a boot.img for 4.4.2.
Sent from my One M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Ok, I think I'm back up and running. I was able to find a 4.4.2 boot.img that allowed me to once again use my wireless. After getting the wireless working I had to find valid versions of flashlight.apk and calculator.apk to put in data/preload and the OTA finally took....success at last. I really appreciate the help durgis, I'll be grabbing a nandroid of my now working phone right away so I don't run into issues in the future. Again, thank you for the help, very much appreciated.
I suspect that we are on the same carrier, LRA__001. I've been fighting a similar problem to yours. The only custom rom I've been able to install is Cyanogenmod. It's good, but the battery life is horrible for me. Also, I can't get MMS or 4G to work. Everything other rom I've tried won't boot up for me. Any chance that you could provide a link to your nandroid backup? I'm looking to get back to a more stock rom that I can get OTA updates on. Thanks.
rook79 said:
I suspect that we are on the same carrier, LRA__001. I've been fighting a similar problem to yours. The only custom rom I've been able to install is Cyanogenmod. It's good, but the battery life is horrible for me. Also, I can't get MMS or 4G to work. Everything other rom I've tried won't boot up for me. Any chance that you could provide a link to your nandroid backup? I'm looking to get back to a more stock rom that I can get OTA updates on. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
Hey rook, I do have the same CID, are you on Cellcom out of Wisconsin? I didn't grab a bare bones nandroid, but i can do a backup, uninstall my apps and do one, or rebuild mine from my unbootable one now that I have everything i need. If you want to try a different ROM you could try Viper, it worked decent for me, just a few quirks when i bounced from wireless to 3G for some reason.
I am with Cellcom. My problems started with the recent OTA update. The update wouldn't take, because of the flashlight.apk. I decided it was time to root this phone anyway and try some custom roms. I've done it with my other HTC phones in the past with no problems. Unlocked the bootloader, loaded TWRP and did a backup. Didn't check where the backup was being put and ended up saving it to internal. Put on a new ROM and wiped my backup. Cyanogenmod 11 is the only ROM that I've had success with. Every other rom that I have tried so far will not complete the initial boot. I suspect that I'm missing something stupid, or it has something to do with the OTA update not completing. Are you running Viper, or did you get the Cellcom OTA update to work?
I was running Viper for a while but now have my phone reverted to stock with the 4.4.4 OTA applied. If you want a nandroid of stock Cellcom 4.4.4 I can work on one for you, it may take a couple days to get it but I should be able to get one.
That would be awesome. I've been looking for a stock Rom for a while now. As you know those are nearly impossible to find. Not having a stock nandroid backup or the OTA update zip kind of put me in a SOL position. Thanks for your help.
Finally got around to this, try the download below, it's the stock 4.4.4 ROM and also the stock recovery (for future OTA updates). Let me know if it works out for you. I also have the 4.4.4 OTA updated if needed.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/thd0z8l2zlprt3r/One M8 LRA 4.4.4 Stock.zip?dl=0
That worked awesome. Thanks!!!
Hi Guys, (@rook79 , @promsos)
i have the same model and running into similar problem, i was also not able to flash any other rom than SkyDragon, wanted to be able to flash other roms but no luck, i thought its the firmware that wont let me install so i went for S-Off and flashed one of the firmware from verizon, since there was not much help for this specific model and everyone was referring it as a variant from verizon, i did flash one and my problem started, my phone had no signals after flashing the firmware and was still not able to flash any other ROM, i flashed couple of more firmwares and radios to get my network working but no luck, and i got a new problem that the phone keeps rebooting after a couple of minutes it loads into system.
then somebody helped me with the stock firmware 4.4.4 from here and nandroid from this thread, firmware was still verizon, i managed to restore it but still the same reboot issue and no signals, but i was able to download OTA which wont install, everytime i try to install it, it goes to stock recovery with a progress bar 1% filled and then stuck into boot loop and after n number of attempts it boots into system, where again it reboots after a couple of minutes.
extracted the firmware from OTA and manually flashed it and tried to install OTA but still same, i tried to reboot into stock recovery but every time i do that, it goes to black screen and then keep rebooting, i am not able to get to that red triangle screen.
help less clueless trying to find complete RUU for it (not sure if thats going to help)
my partition table has 2 vzw partitions as well because i flashed dottat's RUU for verizon.
can you guys help me with that?
my phone is m8_wlv CID: LRA_001 MID: 0P6B20000
s-off, and i am on a GSM network (not US).
promsos said:
Finally got around to this, try the download below, it's the stock 4.4.4 ROM and also the stock recovery (for future OTA updates). Let me know if it works out for you. I also have the 4.4.4 OTA updated if needed.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/thd0z8l2zlprt3r/One M8 LRA 4.4.4 Stock.zip?dl=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll appreciate if you share the 4.4.4 OTA, I really need it now.
hoang555 said:
I'll appreciate if you share the 4.4.4 OTA, I really need it now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this what you are looking for? https://www.dropbox.com/s/2oozc291kwe5l9r/OTA_M8_WL_L50_SENSE60_MR_LRA_US_4.21.512.4-3.31.512.2_release_426215.zip?dl=0
hoang555 said:
I'll appreciate if you share the 4.4.4 OTA, I really need it now.
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Click to collapse
Hi
Do you still have that LRA version?? I need some help
I'm really frustrated. I've been trying to update this Galaxy S3 for days now with no success. Currently I am running on Slimkat 7.0. It's sometimes slow and buggy and needs some updating.
For reference, this is the phone at its current state:
- Bootloader: i747ucalh9 (literally taken from the fail message when trying to update to any other bootloader)
- Modem/firmware (?): I747UCLH9
Here's what has happened, greatly summarized (note I'm using CM6.0.4.7 for all of these operations, and when I say "update", I mean "flash"):
- I tried updating to Slimkat 9 but received no signal. I gave up on it entirely for a while
- I tried installing various LP ROMs, including CM12.1.
- I had 12.1 running for a bit, but I had no connectivity. LTE, 3G,H+ nothing.
- I tried installing a newer modem (this thread. Finally at MJB, I could actually get connectivity in some of the newer ROMs (including Slimkat 9)... but it was very erratic. It would just randomly oscillate between LTE and 3G and H+. This also broke CM12.1 entirely.
- Again, the above problem was always present. Most of the LP ROMs would just bootloop me, though. The only one that worked was Cyanide L... which I didn't really like.
- I thought maybe the issue was the bootloader. My bootloader is still i747ucalh9. So I tried updating it to various bootloaders from here, but none of the updates will work. Literally, they give me error 6 or 7 and pretty much essentially tell me that I can't do it.
- So after repeating the cycle of "let me try to update this" several times and having the update fail on me, I'm still stuck at Slimkat 7 as the only thing that worked on LTE (note the past tense). Worse yet, I tried simply downgrading my modem to match my current bootloader version, but that made things worse than better. I am now stuck at 3G... which just recently went back to LTE. Talk about erratic.
- I also tried going full stock by flashing this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2363882 But it expects 5 arguments for format, and got 3... or something. Failed hard.
So, I'm pretty much at the end of my rope here. I really might just go and grab a new phone at this point. I just really don't want to because this thing still works fine.... I guess I got unlucky and am at a version of the bootloader that is difficult to update from. I can't seem to go anywhere with this thing. Anyone have any ideas? Do I need to use a different recovery?
Thanks...
First and foremost, verify your bootloader. Install the Samsung phone info app, or in a terminal app or adb shell enter:
Code:
getprop ro.bootloader
If you're on any of the older bootloaders (the ones that do not end in MJB, NE4, or NJ1) there are two ways you can go (you probably will be given the age of your modem). If you're on any of the ones that end in MJB, NE4, or NJ1 you've got to be a lot more careful because downgrading them will hard brick your phone (Odin back to stock is not an option anymore).
Option 1: If you're on the older bootloaders, you can go to sammobile.com, grab the 4.1.1 firmware from there and flash it with Odin. Do not do this if your bootloader ends in MJB, NE4, or NJ1 (can't stress that enough). This will reset your phone completely to stock. You should now start getting OTA updates. They will be incremental updates, you'll have to take at least three or four to get up to date on bootloader and modem and they're big downloads. They will come every 24 hours, but you can cheat that by setting your system time forward 1 day to make them a little more rapid fire. This is a nice, safe way to get your firmware current. Once you're up to NJ1 firmware you can use Odin to flash a custom recovery and get back to custom ROMs; I'd recommend TWRP 2.8.6 if you're going to be flashing newer ROMs as CWM and Philz aren't as up to date and sometimes give problems with newer ROMs.
Option 2: I'm pretty sure your version of CWM is a big part of your problem. If you're going to be flashing lollipop you ought to update your recovery to TWRP 2.8.6; easiest way to get it is just use the Flashify app. I'd get that recovery up to date before messing with bootloaders too. Next get your firmware up to date. If your bootloader version is before MJB, then you have to start with MJB. Then update to NE4. Then update to NJ1. It has to be done incrementally, and the bootloader and modem must match on the newer firmwares, or you'll hard brick. This thread has recovery flashable MJB and NE4 bootloaders/modems; the bootloader and modem are packaged together in the same zip so you can't get out of sync. This thread has recovery flashable NJ1 bootloader/modem. This will get your firmware all up to date, and data should start behaving on newer kitkat and lollipop ROMs. This route is a lot more risky than the OTA route described above because of all the manual steps you have to take, but you could get it done quite a bit faster if you're confident in your abilities. Just read those linked threads very, very carefully and make certain you understand.
Good luck.
jason2678 said:
First and foremost, verify your bootloader. Install the Samsung phone info app, or in a terminal app or adb shell enter:
Code:
getprop ro.bootloader
If you're on any of the older bootloaders (the ones that do not end in MJB, NE4, or NJ1) there are two ways you can go (you probably will be given the age of your modem). If you're on any of the ones that end in MJB, NE4, or NJ1 you've got to be a lot more careful because downgrading them will hard brick your phone (Odin back to stock is not an option anymore).
Option 1: If you're on the older bootloaders, you can go to sammobile.com, grab the 4.1.1 firmware from there and flash it with Odin. Do not do this if your bootloader ends in MJB, NE4, or NJ1 (can't stress that enough). This will reset your phone completely to stock. You should now start getting OTA updates. They will be incremental updates, you'll have to take at least three or four to get up to date on bootloader and modem and they're big downloads. They will come every 24 hours, but you can cheat that by setting your system time forward 1 day to make them a little more rapid fire. This is a nice, safe way to get your firmware current. Once you're up to NJ1 firmware you can use Odin to flash a custom recovery and get back to custom ROMs; I'd recommend TWRP 2.8.6 if you're going to be flashing newer ROMs as CWM and Philz aren't as up to date and sometimes give problems with newer ROMs.
Option 2: I'm pretty sure your version of CWM is a big part of your problem. If you're going to be flashing lollipop you ought to update your recovery to TWRP 2.8.6; easiest way to get it is just use the Flashify app. I'd get that recovery up to date before messing with bootloaders too. Next get your firmware up to date. If your bootloader version is before MJB, then you have to start with MJB. Then update to NE4. Then update to NJ1. It has to be done incrementally, and the bootloader and modem must match on the newer firmwares, or you'll hard brick. This thread has recovery flashable MJB and NE4 bootloaders/modems; the bootloader and modem are packaged together in the same zip so you can't get out of sync. This thread has recovery flashable NJ1 bootloader/modem. This will get your firmware all up to date, and data should start behaving on newer kitkat and lollipop ROMs. This route is a lot more risky than the OTA route described above because of all the manual steps you have to take, but you could get it done quite a bit faster if you're confident in your abilities. Just read those linked threads very, very carefully and make certain you understand.
Good luck.
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Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the help! I actually did/tried a majority of this an hour or two before you posted that, except the latest firmware update link you supplied. I knew it existed and I had seen that thread before, but I couldn't dig up the link again before I had to go to work. Thing is I kind of wanted to avoid Odin for some reason but I finally gave up and used it. And yeah I already knew my bootloader version. The phone told me when it failed to update the bootloader lol.
Here's what happened thus far:
- I used Odin to flash the sammobile 4.1.1. The flashing worked just fine, but booting into it did not. It hung on the Samsung logo. So, OTA updates were out the window.
- I have no idea why, so I just used Odin to flash TWRP onto it afterwards (from here)
- I tried one of the ROMS. Data still didn't work.
- I used the thread you linked to update to MJB bootloader and whatnot. The update went fine.
- Tried another few ROMs. Data worked, but LTE was still erratic.
- Updated to NE4 and then grabbed the deoxed stock ROM.
- The deoxed stock rom failed to boot (stuck at ATT globe logo). For some reason my phone can't use stock ROMs.
- So again used Odin to put TWRP onto the phone
- Installed various LP ROMS. Again the data was erratic and plus the battery life was horrid.
- Tried getting the ktoonsez kernel. My service was murdered.
- Gave up on LP. Tried Slim 9.0. Erratic data.
- Tried Liquidsmooth 4.4.4 instead.
Currently that's kind of where I'm at. The LTE data works fine (takes a bit to get up and running after reboot though) and thus far everything is okay (though that can quickly change considering I haven't done much of anything), so I don't even know if I want to mess with it anymore. It looks like this specific ROM includes a custom kernel. So I'm guessing it's an incompatibility between the kernel and the firmware version on the other ROMs. It seems like most of the LP roms have horrible battery life (back of my phone feels like a furnace on them), so I'm not even sure if I want to do that last firmware update to use them.
It'd be kind of nice to use the OTA but apparently my ability to go stock in any form or fashion is just totally borked.
Thanks for the post though, that's pretty gold. I'm sure someone in a situation like me where they have a super old firmware will find this thread of some use as it has actual instructions and links to what you need to do to get up and running. Before you posted that, I had to go digging around pretty much everywhere figuring out what and where was going wrong.
Glad you've got it mostly working.
You might have been able to get that stock ROM to boot if you had booted into the stock recovery and run a full wipe. Touchwiz ROMs can be tough to get running after being on AOSP. As a general progression try to format internal storage with TWRP (the wipe where you have to type "yes" to confirm), if that doesn't work try a wipe with Philz, and if that doesn't work nothing, not even Odin, is effective as a wipe in the stock recovery.
Thanks for typing all this out I believe it will help me put cm12.1 official on a friends phone.
Are these the steps?
1) verify latest software
2) twrp via Odin
Alt 2) root via apk then use rashr or similar to flash twrp
3)wipe
4)In twrp install official d2att from cm website
5) install current gapps
6) profit
I'm not new to this at all but I've never even touched an att gs3 and I know most devices have their quirks and I don't want to brick.
Also does towel root work on this? I don't mind Odin but I can do this on the fly I think if I can attain root.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Free mobile app
mrkhigh said:
Thanks for typing all this out I believe it will help me put cm12.1 official on a friends phone.
Are these the steps?
1) verify latest software
2) twrp via Odin
Alt 2) root via apk then use rashr or similar to flash twrp
3)wipe
4)In twrp install official d2att from cm website
5) install current gapps
6) profit
I'm not new to this at all but I've never even touched an att gs3 and I know most devices have their quirks and I don't want to brick.
Also does towel root work on this? I don't mind Odin but I can do this on the fly I think if I can attain root.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. You've got it. If you're on the latest and greatest firmware I think the towelroot exploit has been patched, unless geohot has retaken the lead in that arms race.
Easiest way to root on this phone since the bootloaders are unlocked is to just use Odin to flash a custom recovery then use the custom recovery to flash SuperSU. There's just a little trick to it. Store SuperSU.zip somewhere on your phone before flashing the custom recovery. Uncheck everything but f.reset time when you use Odin; don't let it auto reboot. Upon success pull battery. Replace battery and boot straight into recovery with vol up + home + power. If you mess up and boot into unrooted stock ROM with a custom recovery it will get overwritten with a stock recovery and you'll have to Odin custom recovery back onto it and try again.
I would do this to root your stock ROM just to execute this command in a terminal app or adb shell before any more serious flashing:
Code:
su
reboot nvbackup
That fixes a derp and gives you a working efs backup on a few backup partitions built into your phone instead of a blank one. Highly recommended before doing any ROM flashing. This will just look like a pretty normal reboot. You might see a quick flash of tiny blue text if you're watching for it.
Then you're ready to make a nandroid backup (just in case), wipe, and flash away. Take a look at LiquidSmooth if you're looking for a good lollipop ROM.
Nice... So the recovery partition gets rewritten every boot up until a custom ROM is installed and the efs can disappear... This is why you always ask questions.
Thanks for the suggestion on the ROM but I think I'll stick to official cm12.1 it's not my phone and that should be a nice readily updatable bland flavor of lollipop.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Free mobile app
mrkhigh said:
Nice... So the recovery partition gets rewritten every boot up until a custom ROM is installed and the efs can disappear... This is why you always ask questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the Android 4.3 update it was noticed that flashing a custom recovery would be overwritten by the stock recovery on the initial reboot unless following the method Jason described. Another solution was to delete two lib or .so files. On devices still on stock recovery, stock recovery does not overwrite itself.
There is a blank EFS partition on the device intended for a backup. The nvbackup command populates that partition with an image which will rebuild your EFS if it is lost during a modem update or ROM flash. The loss of EFS does happen. I believe wanam, of the xposed module fame, created an EFS backup tool for Samsung devices. I don't believe he updates it any longer because he rolled the functionality into a partition backup tool, the later is in the PlayStore listed under a different creator name, yet it's still him.
So I'm finally going to take the plunge, and update my boot loader/modem.. I never messed with it because all the Roms I used always worked.. I want to try lollipop, but due to old bootloader my phone won't boot with those Roms..
I'm on UCDLK3 bootloader/modem.. I know I have to upgrade to MJB, NE4, then NJ1 in that order in increments..
So my question: can I upgrade from LK3 straight to MJB with out any problems?? Or is there something I need to flash before I can get to MJB?? I think I can go straight to MJB, but better safe then sorry..
I know downgrading after upgrade most likely will brick.. Any information is appreciated... Oh, its an ATT I747..
coolwhipp420 said:
So I'm finally going to take the plunge, and update my boot loader/modem.. I never messed with it because all the Roms I used always worked.. I want to try lollipop, but due to old bootloader my phone won't boot with those Roms..
I'm on UCDLK3 bootloader/modem.. I know I have to upgrade to MJB, NE4, then NJ1 in that order in increments..
So my question: can I upgrade from LK3 straight to MJB with out any problems?? Or is there something I need to flash before I can get to MJB?? I think I can go straight to MJB, but better safe then sorry..
I know downgrading after upgrade most likely will brick.. Any information is appreciated... Oh, its an ATT I747..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you are on LK3 you may want to considr applying the free sim/carrier unlock method before upgrading; that is if you are on stock LK3 and you have not previously carrier unlocked your device.
There was an OTA release for the MG2 stock ROM, I believe that was 4.1.2. You may want to go to that before MJB. Did you make the nvbackup suggested by Jason?
Why would I do a carrier unlock, if I'm not switching carriers?? And if I do it, will I be able to use the same carrier?? Just seems like a waisted step for me.. But idk..
Jason's first post, option 2 is how I was planing to update.. And no, I haven't done the nvbackup yet.. How would I apply that backup if things go wrong? Not really sure what a nvbackup is..
Any information is appreciated..
coolwhipp420 said:
Why would I do a carrier unlock, if I'm not switching carriers?? And if I do it, will I be able to use the same carrier?? Just seems like a waisted step for me.. But idk..
Jason's first post, option 2 is how I was planing to update.. And no, I haven't done the nvbackup yet.. How would I apply that backup if things go wrong? Not really sure what a nvbackup is..
Any information is appreciated..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a command to manually trigger the restore routine. I think it's
Code:
reboot nvrestore
but don't hold me to that. I'd never execute that command except if in dire need. The problem with this phone is there is an automatic routine that can be triggered in the event of a bad flash that will overwrite your nvram with the backup, even if the backup is blank. I don't think the backup stores anything modem specific, but I've never been able to confirm that. So I've always done it again after updating modems (only had to once).
Having the phone sim unlocked can be nice if you plan on traveling internationally. Otherwise, potential future carrier hopping or added resale value are the only reasons to do it.
coolwhipp420 said:
Why would I do a carrier unlock, if I'm not switching carriers?? And if I do it, will I be able to use the same carrier?? Just seems like a waisted step for me.. But idk..
Jason's first post, option 2 is how I was planing to update.. And no, I haven't done the nvbackup yet.. How would I apply that backup if things go wrong? Not really sure what a nvbackup is..
Any information is appreciated..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you will never be switching carriers, nor ever sell/give/trade the phone to someone who will switch, then it is an unecessary step to do the carrier unlock.
I see Jason beat me to answering both of your questions.
Right... so, I think I traced down why OTA doesn't work.
Namely, whenever I click on system update to search for update, it searches, but nothing happens.
Online I found that this is likely because a WW custom ROM was flashed... and so OTA doesn't work.
My phone is brand new (got it today actually), but 'stuck' on Android 5.0 (ugh).
So... I would like to ask for the recommended course of action so I can get either latest OTA, or just install a stable and up to date clean Android ROM (without all the Zen bloatware) that works.
Also, I'm relatively new with flashing this phone and there's tons of info on rooting, different CWM and TWRP's, etc.
Problem is, which ones to use?
How to determine if you're using the right one and avoid bricking the phone in the process?
My phone arrived with SuperSU... which would indicate it's been rooted (and I was able to install AdAway).
So bearing that in mind... what would you recommend?
Your phone should not be rooted when bought in a store. So it seems to be used before, and not correctly refurbished.
Anders
As there is no possibility to get evidence that you did not do that yourself, you can only hope to get a replacement from the vendor,or any warranty.
On the other side: the device is already rooted, so you can flash a 6.01 rom yourself.
Depending on the way the phone was rooted in the first place, OTA will not always work.
I did see an original rom surface recently. With that you can go original, Unrooted and locked, so the vendor will not be able to void your warranty claims.
Verstuurd vanaf mijn ASUS_Z00A met Tapatalk
Sorry for the late reply.
Was busy.
The phone was bought off Amazon UK, and no modifications to the device were done by me apart from installing my apps.
Trouble is, I don't know how to flash a new ROM onto this thing.
The forums are overflowing with information which is all over the place and it is extremely confusing.
Yes, I tried the search function and found some info, but it is all over the place.
I have to be able to figure out the original firmware apparently if I want to flash the CWM or TWRP... and in some cases, flashing TWRP can break the device it would seem (what's up with that?), and I cannot figure out the original firmware because the mobile was not delivered with one (a custom WW ROM was apparently flashed on top of I don't know which version), and I really do not know where to look for this.
So, I'm very confused.
There's too many threads to sift through and each seems to be giving its own unique information and a list of no no's which appear to contradict each other.
I could use some help in sorting through this 'mess' (well, 'mess' for me) so I could try at least flashing the original ROM and get OTA (for which I require concise instructions).
Also, something else seems to be happening... Asus Zentalk forums appear to refuse to load on my laptop for whatever reason.
Settings>About - will show you what rom you have.
I would recommend unlocking bootloader 1st as this seems to have helped me. If you have any recovery but stock or have a white splashscreen then this has already happened... I used the unofficial unlock tool to do this and thus my imei numbers stays off the "no warranty" list..
If you go to the pre-rooted rom thread you can download the newer stock roms. These also have the recovery, boot and droidboot.img files included with the .rar file of a system.img (unrar it of course)...
I believe it may also contain the flashtools, if not look at the CN to WW thread...
Using fastboot you can flash these onto your phone using commands -
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash fastboot droidboot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
Make sure, if do this the commands are correct. Copy and paste can be your enemy because if you use the same command and just overwrite your boot/droidboot or recovery every time you flash, it may result in a brick...
Good luck and happy flashing...
I seem to get OTA's pushed now..
Tnx.
Now that I look back, it doesn't seem too complicated.
My bootloader seems to already be unlocked though.
One other thing... about flashing that system.img
I think I stumbled upon similar instructions before, however, I couldn't find system.img file (everything else was accounted for).
Also, does the the procedure for flashing new ROM's or possibly just OTA's require repetition of ALL those commands, or just some?
Oh and I was able to access the stock recovery (which the seller said he used to flash the custom WW rom). Could I use it to update OTA's manually? And would I need to first unroot the mobile?
So I followed a tutorial to unlock bootloader and root the Note 4 from Verizon (SM-N910V). First off I am gong to say that it was definitely challenging and time consuming. Mainly due to the inconsistencies in the tutorials. You got a few that claim it's unstable or that something wasn't mentioned or left out... Which is true. I not only encountered the lags and freezing, but also the "reboot cycle", that occured after the first round of unlocking bootloader. Now I am not trying to claim that I am better or that the authors are dumb, because as difficult as this "hobby", everyone has their own an unique style...
I was able to unlock bootloader and flash TWRP recovery, but was unable to flash any CF-AutoRoot, SuperUser, or any custom Rom. Along with that any "Stock" firmware I downloaded and tried to flash via ODIN or through TWRP was unsuccessful. Thankfully to persistence and a lot of research I was able to find a workable set of Firmware files on none other than an XDA_Forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/not...mware-firmware-kernel-modem-recovery-t2942937
The above link contains the necessary files required for any unfortunates that may occur while unlocking/rooting note 4. I used ODIN to flash files in this order. Recovery image, kernel image, and then Firmware image... I did download Modem file but was not needed as the Firmware image already contained it. NONE!!! I repeat... NONE of this was done through TWRP, once you flash the recovery image TWRP recovery is over-written and the familiar Android Factory Recovery System is now in place. Also I would like to note that I onriginally started with 5.1.1, the image/tar files I flashed are 6.0.1. I know for a fact that just like any upgrade, while you do have some bugs and fixes... it is doable and actually lesser of a headache than one might guess.
Ayways I hope that the information I have provided was helpful and beneficial to SOMEONE out there in the world... GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!
Hi,
After doing some reading on here I am a little unsure on the best way to back up my HTC One M9 (GSM) stock recovery/system. My software number is 3.50.710.1 (Android 6.0) and it came from Optus (Australia). I cannot seem to find an RUU file for this firmware anywhere online; only earlier versions are available. My understanding of this is that I need an RUU file for my specific firmware as a fail-safe in case I mess something up and need to return to stock?
My questions are:
1) Can I get my phone back to the current complete stock firmware and be able to receive future OTA updates without turning s-off and without copying anything from my phone before I flash TWRP and a custom ROM?
2) If not is there anyway that I can back up my phone it its current stock state that will allow me to go back to this state if I want to go back to my stock Optus firmware or to install OTA updates? (Including the stock radio/recovery)
3) Reading this post as well as others leads me to believe that I may stop my mobile radio working by flashing a custom ROM (especially as the linked post has the exact same firmware as me). How can I avoid this, or fix it if it happens to everyone?
I am ideally looking for a custom ROM which improves over the stock firmware. My priority is maximum battery life, with customisation and HTC 10 system UI/apps a secondary focus. Any recommendations would be great, as well as tweaks and kernels which help give the maximum battery life.
Cheers!
You can't backup your firmware (and that includes your radio). However if you read my google sheet you'll find instructions for backing up your current boot.img, your system and the stock recovery. If you do it correctly those files will suffice for recovering the ability of installing OTAs. No personal data will be backed up so maybe you want to share your backup with us afterwards.
There is a custom kernel for CM/AOSP roms which is said to repair the signal problems. As far as I read some sense rom users reported that flashing the stock boot.img recovered their signal. However this doesn't seem to work for every user. So you'll need to try by yourself.
Flippy498 said:
You can't backup your firmware (and that includes your radio). However if you read my google sheet you'll find instructions for backing up your current boot.img, your system and the stock recovery. If you do it correctly those files will suffice for recovering the ability of installing OTAs. No personal data will be backed up so maybe you want to share your backup with us afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much! I have managed to find the guide you mentioned to backup the stock boot image, system image and recovery. By the looks of it the tab to the right is the guide to return my phone to its original state, which is good. I'm more than happy to share the backup once I do it.
Flippy498 said:
There is a custom kernel for CM/AOSP roms which is said to repair the signal problems. As far as I read some sense rom users reported that flashing the stock boot.img recovered their signal. However this doesn't seem to work for every user. So you'll need to try by yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, well I am planning on keeping s-on at this stage, so I'm left with Sense based ROMs I believe? I have read that LeeDroid is the best for battery life, does this sound right? If so I am unsure if I can flash it as it says "Please make sure you have the latest HTC Hima 3.35.XXX.XX Marshmallow firmware installed prior to installing this ROM" because my software number is 3.50.710.1?
Thanks again!
Da Doom Lord said:
Okay, well I am planning on keeping s-on at this stage, so I'm left with Sense based ROMs I believe? I have read that LeeDroid is the best for battery life, does this sound right? If so I am unsure if I can flash it as it says "Please make sure you have the latest HTC Hima 3.35.XXX.XX Marshmallow firmware installed prior to installing this ROM" because my software number is 3.50.710.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read that several times in the near past and I actually don't understand it. You never needed S-OFF for flashing none-sense based roms as long as I started using Android/HTC phones and that was back in 2012. Why do so many people think they need S-OFF for AOSP?
I personally prefer the Viper rom. But taste differs and in the end the best advice I can give is try it out by yourself. Everyone has different needs and is using his/her phone in a different way. The best rom for person a might be an awful choice for person b since he/she has completely different needs.
I can't tell you whether you can use Leedroid. Test it and report back. That's how xda works. You might be able to use it after you flashed your stock boot.img but I don't know whether you really are or not. The warning is written so that people don't start flashing that rom with a lower firmware version. On older HTC phones flashing an "older" rom has never been an issue on newer firmware versions whereas flashing a newer rom on an older firmware never goes well (even on the M9). However many things have changed since the M9. There is no hboot anymore, the Download Mode got introduced, google changed the way OTAs are checking whether your system is modified, and so on. (Just to mention a few changes.) Those issues with the lost signal didn't even exist on pre-3.x firmware versions of the M9. Therefore users like you who use a not so common firmware (in comparison to the user numbers of the most common firmware bases: international, taiwanese and the developer firmware) have no other choice but trying out by themselves or getting S-OFF and changing to a more common firmware.
Flippy498 said:
I can't tell you whether you can use Leedroid. Test it and report back. That's how xda works. You might be able to use it after you flashed your stock boot.img but I don't know whether you really are or not. The warning is written so that people don't start flashing that rom with a lower firmware version. On older HTC phones flashing an "older" rom has never been an issue on newer firmware versions whereas flashing a newer rom on an older firmware never goes well (even on the M9).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have followed your guide and now have the latest stable LeeDroid ROM installed and TWRP. Just as I predicted the radio was not originally working. When I restored my stock boot.img from the original backup I performed it began to work. Thanks so much for your help! I'll upload the backup to cloud storage when I get access to a decent internet connection and then I'll share it to help others out.