Got myself a Redmi Note 5 Global version and want to update MIUI and possibly try a custom ROM. Just came here to make sure i'm not falling for any common mistakes before i do anything especially after reading a lot of folks that have bricked these devices due to Anti Roll-back so thats the last thing i want to do. The device came boxed with MIUI 9.5.6.0(OEIMIFA) and i've just ignored the update notification up to now so i presume i've avoided ARB and i would like to keep it that way.
So just to confirm are these the correct steps.
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash a custom recovery (TWRP or the equivalent)
3. Update MIUI / Flash custom rom package without ARB and flash through TWRP
Is there anything i'm missing or anything i need to specifically avoid other than ARB?
drkdeath5000 said:
Got myself a Redmi Note 5 Global version and want to update MIUI and possibly try a custom ROM. Just came here to make sure i'm not falling for any common mistakes before i do anything especially after reading a lot of folks that have bricked these devices due to Anti Roll-back so thats the last thing i want to do. The device came boxed with MIUI 9.5.6.0(OEIMIFA) and i've just ignored the update notification up to now so i presume i've avoided ARB and i would like to keep it that way.
So just to confirm are these the correct steps.
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash a custom recovery (TWRP or the equivalent)
3. Update MIUI / Flash custom rom package without ARB and flash through TWRP
Is there anything i'm missing or anything i need to specifically avoid other than ARB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just don't update your firmware (or update it with a ARB-less firmware), that's what will trigger ARB. Most of the customs rom don't contain firmware, only LOS advises you to flash a specific version, but MIUI roms do.
So you either steer away from those and flash fw-less roms, or you just delete the firmware-files folder from the rom and flash it without them.
This is my advice, before flashing anything, open the zip and check for the firmware folder. If it has it, delete it (unless is specified by the dev to flash that along the rom, in that case, just avoid it, there's a plethora of custom roms to choose from).
Ok thanks so i'll just stay clear of any roms containing the firmware folder for now. I do like LOS but if theres any risk associated i'll just give it a miss for now.
I also assume its easy to recover from a bad flash following the no firmware folder rule since theres no real risk associated with flashing just a ROM(no firmware)?
Finally, what about kernels and bootloader updates is there anything specific i need to watch out for there? I only ask because my previous device included a sneaky OTA update which locked the bootloader and i'd obviously like to avoid anything like that here.
Sorry for all the questions i'm just a bit behind on the flashing front, my previous device was a Motorola Razr HD and flashing seems to have changed quite a bit since then.
drkdeath5000 said:
Ok thanks so i'll just stay clear of any roms containing the firmware folder for now. I do like LOS but if theres any risk associated i'll just give it a miss for now.
I also assume its easy to recover from a bad flash following the no firmware folder rule since theres no real risk associated with flashing just a ROM(no firmware)?
Finally, what about kernels and bootloader updates is there anything specific i need to watch out for there? I only ask because my previous device included a sneaky OTA update which locked the bootloader and i'd obviously like to avoid anything like that here.
Sorry for all the questions i'm just a bit behind on the flashing front, my previous device was a Motorola Razr HD and flashing seems to have changed quite a bit since then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problems, happy to help if I can.
And yes, no risk if you don't flash firmware. Worst case scenario, you'll have to reflash a miui rom with MiFlash, which means losing your data, but imo it's better than bricking the device.
As for kernels and bootloader, you're good to go. Nothing will relock your bootloader (except flashing with MiFlash and selecting that specific option) and a kernel in the worst case will just give you a bootloop. Use backups. ?
And as far as LOS goes, you can flash it without the specified firmware (even tho I'm pretty sure it's an ARB3 firmware) but I guess there might be some small issues.
Good luck with unlocking the bootloader, that thing takes from 720 to 1440 hours, just got my rn5p in a week now i have to wait a month before rooting...
Related
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?
Hello Redmi Note 5/Pro users!
I was browsing the forum looking for the available custom ROMs for our device and decided that I wanted to try Pixel Experience, so I started looking through guides to unlock BL, flash twrp and then flash a custom ROM. Thing is, I'm a little bit confused.
First of all, I've read the post about how ARB works, and I still can't find the answer that I'm looking for, or probably I still can't understand how ARB works at all. Let's say I unlock BL, boot twrp, flash twrp, and then I flash a ROM like Pixel Experience. What is the safest way to get back to MIUI? As of my understanding I will only brick my phone IF I flash an older version of MIUI, thing is, what is "older" exactly? I'm sitting on MIUI 10 V10.2.2.0.OEIMIXM right now, If I wanted to flash MIUI again should I flash any newer build (when it comes out) to the one I'm sitting now (or the same)? Also, what precautions should I take when doing so? (I've read someting about encryption that I don't understand at all).
Secondly, does this guide still work for the current MIUI version and ARB version (I'm on 4)? I've read some comments saying that the part of flashing twrp is not updated and others saying that everything still works perfectly, can someone confirm this please?
That's it for now, thanks in advance for your patience and let's keep this community awesome!
Aleejo26 said:
Hello Redmi Note 5/Pro users!
I was browsing the forum looking for the available custom ROMs for our device and decided that I wanted to try Pixel Experience, so I started looking through guides to unlock BL, flash twrp and then flash a custom ROM. Thing is, I'm a little bit confused.
First of all, I've read the post about how ARB works, and I still can't find the answer that I'm looking for, or probably I still can't understand how ARB works at all. Let's say I unlock BL, boot twrp, flash twrp, and then I flash a ROM like Pixel Experience. What is the safest way to get back to MIUI? As of my understanding I will only brick my phone IF I flash an older version of MIUI, thing is, what is "older" exactly? I'm sitting on MIUI 10 V10.2.2.0.OEIMIXM right now, If I wanted to flash MIUI again should I flash any newer build (when it comes out) to the one I'm sitting now (or the same)? Also, what precautions should I take when doing so? (I've read someting about encryption that I don't understand at all).
Secondly, does this guide still work for the current MIUI version and ARB version (I'm on 4)? I've read some comments saying that the part of flashing twrp is not updated and others saying that everything still works perfectly, can someone confirm this please?
That's it for now, thanks in advance for your patience and let's keep this community awesome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. More info abt arb 4 and 3: https://en.miui.com/thread-2340434-1-1.html
2. Basically you can flash any rom with arb 4 (not necessary newer than your current rom version)
3. Yes, this guide still works but you'll need to enter fastboot flash antirbpass dummy.img on fastboot before flashing twrp, just google whyred dummy.img and you'll find it.
Sent from my Redmi Note 5 Pro using XDA Labs
Hi folks,
I searched the forum and did not find a suitable thread that answered my question.
My Moto G5 has a charging problem and I want to give it back for a repair - it still has warranty.
I have read that flashing a custom rom does not necessarily invalidate the warranty, but to ensure that Motorola will repair the phone I would like to flash a stock (nougat) rom.
Is it possible without the risk of losing IMEI or other stuff?
Or do you recommend to send it back to Motorola with the custom rom installed?
Thank you VERY MUCH in advance!!!
Kind regards
Wolf
They will be able to see you have unlocked the bootloader regardless of whether you re-lock it
Just download the latest stock firmware and flash it via fastboot
If your base firmware is already oreo you can skip flashing gpt and bootloader to avoid risking hard brick
Don't downgrade your base firmware eg if it's oreo don't flash nougat (base firmware is stock firmware not custom rom)
I would flash it back to stock rom so at least they can't blame custom rom
Thanks!! I'm not sure, if it was delivered with Android 7 or 8. But I can flash 8 in any case, because its no downgrade?
And a last question: can I flash it also with TWRP? It's installed anyways...
moped2000 said:
Thanks!! I'm not sure, if it was delivered with Android 7 or 8. But I can flash 8 in any case, because its no downgrade?
And a last question: can I flash it also with TWRP? It's installed anyways...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes flash android 8 - note if it was never updated to android 8 you will also have to flash gpt and bootloader as well the rest of the firmware
You will need to flash the firmware via fastboot
Flashing via twrp is just like flashing a custom rom with no modifications & you will still have twrp installed and not stock recovery & still have a modified system partition etc
Thanks! Android 8 was definitely installed, only possibly not as stock firmware, but only as custom rom.
But I guess it's okay if I just flash all the files to make sure?
Motorola says, I have lost my warranty because I have opened the bootloader. They won't even fix it for money ****.
moped2000 said:
Motorola says, I have lost my warranty because I have opened the bootloader. They won't even fix it for money ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what country you are in
In America or Europe you can argue and would most likely win in court that if your issue is totally unrelated to the unlocking of the bootloader they must repair it
Eg if the camera doesn't work because of a faulty component they must fix it
However if the camera stop working because you unlocked the bootloader & did some modifications causing it to no longer work then you're not covered
This would be the same for boot issues - If your phone no longer boots and you have unlocked the bootloader they can claim you have done a modification that now stops it booting
The general rule is if you unlock the bootloader than software/firmware booting issues are not covered but hardware faults unrelated to a bootloader unlock are
Again it varies depending on your country but the above is true for USA & the majority of Europe (EU)
This might be a dumb question but I couldn't quite find an answer, I used my max 3 stock and updated to MIUI11 11.0.7 and now wanted to flash the thing, but there is the anti rollback thing. However ARB says its about ROM and I am required to flash to a lower firmware which seems out of reach when checking ARB compatible version, though thats for ROM and not firmware. In short, I just wanna get stock android running on this phone and I am conflicted, can I just flash to 6.7.27 or whatever since its firmware and not ROM or are those the same thing? And do I need to change my kernel as TWRP website says? I'm just really confused and I can't financially afford bricking my phone, I'll appreciate any input.
I wish I could help you but I don't understand this ARB myself... I just make sure to only update and never go back to an older version, but when the day for a new rom comes I would like to know what to watch out for too
Hi everyone,
I would like to know if it is safe to unlock bootloader and flash a custom ROM under MIU 13.0.3 SKHEUXM ?
I've seen people having bugs, hence why I'm asking if anyone has given this a try ?
Furthermore, I was going to do this update in order for the firmware to be updated then switch to a custom ROM, but I could go for custom ROM first then flash the newest firmware (even if I'm more confident on the first option which should work out of the box, and preserve warranty in case something goes wrong during flashing firmware, always gotta keep fingers crossed).
Thanks for any help on this matter.
If you updated to the latest ROM, your firmware is updated along with it, there's no need to flash the firmware again seperately. Flash the ROM of your choosing, Magisk if you absolutely need it, and enjoy. Most ROMs these days also pass SafetyNet if you do not root your phone.
AkechiShiro said:
Hi everyone,
I would like to know if it is safe to unlock bootloader and flash a custom ROM under MIU 13.0.3 SKHEUXM ?
I've seen people having bugs, hence why I'm asking if anyone has given this a try ?
Furthermore, I was going to do this update in order for the firmware to be updated then switch to a custom ROM, but I could go for custom ROM first then flash the newest firmware (even if I'm more confident on the first option which should work out of the box, and preserve warranty in case something goes wrong during flashing firmware, always gotta keep fingers crossed).
Thanks for any help on this matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not very safe, you need to be careful.
Make sure your PC wouldn't crash or that your USB connection may be unstable.
Take your time in setting everything up and reading up some resources on the internet.
If the Flash-process aborts for whatever reason, do not reboot phone. Your phone may not be able to reboot back into Fastboot and turn black.
As for good resources of information, I recommend the YouTube Channel "Munchy". He covers Xiaomi Flashing very well. You can trust him.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSfvwvAsKE4Nrosu7bTbJw
You might also want to use a Custom ROM with passing SafetyNet, or to use Magisk Root. If SafetyNet fails, you can't use some apps.
I personally use Xiaomi.eu Weekly Android 12 with Magisk Root + SafetyNet Fix Module. No bugs, I'm happy
My only wish was that I had Over-The-Air updates. With most Custom ROMs, you unfortunately still have to download & flash the ZIP-file manually in TWRP Recovery.