Develop Bugs

Recover / Hard Reset

Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.

jamesrascal said:
Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
End Result. If you brick you box Amazon has no troubleshooting steps outside of rebooting the box. Once you get past that step and your still having an issue Amazon will issue you a replacement FireTV.
You will need to call Amazon as the Live chat is useless: 866-216-1072 Press 0 and ask to be transferred to the Fire TV department.

jamesrascal said:
Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, boy. That is unfortunate. What did you do that lead to bricking your box?

I am in the same situation with one of my FireTV box. What caused it was one of the SQLite editor I used to explore the settings database: it changed the permissions on the files. I only realized the problem once I rebooted it
On the other box, I used the SQLite3 command line client from TitaniumBackup instead, and directly did my edit as root. No problem there.
Unfortunately, I am not in US; so if there is a way to do a hard reset, I would be glad to know.

if you bought yours at a local best buy and are a select customer, you may have an extended return policy.

You must have edited something you shouldn't have with the sqlite editor. I edited mine to allow package installs and did a factory reset and its all good. Did you only disable the updates through pm disable com.amazon.dcp or did you also edit the /etc/hosts? Lets get this figured out so others don't end up the same way.

Stupid question, did you pick TWRP as a method of recovery during the rooting process? I did that on my note 10.1 and boy did it mess up that tablet when I tried to recover it. Luckily I had Odin at the time.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

arman68 said:
I am in the same situation with one of my FireTV box. What caused it was one of the SQLite editor I used to explore the settings database: it changed the permissions on the files. I only realized the problem once I rebooted it
On the other box, I used the SQLite3 command line client from TitaniumBackup instead, and directly did my edit as root. No problem there.
Unfortunately, I am not in US; so if there is a way to do a hard reset, I would be glad to know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you recall which sqlite editor app you used that caused the problem?

Be interesting to know if there's a stock recovery, and if there is, if it's looking for an update.zip file on a thumb drive in the USB slot. We can tell that USB slot is getting polled at start time by the way that certain connections to it will hang the device.
If it were me, I'd try is to obtain a 1 gig or so USB drive, format it fat32 and copy the OTA update to it.
- Leave it zipped.
- Name it update.zip
- pull the plug on the FTV
- put the USB stick in
- power it on and leave it for a bit. Watch it - is the power LED going out? If so, it may doing a recovery install of the signed OTA and rebooting - many Android devices will install anything on the sdcard called Update.zip if it's there at boot time.
The idea is that if there's a stock recovery it may be able to see that USB storage and read the OTA file as a recovery source.

roustabout said:
Be interesting to know if there's a stock recovery, and if there is, if it's looking for an update.zip file on a thumb drive in the USB slot. We can tell that USB slot is getting polled at start time by the way that certain connections to it will hang the device.
If it were me, I'd try is to obtain a 1 gig or so USB drive, format it fat32 and copy the OTA update to it.
- Leave it zipped.
- Name it update.zip
- pull the plug on the FTV
- put the USB stick in
- power it on and leave it for a bit. Watch it - is the power LED going out? If so, it may doing a recovery install of the signed OTA and rebooting - many Android devices will install anything on the sdcard called Update.zip if it's there at boot time.
The idea is that if there's a stock recovery it may be able to see that USB storage and read the OTA file as a recovery source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.

kairnage said:
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have only sideloaded a few apps , no root or root attempt was made before issues.
i have a similar boot issue ( stops at amazon first screen and led flashes white) . i believe my remote is fried , batteries heated up while pressing the home button to pair remote , i removed battery and found the plastic wrap on one starting to burn . i believe remote is toast .
can anyone verify that the boot will stop until remote is paired ?
ps : amazon phone help mentioned reset on remote was hold right arrow key ( ie right circle ) and home button for 10 secs , to reset just the remote ,. nothing helped mine , i say its dead. another is on the way ,. he also said the lack of pairing with remote should not have stopped the ftv boot , it should have gone past first amazon screen . other than restarting the ftv by disconnecting power he offered no other reset method .

bkdg100 said:
i have a similar boot issue ( stops at amazon first screen and led flashes white) . i believe my remote is fried , batteries heated up while pressing the home button to pair remote , i removed battery and found the plastic wrap on one starting to burn . i believe remote is toast .
can anyone verify that the boot will stop until remote is paired ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Removed batteries from remote and rebooted FTV, boots like normal, could not find a way to delete a paired remote otherwise I would have tried that too,

userr12 said:
Removed batteries from remote and rebooted FTV, boots like normal, could not find a way to delete a paired remote otherwise I would have tried that too,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks ,. i called amazon they confirmed normal boot even without pairing ,. also said how to reset "just the remote" ,. right tab and home for 10secs.

kairnage said:
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing

fireTVnews.com said:
Do you recall which sqlite editor app you used that caused the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have reviewed the logs of what I did, and it was my fault:
I used a non-root SQLite editor, which means I had to give -rw-rw-rw- access to the database folder and content, which I did.
With the SQLite editor, all I did was to explore the database structure.
Once done, I restored the original permissions, fist -rw------- (chmod 660) on the database folder and database file itself.
Finally I restored read-only -r-------- (chmod 600) to the extra files (settings-*), and that was my mistake: I did not notice my chmod line had 2 entries, with the first one being the database folder (wrong)
If only I would have root write access to the file system with adb, I could easily fix it, with a simple chmod 660 on the database folder.
In hindsight, I was very careless to do that directly on the FireTV; I should have taken a copy of settings.db, and explore it on the PC.

Luxferro said:
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I took a look again today. Their search doesn't really drill down very well.

Luxferro said:
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kairnage said:
Yeah I took a look again today. Their search doesn't really drill down very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are all the reviews with the word "USB" in them on one page:
http://firetvnews.com/review_usb.html
I skimmed through it but couldn't find the elusive review.

@Firetv: please review post #15 in this thread, and consider adjusting the post on your website accordingly - when I saw your site, it was stating that adjusting values in the settings databases risked changing the permissions on those databases.
That does not appear to be the case, but rather reflected confusion on the part of the person who was doing the settings changes and permissions changes from the shell at the same time.
I haven't seen a db editor that changes the permissions of the dbs themselves....'
Back to softbricked devices: I see that Amazon sells a thing called a "fastboot cable" which in theory forces the Kindle Fires to reboot into fastboot mode if attached to a computer. I'd be interested in what one of these did in conjunction with an A to A converter, since I haven't seen fastboot mode available yet (that I know of)

roustabout said:
@Firetv: please review post #15 in this thread, and consider adjusting the post on your website accordingly - when I saw your site, it was stating that adjusting values in the settings databases risked changing the permissions on those databases.
That does not appear to be the case, but rather reflected confusion on the part of the person who was doing the settings changes and permissions changes from the shell at the same time.
I haven't seen a db editor that changes the permissions of the dbs themselves....'
Back to softbricked devices: I see that Amazon sells a thing called a "fastboot cable" which in theory forces the Kindle Fires to reboot into fastboot mode if attached to a computer. I'd be interested in what one of these did in conjunction with an A to A converter, since I haven't seen fastboot mode available yet (that I know of)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've definitely been tempted to remove the warning about SQLite databases after reading arman68's update. I haven't, however, because I've been individually contact by someone stating they used a free SQLite app from the Google Play store which caused them to lose their ethernet connection and soft-bricked after a restart.
I have gone ahead and updated the post to reduce the concern and stated that the SQLite Editor app everyone is using here seems to be safe.
Also, a fastboot connection can be achieved with any A to A USB cable. You simply need to boot the Fire TV while it's connected to a computer and it will boot into fastboot. I've done this myself with a Mac (have not tried a PC). The Fire TV displays a white Amazon logo on the screen and stays there until you reboot it without the cable plugged in. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done with the locked bootloader, but then again, I'm not the one to know as that is all new territory for me. Got any suggestions on things to try with fastboot?

fireTVnews.com said:
I've definitely been tempted to remove the warning about SQLite databases after reading arman68's update. I haven't, however, because I've been individually contact by someone stating they used a free SQLite app from the Google Play store which caused them to lose their ethernet connection and soft-bricked after a restart.
I have gone ahead and updated the post to reduce the concern and stated that the SQLite Editor app everyone is using here seems to be safe.
Also, a fastboot connection can be achieved with any A to A USB cable. You simply need to boot the Fire TV while it's connected to a computer and it will boot into fastboot. I've done this myself with a Mac (have not tried a PC). The Fire TV displays a white Amazon logo on the screen and stays there until you reboot it without the cable plugged in. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done with the locked bootloader, but then again, I'm not the one to know as that is all new territory for me. Got any suggestions on things to try with fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mean to say you can't hose your device by changing settings with an editor, just that I don't think any of them change permissions. so using them to look but not change is pretty safe, IMO, and I'd hate to see folks discouraged from doing so.
I'm surprised that there's not a better onboard recovery on this device, or at least not one anyone's figured out how to get moving. I'dthink it'd be cheaper for Amazon if the devices had a viable recovery, or if there was a solid reset to factory which actually did a full reinstall of the OS.
Interesting about the fastboot mode - when i connect the FTV to my laptop using an A to A cable I don't get a device recognized in fastboot, but it may be down to not having a driver for it.

Nexus 7 (2013) multiple "Unfortunately..." after motherboard swap / image reflash

Nexus 7 (2013) multiple "Unfortunately..." after motherboard swap / image reflash
Hello all - I'm hoping someone can provide some assistance / suggestions...
A few months ago, my son's tablet went for a quick swim (dropped into the toilet ) Unfortunately, I wasn't at home (on a business trip) to immediately power it down and pull the battery. I'm not sure if it was turned off / back on / off again or what, but it was quickly put into a bag of rice to try and minimize the damage until I came home to review.
Inspection of the tablet confirmed it was dead - no response to either buttons or plugging in the charger. Found the ifixit how-to, and after obtaining some tools I popped the back case off to see what was what. Disassembly revealed an nice scorch mark on the underside of the motherboard, right where the main chip was, so it was pretty obvious what the failure was.
I decided that I'd give repairing it a go, and bought a replacement motherboard from ebay a couple of weeks ago. Swapping the board over was no problem, and I was happy to see that after letting it charge fully, it booted up and went into the 'Setup' routine.
However, this is where the problems started - as it was working through the setup (language / wifi / copy apps/data from other device etc) there were numerous "Unfortunately, xxx has stopped" messages. I kept 'ok'ing them, and the tablet made it to the point where it was starting to download the saved apps etc from the playstore before it rebooted.
When it powered back up, the 'Unfortunately" pop ups were worse than before, so after doing some searching I decided to try flash a factory image (razor-mob30x) , as per the link on the Nexus help forum. The flash seemed to work (no errors in fastboot mode, laptop was communicating with the tablet) but the pop ups were still as plentiful as before. I have tried the flash multiple times, even going back to lollipop, but with no real improvement. The last thing I tried tonight was to start the recommended flash process from step 1, re-downloading and installing all the required programs, but without success.
I'm not sure what else to try, as the factory image reflash should erase all the installed files.
My only thought is maybe trying to sideload the correct gapps / play services / etc in fastboot mode?
Any suggestions appreciated,
Roadie73

Update..
So, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I've been playing with the N7 again this evening...
Grabbed my old laptop, and went through the complete routine again - loading adb and fastboot onto the laptop, then the N7 factory image - and ended up with basically the same result - the tablet will look like the files have taken, but almost immediately after restarting and loading to the blue set up screen, the "Unfortunately..." messages start again.
I was able to get all the way through the set up, and have it copy and start to download the files off the tablet I was using previously, but the pop ups persisted, and it gets to a point where it is looking for a google play services update, and the process comes to a screeching halt.
I found another 'How To" and tried sideloading a rescue OTA update, which might be a little better, but the messages persist....
I'm almost wondering if it's worth reflashing the factory image back to whatever the N7 shipped with, and then trying updates from there, as it seems to be the play services / store / apps that is the issue.
The other strange thing is that when I sign in with my google account, it shows as a Nexus 7 2012, even though it's a 2013 - might the original software on the replacement motherboard have been corrupt?
Still trying...

Roadie73 said:
it shows as a Nexus 7 2012, even though it's a 2013 - might the original software on the replacement motherboard have been corrupt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, please post the output of the 2 commands...
boot the Nexus in fastboot mode (when off press power+vol.dn)
connect it to your PC
on PC run:
fastboot getvar all
fastboot oem gpt-info​
If you can, also attach logs...
download get-logs.zip to a FAT32 flash drive
connect the flash drive to your N7 with OTG adapter
download TWRP to your folder with fastboot and adb apps
boot the Nexus in fastboot mode (when off press power+vol.dn)
on PC run: fastboot boot twrp-3.1.0-0-flo.img
when TWRP is up, go: install/select-storage/usb-otg/get-logs.zip/flash
logs.tgz will be saved on the flash drive
attach logs.tgz here
It's simpler if you have TWRP already installed. You can also use get-logs.zip from internal storage.

Hi k23m,
I ran the two commands you suggested (getvar all and oem gpt-info) , and grabbed the outputs of both as screen captures and dumped them into a ppt file (which I can't seem to attach - there is no 'manage attachments' option I can see )
I installed TWRP on the N7, but was unsuccessful in creating / grabbing logs.tgz file - which might have to do with the USB connector on the N7 being flaky - if the otg cable wasn't held in exactly the right way it wouldn't recognize the flash drive.
If I can figure out how to add the attachment I will in a separate post, or I can always email it to you direct.
Thanks,
Roadie

Hello k23m,
Finally ad a couple of minutes to play with the N7 again - copied the get-logs file over to the tablet (that was behaving for once).
Unfortunately, despite copying the file off the N7 onto the laptop, a *.tgz file can't be attached. So I did the next best thing and copied the screen caps into an excel doc, which is one of the valid extension.
Please see the attached file - I had a look at the output, but it means nothing to me...
Thanks,
Roadie

added 'logs.tgz' file run previously - please rename from *.xls
Hopefully it might provide some insights into why the N7 is mis-behaving.
Thanks,
Roadie

The logs are OK.
Roadie73 said:
when I sign in with my google account, it shows as a Nexus 7 2012, even though it's a 2013
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have followed the factory image installation instructions and you see the error messages before setup's initial sign in, then your hardware is faulty.
If it happens after sign in, then perhaps Google has corrupt account data ("it shows as a Nexus 7 2012"). Try a new account. Try a custom ROM with Gapps.

Ok, thanks.
Just tried a factory reflash as per the link, but fastbooted the individual files (boot / recovery / system / userdata / cache) separately as from what I have read using the 'flash-all' batch file has intermittent results.
Looked like the files loaded in successfully, but I'm still getting the "Unfortunately.." messages popping up on the initial sign in screen for set-up
So, based on k23m's assessment above, it sounds like it's a hardware problem
As far as I know the touch screen is ok (it's responsive in all areas, as far as I can tell). The daughterboard is not the original (that took a swim) - it was swapped out of another N7 when the charging port started to spread (and that tablet was issue free) So it looks as if the issue is in the replacement motherboard.
I guess I could try removing and reinstalling it, on the off chance it's a flaky connection somewhere.
I will also check to see if there was any sort of gaurentee / replacement policy for the replacement mobo, but it sounds like I'm out of luck
Any other suggestions / checks I can perform to see if I can narrow down where the issue lies?
Thank you,
Roadie

Can my Fire TV Stick be saved?

I bought a Fire TV stick back in December 2014 and I remember rooting it (I don't remember what method I used), but then I lost interest thanks to the chromecast... Now 3 1/2 years later I find a use for the Fire TV Stick (media player on my boat) so I pulled it out of storage and booted it up. I wanted to install Kodi but every menu option I selected has an error contacting Amazon, so I decided I should just update it (probably a BAD idea!). The update (5.2.6.3) seems to have installed fine just fine, but now I still can't get anything on any menus and I can no longer enable ADB or unknown sources. When I boot it up I don't see anything about TWRP or CWM, so I don't think the bootloader is modified. At this point I don't know how I can get any apps on it (the apps menu doesn't even load) or get into any debug mode, does anyone have any ideas where I could start? I also tried a factory reset but it didn't change anything.

Buy a new firestick bro they dont cost anything these days.

nvidia shield frustration

Hi,
I'm wanting to try Lineage OS on this device, to see if I can get the default (or change) media player to play LATM AAC.
Anyway's, I've flashed a few phones in my time, so easy I thought.
However, I 'cannot' get this thing into TWRP.
I've enabled USB debugging, and can reboot the device into 'bootloader'....
It's unlocked and when I issue the 'fastboot flash recovery twrp-........img it appears to go ok.
But I cannot get the device into the GUI for twrp.
The best I've been able to do, is to get the device into some other sort of recovery mode.
It doesn't go straight into it, instead goes into the droid robot, flat on his back, tummy open and underneath 'no command'.
By fluke, I can press every key on the controller and eventually I enter a 'text based', which has options for adb and usb uploading etc, but any attempts to install from this fail.
Someone 'please' put me out of my misery and tell me where I'm going wrong.
This overpriced junk is doing my suede in now.
Thanks
Neil

Not any help but just because you can't make it do something it is not intended to do doesn't make it "over priced junk"
Huawei P30 Pro (VOG-L29) using Tapatalk

Yea, perhaps my statement is a 'little' rash, but its annoying how a premium product cannot play AAC_LATM using the native media player, when cheaper Xiaomi units can.
And yes, I've contacted Nvidia about this and they think I should contact Freeview UK and ask them to change their encoding profiles.
If you're wondering, 'native' decoding is required for google live channels to be able to play 'said' streams

i have not used twrp on the shield in years, but instead of flashing twrp, have you tried just booting to it?
fastboot boot recovery twrp-xxxx.img
also, my shield tv was always a little finicky on which usb port i used on my computer, so try different ones. original cable is only one that works for me as well.

skiv71 said:
Hi,
I'm wanting to try Lineage OS on this device, to see if I can get the default (or change) media player to play LATM AAC.
Anyway's, I've flashed a few phones in my time, so easy I thought.
However, I 'cannot' get this thing into TWRP.
I've enabled USB debugging, and can reboot the device into 'bootloader'....
It's unlocked and when I issue the 'fastboot flash recovery twrp-........img it appears to go ok.
But I cannot get the device into the GUI for twrp.
The best I've been able to do, is to get the device into some other sort of recovery mode.
It doesn't go straight into it, instead goes into the droid robot, flat on his back, tummy open and underneath 'no command'.
By fluke, I can press every key on the controller and eventually I enter a 'text based', which has options for adb and usb uploading etc, but any attempts to install from this fail.
Someone 'please' put me out of my misery and tell me where I'm going wrong.
This overpriced junk is doing my suede in now.
Thanks
Neil
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better to fastboot twrp not flash it on the shield, also twrp will not show up on a 4k tv this is a limitation of twrp on the shield. I personally stopped using twrp after software version 6 of the shield, just too many headaches and I just use adb

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (E9L29Y) TWRP Unlock Issues/Help

Hey everyone!
I ordered an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (E9L29Y) the other day to replace my older Fire device as it's been showing its age; however, when it was delivered that morning and I woke up and checked for the package, it wasn't there. I immediately ran to Amazon support to explain the situation and they ended up refunding me. Before this, I asked one of my roommates if they took the package inside by chance and they said they didn't, but I later confronted them again and they put it on the table. Crazy, right? So it didn't cross my mind that this device would now become unusable since it was refunded and I've learned that it's been marked as "lost/stolen" by Amazon and cannot be setup. I realized this when I connected it to my TV and can't get past the initial update screen.
So, now I'm learning that it can be rooted and bypassed with TWRP using this guide here which I follow.
I install FireISO onto a USB and get Kamakiri copied over and I run the .sh script and get it to the point where it's waiting for me to connect the stick with the pin shorted (I used aluminum foil). I've tried this multiple times even readjusting where I short the pin. Every time I think I'm doing it correctly, I get this error:
serial protocol mismatch expected 0000 got 2001
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there anything I should be doing differently or am I out of luck?

itsmidnightyo said:
Hey everyone!
I ordered an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (E9L29Y) the other day to replace my older Fire device as it's been showing its age; however, when it was delivered that morning and I woke up and checked for the package, it wasn't there. I immediately ran to Amazon support to explain the situation and they ended up refunding me. Before this, I asked one of my roommates if they took the package inside by chance and they said they didn't, but I later confronted them again and they put it on the table. Crazy, right? So it didn't cross my mind that this device would now become unusable since it was refunded and I've learned that it's been marked as "lost/stolen" by Amazon and cannot be setup. I realized this when I connected it to my TV and can't get past the initial update screen.
So, now I'm learning that it can be rooted and bypassed with TWRP using this guide here which I follow.
I install FireISO onto a USB and get Kamakiri copied over and I run the .sh script and get it to the point where it's waiting for me to connect the stick with the pin shorted (I used aluminum foil). I've tried this multiple times even readjusting where I short the pin. Every time I think I'm doing it correctly, I get this error:
Is there anything I should be doing differently or am I out of luck?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is 4K unused?
If so, you can take it out of the box, connect it to your PC immediately, and install TWRP with "FIREISO" and "kamakiri". (Short not required in most cases)
If you have connected to the TV and connected to the Internet before installing TWRP, it may have been updated and you may not be able to install TWRP.
As long as you can install TWRP, even if it is blacklisted, you can use it by deleting /system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.oobe in TWRP.

cityhunter_1919_xyz said:
Is 4K unused?
If so, you can take it out of the box, connect it to your PC immediately, and install TWRP with "FIREISO" and "kamakiri". (Short not required in most cases)
If you have connected to the TV and connected to the Internet before installing TWRP, it may have been updated and you may not be able to install TWRP.
As long as you can install TWRP, even if it is blacklisted, you can use it by deleting /system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.oobe in TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I connected it to the TV and I assume it updated already hence the error. When it was bought, I had it set to already connect to the internet and link to my Amazon account.