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Hello all, hopefully this will help give some clarification for users, especially ones who have a newer SGS3, who are experiencing issues trying to flash certain ROM's and are getting errors due to assert/bootloader checks.
There is a specific part of a ROM .zip file called the updater-script which contains a security feature known as the assert lines. These parts of the script look for a bootloader match prior to flashing to ensure the ROM is compatible with the phone. This is used when there are multiple variants of one phone, such as the SGS3, which is available from Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and some international variants. Flashing a ROM meant for a different carrier can have disastrous consequences, so developers include this bootloader check as a CYA measure. Here is where a lot of newer users are running into trouble and are choosing a "fix" which is incorrect. If your phone has MK3 (Sprint) or MK5 (Virgin Mobile/Boost) as the bootloader (not the modem, will address that later), then you have a bootloader which is not recognized for 4.3.x or earlier builds of CyanogenMod or custom ROM's based on AOSP. The CM 11 builds do recognize MK3, so will flash fine with no modification needed for rooted users. More importantly though, if MK3 or MK5 is your bootloader, then you have Knox as well, and Knox will fight any attempt to replace it with another bootloader, as in it will brick your phone badly. Therefore, MK3 and MK5 users who think their flash has failed because they need a different bootloader and then proceed to change their firmware, either with a "return to stock" .tar file via Odin or a flashable .zip designed to change the firmware have just inadvertently bricked their phone.
Here are some rules of thumb:
1. Know what is on your phone! Be aware of what bootloader you have, specifically you need to know if you have Knox or are Knox-free. If you are Knox-free, congratulations, if you have Knox, my condolences. In the Knoxed-up situation NEVER EVER try to push, via Odin a .tar file designed to "return to stock" if the bootloader associated with that file is MD4 or earlier (Sprint users) or MG2 or earlier (VM/Boost). Sprint users also have .zip files available designed to do the same thing, avoid these as well if you have Knox. Flashing a ROM with an earlier Android build is just fine, there is no bootloader included in a custom ROM based on AOSP, contrary to what some people are posting. You can "downgrade" to an earlier build of Android if you wish, you absolutely CANNOT downgrade your bootloader if you already have Knox on your phone.
2. If you get an "assert failed" message, you just need to modify or delete the asserts to match your bootloader, you do not need to change the bootloader itself. DO NOT assume that changing your bootloader is a fix for anything without knowing what you are doing first.
3. Modem does not equal bootloader. We use the same nomenclature (MD4, MK3, etc.), which can be confusing, but modems are interchangeable, and there are .zip files available so that you can easily flash from one to another. Additionally, anybody who has an SPH-L710 can use any modem designed for Sprint, VM, or Boost. A lot of Sprint users actually achieved great signal/data results with the MG2 modem from VM/Boost, and I have used MK3 modem just fine myself (I am on VM). ROM .zip files don't care about your modem, only your bootloader.
I hope this helps, I am seeing way too many users asking why they bricked their phones when this information would have helped them in advance had they not just forged ahead and assumed the bootloader was the problem. If anyone would like to know how to safely modify or delete the assert lines please let me know via posting or PM.
Useful information.
One item that could use some clarification is how to know whether a package includes a bootloader, and whether the assert line in the script will work with the Knox bootloader?
poit said:
Useful information.
One item that could use some clarification is how to know whether a package includes a bootloader, and whether the assert line in the script will work with the Knox bootloader?
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Click to collapse
For the most part, as far as I know any custom ROM in the Original Android Development section, as well as anything AOSP based in the Android Development section will never contain a bootloader. The ROM's that do should be clearly (hopefully!) labeled as being "return to stock" (wording may vary), with the specific bootloader listed, and will almost always be a .tar file, not a .zip file. If it is a .zip, there should be some mention of "firmware" involved. This is not set in stone, just what I have seen in the various titles.
As to the assert lines, one of them just has to be an exact match for the bootloader designation, Knox or otherwise. If you have managed to install custom recovery and root post-Knox (it is possible, just can be a little bit of a headache), then Knox is a non-issue in terms of the assert lines and the bootloader check, the check is not looking for Knox, it is looking to see if any one of the several bootloaders listed in the asserts is present on the phone before proceeding.
using sprint stock rom on boost mobile s3
Mr. Struck said:
Hello all, hopefully this will help give some clarification for users, especially ones who have a newer SGS3, who are experiencing issues trying to flash certain ROM's and are getting errors due to assert/bootloader checks.
There is a specific part of a ROM .zip file called the updater-script which contains a security feature known as the assert lines. These parts of the script look for a bootloader match prior to flashing to ensure the ROM is compatible with the phone. This is used when there are multiple variants of one phone, such as the SGS3, which is available from Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and some international variants. Flashing a ROM meant for a different carrier can have disastrous consequences, so developers include this bootloader check as a CYA measure. Here is where a lot of newer users are running into trouble and are choosing a "fix" which is incorrect. If your phone has MK3 (Sprint) or MK5 (Virgin Mobile/Boost) as the bootloader (not the modem, will address that later), then you have a bootloader which is not recognized for 4.3.x or earlier builds of CyanogenMod or custom ROM's based on AOSP. The CM 11 builds do recognize MK3, so will flash fine with no modification needed for rooted users. More importantly though, if MK3 or MK5 is your bootloader, then you have Knox as well, and Knox will fight any attempt to replace it with another bootloader, as in it will brick your phone badly. Therefore, MK3 and MK5 users who think their flash has failed because they need a different bootloader and then proceed to change their firmware, either with a "return to stock" .tar file via Odin or a flashable .zip designed to change the firmware have just inadvertently bricked their phone.
Here are some rules of thumb:
1. Know what is on your phone! Be aware of what bootloader you have, specifically you need to know if you have Knox or are Knox-free. If you are Knox-free, congratulations, if you have Knox, my condolences. In the Knoxed-up situation NEVER EVER try to push, via Odin a .tar file designed to "return to stock" if the bootloader associated with that file is MD4 or earlier (Sprint users) or MG2 or earlier (VM/Boost). Sprint users also have .zip files available designed to do the same thing, avoid these as well if you have Knox. Flashing a ROM with an earlier Android build is just fine, there is no bootloader included in a custom ROM based on AOSP, contrary to what some people are posting. You can "downgrade" to an earlier build of Android if you wish, you absolutely CANNOT downgrade your bootloader if you already have Knox on your phone.
2. If you get an "assert failed" message, you just need to modify or delete the asserts to match your bootloader, you do not need to change the bootloader itself. DO NOT assume that changing your bootloader is a fix for anything without knowing what you are doing first.
3. Modem does not equal bootloader. We use the same nomenclature (MD4, MK3, etc.), which can be confusing, but modems are interchangeable, and there are .zip files available so that you can easily flash from one to another. Additionally, anybody who has an SPH-L710 can use any modem designed for Sprint, VM, or Boost. A lot of Sprint users actually achieved great signal/data results with the MG2 modem from VM/Boost, and I have used MK3 modem just fine myself (I am on VM). ROM .zip files don't care about your modem, only your bootloader.
I hope this helps, I am seeing way too many users asking why they bricked their phones when this information would have helped them in advance had they not just forged ahead and assumed the bootloader was the problem. If anyone would like to know how to safely modify or delete the assert lines please let me know via posting or PM.
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Can i use a return to stock of Sprint S3 "L710VPUCMK3_L710SPRCMK3_L710VPUCMK3_HOME.tar" on a Boost mobile with bsaeband version L710VPUBMk5???
alemosman said:
Can i use a return to stock of Sprint S3 "L710VPUCMK3_L710SPRCMK3_L710VPUCMK3_HOME.tar" on a Boost mobile with bsaeband version L710VPUBMk5???
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No, you will want a return to stock tar meant specifically for Boost. There is one available on the Android Forums Boost subforum, give me a minute and I will get you a link.
Edit: Can't find the specific post right now, I would suggest going to the Boost subforum and starting a thread or contacting either @jdsingle76 or @wetbiker7 (they are both active here on XDA as well) as they are probably the two most knowledgeable Boost users of this phone that I know.
http://androidforums.com/boost-mobile-galaxy-s3-all-things-root/
Mr. Struck said:
No, you will want a return to stock tar meant specifically for Boost. There is one available on the Android Forums Boost subforum, give me a minute and I will get you a link.
Edit: Can't find the specific post right now, I would suggest going to the Boost subforum and starting a thread or contacting either @jdsingle76 or @wetbiker7 (they are both active here on XDA as well) as they are probably the two most knowledgeable Boost users of this phone that I know.
http://androidforums.com/boost-mobile-galaxy-s3-all-things-root/
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@Mr. Struck is right, MK3 is for the Sprint version of the S3. If you want to go back completely stock MK5, at this time, the only way I can think of to do that, is to Odin flash back to MG2, and then do OTA to get MK5. Two things here to remember, as Mr. Struck pointed out. First, DO NOT DO THIS if you have the Knox bootloader on your phone. Flashing back to 4.1.2 will hard brick your phone. Secondly, if you don't have the Knox, and flash back to MG2, and then OTA MK5, you WILL get the Knox bootloader. Your call...here's the link for MG2 tar. Good luck!
http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23212708291678209
Hey guys...I hope you can help me out here. After days of searching this thread is the closest I've come to some clarification but I'm still a little confused.
My brother bought an AT&T i747 S3 (d2att) off of a coworker the other day. When I started to look through it I noticed it has SuperUser installed so I downloaded root checker and sure enough the guy that sold it had already rooted it. I thought to myself "great", mind you it was running 4.1.1. So in decided to throw some kitkat on it! Before doing that I thought it wise to update the recovery to the latest. So I went and found a "d2att philz touch cwm" and began the update process only to receive a status 7 error informing me that the package was for a d2att device (which I knew) and I was using a d2spr (which I'm not). So I went and downloaded the d2spr recovery and it updated allowing me to install a d2lte ROM. Everything works but I can not get an LTE signal at all.
My question is...is there anything I can do to make this work? My brother would love to have LTE connectivity but if we can't do anything we'll probably just sell it to a pawn shop. They probably won't know diddly squat.
Anyone still following this thread? I wanted to change roms from LiquidSmooth to MOAR 9.0.1. I have MD4 radio installed and have read that installing MK3 will put the dreaded KNOX bootloader lock on our phones? I thought this was just when we updated to 4.3? Thanks in advance
mcc23 said:
Anyone still following this thread? I wanted to change roms from LiquidSmooth to MOAR 9.0.1. I have MD4 radio installed and have read that installing MK3 will put the dreaded KNOX bootloader lock on our phones? I thought this was just when we updated to 4.3? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part three of the OP: modem does not equal bootloader.
Bootloader, Modem and a new ROM (S4)
Mr. Struck said:
Here are some rules of thumb:
1. Know what is on your phone! Be aware of what bootloader you have, specifically you need to know if you have Knox or are Knox-free. If you are Knox-free, congratulations, if you have Knox, my condolences. In the Knoxed-up situation NEVER EVER try to push, via Odin a .tar file designed to "return to stock" if the bootloader associated with that file is MD4 or earlier (Sprint users) or MG2 or earlier (VM/Boost). Sprint users also have .zip files available designed to do the same thing, avoid these as well if you have Knox. Flashing a ROM with an earlier Android build is just fine, there is no bootloader included in a custom ROM based on AOSP, contrary to what some people are posting. You can "downgrade" to an earlier build of Android if you wish, you absolutely CANNOT downgrade your bootloader if you already have Knox on your phone.
2. If you get an "assert failed" message, you just need to modify or delete the asserts to match your bootloader, you do not need to change the bootloader itself. DO NOT assume that changing your bootloader is a fix for anything without knowing what you are doing first.
3. Modem does not equal bootloader. We use the same nomenclature (MD4, MK3, etc.), which can be confusing, but modems are interchangeable, and there are .zip files available so that you can easily flash from one to another. Additionally, anybody who has an SPH-L710 can use any modem designed for Sprint, VM, or Boost. A lot of Sprint users actually achieved great signal/data results with the MG2 modem from VM/Boost, and I have used MK3 modem just fine myself (I am on VM). ROM .zip files don't care about your modem, only your bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad to have found this post as I have been struggling with the decision to update my ROM from 4.3 (old bootloader and modem) to 4.4.2 on my S4 GT-i9505. With a lot of discussion about Knox I was very uncertain whether I could leave the BL and Modem as they were and merely update the ROM. I am pleased to say you can but now I am trying to understand the value of upgrading the BL +/- Modem as new Official products have been released. This thread is very useful but I thought I'd add a few more links to it in case others are also interested in this topic.
Here's a description of the purpose of the modem I found in one of the links below. I think it helps me see why you may want or need to update it at some stage: •Baseband/Radio/Modem - radio[version].img - Is the firmware for the separate cell modem and is responsible for your cell phone signal and on older devices may control wifi, bluetooth, and GPS (on most newer devices, these are handled by the kernel and ROM). Upgrades may improve or diminish battery performance, network signal strength, and roaming capability. It is also sometimes required to have a minimum Baseband version to use a ROM so that the RIL will play nice with the Baseband.
Here's a description of what a radio/modem is:
http://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/1wzmp7/what_are_all_the_different_pieces_of_android/
http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-international-all-things-root/588852-modems-dummies-guide.html
Here's a link to whether you need to upgrade your modem and how to do it on an S4:
http://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-radiomodems/
http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/63870/omega-rom-4-4-bootloader-modem-problems
Here's a link to Official modems for S4s [i9505/i9000]: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=48113546
Discussion of Knox with new BL can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=46189882
I am still searching for why one would want to update their BL and/or modem if their existing ones are working fine? I am also trying to understand why some ROM update the BL (and modem?) as part of their install processes.
So if you have any links or thoughts about these issues, please post here or drop me a line.
For some reason, every time I try to install a sense based rom, it never boots.
I'm fairly new to flashing, and have flashed 4 or 5 aosp roms. Every time I install one of those, it always works correctly, no issues.
I have tried to flash several Sense based roms, such as ARHD 20.1, Insert Coin, and nv, and each time, it never works. I always do a factory wipe beforehand as well as a wipe in the aroma installer. It will go thru the process and install, and then prompt me to reboot, which it does. Once the screen comes back onm however, it just hangs on the white htc screen with the red development text. When i get back to the hboot, itll show nothing for os.
I thought the issue may be that i dont have the latest firmware, but even people that dont have the latest firmware still are able to boot into the rom. Also, I just tried the NV rom which is based off my firmware, and it still gives me the same trouble. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
I'm running an ATT Htc One m8, rooted, unlocked, s-off with sunshine, twrp recovery
mattprice86 said:
I thought the issue may be that i dont have the latest firmware, but even people that dont have the latest firmware still are able to boot into the rom.
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Click to collapse
Give the ROMs about 10 minutes, and I bet they will boot. The extremely long boot time, and lack of boot animation (another symptom of this issue) makes a lot of folks believe the phone is stuck/frozen, when in fact its just taking a reeeeeally long time to boot.
If its true that the ROMs in fact never boot, it might just be an issue with your recovery. fastboot erase cache and either re-install recovery, update to the latest version, or try another recovery (Philz).
Even if the Sense ROMs boot, you might find some serious things are broken with your outdated firmware, such a broken WiFi. So I suggest either update your firmware or stick or ROMs based on your present firmware.
Ok thanks, i will try again. Ive read a bunch of threads about updating my firmware but couldnt find an answer to a question I have about it.
If I upgrade my firmware to the latest WWE 3.28.401.6, will it mess up my ATT settings like the bands? Also, will it erase my internal sd card?
mattprice86 said:
If I upgrade my firmware to the latest WWE 3.28.401.6, will it mess up my ATT settings like the bands? Also, will it erase my internal sd card?
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Firmware includes the radio baseband, so it may cause issues with reception on AT&T. It seems at least a couple folks have been flashing the 3.28 firmware, but I haven't seen enough reports to give me a warm and cozy feeling. With S-off (which is required to flash the firmware, anyway) you can always revert. But still, basic reception is more important to me than a couple updated features. Personally, I'll probably wait until the 3.x firmware specific to AT&T starts rolling out.
It seems like the M8 is radio agnostic like the Nexus 5 based on my experience.
I am on Rogers and flashed the latest firmware and my LTE works no issues.
The latest firmware is supposed to be EU so technically those North American bands are not supported but it works no issue.
Leads me to believe that the radio does not matter like the N5 where the 820 and 821 radios were interchangeable.
HTC One M8
Thanks redpoint, you were right, I gave it some time and it did come on. You always seem to be the one answering my questions, I appreciate it.
As for the new fw, I was thinking that would happen too from what I've read, I just needed someone more experienced to confirm that. I think I'll wait as well.
Thanks again
Elisha said:
It seems like the M8 is radio agnostic like the Nexus 5 based on my experience.
I am on Rogers and flashed the latest firmware and my LTE works no issues.
The latest firmware is supposed to be EU so technically those North American bands are not supported but it works no issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the 2.x firmware, some folks in North America (I can speak mostly of AT&T specifically, although there are a lot of network similarities with Rogers) had varying degrees of issues with the "international" firmware. For some, the reception was worse, and others had NO SIGNAL whatsoever. Probably depended on what bands AT&T was using in their specific market.
Can't say whether 3.x firmware is the same way. But in my experience (or at least, reading reports by others here), I would have to disagree this phone is in any way "radio agnostic", at least from a software perspective (as the hardware is common among at least GSM versions, and baseband software is the only difference - but that is a slightly different topic).
So what is the latest firmware I can flash that's been known to work? I've seen that viper one is based off the 2.xx fw so do you know of anyone who's flashed it with att variant without any problems?
mattprice86 said:
So what is the latest firmware I can flash that's been known to work? I've seen that viper one is based off the 2.xx fw so do you know of anyone who's flashed it with att variant without any problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/development/firmware-flashing-panic-attacks-t2824048
No probs.
redpoint73 said:
On the 2.x firmware, some folks in North America (I can speak mostly of AT&T specifically, although there are a lot of network similarities with Rogers) had varying degrees of issues with the "international" firmware. For some, the reception was worse, and others had NO SIGNAL whatsoever. Probably depended on what bands AT&T was using in their specific market.
Can't say whether 3.x firmware is the same way. But in my experience (or at least, reading reports by others here), I would have to disagree this phone is in any way "radio agnostic", at least from a software perspective (as the hardware is common among at least GSM versions, and baseband software is the only difference - but that is a slightly different topic).
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Click to collapse
For the record, I have an AT&T model and am using the 3.xxx.xxx.6 firmware with absolutely Zero issues as far as signal. I get the exact same reception I did stock, and Very, Very similar reception to what my old Optimus G did in the same locations.
This indicates that there must be either a difference in hardware revisions (related to how some M8's can be firewater'd, whereas others need Sunshine), Or, the int'l radio firmware may not support the bands that are used on some towers in some locations. I'm leaning toward the former. For the record, my M8 is a "whelp", and I had to pay for Sunshine.
OMGMatrix said:
For the record, I have an AT&T model and am using the 3.xxx.xxx.6 firmware with absolutely Zero issues as far as signal. I get the exact same reception I did stock, and Very, Very similar reception to what my old Optimus G did in the same locations.
This indicates that there must be either a difference in hardware revisions (related to how some M8's can be firewater'd, whereas others need Sunshine), Or, the int'l radio firmware may not support the bands that are used on some towers in some locations. I'm leaning toward the former.
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Click to collapse
My guess would be the former as well. Keep mind that AT&T uses five different bands for LTE depending on your market region. Also keep in mind that travelling to another location may result in losing LTE reception (when you otherwise would have LTE on a AT&T specific radio).
Although none of this explains why I've seen some folks get NO SIGNAL whatsoever on AT&T's network after flashing the international firmware (2.x version, haven't seen any complaint yet on 3.28). Even if no LTE, those folks still should have been able to get HSPA and/or GSM since those AT&T bands appear to be supported by EMEA specs. So it leads me to believe there is something else going on aside from just band compatibility. Such as the network not falling back properly to HSPA/GSM.
I certainly don't have an issue if folks want to experiment with the 3.28 firmware on the AT&T network (as long as you know what you are doing, and are aware of the possible issues). Its certainly tempting with the 3.x based custom ROMs coming out. I might even experiment myself if I free up some time. But that spare time is a bit of a premium for me right now; and I also can't really afford ATM to have the possibility of reception issues or no service.
I was able to successfully upgrade my firmware to the 2.xxx by using skull dreams' method. As soon as my rom loaded, however, WiFi and data weren't working. I read through the thread and found that clearing cache and dalvik would fix it, so that's what I did and it worked. (initially I tried to wipe both at the same time, but it gave me errors; further reading showed I needed to wipe cache first and then dalvik).
I would now like to upgrade to the 3.xxx fw so I can install arhd 20.3, but want to know, if I upgrade my fw and it messes up, can I just do the same renaming and putting it on ext SD card to downgrade back to the 2.xx fw?
mattprice86 said:
I was able to successfully upgrade my firmware to the 2.xxx by using skull dreams' method. As soon as my rom loaded, however, WiFi and data weren't working. I read through the thread and found that clearing cache and dalvik would fix it, so that's what I did and it worked. (initially I tried to wipe both at the same time, but it gave me errors; further reading showed I needed to wipe cache first and then dalvik).
I would now like to upgrade to the 3.xxx fw so I can install arhd 20.3, but want to know, if I upgrade my fw and it messes up, can I just do the same renaming and putting it on ext SD card to downgrade back to the 2.xx fw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always restore the backup you should be making before you do any mods on your phone. That would be the safest way.
So if I upgrade my fw then restore a backup, I will lose my fw changes?
I make nandroid backups before I do any, so I have approximately 60gb of backups on an external HD, and I always keep 1 or 2 on my internal and external storage
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).
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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.
Hello all,
Long story short I currently have an Unlocked 10, rooted, s off, and bootloader unlocked. I have flashed over the Verizon rom and radios last year and left it this way for a while. I'm getting to the point where I'm about ready for a factory reset but figured I might as well update if I'm going to do that. Better yet I'd like to get on LeeDroid but preferably on Android N.
So I need to update to an Android N ROM first, then over to LeeDroid. I can do it, but frankly I do this stuff so little that every time I get a little nervous. My 10 is my daily driver but I currently have a raggedy s6 here I can pop a sim in for a minute if needed.
So I'm wondering would it make sense to just do a backup, flash the latest Unlocked N version then flash LeeDroid? Wouldn't my Verizon radios stay where they're at, or will flashing those roms over write them? And, none of this flashing should overwrite my recovery, should it?
Also, I apologize if this is not appropriate but my other option at this point is to ask, are there any fairly well regarded XDA friends here with some spare time that would be open to taking 20 bucks or so to get me fixed up remotely over teamviewer or something?
Thanks for all your help. I don't post here often but when I do I always find the direction I need as someone who is not a frequent modder anymore lol.
Launchpadmcqu4ck said:
Hello all,
Long story short I currently have an Unlocked 10, rooted, s off, and bootloader unlocked. I have flashed over the Verizon rom and radios last year and left it this way for a while. I'm getting to the point where I'm about ready for a factory reset but figured I might as well update if I'm going to do that. Better yet I'd like to get on LeeDroid but preferably on Android N.
So I need to update to an Android N ROM first, then over to LeeDroid. I can do it, but frankly I do this stuff so little that every time I get a little nervous. My 10 is my daily driver but I currently have a raggedy s6 here I can pop a sim in for a minute if needed.
So I'm wondering would it make sense to just do a backup, flash the latest Unlocked N version then flash LeeDroid? Wouldn't my Verizon radios stay where they're at, or will flashing those roms over write them? And, none of this flashing should overwrite my recovery, should it?
Also, I apologize if this is not appropriate but my other option at this point is to ask, are there any fairly well regarded XDA friends here with some spare time that would be open to taking 20 bucks or so to get me fixed up remotely over teamviewer or something?
Thanks for all your help. I don't post here often but when I do I always find the direction I need as someone who is not a frequent modder anymore lol.
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To minimize potential problems I would start fresh going from M to N.
Flash the full N RUU.exe. Flash the latest TWRP, then flash LeeDroid. New firmware, TWRP, and custom rom.
comstockload said:
To minimize potential problems I would start fresh going from M to N.
Flash the full N RUU.exe. Flash the latest TWRP, then flash LeeDroid. New firmware, TWRP, and custom rom.
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Would you suggest Verizon N rom since I'm already on Verizon M or would Unlocked N be better?
Launchpadmcqu4ck said:
Would you suggest Verizon N rom since I'm already on Verizon M or would Unlocked N be better?
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Get a copy of your current M rom for the firmware you currently have and download that. Remember, we're talking full roms not updates. Now get the latest N rom for your device (full ruu.exe). Now you have options. I would flash the N rom, then the latest TWRP, then LeeDroid. Any problems, and you can go right back to M. I always use TWRP 3.0.2-6 with M. So if I go back to M I flash that version of TWRP (from within TWRP itself) first. Take your time. You can do this. You can get the latest N rom from HTC's website. To get your M rom you'll have to search for it using your firmware numbers. Someone should have a copy.
BTW, you can watch ROOT JUNKY's videos on youtube as a refresher on the basics of flashing TWRP and so on. Don't use his files though. They're old.
comstockload said:
Get a copy of your current M rom for the firmware you currently have and download that. Remember, we're talking full roms not updates. Now get the latest N rom for your device (full ruu.exe). Now you have options. I would flash the N rom, then the latest TWRP, then LeeDroid. Any problems, and you can go right back to M. I always use TWRP 3.0.2-6 with M. So if I go back to M I flash that version of TWRP (from within TWRP itself) first. Take your time. You can do this. You can get the latest N rom from HTC's website. To get your M rom you'll have to search for it using your firmware numbers. Someone should have a copy.
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Yeah I think you're right. I made it this far lol. But the N rom from HTC would just be the unlocked N wouldn't it, not Verizon? I know the Verizon ruu is over in the Verizon HTC 10 forum here so I could get that. Also I think I need to go brush up on firmware vs rom I tend to think they're the same thing but they're not, right?
Launchpadmcqu4ck said:
Yeah I think you're right. I made it this far lol. But the N rom from HTC would just be the unlocked N wouldn't it, not Verizon? I know the Verizon ruu is over in the Verizon HTC 10 forum here so I could get that. Also I think I need to go brush up on firmware vs rom I tend to think they're the same thing but they're not, right?
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I see. By "unlocked" you mean the US unlocked GSM HTC 10. I wouldn't mess with trying to alter your radios right now. Yes, stick with Verizon on everything. LeeDroid should run fine with that. Installing a new HTC rom changes your firmware. It will be updated as you go to N. If you decide to back to M, it will be downgraded. Installing a custom rom won't change your firmware. A full rom is composed of several components. The firmware is one component.
comstockload said:
I see. By "unlocked" you mean the US unlocked GSM HTC 10. I wouldn't mess with trying to alter your radios right now. Yes, stick with Verizon on everything. LeeDroid should run fine with that. Installing a new HTC rom changes your firmware. It will be updated as you go to N. If you decide to back to M, it will be downgraded. Installing a custom rom won't change your firmware. A full rom is composed of several components. The firmware is one component.
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Ohhh okay I follow. Yeah sorry I did mean the GSM Unlocked model, I bought direct from HTC. But I couldn't get it to work on unlocked firmware with Verizon so I ended up flashing the Verizon ROM and radio last year.
So I'll grab the Verizon RUU and flash that, then LeeDroid. And update my TWRP. Its long over due anyways lol
Can't thank you enough for your help. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend I think. I really want to run LeeDroid!
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
I never flash the VZW image......but you can certainly try the radio as you suggest. Normally, I never see any difference, but curious if others see some....the radio is different in the current VZW image.
You would do "fastboot flash radio radio_imagefile_here"
stalls said:
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
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What bloatware (and stuff) are you referring to regarding the VZW image?
stalls said:
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
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The Verizon firmware isn't a "Verizon owned" firmware, it's just a variant that Google has released because when Google sent out the "global" firmware for testing Verizon reported issues with it, and it was too late to incorporate the fixes and send out another firmware to all carriers for testing.
The variants in firmwares have nothing changed in them other than the radio/modem/network files and maybe app versions if the variant had to be built at a later date and picked up a new app version in the build process. The firmwares are exactly the same. They don't come with any additional bloatware, because Verizon's networking specific apps are actually already included in the base firmware and are enabled/disabled on the presence of a Verizon SIM. The bloatware you are delivered is when setting up the phone and the setup wizard will offer the carrier bloatware to be installed depending on the carrier of the SIM.
Run the firmware designated for your carrier. You might have service issues if you don't, but it will run almost the same.
I ran the Verizon variant on my phone with T-Mobile and I got service just fine, however it appears that Verizon wanted the scaling for network strength to be changed because it reported 0 bars even though I had service. It also wanted to try really hard to latch onto mmWave, so it appears that Verizon wanted that and potentially more changed.
Just run the online flash tool from Google to get updated, or follow the tutorial threads in the help section.
cmh714 said:
I never flash the VZW image......but you can certainly try the radio as you suggest. Normally, I never see any difference, but curious if others see some....the radio is different in the current VZW image.
You would do "fastboot flash radio radio_imagefile_here"
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You'll have to flash more. There's also the modem inside the image and there are also APNs and other files for networks on the system image or vendor image too, so it's really just best to take the whole firmware.
Ok so I should just flash over the global and so as usual then right?
stalls said:
Ok so I should just flash over the global and so as usual then right?
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You mean flash the Verizon firmware over the global firmware you already have on your phone? Yes, it will be fine. You don't need to wipe the phone.