Hi all! I'm really hoping that some Andriod guru out there can figure out the predicament I've gotten myself into. First a litte background info:
The other day I successfully flashed the new JI5 update to my phone. It worked great, and seems to have at least patched (not fixed) the majority of this phones shortcomings. But of course most of you already know all this.
I attempted to flash the same update to my wife's phone tonight, however as soon as ODIN finished doing it's thing the phone rebooted, and I now seem to be stuck in recovery with the following error:
update media, please wait
E:Can't mount /dev/block/stl10(Invalid argument)
E:copy_dbdata_media:Can't mount DBDATA:copy default media content failed.
The process I used to flash the phone is pretty standard. Fired up ODIN, used ADB to throw the phone into download mode (Both our phones seem to be HW locked), pushed the update to the phone. The one thing I DID do differently this time was select the Re-Partition option, as I've noticed some strange issues with my phone since throwing JI5 on it. I figured that repartitioning the phone back to it's prestine state might fix the issues. I made sure to use the correct 512 PIT file, which I think I remember reading was responsible for setting up the system partitions, thus I figured I wouldn't have any problems. I've read about many others that routinely repartition their phones, so I didn't think this would be an issue. Her phone was bone stock, aside from being rooted. No OC kernals, lagfixes, etc.
I've tried to throw the phone back into download mode via adb, but it just reboots the device and it immediatly goes into recovery mode. Since the phone still boots and gets into recovery mode I'm thinking it's not bricked, but I'll be damned if I know what to do next!
So how about it, any guru's out there that have seen this problem before? Any way it can be fixed?
Update: Still borked and at wits end! Since I still apparently have the ability to reinstall packages via recovery I'm hoping that there is a way to reflash the OS by utilizing a crafty update.zip file. Based off what I've read so far, I simply need to reflash to stock OS to get things rolling again, but I can't get the damn thing into download mode! So close, yet so far away. Thank you Samsung QA! I guess this is what I get for not clockwork modding her phone prior to working on it. But still, frigging ridiculous that this company is sending out broken hardware and untested products.
If anybody happens to know a way to utilize the recovery console to flash a firmware revision (without using clockworkmod recovery), or possibly how to perform a fix action via ADB, any info you can lend to me would be much appreciated.
Bumping for the sake of my sanity.
Anyone have any ideas as to how to fix this thing? I'm a hair's-breadth away from donating this thing to willitblend.
First I must scold you for not having Clockwork Recovery Flashed, it is the first thing you do when you have root. Period. Nothing else takes priority over being able to save your phone.
Secondly I must praise you for asking this in Q&A / General, NOT DEV! I FUC*ING HATE THAT! So thanks!
Steps to fix your wife's phone:
Step 1: Download attached zip, and put on phones internal SD. (adb push update.zip /sdcard/update.zip)
Step 2: Select Re-Install Packages from Stock Recovery Menu.
Step 3: Phone may reboot, if so see step 2. If phone enters clockwork go to step4.
Step 4: Flash Rom. Flash a full rom that is flashable via Clockwork. THAT OR::: try adb reboot download from clockwork.
Step 5: Reroot phone, install clockwork recovery (rom manager on market).
Optional: If all this doesn't work feel free to purchase my Vibrant, link in Sig
Edit: Also don't just do things you don't understand, like check repartition
Thank you sir! You're a saint!
zaduma said:
First I must scold you for not having Clockwork Recovery Flashed, it is the first thing you do when you have root. Period. Nothing else takes priority over being able to save your phone.
Secondly I must praise you for asking this in Q&A / General, NOT DEV! I FUC*ING HATE THAT! So thanks!
Steps to fix your wife's phone:
Step 1: Download attached zip, and put on phones internal SD. (adb push update.zip /sdcard/update.zip)
Step 2: Select Re-Install Packages from Stock Recovery Menu.
Step 3: Phone may reboot, if so see step 2. If phone enters clockwork go to step4.
Step 4: Flash Rom. Flash a full rom that is flashable via Clockwork. THAT OR::: try adb reboot download from clockwork.
Step 5: Reroot phone, install clockwork recovery (rom manager on market).
Optional: If all this doesn't work feel free to purchase my Vibrant, link in Sig
Edit: Also don't just do things you don't understand, like check repartition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the fast reply! And yes, I feel retarded for not clockworking her phone. In my defense, I thought I knew what I was doing when I ticked the option, as I had read countless threads about repartioning the phone. I think the problem is that the JI5 update is an incremental update, not a full OS. By repartitioning and flashing I think the process removed some key OS files. Or not, I'm no expert when it comes to this OS.
Anyhoo, I tried pushing the file to the sdcard, however I am getting a permission denied error message. I've verified that the directory exists via the shell command, so I seem to be having some kind of a permissions problem. The root on her phone must have been undone, as when I try to enter SU I get the same permission denied error message. Is there a way around this?
Thank you for all the assistance thus far!
So while in recovery mode, I can see both drives showing up in disk manager and windows explorer on my computer, however they are grayed out. Typically at this point one would hit the "mount" button from the dropdown menu on the phone, but obviously this action is currently out of grasp due to my problem. Is there a way to manually mount the sdcard via adb?
I kind of figured that adb pushing stuff to the SDCARD didn't require root access, as I was always able to mount the two stores without root permissions from the phone...
I'm rather curious now. Has any one tried using the adb push command to copy files to the /sdcard directory on their phone without root? Everything I've read makes it sound like this should be possible, unless the phone is just that messed up.
Any and all replies appreciated!
I recently purchased a used Galaxy tab 10.1 I/O, and it had already received the 3.1 OTA update.
Now i want root access for various reasons, and can't seem to find a clear guide on how to do so.. I've found plenty about how to do so on the original 3.0 rom, and that it will carry through the 3.1 update, or for the regular version Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it's my understanding the ROMs were fairly different between the I/O and the retail version and that attempting to cross-pollinate root methods may not be a good idea
although I've rooted and ROMed my fair share of HTC devices and Nooks i'm a little more apprehensive with this unit, as it's my first android device to lack an SD card slot of some sort, so bricking seems like a much worse possibility
The best guide ever is in the development section, it works for your device.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239185
follow the guide its very easy and worked fine for me
I Return triumphant, and gentlemen, i must say you were incorrect.
The I/O edition does not give you the option to access recovery at any point, even with the Pwr+VOL DN boot.
You can put it into download mode, and certianly use ODIN to install the recovery rom, but you will have no method to actually access recovery to push zip files.
thanks to some quick self education on using fastboot, i was able to root successfully.
To those of you in a similar situation who stumble upon this thread, i invite you to visit:
http://droidbasement.com/db-blog/?p=2439
There you can download CWM in a .img format for use with fastboot.
This link is where you can download fastboot:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=596615&d=1305443483
and you'll need to install PDANet for Android to get the fastboot drivers:
http://junefabrics.com/android/
I belive you'll also need ADB installed from the Android SDK. i do have it installed on this computer, but did not use the ADB command at any point, just fastboot.
Instructions:
1. Download fastboot, PDANet for android, and the recovery image. You'll also need "Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_10.1_root.zip" found in Root.zip from the retail version instructions.
2. Copy the "Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_10.1_root.zip" to the tablet, and and power it off. Disconnect the USB connection
3. Unzip fastboot zip into it's own folder, and then copy your recovery.img file into the same folder.
4. Start the install of PDANet. It will ask you if you want to install drivers about half way through. say yes, and select "Samsung" when the time comes. it will install some drivers and then ask you to try and connect. windows may flare up and say they're unsigned. accept anyway.
5. watch this friendly video on how to start fastboot on your tablet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR7vE4IueaU
"fastboot!"
Basically the same as the steps outlined for the retail version, but you will go to the usb icon instead of the box.
6. once the tablet is in fastboot, connect the USB cable. PDA net will recognize it as an ADB connection and try and load itself. it will fail, that's fine. Let the installer exit completely.
7. Open a command line in windows, and get it to the directory fastboot.exe and your recovery image are in.
8. run your fastboot command. i only used it temporarlily, so my command was:
"fastboot boot recovery-cwm_5.0.2.7-sam-tab-10.1.img"
9. the tablet should now boot into the recovery image presented. hooray! follow the remaining instructions from the retail version root, using recovery to load the "Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_10.1_root.zip" and reboot.
10. Once you've done all that, select to reboot. The tablet will reboot. i took the opportunity to disconnect the cable.
11. "Superuser" should now be in your apps, and you're rooted!
Extra Step: Download "Rom Manager" by clockwork from the android market, and install it. from here, opt to flash recovery. Once that's complete, you can now access recovery by launching that program and simply hitting "Reboot into Recovery"
I have no use for this myself but it's not often someone comes back and posts a complete howto on solving their own initial issue. I wish more people would do this. Thanks button clicked.
I just ran into this exact problem and only found this thread after figuring it out on my own. I figured my IO tab just didn't like having clockwork mod installed, but it certainly booted it. I nearly ruined it by accidentally wiping my rom trying to get it to boot at all. I had to repush my install files to the insternal memory using adb after I was able to boot into recovery with fastboot.
I haven't looked around too much (seeing as I only JUST got the damn thing to boot a rom) but is there a fix to that, perhaps installing the retail bootloader?
I'd hate to have to use fastboot everytime my rom doesn't boot. I've gotten used to wiping and installing roms from wherever I am on my other android devices.
I'm not familiar enough with the device to be able to give you a definite answer, but i imagine adding a bootloader from the retail version would give you the recovery option instead of fastboot.
personally, i'm a little more fond of having fastboot around right now, as it's easy enough to get into recovery when flashing things with it, and the bootloader for the I/O is unlocked... i can think of a few fun things to do in the future if i can load any ROM i want into memory, test it, and move on if it's no good... i may even give some of the ICS dailies a try thanks to this.
Always several ways of doing things... glad you got it worked out.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15735928&postcount=2
RootzFan,
that method is flashing an entirely new rom, down to 3.0, just to gain root access and open recovery so you can then return to 3.1.. it has the added byproduct of installing touchwiz.
IMHO, my way is a little cleaner as there is actually zero flashing needed, and you get to keep everything active and installed.
i recommend just going for custom roms - it comes already rooted - yBoot into recovery and flash a custom ROM
I have the IO tab myseldf and have been flawlessly running GalaxyTask custom ROM - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1340064
shane86 said:
I recently purchased a used Galaxy tab 10.1 I/O, and it had already received the 3.1 OTA update.
Now i want root access for various reasons, and can't seem to find a clear guide on how to do so.. I've found plenty about how to do so on the original 3.0 rom, and that it will carry through the 3.1 update, or for the regular version Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it's my understanding the ROMs were fairly different between the I/O and the retail version and that attempting to cross-pollinate root methods may not be a good idea
although I've rooted and ROMed my fair share of HTC devices and Nooks i'm a little more apprehensive with this unit, as it's my first android device to lack an SD card slot of some sort, so bricking seems like a much worse possibility
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh, def not the best method... just saying it is nice that there are alternatives.
self delete
Fun Stuff.
So, I have made a major boo boo when it comes to rooting devices and flashing custom ROMs; normally I am not a n00b when it comes to this, but I think I gone done something wrong this time. I have checked Diamondbacks thread as well as many other and have a whole slew of tools downloaded now and I cannot seem to get past the splash screen. ADB recognizes my device as well as Windows in Fastboot mode, just can't seem to figure out how to flash the stock ROM back on this device. I would be willing to donate money to the cause as this has cause me much undue frustration. If you are up and willing to the task, please PM me or even call my cell to walk me through this. Couldn't find XDA's chat, all I am asking is that someone have a heart and help a fellow techie out.
LivioDoubleFang said:
So, I have made a major boo boo when it comes to rooting devices and flashing custom ROMs; normally I am not a n00b when it comes to this, but I think I gone done something wrong this time. I have checked Diamondbacks thread as well as many other and have a whole slew of tools downloaded now and I cannot seem to get past the splash screen. ADB recognizes my device as well as Windows in Fastboot mode, just can't seem to figure out how to flash the stock ROM back on this device. I would be willing to donate money to the cause as this has cause me much undue frustration. If you are up and willing to the task, please PM me or even call my cell to walk me through this. Couldn't find XDA's chat, all I am asking is that someone have a heart and help a fellow techie out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what recovery you have now but I suggest you go here >>
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1615990 and install twrp recovery through the fastboot method. Boot into trwp recovery. After that, download the nvflash files from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1774352
Not saying you should use nvflash at this point but the file also contains a known good adb.exe file. Unzip the file and while in that directory press and hold the shift button while right clicking the mouse. This will bring up a menu select open command prompt here.
Put your rom into the same folder as the adb.exe then in the comand window type adb push /name of your rom.zip /sdcard/ if this doesn't work use /sdcard/media At this point you should be able to install the rom. As for the rom, a good starting point would be androwook rom since it seems to install quite easily (do not unzip). Also when you are performing commands in either fastboot or adb, it is best to copy (control c) from the webpage then in the command window right click and paste, this eliminates errors. Having the files you are flashing in the same directory of fastboot or adb eliminates the need to type pathways, this is where many people run into issues, 1 wrong letter make everything not work....
Thanks Gage_Hero, the TWRP tutorial was just what I needed in getting a custom ROM flashed to the device; however, my next question is, if I did not create a backup of the stock ROM like I should have, will I ever be able to get back to it should I need to update the OS or for any other reason? From what I have read, Asus stock ROMs have a unique ID to every device, making it virtually impossible to use someone else's backup for flashing. Much appreciated for any information you can provide.
LivioDoubleFang said:
Thanks Gage_Hero, the TWRP tutorial was just what I needed in getting a custom ROM flashed to the device; however, my next question is, if I did not create a backup of the stock ROM like I should have, will I ever be able to get back to it should I need to update the OS or for any other reason? From what I have read, Asus stock ROMs have a unique ID to every device, making it virtually impossible to use someone else's backup for flashing. Much appreciated for any information you can provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people don't have a stock backup since once you are unlocked, trying to install the ota update can make the tablet inoperable. So basically when Asus updates the software then the developers here pick up the stock rom and enhance it. This goes anywhere from the base stock rom with root up to taking the rom and customizing it with options, kernel changes and such. The only thing I will say about changing kernels is only use kernels that were developed for the particular rom or you will have trouble. Kind of like taking a Ford motor and trying to mate it to a chevy transmission.
If you do change roms, make sure you wipe cache, dalvik and do the factory reset from within twrp. When you become comfortable, I suggest looking at the NVflash thread in the dev section. This will provide you with a bit of assurance that you can recovery from most software brick situations. Read over the instructions a few times before you go a head and take some time to read through the thread so you know what could potentially go wrong. It really isn't that difficult to do but you should be well informaed before proceding. If you need anything else don't hesitate to ask
Another thing that i find helpful, keep a stock rom in your sdcard. When i semi-bricked my 201, i was able to flash the stock rom using CWM, then do a factory reset. Once back to factory, i was able to boot and start over again.
I have a stock rom evo 4g LTE, rooted, with Android 4.0.3 on it.
I forget the root app I used, some one click thingy, I guess my bootloader is unlocked
because I get a boot menu every time I reboot, on that screen that says **TAMPERED**.
Anyway, I ignored the notification icon in my taskbar for OTA updates, for a very long time.
Since the day I bought it over a year ago.
Finally I decided "eh, screw it, why not." ...I'm sure I'll regret that.
I told it to do the OTA update, and it downloaded (I think??) and rebooted.
The icon went away. Seemed to be a done deal.
But once per day since then, my phone rings, and I see a prompt saying
there's an OTA update, and would I like to install it now?
I think it's the same OTA update being prompted repeatdly,
because the filesize is always the same (~42 megs).
What should I do? I can choose install, reboot, and be fine for the rest of the day,
or choose cancel, reboot, and be fine for the rest of the day.
Doesn't seem to matter. But would be nice to fix it for good.
Well, considering that you are about 4-5 OTAs behind the rest of the community, I would say that the notification is probably correct. HOWEVER, of you are not using the stock recovery, then the OTA did not flash. Yes, the phone rebooted, but that's because it is installed entirely through recovery, and the phone has to reboot to get into recovery mode in the first place.
Now, for the more important question at hand....why exactly are you still using ICS? Furthermore, if you are still using ICS, then why are you rooted? As far as I'm concerned, the OTAs are actually necessary updates for the phone. I'm sure that you will love Jelly Bean if you have never used it before.
And please, for the sake of us all who are cringing at the sight of the first sentence....PLEASE UPDATE your phone! If you have a good reason not to, please share.
Hi, thanks for the reply... Maybe they were all different updates after all.
I haven't been prompted to update again since my post.
Maybe I grabbed the 3 or 4 OTA updates that I needed to catch up on.
I do think I'd like Jelly Bean too, seeing some of the features is what prompted me to finally catch up.
Can you explain this part to me? I'm not familiar with this stuff.
HOWEVER, of you are not using the stock recovery, then the OTA did not flash.
Yes, the phone rebooted, but that's because it is installed entirely through recovery,
and the phone has to reboot to get into recovery mode in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, there's more than one recovery mode, the stock one, and ...whatever else you can install?
When I see the white screen that says **TAMPERED** (looks basically like this screen)...
should I have chosen Recovery instead of the usual reboot option?
If I no longer see the notification, does that mean the updates worked? My Android version still shows 4.0.3.
why exactly are you still using ICS? Furthermore, if you are still using ICS, then why are you rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I had no compelling reason to upgrade. I still don't really, the phone does what I want,
I just saw some of the features in the next version and thought "huh, that sounds pretty cool".
I'm rooted for all the usual reasons... I want to be able to browse, copy, move, rename files (including system files)
without incident... use nandroid for backups... wifi tether (still can't get that to work actually)... install unapproved apps...
tweak the OS, and so on.
Ok, my friend...let me educate you. Instead of giving you the simplest, fastest solution, I will actually try to answer all of your questions, since you did ask.
I do think I'd like Jelly Bean too, seeing some of the features is what prompted me to finally catch up.
Can you explain this part to me? I'm not familiar with this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To give a very superficial explanation of Jelly Bean, it is everything that ICS does, and more. It just does it smoother. It also brings Google Now, which was – and still is – the selling point of Jelly Bean. The Sense launcher got a few changes, too, but you will have to explore those changes on your own (mainly because I don’t remember them off hand, and this post is beginning to become lengthy).
Maybe I grabbed the 3 or 4 OTA updates that I needed to catch up on.
If I no longer see the notification, does that mean the updates worked? My Android version still shows 4.0.3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the first update didn’t update properly, then the phone is simply downloading and trying to install the same update over and over. When you boot back into Android after a successful update, you will be greeted by a welcome message congratulating you for installing the new version.
If you are rooted, odds are, you are using a custom recovery, such as TWRP or CWM. OTAs are only installed through the stock recovery & a locked bootloader. The stock recovery doesn’t make nandroids, or do anything of the sort. To install the stock recovery, go here:
http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/HTCEvo4GLTE/rooting/Evo4GLTERoot2.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock recovery is located somewhere within the zip file.
So, there's more than one recovery mode, the stock one, and ...whatever else you can install?
When I see the white screen that says **TAMPERED** (looks basically like this screen)...
should I have chosen Recovery instead of the usual reboot option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash install the stock recovery by using fastboot commands from the bootloader (which is the screen that shows the TAMPERED status on the top), or you can use Flash Image GUI. It is a paid app on the Play Store, or you can get it from XDA (the dev let XDA users download it for free…Google it).
Lastly, there are a few things that I suggest that you do. First, obtain S-Off (Google, Google, Google...very simple), so you can install the new firmwares directly, instead of using OTAs. Otherwise, if you accept the OTA, you will lose root, and you will have to root your phone again and again. Installing the firmware, then the new rom is the same as accepting the OTA, then rooting.
Another alternative is to get S-Off, then accept the OTA (after installing the stock recovery). Your bootloader does not need to be locked, and there are recovery zips floating around here that can be installed through the bootloader (therefore, you will not be stuck rooting the phone the hard way, just boot into recovery and flash SuperSU). I highly suggest achieving S-Off.
If you want to jump straight to the latest version (Android 4.3, Sense 5.0) by installing the RUU located somewhere in this forum. I actually suggest that you try Sense 4 with Jelly Bean first, but that is completely up to you. Keep in mind that using the RUU will wipe your internal memory, so back up what needs to be backed up. This doesn’t require you to be rooted, and the state of the bootloader does not matter. It will lock the bootloader, load the stock recovery, and you will lose root. You won’t be able to downgrade without S-Off.
Other Notes:
When using the 4.3 RUU, make sure that Android USB Debugging is enabled.
Bookmarking for later but I wanted to say thanks for the thorough reply!
I can confirm the update never worked, because I never got the confirmation message
and I got prompted again a few hours after I posted.
Are you willing to answer just a few more things?
Based on what I've read, it sounds like this is what I ought to do:
- Back up anything I need to. Just to confirm, updating firmware and flashing a new rom wipes out everything in the phone's internal memory, but not external SDcard? Or both?
Are apps considered "on the cloud" and I can reinstall by just redownloading, without paying again?
Except sideloaded apps? Or will I need to find all those APK files and save them somewhere else?
Is it safe to say they're all in \data\app and \system\app? Or would system\app be unwanted since it's what came with the old phone OS?
- Get my phone into S-OFF status.
- Update firmware (this is a separate process from updating the rom? Where do I get this firmware? Google google google?)
- Install a new ROM (stock or otherwise) which will have these updates built in, so I won't need to regain root.
- Not sure what my bootloader is, maybe TWRP, does it matter? Do the above steps affect it? Should I change it to stock anyway?
- You suggested trying Sense 4 rather than Sense 5 first... any special reason?
Are you willing to answer just a few more things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As always, I'm open for questions. Not to sound egotistic, but I enjoy sharing my opinion.
Based on what I've read, it sounds like this is what I ought to do:
- Back up anything I need to. Just to confirm, updating firmware and flashing a new rom wipes out everything in the phone's internal memory, but not external SDcard? Or both?
Updating to the 4.3 firmware wipes your internal memory, not your sd card (although, that may be a very unfortunate circumstance, so it should be backed up as well). The other firmware updates do not affect your memory.
Are apps considered "on the cloud" and I can reinstall by just redownloading, without paying again?
Technically, yes they are "on the cloud." The fact that you paid is saved somewhere within your main Google account that you downloaded the app with. It is possible to pay for apps with your secondary gmail account, which can be switched within the Play Store app.
Except sideloaded apps? Or will I need to find all those APK files and save them somewhere else?
Use Titanium Backup if you can't find the apks. I do save my apks that I download, and I also upload them to Google Drive, since I have multiple Android devices, and I also have a faulty micro sd card that I am yet to replace. I can lose my data at any given moment, but everything is backed up, so I'm not worried.
Is it safe to say they're all in \data\app and \system\app? Or would system\app be unwanted since it's what came with the old phone OS?
Everything within the /system folder is wiped when you flash new roms. That data is NOT backed up while flashing between roms. Also, since it is from an older Android version, it's best to leave them alone. You may back up the data if you like, but I would refrain from restoring the apks along with the data.
The /data directory may be wiped, depending on the dev who built the rom zip. If they added the superwipe script, then /data will be wiped as well. Most devs do not include this, since many people "dirty flash," which is flashing new roms or updates of the current rom without wiping /data first.
- Get my phone into S-OFF status.
You will save yourself a LOT of headaches in the future. It was my S-Off status that allowed me to reflash my firmware when I lost the function of my data/voice antennas while carelessly flashing a port of a phone on a different carrier. Also, if you feel curious to try AOSP roms, then you do not need to do any extra steps to flash them.
- Update firmware (this is a separate process from updating the rom? Where do I get this firmware? Google google google?)
Yes, the firmware handles manages how the hardware of the phone operates. Updating the rom changes how the software looks and behaves. The kernel is sort of a bridge between the firmware and the software, since it manages the firmware (like battery life, processor speed, antennas, etc.), but the kernel is dependent on the software version. The firmware is not dependent on the software version, just as the software version is not dependent on the firmware version.
The only exception of the firmware/software independence is the 4.3 update, which requires a complete update of the firmware, and the older software cannot run on the new firmware without being modded by a dev.
- Install a new ROM (stock or otherwise) which will have these updates built in, so I won't need to regain root.
- Not sure what my bootloader is, maybe TWRP, does it matter? Do the above steps affect it? Should I change it to stock anyway?
Your bootloader is the white screen that shows the TAMPERED status on the top, and little Androids on skateboards on the bottom. With the exception of the firmware information in the top left corner, this screen does not change...ever.
TWRP is your recovery image, which is accessible through the RECOVERY option in your bootloader, or you can boot directly into it through different apps in Android - Titanium Backup is one of them (yes, that's one of the options, even for the free version).
The only reason to return your recovery to stock is to accept OTAs, and also to bring your phone back to the complete factory settings, just as the day when it was first purchased (for the sake of selling the phone, or returning back to Sprint for service}. Otherwise, don't bother with it. You may want to update your version of TWRP, though. If you update to 4.3, you will have to update it. I'm not going to take the time to get into that right now. I've given you enough homework.
- You suggested trying Sense 4 rather than Sense 5 first... any special reason?
I am a very patient person. To me, exploring Android takes time. I enjoy reading before I test, and testing before I settle (which I'm yet to "settle"). All of that being said, I suggested Sense 4 before Sense 5 because I wanted you to experience the both of them. They are truly two different versions of Sense, which one might not realize, as their version numbers are differentiated by one integer (in other words, 4 to 5). Sense 3 was a small step above Sense 2, and Sense 4 was a bigger step from Sense 3. Sense 5 is a complete overhaul of the Sense UI, save the flip clock.
I just feel that skipping from 4.0 to 4.3 is missing out on a great experience, but that is mainly if you actually want to try out different roms. Until the Sense 5 RUU, I still visiting ICS on occassion, but I usually didn't last more than 3 hours before I jumped back to JB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whew...you're making me work. But I like it. Anymore questions? Feel free to ask.
OK I've been working on this all afternoon and I'm at an impasse.
You've been a huge help so far and I hope you can guide me through this part.
I want to S-OFF and am following a tutorial: http://www.thefortressofnerditude.com/s-off-your-sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte/
Step 3 says root and install recovery. So I decide I need TWRP.
Already have nandroid and titanium backups both completed.
And I copied the whole SDcard to my computer after.
Annoyingly, TWRP's install page suggests that I need to be in S-OFF.
TWRP says I need S-OFF. S-OFF guide seems to suggest I need TWRP working.
I installed "TWRP Manager". Realize that might not be the same thing as TWRP.
Googled and found it on the TeamWin page.
The page asks first to input my device. I choose Evo 4G LTE (Jewel).
That brings me to this page: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/98
They suggest I do the android app install method. I follow the first link (Market Link)
and install GooManager, and follow their steps.
Install the app and open it. Tap menu then hit Install OpenRecoveryScript. Tap Yes. Verify that the filename displays your device's code name and hit Yes. The file will download and your device will reboot and install the recovery automatically.
This all goes smoothly, but here's my issue.
It doesn't reboot automatically, or install anything automatically.
I see in the comments a recommendation to reboot into recovery mode.
I choose that in GooManager's menu, and after rebooting I get my bootloader screen with 4 menu options:
Bootloader
Reboot
Reboot Bootloader
Power Down
The only one that sounds sensible to me is bootloader so I pick that.
Now I get some new options:
Fastboot
Recovery
Factory Reset
Clear Storage
Simlock
Image CRC
Show Barcode
So, the only one that makes sense is Recovery. I choose it. The phone reboots.
Now I'm back at the first menu. So I'm in a loop.
Nothing I do in this loop seems to install anything.
So I just rebooted the phone normally and I'm back to my OS.
Where to go from here?
CreeDo said:
OK I've been working on this all afternoon and I'm at an impasse.
You've been a huge help so far and I hope you can guide me through this part.
I want to S-OFF and am following a tutorial: http://www.thefortressofnerditude.com/s-off-your-sprint-htc-evo-4g-lte/
Step 3 says root and install recovery. So I decide I need TWRP.
Already have nandroid and titanium backups both completed.
And I copied the whole SDcard to my computer after.
Annoyingly, TWRP's install page suggests that I need to be in S-OFF.
TWRP says I need S-OFF. S-OFF guide seems to suggest I need TWRP working.
I installed "TWRP Manager". Realize that might not be the same thing as TWRP.
Googled and found it on the TeamWin page.
The page asks first to input my device. I choose Evo 4G LTE (Jewel).
That brings me to this page: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/98
They suggest I do the android app install method. I follow the first link (Market Link)
and install GooManager, and follow their steps.
Install the app and open it. Tap menu then hit Install OpenRecoveryScript. Tap Yes. Verify that the filename displays your device's code name and hit Yes. The file will download and your device will reboot and install the recovery automatically.
This all goes smoothly, but here's my issue.
It doesn't reboot automatically, or install anything automatically.
I see in the comments a recommendation to reboot into recovery mode.
I choose that in GooManager's menu, and after rebooting I get my bootloader screen with 4 menu options:
Bootloader
Reboot
Reboot Bootloader
Power Down
The only one that sounds sensible to me is bootloader so I pick that.
Now I get some new options:
Fastboot
Recovery
Factory Reset
Clear Storage
Simlock
Image CRC
Show Barcode
So, the only one that makes sense is Recovery. I choose it. The phone reboots.
Now I'm back at the first menu. So I'm in a loop.
Nothing I do in this loop seems to install anything.
So I just rebooted the phone normally and I'm back to my OS.
Where to go from here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you unlock your boot loader first? You don't need to be S-off to install a custom recovery. Unlock your bootloader at htcdev.com then install twrp.
Read here for more info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2420916
Also, I suggest learning how to use fastboot commands. Install twrp using fastboot.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
OK, so I'm semi-bricked but not panicking yet.
Here's where I'm at.
• Unlocked boot loader successfully
• Installed TWRP using fastboot.
• Followed instructions as closely as I could on moonshine.io to get S-OFF working.
Several times during the process I got "installing device driver software" in my win7 system tray.
Not sure if that's normal. But the drivers seemed to install fine. At first.
But then, during this part of the process:
Moonshining .................(1)
Windows prompted me that it was installing some drivers again, But it failed to install the MTP driver.
After ten tries with the "Moonshining" step, I got "ERROR: don't drink and moonshine!" or something like that.
So, it seems like I need to get this MTP driver going. First I tried solutions on the computer:
• Uninstalled all HTC software, unplugged phone, rebooted,
installed HTC Sync Manager (setup name setup_3.0.52.0_htc.exe), then uninstalled it...
because a tutorial said this would keep the drivers but remove the software. Still no luck on the MTP driver though.
• Found "Mass Storage Device" (my phone) under device manager, removed it, unplugged, rebooted, replugged.
• Plugged cord into back of PC, so I'm using USB 2.0 rather than USB 3.0.
• One suggestion said a certain registry section might have an upperfilter key that shouldn't be there.
But I don't have that upperfilter key so that's not the issue.
Some fixes require getting into my phone (one guy suggests turning off USB debugging)...
but I no longer have a working OS. I can get into my bootloader, I tried Factory Reset.
But after choosing this I go into TWRP and I have no TWRP backups that I can restore.
So my next guess is, I need to get a recovery ZIP (is that basically a ROM?) that TWRP can install.
If that's correct, what ZIP should I get? I was on Android 4.0.3 Sense 4.0, can I download jellybean with Sense 5.0,
and install it via TWRP?
That was my goal all along, but I'm determined to get S-OFF working, so if doing that means my phone gets wiped again,
I guess I just want whatever ROM/recovery/whatever that allows me to change this USB debugging setting,
and try other phone-related fixes to the MTP driver issue.
First of all, flash an ICS rom. I'm assuming that you are still using the same ICS firmware, and you will want to have your phone operational (to enable USB debugging). The link for MeanRom ICS still works. http://old.androidfilehost.com/main/EVO_3D_Developers/mikeyxda/LTEvo/MeanROM-ICS-v65-jewel-ltevo.zip
Ok....since you are on the old HBoot, I think that you need to use the older S-Off methods (LazyPanda or DirtyRacun), if I'm not mistaken. You can not download and flash Sense 5.0 through TWRP as of yet, because you need to be using the new firmware to do so. You may want to pay http://unlimited.io/jewel.htm a visit. Also, to use LazyPanda or DirtyRacun, you need to be using Ubuntu. Another option that you have is to use the regular RUU and update directly to Sense 5.0. You will be stock, unrooted, but you can easily use the latest S-Off method.
Lastly, for your rooting/S-Off needs, you can also use a handy-dandy toolkit from @WindyCityRockr that can handle everything that you need to do. I usually encourage manual labor, but there are some exceptions. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2436217
Thanks again for jumping in.
I'm getting somewhere, but still so many difficulties.
Fix one thing, break two more.
I finally have a new working rom, but almost against my will it ended up
being CyanogenMod.
The short version:
- unlocked bootloader, got TWRP going, finally got ADB working (don't think it's the right driver,
but whatever, ADB commands work fine), wiped everything... factory reset, Dalvik, external storage.
- Didn't wipe Internal storage, I wiped only /data/ per some post's recommendation.
- I used ADB PUSH to get a few possible roms onto /sdcard/
PJ75IMG_1.13.651.1.zip (failed with "unable to open zip")
(ROM)_Stock_Rooted_OTA_(3.16.651.3)V2.zip (failed with "unable to execute updater binary in zip")
cm-10.2.0-jewel.zip (cyanogenmod) - success!
So, the phone works. It appears to be at least based on android 4.3... and I'm guessing CM, which updates
frequently, has all those OTA updates bundled into it. Any downsides to CyanogenMod?
I could just proceed from here to reinstall my old apps etc.
I'm still not "S-OFF" which annoys me, but I read a post suggesting it's not really that necessary.
The way they put it is, s-off allows you to access partitions so they can be modded,
but nobody is developing anything interesting for those partitions. Like nobody's doing custom radios and such.
Should I still pursue S-OFF anyway?
If so, is there a way to do it with CyanogenMod?
That awesome app (Windroid Universal Toolkit) doesn't recognize the phone.
Last question, how should I go about restoring everything?
I had titanium and nandroid backups copied to my computer.
Can it restore to such a wildly different version of the OS?
Can I get back not just apps, but stuff like my keyboard preferences, texting history, etc.?
Should I still pursue S-OFF anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! Being S-On is a complete pain in the BUTT when switching AOSP roms. Have you tried to flash the rom that I posted, MeanRom ICS? I'm really trying to get you to stay on Sense, because S-Off and other different tools work so much better while using Sense. AOSP is better after S-Off. But that's up to you.
If so, is there a way to do it with CyanogenMod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure. You can try if you have the time. I suggest making a nandroid of your CM rom, and try to flash a Sense ICS rom, not JB...yet.
That awesome app (Windroid Universal Toolkit) doesn't recognize the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM might be the issue here, as well as it might not.
Last question, how should I go about restoring everything?
I had titanium and nandroid backups copied to my computer.
Can it restore to such a wildly different version of the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, TB will still work. There are some apps that might cause the restoration process to freeze, so I suggest killing TB and skipping over the app that froze the process when you return.
Can I get back not just apps, but stuff like my keyboard preferences, texting history, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your keyboard preferences was not backed up, then no. If you were using the stock Sense keyboard, then that is a no as well. As long as your texting history was backed up, it can be restored. Texts are not like apps...their data is typically stored in XML files which are readable through any version of Android (2.3+).
I'm still soliciting my help if you need it.
I'm for sure going to need it, so thanks very much for the ongoing support!
I got discouraged after all the failures but I'll download Meanrom now.
The thing is... now that Cyanogen mod works, I hesitate to wipe it and try a new one.
Especially since several other roms I tried mysteriously failed to install.
I like that it's jellybean and don't wanna move backwards to ICS.
And I like their goal of cutting out the fluff.
I still want S-OFF, will I end up having to wipe everything again to get it?
Also, I really don't feel confident I have the right drivers for my windows machine.
I can transfer files in USB mode, go into USB debugging, and do the usual ADB commands.
But the phone shows up as a nexus in device manager, but it's definitely evo 4G lte.
I tried installing an executable RUU and it failed after a bit saying it can't detect the device.
And there's that issue where Windroid doesn't detect it.
So I have the feeling that without the right USB drivers, tools like Moonshine will still fail.
I specifically got errors every time when anything tried to install MTP usb drivers. Do I really need them?
You think LazyPanda or DirtyRacun's tools will work even if I never get the MTP thing installed?
CreeDo said:
I'm for sure going to need it, so thanks very much for the ongoing support!
I got discouraged after all the failures but I'll download Meanrom now.
The thing is... now that Cyanogen mod works, I hesitate to wipe it and try a new one.
Especially since several other roms I tried mysteriously failed to install.
I like that it's jellybean and don't wanna move backwards to ICS.
And I like their goal of cutting out the fluff.
I still want S-OFF, will I end up having to wipe everything again to get it?
Also, I really don't feel confident I have the right drivers for my windows machine.
I can transfer files in USB mode, go into USB debugging, and do the usual ADB commands.
But the phone shows up as a nexus in device manager, but it's definitely evo 4G lte.
I tried installing an executable RUU and it failed after a bit saying it can't detect the device.
And there's that issue where Windroid doesn't detect it.
So I have the feeling that without the right USB drivers, tools like Moonshine will still fail.
I specifically got errors every time when anything tried to install MTP usb drivers. Do I really need them?
You think LazyPanda or DirtyRacun's tools will work even if I never get the MTP thing installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel free to try the facepalm S-off method as well. Works on devices with older software and is super easy. Look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2163013
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Evolution_Freak said:
Feel free to try the facepalm S-off method as well. Works on devices with older software and is super easy. Look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2163013
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers, it does look pretty straightforward.
Of course that's what I thought hours ago when I tried moonshine haha.
I'll give it a go.
To be clear, does this method wipe anything?
They don't actually say.
CreeDo said:
Cheers, it does look pretty straightforward.
Of course that's what I thought hours ago when I tried moonshine haha.
I'll give it a go.
To be clear, does this method wipe anything?
They don't actually say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't remember if it wipes or not. Best thing to do is make a backup with TWRP and keep the backup on your external SD card. If it wipes you can always restore your backup.
Sent from my HTC device
Thanks for the help so far guys. I am currently really enjoying Cyanogenmod. I suspect it's eating battery more,
but then against I am on the phone for hours redoing everything that got changed/removed.
Does anyone know if there's a simple way (or even a difficult way) to restore my texts?
Because the app is totally different, and the old text app was the one that came
with the stock rom, I cannot restore it in titanium. But if I could extract even the raw text that'd be helpful.
Get back to Sense, or get someone with Sense to restore it for you, and save it using a different app. Or maybe try using SMS Backup & Restore from the Play Store. I'm not sure if it can read the backups saved through Sense, but it's worth a try. You just have to navigate to the location of the old backup.
It looks like I can import an XML in this messaging app so maybe if sense offers an export to XML option, I'll be set.
Sense is sort of an OS on top of the OS, right?
Can sense be loaded without flashing a new rom? or is it too integrated with the OS?
I know there has been many threads giving explicit instructions on how to unlock bootloader, gain s-off, and install TWRP recovery. But I am having problems/questions that no one (at least of what I've read) has encountered. I will try and make this clear for y'all but bear with me. Before I start just let it be known that I DO HAVE my bootloader unlocked. I ended up going to a cell phone repair place and paying a small fee to get my bootloader unlocked.
1. Do I need to gain s-off to be able to root and install TWRP recovery?
I say this because the I have tried the has00n application to unlock bootloader, gain s-off, root, and install TWRP recovery, but I ran into problems with my computer recognizing my device. I had all the necessary files downloaded (at least to my knowledge) but it honestly just wouldn't recognize my device.
2. If I do not need to gain s-off to install TWRP recovery and install a custom ROM (I'm going to be installing Cyanogenmod), how do I go about doing that?
Honestly I'm so fed up with this that I just want to sell this phone and get another one, all I want to do is get Cyanogenmod on this phone but it's so immensely difficult.
Please help me! I have been trying to get this accomplished for so long but I feel like because this phone is older all the info about how to root and gain s-off is outdated.....
All of your help is greatly appreciated!!
You shouldn't need s-off for installing a custom rom. That's for tinkering with model id and scary stuff like that. I'm not sure what that tool is but I only know of one way to get s-off, and that's sunshine s-off.
As for rooting, when you install a custom rom via twrp or cwm, it will typically ask you if you'd like to root your phone AFTER installing the rom, but BEFORE you restart the first time. So the process should be:
Unlock
Install twrp or cwm
Wipe and factory reset
Install rom
Once completed, phone will prompt if you want to restart
Select YES to root on restart
And then wait for the phone to reboot! (it'll take a little while first time)
After the boot, it'll probably ask you to install superSU, which is the root manager app. If it doesn't, find it in the play store and you're set.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
shoe-jitsu said:
You shouldn't need s-off for installing a custom rom. That's for tinkering with model id and scary stuff like that. I'm not sure what that tool is but I only know of one way to get s-off, and that's sunshine s-off.
As for rooting, when you install a custom rom via twrp or cwm, it will typically ask you if you'd like to root your phone AFTER installing the rom, but BEFORE you restart the first time. So the process should be:
Unlock
Install twrp or cwm
Wipe and factory reset
Install rom
Once completed, phone will prompt if you want to restart
Select YES to root on restart
And then wait for the phone to reboot! (it'll take a little while first time)
After the boot, it'll probably ask you to install superSU, which is the root manager app. If it doesn't, find it in the play store and you're set.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. So as of right now I am using the fastboot adb to control my phone from the command prompt on the computer, but there is a problem. When I try and flash the custom recovery (either TWRP or CWM) it says that the files are unrecognizable, so they're pretty much corrupted. I honestly don't know that to do. I know I can achieve root if I just get either one of these recoveries to flash but it seems that all the files for the htc one m8 TWRP and CWM are corrupted. What are you suggestions at this point? The fastboot iadb is working perfect I just need a non-corrupted recovery file and I'm searching around the internet withno luck of finding one. Is there one that you can attest to working? If so that would be amazing. Again, thanks for your help, hopefully we can get this sorted out!
Hmm, do you have the latest version of twrp? Sometimes older versions don't install, I would try to see what version of twrp htc one m8 users are using, I'm not by my computer right now so I'm not sure. I also know that twrp works better on htc one for some reason, I've never found a version of cwm that works on my htc one. Make sure you are using the proper install command to install it too, I think it's fastboot flash recovery FILENAME.IMG
If all else fails, all I can think of at this point is that you got a bad download or something ?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
shoe-jitsu said:
Hmm, do you have the latest version of twrp? Sometimes older versions don't install, I would try to see what version of twrp htc one m8 users are using, I'm not by my computer right now so I'm not sure. I also know that twrp works better on htc one for some reason, I've never found a version of cwm that works on my htc one. Make sure you are using the proper install command to install it too, I think it's fastboot flash recovery FILENAME.IMG
If all else fails, all I can think of at this point is that you got a bad download or something
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I've been trying to use the most current version of twrp and it didn't work. I ended up trying past versions and those didn't work either. The fastboot command i am using is the same as the one you stated. There's just a problem with the files. I'm beyond frustrated but really thank you for your help. When you're by your computer can you please send me the twrp version you have, it would be much appreciated.
flapjackSam said:
Yeah I've been trying to use the most current version of twrp and it didn't work. I ended up trying past versions and those didn't work either. The fastboot command i am using is the same as the one you stated. There's just a problem with the files. I'm beyond frustrated but really thank you for your help. When you're by your computer can you please send me the twrp version you have, it would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you copy and paste your command window to this thread? It would help to see the exact error outputting. You can highlight and right click to copy anything from command window.
flapjackSam said:
Yeah I've been trying to use the most current version of twrp and it didn't work. I ended up trying past versions and those didn't work either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the phone currently on Lollipop, or otherwise? You can't know what version TWRP is correct, without this info. Current TWRP (2.8.7.0) won't work if the phone is on older OS version. Vice versa, if the phone is currently on Lollipop, older versions of TWRP (I believe older than 2.8) won't work. You have to flash the specific TWRP version that matches your OS version. Guessing which TWRP version to flash is not the right way to go about this.
Also, you need to tell us the actual TWRP version number you got, and where you downloaded it from. I've seen quite a few instances where folks thought they had the "most recent" version, but in fact they weren't even close. Its always best to be specific as possible, and provide all the details when getting help here.
Additionally, go into Settings (or do getvar all), and tell us the software number. If you got the Stagefright patch, it might be screwing up install of TWRP as well.
flapjackSam said:
The fastboot command i am using is the same as the one you stated. There's just a problem with the files..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, just saying you used the "same" command isn't enough. A single wrong character, wrong file name, wrong path will cause the command to fail. As the previous response requested, please cut/paste, or better yet post a screenshot of your command prompt window, so we can see the exact command syntax, and the specific error message.
I can virtually guarantee that as long as you downloaded the file direct from the TWRP website, and tried downloading (and flashing) it more than once (to eliminate the possibility of corruption during file transfer); that the issue is almost certainly pilot error.
Somehow I'm a little frusrated. I've brought my phone since today. So it is currently on Lollipop. There is no Power in setting to uncheck Fastboot. Is there any way I can root my phone?
MistakenUtopia said:
Somehow I'm a little frusrated. I've brought my phone since today. So it is currently on Lollipop. There is no Power in setting to uncheck Fastboot. Is there any way I can root my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Press and hold the power button until is hard reboots, then hold vol down as well. You should go to boot loader before the HTC screen pops up.
Back Up!
Just a reminder, after you install TWRP, boot into recovery (TWRP) and create a backup file saved to your SD card first before trying to install a new ROM!
Always can restore if things go wrong or you don't like it.
:fingers-crossed: