Hi there !
So I've bought my Xperia Z2 Tablet back in 2014 and I've immediately unlocked bootloader to root it. Of course I did NOT backup the TA partition etc...
Several weeks later I realized I couldn't update system. Since then, my system has stayed with android Kitkat 4.4.
But now, 4 years later, even Netflix isn't supported anymore on Android 4.4 so I need to update badly.
But actually I'm pretty lost with all the Xperia scene. My tablet is actually rooted and bootloader is unlocked. It has Busybox, Rommanager and Superuser installed.
I've tried PC companion, which of course tells me he can't update my tablet because of the unlocked bootloader.
Then I4ve installed Flashtool, I've tried locking bootloader but then my tablet can't boot anymore (Flashtool says it's connected in "flash mode") and I have to unlock bootloader for tablet to boot.
I'm pretty lost between Firmware, Kernel, ROMs. From what i've read I think I'm supposed to upgrade to 23.5.A.1.291 but not sure what market/operator I should pick..
And then I can't find a simple walkthrough. Most of them are outdated or missing files or steps...
Any help about how I should proceed would be much appreciated.
Thanks
If you have an unlocked bootloader you can easily install even Oreo (8.1 Android). Just flash the original firmware for your device (even Kitkat are available in flashtool to download-try some press media version).
I have japanese SOT21 Au operator locked tablet with forever locked bootloader and i've managed to replace standard 5.0.2 version by flashtool to 6.0.1 (taiwanese version 23.5.A.0.575) - which removed space from 32Gb to 16Gb (because SGP521 is less), but also resolved many problems - the sound level which was awful quiet on 5.0.2 now much much louder :good: and even Sony display enhancements works (i thought i will loose DRM keys with this flashes, but they ok as i see, i don't backed them up and everything much faster working and even the battery is better - less energy use with Battery Saver on (the Stamina mode on original was useless) and at last it charges during like watching Twitch stream in Source quality (on 5.0.2 there was strange behavior when tablet cannot sustain energy charging with discharging, so battery was like stuck in specific percent forever, just awful - watching something 1080p with full brightness with charger attached are just impossible short. I have 2011 Toshiba Thrive tablet which can work without user-removable battery, can work only from original charger-19volts, i'm using it like internet-TV, they don't make them like that anymore).
I'm amazed how easy it was - just flashing, no any dancing with root or anything. As i remember - first i flashed the original firmware, then cleaned to factory settings and flashed taiwanese SGP521 tablet firmware on it - it works from the first boot.
Related
Hello,
I've bought a new device - Evolveo StronPhone Q4, MTK6589 based phone. The stock ROM is basically vanilla Android 4.2.1. I've successfully rooted it using Framaroot.
Then I've created scatter file using MTK Droid Tools (all partitions that were formated were ext4).
Then I've decided to create a backup before I start playing with it, so I've tried backing up flash using SP Flash Tool (using Readback), it was running fine and downloaded approx. 20%, then crashed. I've tried that once or twice more times, always failed. Now after I plug it in, windows display "This device can perform faster" and FlashTool won't detect the device. If I connect it without battery with VolDn key pressed, FlashTool detects it and I get S_DL_GET_DRAM_SETTING_FAIL.
However, the phone boots fine, just GPS/Wifi/BT is not working. (No GPS icon appers, and I get errors like BT_open: WMT turn on BT fail in dmesg). Looks like an issue with kernel/HW issue.
Any ideas what could have gone wrong and how to fix it?
In the meantime, I've asked manufacturer for a stock FW image, but I'm not sure it helps...
Update: Okay, I have no clue what just happened. However I've unrooted, reverted everything I've modified on the phone so far so I'll be able to return it to manufacturer as "deffective"... And just for the curiosity connected it to the computer and tried downloading ROM one more time. And it succeeded - I'll upload the ROM once I get access to faster internet connection. I've removed the battery (phone was stuck in Preloader mode because I cancelled ongoing RAM test.), put it back and now everything works.
So, it looks like everything is fine now, however I'd love to know what happened, if you have any clue, please let me know!
fw problem
Mrkvak said:
Hello,
I've bought a new device - Evolveo StronPhone Q4, MTK6589 based phone. The stock ROM is basically vanilla Android 4.2.1. I've successfully rooted it using Framaroot.
Then I've created scatter file using MTK Droid Tools (all partitions that were formated were ext4).
Then I've decided to create a backup before I start playing with it, so I've tried backing up flash using SP Flash Tool (using Readback), it was running fine and downloaded approx. 20%, then crashed. I've tried that once or twice more times, always failed. Now after I plug it in, windows display "This device can perform faster" and FlashTool won't detect the device. If I connect it without battery with VolDn key pressed, FlashTool detects it and I get S_DL_GET_DRAM_SETTING_FAIL.
However, the phone boots fine, just GPS/Wifi/BT is not working. (No GPS icon appers, and I get errors like BT_open: WMT turn on BT fail in dmesg). Looks like an issue with kernel/HW issue.
Any ideas what could have gone wrong and how to fix it?
In the meantime, I've asked manufacturer for a stock FW image, but I'm not sure it helps...
Update: Okay, I have no clue what just happened. However I've unrooted, reverted everything I've modified on the phone so far so I'll be able to return it to manufacturer as "deffective"... And just for the curiosity connected it to the computer and tried downloading ROM one more time. And it succeeded - I'll upload the ROM once I get access to faster internet connection. I've removed the battery (phone was stuck in Preloader mode because I cancelled ongoing RAM test.), put it back and now everything works.
So, it looks like everything is fine now, however I'd love to know what happened, if you have any clue, please let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello,
could you please upload somewhere original fw for Evolveo Strongphone Q4. im in bootloop now
Hi all,
can you hel me with strongphone Q4, do you know any better rom for this phone?
Maybe by PM in czech? ...
Hi!
I have a chinese Xperia Z c6603 phone and I did a number of modifications to bring it closer to US stock phone. the phone had stock Android 4.4.2 without GAPPS.
Here is what I did in the sequence.
(1) Unlocked the boot loader and installed Clockwork recovery ROM. I did this in Ubuntu 12.04 desktop. Th recovery worked pretty well.
(2) installed CyanogenMod 10.2.1 "Yuga". The phone hung up at the boot and kept on circling around CyanogenMod.
(3) Used Sony Emma flashtool and installed Sony stock OS which said it was Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Obviously I used Win 7 laptop for flashing.
(4) After installation, I managed to boot the phone and I automatically got GAPPS. Even though what Emma installed
Everything seemed to work fine except Video recording. The stock phone had great video recording and now all of my video recording is screwed up. Attached please find a sample of a movie clip that I shot after flashing back to stock Sony Android OS. I do not see similar poor quality images when I take still images from the same camera. Therefore, I have a feeling that something is wrong with video recording firmware or codecs. So, I would like to get everyones help in diagnosing the problem and fixing.
Thanks
Dear Experts,
Months ago my 2y old XZU on 4.4.4 (6833, towel rooted, locked, CWM recovery) started to fail on init of LCD, when coming out of standby. LCD init not only fails when device gets waked up by "power" button, but also when power is applied (Dock connector or USB). So I guess in fact it is a firmware issue (not a defective power button or the like).
It gets worse and worse; when device is warm it sometimes needs 30 or more off/on cycles.
When LCD init fails, the screen either stays black (only backlight) or colored lines show up shortly and fade away. But in fact the device is running - only LCD is not working.
But when init is successful, the XZU can run nicely for hours (as navi).
I hope that a android FW update might help!?
Unfortunately OTA doesn't seem to work on routed devices even with still locked boot loader.
Is there a way to update directly to 5.1.1 available now? Is it possible to update in two steps?
I would not mind to loose root, but loosing the possibility to write to external SDCARD!
Any help/ideas? THANKS A LOT!
Thomas
Sounds like SOD, or Sleep Of Death. The Ultra had some issues with it back on Jelly Bean, but I hardly read about it being an issue on KitKat, but yeah, it's probably a software issue, so an update to 5.1.1 might just cure it. You have a couple of options here:
1. Update the official way by installing Sony's PC Companion app on your computer and updating it that way
2. Update it in a little less official way by updating it manually yourself with Flashtool on your computer
3. Update by flashing a customized version through a recovery system on your device (like CWM or TWRP)
I would personally update it through PC Companion if I were you, since I guess you're not that technical when it comes to flashing and troubleshooting things. PC Companion should notify you about the update as soon as you plug your Ultra to your computer. If it notifies you about the 5.0.2 update, then I guess you'll have to update to 5.0.2 first, and then you'll be able to update to 5.1.
Flashtool allows you to manually download a FTF, or the ROM file from XDA and then flash it yourself. It's a lot quicker than PC Companion, but also a lot more complicated for people who haven't used it before.
Flashing through a recovery is mainly for people who already are used to flashing and stuff like that, and know what they're (mostly) doing.
Any other questions?
Thanks for your very valuable hints!!!
I'm really curious if it will work with PC comp (vs. OTA) and if I will loose write access to SDRAM (introduced in Android 4.4 and regained by root and SDFix).
Currently the download is running..
Will post results
zamzon said:
Thanks for your very valuable hints!!!
I'm really curious if it will work with PC comp (vs. OTA) and if I will loose write access to SDRAM (introduced in Android 4.4 and regained by root and SDFix).
Currently the download is running..
Will post results
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OTA will only tell you to connect to the computer to update. And regarding SD-card, that won't be an issue. Android will ask you to grant permission to the SD-card in some cases, but I haven't had any issues with it. Most if not all file explorers works just fine, and you won't experience any issues with the SD-card.
The update worked (no error on PC), but device seemed dead afterwads
After a reset and numerous power off/on cycles, the LCD init worked and I could see the result. :laugh:
Root was gone, of course. Recovery system and write access to SDCARD, too. Therefore Sygic app (navi), which had been moved to ext. SDCard. could not run anymore and moved itself to .android again.
But worst of all: the init of LCD now works even more seldom!
It does not even work when device has been shut down before, cooled down and is then switched on.
As far as I read, the SOD is different, cause my device in fact is "awake". It runs fine - only LCD is not working and not displaying anything.
I have no idea how to fix this. I can not imagine any hardware defect, causing such behavior (and I designed embeded systems with gfx controllers, myself).
Thomas
zamzon said:
The update worked (no error on PC), but device seemed dead afterwads
After a reset and numerous power off/on cycles, the LCD init worked and I could see the result. :laugh:
Root was gone, of course. Recovery system and write access to SDCARD, too. Therefore Sygic app (navi), which had been moved to ext. SDCard. could not run anymore and moved itself to .android again.
But worst of all: the init of LCD now works even more seldom!
It does not even work when device has been shut down before, cooled down and is then switched on.
As far as I read, the SOD is different, cause my device in fact is "awake". It runs fine - only LCD is not working and not displaying anything.
I have no idea how to fix this. I can not imagine any hardware defect, causing such behavior (and I designed embeded systems with gfx controllers, myself).
Thomas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But that does sound like a hardware issue. The final thing you can do, before you'll have to send it in for repairs, or get a new device, is to do a full factory resetting and see if that finally helps. You just updated now, but there's still a lot of crap left over from the previous version, that might screw things up.
So my advice would be to do a wipe, check if it help, and if not either send it in for repairs or get a new device. It's not a software issue if the issue travels over several OS versions with you. It may be a faulty display connector.
I have a VF-895N (rooted and stock rom - update 130FFN2), yesterday I decided to update my phone from 5.0.2 120FFN2 to 5.0.2 130FFN2, I removed root and made a hard reset, started the update process but at the very end of the update, it said "error", then I got stuck into a bootloop " no command" but managed myself to re-flash stock rom already updated with the latest version. When it finished flashing, I booted up the phone, started to remove bloatware, rooted the phone and started to install apps like Facebook, Instagram and other stuff like that.
I finished installing all the apps I wanted but I noticed my battery was draining very fast and also my phone was overheating, I tried to open Instagram for the first time but it freezed, tried the same with Facebook, it freezed.
Overall the phone's performance was very bad comparing with the one I had before re-flashing.
Now I don't know what to do, some apps close or freeze, the phone does not overheat much now bcuz I installed setcpu and set the values to min.=240mhz and max.=980mhz tho I don't understand much of these things... (Initially the values were 1.020mhz of min. And 1.020mhz of max.
I did hard reset 3 times and I always got the same result and I also cleaned the cache too.
I can't downgrade bcuz there is no stock rom available anywhere except for a flash tool (Sugar QCT) that flashes the latest update, which I already have and seems to be broken.
Please help me.
Hi!
I received J8110 from Sony as a service exchange unit (they could not repair my other model). It came originally with Android 9 1317-9334_55.0.A.2.205 GLOBAL-A1. I have not unlocked it.
It never got any OTA update for this over 2 years old firmware, so I decided to flash it myself using flashtool. As I could not find exactly matching 1317-9334 on XperiCheck, I used 1318-3803 Android 10 "Internal Service Exchange Unit 55.1.A.9.127-R1B" firmware. It did flash correctly, and almost everything works - except both Netflix and HBO Max reboot the phone whenever I try to play any video. Moreover, the phone reboots itself randomly once a few hours, and I must say it is really irritating issue.
The last entries in Android logcat just before reboot look like this:
Code:
03-07 10:18:41.251 886 17948 D WVCdm : [license.cpp(355):PrepareKeyRequest] PrepareKeyRequest: nonce=3174971344
03-07 10:18:41.313 886 6842 I WVCdm : [cdm_engine.cpp(191):CloseSession] CdmEngine::CloseSession: sid10
I suspect it might be somehow related to Widevine keys. But the DRM info app shows everything is OK and L1 support is enabled (as in the attached screenshot).
I tried to flash also other firmware images - everything available for J8110 in XperiCheck (including 55.2.A.4.332), but the phone won't boot - "Your device is corrupt. It can't be trusted and will not boot.". I even tried flashing J8170, but that eneded up even worse, in recovery: "cannot load Android system". This 55.1.A.9.127-R1B (that reboots my phone on Netflix) is the only firmware I was able to boot.
My first question: is there any way to downgrade to this original, obsolete but working Android 9 1317-9334_55.0.A.2.205 GLOBAL-A1? I can't find it in XperiFirm.
And, of course - if you could point me on how to install the more recent Android versions that work I would be very grateful. I would prefer to leave the phone locked as I suspect some DRM issues with unlocking, but if that is the only way and it is confirmed working I can try it as well.
Service menu *#*#7378423#*#* "software info" of original and updated firmware attached.
Thanks for any help!
I forgot to mention that of course I tried clearing data and cache for Netflix app, as well as uninstalling and re-installing updates (can't fully uninstall the app as it was included in the firmware). I could fully reinstall HBO though, but fresh install did not help with the issue at all.
Did you tried the Firmware with version 205 on XperiFirm?
There is one called SA or ZA.
Get things into your PC and use newflasher by @munjeni. It will work if there is nothing wrong with hardware.
Thanks for the response.
I have tried the newflasher as well, but the results are exactly the same as for flashtool - "Your device is corrupt..." (or recovery error, depending on firmware). I don't think this is an issue with flashing itself, I did not notice any error in logs.
Yes, I have tried this 205 "Customized ZA" also - it does not boot, stops in recovery "Can't load Android system". I did not try to factory reset the data yet, as I really would prefer to keep my user data intact.
I have tried every single firmware available in XperiCheck for J8110, and only this 1318-3803 boots for me - but reboots my phone every hour or so and this is really annoying.
I have also asked XperiCheck maintainer to add my 1317-9334, but no response so far.
Plz provide the frimware that is working in your mobile i am facing the same problem my device stuck on sony logo i will be thankful to you brother