Database Users

A couple questions before root attempt

Hi,
a few weeks ago I bought the SE Xperia Play and so far I love it. But I know there is more going on in the Android world. So I browsed through the Xperia Play sections and read trough a couple of threads to get answers to most of my questions I had.
But there are still a few remaining, which are:
1) Is there a way to backup the WHOLE phone ? By "whole phone" I mean TA/GDFS areas as well. My current phone is still in it's stock form, here are a few infos:
Modelnumber: R800i
Android version: 2.3.2
Baseband version: ....-1290_14-10
Kernel: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.181
It's SIM Free with bootloader still in it's locked state. Is there anything special about my phone that devs might want? Just ask and I'll try to provide.
Or is there a reason not to unlock / update / root for me because of low versions that might come in handy in the future for me?
2) Is there a recovery image in development which works on the Xperia Play ? I couldn't find one, but afaik "xRecovery" seems to be the recovery image for Sony Ericsson devices. Or am I mistaken here?
3) By unlocking the bootloader, the Xperia Play loses it's DRM certificates, which makes a couple of apps useless, like Track ID. What other apps won't work anymore after unlocking ? And are there ways to reconstruct / recreate these cerificates and carry them over to custom ROMs which may appear in the future ?
4) MoDaCo released a custom kernel which enables su shell and adb remount. But he managed it w/o unlocked bootloader. How's that possible? Does it only take place in RAM ? Or did he managed to install it in flash ?
5) In a today's thread about the rooted 2.3.3 image I saw that the provided image is an UK image. Is it ok to install such image on a german device ? Or shouldn't I care about the region the FW comes from ? Could I install a US image ? Or are UK images for all european devices?
6) In case I brick my device for some reason while updating it to 2.3.3. Could I recover it by using the UK generic .184 FTF image? Or do I always have to use the latest FW I tried to install on the device?
7) Last but not least. I flashed my buddys HTC Legend with CM7 and I love this ROM. I saw that Blagus is working on a CM7 port for the Xperia Arc. The Arc and the Play seem to be identical HW / SW-wise, does it mean that his port (in case the finishes it) will run on the Play as well (given with a few code changes of course) ?.
Sweet lord, turned out to be more questions then I planned But I guess it's good to have a FAQ kinda place where noobs like me can directly go to and get most important questions answered at once rather then spread all over the place
A big thanks to all in advance and keep up the work here !
Regards,
iCEQB

I am noob just like you and I managed to root my play in like 10 minutes after reading some threads here. Try to find some topics like rooting for beginners and another one which says the options that you have after rooting. I used gingerbreak and managed to get root access in about 5 minutes. As for the bootloader unlock I wouldn't recommend on doing that as there are no custom roms to flash our phones yet and personally I am very hapy with the original rom. The key is to root it with gingerbreak and get rid of all the useless apps that Sony has put in your phone and by doing this you get better battery life, better response and more free space. The apps that I use after rooting are busybox, titanium backup pro(to be able to freeze some apps and not delete them as I didn't know what they were doing) , adfree to get rid of the adds and many others. As for the other questions that you have, a more experienced android user should answer you. I didn't update to 2.3.3 as I will lose the rooting option which is necessary for me right now.

My questions are not about "how to root" as you can clearly see. They are rather about making 100% sure, not losing anything that might be valuable I maybe never get back, which could come in handy, like low system versions, a way to relock the bl with a TA backup, or DRM certificates.
I know how to root my phone and I know about the available options, but as I said, these questions are not about how to pull it of
Thanks anyway,
iCEQB

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I would also like to know these things and thats the reason why I used gingerbreak cause you have the option to unroot and you dont touch anything else. I also agree that we need an all-around FAQ topic which will include your questions.

Also n00b but will try... here goes lol
1. I dont think there is anyway to back up the whole phone. Best you can hope for is backing up settings when rooted. No need to hold off updating. But if you go to 2.3.3 rooting is not possible unless the bootloader is unlocked and you flash the rooted img (problem is if you leave the bootloader locked and update with SEUS it will install 2.3.3 so you will be unable to attain root, for now). No custom roms so i wouldnt unlock just yet (can unlock at anytime just will wipe your phone)
2. dont know
3. dont know (since mine is still locked)
4. dont know lol
5. If your xplay is the r800i. Cannot really see any problems . People who have confirmed the rooted img works are from around the world (uk, Hong Kong, Netherlands)
6. Again people who have used the UK generic .184 FTF image are from around the world. If the device is not sim locked (such as yours i dont think it matters )
7. I think it will, the software is basically the same so as you said a few tweaks and it should work. I think he started on the arc since the fourms are alot more active. Will possibly be unlocking the bootloader myself when some roms appear.
My bad if i interpreted your questions wrong as stated im a newb trying to learn fast lol
p.s you could pm the people who made the ftf files and then make a version of your own? if you want the low system version and as far as ive read its not possible to relock the bl once unlocked, yet? If you deffo know youre going to install custom roms wouldn't it be better to unlock the bootloader sooner rather than later since it wipes the phone?

Thanks for your answers so far !
Your answer for the 5th question bothers me though. What different models are there ? I know of R800i and R800a and I thought the letter behind the number is just some carrier marker or something like that or are there any other differences ?
Are there more modelnumbers existing ?
Thanks,
iCEQB

I hope this helps:
1) Is there a way to backup the WHOLE phone ? By "whole phone" I mean TA/GDFS areas as well. My current phone is still in it's stock form, here are a few infos:
Blagus is working on that, to no avail as of today. Maybe you'll want to contact him as he was looking for people with no SIM-lock, but locked bootloaders.
2) Is there a recovery image in development which works on the Xperia Play ? I couldn't find one, but afaik "xRecovery" seems to be the recovery image for Sony Ericsson devices. Or am I mistaken here?
If you mean Recovery such as CWM, no there's not. I'm not aware of xRecovery...
3) By unlocking the bootloader, the Xperia Play loses it's DRM certificates, which makes a couple of apps useless, like Track ID. What other apps won't work anymore after unlocking ? And are there ways to reconstruct / recreate these cerificates and carry them over to custom ROMs which may appear in the future ?
AFAIK, the other big loss is that you can't update through SEUS and you're forced to use Flashtool.
4) MoDaCo released a custom kernel which enables su shell and adb remount. But he managed it w/o unlocked bootloader. How's that possible? Does it only take place in RAM ? Or did he managed to install it in flash ?
He didn't release a kernel, he released an apk. Plus, the Xperia Play forum in MoDaCo has been empty for a whole week. I guess he's dropped it.
5) In a today's thread about the rooted 2.3.3 image I saw that the provided image is an UK image. Is it ok to install such image on a german device ? Or shouldn't I care about the region the FW comes from ? Could I install a US image ? Or are UK images for all european devices?
I bought my phone from Germany as well, and I've flashed the 2.3.3 updates (both the .FTF and the fastboot .img) without any issues.
6) In case I brick my device for some reason while updating it to 2.3.3. Could I recover it by using the UK generic .184 FTF image? Or do I always have to use the latest FW I tried to install on the device?
I guess you can always revert to the .184 one.
7) Last but not least. I flashed my buddys HTC Legend with CM7 and I love this ROM. I saw that Blagus is working on a CM7 port for the Xperia Arc. The Arc and the Play seem to be identical HW / SW-wise, does it mean that his port (in case the finishes it) will run on the Play as well (given with a few code changes of course) ?.
I guess only Blagus is fit to answer that, but if they're so similar, it should be an easy fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you very much for your answers !
The loss of using SEUS shouldn't be a problem in any way since FlashTool does the same job, if not better
I'll contact Blagus and see if he needs something from me to get his work done.
Thanks again,
iCEQB

SE_iCEQB said:
Thanks for your answers so far !
Your answer for the 5th question bothers me though. What different models are there ? I know of R800i and R800a and I thought the letter behind the number is just some carrier marker or something like that or are there any other differences ?
Are there more modelnumbers existing ?
Thanks,
iCEQB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Models so far?;
r800i (uk, europe, asia?)
r800a (canada, rogers?)
r800at (usa?, at&t?)
r800x (usa? verizon?)
Z1i (china?)
I think other than r800i, others are mostly locked to phone providers? (unless bought sim free in their native country not sure tbh even the r800i is locked to some carriers i think?) I think r800x & maybe r800a are unable to unlock bootladers dues to restrictions from their carriers? Not sure tbh. I think all people in europe got the r800i? Dont know about differences since i got the r800i only

Thank you for answer and the nice list of modelnumbers. Yeah the problem with the few models which bootloaders can't be unlocked seems to be due to their SIM lock (at least it's the only I can find in the bootloader unlock thread ).
Regards,
iCEQB

Fantastic thread! As a new Xperia Play owner coming form a Droid 1, I'm very interested in the mod scene as it pertains to this phone. Great questions, OP!

Great thread lets keep it growing!

Sorry to hijack your thread. N00B here, so apologies in advance. I have read many of the threads on here since getting my xperia play and have joined just to ask a few questions if I may.
I want to root my phone to remove bloatware and more importantly remap the circle button for playing emus.
Q1. How do I know if my phone is bootlocked?
Q2. Is it as easy as run gingerbreak, delete bloatware, install apk, remap button?
Q3. Do i need to be running a certain FW, ie: can only be rooted on old FW.
Just so you can all understand, I know a grand total of sweet F-A about phones and rooting etc. Half of the abbreviations used, I've had to google to find out what they mean lol. As a 33 year old man, I'ts a strange feeling to be in my situation, its like being back at school and sitting my 1st algebra lesson!! Its all Greek and Double Dutch to me!
As in the OP, I also have a sim free phone running;
Model: R800i
Vers. 2.3.2
Base: -1290_14-14
Kernal: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.184
will this be a problem/is this helpful to a Dev?
Basically Im after a bit of reassurance/guidence as I really dont want to make my phone an expensive paper weight lol.
Thankyou all in advance, and agin sorry to OP for the Hi jack, but was going to post a thread with same name
Oh 1 last thing, if anyone lives in the South London area who knows what they are doing and fancies sorting my phone out for me, gets some drink tokens from me and a big thank you
Martin

Flipfoot said:
Sorry to hijack your thread. N00B here, so apologies in advance. I have read many of the threads on here since getting my xperia play and have joined just to ask a few questions if I may.
I want to root my phone to remove bloatware and more importantly remap the circle button for playing emus.
Q1. How do I know if my phone is bootlocked?
Q2. Is it as easy as run gingerbreak, delete bloatware, install apk, remap button?
Q3. Do i need to be running a certain FW, ie: can only be rooted on old FW.
Just so you can all understand, I know a grand total of sweet F-A about phones and rooting etc. Half of the abbreviations used, I've had to google to find out what they mean lol. As a 33 year old man, I'ts a strange feeling to be in my situation, its like being back at school and sitting my 1st algebra lesson!! Its all Greek and Double Dutch to me!
As in the OP, I also have a sim free phone running;
Model: R800i
Vers. 2.3.2
Base: -1290_14-14
Kernal: 2.6.32.9-perf
Build: 3.0.A.2.184
will this be a problem/is this helpful to a Dev?
Basically Im after a bit of reassurance/guidence as I really dont want to make my phone an expensive paper weight lol.
Thankyou all in advance, and agin sorry to OP for the Hi jack, but was going to post a thread with same name
Oh 1 last thing, if anyone lives in the South London area who knows what they are doing and fancies sorting my phone out for me, gets some drink tokens from me and a big thank you
Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If you havent unlocked the bootloader yourself it will be still be locked. No need to unlock the bootloader to root. Unlocking is only needed if you want to install custom roms.
2. Since you are still running 2.3.2 Build 3.0.A.2.184 gingerbreak will still be able to root your phone. If you update though to 2.3.3, gingerbreak will be unable to root your phone since the exploit gingerbreak uses has been patched.
If you stay on 2.3.2 all you have to do is run gingerbreak http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044765 follow the instruction in the thread then you can uninstall any of the apps (bloat) on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1046699 using titainium backup free.
No need to root to remap the O button in emulators. In most the keypad mapping sets O to exit, all you have to do is set exit to another key then O to the key you want.
3. See 2.

May I ask why you want to re-map Circle? I had the hardest time mapping the Cross button because it's like a default Enter button. Finally, I read that if you simply use the touch screen to select the command you want to map, it will let you press the Cross button and map it.
Sorry if I'm off the mark here. That was just a big revelation when I learned that.

Mozza2k11 said:
Models so far?;
r800i (uk, europe, asia?)
r800a (usa, rogers?)
r800at (usa?, at&t?)
r800x (usa? verizon?)
Z1i (china?)
I think other than r800i, others are mostly locked to phone providers? (unless bought sim free in their native country not sure tbh even the r800i is locked to some carriers i think?) I think r800x & maybe r800a are unable to unlock bootladers dues to restrictions from their carriers? Not sure tbh. I think all people in europe got the r800i? Dont know about differences since i got the r800i only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey hey hey hey hey!
r800a = CANADA rogers.
thanks.

AriStar said:
hey hey hey hey hey!
r800a = CANADA rogers.
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol my bad , il change it

Mozza2k11 said:
1. If you havent unlocked the bootloader yourself it will be still be locked. No need to unlock the bootloader to root. Unlocking is only needed if you want to install custom roms.
2. Since you are still running 2.3.2 Build 3.0.A.2.184 gingerbreak will still be able to root your phone. If you update though to 2.3.3, gingerbreak will be unable to root your phone since the exploit gingerbreak uses has been patched.
If you stay on 2.3.2 all you have to do is run gingerbreak http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044765 follow the instruction in the thread then you can uninstall any of the apps (bloat) on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1046699 using titainium backup free.
No need to root to remap the O button in emulators. In most the keypad mapping sets O to exit, all you have to do is set exit to another key then O to the key you want.
3. See 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks! I now have a rooted Play, bloatware gone, big smile on my face!!!!

[Q] Verizon 2.3.4 out. Is it possible to get a ftf or update.zip of this

As I stated in the title. Anyone know how long the wait may be before those of us with unlocked bootloaders and rooted Xplays are able to get this in a ftf or update.zip format to flash manually? I am liking the 720p camera and of course the auto brightness option.
Or if someone knows if its a pain in the ass to create one of the above? I am sure that in order for any of this to happen someone would have to gain root access and then flash a recovery to do a complete backup, then piece it together and or convert it to one of the above formats.

Are you sure 2.3.4 is out for Verizon?
2.3.3 came out like 5 days ago.....

sorry, your right. I meant 2.3.3. By the way, would it be possible to flash a 2.3.4 ROM from the UK and then just flash the CDMA files from Frasertags ROM?
Do we know what the changelog is or the Verizon update? I cannot find it anywhere.....
Also, I now its the wrong thread but if I relock my phones bootloader and relfash stock ROM so I am unrooted, and I flashed the new 2.3.3 ROM, if I wanted to unlock the bootloader then would it be the same key I used to unlock the first time?

jgregoryj1 said:
sorry, your right. I meant 2.3.3. By the way, would it be possible to flash a 2.3.4 ROM from the UK and then just flash the CDMA files from Frasertags ROM?
Do we know what the changelog is or the Verizon update? I cannot find it anywhere.....
Also, I now its the wrong thread but if I relock my phones bootloader and relfash stock ROM so I am unrooted, and I flashed the new 2.3.3 ROM, if I wanted to unlock the bootloader then would it be the same key I used to unlock the first time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I run my phone stock not sure if any of that will work.
As for the changes, there is no changelog but there is another thread I think in Q&A where everyone has been documenting changes. 720P video recording is not one of them.
The major ones: better autobrightness and a way to disable it and Media Server (awesome feature, stream stuff from your phone wirelessly to any DLNA device).

Thanks Rogue, I found the thread about the changelog stuff..... where people are posting there findings. The 720p is from 2.3.4.

To answer earlier questions: If you re-lock your bootloader you _SHOULD_ be able to safely apply the OTA (or a flash file) and then re-unlock using the same code. However, I would probably try to do it via SEUS instead of the OTA. That way you can have the files ready just in case you need to unbrick and re-do it. There are unbrick from bad OTA threads around in case you booger the thing.
I wonder if somebody who hasn't unlocked could use SEUS (SonyEricsson Updater Service software) and download a copy of the flash and post it up for us. I imagine the Devs would like to have it, as well as the general unlocked community. I saw what looked like a link to a .IMG file over in the dev section that somebody was claiming was the R800x 2.3.3 (the new OTA) but I haven't verified it yet.

help blocked at startup htc after update

Hello
I write because following an update yesterday htc u ultra my companion he does not want to start it is blocked on htc and becomes very hot!
I tried several things seen on xda but there I am completely blocked.
I have access to different things, booloader, recoverry, etc ... but nothing changes I did a factory reset but the problem does not evolve
I tried to flash it with a ROM ruu but he told me that it is not the good CID. taken here https://forum.xda-developers.com/u-...stock-htc-ultra-dual-sim-1-64-400-10-t3758077
after i have an idea but i do not know if this is possible i have access to someone who has the same phone bought at the same place at the same time is it possible to extract the RUU rom to reinject it into that of my wife ???
I am hopeless we leave in 8 days and my wife finds herself without phone can you m help me to find the good RUU or extract that of my friend to reinject it?
the model is this one https://www.eglobalcentral.fr/htc-u-ultra-64go-4g-dual-sim-desimlocke-blanc-fr.html
apparently it's a Taiwanese model double sim
thanks for all the help !!
PS it was all original not rooted nor bootloaded unlocked just the update ota do

It would be better if you post the threads links properly, yours got truncated.
If you have, as you claim, the Taiwanese Dual SIM model you should be able to follow the downgrade procedure from Oreo to Nougat. I did it multiple times.
You cannot extract RUU. It is specially prepared package that performs several upgrade operations separately. You can only make dump of already installed system but for that you do need an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (TWRP) on both devices.

QDT said:
It would be better if you post the threads links properly, yours got truncated.
If you have, as you claim, the Taiwanese Dual SIM model you should be able to follow the downgrade procedure from Oreo to Nougat. I did it multiple times.
You cannot extract RUU. It is specially prepared package that performs several upgrade operations separately. You can only make dump of already installed system but for that you do need an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (TWRP) on both devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry i corrected the links.
on the other hand I can do this procedure despite that I have access only to bootloader and recovery?
I'm not an expert I thought I can just flash with a RUU but I can not find one

bibou0007 said:
sorry i corrected the links.
on the other hand I can do this procedure despite that I have access only to bootloader and recovery?
I'm not an expert I thought I can just flash with a RUU but I can not find one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to me you have got yourself a wrong RUU. The ones from the post are for India, not Taiwan.

Surely I can not get my hands on a Taiwanese RUU!
do you know where can I find a link?

bibou0007 said:
Surely I can not get my hands on a Taiwanese RUU!
do you know where can I find a link?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is one:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=962021903579498986

thank you very much I test his and come tell you!

it does not work it tells me that it's not the right version android I have to find an android 8
thank you

bibou0007 said:
it does not work it tells me that it's not the right version android I have to find an android 8
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't have RUU 8.0. Try boot to download mode and flash TWRP recovery. Downgrade to Nougat (7.0).

[F8331] Change stock firmware for a better LTE signal

Hi everybody,
I'm new here, I have bought my first sony (used) but I notice that the LTE signal is so poor specially indoor. The seller hasn't saw me that the firmware is an UK fw also I live in italy, infact, after a little research, I noticed that there is a carrier's app called EE and the fw version installed is of EE carrier's. The phone is sim unlock. There isn't root and I haven't unlook the bootloader.
My questions are:
- Can I change the stock uk firmware putting in an Italian stock firmware?
- Can I change it without root and without unlook the bootloader?
- How?
- Is there a guide that I can follow?
- Can I change the CSC for preserve the ota upgrade? How? I'd like to change fw preserving OTA update.
I don't wanna unlock the bootloader and root the phone cause I don't want lose the DRM licenses (widevine specially). I'm not interested to rooting or make any modding.
I'd like to put a stock room without bloat apps and with a strong lte signal.
Here the Info about the phone:
F8331
Android 8.0
Phone Software Version: 1302-9157_41.3.A.2.171
Global-LTE3A
Generic-41.3.a.2.171
S1 Boot version: 1299-4832 S1_BOOT_MSM8996_LA2.0_O_204
BASEBAND: 8996-8996.gwn.prodQ-00070-40
Customization version: 1305-7307R8E
Codes phone for CSC doesn't work.
Thanks y for the support
P.s.
Here a link to some pics about the phone:
4shared.com/s/dipBSZcFc

I think it should be possible to just Flash another Regions Firmware via Androxydes Flashtool.
No need for unlock as long as u have any offical fw (XperiFirm comes with Flashtool and downloads offical files)
But I may be wrong tho, this just came to my mind in the first moment

LoaderFabi said:
I think it should be possible to just Flash another Regions Firmware via Androxydes Flashtool.
No need for unlock as long as u have any offical fw (XperiFirm comes with Flashtool and downloads offical files)
But I may be wrong tho, this just came to my mind in the first moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks you LoaderFabi for the suggest, so I will waiting for a confirmation about that.
Meanwhile can y tell me a link to a guide and download the tool?
Anyway, thanks again ?

You can flash any region's firmware without unlocking the bootloader. You need Xperifirm to download the firmware, and Flashtool to flash it.

Kuarinfou said:
You can flash any region's firmware without unlocking the bootloader. You need Xperifirm to download the firmware, and Flashtool to flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, and about the OTA's update? Will it be automatically? Or do I have something about? And how?
Can you link me a guide to flash the fw and, eventually, to do something about OTA's update?
Thanks

Sean_Droid said:
Ok, and about the OTA's update? Will it be automatically? Or do I have something about? And how?
Can you link me a guide to flash the fw and, eventually, to do something about OTA's update?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since it's an official firmware, you always get updates OTA (i think XZ will no longer get updates but no need to worry). I didn't see any guide to flash, i'll probably today write a guide to flash firmwares.

Kuarinfou said:
Since it's an official firmware, you always get updates OTA (i think XZ will no longer get updates but no need to worry). I didn't see any guide to flash, i'll probably today write a guide to flash firmwares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks y so much Kuarinfou, I will waiting for your guide. I don't remember where I red in this forum about the CSC and that it could not change also flashing a stock fw bringing the OTA's issue... Probably I remember wrong ?
Anyway, Quote me when you will do it.

Sean_Droid said:
Thanks y so much Kuarinfou, I will waiting for your guide. I don't remember where I red in this forum about the CSC and that it could not change also flashing a stock fw bringing the OTA's issue... Probably I remember wrong
Anyway, Quote me when you will do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-xz/how-to/guide-flashing-firmware-xperia-phones-t3860048

Kuarinfou said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-xz/how-to/guide-flashing-firmware-xperia-phones-t3860048
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks you so much ?

Any tutorial on how to update your bootloader ver.?

Hello so I tried to install a recent Rom and I get an error like this " This package supports bootloader(s) 0xA050, 0xA052; this device has bootloader 0xA048 " Any help pointing me in the right direction (tutorials/post) on this matter. BTW I did a search on the section in this site could not find anything.
Thanks in advance

A little more info would be helpful. What model, baseband, and/or stock system version were you on before trying to flash? What ROM were you trying to flash? Just based off what little you have given you need to "upgrade" but knowing specifics allows for pointing you in the right direction.
One thing to note is that there is a lot of discussion on XDA regarding bootloader issues during a flash. Most are involved with ROMs developed for the stock MM baseband vs stock nougat and their incompatibilities. There are some caveats and limitations you need to read up on before you proceed. A Google search for your error with the word XDA should net you quite a bit of what you need to know.

Sorry about that, I am out of town for the holidays. Once I get back in town I will provide that information for you guys...sorry again and Happy Holidays !!!

muelo1000 said:
Sorry about that, I am out of town for the holidays. Once I get back in town I will provide that information for you guys...sorry again and Happy Holidays !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problems. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Before anyone calls me on it, I know the reply is late.
The ROM in question is likely Optimized Lineage OS, as it has a bootloader check in its install script to prevent installs on incompatible bootloaders, i.e. the Android 7.x bootloader. The OP could have found this out for himself however just by searching the development thread for the ROM he's trying to install. As to updating the bootloader itself, unless someone has extracted the bootloaders from the official ROM updates, taking an OTA is the only way to change the bootloader. Otherwise, flashing a new bootloader using fastboot using the command "fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img", where bootloader.img is the name of the bootloader file, should work.