4.3 installation and rooting are giving me trouble - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have two Nexus 4s. Both were running 4.2.2, rooted, with custom recovery and the Franco Kernel. On a Mac, using the command line, I flashed stock recovery and the stock kernel in preparation for taking the 4.3 OTA.
First, on the newer N4, which has far less thing loaded on it and doesn't have a SIM card...
I tried to install the OTA letting the device/OS do it via the prompt after it was downloaded. But though it tried to start the process, it failed.
So I tried to install the full OS using the command line on a Mac following efrant's instructions in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2010312. Fastboot commands have always worked there, but I've never been able to execute adb.
Code:
./fastboot-mac flash system system.img
This is something I've done successfully before. But not this time. I flashed recovery and the radio, but when I tried to flash the system, I got an error message (usb_write failed with status e00002be or something about a partition not existing). So I took the phone to a Windows machine and used Wugfresh's tool. I couldn't successfully set up the drivers, but fastboot worked. So I did the return to stock and root thing. And it worked, getting me back to 4.2.2 in an out of the box state. I ran the OTA right away and easily got to 4.3.
Then, since I was already on the Windows machine, I used Wug's tool to try and root. No success. I can't seem to install custom recovery, either temporarily or permanently. I don't get an error message, but I can't boot into it, either. I just get the dreaded lying down Android icon with the red exclamation point.
Any ideas why I couldn't install system.img on the Mac command line? And why can't I get custom recovery? And what I can do to get it right?
Now, the older N4, which is my main phone. I have a current Titanium Backup, but not a Nandroid, at least not a current one. I haven't tried, yet, to update it to 4.3. But as mentioned, I did try to go back to the stock kernel and recovery in preparation. The problem there is that I also get the lying down Android instead of stock recovery and even worse, occasionally slow and laggy performance, which I hadn't had to begin with. Otherwise, it's 4.2.2 with that radio and kernel.
Any thoughts or help on this would be much appreciated.

I'm still hoping someone can offer me some sort of insight on this.
Dev Options and USB Debugging have been enabled on these N4s. I also want to say that I'm not trying to do anything I haven't done a bunch of times before both with NRT and from the command line with N4s and N7s. But I'm stuck in ways I haven't been before and I don't understand why or what to do about it.

I dont know exactly what you mean but the android laying down is the stock recovery.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Hmm. I thought there was another, simple, volume key driven recovery interface from prior experience with this. I'm probably confusing a non-touch version of CM Recovery. Thanks for clarifying.
I finally got drivers working on the Windows 8 machine (the Universal Naked Driver that I found here at XDA). I was able to use the command line through NRT to get custom recovery onto the first of the N4s I described. I couldn't do that on the Mac via the command line or through the NRT interface before that. It just didn't work. Once that was in place, rerooting was easy. But it was a long road to get there with obstacles I hadn't encountered on earlier rooting and updating adventures.
I haven't tried to update my daily driver, yet. I may wait until things stabilize more with 4.3 and the various ROMs. Since I may have little choice other than to start over, I might do something other than the stock ROM.

One thing I've discovered is that running a more recent version of fastboot and adb helps. I can do some things on the Mac from the command line that I couldn't do with versions a few month older. (April, 2012 vs. November, 2012).
I still can't successfully run the OTA on one of my N4s, though. Maybe I need to unroot first, though I never have before.

Related

[Q] Uh Oh...

Bought a new Nexus 7 because my wife and I have them and love them. We had bought our daughter a cheap 'funtab' from walmart just so she could play a few games she loves and hopefully leave ours alone, the funtab was a complete POS so it was returned to WM and just bought her a N7 instead.
When booted, the tablet it immediately notified me of the update from 4.1.2 to 4.2.1. Each time it tried to update it would fail partially through, not sure why. So I thought I'd download and use the toolkit to force the update. After unlocking, rooting, installing busybox and so on. I choose the option to flash stock image. The update process started OK there but part way through gave an error, something about needing to be 'X' but is instead 'x' before going back to the home screen. Now the tablet is stuck in fastboot mode, and cant boot to either recovery or android. I think I may be in trouble here.... Any suggestions?
#1 reason why people shouldn't use tool kits to root. You have no idea what went wrong or where the problem occurred.
I'm assuming that your tablet is unlocked so you need to download a custom recovery and install it via fastboot.
Then download the Stock 4.2.1 ROM from the Android development section and flash it in the recovery.
This should give you an idea of how to do it.
http://www.androidcentral.com/how-unlock-bootloader-and-root-your-nexus-7
Sent from my Nexus 7
I've done more research and I'm currently working on getting the android sdk going. I've downloaded it, jdk, the proper factory image (i think I f'd up by accidentally downloading the factory image for the hspa model). My question now is can the factory image be flashed from what appears to be fastboot mode, or do i need to flash custom recovery first (via the sdk)? I can confirm that the bootloaded is unlocked.
Ok so I was able to flash the stock image using the instructions found at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
This process went extremely well once I had all my ducks in a row. Thanks for the help.

[Q] Stock 4.2.2. refusing to ADB to then root

I had a windows 7 PC perfectly working in booting a Nexus 7 to flash and root etc, it did a Nexus 4 last week.
There is some problem with drivers and 4.2.2. specifically. My story was it was 4.1.2. rooted and it was refusing to OTA update but I wasn't bothered due to the bugs/performance in 4.1.1 so I waited til 4.2.2. came along. The N7 refused to take OTA 4.2.2. I got the Android icon with the Red icon out its belly and it would boot back as 4.1.2 every time.
So using Nexus Rootkit I did a "stock flash+unroot" to 4.2.1 and then let it did a OTA to 4.2.2 and that worked so I have a stock 4.2.2 but not it won't root, it would do that ADB bootloader type stuff. I've tried updating driving umpteen times but it like it simply won't obey ADB type commands? I'm not a rooting expert I just used the toolkit and howtos.
So stuck.
In hindsight as it WAS doing ADB at 4.2.1 I should have rooted and then otarootkeeper then OTA to 4.2.2. but I didn't know 4.2.2 rooting fails.
Any ideas?
same for me!!!
Help...
Well, the OTA for 4.2.2 would fail every time because of version diffs in the files. You had to be on 4.2.1 to accept the OTA.
1. Out of curiosity, did you remember to re-enable USB debugging?
2. Did you update you SDK for 4.2.2?
If you still have issues after enabling debugging, then try the Universal Naked driver. It was the only one to work on my Win7 box. Also, make sure only 1 instance of ADB is running.
At least you don't have a super weird issue like me where flashing stock recovery refuses to stick, but TWRP flashes with no problem.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
can root a stock 4.2.2 - it works!
I fixed it!
I'd been trying toolkit all of its options and none worked. So I followed this guide which contains an error which is irrelevant.
http://m.ibtimes.co.uk/root-nexus7-official-android422-jdq39-jellybean-ota-434720.html
Do its step 1. It downloads the Google USB drivers - THEY WORK. This is the problem with other guides they point to drivers which don't work.
Ignore its step 2 because you find step 1 includes fastboot so you don't need to get it separate. I lost a lot of time on that one problem because the link to that shared file fastboot.zip won't download so I hunted and found another and when I was going to copy to the required destination in step 2 I found the fastboot file alreadt there! So ignore step 2
Step 3. Now I downloaded it on the Nexus 7 itself and mine was in /sdcard/Downloads or you can copy on the PC and then copy it over to the N7 via USB cable.
Step 4. Press and hold power off you get option select power off.
Step 5. At the step 1 you'll see WHERE it is installing the SDK to, you need to go to that folder in this step 5 as described.
Step 6. As describe, press vol down and power button together and keep them hold. Then a menu screen shows mine had been unlocked from before. Now dont't touch the N7. Go to Windows machine.
Step 7. My Windows Pc doesn't have command prompt option inside a folder so I opened command prompt and CD down to where step 1 was.
Step 8. Type that command. Mine simply worked fperfectly first time. It had a copying type command which looked happy.
Step 9. Back on the N7 hit the vol up button til you see a "recovery" type word on screen.
Step 10 and 11 as described.
Step 12. Now is the next area where howto guide is wrong / misleading, I had on my screen some gibberish folders and an "update.zip" not the supersu zip from step 3. Initially I tried the update.zip and it went crazy but fortunately a hard power-off got me fixed so then next time I looked around for the supersu zip. So of the stuff on-scren where was like 0/ type folder so I selected that THEN I could see the sdcard/download folder I could go down to and then select the zip file. The /sdcard folder isn't showing firstly you have to go /0 and then you see it.
Step 13 do it.
Then get it booted and then go into Supersu app and run it and then make sure you install voodoo root keeper app and select it to preserve root.
So I've got a vanilla 4.2.2. with root and so far it all works. Features which kept me on 4.1.2 like PPP-widget simply work.
Phew.
I've spent about 15 hours on this trying to eliminate my own dumbness as the cause.
I think basically the ADB drivers in the Toolkits are bumb, ignore them they don't work I think the Android SDK with its Google USB drivers are the ones which work with 4.2.2 I guess the Toolkits need to be updated.
nikon120 said:
Well, the OTA for 4.2.2 would fail every time because of version diffs in the files. You had to be on 4.2.1 to accept the OTA.
1. Out of curiosity, did you remember to re-enable USB debugging?
2. Did you update you SDK for 4.2.2?
If you still have issues after enabling debugging, then try the Universal Naked driver. It was the only one to work on my Win7 box. Also, make sure only 1 instance of ADB is running.
At least you don't have a super weird issue like me where flashing stock recovery refuses to stick, but TWRP flashes with no problem.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem seems to be drivers. The N7 stock 4.2.2 simply refuses to respond to Root Toolkit its drivers are simply not working, the N7 is ignoring to get into fastboot. I figured it out see my later post.
I think 4.2.2. is too new for toolkits and people's 4.2.2. rooting guides are buggy and relate to old old instructioned since outdated and in error. By trial+error I figured it.
nikon120 said:
Well, the OTA for 4.2.2 would fail every time because of version diffs in the files. You had to be on 4.2.1 to accept the OTA.
1. Out of curiosity, did you remember to re-enable USB debugging?
2. Did you update you SDK for 4.2.2?
If you still have issues after enabling debugging, then try the Universal Naked driver. It was the only one to work on my Win7 box. Also, make sure only 1 instance of ADB is running.
At least you don't have a super weird issue like me where flashing stock recovery refuses to stick, but TWRP flashes with no problem.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Addtional my N7 did OTA receive the 4.1.2 to 4.2.2 update I even went into the /cache and the file name had version names to match so OTA was thinking itself capable. I think in some unlock / root past event I'd something screwed something up and OTA simply weren't working full stop. I did though manage to use Toolkit to get to stock 4.2.1 and then the drivers in the toolkit then don't work with 4.2.2, that's the broken bit. If you use Android SDK Google USB drivers, they work and you have to use command prompt fastboot as in the HOWTO I just posted to get it all working.
Toolkit drives broken with 4.2.2.
dont use a root toolkit. do it the right way, there arent any issue.
fastboot oem unlock, fastboot flash a recovery, flash the su binaries or a custom rom, reboot. thats it.
FYI - I've found that to use the toolkit (the 4.0.0 toolkit is what I used), you need to replace the adb-toolkit.exe (or whatever adb.exe is called in your toolkit) with the adb.exe that comes in the SDK (after you've updated your SDK, of course).
Otherwise, ADB shows as "offline" in the toolkit menu.
Hope that helps someone...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
The issue is what you typed is gibberish to most including me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

can someone please help?

I'm trying to update my wife's N7 to 4.3. She used a toolkit to root and has TWRP recovery. Everything else is stock. So first I downloaded the 4.3 update and attempted to flash, but immediately after choosing "install" I received a message the the flash failed. I thought maybe I got a bad download, so I rebooted the device and forced an OTA. The device downloaded the OTA, but then rebooted to TWRP and didn't install. Then I thought maybe I need to have stock recovery... So I unrooted, and installed stock recovery. I then forced the OTA again, downloaded, and began to install in stock recovery, and approximately halfway through it stopped and gave an error message. Then the device rebooted on it's own. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I was able to update to 4.3 on my N4 without any issues. Does anyone have a solution for me? Please let me know if there is some detail I left out. Thanks!
You can use fastboot to erase your current partitions then manually flash the 4.3 stock images.
I've never used fastboot before. Plus another problem now... I tried to flash the stock image via toolkit, now the device is stuck on the bootloader.
chrisbo4 said:
I've never used fastboot before. Plus another problem now... I tried to flash the stock image via toolkit, now the device is stuck on the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the bootloader or the boot animation? Big difference.
There was a recent change in fastboot that makes flashing the 4.3 images a little dicey if you're not using the latest fastboot executable, which I imagine could cause problems with various toolkits that bundle the executable.
Rirere said:
On the bootloader or the boot animation? Big difference.
There was a recent change in fastboot that makes flashing the 4.3 images a little dicey if you're not using the latest fastboot executable, which I imagine could cause problems with various toolkits that bundle the executable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the bootloader. I can't get past the google splash screen, but it overlays the bootloader screen. I just want to get back to stock, then upgrade to 4.3. I've tried to install adb on my computer, but couldn't get the computer to recognize the device.
chrisbo4 said:
On the bootloader. I can't get past the google splash screen, but it overlays the bootloader screen. I just want to get back to stock, then upgrade to 4.3. I've tried to install adb on my computer, but couldn't get the computer to recognize the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install this through device manager.
http://d-h.st/kDu
Username invalid said:
Install this through device manager.
http://d-h.st/kDu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, it's installed. I'm not sure what I should unzip though?
chrisbo4 said:
Okay, it's installed. I'm not sure what I should unzip though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can either flash stock images with fastboot or install TWRP then flash stock zip file.
chrisbo4 said:
I'm trying to update my wife's N7 to 4.3. She used a toolkit to root and has TWRP recovery. Everything else is stock. So first I downloaded the 4.3 update and attempted to flash, but immediately after choosing "install" I received a message the the flash failed. I thought maybe I got a bad download, so I rebooted the device and forced an OTA. The device downloaded the OTA, but then rebooted to TWRP and didn't install. Then I thought maybe I need to have stock recovery... So I unrooted, and installed stock recovery. I then forced the OTA again, downloaded, and began to install in stock recovery, and approximately halfway through it stopped and gave an error message. Then the device rebooted on it's own. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I was able to update to 4.3 on my N4 without any issues. Does anyone have a solution for me? Please let me know if there is some detail I left out. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all I do not intend to offend you. I am not lecturing. I just want to give you my opinion in order to try to help you.
In general to install an update the safest way is to have or re-install stock recovery prior to the installation of the update. There is no need to unroot for the stock recovery installation.
In your household you have Nexus products. It means that you will probably continue to acquire Nexus equipment. In this case, in the long run, you will be better off installing, learning, and using adb and fastboot methods. Toolkits are mostly a quick fix which works ...............or not. I am thinking that toolkits are useless in the sense that they do not bring knowledge and experience (in my area trash collection are Monday and Thursday:laugh.
The XDA forum is full of resources. It does not leave a stone unturned. Its a matter of reading, asking, and learning.
In your case, facing your problem, I would install adb through a program called "android-sdk- windows". Then I will take advantage of the experience and the knowledge of our forum members to install the JB 4.3 factory image.
here are two references among several:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1781250
But it is a long way for a beginner - which I was 2-3 years ago - to go this route. But what a reward!
gunner1937 said:
First of all I do not intend to offend you. I am not lecturing. I just want to give you my opinion in order to try to help you.
In general to install an update the safest way is to have or re-install stock recovery prior to the installation of the update. There is no need to unroot for the stock recovery installation.
In your household you have Nexus products. It means that you will probably continue to acquire Nexus equipment. In this case, in the long run, you will be better off installing, learning, and using adb and fastboot methods. Toolkits are mostly a quick fix which works ...............or not. I am thinking that toolkits are useless in the sense that they do not bring knowledge and experience (in my area trash collection are Monday and Thursday:laugh.
The XDA forum is full of resources. It does not leave a stone unturned. Its a matter of reading, asking, and learning.
In your case, facing your problem, I would install adb through a program called "android-sdk- windows". Then I will take advantage of the experience and the knowledge of our forum members to install the JB 4.3 factory image.
here are two references among several:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1781250
But it is a long way for a beginner - which I was 2-3 years ago - to go this route. But what a reward!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information, and I'm not offended at all. I spent most of last night reading, and attempting to get adb running on my computer. I experienced issues getting drivers installed, and the computer recognizing the device. Also, trying to find the directories... I'll keep searching to see if I can get this figured out. Thank you again!
Thanks to everyone for helping me through this problem. After a lot of searching, research, reading, and video tutorials, I flashed stock images to the N7 via fastboot. I always thought that adb and fastboot was way too advanced for me (and it probably still is), but at least I got the basics down. Thank you all again.

[Q] Fastboot/ADB/sideloading issues

I flashed a 4.4 stock rom on my 2012 32g N7, and unfortunately, didn't notice until too late that it was also overwriting my custom recovery with the stock. Also, in the flashing process I received an error while flashing GAPPS. When I first booted the tablet, everything was fine except for no GAPPS, but I figured it would be simple to just download an APK or two and load them - well, when I tried that with several play store APKs I got "cannot open file" error.
I have now resorted to ADB to "sideload" the apks (and a custom recovery) to the tablet. At first I had trouble with the drivers, but I have followed numerous tutorials and have a solid grasp of how ADB works now. (more on that later)
I also tried WUG's toolkit, but no matter what I tried (or how many drivers I un/installed) I could never get past the "no fastboot device" error.
I used a second version of the ADB from another XDA thread, and was finally able to get my PC at the command prompt to communicate with the N7, and recognize it with "ADB devices" - the result was "<serial> sideload". This is of course when I have the tablet in the stock recovery "adb sideload" mode.
I about yelled for joy, when after six hours of rebooting and tutorials, I was able to get "adb sideload update.zip" to load, but the joy was short lived - as it consistently hangs at "sending: 'sideload' 53%"
I have tried several different zips, of varying names. and even some APK's (which hang at 78%)
Any assistance which can be offered to get this N7 functional again would be greatly appreciated!
SOLVED
I was using a company computer, for which I did not have administrator rights......
I just face palmed so hard I gave myself a well deserved concussion.
Notable said:
I was using a company computer, for which I did not have administrator rights......
I just face palmed so hard I gave myself a well deserved concussion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're flashing the stock KitKat, you shouldn't need to flash a separate gapps package. Aside from making sure you have UAC control, make sure you update boot to 4.23, if you haven't already done so. Flashing 4.4 is easy, as long as you don't make the mistake of ever owning another An droid device and plugging it in to your pc... Dealing with missing/conflicting Windows drivers might require a vacation day and a fist-full of xanax,
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Q] Help needed, no fastboot/adb? Cannot use any options in Root Toolkity

Hey guys, so after hours of trying to figure out what i've done, i need some help
I had a fully working Nexus last night. I'd unlocked, rooted it and installed a custom rom a few weeks ago and everything was fine. Tonight for some reason i decided i wanted a fresh install, and stupidly deleted the entire internal storage off, and then wiped the Nexus before realising i hadn't put the zips back on to reinstall. So the Nexus is without an OS and completely empty. I can get onto bootloader, and into recovery, but i have nothing on the Nexus to use to recover or install anything. I have backups and fresh custom rom zips on my pc but i can't get them to the Nexus. I'm also struggling to be able to do anything using Wugs Toolkit, because it keeps saying it can't find fastboot or adb depending on what options i try. And i can't turn USB debugging on because i have no OS
I tried to reinstall the adb drivers and could see the nexus internal storage on my pc for a minute but it wouldn't let me copy anything onto it. Now i can't seem to see it again. As for fastboot, it keeps saying it can't be found. So at this point i'm clueless, and googling around is confusing me more and more as i have no idea about any of that stuff. The automatic toolkit is as far as my knowledge goes
Update: i tried using the SDK to use cmd prompt to put it back to stock, but it seems to be stuck on the screen with the red, yellow, green and blue circles now?
Update #2: used an updated adb/fastboot installer, after that my Nexus was actually being seen in Wugs Toolkit. Used the flash & unroot option, and i'm back on my device =) hoping i'll be able to re-root and reinstall my custom rom with no problems now *fingers crossed*
Update #3: Yay all fixed. No idea how i did that but thank goodness that's over with. Not sure how to delete my thread, sorry
For future reference try skipping the toolkits, if you do this manually there is far less likely to be communication issues or others at that
Glad it all worked in the end!

Categories

Resources