Database Users

[GUIDE] Everything Explained.

Before you go ahead and start unlocking, flashing and rooting, there are things you should know. This thread is a general guide that will serve to explain most of those things.​
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Table of Contents
A. The layers (Hardware, Firmware, Software)
B. Definitions
C. Troubleshooting Common Issues
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The Layers. How does everything come together?
Just like any other computing device there are 3 Layers to your phone. It helps to realize this prior to modifying your phone, so you are able to troubleshoot issues more effectively.
Layer 1 Hardware: The hardware layer is the physical components of your phone. That which you can touch, hold and see. This layer is the least likely to be modified unless you are a crazy super master level modder. Very few bother to mess with this layer so this layer tends to be the most stable with very little issues arising. The best way to make sure a problem is not related to the hardware layer, that is to say, a physical hardware problem where a physical component needs replacing, is to return all software and firmware to stock. This is typically done by running an RUU or manually reflashing stock firmware and software. There are instances where software or firmware modifications can affect the hardware. For example, if you overclock your CPU, the added heat could permanently damage the CPU and even other hardware components so be sure to take that into consideration.
Layer 2 Firmware: This layer is what allows the software to control the hardware in your phone, like a bridge between the two. There is firmware for just about every component of your phone, the camera, screen, radio, processor etc etc. This is the second least likely layer to be modified. S-Off is required to modify most, but not all, firmware files and rightfully so. Modifying firmware components can easily damage your phone if you do not understand what you're doing. In some cases a JTAGG repair can fix your phone from firmware modification damage, other times, only replacing physical components can repair the damage done. (Recovery and the kernel are technically part of the firmware layer but do not require S-Off to flash)
Layer 3 Software: The software layer consists of the "ROM" and applications on your phone. This is where most of the modification takes place and while modifying the software layer is the least likely to cause serious issues, it can still be dangerous. Flashing a ROM not intended for your device could easily put your phone into a bricked state. With SuperUser or Root access, software is capable of modifying the firmware layer of your device. It is up to you to decide what is safe and what's not safe. This is why rooting is not for everyone. How can you properly decide what is safe for your device without the proper knowledge?
Definitions
What is root?
Root, super user or su for short is a level of access giving you permission to read or write to folders, or partitions you could not have access to as a regular user. Think administrative access.
Consider a folder path “/sdcard/downloads/” If we break it down, “downloads” is a folder in “sdcard” and “sdcard” is one of the folders in “/” which is the “root” of the folder structure. As a regular user, one might not consider that folders other than sdcard exist in “/” as they are kind of hidden from us but rest assure they are there and this is typically where the android OS and firmware files are kept. Modifying these files can be extremely dangerous for your phone if you do not understand the modifications to the file you're making, and what steps you can take to recover from any issues you encounter.
What is an RUU?
RUU stands for ROM Update Utility. An RUU is used to reflash an existing firmware/software set or updated firmware/software set. An RUU will wipe everything and basically get your phone back to stock. Unless your phone is S-Off, you cannot run an RUU with an older firmware or software than those currently on your device. You can only run an RUU that matches your MID/CID unless you are S-Off and have SuperCID or have changed the MID/CID to match the carrier you are flashing. There may be differences in hardware/firmware between MIDs and CIDs so be mindful as this can lead to a brick. To properly run an RUU with S-On, you must also have stock recovery installed, the bootloader must be locked/relocked. BE VERY CAREFUL DOING THIS. It is not recommended to RUU or OTA after unlocking your bootloader unless you have to. If you are S-OFF you can RUU whether the bootloader is locked or not and if you are superCID, CID checks will be ignored so be sure to be mindful of the RUU you are running and that it will play nice with your phone.
What is an OTA?
OTA stands for Over The Air and implies an Over the air update distributed by your phone manufacturer, carrier or ROM developer. Unlike an RUU, an OTA will not typically wipe/factory reset your phone but can update your firmware and/or software set. To a apply a manufacturer/carrier released OTA you will need stock recovery and stock system apps installed. Your CID/MID must match that of the carrier/manufacturer your phone came from.
What is a ROM?
When the term ROM was first introduced it stood for Read Only Memory, however, most memory that claims to be Read Only nowadays is not like it was back then. Now a days it is not as complicated to write ROM as only permissions are in your way as opposed to the days when you were required to modify the hardware layer in some way to update the ROM chip. In this particular case, we are referring to the android software on your phone. Stock ROM would imply the manufacturer released ROM that came on your device when you purchased it. Custom ROMs are ROMs the are modified stock ROMs or ROMs built from android source code to. I think you get the idea. It's the device software or Operating System if you will. You should never flash a ROM that is not intended for the device you are flashing it to, this is very dangerous. Like, brick dangerous.
What is a nandroid backup?
A nandroid backup is a backup of your phone's current state. Like a snapshot or image of your phone's software. It includes the ROM currently flashed to your phone, the kernel, apps and settings. It does not include any firmware files other than the kernel and possibly the recovery. A nandroid is done with custom recovery and cannot be done with stock recovery. Taking a nandroid before you start messing with your phone is good practice. In fact, It's good practice to make nandroids before flashing a new ROM, or making any changes that may impact stability. This will ensure you always have a quick way to get back to having a usable phone. Obviously, a nandroid will not help in cases where you mess up firmware files like the radio firmware or hboot.
What is a kernel?
The kernel is the central point of an operating system. It contains the modules and settings necessary for the ROM or OS to work properly. Every Operating System has a kernel, including android. Just like ROMs there are custom kernels, with tweaks and the like that may improve or decrease performance/stability. Also, like ROMs, you should never flash a kernel not intended for your device. Very Dangerous!
What is a bootloader?
The bootloader is as the name implies, a device software/interface for handling boot operations it is contained within the hboot file. The bootloader screen has a few nifty features:
Gives you device information such as:
The bootloader state (locked, relocked or unlocked)
The Secureflag state (S-On or S-Off)
Your hboot and radio versions
Your Cid (only if you changed it)
Allows you to power down, reboot or boot your phone to android.
Allows you to factory reset your phone (Though should never really be used unless you are completely stock as you can properly factory reset in custom recovery)
Allows you access to the recovery
It gives you access to fastboot command operations you can send from your PC to your phone.
To boot to bootloader: Press and hold Power and volume up until the phone shuts off, then let go of power and volume up. Press and hold Volume down until your screen comes up in bootloader mode.
What is recovery?
Recovery is a software/User Interface that allows you to handle and make changes to your device, without having to boot the android OS. The stock M8 comes with a recovery that is quite limited but allows you to factory reset your phone and flash OTA updates which really is more than enough for the average user.
Those of us who want more from our phones, and modify them tend to flash custom recoveries with many extra features. I won't go into all the features they provide as the devs have websites, and you can visit them for more information. The two custom recoveries for the m8 include TWRP and Philz Touch. Both are very functional and choosing one is a matter of preference over anything else.
To flash a recovery image. Put the recovery image in your fastboot/adb folder and in the command prompt:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img
You can find The latest:
TWRP for the M8 HERE
Philz Touch for the M8 HERE
To manually boot to recovery, boot to bootloader (Press and hold Power and volume up until the phone shuts off, then let go of power and volume up. Press and hold Volume down until your screen comes up in bootloader mode). Then select recovery in the bootloader menu.
What is S-Off/S-On?
This stands for Securewrite-on or Securewrite-Off. The name kind of gives some hints as to what it means. Having your bootloader unlocked, affords you the ability to to flash a custom recovery and custom roms as well as a custom kernel however, some people may need more. They may want to alter other system partitions. That is where S-Off comes in. It gives you full write access to all system partitons. It also forces a bypass for all security checks, such as those made by OTAs and RUUs, for CID and MID. S-Off is persistent. No matter if you RUU, OTA, Flash a ROM, Firmware, Factory Reset, S-Off will remain so until you use fastboot to reset the flag. I should say, if you don't know what you're doing, that is to say, if you are the type to follow instructions blindly on a thread, without much idea what is ACTUALLY Happening, what files you're modifying, you should not have S-Off. It should not concern you and that is that. S-Off can be dangerous. You have been warned.
What does a Factory Reset do?
A Factory Reset Clears the Cache, Dalvik Cache and Data Partitions. All settings will reset to default. User Apps (Apps you installed that did not com preinstalled with the ROM) will be removed. This will not restore your phone to when you purchased it. This will not relock your bootloader, Reset the S-Off flag, remove root, or downgrade your hboot. It merely affects the system and user settings and user apps.
What is fastboot?
Fastboot is a command line tool that allows you to manipulate certain parts of your phone from the bootloader. Your phone must be in fastboot mode and you must have the fastboot application and HTC drivers installed if you are on Windows. If you are on linux, the HTC driver is preinstalled.
Popular fastboot commands include:
Fatsboot devices (Lists devices connected for use with fastboot)
Fastboot flash recovery recovery.img (Flashes a recovery image)
Fastboot flash boot boot.img (Flashes a boot image)
Fastboot oem readcid (Shows the CID of the phone installed)
Fastboot oem writecid (Writes a new CID to your phone. Must be 8 Characters. Requires S-Off)
Fastboot oem rebootRUU (Puts the phone in RUU mode which is used for flashing firmwares and/or entire RUUs)
Fastboot reboot (Reboots your phone)
Fastboot reboot-bootloader (Reboots to bootloader)
Fastboot erase cache (Wipes the cache partition using fastboot. Good idea after flashing things via fastboot)
Fastboot help (Will list fastboot commands)
Fastboot boot imagefilename.img (Allows you to boot a recovery image or kernel image without actually flashing to your phone
allowing you one time access to the features without the headache of reflashing stock afterwards) Thanks to @garyd9 for suggesting I include this. Very convenient command.
What is ADB?
ADB is another command line tool used to manipulate your phone. The commands for ADB are way more extensive. ADB can only communicate with your phone while in a custom recovery or while the ROM is booted up with USB debugging turned on. The reason ADB is so much more extensive is because it allows you to remotely access your phone's terminal just like a linux terminal. You can use ADB to push or pull files to and from any partition (Some partitions will require S-Off), list devices, get a logcat, troubleshoot issues etc etc. For an extensive list of commands and how to use ADB I strongly suggest visiting http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
What is the CID?
CID stands for carrier ID. It's a string of letters and numbers, eight characters long that identify what carrier your phone is from. When you flash an OTA or RUU, The OTA or RUU checks for a few things, one of those things is the CID, to ensure you are flashing software intended for your device. Realistically, There's no hardware difference between the M8s (with the exception of CDMA vs GSM) so all firmwares/softwares should be compatible. With regards to radio firmware, your radio may function better with one firmware over another. There have been occasions with HTC where flashing an RUU or OTA with the wrong CID or SuperCID, while S-On would brick your phone. So try to be mindful of this and be careful.
Thanks to @garyd9 for suggesting I include this in my guide!
Some common CIDs include but are not limited to:
SuperCID: 11111111
HTC International: HTC__001
AT&T: CWS__001
ROGERS: ROGER001
VODAPHONE: VODAP001
T MOBILE: T-MOB010
TELESTRA: TELST001
Bell Canada: BM___001
What is a brick?
The term brick is sometimes thrown around a bit too casually. A brick is when your phone is no longer operable. It does not boot, there is no way to save it without resorting to Jtagg or replacing the nand chip or motherboard. If your phone powers on and something appears on your screen, your phone can almost always be saved. Be sure you know how to save your device before messing with your device.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
I flashed a ROM or Kernel and it's not booting! WHAT DO I DO!?
When this happens. There are actually a number of things to consider but first off, Hopefully you made a nandroid to restore from just in case the reason it doesn't boot is something not quickly or easily fixed.
1. Is the ROM you're flashing indeed intended for your device? ROMs you're flashing should be for the HTC One m8 International. You should not be flashing ROMs designed for the m8 Sprint or Verizon and should not be flashing ROMs designed for other models of phone. If the ROM you flashed is not for your device, best case scenario, it's not flashing properly. Worst case scenario, you have a brick. You will need to factory reset and wipe system then either flash a new ROM or restore a nandroid to get your phone up and running again.
2. Did you wipe Cache, Dalvik Cache, Data and System? (Don't wipe System for Kernel Install)
A factory reset will wipe all but system. You should wipe System manually in case the script for the ROM install does not do it or does it improperly. A factory reset is enough for a Kernel install. If you wiped system and just flashed a kernel, it's no doubt your phone is not booting.
* If you did not factory reset and wipe system, do so and then reflash your rom. It should then boot.
* If you wiped system to flash a kernel, you will need to reflash the rom, and then reflash your kernel again if you are flashing a custom kernel. (Note a GPE Kernel will not work on Sense and a Sense kernel will not work on GPE.
3. Did you matchup the Checksum? MD5 or SHA1 are usually posted on the ROM Download site/post. This allows you to check and make sure the integrity of the file you downloaded has been maintained. If The SHA1 or MD5 of the file you downloaded does not match what is posted, you have a corrupted file and should redownload. If you don't have a MD5 or SHA1 Checker, I suggest downloading one. Google MD5 or SHA1 Checker and you should find one. MD5 is most commonly used but it's up to the Dev as to which they post. Sometimes both. You only need to match one. (Linux comes with utilities for checking MD5/SHA1 called md5sum and/or sha1sum)
4. If you tried all these steps and it's still not booting, try another ROM. If no ROMs appear to be booting, you may be having an issue with your custom recovery. Redownload your recovery (Make sure it's the right one for your phone and check the checksum) Then reflash recovery, then use fastboot erase cache, boot to recovery and try flashing again.
5. If you tried all these and you're having issues, ask in the M8 Q&A!
I wiped everything and I don't have a ROM on my phone to flash! What do I do?
This is quite simple really.
Boot to recovery
Connect your phone to your PC
Make sure your ROM is on your PC and in your adb folder
Then use:
Code:
adb push romfilename.zip /sdcard/
Be patient, this could take a while, when it finishes you will get a confirmation with bytes in/bytes out.
Then flash.
Where can I go to find links to do all this cool stuff I want to do to my Phone!?!?!?!?
HERE!
Thank Yous!
Thanks to @garyd9
Thanks to @keithross39
This is a work in progress. I will be updating this as often as I can, trying to explain as much as I can for newer M8 owners who are not used to HTC or Android devices. If you have any suggestions for what I can put here, post here and let me know! Also, I'm not perfect, I make mistakes if I have/do make any, do not be shy! Let me know.
[08/18/2014] Partially updated and fixed spelling mistakes. More coming soon!

Hey fella, this is a good idea.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I am going to be getting the M8 in the near future, so reading up about the HTC specific stuff is really useful for me as I'm currently familiar with Samsung procedures and not a lot else. Most folks reading this should be familiar with the 'cross platform basics', so what you've covered so far should be enough........
But.....
Those (like me) who are getting an HTC device for the first time would probably benefit from more of a detailed description of the HTC side of things......maybe you could concentrate on expanding that information.......
Maybe you could include links to threads for s-off, rooting and/or anything else relevant?
Just my 2 cents worth....for what it's worth.....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy

keithross39 said:
Hey fella, this is a good idea.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
I am going to be getting the M8 in the near future, so reading up about the HTC specific stuff is really useful for me as I'm currently familiar with Samsung procedures and not a lot else. Most folks reading this should be familiar with the 'cross platform basics', so what you've covered so far should be enough........
But.....
Those (like me) who are getting an HTC device for the first time would probably benefit from more of a detailed description of the HTC side of things......maybe you could concentrate on expanding that information.......
Maybe you could include links to threads for s-off, rooting and/or anything else relevant?
Just my 2 cents worth....for what it's worth.....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man! I welcome all suggestions! I will do my best to incorporate your suggestions
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

Great idea, thanks. I've been wondering what S-Off is for weeks but didn't want the flaming for asking a noob question!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Some possible additions:
What is "RUU"?
What is MID (model ID) along with a list of some common MID's
What is CID (carrier ID?) along with a list of some common CID's
How do the MID and CID relate to each other and how does the combination relate and/or interact with RUU. Related, of course, is the third part of the version number.

I was thinking of writing a guide myself, because I was so confused myself after coming from samsung, really nice.

Shebee said:
I was thinking of writing a guide myself, because I was so confused myself after coming from samsung, really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol...ain't that the truth....
Sent from my rooted debloated thingy

Nice one

Very well done!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I'm one of those who also came from Samsung (S4).
This is really great and easy to understand. This should be sticky :victory:

While I think the OP uses the term "ROM" incorrectly (Read Only Memory), I'll admit that's just me being picky. Otherwise, a very useful post... I've requested it be made sticky.
Take care
Gary

garyd9 said:
While I think the OP uses the term "ROM" incorrectly (Read Only Memory), I'll admit that's just me being picky. Otherwise, a very useful post... I've requested it be made sticky.
Take care
Gary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not being picky at all! Feel free to suggest any corrections. I welcome criticism and corrections.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

exad said:
That's not being picky at all! Feel free to suggest any corrections. I welcome criticism and corrections.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. I'm one of those people who goes nuts when people want to install "ROM's" on their phone. I keep reminding them that if it was really "Read Only Memory", that they wouldn't be able to overwrite it. Ever.
I do understand, however, that it's one of the misused terms these days. I guess it's kind of like saying you are "dialing a phone number." (There aren't any dials on our phones anymore. I haven't even seen a working rotary dial phone in years...)
Anyway - I'll stop with my OT bantering. Once I get more familiar with HTC devices I'll probably have some good suggestions for your posts.
Take care
Gary

garyd9 said:
LOL. I'm one of those people who goes nuts when people want to install "ROM's" on their phone. I keep reminding them that if it was really "Read Only Memory", that they wouldn't be able to overwrite it. Ever.
I do understand, however, that it's one of the misused terms these days. I guess it's kind of like saying you are "dialing a phone number." (There aren't any dials on our phones anymore. I haven't even seen a working rotary dial phone in years...)
Anyway - I'll stop with my OT bantering. Once I get more familiar with HTC devices I'll probably have some good suggestions for your posts.
Take care
Gary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read only memory isn't a great name for it. If you've ever updated the bios on a pc, flashed a firmware update to a router, etc... you've written to read only memory. There are types that are truly read only but I can't think of a single practical example. And welcome to htc phones!
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

lampel said:
Read only memory isn't a great name for it. If you've ever updated the bios on a pc, flashed a firmware update to a router, etc... you've written to read only memory. There are types that are truly read only but I can't think of a single practical example. And welcome to htc phones!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm old enough to remember (clearly) when you couldn't update the BIOS on a PC - you had to physically replace the BIOS chip. (Usually, they were socketed to make replacement a bit easier.) That was ROM. Also, early game consoles used true ROM in cartridges.
As for current practical example: a simple CDROM (not CD/RW) is, of course, read only.

I agree that it's not the best name lol but that is what it stands for....
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

Added this to my index thread

Hi guys! I am planning to buy an htc one m8 but can someone please tell me the different models out there? I don't want to end up buying the wrong one. Also is the dev one worth spending the extra money over the international? And is it the same model as the international one? Thanks in advance. I didn't know where else to post this. I didn't wanted to start a new thread.

Karan and all other users, please post questions in Q&A. Only things that should be posted here are suggested additions to this thread.
Also thread has been updated and more to come!

Part on RUUs is wrong...
An RUU can be run at any point and in any state (so long as you can get to the bootloader) as it completely replaces the entire system so doesn't matter if you don't have the stock recovery as it replaces it during the update process. Also, if you're S-OFF it means you can flash any RUU for any phone, handy to go between branded and unbranded software. OK, there's a risk of trying to flash an RUU from another device but if you do that you're a bit dumb!!

[SOLVED] Phone reboots to recovery, even after TWRP restore?

*I flashed a CM12.1 nightly on top of one that was a couple days old, and the new one had all kinds of force closes. This was through CM's internal update function, which sets a recovery script and reboots into recovery to install it (which BTW failed).
So I went into TWRP and flashed the backup I made not a couple hours earlier. But now I have kind of a bootloop. Most of the time, the LG logo shows up, then it just reboots back into recovery. One time it got stuck on the logo, and I was able to see it with ADB but it told me init.sh was missing when I tried to adb shell into it.
I have three backups I tried restoring, which had /boot, /recovery, /system and /data, plus I wiped the Dalvik cache and /cache, but nothing I've tried will kick this thing loose. I've even tried formatting it back to EXT4 from F2FS, and erasing and recreating the partitions in fastboot. It seems like there's a flag somewhere telling it to reboot into recovery, but I can't find anything pertinent online. I'm really at a loss as to how to fix it, and out of ideas now.

Have you tried using the lg support tool to bring the phone back to stock?

audit13 said:
Have you tried using the lg support tool to bring the phone back to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I was going to edit the OP to say I've also now tried to flash back to stock, using the 20a KDZ and the LG Flash Tool 2014. When it gets to the point where it's actually about to flash, it says "USB is not connected". I have all the latest drivers, and have tried different cords, to no avail. It has been transferring files while connected in TWRP, so I'm not sure what that's about.

What about using the lg support tool to flash stock?

LG Mobile Support Tool is what LG Flash Tool calls to actually flash the ROM (otherwise you have to depend on what LGMST decides to download). It saw the phone the last time I used it, but wouldn't show LP 5.0.2 as being an available update, even though it had been released.
This thread has the instructions I've been working off of, which was posted around the time the ROM was released. It "should" work, it just doesn't. If I'm not mistaken, there may be another tool you can use, but I haven't been able to find it.
There's one other way I suppose I could go about this, but it would be delicate. I could push all the individual IMG files from a ZIP archive I have of the KDZ, but I don't know what all the partition names are, and there are like 10 of them, including laf, aboot, etc. For example, the /data partition is actually named "userdata" when you use fastboot flash.

I didn't know about the difference between the LGMST and Flash Tool.
All I know is that the LGMST was able to download the correct LP ROM for my phone, install it, and get me back to stock after I screwed things up when trying to get root.

i have same problems , here is my solutions
- use SKR tool -> 4 .fix utility -> 5.unbrick ,
if u want go back to stock, try use TOT file to go back JB
cant use kdz way

Dễ.Thương said:
i have same problems , here is my solutions
- use SKR tool -> 4 .fix utility -> 5.unbrick ,
if u want go back to stock, try use TOT file to go back JB
cant use kdz way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+Thanks, I have never even heard of that. But I'll give it a try. By any chance were you using F2FS?
Though I am not sure, but I'm leaning towards some kind of hardware failure -- this is a refurbished phone, so there's no telling what it's been through inside. T-Mobile sent another one overnight, which I should have in a few hours, but I still need to clean up this one if it has to go back.

audit13 said:
I didn't know about the difference between the LGMST and Flash Tool.
All I know is that the LGMST was able to download the correct LP ROM for my phone, install it, and get me back to stock after I screwed things up when trying to get root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine told me I had the latest version, which is peculiar. Was your phone rooted at the time? Because I could understand it refusing in that case: I ran into a soft-brick on a D800 because of an OTA once. Otherwise, I'm not sure why one would work, and the other wouldn't.

voxluna said:
+Thanks, I have never even heard of that. But I'll give it a try. By any chance were you using F2FS?
Though I am not sure, but I'm leaning towards some kind of hardware failure -- this is a refurbished phone, so there's no telling what it's been through inside. T-Mobile sent another one overnight, which I should have in a few hours, but I still need to clean up this one if it has to go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont use f2fs , just use SKR tool with luck but i think u need flash a stock rom first

Dễ.Thương said:
i dont use f2fs , just use SKR tool with luck but i think u need flash a stock rom first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I ask is that I had a debate in another thread about using F2FS instead of EXT4 for the filesystem. Most people suggested it's buggy and causes problems, so I wondered if that's what happened here.

When I used lgmst, my phone was giving me boot certification errors. I played around some more with it and then it would only go to download mode.
I connect the phone in download mode and the program downloaded and installed the latest LP rom for my 802 from UAE.

audit13 said:
When I used lgmst, my phone was giving me boot certification errors. I played around some more with it and then it would only go to download mode.
I connect the phone in download mode and the program downloaded and installed the latest LP rom for my 802 from UAE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u can boot your phone ,try to use Tot file , lg flash tool doesnt work anymore

LGMST fixed my 802 so there was no need for a tot file.

audit13 said:
When I used lgmst, my phone was giving me boot certification errors. I played around some more with it and then it would only go to download mode.
I connect the phone in download mode and the program downloaded and installed the latest LP rom for my 802 from UAE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish I had a D802 -- it's ubiquitous, and thus has more support on XDA, I think. I'm not sure why T-Mobile chose to have a customized model. Same goes for AT&T, since they both use the same frequencies... and I don't know what the hell Verizon was thinking with those hideous buttons. The only differences I see between most of them is the SAR.

I am not sure that all g2 phones support the same frequencies. My 802 will not connect to LTE in Canada.

audit13 said:
I am not sure that all g2 phones support the same frequencies. My 802 will not connect to LTE in Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, they don't, especially Verizon and Sprint being entirely incompatible because of CDMA. I looked it up just now, and while there are several variations of your phone, it actually looks like it has a lot less frequencies than the T-Mobile device. I was under the impression it was the other way around, but I dunno exactly -- yours is supposed to be a D803 up there. It depends on the carrier/region, and which LTE bands they're using. It may be that you get LTE somewhere else eventually.
I don't know why the hell they don't just make the phone with all the bands you expect to encounter on a continent, but I'm sure it has to do with lock-in. Because the SoC should already have that stuff baked in.

I actually have an 802 (International version, unlocked) that I bought off a guy on Kijiji. It was an incredibly cheap price because it had some scratches on the screen which are not very noticeable. Once I applied a tempered glass screen protector, you could only see the scratches from an oblique angle. The guy even included an official LG flip case which wakes and sleeps the phone This phone even has a stock LP ROM.

I love the glass protectors! That gel adhesive just melts on the screen and leaves not a single bubble. And yeah, it gets into scratches and improves them, too. I'll never use film ones again. I've personally never broken a screen, but Gorilla Glass can be scratched under the right conditions. Hey, as long as it's working for you, cheap is always good. HSPA+ isn't anything to sneeze about either -- I've had some amazing speeds on T-Mobile with it, for years now. It's a great fallback for LTE.

Okay, I managed to recover the original phone!
Something in my previous build was triggering the boot loop into recovery. This happened when the CyanogenMod updater tried to flash a new nightly, so there's a possibility it set a flag that kept it looping. But it's also possible Xposed went haywire somehow, and/or a module did. I'm not really sure why it decided to fail like this, when I had been using it without issue.
All my backups did the same thing, yet those builds ran okay when I backed them up. And I don't know why I could see the COM41 port, but not use it -- the drivers were perfect, I went to a lot of trouble to uninstall and replace them. That meant no LGFlashTool, and manual restoration (ye olde commande line).
So, what I did was use fastboot to flash every partition I could get my hands on, not just the ones you can format in TWRP. I used the 20c files from here. You basically do:
fastboot erase aboot
fastboot flash aboot.img
fastboot erase laf
fastboot flash laf.img​...etc. Then you format the /system partition, and flash a Cyanogenmod nightly into there. I also flashed the /data partition, but left /data/media alone, which saves the internal storage. Then I erased and flashed /recovery just for good measure.
This is a somewhat specific fix, but maybe if someone else comes across it, it can help.

I need your Galaxy On5 (USA) ROM

Hi, I need the ROM for this phone, more specifically, the boot.img file, as the current kernel is for the older, Indian revision of the On5, and my revision, the USA version SM-G550T1, seems not to have any copies of its firmware floating around. I'm running an OS for the SM-G550FY, which has no audio or camera support. Even if the version isn't an exact match, if you bought this phone in the USA, new, in 2016, your boot.img will probably work. I need this kernel guys. Please, if someone has an On5 in the USA, can I please get a copy of your boot.img and possibly system.img? I really care about the boot.img.
Thanks guys
-Subsentient

Firstly, did you try the updated ones at these locations:
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/galaxy-on5-stock-firmware-2-86761/
http://firmwarefile.com/samsung-sm-g550fy
Secondly, why exactly do you need the boot.img, what problem do you think it'll solve? Is there any specific issue with your current ROM that you are trying to solve?

Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.

Subsentient said:
Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).

prahladyeri said:
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.

Subsentient said:
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you are! I just cannot emphasize enough that why don't you guys backup your existing ROMs before flashing a new one? It hardly takes five minutes with CWM/TWRP recovery.
In any case, what happens when you flash the Indian ROM (5.1.1)? I guess that could be your only option.
Otherwise, you can put a request on the CyanogenMod thread for your particular Samsung model.
For future reference, perform device backups and all the research before flashing a custom ROM, not after the fact.
EDIT
If you can contact Samsung support, see if you can manage to get a stock ROM from them that you can flash using ODIN or something.

I contacted them already, they basically told me to go **** myself. The missing ROM is a result of bad parameters I accidentally put in to Heimdall/ODIN flasher. I wanted to back up, but ironically, my first attempt at installing TWRP is what destroyed my ROM.

I've downloaded the kernel source code from Samsung and I'll try compiling it myself. If I create a working boot.img, I'll post it here.

prahladyeri said:
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.

Subsentient said:
boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.

prahladyeri said:
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kernel on this device does not have loadable module support. It's entirely monolithic. And, I'm having one hell of a time building a kernel this thing is willing to boot.
I really would love just to get a ROM from someone else's SM-G550T or SM-G550T1.

locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know

bandtab said:
locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.

Subsentient said:
I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you!
however, i can't install twrp to my recovery partition anymore because i got FRP locked, and i can't go into my settings to disable it now. so i think my only option really is via odin. i'll see what i can do with this though, thank you very much. i did have twrp on there before but after i got frp locked i can't go into recovery mode at all.

I've been losing my mind trying to make this work.
I think if I installed the stock recovery.img it may work, but I can't find it in the files you sent. Would you or anyone else be able to make a copy of it for me? I would be eternally indebted to whoever could.

If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.

holydude92 said:
If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately smart switch is incompatible with this model phone for the time being.

I got four of these from T-Mobile when we switched from Verizon ($120 for 4 lines). Three of our Verizon phones worked well on T-Mobile (after a few APN tweaks), but my dad's old Galaxy S3 barely worked at all, and when it did, only got Edge for data. So I set one of the On5 phones up for him.
Everything was going great. I put the TWRP recovery on it, rooted it, froze all the bloatware, and backed up/restored his apps from the old S3. However, he wanted me to see if I could restore all his SMS/MMS. I tried restoring that, and the stock Messaging app started FC'ing. I installed Textra, which worked (and saw the old messages), but he never received new texts (even though he could send). So I tried removing Messaging and Textra, as well as the SMS cache (which seemed to be in "Dialer Storage (Phone SMS/MMS). I removed it, but now I'm getting an error every five seconds about "com.android.phone" and can't seem to get rid of it. I tried to restore the dialer storage backup again, but it just seems to sit forever without installing.
I've looked far and wide for a stock ROM... hoping I could just put this mess behind me, but I'm surprised to find it is nowhere to be found.
My other alternative would be to fix the com.android.phone error, but nothing seems to fix it.

Which cynogenmod or any custom os suits for Samsung Galaxy on 5.......please tell me guys.....I am bored with this official os

I was really hoping to come back to this forum and finally see stock ODIN files for this phone. I really, really want to get rid of the MetroPCS ROM I used to fix it.
Has anyone been able to find it?

LG V20 H910 Root attempt fail, any plan of recourse?

Hi. I'm just gonna say this first: I didn't know entirely what I was doing when beginning this operation. I was just trying to do something fun and new, and it didn't pan out. I fully acknowledge that I am an idiot.
Now, the story. I was attempting to root my LGV20 with this guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/root-h910-v10m-t3664500 .
I have read over this thread more times than countable and thought I was doing everything correctly. I got to the "STEP3.BAT" portion of the guide and long story short, my phone crashed during it and somehow got foobarred.
It *kinda* works (as in it will boot for around a minute) and then blue/black screen into a reboot.
Is there any way I can save this phone? Hard resets, going into software, more dumb computer stuff, anything. I don't *need* to get this phone working again but it would be really preferable.
Simultaneously I fully accept the responsibility in failing the operations. I know that somewhere I must have messed up. If no-one wants/ can help me, tell me so. Just means new phone time.
If any more detail on what happened is needed, tell me.

First off: that guide is ONLY for the H910 (AT&T) variant, so make sure with your model
and also, when you said a "blue or black screen" it also has very small writings too, right? If so, then you may have faced a kernel/bootloader panic
Technically your phone is *still* alive, and your best method is to start over again, assuming if you read the whole guide carefully then you have backed up your firmware and can still access download mode.
Flash your stock firmware back (or use the H915 firmware provided by the guide), wipe and setup your phone again, then root the phone again.
I also suggest replacing the TWRP recovery inside the provided Dirtysanta folder cuz that's what i did when i faced the kernel panic

MEMO#22 said:
First off: that guide is ONLY for the H910 (AT&T) variant, so make sure with your model
and also, when you said a "blue or black screen" it also has very small writings too, right? If so, then you may have faced a kernel/bootloader panic
Technically your phone is *still* alive, and your best method is to start over again, assuming if you read the whole guide carefully then you have backed up your firmware and can still access download mode.
Flash your stock firmware back (or use the H915 firmware provided by the guide), wipe and setup your phone again, then root the phone again.
I also suggest replacing the TWRP recovery inside the provided Dirtysanta folder cuz that's what i did when i faced the kernel panic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much. Freaked out over this for a good bit. Came back, did what you said and we're back at that step fully working. Life saver.
Now my first guess as to why step3 failed is that i didn't have the latest version of TWRP. How can I set that up?

Inside the root package folder you can see an .img file named twrp 3.0.2-1- us996.img
What i did was downloaded a later version
(not latest cuz my phone won't boot at the latest version for some reason), copied the name of the original twrp and renamed it, paste it to the folder, overwrite the old one, and try to root it again

MEMO#22 said:
Inside the root package folder you can see an .img file named twrp 3.0.2-1- us996.img
What i did was downloaded a later version
(not latest cuz my phone won't boot at the latest version for some reason), copied the name of the original twrp and renamed it, paste it to the folder, overwrite the old one, and try to root it again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, i've done that now too. Thanks. Is there anything else i should/need to keep in mind to ensure failure is not going to happen? I want to make 100% sure I get everything right this time.

reptarien said:
Alright, i've done that now too. Thanks. Is there anything else i should/need to keep in mind to ensure failure is not going to happen? I want to make 100% sure I get everything right this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No i don't think there is more things to do, the guide you're following is pretty much straightforward already.
100% guarantee is always a stretch here in XDA. But if you're still facing problems you can ask for help on that guide's thread.

MEMO#22 said:
No i don't think there is more things to do, the guide you're following is pretty much straightforward already.
100% guarantee is always a stretch here in XDA. But if you're still facing problems you can ask for help on that guide's thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really want to give up on this. This time I successfully made it through all Step 3, but I also noticed that my screen was kind of glitched and not rendering properly at that stage. After it rebooted, I unplugged my micro usb cable and it gave me an angry green warning message I will attach here.
If you/someone can tell me what to do with this message from here or instruct me on how to flash stock H910 10 q back onto the phone without doing TWRP (since i'm evidently incapable of installing it) I would be most appreciative.

Slightly better picture without anything cut off.

reptarien said:
I really want to give up on this. This time I successfully made it through all Step 3, but I also noticed that my screen was kind of glitched and not rendering properly at that stage. After it rebooted, I unplugged my micro usb cable and it gave me an angry green warning message I will attach here.
If you/someone can tell me what to do with this message from here or instruct me on how to flash stock H910 10 q back onto the phone without doing TWRP (since i'm evidently incapable of installing it) I would be most appreciative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen glitching is normal, the green text after boot however is somehow not.
Sad to hear that it still didn't work, there something seems to be interrupting the process of rooting your phone. I dunno if it has something to do with ARB (anti rollback) preventing you to root
If you want to go back to your stock firmware that you backed up, you can:
-Carefully flash each file of your backed up firmware through adb and fastboot mode
-build a zip file of your firmware and flash through TWRP (since it didn't succeed tho)

MEMO#22 said:
The screen glitching is normal, the green text after boot however is somehow not.
Sad to hear that it still didn't work, there something seems to be interrupting the process of rooting your phone. I dunno if it has something to do with ARB (anti rollback) preventing you to root
If you want to go back to your stock firmware that you backed up, you can:
-Carefully flash each file of your backed up firmware through adb and fastboot mode
-build a zip file of your firmware and flash through TWRP (since it didn't succeed tho)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you reply with any links with a tutorial on how to do the first thing? Or describe it. Sorry for being so dumb i'm a total newbie lol

reptarien said:
Could you reply with any links with a tutorial on how to do the first thing? Or describe it. Sorry for being so dumb i'm a total newbie lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately i can't find any guides when it comes to flashing the back up.
I did read something back then on turning it into a zip file, but even if you can build one you still need TWRP, in which case you haven't successfully installed, so that's no option
Flashing the backup files requires specific commands, especially to the part on what partition should it be flashed to
When LGUP backs up your phone's firmware, you can see a vast number of files(i can't remember how were they named, I'll look up a reddit post about it)
The files where named based on what partition it came fom (H910_modemxx_COM12, H910_system_COM12 or something like that)
These are image files, what i did as far as i can remember was rename these files by adding an IMG extension for ADB to recognize
Flash them according to it's partition name:
"Fastboot flash system H910_system_COM12.img"
"Fastboot flash recovery H910_recovery_COM12.img'
Etc.
To go to fastboot, turn off your phone and hold the volume down button , then plug your phone to the PC.
But i really cannot guarantee this, because for all i know, in order to flash this you need fastboot, and to get fastboot you need to root your phone, because only the engineering bootloader has it (i'm sorry if it's wrong tho), and flashing these files to fastboot might be a bit dangerous because it will not verify the files, there may be chances that you might flash a corrupted file. so flashing via LGUP is the safest option so far if you don't know what you're doing

unlock boot loader US996

Is this do-able with out unlock.bin??
I've tried using adb/fastboot. ADB reports the device OK; fastboot can't see the device.
I've tried all manner of drivers to load........ I know there are separate drivers for adb and fastboot.
This is driving me nuts.
Finally, are there different SUB-variants of the 996?? One generic and one US Sprint??
Thanks

You must use dirtysanta to root
[Guide][Tutorial] Root TWRP LG V20 using Dirtysanta[Most Variants][Noobfriendly]
Good day, Here's the modified dirtysanta method to root LG V20 and install TWRP. This guide will help you in rooting your device with much easier situation. Before you begin: (Your phone's internal storage will be wiped or simply formatted or...
forum.xda-developers.com

ROMSG said:
You must use dirtysanta to root
[Guide][Tutorial] Root TWRP LG V20 using Dirtysanta[Most Variants][Noobfriendly]
Good day, Here's the modified dirtysanta method to root LG V20 and install TWRP. This guide will help you in rooting your device with much easier situation. Before you begin: (Your phone's internal storage will be wiped or simply formatted or...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only issue with that response: The DirtySanta thread you link to lists the following devices, admonishing that any others will get bricked:
- Verizon (VS995)
- Sprint (LS997)
- ATT (H910)
- Korean(F800L)
- USS996 (BPT, UCL)
- Canadian (H915)
Unless there's a typo in it, the USS996 is NOT the same as the US996. The US996 is a carrier unlocked US variant. The other US996 is locked to US Cellular. A bit of clarity is necessary here...

Graf_Eberstein said:
The only issue with that response: The DirtySanta thread you link to lists the following devices, admonishing that any others will get bricked:
- Verizon (VS995)
- Sprint (LS997)
- ATT (H910)
- Korean(F800L)
- USS996 (BPT, UCL)
- Canadian (H915)
Unless there's a typo in it, the USS996 is NOT the same as the US996. The US996 is a carrier unlocked US variant. The other US996 is locked to US Cellular. A bit of clarity is necessary here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found this some of the Links are broken.
V20 [H915|US996] DirtyElf Bootloader Unlock and Root guide
Firmware
US99610f_00_1205.kdz
usb drivers for windows
Terminal Emulator for Android "f-droid Download APK at bottom of page"
Before you flash the KDZ to downgrade your firwmare make a DUMP backup of ALL files first it will have your EFS and that's very very important it has your IMEI number. You don't need to dump system or cache.

Darnrain1 said:
I found this some of the Links are broken.
V20 [H915|US996] DirtyElf Bootloader Unlock and Root guide
Firmware
US99610f_00_1205.kdz
usb drivers for windows
Terminal Emulator for Android "f-droid Download APK at bottom of page"
Before you flash the KDZ to downgrade your firwmare make a DUMP backup of ALL files first it will have your EFS and that's very very important it has your IMEI number. You don't need to dump system or cache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I am looking that over. One question I do have for you: Is that dump backup needed for anything beyond the EFS to get the IMEI? Asking only because I was able to extract the IMEI already. I'm not physically working on this till the weekend, so I'm going to read up/download stuff in the interim and go from there. If I end up with questions (and I just might from the bit I've read so far*), I'll append this post or reply to it.
* This is an example of where the uncertainty sets in: "For official US996 model owners that do not want to void their warranty, follow the Dirtysanta Sprint(LS997) method but make sure to flash a US996 Stock rom instead." I'm assuming "official" applies to an actual V20 model US996, regardless of carrier/unlock status. I'm extrapolating that the H915 is an US996 with a differently configured kernel. Since the LS997 is only mentioned separately, is the 997 a CDMA version of the (GSM) 996?
LTE is inferred, GSM is for distinction, so I'm assuming the 915 and 996 are GSM devices. I also know Sprint is/was a CDMA carrier. CDMA hardware would infer different modules would be loaded by the kernel, than for GSM, and could therefore hang or brick the device. At least that's where the rail line used by my train of thought takes me. Or, does the difference between CDMA and GSM versions not matter?
You are correct about the broken links: Tilde88's US996 100% Stock deODEXEd Rom, which is listed in the linked article, is a bad link. I did some fairly general "looking" for that ROM elsewhere, found a couple of articles when Google-searching, but haven't had a chance to check those out (that will have to wait until tomorrow). If it turns out that there is no alternate link to the ROM, are there any other ways of getting it, short of looping @Tilde88 in?

Graf_Eberstein said:
Thank you! I am looking that over. One question I do have for you: Is that dump backup needed for anything beyond the EFS to get the IMEI? Asking only because I was able to extract the IMEI already. I'm not physically working on this till the weekend, so I'm going to read up/download stuff in the interim and go from there. If I end up with questions (and I just might from the bit I've read so far*), I'll append this post or reply to it.
* This is an example of where the uncertainty sets in: "For official US996 model owners that do not want to void their warranty, follow the Dirtysanta Sprint(LS997) method but make sure to flash a US996 Stock rom instead." I'm assuming "official" applies to an actual V20 model US996, regardless of carrier/unlock status. I'm extrapolating that the H915 is an US996 with a differently configured kernel. Since the LS997 is only mentioned separately, is the 997 a CDMA version of the (GSM) 996?
LTE is inferred, GSM is for distinction, so I'm assuming the 915 and 996 are GSM devices. I also know Sprint is/was a CDMA carrier. CDMA hardware would infer different modules would be loaded by the kernel, than for GSM, and could therefore hang or brick the device. At least that's where the rail line used by my train of thought takes me. Or, does the difference between CDMA and GSM versions not matter?
You are correct about the broken links: Tilde88's US996 100% Stock deODEXEd Rom, which is listed in the linked article, is a bad link. Since I haven't gotten past the first post yet, I'm going to see if I can find that elsewhere and report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes downgrading your firmware to root your phone will corrupt your EFS on the phone and you have to restore it to get cell service working again or to bring back your IMEI number.
There are four files that are your EFS.
With the phone powered off, hold the down vol and plug in usb to computer to restore EFS.
fastboot flash fsg fsg_COM6
fastboot flash misc misc_COM6
fastboot flash modemst1 modemst1_COM6
fastboot flash modemst2 modemst2_COM6
fastboot reboot

Darnrain1 said:
Sometimes downgrading your firmware to root your phone will corrupt your EFS on the phone and you have to restore it to get cell service working again or to bring back your IMEI number.
There are four files that are your EFS.
With the phone powered off, hold the down vol and plug in usb to computer to restore EFS.
fastboot flash fsg fsg_COM6
fastboot flash misc misc_COM6
fastboot flash modemst1 modemst1_COM6
fastboot flash modemst2 modemst2_COM6
fastboot reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
FYI, I just amended my prior response (above) re. the ROM as well.

Graf_Eberstein said:
Thank you.
FYI, I just amended my prior response (above) re. the ROM as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome,
Stock Oreo Rom, flash in order But there are a lot more roms for the Lgv20 you can look around if you want.
LG V20 ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & Other Developm
US996 DIrtysanta Rom
ezV2020 kernel for Oreo link
Magisk-v21.4.zip
Latest version of twrp link

Darnrain1 said:
I found this some of the Links are broken.
V20 [H915|US996] DirtyElf Bootloader Unlock and Root guide
Firmware
US99610f_00_1205.kdz
usb drivers for windows
Terminal Emulator for Android "f-droid Download APK at bottom of page"
Before you flash the KDZ to downgrade your firwmare make a DUMP backup of ALL files first it will have your EFS and that's very very important it has your IMEI number. You don't need to dump system or cache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so I finally got to where I'm able to run that dump backup. I've been at it for the better part of 8 man hours, and it keeps crashing. Finally got everything backed up except SYSTEM IMAGE. Whenever I try to back up that segment, the backup crashes. You said I don't need to do this against CACHE, which I get. There's both a SYSTEM and a SYSTEM IMAGE, so now I'm wondering if you meant the latter instead of the former... If not, how do I get past this obstacle?
FWIW, I'm writing to an otherwise empty, brand new 32 GB Class 10 card. Initially I was using a surplus 16 GB card, then realized that I was coming up around 4 GB short, and pegged the failure on that. But the same happens on the larger card. In case it matters, the backup gets to about 60% before failing...

Graf_Eberstein said:
Ok, so I finally got to where I'm able to run that dump backup. I've been at it for the better part of 8 man hours, and it keeps crashing. Finally got everything backed up except SYSTEM IMAGE. Whenever I try to back up that segment, the backup crashes. You said I don't need to do this against CACHE, which I get. There's both a SYSTEM and a SYSTEM IMAGE, so now I'm wondering if you meant the latter instead of the former... If not, how do I get past this obstacle?
FWIW, I'm writing to an otherwise empty, brand new 32 GB Class 10 card. Initially I was using a surplus 16 GB card, then realized that I was coming up around 4 GB short, and pegged the failure on that. But the same happens on the larger card. In case it matters, the backup gets to about 60% before failing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone is rooted great.
DUMP backup with LGUP. Might not be to late. Just hold vol up and plug in usb to phone and computer. Go into LGUP and choose DUMP all files. You don't need to dump system or cache. This will save all the files on your computer. Back the files up like google drive or something.
Take battery out and put back in. Then you want to boot into twrp and do a format.
Then your ready to install an OS on your phone. Why don't you check out my rom I made it's stock Oreo debloated. There are some good guides on there also you can follow. link
If you need any more help just ask. I don't mind.

I just wanted to thank you for the guidance to date. Great news: After many fits, starts, wrong turns, interruptions, and muckups both real and imagined, my V20 now has Oreo Lemondrop installed, and I presume it is also rooted.
With the initial hurdle overcome, it's time for new questions (see photos for the first three):
* The device reports no S/N. Normal?
* The OS reports no kernel version. Normal?
* The device still boots to the red triangle before loading Lemondrop. I was under the impression that would go away now, or am I wrong?
* A lot of games and other crud is being installed by Mobile Services Manager. Is that because I missed something?
The latter may not matter much: I'm going to move the SIM from my regular phone to the V20 to see if it will make/receive calls. If it does, it'll get a SIM of its own, so I can use it as a second line. If it doesn't work (I've seen posts about bands not working, etc), I'll be done with it altogether.
However, should the phone work, what'll make this whole enterprise a complete success, will be to install a more current Android release; I'm expecting 10 or 11, but would be tickled if it's 12 or 13. But first things first...

Graf_Eberstein said:
I just wanted to thank you for the guidance to date. Great news: After many fits, starts, wrong turns, interruptions, and muckups both real and imagined, my V20 now has Oreo Lemondrop installed, and I presume it is also rooted.
With the initial hurdle overcome, it's time for new questions (see photos for the first three):
* The device reports no S/N. Normal?
* The OS reports no kernel version. Normal?
* The device still boots to the red triangle before loading Lemondrop. I was under the impression that would go away now, or am I wrong?
* A lot of games and other crud is being installed by Mobile Services Manager. Is that because I missed something?
The latter may not matter much: I'm going to move the SIM from my regular phone to the V20 to see if it will make/receive calls. If it does, it'll get a SIM of its own, so I can use it as a second line. If it doesn't work (I've seen posts about bands not working, etc), I'll be done with it altogether.
However, should the phone work, what'll make this whole enterprise a complete success, will be to install a more current Android release; I'm expecting 10 or 11, but would be tickled if it's 12 or 13. But first things first...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah no SN and no Kernel is normal. It's also normal to have the boot screen come up, it's because your phone is rooted now.
I have to run Oreo because LTE is not working in crDroid or Lineage os. There are proprietary drivers that are in Oreo to make LTE work and they are not in any other android os. But if all you need is 4G then maybe another os would work for you. In the USA they did away with 4G only LTE now. So I thought I would make the Lemon Drop rom, if I have to use Oreo why not make it fast. Plus most everything works in Lemon Drop. Like second screen and so on. I have used crDroid before it's good I will link the files for you.
Update: I found and removed Mobile Services Manager in the latest version of Auto_Debloat. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
crDroid 11 just format and flash in twrp reboot.
also flash Magisk-v21.4.zip so you can have root.
you may have to flash twrp also I am not sure, it's been awhile before I install crDroid. You can always flash twrp in fastboot mode if you have to.
Take Care.

Darnrain1 said:
Yeah no SN and no Kernel is normal. It's also normal to have the boot screen come up, it's because your phone is rooted now.
I have to run Oreo because LTE is not working in crDroid or Lineage os. There are proprietary drivers that are in Oreo to make LTE work and they are not in any other android os. But if all you need is 4G then maybe another os would work for you. In the USA they did away with 4G only LTE now. So I thought I would make the Lemon Drop rom, if I have to use Oreo why not make it fast. Plus most everything works in Lemon Drop. Like second screen and so on. I have used crDroid before it's good I will link the files for you.
Update: I found and removed Mobile Services Manager in the latest version of Auto_Debloat. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
crDroid 11 just format and flash in twrp reboot.
also flash Magisk-v21.4.zip so you can have root.
you may have to flash twrp also I am not sure, it's been awhile before I install crDroid. You can always flash twrp in fastboot mode if you have to.
Take Care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again, and you're welcome for the bit on the Mobile Services Manager. My apologies for the lag in responding too; real life got in the way for a bit there. I'll look into your suggestion as I get a chance and will report back.

Graf_Eberstein said:
Thank you again, and you're welcome for the bit on the Mobile Services Manager. My apologies for the lag in responding too; real life got in the way for a bit there. I'll look into your suggestion as I get a chance and will report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a problem. Because I only have an H910 I didn't get all the bloatware on other lgv20 phones. But that Mobile Services Manager is a huge bloatware that installs more bloatware. So I thought I would try and find it and remove it in the latest version. You can update Auto_Debloat and it should get rid of that Mobile Services Manager for you. All you have to do is just flash the new version in twrp and reboot.