Database Users

Cannot root nexus s

1. I've searched similar threads on the forum already.
2. I've used usbdeview to uninstall old drivers so as to eliminate any conflicts when installing the new ones.
3. I've tried this on both Win7 x64 as well as Vista x64 with the same results.
4. I don't care about clockwork recovery - the stock recovery is fine as as far as I can tell it makes no difference to the issue i'm having.
After checking the dozen or so guides on how to do this I first tried installing the usb drivers for the phone whilst in fastboot mode. This was impossible for me as no matter what combination I used to point the windows device driver installer to the google usb drivers, they simply would-not-install. What I did notice (though trial and error) was that those same drivers are not, in fact, used for fastboot mode, but for normal boot whilst the phone is in usb debugging mode. I.e. windows device driver installer was able to install the drivers in the folder. I then decided to go ahead anyway.
I launched the cmd (in admin mode) and navigated to the program files (x86) (so much for the 64bit sdk, GG Google lol)->android->android-sdk->platform-tools (the original tools folder is no longer the correct folder as Google moved the .dll's). I then tried to launch the various 'fastboot' commands necessary and hit another roadblock as the cmd prompt reports that 'fastboot' is not a valid command.
So there you have it, I can't install the drivers and can't execute and 'fastboot' commands. Anyone know how to root this phone using neither of those 2 components? *sigh*
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. For an added bit of irony, rooting a friends HTC HD was easier...

Fastboot is in the "tools" folder, not "platform-tools" and make sure you have copied over the .dll files into the "tools" folder or else it wont work.
The clockwork method is easy, and can be used without flashing the clockwork recovery image to the phone so you can root it and pretty much keep everything stock. The 'fastboot boot recovery.img' command boots the phone with the image, but it doesnt flash it.
The whole rooting process is really easy, it should only take a minute or two.
This guide h ttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=935819 worked flawlessly for me a few times.

Thanks for the reply.
After installing the pdanet it asked me if i wanted to reinstall the usb drivers. I chose to do so because at this point, I had nothing to lose. After doing so and rebooting the phone into recovery mode, windows device manager no longer had a missing driver reported! Go figure.
I have thus been able to unlock my bootloader. However I have not been able to root my phone (to be honest i originally thought they were the same thing). The guide askes to flash the clockworkrecovery to the phone which would replace the stock recovery would it not? Is there any way to root the phone now that it's bootloader is unlocked without flashing the clockwork image?

There are usb drivers with the sdk but theyre in the 3rd party section for some reason.
The unlocked bootloader isnt necessary if you want to get root, but if you use the fastboot command i pasted above, nothing gets flashed, but the phone boots only once using the specified recovery.img. Nothing will get overwritten unless you use the 'flash' parameter as quite a few of the guides do. Make sure you have your su*.zip already copied onto your sdcard partition as this makes it easier.

mrbeardy said:
There are usb drivers with the sdk but theyre in the 3rd party section for some reason.
The unlocked bootloader isnt necessary if you want to get root, but if you use the fastboot command i pasted above, nothing gets flashed, but the phone boots only once using the specified recovery.img. Nothing will get overwritten unless you use the 'flash' parameter as quite a few of the guides do. Make sure you have your su*.zip already copied onto your sdcard partition as this makes it easier.
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Click to collapse
I think it doesn't matter if you do fastboot "flash" or "boot" because Nexus S was built with a safety system that replaces the custom recovery for the stock everytime you reboot. Correct me if i'm wrong

Rafael Cadina said:
I think it doesn't matter if you do fastboot "flash" or "boot" because Nexus S was built with a safety system that replaces the custom recovery for the stock everytime you reboot. Correct me if i'm wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fastboot boot only boots the recovery one time, fastboot flash flashes the recovery permanently to your phone(until you flash another). so yea, it makes a BIG difference.

I also had a difficult time rooting it because of the drivers. Once I found this thread right here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878786 the drivers worked instantly! Actually everything worked!

Hang on, so I don't need to unlock the bootloader to get perm root? (if so, how do I re-lock the bootloader?) Why do so many of the guides include this part then? What's the advantage of an unlocked botloader?
/confused.
EDIT: note that i'm running 2.3.3 if that makes any diff.

Ok, i'm I used this method (http://www.dkszone.net/root-nexus-s-android-2.3.3-gingerbread-google-samsung) to root the phone. I have confirmed this by downloading apps like adfree but when i use titanium backup is says it can't get root privileges even though the super user app is allowing it.
EDIT: I worked it out, turns out Titanium Back up needs something called 'busybox' (which wasn't the case on my previous installs on other phones). After installing it, it now works perfectly. No need for clockwork after all (not sure why i'd ever use it to be honest as I don't install custom roms but I still need root for other apps that i use).

[Q] N4 will not boot, have tried flashing stock

This problem was originally caused when cyanogenmod was not allowing me to change APN settings, so i used the WugFresh toolkit to flash stock and unroot. During the process, the command line hung at "writing system" for over 2 hours and i ended up closing the window, and of course, now my phone will not boot.
I have tried to use the flash stock + unroot option in WugFresh 3 or 4 times since then and every time it gets stuck at 'writing system'. I have also used a guide on android central (I can't link it because its my first post) guide to manually flash the stock ROM twice, but alas the phone still wouldn't boot. I'm stuck and would love any assistance you can offer, thank you.

don't bother. i have shot down my nexus several times with toolkits. i don't trust it anymore.
go here:
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#occam
and download the nexus 4 image (occam).
unpack the zip file, throw in fastboot.exe and adb.exe from that wugfresh thing. needs a couple of dll's as well. when in doubt just copy all dlls.
then boot into fastboot, connect to usb and run the batch file.
in a few seconds you're back to stock. isn't it great to own a nexus.
next time, learn how to use fastboot. its a simple tool with 4-5 command line parameters. you can look into googles batch file to learn how its done.
basically you just need one command anyway, the one that lets you flash a custom recovery. once you have that you're done-

This is why I never use toolkits. It's great that you want to root and flash, but make sure you know how to get back to stock manually on any device before changing what isn't meant to be changed. With that being said, the guide on Android Central should work. My only suggestion is to try it without doing the "fastboot erase" commands. Make sure the files you are flashing are in the same folder as your adb.exe and fastboot.exe, and try again. After you run "fastboot –w update image-occam-jdq39.zip" your phone should reboot itself and you should be on your way. Good luck.

Thanks a lot for the reply, I did what you said and the process completed saying it was successful, but unfortunately my phone still wont boot. I really have no idea what's going on here.
edit: should i try clearing the dalvik cache before running the batch file?

frosty115 said:
Thanks a lot for the reply, I did what you said and the process completed saying it was successful, but unfortunately my phone still wont boot. I really have no idea what's going on here.
edit: should i try clearing the dalvik cache before running the batch file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boot into recovery and clear cache.

Booted into recovery, cleared dalvik, cleared cache, and did a factory reset. I ran the batch file and the command line is now hanging at 'writing system' again, what could be causing this issue?

do you run windows 8?
i had the same happen to me because that awful thing prevented the drivers from installing correctly. it was weird because fastboot basically responded but the it didn't or it hung.
if you do run that, theres a convoluted way where you boot into some sort of menu and go through all the options until it lets you install drivers correctly. then fastboot finally worked.
anyway - dont worry, as long as you reach fastboot mode your phone is fine. in the worst case you'll have to do it on your friends computer.

Nah i'm still running windows 7, haven't felt the need to upgrade to 8 yet. Alright i'll see if i can reinstall the drivers or use different drivers.
I've downloaded a driver from that android central guide, but i'm not entirely sure how to install it. Its just a zip file with 2 .inf files and 2 .cat files and 2 folders
Thanks for the help you've been awesome!

Fixed it, i reinstalled the drivers and used a USB 2.0 port and everything worked perfectly!

Nexus 7 2012 (GSM) Booting Failed/No OS

i have access to ADB and fastboot mode.
i also try google factory image(see the attach picture for the result)

niceguy01 said:
i have access to ADB and fastboot mode.
i also try google factory image(see the attach picture for the result)
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Click to collapse
Yes, me too. I can't load anything except ADB & Fastboot. I used the Nexus 7 Toolkit to try to update to Kit Kat and now I have a soft bricked device. HELP!!!:crying:

Have you tried using adb shell command prompt to push the files to your device instead of a root toolkit?

cr0wnest said:
Have you tried using adb shell command prompt to push the files to your device instead of a root toolkit?
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Click to collapse
what file do i need to push in my device??

Effing toolkits again. When will they be banned for once and for all?
Oh that's right. They bring in ad revenue from lazy people.
Sent from my Nexus 5

niceguy01 said:
what file do i need to push in my device??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out this sticky here, it gives instructions on how to do it and what files are required. Its quite a lengthy guide, but its the safest method. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796

Pirateghost said:
Effing toolkits again. When will they be banned for once and for all?
Oh that's right. They bring in ad revenue from lazy people.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry im just a newbie:angel:

UPDATE: booting failed already gone by flashing cyanogen rom
the problem now is stuck in booting.see the attach picture
what is the meaning of
archive does not contain boot.sig
archive does not contain recovery.sig
archive does not contain system.sig

Got the same problem...I used RTK to flash 4.4 and ended up with a soft bricked N7.
Well initially I haven't been able to update any newer versions of CM. I was stuck on 10.2 nightly. I got a notification that there's an update so I downloaded it and tried installing. I get stuck when my N7 will go into recovery, I'll always get the droid with the red exclamation point and I have to stop the update. But I will always be able to do a system reboot and use the N7. After flashing using the RTK, all I can do is boot into the Bootloader mode. Choice at that point it Recovery, Reboot Recovert, Reboot Bootloader and Power Off. If I choose Recovery nothing happens. So the real choice is only to power off or reboot the bootloader.
I tried using fast boot but the guide I got was asking me to put the tablet in debugging mode (which I can't really do). And I get an error when doing the steps in CMD. I think I wasn't able to properly load the drivers because I am not seeing my device listed with serial number when I run >dab devices.
Kindda stuck and waiting where this thread will lead to as well so I can fix my N7.
Also, when I get the factory image (JWR66V) and run 7-zip on it, I don't see these files: bootloader-grouper-4.23.img, image-nakasi-jwr66y.zip, flash-all.sh, flash-base.sh. I only see 1 file.

As mentioned in about 5 billion threads, USB debugging has nothing to do outside of a booted OS.
Fix your drivers.
Unzip the factory image archive.
Sent from my Nexus 5

^Fixed my drivers (via SDK). PC recognised the device via fast boot devices. Ran a set of commands fast boot erase boot, cache, recovery, system, and user data. Flashed boot loader and reboot boot loader. Flashed 4.3 factory image (extracted via 7zip). Flashing/Update FAILED (I think the error was 'too mani links') and it went back to a blinking cursor.
@niceguy01 - just wait for CMD to process the entire thing. I was worried as well when I saw the system does not contain boot.sig etc error. Waited for it and started getting some scripts after. Wasn't able to complete the flash though but little steps getting there.

where should i flash radio.img?
boot,bootloader,recovery.system or userdata??see the picture
thanks

None of the above
Sent from my Nexus 5

Pirateghost said:
None of the above
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks:good:

finally i got manage to fix my N7,thanks anyone who help me:good:
-----------thread close------------
i use google nexus toolkit v4 and install sdk drivers

Help really need here, big issues

Hello to everybody, so i was thinking my nakasi was really dead this time, the last thing i did was flashing a 5.1.1 rom next when i rebooted got stuck on lolipop boot loop so i restarted the tablet
manually to access the recovery, and to my awe, i couldn't no more access the recovery ! (latest twrp) tried again and again nothing, no recovery no bootloader, can't start the OS
always stuck on google logo with the options above, start, bootloader, recovery etc, today i realized i could access the bootloader and fastboot mode (ADB recognize my device when i type fastboot devices)
so i tried flashing stock image and stuff with no luck, tried many stock roms, tried wug's toolkit and the flash all.bat still no luck, i get all kind of error messages here is a screenshot, help is really appreciated if there is anything i can do to save it :
View attachment 3305126

the problem seems to be that i can't write the things i send to the tablet via ADB, tried the NVflash recovery today and got :
View attachment 3306049

Have you tried not imputing the full file address as you have the emulator already running from that location.
So recovery command would be.
Fastboot flash recovery "name of recovery Img file here"
Just make sure that the image file is in the platform-tools folder.
Probably not your issue but its going to save you some typing.
Good luck

gaosphappy said:
Have you tried not imputing the full file address as you have the emulator already running from that location.
So recovery command would be.
Fastboot flash recovery "name of recovery Img file here"
Just make sure that the image file is in the platform-tools folder.
Probably not your issue but its going to save you some typing.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the tip I'll certainly use it, but i don't think it is the culprit since as you can see in the screenshots
the files get sent successfully but cannot be written, my bootloader is unlocked by the way

Homurato said:
Thank you for the tip I'll certainly use it, but i don't think it is the culprit since as you can see in the screenshots
the files get sent successfully but cannot be written, my bootloader is unlocked by the way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try the latest factory image? I noticed you are flashing a very old bootloader, possibly the first one? 4.23 is the current version.
Where is flatline_grouper.img coming from? I've never seen that.

adomol said:
Did you try the latest factory image? I noticed you are flashing a very old bootloader, possibly the first one? 4.23 is the current version.
Where is flatline_grouper.img coming from? I've never seen that.
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Click to collapse
Hello kind sir, of course at first i tried the 5.1.1 full factory image with the NRT toolkit and got the same writing errors next i tried many bootloaders
(one of them found it here as a 100% working bootloader) the Flatline is the recovery of the NVflash tool where you can access it to unbrick full bricked N7s
if you got blobs.bin of your N7 backed up (clearly not my case)
the flashing writing error i get it with everything i try to flash, recoverys bootloader system etc
when i send them with the flash all command they got sent to the tablet okay, but when writing i get the errors
i don't know but there is a small informations if that can help, before it broke my system was in EXT4 and all the rest in F2FS

It's entirely possible your memory has failed. I'm reading more and more people running into corrupted memory issues.
You can get a replacement motherboard cheap on eBay if nothing else works.

fwayfarer said:
It's entirely possible your memory has failed. I'm reading more and more people running into corrupted memory issues.
You can get a replacement motherboard cheap on eBay if nothing else works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still hoping for a software solution since my fastboot works fine, I'll let the motherboard solution my last i guess

Hello some news about the still staggering situations : when the tablet is off and i put the charger i get the battery refiling animation ! so that mean the bootloader isn't broken
and i still can access fastboot mode, even when i push a bootloader i get a signature match message, but the problem is still that the things i push can't be written as i'm still getting a :
FAILED <Remote: <FileWriteFailed>> changed usb cables, changed ports, the last time the tablet was working i had the system on EXT4 and the rest on F2FS, maybe if i can convert everything to EXT4 ?

Custom Rom / rooting Options vor TB-125FU (Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen)

Hey everyone,
I've been looking for options to Install a custom Rom or root since I bought the Tablet several month ago. It seems like there are some options for the Full Hd Version, but I have a hard time finding anything useful for the 125FU. Are there any recommendations like compatible GSI roms or TWRP/magisk?
Thanks in advance for your help!

You should just be able to install matiek form my understanding

I need some information, too. Bootloader unlock is different. Device doesn't respond to bootloader commands with Minimal ADB Fastboot 1.4.3.

holmesmalone said:
I need some information, too. Bootloader unlock is different. Device doesn't respond to bootloader commands with Minimal ADB Fastboot 1.4.3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got an tb125fu
Bootloader unlock was no problem, maybe it works for you now with the latest versions?

art99 said:
I just got an tb125fu
Bootloader unlock was no problem, maybe it works for you now with the latest versions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue I had, and resolved, was the lack of the latest fastboot drivers. Gained root with Magisk successfully.

holmesmalone said:
The issue I had, and resolved, was the lack of the latest fastboot drivers. Gained root with Magisk successfully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed corvus os gsi on it. i have no custom recovery.

peteonu said:
I installed corvus os gsi on it. i have no custom recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TWRP is convenient, but not absolutely necessary. Would like a Lineage rom though.

holmesmalone said:
TWRP is convenient, but not absolutely necessary. Would like a Lineage rom though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I've been looking into compiling TWRP myself but this is all new to me. The only device with TWRP with this chipset is the Redmi 9. I've compared both boot.img's and they are both setup differently. If I had more knowledge ont he subject I could easily achieve this I believe.
If I have time I'll compare Gen 2 vs Gen 3 boot.img's, that may help understand the folder and file structure better.

holmesmalone said:
The issue I had, and resolved, was the lack of the latest fastboot drivers. Gained root with Magisk successfully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What process did you use with magisk to gain root after bootloader unlock? was it as simple as installing magisk manager and flashing root through the manager?
Thanks

el7145 said:
What process did you use with magisk to gain root after bootloader unlock? was it as simple as installing magisk manager and flashing root through the manager?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same process worked for me.

holmesmalone said:
The same process worked for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you obtain the boot.img to patch??? I cant find the stock firmware anywhere, and im not clear on pulling the stock boot.img (getting permission denied errors when attempting via adb)

el7145 said:
How did you obtain the boot.img to patch??? I cant find the stock firmware anywhere, and im not clear on pulling the stock boot.img (getting permission denied errors when attempting via adb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Select and download your preferred rom. Then unzip the rom and in the unzipped folder select the boot.img file and use it.
With some devices and roms, under some circumstances, the vbmeta.img file can and should be used. If I can recall correctly, Magisk will specify.

holmesmalone said:
Select and download your preferred rom. Then unzip the rom and in the unzipped folder select the boot.img file and use it.
With some devices and roms, under some circumstances, the vbmeta.img file can and should be used. If I can recall correctly, Magisk will specify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, so ur just pulling the boot img from one of the GSI roms...im just trying to pull the stock boot img...do you happen to know where one can download the stock firmware for this device, this is my 1st lenovo tablet

el7145 said:
ok, so ur just pulling the boot img from one of the GSI roms...im just trying to pull the stock boot img...do you happen to know where one can download the stock firmware for this device, this is my 1st lenovo tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMSA. https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds101291-rescue-and-smart-assistant-lmsa
Use this tool. Install and explore the file and folder structure it creates. Interrupt the process before it flashes your tablet for it will erase the files you need from your computer if you don't. Use trial and error here.

Since the original question was about root, Ill keep this going
I was able to download the most recent ROM from Lenovo rescue which was super simple, it downloads the ROM first and wont start the flash till you click the button. I did retrieve the stock boot.img, patched it, and flashed it, rebooted and had root. Heres where the many hours of fun started...I realized my wifi wasnt working (good sign something was messed up during flash). I realize the ROM downloaded from the Lenovo Rescue was newer then my old ROM. So I had flashed the newer boot.img over the old ROM (not good). I went back to Lenovo rescue to actually make use of the rescue and flash a full ROM. After completion I became stuck in fastboot mode. I could boot to recovery but not system and every restart or shutdown and restart would go straight to fastboot.
I did try to manually flash the ROM using what i thought was the right files and order (using flashinfo.txt as the order and MT6768_Android_scatter.txt for the partition names for each image). Everything flashed successfully, but upon reboot I was still stuck in fastboot mode. I tried everything I could think of and even ran the Lenovo Rescue a few times.
After many hours, I came across this command for fastboot..."fastboot set_active a" which finally allowed me to boot into system. I assume this tablet uses the A/B slot partitions, but I think they only make use of the A for boot? Thats my thought
So next is too try to patch the correct disc.img for my current rom (which is the latest from Lenovo Rescue) and flash again making sure to flash to the boot_a partition and hopefully everything goes like it should
Hopefully that command helps someone save many hours if they find themselves stuck in fastboot mode while rooting and/or flashing.

el7145 said:
Since the original question was about root, Ill keep this going
I was able to download the most recent ROM from Lenovo rescue which was super simple, it downloads the ROM first and wont start the flash till you click the button. I did retrieve the stock boot.img, patched it, and flashed it, rebooted and had root. Heres where the many hours of fun started...I realized my wifi wasnt working (good sign something was messed up during flash). I realize the ROM downloaded from the Lenovo Rescue was newer then my old ROM. So I had flashed the newer boot.img over the old ROM (not good). I went back to Lenovo rescue to actually make use of the rescue and flash a full ROM. After completion I became stuck in fastboot mode. I could boot to recovery but not system and every restart or shutdown and restart would go straight to fastboot.
I did try to manually flash the ROM using what i thought was the right files and order (using flashinfo.txt as the order and MT6768_Android_scatter.txt for the partition names for each image). Everything flashed successfully, but upon reboot I was still stuck in fastboot mode. I tried everything I could think of and even ran the Lenovo Rescue a few times.
After many hours, I came across this command for fastboot..."fastboot set_active a" which finally allowed me to boot into system. I assume this tablet uses the A/B slot partitions, but I think they only make use of the A for boot? Thats my thought
So next is too try to patch the correct disc.img for my current rom (which is the latest from Lenovo Rescue) and flash again making sure to flash to the boot_a partition and hopefully everything goes like it should
Hopefully that command helps someone save many hours if they find themselves stuck in fastboot mode while rooting and/or flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to solve the fastboot issue but I can't find fastboot drivers for the tablet. Have any suggestions?

Siege9929 said:
I'm trying to solve the fastboot issue but I can't find fastboot drivers for the tablet. Have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im assuming in device manager, you have a yellow exclamation by "Android"? you need the mediatek drivers.
Go here https://developer.android.com/studio/run/oem-usb
scroll down, dont make the misake of clicking on "Lenovo", you are clicking on the section labeled "MTK" download the zip, go to device manager and manually update the driver, once updated fastboot should work
at cmd run "fastboot devices" to make sure your device is recognized

el7145 said:
im assuming in device manager, you have a yellow exclamation by "Android"? you need the mediatek drivers.
Go here https://developer.android.com/studio/run/oem-usb
scroll down, dont make the misake of clicking on "Lenovo", you are clicking on the section labeled "MTK" download the zip, go to device manager and manually update the driver, once updated fastboot should work
at cmd run "fastboot devices" to make sure your device is recognized
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manually selecting the "Android Bootloader" driver fixed it. Thanks!

I just got my TB125FU to replace my 7-year-old Google Pixel C on its last legs.
Its Hardware ID is USB\VID_0E8D&PID_201C&REV_0100
I found a pack of Mediatek drivers here.
It's a bloated pack, so I extracted just the files needed for the TB125FU and attached to this post.
Once installed, my tablet appeared with a "fastboot devices" command.
I have also had good luck with the latest firmware for Motorola/Lenovo devices here.

hugehead83 said:
I have also had good luck with the latest firmware for Motorola/Lenovo devices here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just an fyi: thats not the most recent firmware, the lenovo rescue tool had the latest, which at the moment for my device a few days ago was TB125FU_S000118_220927_ROW