Database Users

Bootloader question

Hello Zenfone2 community,
I'm still a little bit noob in the android world, so there are a few things that are a bit abstract to me, so, let me start to explain why i'm here.
Earlier this month i rooted my device, unlock BL (unofficially) and installed Cm13, but i found a dead pixel, so i want to send i'm to warranty.
So, today i started the proccess backwards, first i reverted to stock, then i flashed blacksplashscreen, then i "uninstalled" twrp, and finally i flashed raw (with asus flash tool) then flashed recovery, droidboot and boot and adb sideload .97.
My question is, did i really relock bootloader ?? How do i test if my bootloader is unlocked ?
I already updated, (placed the zip into internal storage) and it showed that i had a new update ? Does this mean i have ota working ?
Cumps

Bootloader once unlocked remains unlocked unless u decide to update to MM Beta
Unofficial bootloader unlock = will get ota updates
Official bootloader unlock = ota not allowed(u can update manually)
To check if ur bootloader is locked or not, just flash a custom recovery & boot into it, if it boots ur bootloader is unlocked if not its locked simple
Plz move ur thread to Q&A Section or ask a Mod to do it for u

so i heard that when you flash raw file , your bootloader will locked. you can try that then take your phone to asus service center to claim warranty.

Send ior to repair, they will not notice that you unlocked

yakub234go said:
Bootloader once unlocked remains unlocked unless u decide to update to MM Beta
Unofficial bootloader unlock = will get ota updates
Official bootloader unlock = ota not allowed(u can update manually)
To check if ur bootloader is locked or not, just flash a custom recovery & boot into it, if it boots ur bootloader is unlocked if not its locked simple
Plz move ur thread to Q&A Section or ask a Mod to do it for u
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I used the official unlocker and update to MM beta will I get OTA updates?

Nope they will have ur serial no & u will be barred from getting ota

What does OTA package checks for ?

Hi guys,
It may be a silly Question for this Device , let me tell you my device specs :
Device : G4 Plus XT1643(India)
Rom : Stock (Soak NPJ75.25.2)
NON-Root and Locked Bootloader
What does the OTA.zip checks for ?
Boot image version (may b bootloader version) or recovery version ?
If its all about bootloader, then it needs to b unlocked voiding warranty.
But If its about Recovery..........Changing the Recovery to older version might help updating from Old Soak to New Official Build.
So, Did any one try flashing an older recovery thru fastboot on locked bootloader ? or Can we if its possible ?
ex: Replacing 7.0 recovery with last 6.0 build recovery. I do this for my ZenFone 5 just to avoid updating from very old builds.
Is this possible on G4 Plus ? without warranty Void issues....if possible.
p.s: NPJ93-11 gives Status 7 error on NPJ.75-2.

I tried to flash old recovery but it fails due to higher bootloader version.

Same question. Experts please advise and find a solution to get official update without unlocking the bootloader.

praveenbda said:
Same question. Experts please advise and find a solution to get official update without unlocking the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to unlock your bootloader to get an OTA. Its only to let you mess with your recovery and enable flashing henceforth.
However, you'll need to unlock your bootloader to flash/boot a custom recovery and subsequently flash a ROM.
But if you want an OTA, your system (including bootloader, recovery, system, etc) needs to be untouched.
If you've already upgraded to a soak test, remember - you would've overwritten your MM bootloader and recovery with an N version one (from the Soak you sideloaded)
Again, all major official updates (except small incremental one like patches maybe) look for a previous version of the OS (in our case - Stock MM)
And yes, as long you're on MM and not upgraded to N soak ever, once you unlock your BL, you can relock it using methods stated in the guide thread. Just that it voids your warranty (as the request code is generated by Lenovo/Moto, essentially letting you unlock) But if you've flashed the N Soak - you can't downgrade your bootloader just yet ( you'll get a Preflash Validation error)
Because a system update looks the stock, untouched firmware (Stock MM)
That's why you won't be able to sideload the Official N update if you're already on a soak test update - because it doesn't have the MM bootloader and recovery etc files it's looking for.
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

[Q] Downgrade to MM from official N

Hi!
I have got two G4, one with Marshmallow and one with Nougat.
The one on N (offical N, updated by OTA and did a full wipe) has lots of problems with BT, and I want to downgrade it to MM.
I have read lots of posts, here and everywhere else, and saw some vids about the procedure. But I still have some doubts about the proccess:
* Most of the procedures I have read relate to downgrade from N leak to MM in order to upgrade to official N. I have seen someone ask if the same procedure could be used to downgrade from offical N, but no answer. Can I use the same procedure to downgrade from official N?
* Some say you have to unlock the bootloader, others make no mention of it. Some say you should not write gpt.bin and bootloader from the MM ROM as N udated them and it is not possible to downgrade them. Do I have to unlock the bootloader before using fastboot to write the MM ROM? Should I avoid writing gpt.bin and bootloader?
I don't mind voiding the phone warranty, and I don't mind not being able to OTA update future versions.
Thank you very much.
Regards.

If you have bootloader locked, you can't overwritte nothing including system, boot, bootloader and gpt. I tried with my Moto G4 and i can't go back from official N to official MM through fastboot

Thank you.
So I understand I have to unlock the bootloader.
Now I just need to make sure if I should overwrite gpt and bootloader with MM versions (coming from stock N) or not.
Regards.

CalvinH said:
Thank you.
So I understand I have to unlock the bootloader.
Now I just need to make sure if I should overwrite gpt and bootloader with MM versions (coming from stock N) or not.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple of weeks ago, I read something about it. I think you should not overwrite the bootloader and recovery but I do not remember very well.
But if you have your bootloader unlocked just flash (or boot into) a custom recovery and make a backup of everything and after play along a while

lerg96 said:
A couple of weeks ago, I read something about it. I think you should not overwrite the bootloader and recovery but I do not remember very well.
But if you have your bootloader unlocked just flash (or boot into) a custom recovery and make a backup of everything and after play along a while
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.

Based on the overwhelming popularity of this thread (thanks lerg96!) I have decided to come back and tell how it went.
I had a Moto G4 with official Nougat. I wanted to downgrade it to MM.
The first problem is that I didn't find the .63 ROM (last MM one) for my device (XT1622). I found the 23.5 version (previous one), and the .63 version for the XT1624. Since 22 and 24 differ on LTE bands and so, I decided to use the older but right ROM.
First attempt: downgrade without unlocking bootloader... NO WAY.
Second attempt: unlock bootloader + downgrade without overwriting bootloader and gpt.bin. :good::good:
I got the boot warning message, but everything went ok and my BT problems are gone. I got the .63 OTA notification, but didn't installed it as I read scary histories about doing it.
Regards!

now that your bootloader is unlocked, install TWRP and make a backup of your system. I used TWRP to restore my OS. I went from Nougat back to MM, I am sure you can go the other way around too.
also, the fastboot method for reload the os seems to work well on phones with unlocked bootloaders.

Bootloader and other questions.

Hello all.
Im a little bit confused about the bootloaders and their marriage with their standard ROMS.
I am in MM B13 in a 2017 unlocked using bkores toolkit and would like to check Nougat ROMS.
What happens if, from this MM unlocked state I flash an official Nougat for 2017? Is safe? Could I eventually flash a TWR to return to my "original and safe" state? Could I flash back an "official" MM B13 for example?
I am guessing that maintaining the phone in the unclocked area is safer than recover the lock. Is this true?
There is a "Universal bootloader" for Nougat ROMS. How "Universal" is this bootloader? Does this bootloader runs in MM?.
If I apply a SD "complete" update (being MM B13 or Nougat), do I relock the phone's bootloader?
If I upgrade fro MM to N, do I lost the possibility of flashing a custom recovery? (TWRP). This is a non go for me, as you cannot go back...
Hope you can answer these questions
Regards

jrotaetxe said:
Hello all.
Im a little bit confused about the bootloaders and their marriage with their standard ROMS.
I am in MM B13 in a 2017 unlocked using bkores toolkit and would like to check Nougat ROMS.
What happens if, from this MM unlocked state I flash an official Nougat for 2017? Is safe? Could I eventually flash a TWR to return to my "original and safe" state? Could I flash back an "official" MM B13 for example?
I am guessing that maintaining the phone in the unclocked area is safer than recover the lock. Is this true?
There is a "Universal bootloader" for Nougat ROMS. How "Universal" is this bootloader? Does this bootloader runs in MM?.
If I apply a SD "complete" update (being MM B13 or Nougat), do I relock the phone's bootloader?
If I upgrade fro MM to N, do I lost the possibility of flashing a custom recovery? (TWRP). This is a non go for me, as you cannot go back...
Hope you can answer these questions
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget about the bootloader thing for now - it should be universal for MM and N. Not gonna relock itself.
-If you want to go back from a custom ROM (you'd have the A2017X_Universal_Bootloader, the ROM and the modem that goes with your device, plus a version of TWRP installed) what you would do, at least in A2017Gs and Us, is to flash a stock recovery zip to get the stock recovery. After that you reboot to the recovery, and you'll get to MiFavor's recovery. from there you would flash an official zip and every partition would be overwritten with what's on the zip. I suspect that ZTE packs every update with everything in it so that you can roll back, say, from Nougat to Marshmallow officialy, without messing everything up.
OR you can use MiFlash to reflash everything with a computer. Just download the full EDL file from 4PDA and flash, you'll get full stock (but still unlocked BL anyways)
So yeah, you CAN get back to full stock anytime.
-Don't just try to relock the bootloader. AFAIK if you relock it and you have root or TWRP or somesuch you can brick your device. I'd advise against trying to do that, but if you must, look at a guide or two at least.
-Yeah, pretty universal. I wonder why you'd want a custom MM ROM though. if you want to go back to stock MM it will get replaced by another one anyways.
-Already addressed, no
-I don't know the exact case with A2017 phones, but you said you cannot go back? You can. If you're on official N and want to roll back all you have to do is put an official MM zip on your SD or internal storage and go to Updates.
That being said, you still can use axon7tool on Nougat if it supports A2017 phones, which it should. You use EDL mode to flash the recovery. it is what I always do on my A2017G.

Choose an username... said:
Forget about the bootloader thing for now - it should be universal for MM and N. Not gonna relock itself.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So...
i) Bootloader unlocked is safer than locked and problems can arise if i try to relock.
ii) I can flash from SD every official thing published by ZTE if I flash previously ZTE recovery. (bootloader still unlocked). From that startpoint, I could reflash TWRP using fastboot or EDL. Once in TWRP, every ROM is flashable if partition compatible...
iii) I can stay with my unlocked bootloader with every MM or N. Important things are the modem and other stuff. N is not much different from MM and I like Xposed....
Big, big THANK YOU!!!!

jrotaetxe said:
So...
i) Bootloader unlocked is safer than locked and problems can arise if i try to relock.
ii) I can flash from SD every official thing published by ZTE if I flash previously ZTE recovery. (bootloader still unlocked). From that startpoint, I could reflash TWRP using fastboot or EDL. Once in TWRP, every ROM is flashable if partition compatible...
iii) I can stay with my unlocked bootloader with every MM or N. Important things are the modem and other stuff. N is not much different from MM and I like Xposed....
Big, big THANK YOU!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i)Yeah
ii)Every LOS-based ROM is flashable if you flash the Universal Bootloader and the corresponding modem for your device, except stock roms and maybe stock-based roms (not sure)
iii)Yeah

Thank you again, my annonimous friend.

[Q] Revert to Stock After Update to Stock 8.1?

Hello, I have a brazilian G5 Plus that originally didn't have the retail Nougat image Installed (bought form a carrier), but I was able to update to the leaked brazilian 8.1 update. The phone was never bootloader unlocked or rooted, however I'm willing to return to stock nougat in order to try Pie roms and not lose the fingerprint function. What I want to know is A) can i flash retail nougat images on my phone (as it wasnt retail at first)? and B) at what time should I make backups of EFS and Persist partitions?
Should I unlock bootloader while on oreo. install twrp, make backups of efs and persist and then flash stock nougat?
Or should I be able to downgrade to Nougat without any issues, and take backups of EFS and Persist before flashing Pie Roms?
Any clarification on the subject would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Mrkblo said:
Hello, I have a brazilian G5 Plus that originally didn't have the retail Nougat image Installed (bought form a carrier), but I was able to update to the leaked brazilian 8.1 update. The phone was never bootloader unlocked or rooted, however I'm willing to return to stock nougat in order to try Pie roms and not lose the fingerprint function. What I want to know is A) can i flash retail nougat images on my phone (as it wasnt retail at first)? and B) at what time should I make backups of EFS and Persist partitions?
Should I unlock bootloader while on oreo. install twrp, make backups of efs and persist and then flash stock nougat?
Or should I be able to downgrade to Nougat without any issues, and take backups of EFS and Persist before flashing Pie Roms?
Any clarification on the subject would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't try to downgrade your bootloader as it going to brick your device. If you want to make back up made the back up of Oreo(now in which your using) and nougat also, as we can't say where it goes wrong. And you can flash retail nougat image but don't flash gpt and bootloade so it don't brick your device.

Read this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5...o-twrp-flashable-stock-builds-coming-t3830482
If you want to try some custom rom and not lose fingerprint, all you have to do is run the persist fix, flash a 7.0 TWRP-flashable stock build and THEN flash your custom rom. No need to fastboot flash the stock image. Of course also backup your persist and EFS as soon as you first boot into TWRP.

prokaryotic cell said:
Read this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5...o-twrp-flashable-stock-builds-coming-t3830482
If you want to try some custom rom and not lose fingerprint, all you have to do is run the persist fix, flash a 7.0 TWRP-flashable stock build from and THEN flash your custom rom. No need to fastboot flash the stock image. Of course also backup your persist and EFS as soon as you first boot into TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, will have a look at it.