Database Users

[Q] Flashing 4.3plus then Freezing

My Tegra Note 7 came with Android 4.2. I unlocked, rooted, and installed CWM via the instructional videos over at rootjunky.com. Then through CWM I installed De-Odexed Stock Rooted 4.3plus from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627671
Once the install finished and I rebooted the device (the reboot took maybe 30-45 seconds) I came to the setup "Welcome" screen. It is here that the Tegra Note froze. I thought it may be because it takes upwards of ten minutes for the first boot to complete/install but 30 minutes later the screen is still frozen.
When I do a hard reboot a few times I'm able to make it through the welcome and setup screens and the device appears to work just fine. I'll be able to install apps, run the stylus software, etc but then every 5 or 6 minutes (maybe shorter, maybe longer) the device freezes again and I must do another hard reboot. This happens repeatedly. And I still can't use the device for more than a few minutes.
Any ideas/suggestions?

onyxkhan said:
My Tegra Note 7 came with Android 4.2. I unlocked, rooted, and installed CWM via the instructional videos over at rootjunky.com. Then through CWM I installed De-Odexed Stock Rooted 4.3plus from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627671
Once the install finished and I rebooted the device (the reboot took maybe 30-45 seconds) I came to the setup "Welcome" screen. It is here that the Tegra Note froze. I thought it may be because it takes upwards of ten minutes for the first boot to complete/install but 30 minutes later the screen is still frozen.
When I do a hard reboot a few times I'm able to make it through the welcome and setup screens and the device appears to work just fine. I'll be able to install apps, run the stylus software, etc but then every 5 or 6 minutes (maybe shorter, maybe longer) the device freezes again and I must do another hard reboot. This happens repeatedly. And I still can't use the device for more than a few minutes.
Any ideas/suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the same issue my Tegra Note keeps freezing after flashing either update, I only did this because the ota update was not hitting but now the tablet is unusable

Fixed
RimanX said:
I am having the same issue my Tegra Note keeps freezing after flashing either update, I only did this because the ota update was not hitting but now the tablet is unusable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to finally fix mine and stop the freezing and locking up. What I had to eventually do was reflash the stock 4.2.2 image, reflash the stock recovery and then update as usual OTA and now I have an updated EVGA TN7 fully functional. Thankfully this forum helped a lot by having the resources needed to fix the issue.

RimanX said:
I was able to finally fix mine and stop the freezing and locking up. What I had to eventually do was reflash the stock 4.2.2 image, reflash the stock recovery and then update as usual OTA and now I have an updated EVGA TN7 fully functional. Thankfully this forum helped a lot by having the resources needed to fix the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you flash the 4.2.2 image and the stock recovery?

Freeje said:
How did you flash the 4.2.2 image and the stock recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to get into the bootloader which for some reason mine is still just a blank black screen even though it says it's unlocked. I used a program called Quick Boot which is mentioned in one of the tut videos, it took a while because of the freezing but once I had it installed I used it to boot back into recovery and bootloader. I did this because the method of holding down power and vol up was not working.
I also noticed that as long as you are moving the screen around with your finger on any screen it would not lock up. I used this to transfer the stock image and recovery over from my computer using the usb.
Once in bootloader you use fastboot to flash. ex. fastboot flash recovery stock_recovery.img from the windows cmd prompt.
I had CWM recovery flashed when this first started so I used Quick Boot to go into recovery to flash the stock 4.2.2 image first to even see if it would help the freezing and once it did I went back and did the above to flash stock recovery so I could let the tablet update using OTA updates.

RimanX said:
Have to get into the bootloader which for some reason mine is still just a blank black screen even though it says it's unlocked. I used a program called Quick Boot which is mentioned in one of the tut videos, it took a while because of the freezing but once I had it installed I used it to boot back into recovery and bootloader. I did this because the method of holding down power and vol up was not working.
I also noticed that as long as you are moving the screen around with your finger on any screen it would not lock up. I used this to transfer the stock image and recovery over from my computer using the usb.
Once in bootloader you use fastboot to flash. ex. fastboot flash recovery stock_recovery.img from the windows cmd prompt.
I had CWM recovery flashed when this first started so I used Quick Boot to go into recovery to flash the stock 4.2.2 image first to even see if it would help the freezing and once it did I went back and did the above to flash stock recovery so I could let the tablet update using OTA updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From where did you get the 4.2.2 image that you can flash from stock recovery? I have a problem of getting the 4.3+ installed since I flashed the CWM recovery. I tried flashing a stock recovery but failed every time. My question is, would flashing an earlier ROM such 4.2.2 enable me to get the 4.3+ update or do I still have to flash a stock recovery?

Got the same error after flashing 4.3 or 4.4.2 manually (since OTA halts with an error).
How to get rid of it?
Thanks!

4.3/4.4 crash. I fixed mine finally! 4.4 working great, no crashing!
astuermer said:
Got the same error after flashing 4.3 or 4.4.2 manually (since OTA halts with an error).
How to get rid of it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the exact same problem as you... I finally got it working, up to date with 4.4 CWM recovery, rooted and sd card fix. All working great... but here's some history...
I had the same bootloader that never worked from Power on/Vol Up, but would work after an adb reboot into fastboot. (blank screen only)
I was on stock 4.2.2, then unlocked bootloader, then updated to 4.4 using Supertool 2.2, Root, Sd card fix, but stock recovery still. All installed fine, but I had the crashing problem. Factory reset, and reinstall.. didn't solve the problem.
So I went back to 4.2.2 using the "temp" cwm recovery (using the root option to get in the cwm recovery, but I flashed the 4.2.2 file from root junky web page instead of rooting)
So here I was at 4.2.2 stock (from rootjunky web site), and stock recovery. Still not bootloader screen from Power.Vol up.
4.3 OTA would not work (dead droid with red triangle,error),
So I used supertool 1.5, installed CWM recovery, then I installed 4.3. It worked and rooted automatically, but I still got the crashing, and no bootloader by Power/VolUP. 4.4 OTA wouldn't work even when I put stock recovery back.
Here's where I got it to work from 4.3 stock (with crashing still happening, blank bootloader):
So now I used Supertool 2.2 to flash its version of CWM recovery (I had to keep touching the screen to keep it from crashing until CWM was installed and rebooted).
I did NOT use Supertool 2.2 to flash 4.4 as it contains the OTA 2.1 with it!!! (We don't want that yet! You'll se why below) I copied the 4.4 file at rootjunky: "Stock-4.4.2-TegraNote7.zip, February 22nd 2014 460 MB" onto the internal sd card (NOT the external sd card)
I used adb commands to reboot tablet into cwm recovery (had to keep touching screen until it rebooted into recovery so it wouldn't crash). Then I flashed the above 4.4 file. Install went fine. Of course I I still had crashing with 4.4 stock again. However, I noticed that the OTA 2.1 update appeared! I tried to update, but of course it wouldn't with CWM installed. So I reflashed recovery back to stock using supertool 2.2
Guess what happened next? The OTA 2.1 downloaded, flashed and worked! This was the first time I was ever able to get ANY OTA update to work! The key was to flash a stock 4.4 that didn't contain the OTA 2.1, and have stock recovery (from supertool 2.2) first in order to allow the OTA 2.1 to install!
Guess what works now? 4.4 works with NO CRASHING! and my bootloader finally works by holding Vol Up and Power ON and fully function menus,etc..!!! The tablet runs beautiful! The 4.4 had no root, or sd card fix applied, and stock recovery, but it DID lock the bootloader!
So now I used supertool 2.2 to unlock the bootloader (which I could now do because my bootloader had working menus, and could be accessed by Power/Vol Up). Keep in mind that this does a factory reset and wipes user data. (I had not wiped ANY user data right from 4.3 up until now!)
After the bootloader unlock/factory reset, I then used supertool 2.2 to: install CWM recovery, install root, install sd card fix.
Now I have an EVGA Tegra Note 7 with a fully functional bootloader, 4.4 Kit Kat, CWM recovery, root, sd card fix. All running great with NO crashing!
This is what worked for me... proceed with caution and know what your are doing first. Good luck!

4.4.2 Freezing- FIXED!
TerryRed said:
I had the exact same problem as you... I finally got it working, up to date with 4.4 CWM recovery, rooted and sd card fix. All working great... but here's some history...
I had the same bootloader that never worked from Power on/Vol Up, but would work after an adb reboot into fastboot. (blank screen only)
I was on stock 4.2.2, then unlocked bootloader, then updated to 4.4 using Supertool 2.2, Root, Sd card fix, but stock recovery still. All installed fine, but I had the crashing problem. Factory reset, and reinstall.. didn't solve the problem.
So I went back to 4.2.2 using the "temp" cwm recovery (using the root option to get in the cwm recovery, but I flashed the 4.2.2 file from root junky web page instead of rooting)
So here I was at 4.2.2 stock (from rootjunky web site), and stock recovery. Still not bootloader screen from Power.Vol up.
4.3 OTA would not work (dead droid with red triangle,error),
So I used supertool 1.5, installed CWM recovery, then I installed 4.3. It worked and rooted automatically, but I still got the crashing, and no bootloader by Power/VolUP. 4.4 OTA wouldn't work even when I put stock recovery back.
Here's where I got it to work from 4.3 stock (with crashing still happening, blank bootloader):
So now I used Supertool 2.2 to flash its version of CWM recovery (I had to keep touching the screen to keep it from crashing until CWM was installed and rebooted).
I did NOT use Supertool 2.2 to flash 4.4 as it contains the OTA 2.1 with it!!! (We don't want that yet! You'll se why below) I copied the 4.4 file at rootjunky: "Stock-4.4.2-TegraNote7.zip, February 22nd 2014 460 MB" onto the internal sd card (NOT the external sd card)
I used adb commands to reboot tablet into cwm recovery (had to keep touching screen until it rebooted into recovery so it wouldn't crash). Then I flashed the above 4.4 file. Install went fine. Of course I I still had crashing with 4.4 stock again. However, I noticed that the OTA 2.1 update appeared! I tried to update, but of course it wouldn't with CWM installed. So I reflashed recovery back to stock using supertool 2.2
Guess what happened next? The OTA 2.1 downloaded, flashed and worked! This was the first time I was ever able to get ANY OTA update to work! The key was to flash a stock 4.4 that didn't contain the OTA 2.1, and have stock recovery (from supertool 2.2) first in order to allow the OTA 2.1 to install!
Guess what works now? 4.4 works with NO CRASHING! and my bootloader finally works by holding Vol Up and Power ON and fully function menus,etc..!!! The tablet runs beautiful! The 4.4 had no root, or sd card fix applied, and stock recovery, but it DID lock the bootloader!
So now I used supertool 2.2 to unlock the bootloader (which I could now do because my bootloader had working menus, and could be accessed by Power/Vol Up). Keep in mind that this does a factory reset and wipes user data. (I had not wiped ANY user data right from 4.3 up until now!)
After the bootloader unlock/factory reset, I then used supertool 2.2 to: install CWM recovery, install root, install sd card fix.
Now I have an EVGA Tegra Note 7 with a fully functional bootloader, 4.4 Kit Kat, CWM recovery, root, sd card fix. All running great with NO crashing!
This is what worked for me... proceed with caution and know what your are doing first. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@TerryRed:
You saved my bacon! I was having a similar issue with a totally borked root attempt... I was frustrated with repeated attempts to recover from the freezing issue. I followed your instructions and recovered the Tegra. Like you, I discovered that if I continually the device active by tapping and moving the screen, I could use the device. My idle limit was about 5 seconds, though.
In a nut shell, and while pretending to be a poor excuse for DJ 'scratching' (or do they call them 'controllerists' now?) I:
* Made sure ADB Debugging was enabled
* Copied the 'Stock-4.4.2-TegraNote7.zip' archive to the device's internal storage
* Ran SuperTool 2.2 and ONLY flashed the stock recovery
* Rebooted
[Resume silly DJ motions, while frantically setting up WIFI]
* Checked for, and downloaded the OTA update manually [OTA FOUND!!!]
* Waited the agonizing 10 second countdown for the device to initialize the installation
* Let Android do it's thing
!! SUCCESS !!
Thank you, and all of the guys here at XDA who donate their time, talent, and valuable info that help us mere muggles free our devices and take them to new heights.

I bricked my while trying to get back to 4.3 and I really hope that this will still help me after all I've already done. Wish me luck(

Bricked as well
OrangeCalculator said:
I bricked my while trying to get back to 4.3 and I really hope that this will still help me after all I've already done. Wish me luck(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yours bricked as well???
I had the same problems:
- Bootloader not working as expected (only black screen).
- After CWM and flashed 4.3 constantly freezing.
- OTA not working (it said something like "This is not Tegra Note, it is Tegra Tab")
So being desperate I flashed a deodex 4.3 from RootJunky's web.
Since then tablet in boot-loop and still no way to get into Recovery.
I can only access APX mode, but I am not sure, how to use it.
Any help appreciated.
Jaro

NVflash unbricked
jardam.cz said:
So yours bricked as well???
I had the same problems:
- Bootloader not working as expected (only black screen).
- After CWM and flashed 4.3 constantly freezing.
- OTA not working (it said something like "This is not Tegra Note, it is Tegra Tab")
So being desperate I flashed a deodex 4.3 from RootJunky's web.
Since then tablet in boot-loop and still no way to get into Recovery.
I can only access APX mode, but I am not sure, how to use it.
Any help appreciated.
Jaro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, to fix the boot loop it is as simple as it can be. I can't believe I didn't find that earlier. (BTW I didn't find a clear answer in the forum until today, thanks to hacktrix2006)
Just download the NVflash and the image mentioned in post #2 in following thread. Follow the instructions to switch tablet into APX mode, install the driver and start the flashing. Flawlessly done. No problem. Got rid of the Chinese OS (not supporting Google).
Really cool!

Just in case anyone still has these issues I'm going to post how I found a way to resolve them. I had all the problems mentioned in the previous posts and more besides. The inability to apply OTA updates, the device would freeze after 5 seconds of inactivity, endless boot loops, failed recovery partitions etc etc etc.
I tried a butt load of different solutions but none worked for me. What did work is described below. Others have already mentioned that Advent has a stock rom recovery utility, however, even after flashing that my problems still remained. So I downloaded the Advent stock recovery util and documentation and modified it slightly to the latest Android release for the Tegra Note 7.
Do as follows:
1 - Go here and download both the Advent Vega Tegra Note Factory Image (4.3) util and the documentation.
2 - Extract the Advent Factory Image zip file (as described in the documentation) somewhere on your pc.
3 - Inside the extracted folder you'll see a bunch of files. The three files we're interested in are the "recovery.img", "system.img" and "boot.img". Select all three and delete them.
4 - Now download the Tegra Super Tool utility here. At the time of this post the latest version is 2.5.
5 - Extract the downloaded Supertool to a new folder on your pc.
6 - Inside the extracted folder there are another bunch of files. Again, we're only interested in three of them. You're going to rename three of the files and use them to replace the three files you deleted earlier. At present their names are "4.4.2-2.5recovery.img", "4.4.2-2.5boot.img" and "4.4.2-2.5system.img.ext4". The filenames will obviously change as time goes by, but a little common sense goes a long way at this stage. So "4.4.2-2.5recovery.img" is renamed to "recovery.img", " 4.4.2-2.5boot.img" is renamed to "boot.img" and "4.4.2-2.5system.img.ext4" is renamed to "system.img". Once you've renamed them, copy them into the folder for the Advent Vega Tegra Note Factory Image which you extracted in step 2.
7 - Now go and read the documentation for the Advent Vega Tegra Note Factory Image util. Just take your time and follow it to the letter. It'll tell you how to put your Tegra Note 7 into it's APX mode, install windows drivers for it and begin the recovery of your device. It's mostly an automated procedure and fairly simple to follow as long as you follow the documentation.
This method brought my Tegra Note 7 back when it had several of the problems mentioned earlier in this thread, all at the same time.
Hope it helps someone.

[Q] 5.1.1 OTA error on install

Hi, I have a Nexus 7 2012 wifi nakasi & my 5.1.1 OTA just landed. As my Nexus is rooted using CF-auto-root & had a TWRP 2.8.5.1 recovery flashed, I fastboot flashed the recovery.img from the 5.1.0 archive & then clicked the button to install the OTA.
It gets half way through, then just says "error". How do I get it to be more informative & could I fix it by just flashing the system partition from my 5.1.0 archive before running the OTA, then re-rooting & re-flashing TWRP?
Thanks

Had the same issue.... Just flashed the update without wiping the use info, so far seems to have worked... Not yet noticing much improvement though so don't get to excited.... Will keep watching it to see if it still crashes in sleep mode whilst sitting in the desk doc/charger...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 07:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 AM ----------
Update: loads of system & none system apps still hanging and force closing some without the usual report/wait/OK option
So far:
- Google map
- Android System
- Facebook
- BBC iPlayer
- Chrome
Probably worth a full wipe and re flash to remove any gremlins.....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

FIXED
JustinSB said:
It gets half way through, then just says "error". How do I get it to be more informative & could I fix it by just flashing the system partition from my 5.1.0 archive before running the OTA, then re-rooting & re-flashing TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flashed the system.img from my 5.1.0 archive (the recovery had already been flashed from the first time I tried it), waited half an hour for the OTA to flag up again & it all worked perfectly & upgraded exactly as it should. I haven't tried to root it again yet, as I want to see if it makes a difference.
So that's it, if your Nexus 7 2012 wifi won't let you install the 5.1.1 OTA, flash system.img & recovery.img from the 5.1.0 archive & you will be good to go, with all of your existing software, settings & data still intact. Naturally, you will need to re-root it though.

I flashed the 5.1.1 recovery, boot, and system images and then did a full wipe in recovery. Upon booting into the system, I was offered to restore my previous apps and data which all worked well but took a while to download and install the apps. I had to spend some time setting up the screens but 5.1.1 is running very well (better than 5.1) and I've since flashed twrp to get root. I do believe the wipe is important to get the best performance from the update.

I agree with the poster above me. Not wiping the device, cobbling together some unapproved update scheme pulled out of your ass, then complaining the performance sucks is just plain stupid. Do it right, and it will run butter smooth. But hey, I'm perfectly OK with snapping up several N7's DIRT CHEAP when all the idiots who can't follow instructions start dumping them on eBay and Craigslist thinking they're "broken". I have two cars that could use an in-dash install.

JustinSB said:
Hi, I have a Nexus 7 2012 wifi nakasi & my 5.1.1 OTA just landed. As my Nexus is rooted using CF-auto-root & had a TWRP 2.8.5.1 recovery flashed, I fastboot flashed the recovery.img from the 5.1.0 archive & then clicked the button to install the OTA.
It gets half way through, then just says "error". How do I get it to be more informative & could I fix it by just flashing the system partition from my 5.1.0 archive before running the OTA, then re-rooting & re-flashing TWRP?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JustinSB,
Since you've already flashed your ROM's stock recovery, I *think* the problem you're encountering is the same one I had when I moved from 5.0.1 to 5.1: The rooting procedure you're using installs a non-stock kernel, which resides in the boot.img partition and is detected in the pre-flash checking phase of things in the OTA update.
If it were me, and I wanted to save a significant amount of time on the update (i.e. keep my userdata and bootloader partitions the same), I'd download the 5.1.1 image archive, uncompress/untar/unzip all the archives, and do the steps outlined here. They involve wiping the cache, recovery, boot, and system partitions and flashing the latter three with the updated images. Definitely do not fail to do any of those steps. Fwiw, and as I note later in that thread, I didn't re-flash the bootloader as it's the same in both ROMs.
All I did to finalize things was to boot to twrp via fastboot and generate a Nandroid back up, and then re-root using the CF-Auto-Root procedure. Afterwards I was set and experienced no particular system slowdowns. The whole process took about 15 minutes, including waiting for the dalvik-cache to reinitialize. I typically do not flash twrp, I just boot to it from fastboot as needed.
As a poster has pointed out in his non-diplomatic way, this is not the recommended path to updating, so if you encounter problems going this route, you can always do the full reset thing and re-load all of your userdata from a back up as a second option.
Which ever path you decide to follow, I wish you good luck.
cheers,
john

Well, I guess I'm going to do the unthinkable and reply to my own post to say that I've just followed the procedure I described above, this time to update from 5.1 to 5.1.1. It also took a total of 15 minutes with the longest portion of that time taken by the dalvik-cache reinitializing during the first reboot.
Good luck to you, OP. I hope that you upgrade goes as smoothly.
cheers,
john

Help with soft brick

Hi guys,
I got the ASUS Zenfone 3 Zoom and started playing with it. Unfortunately I managed to soft brick it and somehow I can't go back to stock. Here are all the things I did. I would be happy to get any ideas what to try next:
1. unlocked the bootloader - using asus's official unlock tool
2. flashed twrp recovery - twrp-3.2.1-0-Z01H-20180304.img, using:
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
3. updated asus's firmware to the latest official one:
copying UL-Z01H-WW-71.60.139.30.zip onto internal memory
android detects the update and applying it using android
4. Enabling lock pattern at boot (from android settings). Correct pattern required even when booting into recovery
5. Installing supersu via twrp:
adb reboot recovery
installing supersu
wiping caches (the cache partition cannot be wiped)
6. SuperSu working (tested via android)
7. Reading about Magisk. Trying to install magisk via twrp. Magisk's installer complained that the system is not vanilla (due to SuperSu modifications). Have to uninstall SuperSu to return to previous state.
8. Tried uninstalling SuperSu from the program itself (in android). The uninstaller got stuck. The phone become unresponsive and had to reboot.
9. Found a script packaged as an executable zip (to be installed via twrp) that will uninstall SuperSu and return system to pristine state (SuperSu makes a backup of the files it changes before installation) - UPDATE-unSU-signed.zip. Uninstallation worked.
10. Magisk installation still complained about the bootloader. Then things started to go wrong. I unpacked the latest firware UL-Z01H-WW-71.60.139.30.zip, took out boot.img and tried to flash just the bootloader
fastboot flash boot boot.img
11. Upon reboot the phone got stuck at the ASUS logo. Reboot into recovery and into fastboot still works (soft brick). Still shows unlock pattern at boot.
12. I tried flashing the original firmware using TWRP (install a zip). However the installation threw some errors. Unsuccessful.
13. I've tried flashing the system.img from the original firware using fastboot but still it's stuck at the ASUS logo at boot.
fastboot flash system system.img
Here I am stuck. I've read that TWRP cannot install properly the ASUS official firmware but if you flash the original recovery, it can probably flash it properly. Another thing that I think might explain why I cannot get out of the soft brick is that I've enabled the lock pattern at boot, which effectively encrypted some parts of the phone and I have a strong feeling this interferes with the boot process. I will look for a script/installable zip (via twrp) that can remove the lock.
I really need ideas/suggestions before I make something that will turn my phone into a hard brick. Thanks.

What you need to do is flash stock MM recovery from bootloader using "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
Since it came with MM preloaded you'll have to install the ROM using stock recovery via adb. It'll take a while, but after that you should upgrade to the latest MM update.
After that, update to any Nougat patch update you wish to receive, because I still haven't figured out yet how to apply them all with @shakalaca's recovery images.
Once you're done, you can install twrp again and flash magisk.
Good luck and hope this helped you

Thanks
+)KEV1N(+ said:
What you need to do is flash stock MM recovery from bootloader using "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
Since it came with MM preloaded you'll have to install the ROM using stock recovery via adb. It'll take a while, but after that you should upgrade to the latest MM update.
After that, update to any Nougat patch update you wish to receive, because I still haven't figured out yet how to apply them all with @shakalaca's recovery images.
Once you're done, you can install twrp again and flash magisk.
Good luck and hope this helped you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
I tried to find a stock recovery images but unsuccessful. Can you tell me where to get it from?

Here's a link to Shakalaca's recovery images.
In the Old folder you'll find MM stock recoveries.
https://mega.nz/#F!p90wgAaY!l1JbJilmAUEKTKWu43pT9w!I89QgZpK
Flash 11.40.86.75 recovery
Boot into recovery
Flash 11.40.86.75 stock rom via adb (it'll take a while)
Once it's done, boot into Android.
Download your respective region's latest MM rom.
Send it to your micro sd.
Install it once Android detects the update file.
(It won't work with custom recovery. I tried every recovery Shakalaca has and only those two seem to work)
Once on the latest MM rom install any nougat patch update you wish to apply, because once you have a nougat rom, you can't boot stock recovery. (As far as my testings went)
So if I were you, I'd go for any update after the zenui 4.0 update since it's a bit better looking imo.
After that final update you can flash TWRP to root your phone. I prefer using magisk, since it doesn't modify the system files.
All you need to do is flash magisk and that's it. No need for SuperSU or anything else. And by any means, do NOT wipe your cache partition once you flash TWRP, otherwise you'll get stuck on the Asus logo during boot.
If you wish to retain the "certified" status in google play store's device certification, do NOT go into the play store before installing magisk. Also, don't delete play store data, otherwise you'll lose your previous purchases.
This post was longer than I initially thought it'd be, but I guess this sums it up pretty well.
Good luck

+)KEV1N(+ said:
Here's a link to Shakalaca's recovery images.
In the Old folder you'll find MM stock recoveries.
-- [link] removed due to XDA regulations
Flash 11.40.86.75 recovery
Boot into recovery
Flash 11.40.86.75 stock rom via adb (it'll take a while)
Once it's done, boot into Android.
Download your respective region's latest MM rom.
Send it to your micro sd.
Install it once Android detects the update file.
(It won't work with custom recovery. I tried every recovery Shakalaca has and only those two seem to work)
Once on the latest MM rom install any nougat patch update you wish to apply, because once you have a nougat rom, you can't boot stock recovery. (As far as my testings went)
So if I were you, I'd go for any update after the zenui 4.0 update since it's a bit better looking imo.
After that final update you can flash TWRP to root your phone. I prefer using magisk, since it doesn't modify the system files.
All you need to do is flash magisk and that's it. No need for SuperSU or anything else. And by any means, do NOT wipe your cache partition once you flash TWRP, otherwise you'll get stuck on the Asus logo during boot.
If you wish to retain the "certified" status in google play store's device certification, do NOT go into the play store before installing magisk. Also, don't delete play store data, otherwise you'll lose your previous purchases.
This post was longer than I initially thought it'd be, but I guess this sums it up pretty well.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I managed to flash 11.40.86.75 and stock ROM using your instructions. I will look now into updating and applying magisk. Just a final question. You mentioned to install Nougat patch update and not a full firmware, but my phone came preloaded with Nougat. Will this be a problem? I installed stock 71.60.139.30 and it worked fine (i was able to boot into twrp).

mollonado said:
Thanks, I managed to flash 11.40.86.75 and stock ROM using your instructions. I will look now into updating and applying magisk. Just a final question. You mentioned to install Nougat patch update and not a full firmware, but my phone came preloaded with Nougat. Will this be a problem? I installed stock 71.60.139.30 and it worked fine (i was able to boot into twrp).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I misread your comment. I'm updating to the latest ROM and installing TWRP. Thanks for the help.

mollonado said:
Sorry I misread your comment. I'm updating to the latest ROM and installing TWRP. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help!
---------- Post added at 01:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------
mollonado said:
Thanks, I managed to flash 11.40.86.75 and stock ROM using your instructions. I will look now into updating and applying magisk. Just a final question. You mentioned to install Nougat patch update and not a full firmware, but my phone came preloaded with Nougat. Will this be a problem? I installed stock 71.60.139.30 and it worked fine (i was able to boot into twrp).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It came preloaded with Nougat? Interesting.

+)KEV1N(+ said:
Glad to help!
---------- Post added at 01:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------
It came preloaded with Nougat? Interesting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I managed to flash stock ROM - 71.60.139.30, but after that I can't flash twrp - twrp-3.2.1-0-Z01H-20180304.img. I tried with:
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
but when I try to boot into recovery with:
adb reboot recovery
it goes into the stock recovery. Is there something I missed? Do I need to downgrade to flash TWRP?

mollonado said:
Hi I managed to flash stock ROM - 71.60.139.30, but after that I can't flash twrp - twrp-3.2.1-0-Z01H-20180304.img. I tried with:
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
but when I try to boot into recovery with:
adb reboot recovery
it goes into the stock recovery. Is there something I missed? Do I need to downgrade to flash TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick question: which of these warnings do you get when you boot?
https://www.androidauthority.com/go...rrupted-and-modified-android-software-629180/
Also, did you try power cycling to get it to boot?
And since the version number made such a large jump, I believe they must have changed something internally with the latest update and that it's probably going to be one of the last Nougat updates before Oreo (which was delayed until June).
I still need to update to that version to check it out, but I might reset soon since I was waiting for Oreo to reset.

+)KEV1N(+ said:
Quick question: which of these warnings do you get when you boot?
https://www.androidauthority.com/go...rrupted-and-modified-android-software-629180/
Also, did you try power cycling to get it to boot?
And since the version number made such a large jump, I believe they must have changed something internally with the latest update and that it's probably going to be one of the last Nougat updates before Oreo (which was delayed until June).
I still need to update to that version to check it out, but I might reset soon since I was waiting for Oreo to reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Orange warning. It looks a bit different but the wording is the same. Yes, i tried powercycling and still I boot into the stock recovery. What can I do now? Is it possible to downgrade? I am not sure if I boot into stock recovery if it will let me flash an older stock ROM.

mollonado said:
I have the Orange warning. It looks a bit different but the wording is the same. Yes, i tried powercycling and still I boot into the stock recovery. What can I do now? Is it possible to downgrade? I am not sure if I boot into stock recovery if it will let me flash an older stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read here - https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/twrp-101-install-best-custom-recovery-for-android-0179547/
that once you flash twrp Android upon next reboot might overwrite it with the stock recovery. Is that possible?

mollonado said:
I read here - https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/twrp-101-install-best-custom-recovery-for-android-0179547/
that once you flash twrp Android upon next reboot might overwrite it with the stock recovery. Is that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, how did you flash TWRP exactly? Using that guide? Or flashed through bootloader?
And to answer your question: yes, it happens sometimes.

+)KEV1N(+ said:
So, how did you flash TWRP exactly? Using that guide? Or flashed through bootloader?
And to answer your question: yes, it happens sometimes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I managed to get around it by directly booting into TWRP from fastboot. Yes, apparently unless I flash some TWRP files to the system partition upon next reboot, the recovery will return to stock. Anyway, I managed to install Magisk and Exposed framework and have been poking with those two for the last couple of days.
The youtube vanced app is great, but I found something that worries me. I can't login to facebook/twitter. I checked and the reason is I can't connect to the facebook.com or twitter.com https sites (even over chrome). I think either:
- I've installed some module which is messing with that
- my rooted phone is hacked
I've installed a module that is meant as ad blocker, that updates the hosts file. However I removed all modules and the problem remains. I really don't wanna start all over again just to check. And even if I reflash and it works, I will not know what caused it and how to fix it myself next time. Do you have any ideas on how to figure out what the problem is?
Regards,

mollonado said:
Hi, I managed to get around it by directly booting into TWRP from fastboot. Yes, apparently unless I flash some TWRP files to the system partition upon next reboot, the recovery will return to stock. Anyway, I managed to install Magisk and Exposed framework and have been poking with those two for the last couple of days.
The youtube vanced app is great, but I found something that worries me. I can't login to facebook/twitter. I checked and the reason is I can't connect to the facebook.com or twitter.com https sites (even over chrome). I think either:
- I've installed some module which is messing with that
- my rooted phone is hacked
I've installed a module that is meant as ad blocker, that updates the hosts file. However I removed all modules and the problem remains. I really don't wanna start all over again just to check. And even if I reflash and it works, I will not know what caused it and how to fix it myself next time. Do you have any ideas on how to figure out what the problem is?
Regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, my apologies for this late reply (Been superbusy with school and internship assignments)
Secondly, and that is why I only use magisk. Because once you mess with the host file, depending on what module you install, it can range from tripping safetynet to bootlooping.
So quick question, is it still in this state right now since 9 days ago?
Greetings,
Kevin

+)KEV1N(+ said:
Here's a link to Shakalaca's recovery images.
In the Old folder you'll find MM stock recoveries.
https://mega.nz/#F!p90wgAaY!l1JbJilmAUEKTKWu43pT9w!I89QgZpK
Flash 11.40.86.75 recovery
Boot into recovery
Flash 11.40.86.75 stock rom via adb (it'll take a while)
Once it's done, boot into Android.
Download your respective region's latest MM rom.
Send it to your micro sd.
Install it once Android detects the update file.
(It won't work with custom recovery. I tried every recovery Shakalaca has and only those two seem to work)
Once on the latest MM rom install any nougat patch update you wish to apply, because once you have a nougat rom, you can't boot stock recovery. (As far as my testings went)
So if I were you, I'd go for any update after the zenui 4.0 update since it's a bit better looking imo.
After that final update you can flash TWRP to root your phone. I prefer using magisk, since it doesn't modify the system files.
All you need to do is flash magisk and that's it. No need for SuperSU or anything else. And by any means, do NOT wipe your cache partition once you flash TWRP, otherwise you'll get stuck on the Asus logo during boot.
If you wish to retain the "certified" status in google play store's device certification, do NOT go into the play store before installing magisk. Also, don't delete play store data, otherwise you'll lose your previous purchases.
This post was longer than I initially thought it'd be, but I guess this sums it up pretty well.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a mistake and could not install recovery stock, I followed what you wrote in the beginning install MM recovery and so I did a hard reset and I was able to install the most current recovery stock and installed ROM Oreo, Thanks. Sorry, I'm on google translator.

Welp, I searched, didn't find a relevant answer. XT1625 help wanted.

Bought my phone in Fry's, had stock nougat. Order of events that led to my current predicament:
1. Wanted to root.
2. Installed TWRP, tried pushing supersu without a new kernel, didnt do so systemless.
3. Tried again systemless.
4. ended up in bootloader loop.
5. realized i didnt back up, so i installed this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/rooting-roms/real-official-stock-rom-xt1625-xt1642-t3575895
6. Driver on pc no longer recognizes phone to the point of being able to see system storage, and also cannot open TWRP anymore.
7. The link above is MM. I wanted at least Nougat, since, i got used to some features.... like being able to freaking use hands free calling via bluetooth in my cars.
8. I just want to be able to see internal storage again, and access TWRP, so i can install Lineage and get past this horrible nightmare.
You guys are awesome, I am years behind most of you when it comes to these processes, I have to read line by line what to do in these tutorials, I dont even understand half of the acronyms, or understand half of the terms.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Just to clarify, marshmellow is working.

Wolamute said:
P.S. Just to clarify, marshmellow is working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yours really doesn't ask you to upgrade to Nougat like 10 times a day? Mine just must be pushy.
First try: Settings > About phone > system updates
If that doesn't work post what build version of MM you are now on. (also on the about phone page)

Wolamute said:
Bought my phone in Fry's, had stock nougat. Order of events that led to my current predicament:
1. Wanted to root.
2. Installed TWRP, tried pushing supersu without a new kernel, didnt do so systemless.
3. Tried again systemless.
4. ended up in bootloader loop.
5. realized i didnt back up, so i installed this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/rooting-roms/real-official-stock-rom-xt1625-xt1642-t3575895
6. Driver on pc no longer recognizes phone to the point of being able to see system storage, and also cannot open TWRP anymore.
7. The link above is MM. I wanted at least Nougat, since, i got used to some features.... like being able to freaking use hands free calling via bluetooth in my cars.
8. I just want to be able to see internal storage again, and access TWRP, so i can install Lineage and get past this horrible nightmare.
You guys are awesome, I am years behind most of you when it comes to these processes, I have to read line by line what to do in these tutorials, I dont even understand half of the acronyms, or understand half of the terms.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Just to clarify, marshmellow is working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Off-topic, kind of, but I'm trying to flash ANY recent version of TWRP on my XT1625. I unlocked the bootloader, but try to flashing twrp in fastboot mode always returns an error: "(bootloader) Image not signed or corrupt"
What twrp version did you use and where can I get it, please.

What twrp version did you use and where can I get it, please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twrp-3.2.1-0-athene.img
from https://twrp.me/motorola/motorolamotogplus2016.html
Did you unlock your bootloader?
fastboot flashing unlock
---------- Post added at 08:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 PM ----------
Wolamute said:
P.S. Just to clarify, marshmellow is working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I went through and fastboot flashed all those files from your link to Motorola support.
It wouldn't let me relock the bootloader with fastboot oem lock
it did lock with fastboot flashing lock
I was able to reboot, now of course with a verification error boot msg
Connected to wifi and it auto-prompted the Nougat ota update.
Just completed the Nougat install currently on build NPJ25.93-14
Maybe you just need to reflash those files from the Motorola site, and connect to wifi for the 700+MB download?
there's another security update to NPJ25.93-14-4 available after you get back to nougat. Good luck

superceege said:
twrp-3.2.1-0-athene.img
from https://twrp.me/motorola/motorolamotogplus2016.html
Did you unlock your bootloader?
---------- Post added at 08:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 PM ----------
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My xt1625 was boot-unlocked, and I was try the same twrp version you mentioned. I continued researching, and found that, despite the error msg, twrp was flashed correctly. I just needed to go to recovery directly from the bootloader screen. Thanks for your help.

superceege said:
Yours really doesn't ask you to upgrade to Nougat like 10 times a day? Mine just must be pushy.
First try: Settings > About phone > system updates
If that doesn't work post what build version of MM you are now on. (also on the about phone page)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT : Ok guys i figured out what to do, the phone wasnt being detected with MTP unless i switched it to charge only, then back to MTP, now i have TWRP back on, and will be trying out lineage. Thanks for the input, it helped!
It's like i said, the one in the link, its 6.0.1. , the kernel is 3.10.84-g061c37c
No, it never pushes notifications about updates with this stock rom posted on xdad, and no, i cannot use the menus to prompt a manual update.
Like i said, i can no longer even access TWRP, my recovery screen says no command, which i can bypass by holding power and clicking volume up, then releasing power, but its not TWRP, and i cannot access internal storage to put anything on it anymore.

Wolamute said:
EDIT : Ok guys i figured out what to do, the phone wasnt being detected with MTP unless i switched it to charge only, then back to MTP, now i have TWRP back on, and will be trying out lineage. Thanks for the input, it helped!
It's like i said, the one in the link, its 6.0.1. , the kernel is 3.10.84-g061c37c
No, it never pushes notifications about updates with this stock rom posted on xdad, and no, i cannot use the menus to prompt a manual update.
Like i said, i can no longer even access TWRP, my recovery screen says no command, which i can bypass by holding power and clicking volume up, then releasing power, but its not TWRP, and i cannot access internal storage to put anything on it anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, what 6.0.1. build do you have (if you scroll down to the bottom of Settings>About Phone, there should be an entry for Build Number)? I recall that for US devices you need to be on MPJ24.139-48/49 or MPJ24.139-64 to be eligible for the OTA update to Nougat. Any other different firmware build may not give you an update as the build's not recognised by the update server for your region/software channel.
However, as you flashed the MM firmware onto your device when you previously had Nougat, I would advise against taking the OTA update route. Depending on what version of Nougat you had before you tried to root, you may hard brick your device if you try to flash the OTA, since flashing MM firmware may not downgrade your bootloader, as such you'd be flashing an old OTA onto a newer Nougat bootloader, which is a really bad idea. If you can remember what stock firmware you had (or at least what security patch it was), we can try to locate the correct firmware for you to flash and safely get you back onto the update path.
As for the recovery, that sounds like the stock recovery you have on your device, which if you re-flashed the stock ROM, will replace TWRP. You may have to re-flash TWRP.
On a related note, on Marshmallow, you do not need to flash a custom kernel - you could flash TWRP and your choice of root manager. On stock Nougat (on the G4/Plus devices), you must flash a custom kernel, else you will likely bootloop as you experienced. Here's a rooting guide for G4/Plus Nougat devices: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...de-root-moto-g4-plus-supersu-android-t3587918
---------- Post added at 04:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:23 AM ----------
Baboon_Red said:
Off-topic, kind of, but I'm trying to flash ANY recent version of TWRP on my XT1625. I unlocked the bootloader, but try to flashing twrp in fastboot mode always returns an error: "(bootloader) Image not signed or corrupt"
What twrp version did you use and where can I get it, please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That error is normal, as far as I know - the TWRP image is not cryptographically signed by Motorola, so that message seems to be mainly informational and alerting you that you are flashing unsigned images in fastboot (which you are), since fastboot is mainly used to flash signed images. Once you've flashed TWRP, reboot straight to recovery to ensure the TWRP is not overwritten by the stock recovery. Afterwards, you can boot as normal.
Be careful to flash the TWRP version/architecture for what you want to do - e.g. if you wish to flash 64 bit custom ROMs, you must use a 64 bit TWRP version. Attempting to flash 64 bit custom ROMs via 32 bit TWRP may give you an error 255 otherwise.

[mini-GUIDE] BRICKED / DOWNGRADE / SAME / UPGRADE - also ALTERNATIVE to RSDlite

I am not responsible for your bricked phone or pigeon poo on your toupe. Do at your own risk.
Many thanks to @SupahCookie for idea and motivation!
INTENTIONALLY DOES --NOT-- LOCK BOOTLOADER!!!
Get factory images here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...ock-images-t3736767/post75236696#post75236696
THIS GUIDE IS FOR FACTORY/STOCK ROMs - NOT YOUR AVERAGE CUSTOM ROM which may not have bootloaders!!! (thanks!!!!! @echo92 )
FIX:
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GET TO FASTBOOT THIS SHOULD WORK.
IF YOU HAVE 8.x bootloaders AND ARE DOWNGRADING TO 7, use "Alternative to RSDlite" below.
1 boot to win - 7 or 10 works fine.
2 boot phone to fastboot, and connect phone to computer.
3 start RSDlite
pick a ROM. I believe I used a 7.1.1 rom
3Nov9-ADDISON_NPNS26.118-22-2-8_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip
RSDlite installed it and fixed the problem.
- -
I was then able to use RSDlite to install @rafikowy 's signed 8.0 . - going up from 7 to 8.
- -
- -
If you are on 8.x bootloaders and want to go to 7.x bootloaders, use this (RSDlite throws an error and stops):
ALTERNATIVE TO RSDlite:
1 I used 7zip to extract that 7.1.1 zip (or any ROM zip) into a folder x,
2 add all the adb and fastboot junk to folder x,
3 add the attached file (rename it to flash.bat) to folder x.
4 boot phone to fastboot and connect to computer.
5 click on flash.bat - it throws a lot of "slot" errors but works just fine.
6 reboot your phone if it hasn't already and go through the 7.x install stuffs.
7 you will not show an IMEI if you are coming from an 8.x bootloader. However, it IS there.
NOTE: you may need to add a line to the flash.bat if there are more/less sparsechunk's in your FACTORY/STOCK ROM...
THIS IS NOT FOR CUSTOM ROMs!!!!!!!
EDIT: 3-8-19: I just did this myself to go back very briefly to 7.1 - be sure you don't flash TWRP to it if your going to take OTAs - it will brick it. boot to TWRP if you need TWRP briefly: fastboot boot twrpimg.img
----------
If you can boot to fastboot screen, you can do anything.
Never OTA a ROM if you have modified recovery (TWRP, etc) or if magisk is present.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mo...p-flashing-t3813498/post77011495#post77011495
I changed the attached file to add pause and reboot and exit to make it slightly more automated.

I have successfully used this many times going back and forth. If you can boot to fastboot screen, you can save your phone and flash anything you want.

You may wish to advise users that if they downgrade to Nougat not to use Nougat OTA updates. The reason being that a downgraded stock Oreo device may still have the Oreo bootloader on it. Thus, attempting to use Nougat OTA updates may hard brick their device (as the bootloader is likely corrupted, meaning no fastboot).
Users could either use the Feb 2018 NPN26.118-22-2-17 firmware from your link https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/addison/official/RETAIL/ as that was the last Nougat firmware (and thus no Nougat OTA updates) or avoid using OTA updates whilst downgraded.

echo92 said:
You may wish to advise users that if they downgrade to Nougat not to use Nougat OTA updates. The reason being that a downgraded stock Oreo device may still have the Oreo bootloader on it. Thus, attempting to use Nougat OTA updates may hard brick their device (as the bootloader is likely corrupted, meaning no fastboot).
Users could either use the Feb 2018 NPN26.118-22-2-17 firmware from your link https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/addison/official/RETAIL/ as that was the last Nougat firmware (and thus no Nougat OTA updates) or avoid using OTA updates whilst downgraded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I used the above GUIDE to go up and down a number of times on my phone (about 20 total) , installing and running on both 7 and 8, and then went down to a Nov 7.1.1 and let it ota all the way up to 8.0 and that is what I am using now. I found that when i used a factory zip, and the above procedure, it corrected the bootloaders to the appropriate version that i was flashing - either RSDlite or the more manual path which ignores the errors worked for me.
Using the above procedure , you get the correct bootloaders, which are in the zip.
Please correct me if i am wrong!

KrisM22 said:
Interesting. I used the above GUIDE to go up and down a number of times on my phone (about 20 total) , installing and running on both 7 and 8, and then went down to a Nov 7.1.1 and let it ota all the way up to 8.0 and that is what I am using now. I found that when i used a factory zip, and the above procedure, it corrected the bootloaders to the appropriate version that i was flashing - either RSDlite or the more manual path which ignores the errors worked for me.
Using the above procedure , you get the correct bootloaders, which are in the zip.
Please correct me if i am wrong!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's intriguing - we saw previously on Z Play that users downgrading their stock firmware (e.g. https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-z-play/help/hard-brick-moto-z-play-patch-abril-t3782927 )and then using OTA updates hard bricked their device (hence the number of users asking for a blankflash, as fastboot no longer works). I don't know if these users hard bricked by downgrading their firmware too far and then flashed an OTA radically different to their previous firmware, or whether it's a risk that's taken by any downgrading of firmware.
When you used fastboot, did you see any 'security downgrade errors' when you flashed the bootloader, and is your bootloader version now C180, as you've flashed the Oreo OTA?

echo92 said:
That's intriguing - we saw previously on Z Play that users downgrading their stock firmware (e.g. https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-z-play/help/hard-brick-moto-z-play-patch-abril-t3782927 )and then using OTA updates hard bricked their device (hence the number of users asking for a blankflash, as fastboot no longer works). I don't know if these users hard bricked by downgrading their firmware too far and then flashed an OTA radically different to their previous firmware, or whether it's a risk that's taken by any downgrading of firmware.
When you used fastboot, did you see any 'security downgrade errors' when you flashed the bootloader, and is your bootloader version now C180, as you've flashed the Oreo OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES - that's why I wrote these 3 guides - before, it was quite possible to wind up with a bootloader mix - esp depending on the zip you use! - factory/stock only!!!
I added a line to the guide saying that it is only intended to be used for the factory/stock zips as these have (I believe) the bootloaders appropriate to the ROM.
Many thanks for pursuing this! - I wonder if we'll have to exclude certain ROMs that are in the factory lists?????

echo92 said:
That's intriguing - we saw previously on Z Play that users downgrading their stock firmware (e.g. https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-z-play/help/hard-brick-moto-z-play-patch-abril-t3782927 )and then using OTA updates hard bricked their device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have TWRP (or I assume any custom recovery) present when you try to ota, it can download just fine and then reboot to the update. I had TWRP and wound up in a situation where my phone would only boot to twrp no matter what I flashed or restored. I booted phone to fastboot, RSDlite'ed that 11-09-17 factory zip and all was well. In that particular case I did not fully install 7.x but immediately RSDlite'ed rafikowy's 8.0 signed stock and went on with my testing. Since then I always boot to TWRP rather than intalling it and do my thing. (thanks @jceballos )
When you used fastboot, did you see any 'security downgrade errors' when you flashed the bootloader, and is your bootloader version now C180, as you've flashed the Oreo OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry - since it throws a million errors I never look at it if it works.
The particular build I am on at the moment - is BL: C1.82
This one started from that Nov '17 build and ota'ed all the way to 8.0 Apr.
I root and unroot as needed per rafikowy's method but using a boot to TWRP - never an install TWRP.
I'll put up a new guide ref ota and recovery and brick.

KrisM22 said:
If you have TWRP (or I assume any custom recovery) present when you try to ota, it can download just fine and then reboot to the update. I had TWRP and wound up in a situation where my phone would only boot to twrp no matter what I flashed or restored. I booted phone to fastboot, RSDlite'ed that 11-09-17 factory zip and all was well. In that particular case I did not fully install 7.x but immediately RSDlite'ed rafikowy's 8.0 signed stock and went on with my testing. Since then I always boot to TWRP rather than intalling it and do my thing. (thanks @jceballos )
Sorry - since it throws a million errors I never look at it if it works.
The particular build I am on at the moment - is BL: C1.82
This one started from that Nov '17 build and ota'ed all the way to 8.0 Apr.
I root and unroot as needed per rafikowy's method but using a boot to TWRP - never an install TWRP.
I'll put up a new guide ref ota and recovery and brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) If you have TWRP, then using an OTA will fail - as you've not got stock recovery (and likely other modifications, including possibly a system partition set to read-write status). As you noted, having TWRP seems to cause a bootloop when rebooting - I'm not sure if the OTA sets a boot flag to stay in recovery until the update is completed. For the G4/Plus, there's a possible solution by wiping the misc partition but I don't know if there's a similar partition for Z Play devices: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g4/help/troubleshooting-twrp-boot-loop-ota-t3714325
The only other solution I've seen is a clean flash of the stock ROM to get your device booting properly.
Booting to TWRP rather than flashing would mean your stock recovery is still present on your device. The only downside is if you need to make modifications, you'd need your computer to boot to TWRP.
2)BL C1.82 seems to be the bootloader provided by the Oreo April 2018 security patch update, so your device looks to be on the right bootloader. It's still curious that the Nov 2017 firmware worked whereas countless other 'factory' stock ROMs caused hard bricks when downgraded to and then OTA updates were installed.
As you mentioned, custom ROMs don't have bootloaders and thus don't care about your bootloader version usually (though I've seen some ROMs require a certain bootloader). However, stock ROMs and stock OTA updates do have bootloaders, which is why downgrading can be risky.

echo92 said:
1) If you have TWRP, then using an OTA will fail - as you've not got stock recovery (and likely other modifications, including possibly a system partition set to read-write status). As you noted, having TWRP seems to cause a bootloop when rebooting - I'm not sure if the OTA sets a boot flag to stay in recovery until the update is completed. For the G4/Plus, there's a possible solution by wiping the misc partition but I don't know if there's a similar partition for Z Play devices: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-g4/help/troubleshooting-twrp-boot-loop-ota-t3714325
The only other solution I've seen is a clean flash of the stock ROM to get your device booting properly.
Booting to TWRP rather than flashing would mean your stock recovery is still present on your device. The only downside is if you need to make modifications, you'd need your computer to boot to TWRP.
2)BL C1.82 seems to be the bootloader provided by the Oreo April 2018 security patch update, so your device looks to be on the right bootloader. It's still curious that the Nov 2017 firmware worked whereas countless other 'factory' stock ROMs caused hard bricks when downgraded to and then OTA updates were installed.
As you mentioned, custom ROMs don't have bootloaders and thus don't care about your bootloader version usually (though I've seen some ROMs require a certain bootloader). However, stock ROMs and stock OTA updates do have bootloaders, which is why downgrading can be risky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downgrading is a piece of cake if you don't use RSDlite - it throws an error and stops. Using the bat file it can happily throw all the errors it wants and all I care is at the end I have what I want.
It does indeed change the entire environment when you bat file the zip contents. You can bat file to get from 8 to 7 and then use RSDlite to flash a different 7 OR 8 zip file. There is no resulting difference in whether you RSDlite it or bat file it - the bat file simply comes from the .xml file that is within the zip. There is very little or no difference between that among addison factory/stock zips. Other zips are different (custom ROMs.)
Grab any factory/stock zip for addison and expand it and you will see modems, bootloaders, indeed absolutely everything you would find on that phone if you went to a store and bought it. SupahCookie simply added a couple lock command lines because it was intended for folks who somehow thought that if phone was locked they could take it back to the store and get their money back. Or some such. I found that ATT folk didn't care if you were on CM or whatever if you just needed to swap SIMs or whatever.
I DON'T want to lock the phone as it prevents me from modifying forever. Oh yeah that reminds me I was going to post the obligatory guide (again) about how to flash a white boot logo so you don't get that message - it's still there LOL but since the font is in white, you can't see it.

I have a Moto Z2 Play and used this to get out of a rather sticky situation.. My IEMI shows 0 now and I'm curious if there's a way to fix this? Also, You say you've done OTA updates? My phone is telling my I have some, is it safe to try?

Necrowr said:
I have a Moto Z2 Play and used this to get out of a rather sticky situation.. My IEMI shows 0 now and I'm curious if there's a way to fix this? Also, You say you've done OTA updates? My phone is telling my I have some, is it safe to try?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for feedback and great on success.
IMEI will show zero if using oreo, It will show again if using N. Remember that if you go from O to N you need to use the "Alternative to RSD" as RSD will simply throw an error and stop.
If you have TWRP and/or Magisk you must get rid of them before ota - if twrp present you will soft brick and have to do alternative again - flash a stock recovery. Simply uninstalling/flash magisk will probably not be enough - it will likely d/l but error part way through update. If you are sitting on rafikowy's stock oreo, and haven't modified it, you should be fine. I know Apr and June are out there. I flashed his stock 8.0 and took June fine. Z2 should be no different though of course I can't guarantee it
If you have success, let us know what you have done so others looking in will know. Thanks!

KrisM22 said:
Thanks for feedback and great on success.
IMEI will show zero if using oreo, It will show again if using N. Remember that if you go from O to N you need to use the "Alternative to RSD" as RSD will simply throw an error and stop.
If you have TWRP and/or Magisk you must get rid of them before ota - if twrp present you will soft brick and have to do alternative again - flash a stock recovery. Simply uninstalling/flash magisk will probably not be enough - it will likely d/l but error part way through update. If you are sitting on rafikowy's stock oreo, and haven't modified it, you should be fine. I know Apr and June are out there. I flashed his stock 8.0 and took June fine. Z2 should be no different though of course I can't guarantee it
If you have success, let us know what you have done so others looking in will know. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually flashed to this: ALBUS_C_7.1.1_NPS26.118-24_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip Which is a 7.1.1 variant and it is showing 0 when I check settings and when I dial *#06#. However upon connecting to the computer and running mfastboot getvar imei it returned a value. I only did the steps above which would mean I don't have TWRP or Magisk (when I fastboot and click recovery I get "no command")
****** Additional information *********
XT1710-01 Duel Sim Variant
I started your steps, only being able to access fastboot. The device would throw an error (I don't recall exactly but it ended up showing me them in the bootloader logs) whenever I tried to start it, or go to recovery. #DefinitelyThoughtItWasDead

Necrowr said:
I actually flashed to this: ALBUS_C_7.1.1_NPS26.118-24_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip Which is a 7.1.1 variant and it is showing 0 when I check settings and when I dial *#06#. However upon connecting to the computer and running mfastboot getvar imei it returned a value. I only did the steps above which would mean I don't have TWRP or Magisk (when I fastboot and click recovery I get "no command")
****** Additional information *********
XT1710-01 Duel Sim Variant
I started your steps, only being able to access fastboot. The device would throw an error (I don't recall exactly but it ended up showing me them in the bootloader logs) whenever I tried to start it, or go to recovery. #DefinitelyThoughtItWasDead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What rom was on phone when you got it and what have you done to it? Has it ever run 8.x?
original country of phone?
The bat file will always throw a lot of slot errors.
https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/albus/official/RETUS/
or
https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/albus/official/RETAIL/
might have some stock ROMs of interest...

KrisM22 said:
What rom was on phone when you got it and what have you done to it? Has it ever run 8.x?
original country of phone?
The bat file will always throw a lot of slot errors.
might have some stock ROMs of interest...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It had 7.1.1 stock. I rooted it, and then flashed Resurrection Remix (which was yes 8.1 I believe) and the upgraded bootloader. I then found out my service wouldn't work with that.. so I attempted to flash back to stock which gave me a flurry of issues.. eventually getting to nothing but fastboot working. Flashed back to working with your guide to 7.1.1
If it helps in in fastboot it tells me BL: C0.CD

Necrowr said:
It had 7.1.1 stock. I rooted it, and then flashed Resurrection Remix (which was yes 8.1 I believe) and the upgraded bootloader. I then found out my service wouldn't work with that.. so I attempted to flash back to stock which gave me a flurry of issues.. eventually getting to nothing but fastboot working. Flashed back to working with your guide to 7.1.1
If it helps in in fastboot it tells me BL: C0.CD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom ROMs won't usually update the bootloader (even if they are newer) as stock ROMs typically only have the bootloader firmware.
You could look into flashing the stock Oreo albus 8.0 ROM https://forum.xda-developers.com/z2-play/how-to/fastboot-rom-oreo-retail-via-fastboot-t3786153 or the 8.0 June 2018 firmware https://forum.xda-developers.com/z2-play/how-to/fastboot-rom-albusretail8-0-0opss27-76-t3822195 but please check that firmware has been released for your device variant.
I don't know if updating your baseband to stock Oreo formally may fix your IMEI issue.

Necrowr said:
It had 7.1.1 stock. I rooted it, and then flashed Resurrection Remix (which was yes 8.1 I believe) and the upgraded bootloader. I then found out my service wouldn't work with that.. so I attempted to flash back to stock which gave me a flurry of issues.. eventually getting to nothing but fastboot working. Flashed back to working with your guide to 7.1.1
If it helps in in fastboot it tells me BL: C0.CD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"BL: C0.CD" even right after flashing that albus 7.1.1 using "alternative" above?
What happens if you flash one of the oreo roms from the links I gave you above?
Yeah, RR wouldn't change bootloaders... so you upgraded bootloaders independendently?- that could easily lead to a soft brick... -
I read RR on Z2 and it says nothing about bootloaders even though it says 8.1 based, so i wonder if it needs 7.x bootloaders? I did not read entire thread...
In a reverse, I would wonder if you put an 8 on there if you wouldn't see your IMEI. (On the Z if you flash 8 You won't see the IMEI until you return to 7.)(wondering if z2 is reversed)

KrisM22 said:
"BL: C0.CD" even right after flashing that albus 7.1.1 using "alternative" above?
What happens if you flash one of the oreo roms from the links I gave you above?
Yeah, RR wouldn't change bootloaders... so you upgraded bootloaders independendently?- that could easily lead to a soft brick... -
I read RR on Z2 and it says nothing about bootloaders even though it says 8.1 based, so i wonder if it needs 7.x bootloaders? I did not read entire thread...
In a reverse, I would wonder if you put an 8 on there if you wouldn't see your IMEI. (On the Z if you flash 8 You won't see the IMEI until you return to 7.)(wondering if z2 is reversed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, right after flashing that is the BL that fastboot is showing me. I don't recall updating the bootloader so to speak, however RR did require an updated variant of twrp which I flashed 3.2.2 I believe to get (unsure if that would have changed the bootloader or not). I also tried flashing a stock Oreo (which you've stated stock Roms usually only have the bootloaders so maybe somewhere during this process I updated it?). I wish I had all the notes for what I did to give more precise information, but I'm in a position where I really need my phone so I kinda just panicked and started flashing things when my service wouldn't work.
I'm highly considering trying to run an OTA (though very afraid of bricking). - On a side note though, it wouldn't even tell me I had OTA's until I did the steps in the original post here (doing the different 7.1.1. and 8.0 flashes, it wouldn't ever tell me I had updates, and now it does).
*** Edit ***
Looks like I'm able to enter stock recovery, which makes me believe everything is stock at the moment.

Necrowr said:
Yes, right after flashing that is the BL that fastboot is showing me. I don't recall updating the bootloader so to speak, however RR did require an updated variant of twrp which I flashed 3.2.2 I believe to get (unsure if that would have changed the bootloader or not). I also tried flashing a stock Oreo (which you've stated stock Roms usually only have the bootloaders so maybe somewhere during this process I updated it?). I wish I had all the notes for what I did to give more precise information, but I'm in a position where I really need my phone so I kinda just panicked and started flashing things when my service wouldn't work.
I'm highly considering trying to run an OTA (though very afraid of bricking). - On a side note though, it wouldn't even tell me I had OTA's until I did the steps in the original post here (doing the different 7.1.1. and 8.0 flashes, it wouldn't ever tell me I had updates, and now it does).
*** Edit ***
Looks like I'm able to enter stock recovery, which makes me believe everything is stock at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flashed a stock O that would have changed bl to O, but doing the above with the stock 7.1.1 would have changed them back to N. No matter (other than academic) that you don't remember the path - flashing a stock anything reverts it to that point in time. However, IMEI may have been moved - don't know. It will likely show on EITHER 7.x or 8.x stock - just don't know which.
If you flash a stock 8.x from those links I gave you above, it should offer you ota, ASSUMING there are any at this point in time(Z has 2). Adding Magisk at any point seems to hose you for receiving any more ota's - don't understand why, even with magisk uninstall, so that would mean going back to the latest stock and losing what you have (which is why I try to take a TBPro and copy that backup to PC (because re-flashing 8.x stock will likely reset internal storage.).
yes, if you enter stock recovery, you are likely at stock, though you could reflash the latest 7 or 8 stock to be sure, depending on which you want to use as base. Since 8 is having security fixes released, I choose 8 and will likely have no more interest (no time!) in 7.

So, ran the OTA and it was fine running the update and staying on N. I also downloaded the OTA for Oreo, when trying to update the recovery error'd out. It looked like the error said "Error in modem unexpected results" or something similar.

Necrowr said:
So, ran the OTA and it was fine running the update and staying on N. I also downloaded the OTA for Oreo, when trying to update the recovery error'd out. It looked like the error said "Error in modem unexpected results" or something similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did it offer to let you d/l it again? you could try that.
However, there exist O stock zips in those links I gave you so you could just flash the latest...