I briefly took over another thread where this issue didn't belong, but since I am still having issues, I thought I would start my own thread. Okay, so I am on Sprint, sideloaded several of the updates, including most recently the Oreo Beta. I have been very happy with the beta, and was looking forward to the update due this week. However, yesterday evening I dropped the phone on the sidewalk and it cracked very badly, and as I am paying insurance with Sprint I want to bring it to a store and have it fixed. Not only is the screen badly cracked, but the keyboard is acting up a bit also.
Anyway, I was getting advice on the Oreo thread about how to do this, and as I said, I had hijacked the thread, but I was at work and didn't get to try this until tonight when I got home. Anyway, I had originally plan to just find the Ota and sideload it, but it was recommend that I use flashall and the full image file from the Essential site. I tried to do that, but when I restart the phone to get into Bootloader mode, it disappeared from the list of devices visible on my desktop and via adb. It was a bit disturbing to me as I am not used to working in Bootloader, previously did anything like this via recovery, and I wasn't sure how to exit the bootloader, but I chose power off, and saw a weird screen with what looked like a coffee cup, and eventually the phone rebooted and seems unchanged at the moment.
I still want to revert to the sprint nougat before I bring the phone in, but I admit I am a little nervous now about the best way to do this. I could use some suggestions. I hope this post is not too long-winded, but I wanted to explain as much of what has happened as possible.
maltydog said:
I briefly took over another thread where this issue didn't belong, but since I am still having issues, I thought I would start my own thread. Okay, so I am on Sprint, sideloaded several of the updates, including most recently the Oreo Beta. I have been very happy with the beta, and was looking forward to the update due this week. However, yesterday evening I dropped the phone on the sidewalk and it cracked very badly, and as I am paying insurance with Sprint I want to bring it to a store and have it fixed. Not only is the screen badly cracked, but the keyboard is acting up a bit also.
Anyway, I was getting advice on the Oreo thread about how to do this, and as I said, I had hijacked the thread, but I was at work and didn't get to try this until tonight when I got home. Anyway, I had originally plan to just find the Ota and sideload it, but it was recommend that I use flashall and the full image file from the Essential site. I tried to do that, but when I restart the phone to get into Bootloader mode, it disappeared from the list of devices visible on my desktop and via adb. It was a bit disturbing to me as I am not used to working in Bootloader, previously did anything like this via recovery, and I wasn't sure how to exit the bootloader, but I chose power off, and saw a weird screen with what looked like a coffee cup, and eventually the phone rebooted and seems unchanged at the moment.
I still want to revert to the sprint nougat before I bring the phone in, but I admit I am a little nervous now about the best way to do this. I could use some suggestions. I hope this post is not too long-winded, but I wanted to explain as much of what has happened as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just an FYI, I found that putting Oreo on the phone resulted in ADB not working 100% anymore, such as attempting to reboot into recovery/etc. It would just reboot back into the O.S..
Here is what I did to flash the stock firmware.
- download the current release you want to flash. (e.g. NMJ32F), then unzip it into a new folder.
- on your phone, verify that USB debugging and OEM unlocking are turned on in the developers menu.
- reboot your phone into the fastboot mode (power and volume down buttons)
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot flashing unlock
- This will make your phone show a new screen asking if you want to unlock the bootloader. Use the volume down to select YES, and hit the power button. It will now reboot and erase the phone. It will eventually end up booting up too request you setup the phone. (that is what it did for me.)
- reboot the phone back into the fastboot mode (power and volume down buttons)
- you should now see the bootloader listed as unlocked (vs locked)
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot devices (which should show your phones serial number and fastboot next too it.
- on your computer, using the command line, go to the unzipped folder of the NMJ32F build you downloaded
- in the folder there is a batch file you will run called flashall.bat. run it
- your phone will start flashing the NMJ32F build
- when it completes it will reboot a couple of times, erase the phone, and end up at the "lets get started" screen.
- reboot the phone back to the fastboot mode
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot flashing lock
- select the option to lock your bootloader. The phone will reboot/erase I believe, and then end up back to the "lets get started" screen.
- after you setup your phone, you can go back into the developers menu to turn off the oem unlocking
The above steps pretty much follow essentials instructions. (the essential instructions don't give some specifics.)
You are all done. (I recommend you review my instructions and the essential instructions carefully, don't copy paste commands as I may have spelled something wrong, etc.. Just wanted to give you a flow of the process.)
I was following those directions, but what happens is that though the phone appears as a device in adb before rebooting, once I reboot into fastboot mode, it is no longer listed. I also noticed that when tried to reboot the phone into bootloader mode with an adb command, instead, it did a regular reboot, and when it did that reboot, it again was no longer listed as a device, because it went into charging mode. So I'm not sure how to keep this from happening.
maltydog said:
I was following those directions, but what happens is that though the phone appears as a device in adb before rebooting, once I reboot into fastboot mode, it is no longer listed. I also noticed that when tried to reboot the phone into bootloader mode with an adb command, instead, it did a regular reboot, and when it did that reboot, it again was no longer listed as a device, because it went into charging mode. So I'm not sure how to keep this from happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason why the adb command (to go into bootloader mode) didn't work is it is broken when you installed Oreo, that is why you need to do it manually.
When you put your phone into fastboot mode (power button / volume down) plug in your phone into your computer, and from command prompt (make sure you are in the adb folder), type fastboot devices (don't type adb devices) and see if anything replies back.
kbonnel said:
The reason why the adb command (to go into bootloader mode) didn't work is it is broken when you installed Oreo, that is why you need to do it manually.
When you put your phone into fastboot mode (power button / volume down) plug in your phone into your computer, and from command prompt (make sure you are in the adb folder), type fastboot devices (don't type adb devices) and see if anything replies back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I understand now. I can't start this tonight, but I will try the again next time I have time at the desktop.
You are probably missing the phone's driver. Download this, Essential device driver for Windows machines. Supports 32/64 bit on Windows 7, 8 and 10., from the essential developer site and install it.
damn it, I read somewhere that there are problems while using adb on the current official beta. There was a command for getting connection again. But I can't find it right now.
Just to be clear. when the phone is on, you enabled USB debugging and plugged in the USB cable and checked the tickbox before you granted debugging access, right? If you don't check the box, there is no access granted after a phone reboot.
take care, I had problems getting through the initial phone setup after I did a factory reset. The Oreo beta still has some hickups. I got it to work after a few reboots. Without finishing the intial phone setup you can't enable USB debugging, you know.
emowing said:
You are probably missing the phone's driver. Download this, Essential device driver for Windows machines. Supports 32/64 bit on Windows 7, 8 and 10., from the essential developer site and install it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point on the driver, I wasn't even thinking about that.
Well, my phone was being read when I previously sideloaded updates, so I think I have the right drivers, but I will double check. Can anyone suggest why the phone keeps defaulting to charging mode rather than file transfer every time I reboot it?
maltydog said:
Well, my phone was being read when I previously sideloaded updates, so I think I have the right drivers, but I will double check. Can anyone suggest why the phone keeps defaulting to charging mode rather than file transfer every time I reboot it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's a typical android habit. charging mode is default.
did you checked the tickbox when debugging window is appearing?
iceman#1 said:
that's a typical android habit. charging mode is default.
did you checked the tickbox when debugging window is appearing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
iceman#1 said:
that's a typical android habit. charging mode is default.
did you checked the tickbox when debugging window is appearing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did, thanks.
F
iceman#1 said:
that's a typical android habit. charging mode is default.
did you checked the tickbox when debugging window is appearing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did, thanks. Trying to reply and it doesn't appear. Edit: Sorry for the multiple posts,they all appeared at once.
Okay, I am back to this now, I had time today. I installed the windows drivers from the Essential site (I am running Windows 10 64 bit) and the device was recognized in fastboot devices. The phone wiped my data and restarted with a setup screen. So far, so good. So I shut down the phone again, turned it on again in fastboot mode, it was unlocked. I went into a CMD screen and typed fastboot devices, and the phone was still listed there. So I opened windows explorer and got to the folder where I had unpacked the image files and also copied the flashboot file. I right-clicked the flashall.bat file, chose run as administrator. When I did this, I got a bunch of error messages that went by so fast, they were practically impossible to read, though they seem to say something about files not found. I didn't see any log file in the folder, so I guess they are not created. I went back to the Essential site and downloaded the zip file with the correct image files again and tried a second time, with the same results. Anyway I have wiped my phone, but still have not reinstalled the Sprint nougat software I need on this phone. Any other suggestions?
Okay, I tried again, and I was able to read the error message. They all said cannot load "filename" no such file or directory. It sounds like some kind of path error, right? I expanded the file from the Essential download for build Build NMI81C into their own directory, a subdirectory of a library where I have been keeping various android files, and I copied the flashboot file into the same directory from the platform-tools download, but only that file. That seems to be what instructions specify.
Also, I notice on this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/development/stock-7-1-1-nmj20d-t3701681/page3 it mentions also using the command "fastboot flashing unlock_critical" but I do not see that elsewhere.
I was able to get flashall to run using the command prompt instead of Windows Explorer. It seemed to run okay, except a couple of items cause me some concern.
I got a message "FAILED (remote: Flashing is not allowed for Critical Partitions)" for the abl.img file.
And the other command "Did you mean to fashboot format this ext4 partition".
Are either of these a problem?
Try running the commands one at a time. Open the flash-all.sh in a text editor and copy the commands.
As I said in my last message, I was able to get Flashall to work when I ran it in the CMD prompt rather than in windows explorer (which is how it was done in the video posted on Youtube, but didn't work for me). My only concern at this point is whether I should be concerned about the two commands posted in the email.
Interestingly enough, my phone did an update to the build NMJ32F as soon as I started it up.
maltydog said:
As I said in my last message, I was able to get Flashall to work when I ran it in the CMD prompt rather than in windows explorer (which is how it was done in the video posted on Youtube, but didn't work for me). My only concern at this point is whether I should be concerned about the two commands posted in the email.
Interestingly enough, my phone did an update to the build NMJ32F as soon as I started it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did u not do the flashing unlock_critical?
Airwolf79 said:
Did u not do the flashing unlock_critical?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't. It was not mentioned by anyone but me in this thread until you did.
So far I have received no error messages since I did the reversion to stock. As I said,
I did get an update almost immediately.
Related
Ok, so I know this will eventually get buried in the forums but I thought I would attempt to give a little basic info here. Right now the QA section is flooded with people that have flashed and are now soft bricked (have problems but can recover) or hard bricked (have problems and cannot recover). I'm hoping that I can help some people prevent these issues to an extent.
Terminology, the differences in my opinion.
Soft brick- Your flash didn't go right, something went crazy, etc, but either way you can't boot, stuck at ATT logo, boots into recovery no matter what, boots to phone--!--pc, BUT, your hardware buttons work or ADB works and you are able to boot into DOWNLOAD mode.
Hard brick- Your flash didn't go right, something went crazy, etc, but either way you can't boot, stuck at ATT logo, boots into recovery no matter what, boots to phone--!--pc, BUT, your unlucky and hardware buttons do not allow access to DOWNLOAD mode or ADB is not downloading.
Also, after a new flash or flash to stock, it's a good idea to immediately enable USB debugging. Menu, Settings, Applications, Developement, check the box for USB debugging. It will make things easier later on.
1. First. BEFORE you flash, can you access download mode with your buttons??? Test it.
3 Methods.
Method 1: (ADB - from recovery or normally booted with usb debugging on)
Open a cmd prompt/console/shell
adb shell
adb reboot download
Method 2: (KEY COMBO)
Remove the battery, sim card, sdcard if you have one
Insert the battery
Hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power
Method 3: (KEY COMBO)
Remove the battery, sim card, sdcard if you have one
Insert the battery
Hold both Volume buttons (from i9000 just down, don't touch the power button)
Plug in the USB cable and continue holding both Volume buttons
If not, use designgears fix. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=812434
2. Second. Download the SDK, drivers for your PC, and learn some basic ADB commands, ie, adb reboot download, adb reboot recovery, adb shell. Here's my quick guide. ADB can be used when the OS is running, when in recovery, and when stuck on ATT boot screen.
Here's what I do. After you download the sdk and unzip. There is a folder called tools. I copy that to c:
Then open a command prompt and type,
C:
CD tools
Then issue adb commands.
adb reboot, adb reboot download or whatever command you need.
Of course make sure your phone is connected via USB and debugging is enabled.
Here's another method for using adb.
1) start-> run-> sysdm.cpl
this will start the system properties. you can reach this from right clicking "My Computer" and hitting properties. Windows 7 though is different. The above method is most universal.
2) Move to Advanced Tab that pops up. From there click the "Environment Variables" button.
http://wtfokc.com/sef****/sysdm-1.gif
3) In the window that pops up, find the "PATH" area in the "System Variables" listbox at the bottom:
http://wtfokc.com/sef****/sysdm-2.gif
4) Click edit again, put in path to the AndroidSDK tools folder. Do it like shown otherwise you can biff something up. DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING. Just add a SEMICOLON ( ; ) to the last of the line that's already there, then the path to the folder.
http://wtfokc.com/sef****/sysdm-3.gif
5) If on Win7 you shouldnt have to reboot. XP however will. Then you are set. You can now just load a CMD prompt and do ADB without having to CD TOOLS.
3. Third. Install Clockwork Recovery! Root your phone and download ROM Manager from market. Install Clockwork recovery from ROM Manager. BOOT into recovery to make sure it works. You will have to choose reinstall packages from stock recovery. What ROM Manager does, it put an update.zip on the root of your SDcard, then when you choose reinstall packages from stock recovery it install update.zip. I personally leave the update.zip file on my sdcard at all times, just in case.
Once you have clockwork installed, make a Nandroid backup of a good running rom. In case something happens, if you can boot into recovery, then you can possibly restore your nandroid to at least get you up and running quickly, and without the need of a pc.
NEW Info!!! You can recover from a hard brick, maybe. Here's how to create a USB Jig to reproduce the button download mode for you folks who don't have it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841512
Here's another thread about the USB Jig method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=819551&highlight=USB+jig
If my captivate was one that had the missing button recovery/download out of the box, I would probably know how to make a USB jig or have one already before flashing. Even with the 3 button fixes that are out, it looks like some people are still bricking.
****Disclaimer****
This is just from personal exprience. I have flashed most roms available, and I have experienced every variation of soft brick mentioned above and have recovered.
I find that being able to get your phone into download mode and knowing how to use Odin will be your 2 biggest life savers after something bad happens.
This will not keep you from getting a bad flash or something else, but having this knowledge ahead of time may help you recover from issues more quickly and without asking a question on the forums that have been asked dozens of times.
Also, personally, if I cannot perform step 1, access download mode with buttons, I personally would be VERY cautious about flashing! ADB reboot download is nice, but if you are stuck at ATT logo or phone--!--PC mode then ADB doesn't work, YOU HAVE TO USE BUTTONS.
Just my 2 cents, take it or leave it.
Edit. Added some new info to post. Thanks for extra info guys. I'll mirror the links to the images later when not at work.
+sticky
excellent write up. a must-read for anyone even thinking about flashing
Original Post updated to add my information
bobbylx said:
ADB reboot download is nice, but if you are stuck at ATT logo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok first off something that should be added to this is always may sure you have usb debug mode Settings>Applications>Development>USB Debugging enabled on your phone. Don't take it out of debug mode. This will allow you to issue adb commands if you have.
If you are getting to the att logo screen and not beyond that and you have debug mode enabled then you can use adb to reboot into either recovery or download mode.
Steps
1: Get the command prompt up and que up the adb command you want to issue either reboot download or reboot recovery. Don't press enter yet.
2: When the att screen comes on your pc should make a notification sound that the device is connected.
3: On the second notification sound issue your adb command and the phone will reboot into the mode you selected.
Mileage may vary but should work.
This has saved me a few times.
STICKY
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Thanks for the extra info. Malfuncion, awesome write up with pics, I'll add to first post later. I always forget about adding a system variable.
Sparker366, thanks, I always thought that at the ATT screen adb didn't, but you know what, I never tried.
I figured since I'm not a dev and don't have that knowledge I would try to help start this up to contribute a bit. And honestly, if you hop over to the QA sections there are so many threads that could be solved by knowing this info ahead of time. I doubt everyone will read it, but I hope it helps the ones that do.
bulletproof1013 said:
STICKY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
This is my first smart phone and first experience with Android. I also don't have any experience with linux. Fortunately, I was able to avoid problems when I first started by reading, reading, reading. This type of information would have been invaluable. In fact, the tip on keeping debug mode on all the time is great to know, and I never saw that before.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
This thing is getting buried in the BS posts....BACK TO THE TOP!
definitely sticky
Bump Bump Bump
Great Info
Updated original post with extra info.
Shameless bump here. New version of Cog uploaded, so that means there will be questions soon.
Thanks, great info.
FWIW........
I feel like I am of average intelligence, and would think I could nail download mode everytime by the 3 button method, but damn if it is hit and miss for me every other time.
One way I found (I didnt discover it, but read it somewhere) to nail it EVERYTIME is to remove sd and sim. Plug the usb to the phone AND THE PC, while odin is sitting and waiting. Then while holding both up and down volume buttons, insert the battery. It works every time with no fuss.
Thanks for the post, my vote for sticky as well.
+1 sticky
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Moving this to the top. More questions in QA that can be helped by reading these tips first.
I would also suggest that anyone who wants to flash actually test their phone's USB transfer ability before flashing.
The best way is to find a large file, perhaps one just under 2G in size and transfer it to the internal SD storage.
Test md5 checksums on the source and this file and make sure these match.
(you can use the 'md5sum <filename>' command from the terminal app, from Windows you can use a md5sum port for the source file win32 md5sum).
This will ensure your USB connection is stable enough for long, error free transfers to the phone.
Also important: it's useful to disable any powersave actions on your PC while using an app like ODIN.
Sorry all, moving this to the top. There are about 6 or 7 bricked phone Questions in Q & A now.
Awesome, clear and concise. Been trying to figure out how to make nandroid backups and this explained it very simply Thank you!
thanks for the reminder
there's so many steps to install a rom...
specially with download mode keycomb, i tend to not to remove sim and memory card cuz i dont want to lose or damaged my mcard. now i will remove each time!
another good reason flashing stock with odin before flashing new rom
I would also say its a good idea to back up your efs folder. Mine got all borked up when that jpc rom came out a while ago and it is a ton of work to fix. Sgs tools copies your nvdata.bin and. /nvdata.bak files to your sd card if you do a product code check. Or you can use root explorer.
I went to update to KitKat and it was nearly done and then the "No Command" error came up. My tablet has an unlocked boot loader but isn't rooted. However it was before but I updated it from an OTA and that got rid of it. I've tried booting into recovery etc but the same thing happens.
Anyone have any advice please?
Same exact issue and set up here. Also, maybe I'm just dumb, but I can't get my tablet to turn off either. It just keeps cycling back to the "no command" screen until I do something.
tgearhar said:
Same exact issue and set up here. Also, maybe I'm just dumb, but I can't get my tablet to turn off either. It just keeps cycling back to the "no command" screen until I do something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that both of you what you see (the "no command") is your stock recovery, if indeed you see an android with a yellow !.
If it is the case to access the menu of the stock recovery press power and tap volume up. The menu will give you the choice of rebooting your Nexus 7.
gunner1937 said:
I think that both of you what you see (the "no command") is your stock recovery, if indeed you see an android with a yellow !.
If it is the case to access the menu of the stock recovery press power and tap volume up. The menu will give you the choice of rebooting your Nexus 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can get to the menu but when trying the reboot option, it just cycles the same way again. Back to the android with a red ! and says "No command." I also tried clearing cache and data to no avail. I was going to try using ADB to manually push the update but my computer was recently updated and now I can't get the driver installed for some reason.
I spent too much time messing around with and learning how to do things with my SIII and not enough time with this
Same deal here! Not sure what to do short of wiping and losing my info.
Same here...any advice? Not sure what happened. OTA update too.
Significa said:
Same here...any advice? Not sure what happened. OTA update too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, this seems to be widespread, at least somewhat. I'm in same situation. Toolkits, adb, nothing works. I thought this was a soft brick, but now I'm thinking it's toast. Probably doesn't help that I didn't have Dev options enabled along with USB Debugging. I can't even turn it off. Just bootloops after Google logo shows up twice, then to No Command error, then starts over again. I wonder what the hell is causing this. (Device was locked and unrooted)
Same boat here, even sideloaded the factory image via ADB.
[QUOTE [/QUOTE]
I was going to try using ADB to manually push the update but my computer was recently updated and now I can't get the driver installed for some reason.
If you have android-sdk-windows installed on your computer do not forget to update it through "SDK Manager.exe".
Pushing via ADB didn't work for me. That also failed.
I caved and called Google. Tech support is stumped as well.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Could this be a widespread issue? Like I don't even understand why it happened at all!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I finally got mine working again!
I tried a million different things so I'm going to try and explain my process as simple as I can, I apologize in advance because I am far from an expert...
First, I tried using the method, well some of it, from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
- I would suggest using this thread to get everything set up (drivers, ADB, the factory image downloaded and in the correct file location) I wasn't able to get the drivers working correctly with that route so I ended up using the toolkit to get them working but that thread helped me get all of the system files in the correct location and helped get all of the ADB stuff set up.
Once you have everything set up and your computer recognizes the tablet, (I checked that by opening a cmd prompt and using the command from the original thread above "adb devices"). As long as you see your device, I think you should be good.
From the "No Command" screen I held down Power and Volume + to get the menu to come up. I then chose the Restart option and immediately held Power and Volume -. This got me into the Fastboot Mode.
Once in Fastboot mode I went to the cmd prompt on my computer and used the following commands in this order from this post:
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot erase system -w
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot reboot
*Make sure that all of the image files are in the proper location on your computer otherwise this step is worthless
The tablet then rebooted normally and I was able to set everything up again. Again, I am by no means an expert at all, this is just what worked for me. Try at your own risk.
I hope I covered all of the steps, I tried a million different things last night so they all kind of run together.
I ended up doing and it worked for me as well. Wiped everything though. How can I restore / reinstall my apps w/o needing to download them all again?
Two things: That guide says you must have USB Debugging enabled. Since my wife had this tablet, I did not have dev options enabled at all, including USB debug.
The other thing is that when I run the SDK Manager, nothing happens on my computer. I double click it or try Run as Admin, and a small CMD box flashes on my screen for a millesecond and disappears. That's all.
My wife's 2012 N7 is having this same problem. Unlocked bootloader, but I reflashed factory image and unrooted before giving it to her. She got the OTA last night, and now stuck at No Command.
I've subscribed to this thread, hoping that you guys will have it solved before I get home from work tonight! Would love to not have her lose all her data.
(I was kinda mad that she got the OTA last night and I haven't got it yet on my 2013 N7, but that's another gripe for another thread)
killswitch11 said:
Two things: That guide says you must have USB Debugging enabled. Since my wife had this tablet, I did not have dev options enabled at all, including USB debug.
The other thing is that when I run the SDK Manager, nothing happens on my computer. I double click it or try Run as Admin, and a small CMD box flashes on my screen for a millesecond and disappears. That's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I'm not sure on the SDK manager part. As far as the USB Debugging, I'm 98% sure that I did not have it enabled either. I think I did at one point but after doing several OTA upgrades, I'm sure it got unchecked.
---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:01 PM ----------
kr33mo said:
I ended up doing and it worked for me as well. Wiped everything though. How can I restore / reinstall my apps w/o needing to download them all again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe there is a way. Maybe someone smarter than myself can chime in but I had to let the play store do it's thing and re-download all of mine.
tgearhar said:
I finally got mine working again!
I tried a million different things so I'm going to try and explain my process as simple as I can, I apologize in advance because I am far from an expert...
First, I tried using the method, well some of it, from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1907796
- I would suggest using this thread to get everything set up (drivers, ADB, the factory image downloaded and in the correct file location) I wasn't able to get the drivers working correctly with that route so I ended up using the toolkit to get them working but that thread helped me get all of the system files in the correct location and helped get all of the ADB stuff set up.
Once you have everything set up and your computer recognizes the tablet, (I checked that by opening a cmd prompt and using the command from the original thread above "adb devices"). As long as you see your device, I think you should be good.
From the "No Command" screen I held down Power and Volume + to get the menu to come up. I then chose the Restart option and immediately held Power and Volume -. This got me into the Fastboot Mode.
Once in Fastboot mode I went to the cmd prompt on my computer and used the following commands in this order from this post:
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot erase system -w
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot reboot
*Make sure that all of the image files are in the proper location on your computer otherwise this step is worthless
The tablet then rebooted normally and I was able to set everything up again. Again, I am by no means an expert at all, this is just what worked for me. Try at your own risk.
I hope I covered all of the steps, I tried a million different things last night so they all kind of run together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked for me! Thanks, I don't believe I had USB Debugging enabled either. Shame it wiped all my data though.
OK, got mine back up and running! I'll just leave what I did here in case anyone can benefit from it.
I first used Wug's Toolkit to download and install the RAW drivers. (Option #4, I believe) They were the only ones that worked for me. I followed the instructions to install them and then when it looped to the No Command screen, I held volume up and power. This got me to the menu, where I chose reboot. I then immediately held down the volume button and power to get into the bootloader screen, where it (thankfully) stopped looping. Then I unlocked the bootloader using the one-click option. Next step was to download and flash factory 4.4 image using the Soft Brick mode. Fastboot recognized my device and pushed the image. Now all is well. Close call... I've already enabled USB Debugging for my wife on this tablet so that crap doesn't happen again. She did lose all her data but she is happy to have a working tablet again instead of a $200 beer coaster.
killswitch11 said:
OK, got mine back up and running! I'll just leave what I did here in case anyone can benefit from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked for me as well. Really appreciate that.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
killswitch11 said:
OK, got mine back up and running! I'll just leave what I did here in case anyone can benefit from it.
I first used Wug's Toolkit to download and install the RAW drivers. (Option #4, I believe) They were the only ones that worked for me. I followed the instructions to install them and then when it looped to the No Command screen, I held volume up and power. This got me to the menu, where I chose reboot. I then immediately held down the volume button and power to get into the bootloader screen, where it (thankfully) stopped looping. Then I unlocked the bootloader using the one-click option. Next step was to download and flash factory 4.4 image using the Soft Brick mode. Fastboot recognized my device and pushed the image. Now all is well. Close call... I've already enabled USB Debugging for my wife on this tablet so that crap doesn't happen again. She did lose all her data but she is happy to have a working tablet again instead of a $200 beer coaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give that a go tomorrow. Missed my tablet! Hope it works!
I have unlocked the bootloader but I can not figure out how to root this thing at all. Has anyone had any success? I would like TWRP and SuperU.
this device is new yet. give it time
Tmobilefan906 said:
this device is new yet. give it time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I didn't realize how new this was whenever I posted it.
TWRP and root instructions available now in post 1 of
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/huawei-ascend-xt-h1611-t3507933/
dabadguycr said:
I have unlocked the bootloader but I can not figure out how to root this thing at all. Has anyone had any success? I would like TWRP and SuperU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
divineBliss said:
TWRP and root instructions available now in post 1 of
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/huawei-ascend-xt-h1611-t3507933/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've already been helping me before you posted this.
People reading this thread might not realize we have root now. It's for their benefit .
dabadguycr said:
You've already been helping me before you posted this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
divineBliss said:
People reading this thread might not realize we have root now. It's for their benefit .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Point, I know my thread shows up first on Bing whenever I search for my phone and rooting help.
I have another XT and followed all instructions fine but no SuperSU when checking the phone. I tried flashing it twice (the one from the OP in main thread) and nothing. Am I missing a step?
I had installed fine on the first phone. this new one is 100% stock, unlocked bootloader, installed TWRP successfully but no supersu and root checker confirms no root.
Is it B140 or what? If you are missing a step, only you can check that.
powerserge1 said:
I have another XT and followed all instructions fine but no SuperSU when checking the phone. I tried flashing it twice (the one from the OP in main thread) and nothing. Am I missing a step?
I had installed fine on the first phone. this new one is 100% stock, unlocked bootloader, installed TWRP successfully but no supersu and root checker confirms no root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
divineBliss said:
Is it B140 or what? If you are missing a step, only you can check that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed
Can someone check the EMUI Huawei website for the unlock bootloader? Is it still working for requesting code? It keeps loop me back to the EMUI 5.0 page
sweetboy02125 said:
Can someone check the EMUI Huawei website for the unlock bootloader? Is it still working for requesting code? It keeps loop me back to the EMUI 5.0 page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya same. I got angry since I spent hours trying to find it so I just paid $4 and had DC-Unlocker unlock my bootloader.
sweetboy02125 said:
Can someone check the EMUI Huawei website for the unlock bootloader? Is it still working for requesting code? It keeps loop me back to the EMUI 5.0 page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
webosFTW said:
Ya same. I got angry since I spent hours trying to find it so I just paid $4 and had DC-Unlocker unlock my bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you follow this guide there should be no issue. The rootmygalaxy link should be pretty straightforward at unlocking the bootloader. The guide should be stickied in the OP.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=70515102&postcount=649
powerserge1 said:
If you follow this guide there should be no issue. The rootmygalaxy link should be pretty straightforward at unlocking the bootloader. The guide should be stickied in the OP.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=70515102&postcount=649
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue is that https://emui.huawei.com/en/plugin.php?id=unlock that page hasnt worked for days. Keep redirecting me to the main page.
webosFTW said:
The issue is that https://emui.huawei.com/en/plugin.php?id=unlock that page hasnt worked for days. Keep redirecting me to the main page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes use a different browser. Not working with chrome but working with edge. Go to the same link, it will bring you to EMUI 5.0 page, towards the top click on "download" then on the following page under the search bar click on "unlock bootloader" and it will bring you to the unlocking page. Just confirmed working. Updating the guide and will make a new post for root and twrp
Updated guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/huawei-ascend-xt-h1611-feb27-2017-t3564389
Unlocked the boot loader, now adb/fastboot-15 Second won't work
Hello guys!
I used the 15 Second minimal adb/fastboot package from this site to unlock the boot loader. All seemed to go well, a screen message said success or something like that. It's been over 2 weeks since I had to put the phone down and take care of some other business. Now, after turning the phone off and then back on again when I am ready when I type in "fastboot devices" in the elevated cmd window in the adb directory the only message that comes back is "waiting on the device." Or the equivalent. I have tried what I could find from searching with Google to no avail. I am pretty sure that I am using the same cord, laptop, and everything that worked when I unlocked the boot loader. So, I am at a loss.
My goal originally was to use madvane20's slim downed version of b180 just to get it working again as my almost 2 years old P10 was stolen. I have no money in my budget for a new phone until Feb. 2020. I last talked with him in a series of PM's ending around May of last year, when a reply stated he had to get back to work on the last part of it. I have since seen a post referencing that it was ready in a package that after I had successfully unlocked the boot loader, it would root and install everything. This would have made me a happy guy... but I also noticed a custom ROM is now to be had based on Android 7. In order to get my Bank App's updated version of it's Mobile App to work, I have to install Android v 7 or higher. That's the main app that needs v 7 or better that I use daily. Several times...
But, now when I power up the phone, the first message is, "Your device has been unlocked and cannot be trusted... Press the Power Key now to reboot. Or the device will automatically reboot in 5 seconds." Which it does, the first time walking me through the Set-Up process, now it just boots into Huawei's EMUI 4.1. But, I cannot get adb to find the phone to follow the remainder of the instructions in the guide, "AT&T Huawei Ascend XT H1611 Feb27, 2017 update all things Root and TWRP (guide)"
Nor, can I get into the Recovery mode using the Vol Down/Power Keys.
So, where have I gone wrong or what is my next step? Since the phone can not be found and I can not get into Recovery using the proper keys what do I need to do and how do I do it?
I want to:
Root the phone.
Install the custom ROM I mentioned.
Or, Install an upgrade, if possible, to Android v 7... But,
can not get the phone recognized to get into a Recovery mode (is that right?) to push TWRP to it as well as the other files
it needs and to do whatever the Guides tell me to do.
Specs on the phone:
Model: H1611
Build: H1611C07B180
EMUI v: 4.1
Android v: 6.0.1
Security Patch level: September 1, 2017
Baseband v: 20234
Kernal v: 3.10.49-g03b627c
Sorry for the long post, but I thought it might answer some questions that came to mind before replying back.
Thanks in advance. I'm not here often, but when I am I am always relieved to get out of some jam I have gotten myself into!
mike0921
mike0921,
What happens if the phone is in normal mode and you type "adb devices" from the PC adb directory command prompt?
divineBliss said:
mike0921,
What happens if the phone is in normal mode and you type "adb devices" from the PC adb directory command prompt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just now found a new(er) USB cable for the phone. I also uninstalled the H1611 under Portable Devices in the Device Manager and rebooted the laptop. Where before, under Events the message was ".... needs further installation..." it now showed a successful install.
At the "adb devices" command, nothing happened, no response. I went and found the directions and explanations for the use of the top 30 commands. It told me to reboot the bootloader. A screen on the phone had me confirm the RSA command. Afterwhich the Fastoot&Recovery Mode screen with the little green Android guy with the message Phone Unlocked, FRP Unlock messages.
I went back to the elevated cmd window and at the adb directory command prompt entered "fastboot devices" and Voila! There were some letters and numbers, five or six spaces and the word "fastboot."
So, am I good to go with the rest of the steps in the guide from here? A question, about him saying to flash the Superuser zip file using TWRP. Is that suppose to already be on my SD card to flash it or can I flash it from my laptop without having to touch the phone or current USB cable? It seems stable but I am a bit gunshy and don't have much faith left in the old equipment I am having to use. A very old, refurbished HP Elitebook 8460P which is running really wonky, a not too new USB cable, the last of five I dug up and have used and finally works but is a bit loose, and Windows 10 1903 etc., which has disappeared all kinds of things I am having to run down) Can I use the "push" command to move the zip file to the SD card? And is that a fastboot function or an adb function? I seem to have read somewhere along the way to this point here that "push" is what I want to do, but powerserge1's Step 7 states to flash it using TWRP. I just want to check. And should questions from here on out be placed in his 184-page thread? I still haven't managed to read the whole thing, it seems to go off in so many other directions that I don't think I need to travel down. But, I will follow your advice.
I want to say a hearty thanks for your help. I was stuck, confused and frustrated at getting no results from Googling and reading for hours and getting nowhere it seemed. And I think I am good to go now.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Just to be clear, The SuperSU zip file is currently on my laptop in the adb directory. Not on the phone.
mike0921 said:
I just now found a new(er) USB cable for the phone. I also uninstalled the H1611 under Portable Devices in the Device Manager and rebooted the laptop. Where before, under Events the message was ".... needs further installation..." it now showed a successful install.
At the "adb devices" command, nothing happened, no response. I went and found the directions and explanations for the use of the top 30 commands. It told me to reboot the bootloader. A screen on the phone had me confirm the RSA command. Afterwhich the Fastoot&Recovery Mode screen with the little green Android guy with the message Phone Unlocked, FRP Unlock messages.
I went back to the elevated cmd window and at the adb directory command prompt entered "fastboot devices" and Voila! There were some letters and numbers, five or six spaces and the word "fastboot."
So, am I good to go with the rest of the steps in the guide from here? A question, about him saying to flash the Superuser zip file using TWRP. Is that suppose to already be on my SD card to flash it or can I flash it from my laptop without having to touch the phone or current USB cable? It seems stable but I am a bit gunshy and don't have much faith left in the old equipment I am having to use. A very old, refurbished HP Elitebook 8460P which is running really wonky, a not too new USB cable, the last of five I dug up and have used and finally works but is a bit loose, and Windows 10 1903 etc., which has disappeared all kinds of things I am having to run down) Can I use the "push" command to move the zip file to the SD card? And is that a fastboot function or an adb function? I seem to have read somewhere along the way to this point here that "push" is what I want to do, but powerserge1's Step 7 states to flash it using TWRP. I just want to check. And should questions from here on out be placed in his 184-page thread? I still haven't managed to read the whole thing, it seems to go off in so many other directions that I don't think I need to travel down. But, I will follow your advice.
I want to say a hearty thanks for your help. I was stuck, confused and frustrated at getting no results from Googling and reading for hours and getting nowhere it seemed. And I think I am good to go now.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Just to be clear, The SuperSU zip file is currently on my laptop in the adb directory. Not on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And after backing up in TRWP, I just checked the SD card's contents for the backup and saw the SuperSU zip file neatly placed on it as well. Just to be clear!??!
Okay, I somehow screwed this up I think. I was a little distracted by a friend dropping by. After telling her to give me a minute, I looked back at the phone after following Step 6:
Step 6: Confirm phone goes to FASTBOOT & RESCUE mode.
a) fastboot devices (to make sure your device is recognized)
b) fastboot boot TWRP.img (boots TWRP.img from Step 3)
c) The phone will boot into TWRP. Always select Keep Read Only from the first screen every time you go into TWRP.
Peek around a bit if you want to, then use TWRP to backup your stock recovery to external micro SD.
d) Reboot bootloader from inside TWRP to flash this custom recovery image (no adb command this time, you are rebooting to the bootloader from TWRP, you will see this option under "reboot" in TWRP).
e) fastboot flash recovery TWRP.img (now flashes TWRP recovery to the phone)
I then went to Step 7:
Step 7: After phone reboots, get into TWRP recovery repeating Step 6, a and b or hold the power button and volume up button from power-off state, then release when you see Huawei logo.
But now, the phone isn't being recognized again. And when I shut it off, hold Volume Up and Power buttons, I get a screen that asks if I want to: Reboot system now; Wipe data/factory reset; Wipe cache partition. Not the Recovery Screen with the options I got used to seeing in little green characters.
I tried the Reboot system now option and I'm back into the Huawei EMUI with everything appearing unchanged. Powered off, did the Vol Up + Power buttons and am back with the screen offering the three options I mentioned above. And the phone not being recognized after the "Devices" command.
Can you clarify my confusion? What am I doing wrong? Or not doing?
Thanks.
mike
---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------
mike0921 said:
I just now found a new(er) USB cable for the phone. I also uninstalled the H1611 under Portable Devices in the Device Manager and rebooted the laptop. Where before, under Events the message was ".... needs further installation..." it now showed a successful install.
At the "adb devices" command, nothing happened, no response. I went and found the directions and explanations for the use of the top 30 commands. It told me to reboot the bootloader. A screen on the phone had me confirm the RSA command. Afterwhich the Fastoot&Recovery Mode screen with the little green Android guy with the message Phone Unlocked, FRP Unlock messages.
I went back to the elevated cmd window and at the adb directory command prompt entered "fastboot devices" and Voila! There were some letters and numbers, five or six spaces and the word "fastboot."
So, am I good to go with the rest of the steps in the guide from here? A question, about him saying to flash the Superuser zip file using TWRP. Is that suppose to already be on my SD card to flash it or can I flash it from my laptop without having to touch the phone or current USB cable? It seems stable but I am a bit gunshy and don't have much faith left in the old equipment I am having to use. A very old, refurbished HP Elitebook 8460P which is running really wonky, a not too new USB cable, the last of five I dug up and have used and finally works but is a bit loose, and Windows 10 1903 etc., which has disappeared all kinds of things I am having to run down) Can I use the "push" command to move the zip file to the SD card? And is that a fastboot function or an adb function? I seem to have read somewhere along the way to this point here that "push" is what I want to do, but powerserge1's Step 7 states to flash it using TWRP. I just want to check. And should questions from here on out be placed in his 184-page thread? I still haven't managed to read the whole thing, it seems to go off in so many other directions that I don't think I need to travel down. But, I will follow your advice.
I want to say a hearty thanks for your help. I was stuck, confused and frustrated at getting no results from Googling and reading for hours and getting nowhere it seemed. And I think I am good to go now.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Just to be clear, The SuperSU zip file is currently on my laptop in the adb directory. Not on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And after backing up in TRWP, I just checked the SD card's contents for the backup and saw the SuperSU zip file neatly placed on it as well. Just to be clear!??!
Okay, I somehow screwed this up I think. I was a little distracted by a friend dropping by. After telling her to give me a minute, I looked back at the phone after following Step 6:
Step 6: Confirm phone goes to FASTBOOT & RESCUE mode.
a) fastboot devices (to make sure your device is recognized)
b) fastboot boot TWRP.img (boots TWRP.img from Step 3)
c) The phone will boot into TWRP. Always select Keep Read Only from the first screen every time you go into TWRP.
Peek around a bit if you want to, then use TWRP to backup your stock recovery to external micro SD.
d) Reboot bootloader from inside TWRP to flash this custom recovery image (no adb command this time, you are rebooting to the bootloader from TWRP, you will see this option under "reboot" in TWRP).
e) fastboot flash recovery TWRP.img (now flashes TWRP recovery to the phone)
I then went to Step 7:
Step 7: After phone reboots, get into TWRP recovery repeating Step 6, a and b or hold the power button and volume up button from power-off state, then release when you see Huawei logo.
But now, the phone isn't being recognized again. And when I shut it off, hold Volume Up and Power buttons, I get a screen that asks if I want to: Reboot system now; Wipe data/factory reset; Wipe cache partition. Not the Recovery Screen with the options I got used to seeing in little green characters.
I tried the Reboot system now option and I'm back into the Huawei EMUI with everything appearing unchanged. Powered off, did the Vol Up + Power buttons and am back with the screen offering the three options I mentioned above. And the phone not being recognized after the "Devices" command.
Can you clarify my confusion? What am I doing wrong? Or not doing?
Thanks.
mike
Sorry for the delay. What's the latest status with attempts to root the phone?
In trying to root it, I downgraded to H990DS10b_00_open_ame_ds_op_1103 via Uppercut. From there I followed carefully the "dirty Santa comes for the H990" thread. I got through to the "untrusted app" message, but I did not get the bat.2 on the cmd window. So I had to restart the phone, and the screen was weird and unreadable. By coincidence Uppercut was not working, giving "error reading from file" on my Windows machine. So from here I did the mistake and got too impatient. At that time I could still see the phone via ADB. Then I thought it might be helpful to do a hard reset - which obviously was a big mistake. Now it powers up showing the LG logo, gives the sound and turns into a weird screen. I can make sound from it by pressing the screen, but after some time it reboots into is a black screen saying kernel crash. It says that I can restart by pressing vol down. When I do that, the same happens again. It also says that I can do ram drop using QPST configuration, whatever that means?
Do I have to say goodbye to it, of do I have any hope?
Doesn't sound like a hard brick to me. I would completely restart the rooting process.
What I would do however, is make sure that all the programs (LG UP etc) and DirtySanta files are correct and working.
Things to try:
• Make sure the drivers are installed correctly. You can google for LG USB drivers. Install and restart.
• Make sure LG UP is run as administrator (as a precaution to access devices)
• Hold Vol Up while the device is off and the plug in the usb cable (while the other end is plugged into the machine) - this should get you into Download mode
• Make sure that you are running the "Run Me First" files in Dirty Santa. This is a common mistake that I have made before even when re-rooting for the tenth time.
• Run all the Dirty Santa CMD files as administrator (it can't hurt).
As far as the screen, does it look like white noise? if so, it is a known kernel incompatibility (the stock kernel) with root. Best thing to do, is that when you get to the step that requires you to install TWRP and then reboot using the reboot command in fastboot, is that you actually pull the batter out after installing TWRP and then reboot into recovery using the hardware keys (Vol Down and Power Button, then let go of Power Button and repress it whilest holding Vol Down but ONLY when the LG logo first appears.).
This is just some general troubleshooting, and not in any particular order. Hopefully it is of some help.
Thank you very much. I appreciate Some observations before I move on. Yes, the screen looks like white noise. In download mode - it only shows download mode shortly in an box, and then goes to white noise again. I mave manages to get in touch with it from Windows in fastboot mode, here it gives me a serial number from LGUS996, definitely not my h990DS? Is that normal?
Another thing, right now Uppercut is teasing me. I think I started it from the zip file, so now it is looking for the program in a temp file that I cannot find. I need to find out how to remove that link in windows to move on with LGUP.
henrylar said:
Thank you very much. I appreciate Some observations before I move on. Yes, the screen looks like white noise. In download mode - it only shows download mode shortly in an box, and then goes to white noise again. I mave manages to get in touch with it from Windows in fastboot mode, here it gives me a serial number from LGUS996, definitely not my h990DS? Is that normal?
Another thing, right now Uppercut is teasing me. I think I started it from the zip file, so now it is looking for the program in a temp file that I cannot find. I need to find out how to remove that link in windows to move on with LGUP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though there is white noise in download mode, download mode will still function.
I'm not sure about the serial number thing though. Is it a refurb?
Rather copy Uppercut to its own file outside of the .zip and also disable your antivirus just incase while you are running it. Run it as administrator.
Honestly, I would go into Download mode and user Uppercut to flash a completely stock KDZ. Then try the process over again from the start.
I've had this exact issue and it is totally recoverable.
Thank you so much for the help. Because of that I am now back to a working phone. Have installed the old KDZ file, and now it correctly says that I have a H990DS phone again. You were right about antivirus - even if I thought I had disabled it, I had not, and that made the strange message in uppercut. I will try rooting once more - this time I know how more about what to do if it goes wrong.
I have now re-installed the santa files again, and everything goes fine according to the description until the message about installing step 2, that message never comes to the first cmd window, unfortunately. And I have not (yet) dared to start the step 2 bat from a new cmd window. As I read the description, it should give me a message in the first started cmd window, right?
henrylar said:
I have now re-installed the santa files again, and everything goes fine according to the description until the message about installing step 2, that message never comes to the first cmd window, unfortunately. And I have not (yet) dared to start the step 2 bat from a new cmd window. As I read the description, it should give me a message in the first started cmd window, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you do the terminal thing on the phone?Also have you installed and drivers the right way?you definitely skip something
I think you are right, I can just not understand what. I did the terminal thing, yes and no failure messages of any kind, just no messages at the first cmd screen. . The drivers works fine for everything else, so I cannot imagine any problem there.
I have now tried several times to do the procedure. It all goes very well until the point where there should come a message in the runmefirst command window. No message comes, and for this reason I have not dared to go on. It gives all the right messages on the terminal window on the phone until the point where I have to run step2.bat. I have become pretty good at recovering via LGUP, but do any of you have a hint for me? I have disables antivirus, and I run the windows as administrator?
edit: I succeeded, by simply moving on without any messages from the runmefirst. Worked fine. So now I am rooted Thank you very much JL and Mike for the help.
So my nephew brings me his galaxy s6 t-mobile phone... He forgot his lock pin so he factory reset it. Now he can no longer get into the phone because he doesnt know the correct email or password. I did some digging through the net watched a few videos... and found none of the methods they used to bypass the lock would work on his phone. Then I read about the Combination Rom (Factory Binary)... At this time I do not have any windows pc's and my VM will not read the usbs of the phone... (im not that experienced with vm to set this up) So i grabbed JOdin for linux and proceeded to try to flash the binary. However, JOdin did not work for me. So i found Heimdall and installed to learn that i had to find some weird way to run it as SU for it to work... Tho Heimdall worked like a charm.... With Heimdall I had to take the rom and completely extract it to a folder and find all the img files in it to install on heimdal like sboot, boot, cm, system, and quite a few others as well.I used the "PIT" file from the combination rom (which came in the download). When done installing the phone boots into Factory Binary... Interesting little rom... From here you can access settings, tho the instructions tell you to enable developer options and turn on usb debugging... in this rom they are set on by default i believe, so that was kind of a waste of time... then from the main menu you click the icon that looks like a calculator and type in "*#0808# where you are then presented with usb options. Select the last one on the list with adb at the end of it, click save and reboot. At this point I thought i was supposed to install the stock rom back (that was where i was lost) however all you have to do is let it boot back to binary. After it has reloaded... plug it into the pc and send it the proper adb instructions to disable frp lock. Techeligible has a batch file for use in windows, however if you dont have windows like me that does no good... So I went into the batch file with a text reader and extracted the information i needed ( 3 adb commands).In terminal i made sure my adb and fastboot were updated and working. I learned that when you type "adb devices" it will show the phone and if it says nothing else you are good to go. However it may give you a problem with permissions. If this is the case then unplug and make sure usb debuggin is on, you can also check that the adb is enabled again by doing the *#0808# command again and make sure the last selection is checked. When all is in order... At first I thought all commands must work for it to succeed... However this is not true at all. Only one of the adb commands will not give an error and at that time you can reboot into download mode and install the stock rom back on. After installation the phone will reboot and FRP Lock is no longer on... Now you can go into settings open up developer settings (tap build number till it unlocks) and select "OEM Unlock" and turn it on. Make sure usb debugging is on and you can boot back into download mode and install TWRP without a hitch.
I tried installing a couple of custom roms, however I have had no success with getting one to boot. (always stuck in boot loop even with wipe or factory reset) so I gave up and left him with the stock rom. If anyone has any idea of how i could get passed the bootloop maybe i can try again for him sometime and see how he likes various custom roms, but now he is happy he has his phone back working and it only took me a week of off and on frustration to figure it out... Hope this helps someone... (please dont ask for links) but if you do need help or have questions feel free to ask.