Need help. Tricked in buying a rooted phone now won't boot

[rkhong]

Hi. As title suggests, I was jibbed into buying an HTC One that was rooted

I knew nothing of Android phones and this is my first foray away from my iPhone. Excited, I traded my iphone for an HTC One thinking all was good. I inserted my SIM into the new HTC and everything worked ok. Then I tried to reboot and it got stuck on the splash screen.

After hours and hours scouring the net, I have discovered through my own research that this phone is rooted with Clockworkmod.

Forgive my ignorance, but this is all I know.... and the phone won't boot up. I hook it up to my computers (both Mac and PC) and I can see the drivers loading in the PC, but it doesn't appear as a drive. So I can't do anything.

Can anyone out there help me? I'm fair tech minded but as I said, I am a complete noobie when it comes to Android. Please please please

 

[VDub2174]

Hi. As title suggests, I was jibbed into buying an HTC One that was rooted

I knew nothing of Android phones and this is my first foray away from my iPhone. Excited, I traded my iphone for an HTC One thinking all was good. I inserted my SIM into the new HTC and everything worked ok. Then I tried to reboot and it got stuck on the splash screen.

After hours and hours scouring the net, I have discovered through my own research that this phone is rooted with Clockworkmod.

Forgive my ignorance, but this is all I know.... and the phone won't boot up. I hook it up to my computers (both Mac and PC) and I can see the drivers loading in the PC, but it doesn't appear as a drive. So I can't do anything.

Can anyone out there help me? I'm fair tech minded but as I said, I am a complete noobie when it comes to Android. Please please please

You said the phone has ClockworkMod? Can you boot into that and see if there's a backup file or see a ROM on the SD card (or virtual SD card)?

Also, how were you tricked into getting this phone? Was this an in-person swap? Can you contact them?

 

[rkhong]

Yeh it said file not found or something like that. It's so frustrating. I was getting so exciting moving over to android now this is my first experience

 

[VDub2174]

Yeh it said file not found or something like that. It's so frustrating. I was getting so exciting moving over to android now this is my first experience

There's away to fix this. Let me look around because I think someone had a similar issue here before.

 

[TarekElsakka]

Do you know the name of the ROM that was on the device? I doubt you checked the Software Information under Settings to find out, though. Anyhow, since your bootloader is unlocked and everything, that'll make things much easier. What you need to do is the following:

1) Setup ADB and fastboot in order to be able to push/sideload a ROM (operating system) to your device from your computer. You'll not be able to access the drive your device from your computer as long as it is in a state of bootloop or recovery, that is why you need ADB. Here is a guide on how to set it up on Mac: [GUIDE] Set up ADB and Fastboot on a Mac easily (With Screenshots!) - xda-developers - there are guides for setting it up on Windows but since you already have a Mac, terminal will make things simpler as you won't have to install any HTC drivers

2) Download and flash TWRP custom recovery for your device instead of CWM so you can sideload/push ROM - it's easier and more user-friendly, and most importantly I always use it so I cannot comment on CWM much: Techerrata Downloads - Browsing m7 download it here <--

3) Since you probably do not know how to flash a recovery, follow the guide here: [GUIDE] Complete Flashing Guide | Rooting | Going Back To Stock | 05.05.2013 - xda-developers specifically this part:

Flashing custom recovery

What you need to know before flashing custom recovery:

• After flashing custom recovery you can always revert to your stock recovery. This procedure will be described later.
• Your bootloader needs to be "UNLOCKED". "LOCKED" or "RELOCKED" bootloaders can't flash custom recovery.
• This operation will cause your bootloader to show "TAMPERED" text below "UNLOCKED".

1. Download custom recovery of your choice and rename it to recovery.img
2. Move recovery.img to c:\mini-sdk location
3. Connect your device to the PC
4. Boot your device in fastboot mode (like you did during unlocking bootloader - power off the device and turn it on using power + vol down buttons and select "FASTBOOT")
5. Open up command prompt ( Start > Run > type cmd and hit enter ). The window that appears is called Command Prompt. <click here to see the image>
6. Navigate to where you unzipped "mini-sdk" package (type in Command Prompt: cd c:\mini-sdk). Note: make sure the path is not c:\mini-sdk\mini-sdk
7. In the Command Prompt type following command: fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
8. Type fastboot erase cache
9. on the bootloader menu use your volume up down to go to "Reboot into bootloader" and when that's done "recovery".

p.s: when you download the small android-SDK in the ADB guide I posted above, place it on the desktop and then place the custom recovery .img (from TWRP) inside that folder and call the folder android, afterwards open up a terminal window and type cd /Users/yourusername/desktop/android so that you will be accessing files inside that folder using terminal, but that should be clear in the guide if you read it carefully anyway

4) After flashing custom recovery, boot into it and tap Advanced > Sideload and then slide to start sideload.

5) You'll want to grab yourself a ROM (operating system) to sideload using ADB and then install in recovery, there are so many available here:

Sense based: One Android Development - xda-developers
AOSP/stock/no-sense: One Original Android Development - xda-developers

If you want a recommendation since you're new to Android and you want to feel how the stock ROM feels without any visual modifications, install Android Revolution HD 11.0: [ROM] Android Revolution HD 11.0 | 4.2.2 | High Quality & Performance | 2.19.401.1 - xda-developers

6) Place the ROM.zip (of course it'll be called something else, but rename it ROM.zip when it is inside the android folder in your desktop to make it easier) inside your android folder on the desktop which contains the fastboot and adb files.

7) When you're in terminal and you already made the cd /users commands and are inside that folder, type the following:

adb sideload ROM.zip

That is, of course, after you rename androidrevolutionhd.zip to rom.zip

It will take a while, possibly 5 - 10 minutes (sometimes longer) so be patient and DO NOT unplug the usb cable until it's done.

8) After it's done sideloading, tap the back button on your device until you're back to the main screen, then tap Install and scroll down to "sideload.zip" then install the ROM by following the on-screen instructions.

Any more questions let me know. If you read the guides carefully, you shouldn't have any problems. Make sure you set up ADB PROPERLY so that it would detect your device.

This is the "android folder" I keep mentioning: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1396782&d=1350078941

It's already in the "Setup ADB" guide but here it is anyway. Just extract the folder to your desktop.

Good luck.

 

[VDub2174]

^^ What he said and there might be some helpful information in this thread too.

 

[scorpiodsu]

If the phone was working before you put in the SIM card then got stuck on a reboot, it just sound like you may only need to boot into recovery and wipe data and cache and reboot. I can't imagine it just getting stuck on a reboot with nothing being done and having to do so much to get it back. I would try that before worrying about flashing another ROM first. I have a sticky thread here all about Rooting, recovery and custom ROMs. Check there just to get a feel of what these things are so the next time you buy an Android, you'll know what to not buy. Good luck.

 

[gollum18]

If the phone was working before you put in the SIM card then got stuck on a reboot, it just sound like you may only need to boot into recovery and wipe data and cache and reboot. I can't imagine it just getting stuck on a reboot with nothing being done and having to do so much to get it back. I would try that before worrying about flashing another ROM first. I have a sticky thread here all about Rooting, recovery and custom ROMs. Check there just to get a feel of what these things are so the next time you buy an Android, you'll know what to not buy. Good luck.

+1 this it sounds like you are just stuck in a bootloop. Booting into recovery and clearing data, cache, and dalvik cache should fix it.

Sprint GS3 Running TN's Msg and Chubbs

 

[rkhong]

HI. I tried rebooting into recovery and wiping data, cache and dalvik cache - still won't reboot.

I will try setting up ADB, etc etc...
Now I can't boot into phone, only bootloader, will that be OK to try all of those steps still?

 

[TarekElsakka]

Of course. Read the guide carefully as I mentioned, all you need is access to bootloader, everything else is done from there.

 

[rkhong]

Do you know the name of the ROM that was on the device? I doubt you checked the Software Information under Settings to find out, though. Anyhow, since your bootloader is unlocked and everything, that'll make things much easier. What you need to do is the following:

1) Setup ADB and fastboot in order to be able to push/sideload a ROM (operating system) to your device from your computer. You'll not be able to access the drive your device from your computer as long as it is in a state of bootloop or recovery, that is why you need ADB. Here is a guide on how to set it up on Mac: [GUIDE] Set up ADB and Fastboot on a Mac easily (With Screenshots!) - xda-developers - there are guides for setting it up on Windows but since you already have a Mac, terminal will make things simpler as you won't have to install any HTC drivers

2) Download and flash TWRP custom recovery for your device instead of CWM so you can sideload/push ROM - it's easier and more user-friendly, and most importantly I always use it so I cannot comment on CWM much: Techerrata Downloads - Browsing m7 download it here <--

3) Since you probably do not know how to flash a recovery, follow the guide here: [GUIDE] Complete Flashing Guide | Rooting | Going Back To Stock | 05.05.2013 - xda-developers specifically this part:



p.s: when you download the small android-SDK in the ADB guide I posted above, place it on the desktop and then place the custom recovery .img (from TWRP) inside that folder and call the folder android, afterwards open up a terminal window and type cd /Users/yourusername/desktop/android so that you will be accessing files inside that folder using terminal, but that should be clear in the guide if you read it carefully anyway

4) After flashing custom recovery, boot into it and tap Advanced > Sideload and then slide to start sideload.

5) You'll want to grab yourself a ROM (operating system) to sideload using ADB and then install in recovery, there are so many available here:

Sense based: One Android Development - xda-developers
AOSP/stock/no-sense: One Original Android Development - xda-developers

If you want a recommendation since you're new to Android and you want to feel how the stock ROM feels without any visual modifications, install Android Revolution HD 11.0: [ROM] Android Revolution HD 11.0 | 4.2.2 | High Quality & Performance | 2.19.401.1 - xda-developers

6) Place the ROM.zip (of course it'll be called something else, but rename it ROM.zip when it is inside the android folder in your desktop to make it easier) inside your android folder on the desktop which contains the fastboot and adb files.

7) When you're in terminal and you already made the cd /users commands and are inside that folder, type the following:

adb sideload ROM.zip

That is, of course, after you rename androidrevolutionhd.zip to rom.zip

It will take a while, possibly 5 - 10 minutes (sometimes longer) so be patient and DO NOT unplug the usb cable until it's done.

8) After it's done sideloading, tap the back button on your device until you're back to the main screen, then tap Install and scroll down to "sideload.zip" then install the ROM by following the on-screen instructions.

Any more questions let me know. If you read the guides carefully, you shouldn't have any problems. Make sure you set up ADB PROPERLY so that it would detect your device.

This is the "android folder" I keep mentioning: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1396782&d=1350078941

It's already in the "Setup ADB" guide but here it is anyway. Just extract the folder to your desktop.

Good luck.

I'm stuck at the installing of ADB stage. In Terminal when i type in "./adb devices" there is nothing listed under "List of Devices".

As mentioned before I can only boot into bootloader. HELP!

 

[rkhong]

OK ADB works as it can recognise my device now.

I am trying to sideload a .zip file now.

 

[rkhong]

Getting this error:

failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Restarting abcd.....
failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Finding update package...
Opening update package....
E: Can't open /tmp/update.zip
(bad)
INstallation aborted

 

[rkhong]

Update:

after sideload, I get this error on the phone:

failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Restarting adbd
failed to open driver control: No such file or directory
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
E: Can't open /tmp/update.zip
(bad)
Installation aborted



I followed the instructions carefully. I found a ROM online and changed name to ROM.zip to sideload.

????

 

[TarekElsakka]

You mean you get that in TWRP when trying to flash the sideload.zip file? You can try another thing which is pushing the ROM instead of sideloading it.

adb push rom.zip /sdcard/rom.zip

[HOW-TO] ADB Push a ROM to your phone - xda-developers guide here <--

 

[rkhong]

It worked!!!! Thank you sooooooooooo much!!!!

 

[TarekElsakka]

Hey no problem. Glad it worked for you.

 

[Gearheadaddy]

Good to see you have a Blackberry 9900. Tried the new Z10 yet. I've got one and an EVO3D. The Z10 loads leaked os's with a simple autoloader and 7zip. Fun stuff.