Bricked? after attempt to flash ROM.

[Berlusconi]

Alright, so I picked this phone up yesterday and the first thing I did was root it using Gingerbreak. After that, everything was going smoothly. I continued reading and reading until I stumbled upon the XDA thread. I can't post links yet...

I installed Rom Manager, installed the Clockwork Recovery method, and then downloaded aospCWMod-VM670-20110531.

Everything went smoothly until I had to reboot. The first reboot brought me to a blank screen (I remember reading somewhere about the newer phones having different screens and drivers being incompatible?). When that happened, I pulled the battery and it booted up fine. I tried it again, this time I moved the rocker a few times and hit the home button. Same thing, screen still blank. Pulled the batter, and powered it back on, only this time there was no Virgin splash screen, instead it was an LG splash. After that, it will go to the Android splash, the logo will be animated for a few minutes, and then it freezes at this point.

I've been reading for hours and haven't found anything. Most threads have dated back to June and haven't been any help whatsoever.

If anyone could help me through this or point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

Also, I am able to return the phone if it's bricked, but I'm just going to attempt it again until I get it right.

Thanks!

 

[Berlusconi]

This is the thread I was referring to: [ROM][WIP][ALPHA] aospCMod | AOSP 2.3.4 / CM7+ (Gingerbread) - xda-developers

 

[Berlusconi]

And after that, I found this thread: http://forums.androidcentral.com/op...-how-simplified-root-recovery-custom-rom.html

-sigh-

Anyway to unbrick it? :3

 

[watskyhotsky]

doesnt seem "bricked" by standard definitions. just a bad flash.

make sure you have clockwordmod 3.2.0.1, restore your backup (becuase clearly with the amount of reading you did.... you made a backup....)

instead of aospCMOD, try I.H.O. BACKside

https://github.com/inferiorhumanorgans/android_device_lge_thunderc/wiki/Binary

the I.H.O. roms are listed by the name of the creator. they are all very similar except for minor customizations, but those can be changed once your in it anyway.

download the zip of whicher youd like and put it on your SD card, boot into recovery by holding the home button, volume up, (or down if up doesnt work) and the power button, while the phone is off. the phone will start up and if you keep holding these buttons it will go into recovery mode from where you can wipe the Dalvik cache, regular Cache, and then "wipe system/factory reset"

THEN AND ONLY THEN is it ok to flash the rom. if you try flashing without wiping everything thats where the phone freezes when booting or a bunch of other weird problems.

as long as you can get into recovery the phone is NOT bricked

 

[Berlusconi]

...boot into recovery by holding the home button, volume up, (or down if up doesnt work) and the power button, while the phone is off. the phone will start up and if you keep holding these buttons it will go into recovery mode from where you can wipe the Dalvik cache, regular Cache, and then "wipe system/factory reset"...

Therein lies the problem. Because I installed the clockworkblahblahblah, apparently it's incompatible with my phone and the screen will be blank in recovery mode.

When I hold down the buttons, the LG splash comes up for about 1 second and then the screen goes blank.

 

[Berlusconi]

I apologize if I'm coming off as rude, I do appreciate your help.

 

[gsrrr]

Maybe this will help.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/optimus-v-rooting-roms-hacks/113762-fix-black-screen-custom-recovery-custom-roms.html

 

[Berlusconi]

Thanks for the link, gsrrr. I ended up taking the phone back and getting a replacement. Now all I need to do is root it and flash the ROM without bricking it again.

 

[watskyhotsky]

Thanks for the link, gsrrr. I ended up taking the phone back and getting a replacement. Now all I need to do is root it and flash the ROM without bricking it again.

first the problem you had is common with everyone who uses gingerbreak...

its because gingerbreak does NOT install busybox.

when I root friends OVs, I shell root with SOC and use ADB to push the superuser and busybox files manually.

i have never, EVER had a problem this way.

yet everyone who tries another method bricks their phone.

this was the "official" method until the sticky was removed. no idea why they did that, this forum got clogged with people "bricking" their phones afterward.

*edit i will assume if you can root with gingerbreak, then install superuser, THEN download "busybox installer" and let it install its thing, you should be ok. but thats just speculation becuase ive never done it that way.

avoid ROM manager, find a windows PC, install the android SDK, learn to use ADB, and push flash_image over adb then use that to flash the IHO recovery, found on this page, as well as the good, stable Gingerbread roms for the OV.

https://github.com/inferiorhumanorgans/android_device_lge_thunderc/wiki/Binary

 

[riggerman]

Gingerbreak works. It does install superuser, however, you need to install busybox from the market. After that, you need to use Terminal Emulator to install the flash_image and a custom recovery. I have written a guide with the files needed to root and install recovery. Read the thread, many people have used it.

 

[Berlusconi]

Alright, I've got Gingerbreak installed, the phone rooted, Superuser is installed, as well as BusyBox.

Now I'm at the flashing part. I made the mistake of installing the same clockworkmod recovery and I'm getting the blank screen again. I did use ROM Manager, but that was before I checked back here.

I'm trying to find out how to remove the recovery and used ADB to flash the phone. Sorry for all of the derp.

Any links to threads, specific places I should be looking, etc?

Thanks!

 

[watskyhotsky]

if rom manager gave you a problem once, why on earth did you touch it again?

forget ADB, if you can get into any rom you can use Terminal Emulator, the commands are the same.

google or search the thread for how to install Flash_image, its a file that the phone uses to actually flash a recovery. without that file, it cannot flash the recovery.

also, you dont "remove" a recovery, you completely overwritten the stock one with CWM, now you need to completely overwrite CWM recovery with a different one. the phone has to have one at all times.


like i said before, download the IHO recovery, a IHO rom, google for info on Flash_image and how to install it from within the phone, and youll be fine.

 

[Eollie]

Alright, I've got Gingerbreak installed, the phone rooted, Superuser is installed, as well as BusyBox.

Now I'm at the flashing part. I made the mistake of installing the same clockworkmod recovery and I'm getting the blank screen again. I did use ROM Manager, but that was before I checked back here.

I'm trying to find out how to remove the recovery and used ADB to flash the phone. Sorry for all of the derp.

Any links to threads, specific places I should be looking, etc?

Thanks!

That link gsrrr posted follow it.
You have a newer screen and the kernel for any of the current recoveries will not support it.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/op...black-screen-custom-recovery-custom-roms.html

You dont want asopcm7 it is a dead rom and full of bugs. Bigsupersquid has a rom linked there that will work with the proper kernel baked in. If you follow the instruction in that first post of the thread you will have your phone working again. Do not under any circumstance use rom managers recovery. Our phone is not supported and therefore the recovery that is there will do this again.

 

[Berlusconi]

Okay, so I've got the new phone and I've got it rooted.

Here are the steps that I took so far:

1. Installed Gingerbreak and rooted the phone
2. Superuser is installed, checked root with Terminal Emulator
3. Installed BusyBox successfully.

And this is where I went wrong. I hadn't referred back to this thread and made the mistake of installing the problematic clockworkmod recovery and now I'm getting the black screen when I boot into it.

I can still boot into the phone without any problems, but I mistakenly used ROM Manager and flashed the wrong recovery.

I know, I'm stupid. I am very new to this, yes, but I'm willing to deal with a few bricked phones before I learn about it.

I've installed the Java SDK and the Android SKD, I have the ROM image that I'm going to be using "CM7.1-RC1-IHO-PURE-XIONIA-09042011" (file name, obviously) and I've got the "flash_img" that I am supposed to use to flash the recovery?

I'm following the instructions in this thread here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/op...black-screen-custom-recovery-custom-roms.html

And riggerman, could you link me to the guide? I checked your profile and only saw one post and it wasn't a guide.

Thanks!

 

[Berlusconi]

Alright, I'm going through the steps in that thread and I'm ready to use ADB to flash the recovery.

This is the problem that I'm running into now:

I've tried a few "fixes" that I read in another thread, but all lead to the same outcome of "Operation not permitted"

I am running command prompt with elevated privileges, if that makes any difference.

 

[Berlusconi]

HUZZAH!

After hours and hours of reading, I've gotten the IHO ROM to flash and boot successfully. Sorry for all of the nonsense I've been posting, this has just been very frustrating. Two returned phones, hours of reading and downloading, etc.

Thanks for all the help from everyone, that thread did the trick. I appreciate everyone's time!

 

[Ticojpunk]

Always nice to see a happy ending.


Sent from my iPod touch

 

[Berlusconi]

if rom manager gave you a problem once, why on earth did you touch it again?

forget ADB, if you can get into any rom you can use Terminal Emulator, the commands are the same.

google or search the thread for how to install Flash_image, its a file that the phone uses to actually flash a recovery. without that file, it cannot flash the recovery.

also, you dont "remove" a recovery, you completely overwritten the stock one with CWM, now you need to completely overwrite CWM recovery with a different one. the phone has to have one at all times.


like i said before, download the IHO recovery, a IHO rom, google for info on Flash_image and how to install it from within the phone, and youll be fine.

Done, done and done.

Sorry, I am very new to this, so you will have to bear with me. Not everyone has the extensive knowledge that you do.

Thanks for the help.

 

[AndyOpie150]

HUZZAH!

After hours and hours of reading, I've gotten the IHO ROM to flash and boot successfully. Sorry for all of the nonsense I've been posting, this has just been very frustrating. Two returned phones, hours of reading and downloading, etc.

Thanks for all the help from everyone, that thread did the trick. I appreciate everyone's time!

Let me get this straight.You deliberately voided your warranty twice,then broke two of your phones(thru no fault of Virgin Mobile)and took them back for a replacement. You don't think there was something wrong with doing that?