Questions tagged [bootloader]
for questions on the bootloader, which is kind of "BIOS mode" on Android devices
67
questions
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Bootloader/BIOS, flashing ROMs and related risks. Why are Android devices more brickable than PCs?
I have solid experience with installing different OSes (Linux, Windows,...) on PCs. I would like to try just for fun to install Linux on an unbranded Android low cost tablet acquired in 2015. I spent ...
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1
answer
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Is there a way to root an Android phone without unlocking the bootloader?
I've tried almost any method to root my ASUS ZenFone Live, but no one seems to work. Also I only need root, no unlocked bootloader (don't want to wipe data) or custom recovery (not essential ATM).
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1
answer
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Android Verified Boot and generation of vbmeta image
I'm in the process of unofficial device bring up, and I'm stuck unable to progress due to Android Verified Boot.
As per specification, Android Verified Boot can be disabled with the --disable-verity ...
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52
votes
2
answers
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Why does unlocking the bootloader wipe phone?
I understand that unlocking the bootloader will wipe my Android phone, but have been looking around for why. Seems to be by design, but what is the reasoning for that design? Is it some security ...
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13
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2
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What does it mean to "brick" your phone?
I'm considering unlocking the bootloader on my Verizon Galaxy S3 (SCH-I535). However, a guide I was reading made this statement:
Once you have unlocked your phone’s bootloader using this app, you ...
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2
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1
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Can I flash Android on device with overwritten mmcblk0?
Can Android device with fully overwritten /dev/mmcblk0 (without /dev/mmcblk0p* partitions) be still flashed using fastboot? Is it true that overwriting /dev/mmcblk0 does not remove /dev/mmcblk0boot* ...
- 128
2
votes
1
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Bootloop issue and can't go to recovery mode
I am using Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, it got hang and then i tried to restart the phone but it get stucked in, Also I can't get in to recovery using standard method. Generally I keep USB debugging mode ...
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3
answers
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Android boot-up messages for debugging?
I am trying to figure out if Android (i.e. Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and/or Motorola Xoom) come with some sort of capability to produce a "boot-up" log. (kind of like Linux boot-up screen) It would be ...
8
votes
1
answer
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How to run adb and fastboot commands from Termux?
Is it possible to run adb and fastboot commands using Termux terminal emulator? I am wanting to run commands from one Huawei T3 7 to another using USB/OTG cable. Need to unlock bootloader but have no ...
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8
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1
answer
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fastboot not working on my Nexus 4
I'm trying to root my N4, and fastboot doesn't seem to work. Running it on linux, and the fastboot binary seems to run.
'Fastboot devices' produces info on my device, but 'fastboot oem unlock' just ...
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1
answer
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Explain "Don't Downgrade!" warnings when flashing stock firmware
I have a few devices I want to put back from custom roms to stock. On almost every stock rom source, however, there are dire warnings for some devices not to downgrade to stock versions from before ...
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7
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how to add a custom lock for the recovery and/or bootloader?
Unlocking the bootloader and/or the recovery is very popular discussion across many devices. But doing so exposes a very obvious and inevitable issue with security!
An unlocked recovery means that no ...
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1
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Bootloader wont unlock on Google Pixel 2 (G011A)
I'm trying to root my Google Pixel 2 but I can't get the bootloader unlocked.
The phone is a renewed and unlocked international version, model number G011A.
From the bootloader screen, and connected ...
2
votes
1
answer
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Android device load process (preparing flashing)
Standard Android OS load process looks like (from docs):
BootROM (starts with 'on' button)
Bootloader
Kernel
init/mounting
Zygote+Dalvik VM
System services
But I have a difficulties ...
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44
votes
10
answers
180k
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Android x86 Marshmallow not booting on Virtualbox and VMware Workstation
I've downloaded the latest Android x86 (android-x86-6.0_20160129.iso) from here and tried to install it to the HDD on a VM in VMware Workstation and in Virtualbox.
The installation seems to proceed ...
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40
votes
8
answers
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ADB can discover devices but not fastboot
I've searched on the web about this problem and it's usually solved by installing the appropriate drivers. Problem is I'm on a Mac.
When I plug in my device, it can be discovered when I run adb ...
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20
votes
1
answer
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What is the difference between aboot and boot?
I'm looking through my device and I noticed within /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name that there is boot and aboot partitions. What is the difference between them? Mainly what is aboot?
user53898
13
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3
answers
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How to check if your bootloader is unlocked
I'm about to flash a custom recovery, but I'm not sure if my bootloader is unlocked or not (phone is rooted, but I did it a while ago, so I can't remember the process I went with), and I don't want to ...
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2
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1
answer
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Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 is not detected by fastboot under Ubuntu 14.04
When I connect my device in Download mode to my laptop, it is not detected by neither adb nor fastboot commands:
fastboot devices and sudo fastboot devices returns nothing when device is connected ...
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21
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3
answers
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Is it possible to boot an Android phone from a USB drive?
Is there any way to boot an Android phone* from a bus-powered USB drive**? If so, what are the steps to achieve this?
* E.g. one with USB OTG functionality.
** E.g. a flash drive.
user15074
8
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2
answers
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Nexus 7 Error: Failed to mount /cache
I had a problem with my Nexus 7 (2013, 2nd gen) tablet.
I restarted my tablet and when it was rebooting again, it showed "Google" logo and then stood there.
I wait it (around 20 minutes) but it did ...
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6
votes
1
answer
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what is a bootloader unlocked phone?
What is a bootloader unlocked phone?
How we can make use of it while creating or flashing ROMs?
What are advantages of unlocked bootloaders over locked bootloaders?
Why does not any OEM generally ...
- 274
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1
answer
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Fastboot doesn't see nexus 6p
Currently trying to unlock my bootloader, but cannot get my nexus 6p to determine that it's connected to my PC. I can use adb commands while it's on, but booting it into fastboot mode with the adb ...
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4
votes
2
answers
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Is there currently an easy way to root Sony Xperia S with stock ICS 4.0.4 ROM?
I'm looking for an easy way, which doesn't need Unlocking bootloader or flashing Roms, just like root solution for SE 2011 devices (one click). It's because I currently use my Xperia S for development ...
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3
votes
1
answer
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Can "Magisk" hide bootloader status?
I am planning to flash Lineage OS 14.1 on my Lenovo p1ma40 to give it a new life.
But I often have to do various payment and transactions using banking apps. As you might know , these apps check for ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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How to hide or spoof bootloader info from any app?
I have spent hours trying to perfect build.prop and when I finally was at the end I forgot about this leakage. Any app can easily know device's bootloader info. I realized this when I ran CPU-Z. ...
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2
votes
1
answer
2k
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How to disable bad RAM addresses and fix bad storage blocks?
The symptoms which device presents are:
Restarts randomly with a previous freeze of a few of seconds (this is becouse of /proc/sys/kernel/panic is set to 5).
Sometimes with a blue filled screen.
Even ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Android tablet won't reboot after rebooting using volume and power buttons
I am using a 7" Smartfren tablet called S7.
I was following this tutorial. When I got the last part about the bootloader, I turned my device off. I tried to reboot using the volume buttons and power ...
1
vote
0
answers
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What creating bootloop when flashing TWRP? [duplicate]
I follow this XDA tutorial to flash TWRP and rooting Samsung Galaxy J250F. However, after flashing TWRP via Odin, the phone only boots into recovery, not system. Even factory reset or empty the misc ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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How to access the download mode of a device with a outdated bootloader?
I accidentally flashed some outdated bootloader firmware and now I cannot seem to access the bootloader I tried holding the vol up + power and both to volume buttons + power but it made the phone ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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Boot from SD or external hardware device?
I've tried researching this before, but was unable to encounter an answer. Can you boot a rooted device through USB-C, SD, or something? I'm currently running a Galaxy S9+ and want to keep Android Pie ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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Does having CWM mean bootloader is unlocked?
I flashed CWM using Rom Manager. Does this mean that my Galaxy S4 bootloader is unlocked?
I'm using Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGH-I337M) (Canadian Telus)
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0
answers
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How to install fastboot drivers? [duplicate]
I have a cheap clone android (benss b3) that I managed to connect to win 7 by editing the .inf file in usb drivers. Now I want to load different ROMs via fastboot. However, when I boot to fastboot ...
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0
votes
0
answers
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Is there any way to recover from an over-written android system recovery, or what else might cause a Pixel XL not to enter fastboot from recovery?
This is an attempt to sideload an update to a Google Pixel XL stuck in a boot loop.
Following this answer from the official Google forums, I tried this procedure as linked in the chosen answer. ...
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18
votes
2
answers
21k
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Do custom ROMs like CyanogenMod modify your bootloader?
Does a custom ROM like CyanogenMod come with their own bootloader or does it just overwrite the /boot kernel and /system? Does the bootloader take responsibility to lock your SIM card on a carrier?
...
13
votes
2
answers
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Nexus 5 stuck on "flying color dots lollipop" screen after Hard Factory Reset
I just did a wipe data/factory reset on my Nexus 5. I followed this YouTube tutorial.
I'm stuck on the boot screen, which was my problem in the first place, and it's been on the boot screen for 25 ...
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6
votes
1
answer
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Where does the code pertaing to fastboot mode reside?
Is it in the primary-bootloader (on the mb), or the secondary-bootloader(on the emmc)?
My motive behid the question is to understand what other codes are executed before system can get into fastboot ...
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votes
1
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What is S-OFF? Why would I want to do it?
I always root my android devices, but there's something called obtaining S-OFF for certain devices, and I have no idea what that means. What exactly does the term S-OFF relate to? Why would I want ...
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votes
1
answer
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Problem with unlocking the HTC Wildfire bootloader with HTC unlocker
I tried to unlock HTC bootloader by the official tool but I get to the stage when I issue the command:
fastboot oem get_identifier_token
Unfortunatly I get error
...
(bootloader) [ERR] Command ...
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votes
1
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Debugging bootloop: Get an information log without ADB? Can an emulator help? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Android boot-up messages for debugging?
Related to this post I created: Does the Android emulator generate some sort of log file I can access if it crashes?
I have been ...
4
votes
3
answers
13k
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Alternative ways to factory reset?
My Android 2.3 system my PMP3384 tablet somehow crashed so seriously that I cannot even do a factory hard reset, because I cannot get to settings, only the following message appears again and again:
...
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0
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How to change the boot logo, Not the bootanimation 4.2.2
Im trying to find out if I can change the boot logo, the one that shows up right before the bootanimation. Currently it show's me a linux logo.
I am looking to either completely remove it or change ...
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3
votes
0
answers
651
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su fails: "wget: bad address 'static.zhiqupk.com'" and unable to unlock bootloader
A friend of mine bought a used Samsung Galaxy S6 or at least we thought so, but it looks that it might be a chinese phone. After wiping all data/cache, the phone still had a lot porn/advertisement ...
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3
votes
1
answer
7k
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Is it possible to unlock the bootloader without root access?
Is it possible to unlock the bootloader without root access? If so, is there another way to unlock the bootloader without using the command...
fastboot oem unlock
Now, for the background stuff ...
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3
votes
2
answers
18k
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Strange chinese menu on Lenovo IdeaTab S6000
Context
I just Skyped with my mother (far away) because her Android tablet (Lenovo IdeaTab S6000, running on Android 4.2) showed a strange menu with Chinese characters, almost like a bootloader. My ...
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1
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Where is Boot flow screen displayed in android
I have came across Boot flow and when there is based on boot state of a device, it shows different colot screen.
YELLOW: Warning screen for LOCKED devices with custom root of trust set
ORANGE: Warning ...
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1
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how to succesfully boot into bootloader/fastboot mode on alcatel 5049z smartphone
I am having issues( i am a "novice" when it comes to unlocking a30 android bootloader with a PC...) with booting into bootloader/fastboot mode on my stock rom--android 7--Alcatel a30(non rooted 5049z?)...
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2
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Is there any way to put a password to avoid someone from hard resetting my phone?
I have a Moto G, and I am very careful in protecting my data. I currently use CM Security App from the Google Play Store and it's very helpful in taking a photo to a person who tried unlocking my ...
2
votes
0
answers
2k
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Google Pixel 2: Is it possible to verify that it cannot be OEM unlocked and why?
Background
Apparently, I have bought yet another brand new phone that is absolutely useless and has a value of zero.
It is a Google Pixel 2. I would like to OEM unlock it. This option is greyed out in ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Does upgrading bootloader wipe your data?
I'm about to flash an update to Android 4.4.2 on my Nexus 4, downloaded from Google Developers, and one of the files that it's going to flash is the new bootloader version.
I wanted to know if ...
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