OUTDATED[Guide] Setting up/using adb/fastboot-unlock, flash custom recovery & root

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gguindon

New member
Oct 30, 2011
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Need Help

I completed the entire procedure without an issue..
fastboot oem unlock - OK
fastboot flash recovery recovery-solarnz-100611-1150.img - OK
Rooting the Xoom with Universal Root - OK
When I reboot the Xoom after this it stays on the Motorola Dual Core Screen and nothing happens...

What is wrong?
How do I fix this?

Thanks
Guy
 

itszasecret

New member
Mar 13, 2012
1
0
Columbus, OH
Wow... this guide was great!! Everything worked... I had some issues but mostly because I am a noob. I became a member of this forum to say thanks!! Next step is adding custom ROM's.
 

okantomi

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2011
3,020
709
Boston, MA
I completed the entire procedure without an issue..
fastboot oem unlock - OK
fastboot flash recovery recovery-solarnz-100611-1150.img - OK
Rooting the Xoom with Universal Root - OK
When I reboot the Xoom after this it stays on the Motorola Dual Core Screen and nothing happens...

What is wrong?
How do I fix this?

Thanks
Guy
Are you still having problems with this or have you resolved it?
Hopefully it's all good...
 

yotamleo11

Member
Apr 2, 2012
33
0
Tel Aviv
the green bot of !

Has anyone come up with an good answer for this problem

well my name Is Yotam and i am a student to software engineering I got a motorola XOOM MZ601 base ver h.6.5-17-1 which is the same as Build H.6.1-38-9 for Retail Other International which I have download. I have yet to root my device which is a 3g + wifi device at the moment with not UMTS connected. I couldn't root because the flash recovery refused to work always the error of :cann't load. i have checked repeatedly the SP no syntex errors. now the xoom runs at the moment on HC 3.2 for Orange. from what i understood there is a security thing so i need to restart to an earlier ver so i can reboot everything and so i can actully use flash and finally root it. i tried about everything. i am on this for more then 8 hours trust me i've tried. I really have no idea what to do, the device is currently unlocked for when i relock it it goes to semi brick and i must unlock it. the main problem is that i can't load any! image file using the fastboot flash methood. any ideas? thanks :)
 

kofrad

Senior Member
Mar 31, 2011
210
52
South Florida
Do not relock! After your Xoom boots back up and goes into the setup screens skip setup and enable usb debugging. You may then allow just the OTA updates to take you to HC 3.2
Proceed to Step 4.1, above.

I believe this may be incorrect. I restored to stock and then accepted the OTA to 3.2 but still found the files in question under /system. I didn't want to risk anything so I simply restored back to stock and proceeded on without issue. I really don't think any of the ota updates are needed if you have the microsd adapter to load your roms/zips onto the sdcard via your pc before you begin the process. Clockword Recovery will see the sdcard regardless of whether or not Honeycomb will.

Either way, thanks for the guide. Especially including that quoted bit about those ota updates. I followed through your guide until I got clockword recovery flashed and from there I just did a nandroid and flashed over SteadyHawkin's CM9 rom with no issues at all. Thanks for putting this together and helping me free my device :)
 

matt4321

Retired Senior Moderator - The Real Matt
Dec 20, 2011
4,000
6,240
30
Reading, UK
Recently got my xoom and generally knew what i was doing to root and all but the guide helped make it clear. A big thank you!

Sent from my ZTE-BLADE using Tapatalk
 

okantomi

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2011
3,020
709
Boston, MA
@yotamleo11, I'm sorry that you are struggling with this. It is possible that, as kofrad says in the post below yours, that you don't need to allow those ota updates once you've flashed back to stock. Just make sure that you have your command window opened from within the folder where you have the image files you wish to flash.

Keep at it. You will get it.
 

okantomi

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2011
3,020
709
Boston, MA
I believe this may be incorrect. I restored to stock and then accepted the OTA to 3.2 but still found the files in question under /system. I didn't want to risk anything so I simply restored back to stock and proceeded on without issue. I really don't think any of the ota updates are needed if you have the microsd adapter to load your roms/zips onto the sdcard via your pc before you begin the process. Clockword Recovery will see the sdcard regardless of whether or not Honeycomb will.

Either way, thanks for the guide. Especially including that quoted bit about those ota updates. I followed through your guide until I got clockword recovery flashed and from there I just did a nandroid and flashed over SteadyHawkin's CM9 rom with no issues at all. Thanks for putting this together and helping me free my device :)
@kofrad, it is very possible that you are correct, and that it isn't needed to take those ota updates. If it can be confirmed, I would like to revise that section of the guide to correct it. That part was not written from my own experience, as I rooted very early-on, before these security files were included to make flashing a custom recovery so difficult. Glad it worked for you. Do you have any advice for yotamleo11?
 

yotamleo11

Member
Apr 2, 2012
33
0
Tel Aviv
@yotamleo11, I'm sorry that you are struggling with this. It is possible that, as kofrad says in the post below yours, that you don't need to allow those ota updates once you've flashed back to stock. Just make sure that you have your command window opened from within the folder where you have the image files you wish to flash.

Keep at it. You will get it.

thats the thing i can't flash back to stock either i do something wrong, everytime im in fastboot i get the error of can't load image file thourgh cmd
 

kofrad

Senior Member
Mar 31, 2011
210
52
South Florida
@kofrad, it is very possible that you are correct, and that it isn't needed to take those ota updates. If it can be confirmed, I would like to revise that section of the guide to correct it. That part was not written from my own experience, as I rooted very early-on, before these security files were included to make flashing a custom recovery so difficult. Glad it worked for you. Do you have any advice for yotamleo11?

I'm offering my confirmation here that the OTA updates aren't needed. Once I returned to stock using the motodev images, I let OTA take me to 3.1 and did an "adb shell ls /system" and saw the recovery files in there. I reflashed the motodev images and ran the same command. This time the recovery files weren't there. From there I simply flashed recovery and flashed my rom from the external sd card with no issue.

My assumption is that the lack of sd card support on pre-3.2 xooms is a kernel issue. Missing module or configuration for it. Whatever Koush has got going on inside of clockword recovery seems to load it up and initialize it just fine for me without sd card support in the stock images.
 
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okantomi

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2011
3,020
709
Boston, MA
I'm offering my confirmation here that the OTA updates aren't needed. Once I returned to stock using the motodev images, I let OTA take me to 3.1 and did an "adb shell ls /system" and saw the recovery files in there. I reflashed the motodev images and ran the same command. This time the recovery files weren't there. From there I simply flashed recovery and flashed my rom from the external sd card with no issue.

My assumption is that the lack of sd card support on pre-3.2 xooms is a kernel issue. Missing module or configuration for it. Whatever Koush has got going on inside of clockword recovery seems to load it up and initialize it just fine for me without sd card support in the stock images.
Thank you very much...I have removed that line regarding taking the ota updates. I don't want anyone getting confused or having to do extra steps.
 

-Alaa-

Senior Member
Nov 17, 2010
268
39
okantomi Big thanks For the helpful Thread, i am facing the same problem with the fastboot recovery img its telling me could not load can you help me with that? i tried several times to change the name but no luck also in pltaform-tools the fastboot file exist (before its was in tools) so any solution? i've read this thread and i guess my problem is smillar so can you make me a suggestion please?
 

fvlserevere

Senior Member
May 2, 2011
60
9
...

Before I get into the process, I want to report the presence of the /system/recovery-from-boot.p file in my xoom. Always that I've been updated was via OTA, so what do you suggest, should I start with the normal steps written in the guide or should I go back with the motodev images( I mean,fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash boot boot.img ...) directly?

I'm on ICS 4.0.4 all stock only WiFi model US version. I don't want to brick my lovely xoom tablet.

Regards
 
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okantomi

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2011
3,020
709
Boston, MA
I think you need to follow the steps relating to the "bot of !" because otherwise you can't install the custom recovery. Read some of the more recent comments in this thread to see what others have done to resolve this issue--I never faced this problem, so I'm not an expert in resolving it. I'm just trying to keep this guide as up-to-date as I can.

It's hard to brick your Xoom. Just go slow, be prepared and you'll do fine. Plus, there's a lot of people that will help you if you do get stuck.

Good luck!
 
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fvlserevere

Senior Member
May 2, 2011
60
9
Yes.

I did it, my man!!!!!! Wooooow. I'm just a noob, but I did it. Thank you so much.
I'm testing the last EOS Nightlies because of you, thanks again.
 
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    OUTDATED[Guide] Setting up/using adb/fastboot-unlock, flash custom recovery & root

    Below is a great guide to rooting, from several sources, (mostly taken from pingvinen's "An Idiot's Guide to Flashing the Xoom" and a guide by publicanimal. and I hope it helps. You can find the links to all of the files referenced below in the Xoom Heaven thread (thanks StrifeSoldierVII!)[/I]

    (New thread in General Section by Jack207407 will have all the updated links for flashing
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1443110
    One Stop For ROM's, MOD's, and Root Wifi-Only and 3G/4G Models)

    "What you need to do can be encompassed in these following short steps (will be detailed later on) in the following order. Each step is required before you can proceed to the next one. However, make sure that you are very very careful and don't try to take any shortcuts. That may soft-brick your device, and you may have a difficult time to explain that to your wife ... You have been warned.
    HERE'S THE USUAL DISCLAIMER--I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY HARM THAT MAY COME TO YOUR DEVICE IF YOU FOLLOW ANY PART OF THIS GUIDE--ANY RISK IS ON THE USER!

    I strongly recommend you to read the entire guide before trying. In fact, read it twice to ensure that you have understood everything. If there is weird stuff that you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask. The reason for me writing this down is that I like to document what I have learned. This is to me an excellent way to ensure that I will remember what I just did. Another reason was that I could not find a single thread that encompassed all steps required. There are many different threads, but no one (that I could find) that really guides you from start to goal. So enjoy and good luck!

    I would like to thank LandMaster and cam30era for helping out with advice during my initial trail-and-error session. I soft-bricked my device once and had big problems to get by point 4.3 (avoid overwriting of CWM), but with their encouragement I finally succeeded.

    Just a note before we begin: the different Xoom. Models that are able to use this guide are the following:
    MZ600 - stingray_cdma - Motorola US 3g Xoom (technically this device is stingray as well, but I will be using stingray_cdma as the two devices have incompatible software)
    MZ601 - utms_everest - Motorola EU 3g Xoom
    MZ602 - stingray - Motorola US 4g Xoom
    MZ604 - wingray - Motorola Wifi Xoom
    (thanks solarnz!)
    ___________
    Overview of the 6 required steps

    1. Install Motorola USB drivers for your computers (for USB connectivity) 2. Install Java SDK and Android SDK tools (for adb and fastboot commands) 3. Unlock the device for flashing (allowing replacement of recovery and boot images) 4. Install a modified recovery image (ClockWorkMod recovery for Android) 5. Root the device (Allow r/w access to the device filesystem) 6. Flash a kernel that supports overclocking etc.

    Steps 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 require that you download install, image and zip files needed for the flashing.

    All this was performed on a Windows PC. Windows 7, Mac and Linux users will probably have to do some steps differently.

    1.0 Install the latest Motorola USB drivers

    The installation file can be found at: http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/USB_Drivers/

    1.1 Install the drivers and ensure that your Xoom is recognized by the computer

    2.0 Installation of development software

    Android SDK and Java SDK need to be installed. You can find the installation kits here.

    http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html In case you can't find fastboot.exe, look for it here (thanks to jerrycycle): http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19546334&postcount=5

    Update: you could also just install the adb fastboot pack here:http://www.android.net/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=67

    http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

    2.1 Install them as any other software, making an Android SDK folder on C/.

    2.2 Make sure that all the files you need are in the Platform Tools folder (fastboot, recovery image file and so on). Copy any files in the Tools folder to the Platform Tools folder if necessary. Note: If the Android SDK complains that the Java Dev Kit can't be found, just press Back and then Next again. Wierd, but that seems to do the trick ... go figure.

    (Warning: Never put any zip files in your Platform Tools folder. Flashing zip files through fastboot will cause very serious problems. :eek: Zip files must be flashed from the external micro SD card through CWM recovery on the Xoom...we'll get to that later.)

    2.3 Test that ADB and FASTBOOT works. You should open a command window by right clicking in your Platform Tools folder where all of your files are, plug in your Xoom to your computer with your Motorola cable (it may not work with a generic cable) and write 'adb devices'. Your Xoom should now be listed. Did your device not show up? Make sure that you have USB debugging enabled in Settings/Applications/Development on your Xoom.

    Optional: Those that want to be able to access adb from any where on their computer, here's a tip from scsa20: "For windows, if you go into System Properties and choose Advanced, then Environment Variables..., you'll be able to edit the Path variable under System variables, just add the path to where adb and fastboot is located (separated with a semi-colon (;)).

    Here's what my Path variable looks like:
    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\PhysX\Common;%SystemRoot%\system32;%Sy stemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;%SYSTEMROOT%\ System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\DTS\Binn\;C:\android-sdk-windows\tools;C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Acronis\SnapAPI\

    It's long but do you see the android stuff there at the end?"
    :)

    Update: xda poster Mandelbrot Benoit suggests an alternate adb setup, here: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18072572&postcount=50

    If your windows computer doesn't see your Xoom, consider this (Originally Posted by AngryBulleteyeTruth):

    When the xoom does not show up on PC it may be the problem of.... windows media player!
    Xoom uses drivers of WMP to communicate with PC. If someone does not have the newest WMP drivers it will not show up and you can see xoom device in the devices tab on PC having an exclamation mark.
    So the solution is to download and install Windows Media Player 11. It has worked for me.

    --------

    OK. Now that you are set up, it's Showtime! Take a deep breath...;)


    3. Unlocking the device for flashing

    This step will effectively erase the internal storage, including all your apps and settings. Use whatever backup you want to secure important data before you start. (It will also void your warranty, so you still have time to go back.)

    3.1 Power up and start the Xoom.

    3.2 Ensure that your device is fully recognized by the computer. A good sign is that the 'Portable device' dialog is activated on Windows when your Xoom has booted. The Xoom should also be seen in 'Computer'. If not, go back to step 2 and double check your USB drivers.

    3.3 Use the command 'adb reboot bootloader' to go into Flash mode.

    3.4 Use the command 'fastboot oem unlock'. This will trigger a dialog on your Xoom. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the unlocking. I repeat, this *will* do a factory reset and all data will be lost!

    3.5 Once unlocked, the Xoom will restart and work as normal. Don't bother to do any setup at this time, just make sure that USB debbuging is checked in settings, and now go on to step 4

    4. Install recovery image (CWM) UPDATED 4/19/12

    If you haven't done it already, download the recovery image file and save it to your computer in the Platform Tools folder.

    (Download the recovery image from this link: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1604014 only the img file flashed through fastboot Remember, never try to flash a zip file through fastboot!)

    Important: At this time, make sure you have a good (known to be working) microsd card in your sdcard slot in your Xoom. Reboot the Xoom with the sdcard in the slot to make sure it's mounted.

    4.1 Boot into flash mode with 'adb reboot bootloader.'

    4.2 Install your downloaded recovery image: 'fastboot flash recovery eos-recovery-r6.img' or whatever is the exact name of the recovery img file you are flashing.

    4.3 Enter CWM recovery with the procedure below.

    4.4 Restart the device with 'fastboot reboot'. Timing is essential here, so be alert when the device restarts, or you will have to redo section 4.

    4.5 Once the Motorola logotype is shown, start counting to 3. At 3, press the Volume Down button. This should result in the text 'Android Recovery' in the top left corner. If it does not work (if you see Starting Fastboot Protocol), experiment with the timing (see below).

    4.6 When 'Android Recovery' is shown press the Volume Up button. This should invoke the CWM recovery menu. If that works, then congratulations for getting this far!

    Here is a potential pitfall. If you are unable to enter CWM *before* the device boots into Honeycomb, then the newly installed recovery image will be overwritten by the system default recovery. Just repeat steps 4.1 through 4.6 if that happens.

    UPDATE(12/28/11) Since putting this guide together, Motorola has issued a number of Over-the-Air (OTA) updates that have complicated the process of flashing the Clockawork Mod recovery, so if you have accepted any OTA updates, please read the following, which describes each step (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=26009191#post26008083) (Thanks to Landorin.)


    (If you have root and want to remove these files, remove or rename /system/etc/install-recovery.sh with something like root explorer. You can then flash your custom recovery through fastboot again.)


    For those of you that get stuck with some error like 'device not recognized' poster Madjinj gives the following advice:

    1) Be sure that you have your adb folder in the root of C drive directly and be sure that you are in adb folder in command prompt program (CMD in Windows machines) i.e by typing "cd c:\XXX" where XXX is the name of adb folder in your machine.
    2) Be sure that you type "adb reboot bootloader" in comand prompt to activate adb program. if the problem persists, try typing "fastboot reboot" then after reboot type "adb reboot bootloader" in command prompt program.
    3) Use the USB cable that came with your Xoom (some cables are not good in flashing for unknown reason..!!
    4) make sure that you activate USB debugging mode.

    5.0. Rooting the Xoom

    The Universal Xoom Root zip file from solarnz is located here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1242241

    5.1 You need to transfer the Universal Xoom Root zip file to a working external micro SD card. You can do this on a computer or cell phone, but the Universal Xoom Root zip file must be located in the root directory of the micro SD card.

    5.2 Insert the now prepared SD card in the Xoom.

    5.3 Boot into recovery (as described in 4.3). Navigate using the volume buttons and press the power button to select the active option.

    5.4 Select 'Install ZIP from sd card.'

    5.5 Select 'Choose ZIP.'

    5.6 Navigate to the ROOT zip file with the Volume buttons and select it with the Power button. Confirm that you want to install it.

    5.7 Everything should indicate success, so back out to the main CWM menu and reboot the device.

    5.8 From Android Market, install any app requiring root and start it. If the rooting was successful, then the app should request superuser permission and you should be able to grant it without any problems.

    6. Flashing a new rom or kernel...(e.g. Tiamat Moray Rom and/or Odachi Kernel). Look in the Xoom Heaven thread or in the Development section of this form for all of these files.

    6.1 This step is identical to 5, but swap out the ROOT zip for the ROM or KERNEL zip. For simplicity, you may want to prepare the micro SD card with both zip files at the same time in step 5.1..."
    ------------------------
    This is still one of the best explanations of how to use adb and fastboot to unlock and root the Xoom and install a custom recovery, etc, and doesn't deserve to buries on back pages of this forum. Hopefully, the step-by-step nature of this guide will help those of you that have limited experience with this kind of tinkering.:D

    Oh, and please feel free to correct any errors or omissions. As I said, it came from several sources and needed to somewhat updated.
    8
    For me the hardest part was installing the SDK and JDK, which is a complete waste of time and takes the MOST time of the entire process.

    http://www.android.net/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=67

    This folder is all the is needed. Unzip and paste to root of C:. Only for those that are NOT developing, just want root and push the occasional file. It contains adb.exe and a few other needed files.

    If more info is needed on Easy ADB, here is thread: http://www.xoomforums.com/forum/mot...windows-7-64-bit-other-windows-platforms.html
    2
    Are the contents of /mnt/sdcard lost in the wipe and need to be restored, or do they remain as they are?

    Thanks
    on solarnz recovery, you will only lose the user apps and data, which can be restored fully through Titanium Backup. Your media files will not be touched.
    1
    Thank you, just bought my xoom yesterday and was confused on the steps to take!
    This has made it as clear as possible for me and will follow your instructions to the letter tonight. :)

    Sent from my MZ604 using xda premium
    1
    update/correction about part of 1st posting

    "The green bot of !

    there is one problem that exists with all xoom roots/cwm hacks. I had this problem as well as a bunch of other people when trying to flash CWM. If these files are present after an OTA update, then your xoom when entering recovery will show the green android robot with a exclaimation point instead of CWM.

    [...]

    Or, if you do not already have root on your xoom when you get the green bot of ! then you have to do the following with the stock moto files for your device (from moto dev).

    (This Wipes your Xoom )

    fastboot oem unlock
    fastboot flash boot boot.img
    fastboot flash system system.img
    fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

    fastboot -w
    fastboot reboot

    Too bad this part wasn't explained (why downgrade at all?). Anyways, this seems to be no longer valid as I had that green guy too and all I did was unlocking the bootloader, then flashing CWM as written in this guide and it all worked out (so I did not do the steps in bold font).
    Wrote this just in case someone else stumbles across the helpeful first thread and gets confused about this part.