[Newbie Guide] adb/fastboot/bootloader/android 101

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The purpose of this document is to clarify a few basics about HTC Android Phones and basic commands to interface with the phones. Think of this as a beginner's guides to the Android device from a non-traditional user's point of view. I'll keep it simple and plain as much as I can for the new users. I'll also try to keep all the technical aspects true as much as I can while keeping it simple.

Before you go on, please read this and understand the basic concepts and how and why following commands are being used. Do not follow anyone's instructions/tutorials/guides without prior basic understanding of what each command do. I do want to believe it's humans visiting this forum and not lemmings. If you do not understand, feel free to ask here. I will or someone else also knowledgeable will answer your questions. DO NOT QUOTE THIS AS A WHOLE. My pet peeves and a complete waste of screen space.

Sometime, depending on your OS, command names may change (e.g: mouse / mouse.exe / mouse-linux / mouse-mac). For general purpose, we'll use mouse instead of an OS specific commands in this instructions.

So to repeat myself, if you understood the concepts of the commands, and you are on a linux system and someone's guide says touch index.php, you will automatically type touch-linux or whatever the name of your executable is on your system.

We shall assume you know how to install needed drivers and where to get android sdk and put the sdk binaries (executables) in the system path. If we need to expend this let me know and I'll expend this here.

Further, if I get any parts wrong, PM me and I'll get those parts corrected.

Android Partition, SPL etc.

Partitions:
Followings are a list of partitions on your android phone.

misc - misc partition -
recovery - Recovery Partition - This is where the original HTC recovery or Amon Ra's recovery or any other Recovery would go. Basically if you reboot into recovery it'll boot from here.
boot - This is your boot partition
system - This is where all your system information (ROM resides)
cache - cache (When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)
userdata - user data (like your login, your user settings etc) When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)

So, if you replace the recovery image, you are pretty much set for updates provided here at XDA. Note: By replacing your recovery image, you may not be able to have OTA updates.

ROM images will normally replace boot and system images at the same time and often time, userdata and cache too; reseting the phone completely.


SPL/Bootloader/Radio/Bricking Phones:
SPL / Bootloader is like BIOS on a computer. At least I think of it that way. SPL can be updated! SPL comes as either Security-On of Security-Off (S-ON/S-OFF).

Note: It is my understanding that radio will boot first, followed by other systems. So it is IMPORTANT that your radio image/version will work with your SPL image/version. This is the one and only reason for phones being bricked. You can not brick your phone by flashing a ROM or Boot image or recovery image. Once you flash the wrong radio for the SPL, the only known method of recovery is to send the phone back into HTC for repair.

How do I know the phone is bricked? A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.


Commands:

adb - Android Debug Bridge - One of the two things you'll need to know if you ever want to do anything non-conventional on your android based phone.
List of commands that can be used by adb can be prompted by typing adb at the system shell (command prompt or terminal)

Notable adb commands:

adb devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
adb devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.

adb reboot (bootloader|recovery)
adb reboot - this will reboot your phone normally.
adb reboot bootloader - this will reboot your phone back into the bootloader (white screen with the android on wheels)
adb reboot recovery - this will reboot your phone back into recovery console (either default or amon_ra's recovery).
adb shell - this will shell into the phone and you can now explore the phone. Remember phone's native backend os is linux so know your linux commands.
adb remount - remounts the system partition on the phone so you can you read/write to it.
adb push xxx yyy - will push xxx file from computer into yyy location/file on phone (needs rooted access)
adb pull xxx yyy - will pull xxx file from phone into yyy location/file on computer (needs rooted access)


Fastboot is protocol used to update the flash filesystem in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images.

Notable fastboot commands:

fastboot devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
fastboot devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.

fastboot reboot - this will reboot your phone normally
fastboot oem unlock - this will unlock your bootloader - NOTE THIS WILL VOID YOUR NEXUS ONE WARRANTY
fastboot erase XXX - Will erase the partition XXX (such as userdata, cache) - mainly used for resetting phone and clearing userdata / factory settings.
fastboot flash XXX YYY - This will flash XXX partitionn with YYY image.
e.g: fastboot flash system system_update.img will flash/update your system partition with an image called system_update

If anyone needs me to dig deep into using anything else, please PM me. I'll add it on here. Hopefully this will help all newbies about the basic commands and what they do.

FAQs (UPDATED Feb 09, 2010)
Q: One question about the Android SDK. Do I need it to flash my N1 or just to program new apps? Where can I get it?
A: Android SDK is not entirely needed to flash the N1. However, there are tools in there that you need. Adb / Fastboot etc. Although they can be downloaded by themselves, the windows version of the SDK also have the Drivers that are needed for android devices for USB connection. So, it is recommended to get it. You can get it from developer.android.com

Q:I have never experienced anything like this when I did a hard-spl on my winmo phone. Radio versions are included with SPL's, right?
A: Official packages from HTC did come with nbh packaging, meaning it is a all in one upgrader that will update Radio, ROM, System etc, it is very much common for active development area here at XDA to get the radio or SPL or ROM separately and independently of one another. And as such, you will most likely flash them seperately (who wants to wait 6-8 months). Also, since this phone is released by google, HTC will most likely not update any major Radios. However, it is very likely that we will be hacking in Radio updates or any other "updates" from HTC from their new device - HTC Bravo.

Q: Is there a guide for snow leopard? I'm kind of stuck.
A: I personally ran android SDK and aforementioned executable on both MAC OS 10.5 and 10.6. Like I posted, the commands and the executable names may be slightly different. I may call adb and you may find it as adb-mac. I am not going to write 3 separate documents for 3 separate OSes. You have to know that adb=adb-mac (on your mac), adb-linux (for linux) etc. And yes the above guide will work universally.

Q: Can i replace the splash image..?? (unlocking related)
A: As of the above date (next to the FAQ) no you can not. Issue is probably a few folds. One of them is that splash1.img is not going in due to security lock. Remember, you unlocked the phone. HTC will not like it. :) Anyhow, I like the current quad color X. If you are thinking of getting rid of the lock logo, good luck. Even if you can get rid of it, you will still have to overcome the pink text that says ***UNLOCKED*** on your bootloader.

Q: Can you run Windows Mobile on Android Phones?
A: With enough resources given, sure. Will it ever happen? No. Why? Windows mobile compiler and builder cost $. As a matter of fact, as of version 5, it was going to cost me $75 per device. That's one of the reasons why handset makers went to Android open platform. Android is free and universal so as long as you use certain chipsets and certain items, you are good to go. Can it ever be ported? Sure. With right amount of time and money anything can be done. But at this point, it's cheaper for you to go buy a windows mobile smartphone.

Q: How do I know the phone is bricked?
A: You can not brick a phone unless you are flashing Radio/SPL packages. Make sure if you are doing that, you follow directions VERY CAREFULLY. A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.

Q: I have installed the Android SDK however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus. What have i left out?
A: Most common item that people forget to enable is USB Debugging. Settings => Applications => Development => USB debugging [checked]

Q: I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
A: You still have the stock (shipping) recovery. If you want a different recovery (Amon RA's), download it, the from fastboot, run fastboot flash recovery downloaded_recovery.img

Q: Which step of the rooting / recovery procedure does it give root?
A: Root and Recovery are two totally different things. Recovery is a partition that contain recovery information. Stock recovery is what allows OTA updates etc. Normally it will search for update.zip in the root folder of the SD card. Amon_RA's Recovery or any other recovery images are there to enhance the traditional stock recovery. Amon Ra's Recovery for example, contains thing such as ability to update from different zip files, and backup/restore of your data/system.
Rooting is not done by recovery but is a kernel level access (simply put) that will give root or "SU". It is done by patching the boot partition of the your android device.

Q: What are the differences, advantages, disadvantages of the different ROM's?
A: They are all different. Some have some features, some are plain stock, some are made for bleeding edge kernel etc. You'll have to try them out and figure out yourself. I may make a chart of what they are (see the bottom at my signature - wiki) but with too many android devices, I will need some major help. One person alone will not have total knowledge of all the ROM releases. There are just way too many devices and ROMs.

Q: Which ROM will allow OTA updates?
A: Stock ROM WITH Stock Recovery.

Q: If the phone is SIM/carrier unlocked and you root do you have to SIM unlock again?
A: SIM/Carrier unlock has nothing to do with rooting your phone. You can still have root and still be carrier locked. Nexus One comes carrier unlocked from factory.

Q: How much space is there for apps? is using the sd card really necessary? (on Nexus One)
A: Search google? The phone has 512MB or space. That SHOULD be more than enough for you. If not, you have some serious issues. I do not believe you will not App2SD for Nexus One. Google did say during the release conference that they will update Android/N1 so that apps can be run/installed to SD but that requires some system and security changes (mainly to prevent pirated software - Yes if I write something, I deserve to get paid for it).

Q: When you do "flash zip from sdcard" or "fastboot flash image" does this merge and overwrite the files in to the partition?
A: When you update a software (via recovery), software my be merged. However, if you fastboot flash, just like the word flash says, it will flash and overwrite the partition.

Q: Which partition does "flash zip from sdcard" affect?
A: Depends on what you are flashing. It could be any or all of the partitions such as SPL, Boot, System, Recovery, Radio. You should study first before randomly flashing things.
 
Last edited:

wishmaker738

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2005
53
7
really a noob question here.....it wa easier with Hero.

i have installed the Android SDK
however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus.
what have i left out?
 
I still have no idea how to use or setup adb i have downloaded the sdk and used fastboot and superboot to root my phone and am currently running the cm 5.0 beta 2 rom and want to learn how to use adb so i can enable the ram. Thanks, Joe


Ok. I need to know what you actually did. I am not understanding what you are trying to do.
 

pwnvds

Member
Jan 12, 2010
20
1
Can't run adb commands - device not found

Thanks for the info. I am having an issue with running adb commands. My phone is rooted via superboot and I tested it with Nexus Torch which works. Now I am trying to install the new kernel so I can run the wireless tether app... but I can't get any of the adb commands to recognize the phone. I boot the phone by holding the trackball and power button. I am in USB debugging mode. When I run fastboot devices, the phone serial number shows up. When I run adb devices, it says no device detected. And when I try to run any other adb commands they do not work, even though fastboot commands work. Any ideas? Thanks.
 
Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.
 

pwnvds

Member
Jan 12, 2010
20
1
Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.

I'm a noob so can't offer much help...but I would make sure the usb drivers are installed if you're using windows....this probably should have happened when you installed the sdk, but you can also install it through the device manager and point it to the folder where the usb drivers are located. Also make sure the phone is in USB debugging mode. also you may need to reboot your pc. Make sure you have setup running when you run the adb commands. you need to be in the same directory as the adb file, or in the case of the superboot pack you need to type "adb-windows" not just "adb". you may also need to put .exe, ie adb-windows.exe.
 
Thanks for the info. I am having an issue with running adb commands. My phone is rooted via superboot and I tested it with Nexus Torch which works. Now I am trying to install the new kernel so I can run the wireless tether app... but I can't get any of the adb commands to recognize the phone. I boot the phone by holding the trackball and power button. I am in USB debugging mode. When I run fastboot devices, the phone serial number shows up. When I run adb devices, it says no device detected. And when I try to run any other adb commands they do not work, even though fastboot commands work. Any ideas? Thanks.


You run fastboot from the white screen. Android on non-white screen. It's one or the other. It's ADB or Fastboot (depending on the mode of the phone).
 
Sorry i was pretty vague before i down loaded the sdk and also installed the adb setup file included with the superboot pack but just have no idea how to get it to work and add things through adb. I tried typing adb commands into comand line with the phone connected to the computer but nothing happend. just said not recognised command so i just basically need a rundown of how to setup adb.


Is the directory where ADB/fastboot (SDK) is installled in your system path?
I am guessing it's not. If it was, just by typing adb alone (without commands), it'll give you a list of commands. Click here if you want to know how to change your system path to include a particular folder.

:rolleyes: We're now in the age of nintendo pilots and point and click OS that no one knows how to use command lines and system paths anymore. :(
 

umplarry

Member
Aug 21, 2009
16
0
recovery

I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
 
I tried that before I posted. I searched the FAQ again. Maybe I am a complete DA, but still can't find answer. I don't mind searching, it will help me to learn, but could you point me in the right direction in FAQ?:)

Q: I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
A: You still have the stock (shipping) recovery. If you want a different recovery (Amon RA's), download it, the from fastboot, run fastboot flash recovery downloaded_recovery.img


There you go.
 

kozm0naut

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2009
144
0
Austin, TX
I've been looking all over, but I probably need to check the HTC Dream forum or something.

How do I install a custom ROM? I know you have to adb push update.zip somewhere, but I can't find any info about this. Please help.
 

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    The purpose of this document is to clarify a few basics about HTC Android Phones and basic commands to interface with the phones. Think of this as a beginner's guides to the Android device from a non-traditional user's point of view. I'll keep it simple and plain as much as I can for the new users. I'll also try to keep all the technical aspects true as much as I can while keeping it simple.

    Before you go on, please read this and understand the basic concepts and how and why following commands are being used. Do not follow anyone's instructions/tutorials/guides without prior basic understanding of what each command do. I do want to believe it's humans visiting this forum and not lemmings. If you do not understand, feel free to ask here. I will or someone else also knowledgeable will answer your questions. DO NOT QUOTE THIS AS A WHOLE. My pet peeves and a complete waste of screen space.

    Sometime, depending on your OS, command names may change (e.g: mouse / mouse.exe / mouse-linux / mouse-mac). For general purpose, we'll use mouse instead of an OS specific commands in this instructions.

    So to repeat myself, if you understood the concepts of the commands, and you are on a linux system and someone's guide says touch index.php, you will automatically type touch-linux or whatever the name of your executable is on your system.

    We shall assume you know how to install needed drivers and where to get android sdk and put the sdk binaries (executables) in the system path. If we need to expend this let me know and I'll expend this here.

    Further, if I get any parts wrong, PM me and I'll get those parts corrected.

    Android Partition, SPL etc.

    Partitions:
    Followings are a list of partitions on your android phone.

    misc - misc partition -
    recovery - Recovery Partition - This is where the original HTC recovery or Amon Ra's recovery or any other Recovery would go. Basically if you reboot into recovery it'll boot from here.
    boot - This is your boot partition
    system - This is where all your system information (ROM resides)
    cache - cache (When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)
    userdata - user data (like your login, your user settings etc) When you factory reset the phone, this area is wiped)

    So, if you replace the recovery image, you are pretty much set for updates provided here at XDA. Note: By replacing your recovery image, you may not be able to have OTA updates.

    ROM images will normally replace boot and system images at the same time and often time, userdata and cache too; reseting the phone completely.


    SPL/Bootloader/Radio/Bricking Phones:
    SPL / Bootloader is like BIOS on a computer. At least I think of it that way. SPL can be updated! SPL comes as either Security-On of Security-Off (S-ON/S-OFF).

    Note: It is my understanding that radio will boot first, followed by other systems. So it is IMPORTANT that your radio image/version will work with your SPL image/version. This is the one and only reason for phones being bricked. You can not brick your phone by flashing a ROM or Boot image or recovery image. Once you flash the wrong radio for the SPL, the only known method of recovery is to send the phone back into HTC for repair.

    How do I know the phone is bricked? A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.


    Commands:

    adb - Android Debug Bridge - One of the two things you'll need to know if you ever want to do anything non-conventional on your android based phone.
    List of commands that can be used by adb can be prompted by typing adb at the system shell (command prompt or terminal)

    Notable adb commands:

    adb devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
    adb devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.

    adb reboot (bootloader|recovery)
    adb reboot - this will reboot your phone normally.
    adb reboot bootloader - this will reboot your phone back into the bootloader (white screen with the android on wheels)
    adb reboot recovery - this will reboot your phone back into recovery console (either default or amon_ra's recovery).
    adb shell - this will shell into the phone and you can now explore the phone. Remember phone's native backend os is linux so know your linux commands.
    adb remount - remounts the system partition on the phone so you can you read/write to it.
    adb push xxx yyy - will push xxx file from computer into yyy location/file on phone (needs rooted access)
    adb pull xxx yyy - will pull xxx file from phone into yyy location/file on computer (needs rooted access)


    Fastboot is protocol used to update the flash filesystem in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images.

    Notable fastboot commands:

    fastboot devices - If you don't know anything, this is the ONE thing you have to know.
    fastboot devices will give you a list of devices connected to the computer. This is also a good way to make sure that your phone is actually connected to the computer.

    fastboot reboot - this will reboot your phone normally
    fastboot oem unlock - this will unlock your bootloader - NOTE THIS WILL VOID YOUR NEXUS ONE WARRANTY
    fastboot erase XXX - Will erase the partition XXX (such as userdata, cache) - mainly used for resetting phone and clearing userdata / factory settings.
    fastboot flash XXX YYY - This will flash XXX partitionn with YYY image.
    e.g: fastboot flash system system_update.img will flash/update your system partition with an image called system_update

    If anyone needs me to dig deep into using anything else, please PM me. I'll add it on here. Hopefully this will help all newbies about the basic commands and what they do.

    FAQs (UPDATED Feb 09, 2010)
    Q: One question about the Android SDK. Do I need it to flash my N1 or just to program new apps? Where can I get it?
    A: Android SDK is not entirely needed to flash the N1. However, there are tools in there that you need. Adb / Fastboot etc. Although they can be downloaded by themselves, the windows version of the SDK also have the Drivers that are needed for android devices for USB connection. So, it is recommended to get it. You can get it from developer.android.com

    Q:I have never experienced anything like this when I did a hard-spl on my winmo phone. Radio versions are included with SPL's, right?
    A: Official packages from HTC did come with nbh packaging, meaning it is a all in one upgrader that will update Radio, ROM, System etc, it is very much common for active development area here at XDA to get the radio or SPL or ROM separately and independently of one another. And as such, you will most likely flash them seperately (who wants to wait 6-8 months). Also, since this phone is released by google, HTC will most likely not update any major Radios. However, it is very likely that we will be hacking in Radio updates or any other "updates" from HTC from their new device - HTC Bravo.

    Q: Is there a guide for snow leopard? I'm kind of stuck.
    A: I personally ran android SDK and aforementioned executable on both MAC OS 10.5 and 10.6. Like I posted, the commands and the executable names may be slightly different. I may call adb and you may find it as adb-mac. I am not going to write 3 separate documents for 3 separate OSes. You have to know that adb=adb-mac (on your mac), adb-linux (for linux) etc. And yes the above guide will work universally.

    Q: Can i replace the splash image..?? (unlocking related)
    A: As of the above date (next to the FAQ) no you can not. Issue is probably a few folds. One of them is that splash1.img is not going in due to security lock. Remember, you unlocked the phone. HTC will not like it. :) Anyhow, I like the current quad color X. If you are thinking of getting rid of the lock logo, good luck. Even if you can get rid of it, you will still have to overcome the pink text that says ***UNLOCKED*** on your bootloader.

    Q: Can you run Windows Mobile on Android Phones?
    A: With enough resources given, sure. Will it ever happen? No. Why? Windows mobile compiler and builder cost $. As a matter of fact, as of version 5, it was going to cost me $75 per device. That's one of the reasons why handset makers went to Android open platform. Android is free and universal so as long as you use certain chipsets and certain items, you are good to go. Can it ever be ported? Sure. With right amount of time and money anything can be done. But at this point, it's cheaper for you to go buy a windows mobile smartphone.

    Q: How do I know the phone is bricked?
    A: You can not brick a phone unless you are flashing Radio/SPL packages. Make sure if you are doing that, you follow directions VERY CAREFULLY. A bricked phone can not boot into bootloader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You can not connect to a bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone and it will be the first splash screen.

    Q: I have installed the Android SDK however, i cannot seem to get the laptop to detect the nexus. What have i left out?
    A: Most common item that people forget to enable is USB Debugging. Settings => Applications => Development => USB debugging [checked]

    Q: I have rooted n1. when I go to recovery to do backup, I get the triangle with the little green android guy, but phone is stuck there. I have to remove battery to reboot phone. What have I done wrong?
    A: You still have the stock (shipping) recovery. If you want a different recovery (Amon RA's), download it, the from fastboot, run fastboot flash recovery downloaded_recovery.img

    Q: Which step of the rooting / recovery procedure does it give root?
    A: Root and Recovery are two totally different things. Recovery is a partition that contain recovery information. Stock recovery is what allows OTA updates etc. Normally it will search for update.zip in the root folder of the SD card. Amon_RA's Recovery or any other recovery images are there to enhance the traditional stock recovery. Amon Ra's Recovery for example, contains thing such as ability to update from different zip files, and backup/restore of your data/system.
    Rooting is not done by recovery but is a kernel level access (simply put) that will give root or "SU". It is done by patching the boot partition of the your android device.

    Q: What are the differences, advantages, disadvantages of the different ROM's?
    A: They are all different. Some have some features, some are plain stock, some are made for bleeding edge kernel etc. You'll have to try them out and figure out yourself. I may make a chart of what they are (see the bottom at my signature - wiki) but with too many android devices, I will need some major help. One person alone will not have total knowledge of all the ROM releases. There are just way too many devices and ROMs.

    Q: Which ROM will allow OTA updates?
    A: Stock ROM WITH Stock Recovery.

    Q: If the phone is SIM/carrier unlocked and you root do you have to SIM unlock again?
    A: SIM/Carrier unlock has nothing to do with rooting your phone. You can still have root and still be carrier locked. Nexus One comes carrier unlocked from factory.

    Q: How much space is there for apps? is using the sd card really necessary? (on Nexus One)
    A: Search google? The phone has 512MB or space. That SHOULD be more than enough for you. If not, you have some serious issues. I do not believe you will not App2SD for Nexus One. Google did say during the release conference that they will update Android/N1 so that apps can be run/installed to SD but that requires some system and security changes (mainly to prevent pirated software - Yes if I write something, I deserve to get paid for it).

    Q: When you do "flash zip from sdcard" or "fastboot flash image" does this merge and overwrite the files in to the partition?
    A: When you update a software (via recovery), software my be merged. However, if you fastboot flash, just like the word flash says, it will flash and overwrite the partition.

    Q: Which partition does "flash zip from sdcard" affect?
    A: Depends on what you are flashing. It could be any or all of the partitions such as SPL, Boot, System, Recovery, Radio. You should study first before randomly flashing things.
    1
    Don't forget fastboot boot for testing images. My most used command :)
    1
    If the command is not recognized, it's because the adb file is not in the same folder that you have navigated to in you command prompt. With the latest sdk, some of the folder and file locations have changed, so the older guides may be out of date...

    Look in the sdk folders and find the adb file.
    Make sure the command prompt is the same as the file location...

    Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
    1
    Your phone needs to be at the fastboot screen for fastboot to work...

    Hold volume down, and while still holding, power the phone up. You will get a white screen with text, and three android on skateboards. The sixth or seventh line of text will say HBOOT. Use the on screen menu to select FASTBOOT.

    The fastboot screen will look almost identical, but the sixth or seventh line will now say FASTBOOT (or FASTBOOT-USB, if connected to the computer).

    Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
    1
    I'm talking about on your PC...

    The cmd prompt should tell you which directory you are in (something like C:\sdk\tools). The fastboot file needs top be in the same folder (use Windows explorer to check)

    Your adb command is in the "platform-tools" folder, but I think fastboot is in the "tools" folder (it's easier to move them into the same folder).

    Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App