[WARNING!] [FIX!] [BRICKFEST CLUB] How to NOT Hard Brick your Xperia Z1!

UPDATE: THERE IS NOW A HARD BRICK FIX!!
Thanks to @the_laser and @vovanx500

To PREVENT a Hard Brick, READ THIS ENTIRE POST!

Take part in the poll ONLY if your phone cannot be revived
ie. Pressing Volume Up + Power does NOT work and you can't get into flashmode. (If that works, it's not a hard brick)

It's NOT a hard brick if you can get into flash mode.
It's NOT a hard brick if you see the Sony logo.
It's NOT a hard brick if you see ANY life on the screen.
It's NOT a hard brick if you get a led colour that isn't red.

And if it's NOT a hardbrick go HERE to fix it.
Or just flash an ftf from HERE and wipe all / exclude nothing ie. Go with Flashtool's default settings.

But if it's really hard bricked and if took part in the poll... join the club...



...The Brickfest Club

WARNINGS!

Warning 1. Use LATEST Flashtool! (v0.9.11 is DANGEROUS when flashing 4.3 ROMS)
Warning 2. When updating from a 4.2.2 ROM (*534 or *257 ftfs) to 4.3 (*290/*136 ftf), in Flashtool, DO NOT flash only the kernel and baseband from your chosen 290/136 ftf (the last step).

Flash EVERYTHING EXCEPT SYSTEM!

Read this post in which I elaborate as to why.
Basically, there's a 4.3 (290/136 ftf) kernel incompatibility with some aspects of 4.2.2 (534 and 257 ftfs).
I strongly suspect a mismatching ELABEL or BOOTBUNDLE to be the reason in most bricks. MOST likely it's the BOOTBUNDLE.
There's also some funny business regarding the battery level being misread.

So always be sure, when flashing parts of a 290 or 136 ftf, you flash, at the very least:
KERNEL, ELABEL, BOOTBUNDLE, AND BASEBAND so that there is no risk of a mismatch.
Let's refer to it as the KEBB group. Easy to remember

How to update from 4.2.2 ROMs (534 or 257 ftf base) to 4.3 ROMs (290 or 136 ftf base)

1. Go to recovery and do a factory reset.
2. Flash the 4.3 ROM
3. (Optional). Reflash recovery just in case it got wiped from step 2.
4. Using the LATEST Flashtool, select a 290/136 ftf to flash.
5. In the last box, ONLY EXCLUDE SYSTEM (ie. select only SYSTEM and leave all other boxes unchecked. In this area, items with NO checkmark get flashed.)

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Hopefully, the above mini guide will reduce the brick frequency

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

OK so it seems there is alot of bricking going on lately so I don't feel super retarded anymore.
And it seems to happen even when the user does everything right.

So I think it would be a good idea to try and figure out a pattern to it and determine how and why it happens.

So if you got bricked, post the pertinent details

Here's mine:

Phone model - C6906
Method used - FlashTool version - 0.9.13.0
FTF file used - C6906_14.2.A.0.290_Generic CA.ftf
Battery Level - Quite full. Over 80% for sure.
How it got bricked - Flashed the Canadian Generic 290 kernel on a Canadian stock rooted 534.

================
Original OP below
================

So I was experimenting with getting 4.3 rooted or at least have the latest bells and whistles on a properly rooted rom.

I thought that I'd try mixing and matching things maybe flash a new 4.3 stock rom, do a backup, flash a 534 and root it and restore 4.3 apps.

Not the best idea but I figure no big deal if it didn't work since I can just flash a stock ftf, right?

So I was tired... and I carelessly flashed a 4.3 stock kernel on a rooted 534.

I unplugged the phone and it's totally dead.
Doesn't power on, no lights, can't get back into flash mode.
Power + volume up = nothing. No vibration.
Tried the red hard reset button... still nothing.

The phone was pretty much fully charged at the time but leaving it plugged into a wall charger to see if anything good happens.

edit: after leaving it plugged into a wall charger for about 24 hrs, the red light started blinking but no matter what I do, I can't get into flashmode.

Howabout you stop trolling, acting like a baby and learn to read?

I specified the kernel and not the entire OS.

I've read about at least 3 people that got bricked without even modifying anything and all they did was update with SUS.

Lots of bricks are happening even when the user does everything right.
They follower the same steps as lots of others and yet get bricked.

All bricks are related to 290.

And I've never seen such a rash of bricks in such a short time in any forum before.

And I don't even blame Sony for my own screw up. Where did you read that fairy tale?
I even bought another one.
But simply flashing a wrong kernel should not brick the phone and should not break flashmode since flashmode should work no matter what.

Keep on kissing Sony's ass butt at least learn how to read.

And quite frankly, I find what they're doing to users to be horse ****.
First comes the curveball where unlocking the bootloader breaks the camera.
Next they fix it, but now when rooted you can't mount system rw which allows for even LESS developer enjoyment than before the "fix"

Oh wonderful.

Keep drinking the Kool Aid if you want, but I ain't buying it.

Since you think it's so great and perfect as is, don't flash the next 4.3 bugfix if they release it.
But if they do release it and the brick reports stop happening, that would only do more in proving that I'm right.
Not that I even need more proof when simple logic and reading skills will do.

Even so, after the next update, if system remains read only on stock kernel, I may just go back to 4.2 anyway as I've always viewed 4.3 as a general PITA whose only purpose has been making dev's lives more difficult.

Greetings.

the root cause of "bricks" after >= .290 firmware is old s1 boot.
s1 boot MUST be updated to required level.
i'm suspecting that deep cause of this is incompatibility of new RPM firmware, which delivered in APP ( kernel and so on ) package with old S1 boot.
it is great shame to sony programmers, s1 boot was always example how to do things right - and now there is such a fault.

of course, sony services will never know if anything was done to phone software, if you did not tell them about it .
the only solution for sony service centers now is mainboard replace

but - there is way to fix such phone, however this will require back window removal ( at least )
as you probably know, all latest qualcomm chipsets have immutable bootloader, which will enter emergency download mode, if it will not find valid boot on flash (eMMC)
sony implemented method to enter this emergency mode in form of testpoint on phone board.
once this point connected to GND, battery inserted and usb cable attached ( exactly in this order ) - qhusb_dload or qhusb_bulk device should appear )

then we can load special loader and upload required boot update or entire firmware.

there is 3 obstacles :

1. remove back window without destroying it and and phone
2. find testpoint
3. find emergency loaders

just few days ago i got access to p.3
for p1, here is working instructions and repair movies for msm8974 phones : z ultra and z1

now, who will find p.2 ?

ps.
yep, i'm joined the club luckily, board was replaced for free in service center.

Oldskool1337 said:

But with FLashtool u can flash the Stock rom.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Please take no offense - I am very glad that people here are trying to help.

You are talking about a corrupt/incorrect boot image or kernel - and yes, easy to fix with flashtool, or even fastboot a boot.img file
The bricked phones here never reach the point where flashtool, SUS, PCC, fastboot, adb or anything else can work. (corrupt bootloader?)

Signature of this brick is a red LED on charge (usually flashing), no response to anything when off charge or off USB, no flash modes when connected to computer. I am not even looking for a "fix' anymore, just "why" and "how" so that it won't happen to my other phone.